"What do you mean 'impounded'?!"
"What do you think I mean?"
Richard really struggled with not reaching across the counter and punching the man in front of him. "Look, I paid for you to hold on to that car for three weeks. We don't have any other transportation for the moment, and-"
"Not my problem," the man snapped, "You paid for three weeks exactly. 21 business days, from opening to closing. It's four hours past opening on the 22nd day. your car was taking up space I could be loaning to another customer, so I had it taken out. You have an issue with it?"
"Yeah, actually, I do!"
"Take it up with the DMV when you go to get it back."
Richard fumed, his fists clenched on the table top. "Are you kidding me? Four hours past opening- fine. Where's your phone? I need to call a cab now."
The man pointed at a land line on the counter. "There you go. Knock yourself out."
Richard glared furiously before heading to the phone. He glanced out the window at the rest of the group, groaning internally. He was not looking forward to explaining why they'd be cramming into a cab for an hour to get to the city.
"Oh, before you make a call, I'll need three dollars."
Richard slammed the phone back on to the receiver. "You're absolutely insane! I'm not paying you to call a cab so I can take care of the problem you created!"
"I guess you're not calling a cab at all then."
Richard's patience had run completely dry. He was tired, he was sore, and he was starving. He couldn't take care of any of that until he'd called a cab, and he wasn't about to pay him to do that. Money wasn't the issue. It was the principle of the matter that kept him from handing it over. Without a word, he turned on his heel and left the building, leaving the door wide open behind him.
Jerome was the first to see him walk out. "So where's the car?"
Richard scowled back through the window as the man inside got up to close the door. We're 28 hours late. He had it towed."
"What?!"
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Guys," Monica said, "Let's just go get it. It's not that big of a deal."
"It's not his car," River pinched the bridge of her nose, "he just rented it. it was probably sent back, so we're stuck here."
"Are you serious?" Jerome's eyebrows shot up, "Are you telling me we have to take a cab as close to camp as we can get, and then walk the rest of he way?"
"Nope." Richard huffed, "he wants me to pay three dollars to use his bloody phone. There's no way in Hades I'm paying that!"
Groans from everyone except Camille sounded.
"Rich, it's three dollars! Pay the freaking man!"
"No! I already gave him a couple hundred dollars to watch the car!"
"And he didn't even do that right," Camille agreed, "Why encourage his cheating business?"
"But what's three more dollars?" Monica asked in exasperation.
"No, no" Jerome spoke up again, "I get it now. Why don't you get the money back?"
Richard rounded on Jerome. "You go in there and reason with him! He's being completely unprofessional!"
"Rich, breathe with me." Jerome had to stand on his tiptoes to be eye to eye with the other teen. He exaggerated breathing motions, earning a small smack upside his head. "Yeesh! Alright. Look, I'll go in and talk with him. Maybe your overbearing leprechaun personality is making him uncomfortable." He slipped into a poor impression of Richard's accent.
"Jerome-"
"Easy, Laddie. Let your uncle Jerry handle this." He jigged in place and jumped, clicking his heels together and grinning at Richard.
"It is taking all my self restraint not to punch you right now."
"I'm glad it's holding out. Give me ten minutes." Jerome dropped the accent and lowered his voice. "we each have ten minutes. If I don't get you a full refund in my ten, you get to try. Whoever gets him to refund first gets five drachmas from the loser."
Richard's posture straightened visibly. He placed his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Alright. You're on, Jerry. Maybe you should just give me the money now."
"we'll see," Jerome remarked, waving before he casually walked to the building. Richard followed behind him, ignoring the questioning calls shouted after him. He stopped just outside the building, peeking in the window as Jerome walked up to the man.
The son of Hephaestus approached the counter, facing away from the window much to Richard's frustration. All he had to go off of was the man's facial expressions. Unfortunately for Jerome, he seemed incredibly annoyed. Richard kept watching with an obvious smirk as ten minutes came and went, Jerome getting increasingly desperate before he was forcibly kicked out of the building.
"Yeah, well same to you!" Jerome dusted himself off with a huff. "I say we take our business elsewhere and call it good."
Richard caught him by the collar as he started walking off. "Easy, Laddie. It's my turn."
Camille walked over with the other two girls in tow. Richard simply grinned at her and leaned against the window. "Come to watch me wipe the floor with Jerry boy? It's too bad he's as dull as those hammers he's always working with."
"Rich!" Camille scolded, glancing at Jerome who merely shrugged.
"I set myself up for this. If I couldn't take it, I wouldn't have got him going."
"Relax, gorgeous." Richard draped an arm around Camille's shoulder. "I've got this."
