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"Welcome to New York City!"
Eli and Luke sat, blinking, both trying their very best not to correct the goddess on the fact that New York wasn't much of a drive away from Camp Half-Blood and therefore a place campers often frequented on their weekends. Eli didn't want to discourage the hospitality Themis was welcoming them with - it was rare for Olympians or figures from mythology to extend such warmth on their home turf, most especially toward demigods. For some reason, they were the common denominators in the "hated by" category—gods, monsters, nymphs, et cetera. Themis must have viewed Eli and Luke as exceptions.
"Uh.. thank you, my lady," Eli said after a long pause, clearing her throat. She shifted uncomfortably in the cushioned seat Themis had procured for the demigods to sit in, across from the desk. It was itchy on Eli's butt. "But.. well, can I ask what you're doing here?"
Themis beamed at them—or as close to them as a blind goddess could. Her head stayed straightforward and didn't turn to either of the demigods as she spoke. "Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't try to leave the city. New York is full of degenerates and vandals—people who don't care for laws. The lowlives who ignore rules. It's like—they're there for a reason, people! Right?"
"Right," said Luke slowly, a curious sort of expression not leaving his face. He carefully lifted a hand up and extended it out toward the goddess, making to wave it in front of her eyes as if testing the extent of her blindness—Eli slapped it away and shot him a look. He lifted his shoulders defensively, then sighed, turning back to Themis. "I think what Ellie meant was... why are you in Town Hall? Is this your job?"
"Oh," said Themis, leaning back slightly in her desk chair as if shocked by the question. "Well, of course this is my place of work. Who else do you think would handle the laws than the goddess of justice? And anyway, someone has to deal with the issues of departments that nobody else wants to talk about: drafting legislation, lawmaking, running city meetings."
"I'd think those are the more popular jobs in working for the city," Eli said, raising her eyebrows.
"Well, of course they are," Themis said with a sort of pompous tone, "but I still have to head their departments. If I left a mortal in charge, do you know how quickly things would go downhill?"
"There's a mortal in charge of the country," Luke said, narrowing his eyes. "Yet you're working for something as small as the New York City office? Why not expand?"
"You don't think I've tried?" Themis said, her voice shifting to a lower tone, for the first time turning her head on Luke. It reminded Eli of back in her dream, when the fog had begun to turn and grow darker along with Themis's tone. She shuddered.
Eli shared a glance with her boyfriend, then cleared her throat and leaned forward to take the attention off him. "What about all those ghosts we saw outside? What do they want with you?"
