Six Crimson Seeds (A VegasPete Persephone AU)

Chapter 32: Psychopomp

    "That Renfro guy has him? Why?" Macau snapped as Porsche tried to shush him. Shrugging him off but lowering his volume, Macau said, "What else do you know?"

Time sighed. "Not much. Vegas and I dealt with Renfro in the city, but I don't know where they took Pete."

"Is he coming back?" Macau's voice broke as a sob tried to escape him. He had just lost Vegas again, and Pete was supposed to be there. He was supposed to look after Pete for Vegas, and he had failed.

Tay reached out and pulled Macau closer to him, whispering, "It's okay. We'll find him. I'll do whatever it takes to bring him back."

"We need to talk to Kinn. Maybe he and Kim can help."

Nodding, Tay said, "Let's go. It's already been days, so who knows how far they could have gotten."

_____

Pete was exhausted. He had given his all for days, deciding on the second day to aim most of his magic at the roots and move on to the next. It would take a little more time, but the crops would heal and he could get more done with less effort. Even working until he was ready to drop, he still had almost half the field left.

"Ready for a break?" Renfro called, bringing Pete a bottle of water. "It's time to grab lunch."

"Sure," Pete said, finishing one last section before stepping away to grab the water from Renfro. The sun was hot and Pete was already sweating with the effort. His habit was to work in the morning until lunch, where he would join Renfro and several others, and then he would nap for a few hours during the hottest hours and work as late as he could into the evening.

The one thing that truly bothered him was Tawan's presence. He had hidden until Pete's second day, making himself known loudly at lunch as he clung to Renfro's arm.

Pete managed to not roll his eyes but found it harder to keep the sneer off his face. For the most part, Tawan ignored him, which Pete was grateful for, but there were times that Tawan found him alone and made annoying comments about Pete's friends or Vegas. Pete wasn't sure if Renfro had instructed him to leave Pete alone or try and befriend him, but either way, Tawan was failing.

After lunch, Tawan caught Pete in the hallway as he tried to go back to his room. This time, however, Ken was with him too.

"Not today, Tawan," Pete said. "I'm really tired and need a nap."

Tawan crossed his arms, pursing his lips as Ken said, "King Renfro wants to see you."

Pete ran a hand across his face. He really wanted to take a nap, but he didn't feel like he could refuse a summons from Renfro. "Lead the way," he sighed, deciding he would just get less accomplished later that day. Either way, the only ones suffering would be the people there. Pete would just go home at the end of the week either way.

Pete looked around as Ken and Tawan led him through the many hallways to Renfro's private chambers. Pete had yet to go there. He was surprised at how simple everything and everyone seemed after spending so much time at Olympus and Elysium.

The whole time they walked, Tawan joked and talked loudly, ignoring Pete, while Ken gave single-word responses only when absolutely necessary. Pete was just glad Tawan mostly ignored him. He supposed Tawan blamed him for ruining things with Kinn, but nothing would make Pete regret that.

They found Renfro watering plants in a small, cozy office.

"Pete," he said. He seemed almost surprised to see him. "Sorry to interrupt your rest, but I wanted to talk with you."