𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒 | percy jackson

athena's mad at us

...

Indistinct chatter followed the group, people moving out of the way when they saw Percy. "Sick boy, very sick, might be sick on you," Ciarda was not used to society and had no problem yelling at them to get out of the way. "Very scared of women too, watch out, prone to vomit on them especially," She chuckled when Percy's weak slap hit her in the stomach.

Her rough, calloused hands pulled a bratty ginger child out from taking a whole tram to himself, telling him to get on the next one. The lollipop he was noisily slurping on had made his face sticky. 

"Erm, excuse me," The child's mother trampled over when he started crying. "We were going on that," She tapped Ciarda's shoulder. Grover and Annabeth knew she had it covered, as she did with all snobbish people. They shoved Percy into the cart. 

The woman turned her nose up at Ciarda, making the demigod's eye twitch. The mother easily thought she was superior with her designer handbag and fancy sandals. 

"I'll give you a chance to get the next tram," Ciarda grumbled. "Listen here, Missy. You are supposed to respect your elders," The mother prodded Ciarda's shoulder, hoping she would stumble backwards slightly. Ciarda's feet stayed glued to the ground. 

She could've snapped that woman's femur as easily as a breadstick. 

"Okay," Ciarda clapped her hands, the noise booming through the tram station. Tears welled in her eyes and fell down her red cheeks. She grabbed onto her cheek and stared at the woman in confusion. The mother took a step back, her face still angered.

"Is everything alright?" A kind-looking officer with a doughnut in hand rumbled over. A well-gelled moustache bore his upper lip. "She hit me!" Ciarda sobbed, pretending to flinch when the man placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. His expression turned sour at the woman who was staring in shock. "Ma'am, would you please come with me?" He asked, pulling her to the security station, her annoying kid trailing after her. 

Ciarda shrugged, hopping in the tram with the rest of her questmates and wiping the artificial tears from her face. Annabeth raised a disapproving eyebrow. "What can I say? I miss my theatrics," Ciarda hummed. 

Percy was out of breath, trying to keep his head straight. "What was that back there? What did you hear?" He blurted out. Ciarda pressed the button to the highest part of the Arch, right where the altar was. Annabeth was staring at the uninteresting floor. 

Both Ciarda and Grover then glanced at her. "She spoke to you," Percy realised. Ciarda's heart dropped. "Alecto did that with me back in the Museum in New York. What did she say?" 

Annabeth's head whipped to the closing doors. Her eyes zeroed in on Echidna entering the building, the shadow of her monster following right after. 

"Was that the Chimaera?" Ciarda's stomach felt like she'd swallowed twelve stones. "I- I think that was the Chimaera," Grover's panicked voice raised two octaves. "How did the Chimaera even get inside here?" He rambled in a frenzy. 

"Shut up," Ciarda smacked him, blowing his breath out of his lungs. Whilst he gasped for breath, her eyes glanced to Percy who was glaring darkly at Annabeth. 

"Annabeth?" Percy stated gravely. "We're in a sanctuary. Athena would have had to let her in, but why would she do that?" Grover caught his breath and continued his manic state. 

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, gaining her attention. She swallowed. "What did Echidna say to you?" Percy coughed hoarsely. 

"She said my impertinence wounded my mother's pride. And that that will be my doom." 

"Impertinence, what kind of-" Ciarda's look to Percy made him shut up and piece it together mentally. "Medusa's head," His voice was shallow and low. 

"I embarrassed my mother." 

"But- we're the ones who sent the head to Olympus?" Percy referenced Ciarda who shrugged in agreement. Her father wouldn't have been too angry, she believed. 

Her eyes kept slyly watching the floors move up on the buttons. They had to get to the top before Echidna. "I signed the note." Percy didn't understand. "And I went along with it!" Annabeth cried. 

"It embarrassed her, and now she's angry. She isn't going to help us when we get to the top." 

"What are we going to do about Echidna and Chimaera?" Grover felt like he was the only one asking rational questions. Ciarda unsheathed her sword, closing her eyes and preparing herself. "We have no plan now that Athena is mad at us!" 

Ciarda let the button ding and light up orange when they reached the top. "Well, I'm mad too." She swung her golden sword, a warrior's expression painting her face.