νεκρός || Annabeth Chase x Fem!OC

Vol. 4-7: Hermes gets mad at me

ANNABETH

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Percy's knees buckled and Tempest pulled her hand away from him like he had sent a volt of electricity through her.

"Percy!" I yelled, pulling him up. "What happened?"

"Did... did you see that?" Percy asked, his eyes wide.

"See what?"

He turned to Hestia for a minute, then to Tempest, then back to me. "How long was I out?"

I knit my eyebrows. "Percy, you weren't out at all. You just looked at Hestia for like one second and collapsed." I turned to Tempest to see if she knew what was happening, but she looked irritated. She kept her eyes on the fire.

Percy stammered. "Um, Lady Hestia, we've come on urgent business. We need to see-"

"We know what you need," a man's voice said.

A god shimmered into existence next to Hestia. He looked about twenty-five, with curly salt-and-pepper hair and elfish features. He wore a military pilot's flight suit, with tiny bird's wings fluttering on his helmet and his black leather boots. In the crook of his arm was a long staff entwined with two living serpents.

"I will leave you now," Hestia said. She bowed to the aviator and disappeared into smoke. I understood why she was so anxious to go. Hermes, the God of Messengers, did not look happy.

"Hello, Percy." His brow furrowed as though he was annoyed with Percy.

I wasn't very happy to see him. Hermes and I don't have the best relationship. Thalia, Luke, and I had met him once before when we went to Luke's mom's house. It was... It was a bad night, to say the least. And ever since Luke turned into Kronos, Hermes held a grudge against me, like it was my fault. In a way, I guess it was. Tempest would've killed him had it not been for me.

Percy bowed awkwardly. "Lord Hermes."

Oh, sure, one of the snakes said. It seemed to affect all of our minds, because Tempest swatted around her ears and looked around until she realized what it was. Don't say hi to us. We're just reptiles.

George, the other snake scolded. Be polite.

"Hello, George," Percy said. "Hey, Martha."

Did you bring us a rat? George asked.

George, stop it, Martha said.

Too busy for rats? George said. That's just sad.

Percy glared at the snakes, but thought better of arguing with them. "Um, Hermes," he said. "We need to talk to Zeus. It's important."

Hermes's eyes were steely cold. "I am his messenger. May I take a message?"

Behind us, the other demigods shifted restlessly. This wasn't going as planned. If Hermes had to deliver a message to the gods, it wouldn't be nearly as effective as telling the gods in person.