Cecilia Holmes, Daughter of Minerva (Sherlock/Percy Jackson crossover)

Chapter 28

    “This is so stupid.”
    “That’s probably why she’s having you do it.”
    “What? To test my resolve?” I grumbled. “You’re holding my friends and family captive. What better motivation is there?”
    “This shouldn’t be such a problem then,” he retorted, lifting his eyes to glare at me. I shut up, clenching my jaw tightly.
    This is still really stupid.
    Claude glanced at his watch.
    “Forty seconds,” he said.
    I stepped up onto the bench, the wind whipping my hair from my face as I leaned over the side of the Empire State Building.
    I wonder if that’s what her appointment was, I thought, my cheeks burning. Gathering all the gods here on Mount Olympus to watch me. I can see them now… sitting up there on a cloud, munching popcorn—
    “Twenty seconds, you ready?” Claude said.
    “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I snapped, gathering spit in my mouth. I could feel the eyes of the other tourist on top of the building watching me.
    “Ok, ten, nine, eight, seven, six…” he counted down as I got a good ball of spit in my mouth.
    “Five, four…”
    I suppressed my laughter as best I could, but snot came streaming out of my nose.
    “Three, two, one! Now!” Claude exclaimed.
    I spit over the side of the million-story high building, snot dripping down with it.
    “Aaaawghhh,” I groaned, wiping my nose and my mouth with the back of my hand. I jumped down and stormed past Claude, going back toward the TARDIS.
    As soon as I entered, I couldn’t help myself. I burst out laughing.
    “Seriously, what the heck?” I said, turning as Claude shut the doors behind me. “Did we time that just right so it would land on someone or something?”
    He nodded.
    “And that was an act of revenge?” I laughed. “For some reason I thought the tasks would be, well, I don’t know, more cruel? Evil? Hard? Ha! That wasn’t hard. Stupid, maybe, but I guess I can deal with that. Bring on the other tasks!” I threw my fists in the air, but then I remembered something. I dropped my hands and turned toward Claude.
    “When is she going to release—?”
    “Already did!”
    I whirled around to face Nemesis just as she flipped a few switches. The TARDIS began to move.
    “You already did?” I said, frowning.
    “Yes, Rory Williams is home, safe and sound,” she said, turning to face me. “Bravo, Cecilia. One down, six to go.”
    I just stared at her. She stared back and Lucy’s brown eyes glinted in the light.
    “The other ones aren’t going to be this easy,” I stated out loud, wondering what else was in store for me.
    “It depends on your definition of easy,” she said with a shrug. And then she must’ve spotted Claude, because she looked over my shoulder and smiled creepily.
    “Hiya,” she said, her voice sounding very sarcastic. “Howerya doing, lover boy?”
    I looked back at Claude who towered just behind me, his eyes ferocious as he stared at the ground.
    “Lover boy?” I repeated in a teasing tone. Claude turned his gaze on me, and his fury melted away. He turned and walked away with a grunt.
    I wasn’t sure how to react. And, probably for the first time in my life, I felt guilty for making fun of him. I was just as bad as Nemesis, which wasn’t a pleasant realization.
    “What’s… what’s up with him?” I said quietly to Nemesis, turning back toward her. She was busy pushing buttons, but glanced up at me, and then looked over where Claude had stomped off to.
    “Oh, Claude?” she said with a smirk. “He used to be a lover boy, all right. Even more than that, though. He was a…” she giggled, and then looked at me mischievously. “He was a geek! Ha! A Greek geek. That’s funny. Hahahaha!”
    I glared at her. And suddenly I felt like tearing every single bully I knew to shreds.
    “So…?”
    “And now look at him” she said, a little bit louder for Claude to hear. “Now he’s heartless, just like you!”
    My eyesight blurred.
    And then I just felt like tearing her apart.
    “For the last time!” I hissed, forcing my quaking hands to stay at my sides. “I am NOT heartless! And… and neither is Claude! We’re just victims of messed up people like you!”
    Nemesis paused, and I suddenly remembered that she was a goddess. She turned toward me slowly.
    The staring contest that ensued made me fear for my life.
    But then, she said the last thing I expected.
    “Well said, Cecilia,” she whispered. “Well said.”
    She turned back toward her work.
    There was no fierce glare or cruel grin. I couldn’t properly process her words. They weren’t snarky, angry, or annoyed. They sounded sad, if anything.
    As if she actually cared.
    How could the goddess of revenge and hatred care? I shook my head.
    “What’s my next task?” I snapped, crossing my arms. “Let’s get it over with.”
    And then her snide smile returned. She tossed me another fortune cookie.
    “What’s with you and fortune cookies?” I grumbled, but she ignored me.
    “Claude, show Cecilia to the clothes closet,” she said, still smiling at me. “She’s needs to change.”