Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 42.5: It Does Not Add Up

"So, nothing you could come up with worked?" Annabeth asks curiously.

"No, nothing! Plants? Didn't respond to me.

Animals? They ran away as if I was going to kill them.

Something with the elements, perhaps? Nope. I looked like a fool as I tried manipulating them!

What else can I try?" I ask as I bury my head in my hands. Annabeth scoots closer to me as we sit in front of the fire place in my saloon.

"Maybe it is more abstract, remember what Chiron said. Look within yourself. What makes you, you?" Annabeth says, putting a hand over my heart. I smile as I put a hand over hers. Our rings ting as they touch.

"I believe you know me better than I know myself, Annabeth. What do you think I have dominion over?" I ask.

"Hmm, your best qualities are the faith you carry with you and your honesty. It's what made me fall for you the most," she says, smiling at me.

I chuckle, kissing her on the forehead.

"Then confide in me, my child. Speak in honest words about what troubles you," I say with a regal tone. Annabeth rolls her eyes. "If this is how you do it, then it is no wonder you couldn't find anything out."

"Hey, I really tried the things I mentioned! It's not like there is a manual on how being a Goddess works."

"Hmm, I read that Gods and Goddesses are most powerful in their domain. It is a part of them as much as their bodies are. What connects the most to you? What do you feel in people or in the world around you?" Annabeth asks.

"The dark, but that's probably due to being a daughter of Hades. Hmm, honesty and faith, you say? Can you be dishonest? Perhaps, I can sense you're lying?"

"I'm not sure if I am the best one to lie to you, Aileen. You practically know me like the back of your hand. If you'd want to test it you need someone that can lie very well. The best choice would be..." she says.

"The Stoll twins," we say in unison.

—

"You want us..." One of the Stoll brothers says.

"... to lie to you?" The other finishes with a smile.

I nod in confirmation. One of my hands is firmly on my wallet and around my ring. My time in the Hermes cabin was enough experience to know their skill in thieving is immense. Locks barely work against them too.

"Yes, but make it very believable. For example, say something truthful and then a lie. Making me guess when you lie," I explained.

"Sure why not. It's not everyday someone asks to lie," one of the twins says. The other nods in agreement. "Yeah, should be nice to not get punished for lying."

"Thanks, guys. Who is who, by the way?" Annabeth asks.

"I'm Travis, and this is Connor," Travis says. He's not being honest. I can tell already. A tingling sensation reaches my senses as he was trying to lie.

"Not funny, Connor," I say while looking at him with a pointed look. The twins turn with a surprised expression to me. Annabeth seems very excited for some reason.

"You could tell?" Connor asks curiously. "Mhm. You were not being honest."

"We best step up our game, brother," Travis says, nudging Connor with his shoulder. "Hmm, yes... our reputation is on the line!"

For a moment they were deep in thought as I looked expectantly at them. A few seconds later, Travis looked at me with clear confidence and a smile.

"I got a true story for you! It begins when the sun was setting, and the sky was darkening. Both me and Connor readied ourselves to sneak into the Big House-" Travis says before I cut in.

"False!" I say confidently.

Travis' smile fell as his eyes widen a bit. "How!? I barely said anything, my voice wasn't wavering due to my nerves. How?" he asks, his hand going in the air out of surprise and defeat.

"It was convincing to me from what little I heard. I think we've enough to continue our search, thank you for the help. Have a nice day!" Annabeth says with a sweet, innocent smile.

She grabs me by the arm and leads my away from the two bewildered Stoll boys. They were speaking with each other about what went wrong or what they should have done better. It made me smile as I heard it. This will make them work harder on their skills of mischief.

"So, honesty. We found something out, but this is strange. It doesn't add up..." Annabeth says as she ponders deeply. "Why say that? It is not like it is a weird thing for a Goddess, right?"

Annabeth sighs softly. "Because it is not an abandoned role. Your prophecy stated that you'll fill an abandoned role when the change is complete. Sensing the truth and a falsehood is basically a role that Apollo fills," she explains.

"I didn't know that. Hmm, nothing will happen to Apollo, I assume. It could be some overlap? Or something else, I don't know. But it is clear I have some role that includes finding out who speaks with honesty and who doesn't. And truth is sometimes different from being honest in some cases," I say.

"I guess that is true. Anyway, you should be mindful of any other powers. We don't know whether this is the only thing you can do. Let alone how far-reaching it will be," she says.

"I will. By the way, why were you so excited?"

Annabeth looks at me with a smirk. "I have my personal lie detector. That is very useful, you know."

"Of course..."

Annabeth giggles as she takes hold of my arm. "Oh, I won't misuse you, dear. You're in good hands," she says reassuringly.

"Right..."