𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒 | percy jackson

pickpocketing hermes

Casually, Ciarda sipped an expresso martini. She was pissed off, her face morphing into further bitterness when she realised it wasn't only coffee in a fancy glass. About to place it down, she was roughly shoved aside by Percy. "Sorry," He offered. Raising an eyebrow, her look made him send a more apologetic glance. 

He had been running, explainable by the harsh breathing and moving of his chest. Annabeth pulled up next to her, placing a delicate warm hand on her shoulder. Ciarda didn't bother to move it away. 

All three of them stared at the entrance to the Lotus Casino. Women entered, in fur coats and dazzling turquoise dresses, whilst bellboys ran behind them with expensive luggage. It was dark outside, but still humid. Stars twinkled in the small gaps of sky Ciarda could manage to get a glimpse of. Between the shimmering pink waterfall and flashy cars, it proved a difficult task. 

"We have a huge problem," Percy stated. Ciarda, who had returned to her resting-bitch face, twirled her neck to look at him expectantly. "When do we not?" She huffed rhetorically. Her pulse was still pounding from the rage Hermes enticed. She was disappointed in herself that she could only hope her father was the only God self-absorbed enough to forget about his own children's needs. Surprise, surprise. She was wrong. 

"I know it seems like we've only been here for like 20 minutes, but it's already Thursday," Percy pointed to the huge neon calendar, barely viewable from the entrance to the casino. Annabeth swivelled to Percy so fast she was a blur. Her fighter skills had kicked in. "We've been here for days. Time moves differently here. Faster. Every second in here is like minutes outside." 

Ciarda was just surprised Star-Fish Boy could figure something out alone for once. 

"Hermes let us sit at that table for so long, knowing the clock on our quest was running out," Annabeth snarked angrily. "Yes," Percy swallowed when he saw her frightful face and nostrils flare. 

"Then I feel a whole lot better about having stolen his keys," Ciarda bumped into the conversation briefly. Percy nodded, with a quiet "Exactly," returning to Annabeth, before processing what the demigod had said and barrelling his vision back to her. "Wait, what?"

"You didn't think we would let him get away with wasting our time in there without getting something in return, did you?" Annabeth questioned, pretending to be earnestly querying. Ciarda's hands swung the gold keys around her index finger with a devilish smile. Her buff arms slid from under her coat, making them obvious. 

Annabeth and Ciarda glanced at each other with knowing smirks, hitting fists with rebelling recognition. "Bu-" Percy was interrupted by Ciarda's gravelly voice. "We're demigods. Pissing off Gods is what we do."

"You picked Hermes' pocket?" Percy stared in surprise. His golden hair shone in the flashing zorb lights. 

"I'm multitalented," Annabeth answered with a serious face. "Now, all we have to do is find his car and it'll instantly transport us anywhere we wanna go," She explained further. "We still have time to finish this quest before the Solstace if we hurry." 

Percy looked at the floor, his sea-green eyes flickering back and forth in a distant cloud. Ciarda pouted, putting her elbow on Annabeth's denim shoulder. "He's thinking. That's new." 

"Hermes told me something else. The reason we can't feel time passing is because of the Lotus fruit," He conveyed his private holy conversation. "We didn't eat any lotus fruit," Annabeth counted. "I tried the coffee drink which Percy has now spilt on the floor," Ciarda piped up while still staring at Percy like a performing monkey. 

"Stop looking at me like that!" He whined. "Like what?" Her dark lips pulled up at the corners, revealing sharp canine teeth. A predatorial smile - just like her Dad's. "Like you're surprised I can be smart." She shrugged. 

"Back to the point..." Annabeth asked, expressing her hands to show impatience. "They pump it into the air. It makes you forget. Hermes reminded me there was something we needed to do before we could leave." 

Ciarda thought, along with Annabeth and Percy. "Grover," Annabeth said nonchalantly. Ciarda looked at her funny, the unfamiliar word trying on her tongue. "What's a Grover?" Something lurched in her gut. "Grover." His eyes came back to her in an instant. 

"Who's Grover?" Percy moved to see what Annabeth was pointing to. A Satyr, not acquainted with Ciarda, in a white suit was trodding down an escalator.

"Grover. I remember Grover. Man, Grover got really old. How long have we been here?" Percy's question, once more not on the most intelligent side, was left ignored by both women. Ciarda set off at the same time as Annabeth, who shouted a confronting "HEY!" Percy followed suit.

"We're looking for a friend, a Satyr. Have you seen him?" Annabeth asked. The Satyr looked positively terrified. He glanced around for comfort, only meeting the steel eyes of Ciarda La Rue. She waved at him with wiggling fingers, her gold sword raked by her hip bone. It had banged against her when storming out of Hermes' office, sure to leave a bruise. 

"Have you seen him?" Percy tried. The Satyr then took off, bolting in the direction he came. "Hey, wait!" Annabeth yelled, Ciarda picking herself up from the marble pillar she leant on and grinning. The chase was her second favourite part. 

People were knocked out the way and drinks spilt whilst the Satyr ran through bustling crowds. Gasps echoed through the hall, barely heard over the blasting rave music. More electric guitars and drums reverberated through the space, making Ciarda's eardrums shake. 

Percy stopped to watch the Satyr hop onto the bar, kicking electric blue drinks into people's laps. Screams of gamblers wrecked along the line of fur stools. He then jumped onto poker tables, spilling chips which people greedily began grabbing. Gold coins and drachmas alike glittered onto the carpet in a fantasy waterfall. 

Percy raced after him, Ciarda just on his tail. "Hey!" He yelled, tackling the white-suited man into a place on the ground. Ciarda paused, slightly out of breath, with a wicked smile. Her violent tendencies were rubbing off on him. "How wonderful," She thought aloud. The Son of Poseidon needed toughening up slightly. 

"Where is Grover?" Percy scrambled on top of him, holding the man by his collar threateningly. The Satyr stared in nervous guilt. The screeching of Ciarda's gold sword made the blasting music background noise. And suddenly, the Satyr's memory came back to him. 

...

Annabeth, Percy and Ciarda found Grover playing amongst the VR headsets. "Grover?" Percy walked towards his best friend, pulling the headset off his head. Ciarda was pleased to see that his tiny horns had grown some more. She'd be sure to tell him about it. 

Grover gazed at them silently before murmuring about how close he was to winning the game. "I know, I hate it when someone does that to me. And I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but it's really time to go." 

"Of course! Where are we going?" Grover smiled innocently. Ciarda glanced from Annabeth to Percy. She stepped in front of Percy to face Grover. "You don't know who we are, do you?" 

"Yeah. No, I don't. Have we met?" Grover communicated, offering his hand. "Ciarda. This is Percy and Annabeth. We're your best friends," Ciarda swallowed. She hadn't felt nervous in a long time - confused, full of wrath, overwhelmed, perhaps - but being anxious hadn't beeped on her radar. If Grover's memory of them were truly gone, it would be mourning a soul of the undead. 

"Really?" Grover smiled in excitement. "Oh boy," Percy sighed. "Grover. We're on a quest. We can't do this without you. We're short on time, and we gotta go. Right now." 

"A quest?" He answered Percy whilst stripping his VR gear from his outfit. "That sounds amazing!" His genuine enthusiasm made Ciarda feel sick. "But is it dangerous? It's not a deal-breaker, I'm just curious." 

If Ciarda was not so worried for her friend, she would have shrugged her shoulders and thought it a valid question. "Also, I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Grover leaned toward Annabeth. Ciarda stared at him with her heart in her throat.