Theft of the Sky

playing whack-a-mole with a bull

By the time I'd said as much, Grover looks at me like I was this rock that spontaneously decided to grow legs and arms and ran off screaming like a banshee.

Translation: He looked at me incredulously.

Ridiculous narration style aside, I hear Grover sigh heavily beside me, muttering a few phrases that sounded a bit off. I knew he was uttering a few choice words but I couldn't really make them out for some reason. It sounded like gibberish.

Well, to be fair, I bet the Italian I spoke a little while ago sounded like gibberish to him too. Maybe Grover was bilingual or something.

"Signore Percy?" I blinked and turned to find Mia standing there beside me, concern plain as day. Her eyes darted to the stall we had just purchased (?) from, narrowing in suspicion.

I wave a hand in dismissal, but it didn't work as well as I think it should have. We walked back to the car. I noticed that she positioned herself directly behind Grover and I, tense.

Oh man.

I grimace, even while Grover seemed for the most part relaxed.

If word of this got to my mother she'd freak.

(Or he. It was hard to tell when Mom would switch to a boy or a girl.)

"Where are we headed?" I asked once we were settled in the car.

"The estate in the East," was the prompt response. I nodded.

"Alright then."

--------------------------------

"Percy," Grover said, voice suddenly serious. I open one eye to peek at him.

"Yeah?"

"The ladies we saw. Did they seem...off, to you?"

I think Grover was expecting me to say no, so he was surprised by my actual answer.

"They didn't just 'seem' off, Grover," I sigh, twirling a strand of hair between my fingers. "They were off. Otherworldly. Unnatural. Hell, I bet," I continued, sitting up from where I'd been lying down, "I bet they weren't even supposed to be there in the first place."

Grover was silent for a minute.

"Then, why'd you even approach them?"

I didn't answer immediately, because my immediate response went something along the lines of really wanting that stupid pineapple. I highly doubted he'd take my reply with good humor, so I had to bite myself back from saying it.

Instead, I shrugged.

Grover's face twisted, looking a little constipated staring at me like I was the most interesting specimen ever. His head actually bobbed up and down, as if he was seeing me and wondering, "wow, what the fuck."

Honestly, I felt a bit offended.

I frowned at Grover who just sighed the biggest sigh I've ever seen him sigh, muttering something about 'too much' and 'troubled kid'. 

"I was hungry, Groves!" I defended, turning away in mock posh. He giggled exasperatedly at me and said "Sure you were, Percy. You ate a burger before we left!"

"A big one, excuse you."

"My point exactly!"

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Something had been bothering me ever since I met those three ladies. Like I said before, they felt...off, for some reason. Like they were in their own little personal bubble that felt a lot bigger once you stepped inside.