Only a Game (Olympus Drive Chronicles)

Chapter 21: When in Rome

Dean

"I don't think we're in Rome though."

"I don't either---but we are in Europe so that's a step."

"Yeah that's a step."

"Why were we trusted to do this?"

"I really don't know. I don't think we look trustworthy."

"Neither do I---okay here, here, all my dad sent me is a pin-drop of a location of where we're supposed to---I don't know, find this person? I don't know," I sigh. It's hot, and we're just standing outside an airport. And I'm confused. And I need another drink.

"Here, have some more," Maya says, getting out her water bottle. Which isn't water anymore. That's a real problem when she needs normal liquids.

"It hasn't been an hour."

"You look like you need it, you're sweating bad, just take a few sips," she says, squeezing my arm.

"Excuse me----sir?" we both look up to see some woman clearly addressing Maya. Maya's face goes red a little, it's been a while since she's been mis-gendered, but that doesn't make it feel any better. "Your wife really can't drink wine out in public like that."

"Should we just go on?" I ask, tiredly. For the record, I am wearing a two sizes too big magenta hoodie, grey jeans, and UGG fluff slides of the pink variety. My gold hair is tied back in very short pony tail. Maya is wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt, her black hair is under a green baseball hat for Winfell-High and she's wearing pink sandals. I really don't know how the woman came to the (wrong) conclusion she did, but I admit it's kind of confusing.

"Yeah let's go on---that's not wine," Maya says, tiredly, taking the bottle of wine and putting it away.

"Sorry, I just noticed you were Americans. You're not supposed to be meeting a tour group are you?" she asks, "We're going to Minos Industries and I'm trying to meet all my students. It's a nightmare."

Maya and I look at each other and shrug.

"Yes, we are going on that, yeah," I say, wiping wine off of my mouth. "Dean Rhea. And this is Maya."

"Oh um---I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I'm beautiful I can handle it, tour, great, do you have a bus?" I'm a fan of buses.

"No, we're not taking a bus to an island."

"Should we be doing this?" Maya hisses as the woman runs off to meet some more students.

"Why not? The place we're supposed to go is in the ocean. Islands are in the ocean."

"I feel like there's a flaw in that reasoning, but I can't find it," she says, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not. I barely remember what we're supposed to be doing. Let's go on a tour you like----industrial stuff? I'm trying here," I groan.

"They're a technology guru---their video games through Naughty Bull have been pretty good since they acquired Talos productions," she says.

"That is----?"

"A bunch of video games I used to play ----they were like puzzle type games. Come on, the Xoana Trials everyone was playing that when we were in elementary school—Talos Productions 'Stay Lost ; ) ' that was the load screen? It was their logo--- It was a bid deal because supposedly the guy who designed the games killed his business partner—then he went to work for Naughty Bull---then he disappeared?"

"Maya, you and I both know I don't reliably know what happened last week," I sigh, "Why do you even know all this?"

"Like I said I used to play all those when I was little. Naughty Bull has had a lot of press lately with Dancing Ground coming out."

"I forget you're a nerd," I say, shoving her shoulder.

"And what are you?" she laughs.

"A lush. What, is that the new game that Juno and Elena were on about?" I sigh. My little sisters and my older brother play video games a lot.

"Yeah, I should ask Grant if he's played it yet," she says, getting out her phone.

"You text with my uncle's husband?" I ask, frowning.

"Yeah, we play CoD together sometimes," she says.

"Do you play with Thyme?"

"Does Thyme demolish us from time to time? Yes. Does he occasionally remember to stay on our side? Yes, sometimes. Why?"

"You have a more active social life than me it's fine," I put a hand to my hair. I am sweating. I want another drink.

"It's basically just your family---he has not played it and he says he has extended reasons why involving his personal opinions of Naughty Bull. I'm not telling him we're about to tour."

"What are his personal opinions?"

"Oh a lot of people think they're kinda corrupt or whatever. But all big business is, right?"

"I mean clearly. Fuck capitalism."

"Exactly. Well. Looks like we're gonna find out—are you gonna be okay?" she asks, frowning at me.

"Yeah, yeah I'm gonna be fine. Totally fine." I hope I'm right.