The Pirate of Greece

Chapter VII (Percy)

                  

His fingers tapped against the metal of the tankard occupying his hand. It was old and dented, but it still served its purpose. Annabeth sat across from him in the same wooden table with her own drink, but nobody took any sips. And nobody really talked. The best Percy could do was say something completely irrelevant and she'd reply with a short answer, finishing the short conversation. Not even the large fool in the corner of the room could get them talking longer than a minute, and he'd given both the pirate and general something to complain about after joking that they were a pair. Surely they could've started arguing. But that didn't happen, and they continued sitting in silence.

Percy's first thought when Annabeth had led him into The Drakon's Maw was that it didn't look like its namesake at all. And he'd had front row experience to know what that was like. The Inn was small and cozy. As cozy as it could get when filled with merchants or townsfolk yelling to be heard over the drabble and the musicians in an opposite corner. The Lyra strummed and the Gaida whistled, playing a steady beat for those listening and those dancing. Percy did like the way the two instruments sounded together, but the tune was too slow for him to care overly much about anything else.

"You should go dance. If the look on your face says anything, you'd enjoy it," Annabeth said while swishing her tankard and its contents around. She reached up to tuck a stray curl in her face to her ear.

"Dance? No thank you," he replied simpering, "I will be doing my best to not appear as a complete fool."

"You have already ruined that chance."

"All this time I thought I was being civil. My, how time changes."

She laughed at his comment, but didn't respond. Percy liked the way her face transformed when she smiled or showed any emotion other then the cold wall she'd put up. Annabeth's eyes seemed to sparkle more with every laugh he received from her. They would go from the stormy grey to seemingly silver. And he liked how she took keen interest in whatever someone had to say-forced or not- and listened and processed the words. She'd give someone a chance to prove themselves.

"Anything wrong?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

Percy only just realized that he must have been staring. He tried hiding his redness and went for a smile.

"No. Just eager to get back on the water."

She nodded her head and hunched forward in her seat, staring at her hands circling her drink. Her brow was furrowed slightly, telling him she was obviously thinking about something.

"So," she finally said after he took a swig of his drink, "Tyson...that was unexpected."

It wasn't hard to detect the distaste in her voice. Percy didn't even think she was trying to hide it.

"What about him?" He said cautiously. Percy tried hiding his anger from before, when she had called his brother a monster and was about to skewer him with her dagger. They way she'd looked at Tyson was enough to make his blood boil, but the big guy's 'pretty lady' comment was enough to soften his mood. It was amusing to say the least.

"He is a-," she began.

"Cyclops," he finished for her, "I know that."

Annabeth banged her tankard down on the table and looked at him like he was an idiot. "Then you know he should not be trusted!"

"Tyson is my brother!" He protested, "I found him all alone, I took him in, and I be damned if I kick him out!" Percy's voice had started rising at the end, earning him more than a few stares. He cleared his throat and quieted down. "He will be sailing with us, whether you like it or not. I will not leave him behind, so you will just have to get used to him."