Demigod X Reader: Interactive

Chapter 22

From the way Hunter spoke about the mission, you expected the passengers to be extravagant and posh. You imagined the dinner would be of whatever the boat's hired fisherman caught that day. You imagined the table would be some antique imported from Japan made of the rare golden cherry blossom tree. You imagined them eating off golden-lined plates with their pure silver utensils.

Dinner was not what you expected. The only decoration was a porthole on the wall. The passengers were everyday teenagers and wore clothes that could've come from Old Navy. The table was a wooden picnic table that Lowe's would sell. The plates were paper plates and the silverware were only plastic sporks. The lack of luxury relieved you.

As you sat in the empty space in front of Annabeth., she greeted you. "I'm glad you came. I was hoping you could talk to the other crew members; they're so curious about you."

You smiled. It wasn't a "wow-I'm-so-excited" smile, but rather a "hold-on-let-me-think" kind of smile. "I'm sure they already know my name...there isn't really anything else about me you guys need to know."

Annabeth nodded, confirming they knew your name. Without missing a beat, she introduced you to all the other members of the surprisingly small group.

First was Annabeth's fiance: Percy. Her feelings seemed to be mixed about him. As she talked about him, her tone seemed to shift from "I can't believe he did that" in a good way, then "I can't believe he did that" in a bad way. He seemed pretty cool to you, but he wouldn't be the person you would call during Jeopardy.

"And this is Nico," Annabeth said as she stretched her hand around Percy to gesture to the guy on the edge of the other side. He sat on the far edge of the picnic bench, keeping about three feet between him and Percy. His head was tilted down, keeping his dark, overgrown, greasy hair in front of his eyes. His cheeks were caved inward, indicating he was malnourished. You could easily imagine underneath his large clothes, his body was pale and bony. Whether he was conscious or not, he had an eating disorder.

Before that moment, you didn't know what people meant by "aura". But, then you met Nico and could feel his. It was mysterious, yet calm.

"Would you like to introduce yourself, Nico?" Annabeth asked. She wasn't being like a mother, but more like a friend that cared about giving him the choice to interact.

"I'm only here because I heard there would be pasta," he said.

"Fair enough," Annabeth accepted. "That's Nico. He keeps to himself mostly. He doesn't like to joke around too much."

"But he's pretty cool, He's the encyclopedia of Mythomagic, although he'll never admit it," Percy teased him. Nico's cheeks seemed to gain some color as he turned his head to look at the bare wall.

The door that you entered through burst open as Leo made a grand entrance with a giant metal bowl with a top on it in one hand and a smaller bowl with a large spoon sticking out of it. He made a scene as he placed the course on the table, making dramatic sound effects as the bowls touched the table. He then stood up straight, making a serious expression and announced, "Chef Valdez has prepared the best the kitchen has to offer." Then he grabbed the handle of the lid and lifted it. A giant supply of steaming, thick pasta looked out of place in the grand, metal bowl. "Dinner is served."

The door burst open as Leo made a grand entrance with a giant metal bowl with a top. He made a scene, dancing around the table, making various dramatic sound effects as he did so. After making a full circle around the table, he stopped by you and made more sound effects as he set the bowl on the table.

As Percy's hand went out to lift the lid off the bowl, Leo slapped his hand away. "Patience," he advised him. He cleared his throat, warming up for the presentation of the meal. "Ladies and gentlemen, now for the moment you have been waiting for. Chef Valdez has brought you the kitchen's prized, award-winning recipe." Then, he grabbed the lid's handle and lifted it. A giant supply of steaming, creamy Mac & Cheese looked out a place in the grand, metal bowl. Leo smiled largely as he bowed. "Dinner is served."

Choice time:

Chapter 34: Talk to Nico about Mythomagic.

Chapter 35: Ask Chef Valdez about his job.