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a mattress store was the last place alliah had expected to find herself in on this quest, but here they were.
by percy's side, they entered the store.
they were met with odd music and the smell of bedsheets.
"welcome, weary traveler!" an unfamiliar man emerged from the row of beds lined along the walls.
"come on in and take a load off. these beds will change your...life."
the man had been grinning but when he caught sight of percy, he sighed.
"well, hello there. missing our mommy, are we?"
"i know who you are." percy stated. "you're procrustes, son of poseidon, and murderer of travelers."
the man smirked. "crusty, please."
"you sure do look like like a 'crusty.'" alliah muttered under her breath.
crusty shot her a dirty look before trudging over to percy.
"you," crusty walked closer to percy. "you've got dad's eyes..."
he gestured to the beds by his sides.
"take a load off. relax for a minute..."
alliah and percy exchanged a knowing look.
"the beds are a trap." percy shook his head. "that's how you do it - how you murder your guests."
the man rose an eyebrow, grinning. "i do?"
"there's a secret passage to the underworld here." percy cleared his throat. "and i know you were left to guard it, and i need you to let me through."
crusty fell quiet for a moment before resuming back to his feigned advertising, strolling away from the pair.
"in addition to being incredibly comfortable - these beds are great for your self confidence."
"i'm really not interested-"
"they show you how to fit." procrustes continued. "fitting's not easy for guys like us, am i right? our parents make it so hard, stretching us and twisting us and hacking off pieces to make us seem more like them."
he made his way back towards the kids, placing a hand on percy's shoulder. "anywho, these beds take all that away..."
they watched as he set himself down on a nearby water bed, the mattress sloshing under his weight.
"with these beds you just... fit."
"you're a little too passionate about beds, crusty." alliah remarked. "it's creepy - stop it.
the man ignored her, instead offering them a grin.
"try it, i think you'll feel much better."
percy stepped forward, alliah followed, fingers around the bracelet on her wrist in case of anything.
the boy smiled.
"you first."
an invisible annabeth who'd been with them the entire time under the shield of her cap, forced the man down onto the mattress. alliah ran and pressed his legs down as he flailed.
they backed off as the blankets began to tangle and draw the man in deeper and deeper into the mattress.
"everyone okay?" percy asked as annabeth unsheated her cap.
YOU ARE READING
princess // percy jackson (under editing)
Fanfictionbeing pretty was a gift, but also a definite hassle. alliah jacinto knows that for sure. because though that gift might've saved her life at one point, it had also ruined it at another. but now a war is at the verge of happening. and suddenly the o...
