The sun had started to set, creating a slight chill to the evening as the three teens huddled close to the fire. Crash sat next to Birch, watching the girl opposite as she tightened the laces of her converse as she chatted to Birch about his whereabouts during the fight. Crash couldn't believe what had happened.
Rhyan had ordered him to kill. And he'd done it, no hesitation, no questions asked. He'd managed to keep full control up until the second Rhyan had allowed him to loose himself, and at that point he crashed willingly into the darkness.
"Oi Bandicoot?" Rhyan called out, drawing scribbles in the dirt on the ground. "Why do you keep staring at me?"
"I killed him- I crushed his throat till he was choking on his own blood" Crash said, fingers fiddling wildly with the beads on his camp necklace before looking up and meeting Rhyan's eye. "And you let me."
The blonde returned his serious gaze. "I didn't let you."
"Yes you-"
"I ordered you to." Rhyan shot him a tight smile, not quite reaching her eyes. "If you hadn't done it, he would have and probably ended up hurting us both. I'd have made it worse to." Rhyan said, staring off into the small fire Birch was starting to light.
"Worse?" The satyr asked. "What's worse than being strangled to death?"
"Being beaten to death..." Crash muttered, looking somewhat guilty. Birch glanced at the boy and gave him a little nudge and a small smile.
"I wouldn't do that," Rhyan snapped, remembering the way Abby's life slipped from her eyes as the Cyclops beat her. "That's an awful way to go."
"How would you have done it then?" Birch asked, drawing both teens attentions away from the morbid memories.
"I'm not sure. I'd have probably let it bleed out, very slowly." Rhyan shrugged. "Or perhaps tied it up and let it starve to death. That hurts to."
"You talk like you know." Crash muttered pulling a bag of crisps from his bag and munching on them.
"I do." Rhyan assured him. And suddenly he remembered how skinny and malnourished she'd been when she first arrived at the camp. "So, what is the Goblet of Arche?"
Crash shrugged. "I thought you were the one who researched everything before we left?"
"No... I only asked the Athena kids if they knew anything...." Rhyan mumbled, drawing random scribble in the dirt. "Becides, we didn't know the Goblet of Arche was a thing, only that something needed stealing. So, any ideas what the Goblet of Arche is?"
There was a prolonged pause as the trio racked their brains, staring into the campfire they'd set up for the night. The rich oaky smell of the fire permeated their surroundings, wisps of silver grey smoke curled and danced their way through the thick, hazy air as if excited to escape the gentle pull of the campfire. It hung on the air ready to greet whomever sat close, seeking to escape the bitter gusts of wind that howled around the camp.
"The Goblet of Arche is old, man." The satyr sighed, breaking the silence as he stared of into the fire. "Like older than the God's. It was old even when the Titans we born-"
"Yeah we get it, it's old." Rhyan snapped, rubbing her temples. She was hungry, tired, mildly guilty and incredibly frustrated that Birch hadn't told them where he'd been in the fight. "But what is it?"
"It's said it's the chalice used by Pontus to split himself equally to create the sea's," Birch announced. "Except when he cut himself on the chalice rim, his ichor filled the cup and mixed with the sea water. The ichor fused with the water to create the Goblet of Arche."
"Sounds lovely." Rhyan remarked, pulling a packet of food from her backpack.
"What does it do?" Crash asked, copying Rhyan's actions. Birch opened his mouth then hesitated before shrugging and eating his own food, or more to the point, the wrapper of the demigods food.
The trio fell into silence after that, left to sift through their own thoughts: Birch ambling through orders, Crash piling through guilt and haunting memories and Rhyan through her questions and their theories.
Where was Birch during the fight? He hadn't been helping, Crash and herself had faught all four Aeternae off before the former had killed them and Birch hadn't even been seen. Come to think of it, how had the Aeternae found them? Rhyan had made sure to cover their tracks the way she'd learned on the streets and later on, Crash had explained about the lack of tracking skill the creatures had, so how had they found them? The only solution she could come up with was they'd heared them- or more specifically Birch's bleet.
Then another thought occurred. If the Goblet or Arche was so old- pre Olympian even- then how did Birch know so much about it?
"Hey, Crash Bang Bandicoot?" Rhyan called out to the dark haired son of Ares as he finished eating. He was covered in dirt and had the occasional scratch but nothing too major but that wasn't what Rhyan focused on. He was still fiddling with his fingers, twisting them at painful and unnatural angles as if to try and stop himself fidgeting too badly.
"What?"
Rhyan shot him a small smile. "Can ya plat my hair again?" Crash gave out a frustrated sigh and grumbled in annoyance, but Rhyan didn't fail to notice the small smirk as she sat down in between his legs.
Some how, sitting close to Crash created a familiar warmth- somewhat comfortable and reassuring. The comforting warmth behind her reminded her of Noah and Ollie and Abby and Luke and the other people she'd started to grow close to at Camp Half Blood.
It was almost impossible not to relax and drift off as Crash's fingers wove expertly through her hair.
•~*~•~*~•~*~•~*~•
The rising tempo stirred the children as they watched the beautiful brunette woman from out the window. Every morning, as the first rays of light chased away the darkness Abby Theft would play the Violin.
A calming symphony of notes escaped into the air, meeting the rays of light half way. There was something about the way she made the violin sing that entranced anyone, forcing their heart to cascade into the deepest of symphonies, deeply harrowing and torrential in the way it encompasses their body.
She could make them feel anything, from the deepest guilt to the most hopefull joys, without uttering a single word. It was with this talent she'd managed to entice and concive a son with the God of music and the theatrical arts, Apollo.
Suddenly, the music notes grew dark- wrapping themselves around the children and dragging them from their beds as the Violin screamed in mourning. Abby wasn't the tall, willowey woman with the same gunmetal blue eyes that radiated eligance- now she was almost devoid of skin and pitted by burrowing insects. Abby was now a corpse.
Rhyan wanted to turn away as her stomach heaved, nostrils filled with the smell of rotting meat. Without eyelids the gunmetal blue eyes stared into the frozen sky while the lip-less mouth hung open, the violin still screaming as the music dragged the young Rhyan to the darkness.
"You will suffer!"
•~*~•~*~•~*~•~*~•
Rhyan julted awake covered in cold sweat, only to see Crash having a very similar fitful sleep.
YOU ARE READING
Theives Like Us
Fanfiction''There she is'' he pointed at the girl who's back was turned leaving only her sandy hair to glisten in the sun. ''Who?'' ''The theif." He replied simply. His best mate rolled his eyes. "Well duh she's the daughter of hermes. Kinda in the job desc...
