Forged Destinies

Have To Pay The Man

Ch. 9

Their travel had become painfully slow.

Percy had no problems moving but Zoe struggled to control her body in this strange form.

Something about being a cross between mortal and ghost just wasn't all that easy to adjust to.

Of course Percy's mastery of the skill only served to frustrate her. It was so Percy to be able to pick something up with almost no effort whatsoever.

She also had some difficulty getting used to seeing a half-decayed body in the place of her boyfriend. But she pushed the unpleasant visual to the side and forced herself to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

She let out an annoyed growl when Bob decided it was a good time to pass right between her legs in an effort to catch up to Percy and nearly made her face plant into the ground.

"Stupid cat!"

Percy turned and frowned at her, "Whoa, whoa. Easy on Bob. He doesn't know any better."

Zoe tried to glare at him but wasn't sure it worked considering her present form. She could have been looking at him through empty eye sockets... considering that was what was staring back at her for a moment before Percy's eyes solidified and returned to a more normal form.

"He's your pet," she grumbled. "Take care of him, this is hard enough without having to trip over him the whole way through Tartarus."

Percy knelt down and ran a hand down Bob's back, earning a pleased purr from the feline.

"She doesn't mean that bud, she's just frustrated. You're our pet. Once we get topside and lay the smack down on Gaea and her baddies you're coming home with us. No family is complete without a pet."

Zoe heard what he said and felt her face flush despite being on the brink of death.

"Family?" She was pretty sure her voice squeaked like a prepubescent boy but she couldn't help herself.

Percy looked up and she guessed his eyebrow was raised since the decaying skin above his left eye twitched a little. Then he seemed to realize what he'd said as both eyes went wide.

"Uh, I mean, uh, you know. If we don't die and the world doesn't like end. Or you don't decide my annoying traits are insufferable and find someone better. Or, uh..." he struggled to find a way to talk himself out of this one before he found the ground suddenly very interesting.

Zoe felt a slight twinge of satisfaction his rare inability to find words. But then she hobbled towards him and put a hand on his chin, (which fortunately did not pass right through him).

"Percy," she said softly.

He took a step back and almost tripped over Bob, "I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I... you know..."

She cut him off, "Percy."

He intelligently decided to shut up.

"You managed to take me away from the Hunters of Artemis. If you think you're going anywhere without me, then I think this death mist may be killing off your brain cells."

"Yeah, um, well..." He began only to be cut off by a gentle kiss, effectively shutting him up.

Luckily, their heads didn't pass through one another. Because that would have been weird and actually pretty gross if they thought about it. Zoe pulled back and patted him on the cheek a few times.

"Let's just get out of here.. I don't know what's going to happen but I promise you, whatever happens and whatever we go through, it's going to be together."