Indigo Eyes

Chapter 78

It was just after dawn when the quest group met at Zeus' fist.

As Percy had no one to say goodbye to, since his brother was coming with them, he was very surprised to see Cressida in tears as she stood at her brother's sides. Something felt different. Something felt off and she didn't want to leave them. And they felt the same as Pollux tightened her ponytail and Castor zipped up her jacket. It was small things they kept fussing over, much like the way Juniper did to Grover. Juniper had been crying again, but she was trying to keep it together for Grover's sake. She kept fussing with his clothes, straightening his Rasta cap and brushing goat fur off his shirt. He was dressed to hide his satyr form since they didn't know what they could encounter.

Chiron, Quintus and Mrs O'Leary stood with the other campers who'd come to wish them well, but there was too much activity for it to feel like a happy send-off. A couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided they needed to guard the Labyrinth exit at all times, just in case.

"Percy, you look terrible," Annabeth remarked as she checked her supply pack for the millionth time.

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

"What?" she asked.

But he had no time to explain as Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you are ready!"

And as Percy pulled Chiron over to the side to ask for a favour, Cressida turned to her brothers.

"Hey," Castor said as he wiped her face. "No tears. We'll be here when you get back."

"You held up the freaking sky!" Pollux reminded her. "A maze of madness should be cake for a daughter of madness."

"Exactly! You're gonna stop Luke..."

"And his army of stupid monsters."

"And then we are going to have a pinochle night like no other," Castor said and Pollux punched the air as Cressida turned her lips up.

"I have never been more in love with you than I am now," Pollux said endearingly as he leaned towards his brother. "Do you know how badly I'm in need of a pinochle night?!"

"Oh get off!" Castor groaned as he shoved his brother away. "And I'm thinking more about our baby sister's needs as she embarks on her fourth deadly quest before the age of fifteen."

"We're two years older, is she not much like the triplet we never had?"

"Shut up and hug me, you dummies," Cressida said with a small grin. But rather than hug them both at once, she hugged them one at a time, really savouring it.

"What do we say?" Pollux asked first as he held her.

"I'm the daughter of Dionysus. I can do this. I'm a badass."

"Very good. I'm very proud," Pollux said sarcastically as he kissed her cheek, and she rolled her eyes.

"You're just an ass, at least I'm a badass," she retorted as she kissed his cheek and he pulled away, a dramatically offended expression on his face as he turned to his brother.

"Cas! Cress is being mean! Yell at her," he whined, and Castor also rolled his eyes at him.

"If you didn't teach her to swear, you wouldn't be having this problem," he scolded before he wrapped Cressida in a hug, the two of them rocking from side to side as he squeezed her. "Who are you?"

"I am Cressida Lynn. I'm your baby sister and I can do anything."

"Now that is something to be proud of," he said proudly as he peppered her face in kisses.