Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

8 - I Cuss In Front of A Smol Child and Leo Gets a One-Hit KO

Via was worried she'd do something at dinner that would make someone suspect she was plotting to go against Britomartis' orders and rescue Georgie anyway. She tended to fidget when she was nervous, so she tried to look like she was spacing out like she normally did. Fortunately everyone was too tired and busy eating while trying not to think that they might die in the next twenty-four hours to notice anything strange. This was good for her; it meant she didn't have to put more energy into acting like she was planning on going behind everyone's backs.

She knew they were all going to be absolutely furious with her when they found out what she'd done, but she also knew it was necessary. Saving Georgie was worth Emmie and Jo's wrath.

She did have a start when Apollo approached her after dinner with an urgent look on his face. She thought that perhaps he had noticed her acting a bit weird during dinner. However, all he said was, "Do you have any cough drops in the med bay? I've been singing to the griffins all afternoon and my throat feels like Death Valley right now."

Relieved, Via smiled at him. He didn't suspect a thing, and in addition to that, she'd have an excuse to run by the med bay to prepare all of her supplies for her mission. "Sure, Dad. I'll help you out now."

While Apollo was moaning in sweet relief and going on and on about the existence of cough drops (he was pretty vocal for a guy whose throat supposedly felt like Death Valley) and paying absolutely no attention at all to what she was doing (for which she was more than grateful for once), Via grabbed bandages, a flask of nectar, a Ziploc bag of ambrosia, and (just in case) a cyanide pill. She doubted she'd even use it and felt overdramatic for even considering to bring it along, but she felt it might come in handy. Maybe it would end up in Commodus' drink and they'd have one less emperor to worry about.

She stuffed all of this in her bottomless medical bag while Apollo was rambling about how grateful he was to have a helpful daughter like Via and how he wished she could go with them tomorrow, because after all, the more the merrier! And the faster they found the Throne of Mnemosyne, the faster he could restore all of the oracles and become a god again. He would sure have to remember to reward Via for giving him cough drops once he was restored to his previous state of godlyhood. Perhaps he could compose a lovely haiku in her honor. Or the cough drops' honor. Or both.

All this for one fucking cough drop, Via mentally grumbled as she set the bag down by the door of the med bay where she could come back and pick it up later that night. Then she turned to deal with her suddenly way-too-talkative father.

She was almost ninety percent sure he was trying to get on her good side. For what reason, she wasn't sure. To prove that he actually did remember her and her mother? To make up for over sixteen years of being ignored? To flatter her into telling him more about the Cave of Trophonius and the Oracle? Via had no clue, but the sooner he shut up, the better her mental state would be in for her secret mission.

"Haha, sounds great, Dad," she said with a fake smile, interrupting his verbalized train of thought for what should go in his poem. "Look, you've had a pretty busy day today. We all have. Let's go to bed so we'll be all rested up to help you guys set off on your mission tomorrow, okay?"

They headed for their separate rooms, and the urge to jump out a window faded away. Damn, that guy was going to give her stress lines at a way-too-early age. Thank goodness she wasn't bringing him along. She felt a pang of sympathy and increased respect towards Leo and Calypso for traveling with him for two months, Meg for having him as a servant or whatever, and Pat for going on that quest with him earlier today.

"Jeez, how do you put up with my dad?" Via asked Calypso and Meg when she got to their shared room. One again, she wanted to have a girly sleepover, just the three of them staying up late and talking while doing each other's nails, but she knew that would have to wait until Georgie was back and all the excitement had died down.