𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲.

Houdini 2.0

"Red. What's yours?"

"Blue."

"Figures."

"I could say the same for you." He chuckled.

The two talked, both of them were nervous and this helped keep them distracted.

➳

Lilia was freezing and really regretting her choices as they flew further away from camp.

"Celia is going to kill me." She muttered into Percy's back. She was clinging on tightly and her face was pushed right up against him to try and keep warm. It also didn't help that she was now deathly afraid of heights.

It wasn't too hard keeping up with the van, because of traffic at this time of day they hadn't gone to far.

They were at the top of the Chrysler building, Percy was talking horse again (which made Lilia feel quite left out) but as they were about to jump off a vine creeped round blackjacks legs almost making him throw them.

"Going somewhere?" Mr D asked.

He was leaning against the building with his feet levitating in the air, his leopard-skin warm-up suit and black hair whipping around in the wind.

Blackjacked neighed, Lilia wasn't to sure what he said.

Me D sighed in exasperation "The new person, or horse, who calls me the wine dude will end up in a bottle of Merlot!" That confirmed it for her.

"Mr. D." Percy said. "What do you want?"

"Oh, what do I want? You thought, perhaps, that the immortal, all-powerful director of camp would not notice you two leaving without permission?"

"Well... maybe."

"I should throw you off this building, minus the flying horse, and see how heroic you sound on the way down."

"Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?" Percy asked.

Purple flames flickered in his eyes. "You're a hero, boy. I need no other reason."

"I have to go on this quest! I've got to help my friends. That's something you wouldn't understand!"

"Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr. D asked. "Beautiful young princess of Crete?
She helped a young hero called Theseus, also a son of Poseidon. She gave him a magic ball of yarn to let him find his way out of the Labyrinth. And do you know how Theseus rewarded her?"

"They got married," Percy sighed. "Happily ever after. The end."

"Not quite. How about you Lilia, do you know?" He looked at her expectantly.

"He said he'd marry her, he took her on a ship and they sailed to Athens, but halfway there he dumped her, and left her on a little island called Naxos." She said quietly, she knew the story well.

"Yes that's right. I found her there, you know. Alone. She'd given up everything, left it all behind to help this dashing hero, and then he tossed her away like a broken sandal.