Alacrity

XII.

XII. Death By Massive Bathtub

Annabeth immediately vetoed Lyra's idea of hotwiring a car. At Lyra's offended face, the daughter of Athena reassured the dirty-haired blonde that she had no doubts as to Lyra's ability to hotwire a car, but she didn't quite trust any of them to get behind the wheel.
"I can drive," Lyra scoffed, but the smile she gave her three companions didn't make them feel any more comfortable, and Annabeth ultimately decided they should take a taxi. Lyra hailed one quickly and she hopped in the passenger's seat, giving the driver a bright grin. He gave her a once-over when the daughter of Hermes asked him to take them to Los Angeles, "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."
Lyra's first thought was to push the cabbie out of the car and steal it, but Annabeth seemed to recognize the gleam in her cerulean eyes and instead leaned forward, "You accept casino debit cards?"
The driver shrugged, "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."
Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card, and the driver looked at it oddly. She rolled her grey eyes, and with one piercing look from the curly-haired blonde he swiped it. His meter machine instantly started rattling and the lights flashed - an infinity symbol appeared next to the dollar sign.

Lyra caught the cigar that fell out of the driver's mouth, and she placed it back in with a mischievous smirk as he looked at them with wide eyes, "Where to in Los Angeles, uh, Your Highnesses?"
"Santa Monica Pier," Lyra grinned when she twisted in her seat to see Annabeth straighten importantly in her seat, obviously liking the title. Her best friend flushed when she met her eyes and she added, "Get there fast, and you can keep the change."
Lyra cheered as they drove through the Mojave Desert, never dipping under ninety miles. Her friends didn't look nearly as confident as her that they would make it to Los Angeles in one piece. She heard them speak in hushed whispers behind her. She knew the driver wouldn't be able to hear, but as daughter of Hermes her hearing was better than the average mortal's - even the average demigod. It gave her an advantage in sneaking around.
Her blood ran cold when she heard Percy speak about the voice he heard in a pit in the Underworld - it didn't sound to her like Hades, seeing as her Uncle was known for appearing on his magnificent throne, never from the depths of the Underworld. She didn't dare think about what had been calling out to Percy in his nightmares - or, if her suspicions were correct, who.

They reached the Santa Monica beach at sunset - off in the distance, Lyra could see the bright lights of carnival rides lining the Pier, and she wished she would have experienced it under different circumstances - maybe she could convince Luke to take her, one day. She had always wanted to experience... a normal life with her brother, one where they didn't have to worry about monsters at every corner.
The four walked down to the edge of the surf, and Lyra pulled off her socks and combat boots, sinking her toes in the soft sand, "Now what, Kelp-Brain?"
Percy stepped into the water, and Lyra rolled her eyes. Beside her, Annabeth called, "What are you doing?"
The boy didn't answer - he kept wading into the water, up towards his waist. When it reached his chest, the curly-haired blonde tittered nervously, "You know how polluted that water is? There's all kinds of toxic chemicals, and did you hear about-"
"-Annabeth, he's gone." Lyra interrupted the girl and pointed to the surface of the ocean, which swallowed the tips of Percy's unruly dark hair. Her best friend huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "I wish he'd listen, for once."

Five minutes passed with no sign from the son of Poseidon, then ten. Lyra kicked at the sand, leaning down to draw shapes, "At what point do we decide he drowned?"
Annabeth smacked Lyra over the back of her head, scowling at her, "He can't drown, Lyra." But the girl didn't seem so sure, and she looked anxiously out into the water. As if on cue, the boy waded from the surf - his clothes dried instantly as he reached the beach, and Lyra nodded, an impressed look coming over her face, "You sure can hold your breath for a while."
"Thanks," Percy rolled his eyes, and he held out his hands to reveal four small pearls - he told them that he met a woman in the water, who told him to smash the pearls at his feet in the time of need. What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.
"Very ominous," Lyra nodded her head, "but cool."
Beside her, Annabeth grimaced, "No gift comes without a price."
"They were free," Percy said in a 'duh' tone. Annabeth shook her head, causing her curly-blonde hair to bounce along her shoulders, "No - 'there is no such thing as a free lunch'. That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

"What did we say about being so foreboding, Annie," Lyra swung an arm around the girl's shoulders, and though the daughter of Athena shot her an annoyed look, she made no move to remove herself, "On that happy note, shall we head to the Underworld?"
The four took the bus into West Hollywood using the last bit of spare cash they had from Ares' backpack - Percy showed the driver the address slip he'd taken from Medusa's lair (just the thought made Lyra's spine tense up and her jaw clench), but he claimed he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studio.
Lyra was, of course, sent out to scout ahead once they got off the bus - she had just passed the entrance of an alley when a voice stopped her, "Hey, you."
Lyra stopped, turning around to face six tall boys with expensive looking clothes and pointed, rat-like faces. One with close-cropped blonde hair stepped forward, a grin tugging at his face, "You're awfully pretty to be wandering around alone." He stepped forward, the light glinting off his dark eyes.