FOTIA - percy jackson

𝟎𝟏𝟓; a godly trap

"Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods." Percy scoffed, partially in disbelief. "You summon the goddess with a spray gun?"

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know any easier way to make a rainbow," He said. Percy shut his mouth, he didn't. Loralai smirked.

Late, almost orange afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors. A rainbow.

Loralai held her palm out to Percy. "Drachma," she commanded and the boy handed it over as if she was going to bite. She raised the coin over her head, reciting, "O goddess, accept our offering." Loralai chucked the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared into a golden shimmer.

"Half-Blood Hill," The brunette requested. For a moment, nothing happened. Just cicadas and the white noise of cars on the road.

Suddenly, strawberry fields greeted them warmly, the Long Island sound in the distance. They seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to them at the railing was a sand-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

Loralai furrowed her brows, she hadn't expected him. The way his back was tense... years of knowing him told the girl that he was nervous or maybe even angry? It was weird. He'd been weird lately.

Abruptly, she was reminded of his strangely ominous words the day she first encountered Breath: 'You should take a break, you'll be needing it.' Loralai shivered, even though Denver was fairly warm.

"Luke!" Percy called. He turned, eyes wide. Percy could swear he was standing a meter in front of him through a screen of mist, except he could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy!" his scarred face broke into a grin, sandy hair flowing alongside a slight breeze. "Is that Annabeth and Loralai, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

Annabeth blushed and Loralai smiled. Stammering, Annabeth managed, "We're... uh... fine.." Loralai smiled. "Everything's going so well," the brunette spat sarcastically, just quiet enough so that only Percy could hear it, who frowned.

The blonde madly straightened out her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. "We thought- Chiron- I mean-"

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," the satyr called, he held the nozzle out to one side so Loralai could hold it and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?" He inquired.

Just then, a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash, its stereos turned up to the maximum hip hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

Small mumbles echoed from the speakers, but the background aspects of the music were so overpowering Loralai couldn't even make out what song it was. She strained to hear Luke's voice as he yelled, "Chiron had to- what's that noise?"

"I'll take care of it!" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "Loralai, come on!" Loralai's mouth dropped. "What?" She said. "But-"

"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she ordered. Hesitantly, the girl gave the nozzle to Percy. Grover mumbled something about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle at Delphi, then he sat down next to Percy as the girls trailed away.