"I'm sure you do," Camille said with a roll of her eyes. She pushed his arm off and shot a glare at Jerome, "and I'm sure Jerome is very sorry for triggering this outburst, and has a very good explanation." Jerome winced and let out an innocent whistle as he slowly started backing away from the group.
"I'll catch you later, lovelies," Richard chimed, heading through the door, "right now, I'm going to collect my money from a certain swindler."
Nobody seemed to realize he was heading back to the building, and when he entered, the man looked up in fury and annoyance.
"Kid, look, I already told your friend I don't do refunds. You paid me and its as good as spent, deal with it."
Richard didn't say anything, simply reaching into his pocket and placing a bag filled to the point of nearly overflowing with galleons. That got the man's attention.
"What's this?" he asked, picking up one of the gold coins. It glinted and sparkled in the light, and Richard smirked as the same glint entered the man's eyes.
"I think you know what it is."
"Of course. The question is: is it real?"
"More real than your word." Richard pulled the bag back away. there's double what I gave you in here. You give me back the four hundred I paid you 22 days ago, you get the whole back of gold."
The man look bewildered. "You bribing me into giving you back your money, with more money?"
"That's what I said. And don't worry, there's no tricks. You'll be completely reimbursed for what you give back to me."
You're not all that bright, are you?"
"I've been told I'm a little dim."
The man shrugged, opening the box on the counter and pulled out four hundred dollar bills. Richard gave him the bag of galleons. the man weighed the sack in his hands. "And this will pay me back completely?"
"I'm a man of my word. You'll get exactly what you earned." Richard headed back outside, leaving the man to examine the gold. River had managed to pry Camille away from Jerome, who had taken shelter behind Monica. " Refrain from murdering him until I get my money, please." Richard flashed the money he'd gotten in Jerome's face.
"Oh come on," Jerome grumbled, "you're joking."
"Nope. Pay up."
Jerome grumbled, digging into his pocket and pulling out the promised amount. "I should've seen that coming. Why did I think I could beat you?"
"Beats me."
"How did you get him to pay you back?"
"I bribed him."
There was silence all around him as Richard smirked triumphantly. Jerome pursed his lips and looked at Monica. "Like...blackmail? Or with chocolate?"
"Nope. With money. More than double what I paid him the first time."
Jerome groaned. "I know it. I saw the common sense turn off the second I finished talking.
the sense of accomplishment Richard had been housing faded immediately, and a dull ache settled behind his temple. He suddenly felt ill and incredibly foolish, and he stumbled a few steps backward as he realized what he'd done. An entire sack of galleons wasted on that cheap crook. He massaged his temple with one hand and shoved the other deep into his pocket. He'd made a fool of himself. Again.
"Jerome, I'm going to kill you."
The other boy chuckled nervously. "Can we do that back at camp? I'd prefer we have witnesses."
"We're surrounded by people."
"I mean witnesses that won't cheer you on."
Richard groaned and made a strangling motion directed at Jerome. He took a deep breath and lowered his hands. " Alright, wise guy. you come up with a 'brilliant' way to get the money back. Now come up with another brilliant plan to get us to camp."
"For the love of the gods," River groaned, "go use the stupid phone inside! It won't kill you!"
"It might! How would you know?"
"Your ego doesn't mater!"
"My ego would love to remain unbruised!"
"Both of you stop!" Camille shouted over them. The arguing halted as the blonde stalked over to Richard, plucking one of the drachmas from his hand. She walked over to the road and set it on the blacktop.
"Cami..." Richard started with a sense of dread. "Please tell me you're not."
"Do you have a better plan?"
Richard swallowed and glanced back at the building. Maybe his pride could take a bruising. It was three dollars: he could pay that without feeling like a massive failure. Right? He could handle paying three extra dollars to the slippery, ridiculous, awful, son of a half troll-
"Nope. I got nothing."
Camille rolled her eyes. "That's what I thought." She stepped off the road and sighed. "Stop, Chariot of Damnation."
"You've got to be kidding me," Monica said in a small voice as the sounds of squealing tires and cackling sounded. The air began to smell of smoke, and a pit of dread settled in Richard's stomach. Forget the chimera, this was probably the most dangerous thing he'd done on this trip. There was a more pronounced squealing sound as a taxi appeared in front of them, smoke curling out from the big city. the only give away it was something out of the ordinary was the fact it appeared to be woven from smoke, as well as the less than common women in the front. The window closest to Richard rolled down slowly.
"Hop in, kids."
"Buckle up, and remember-"
"-Exact change only."
Nobody moved for the longest time, just staring at the cab until Jerome turned away and started walking down the street.
"Oi!" Richard called after him, "Where are you going?"
"Walking to camp. I think my chances of survival will be much higher this way!"
"You'll get yourself killed!"
"I'll take my chances with the crazy drivers and hitch hikers!"