'Ello. I'd like to inform you, my lovely readers, about the updating schedule I've assumed.
On Mondays/Tuesday, this story will be updated. On Thursdays/Fridays, The Rise of the Dragon King shall be updated.
Continue on.
The voices started again.
"Elizabeth... Anna..."
No... go away...
"Kid... Anna... I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry about... everything. I've made your life hell. Your imprisonment...
"No! Kid... you are the only thing in my life. You remember what I said about love? I couldn't live without you. I made a mistake! I love you so goddamn much, I... I came back for you! I rescued you!"
GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT, YOU DAMNED PSYCHOPATH! I KILLED YOU! YOU'RE DEAD!
"Anna, please... give me another chance..."
LEAVE ME ALONE! CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!
And then it faded to black.
Elizabeth appeared in the middle of a restaurant. A sign told her that is was called the Silver Fin.
The place was relatively full, and the girl that was cast out of time stood in the center of it all, awkwardly. Everyone stared at the girl in the bizarre dress who appeared out of nowhere. Elizabeth froze, unsure of what to do, and barely able to rip her head away from her father's haunting voice.
The silence was absolutely deafening. Elizabeth casually took a step towards to door. "I'll just, umm... I'll be on my way."
She quickly dashed out of the eating establishment and out into a big atrium. The place didn't look too much like a city - more like a shopping center. She was pretty unacquainted with 1950s culture - she liked staying in the 1880s-1920s range in terms of time. The amount of smoke that seemed to be everywhere was standard, and she was used to the unfiltered air. But the most alien thing was the culture itself. The bright lights and music of Rapture were nearly overwhelming as she continued to move quickly. Perhaps it was then when Elizabeth realized just how lost she was.
She couldn't see the doors, she had no goal, and no clear direction. She was a girl lost in a city of lights. She could practically hear the Luteces laughing at her.
And in the back of her mind, she knew Jack had something to do with this. It couldn't be total coincidence.
She wasn't sure where exactly she was or what she was doing here, but the intelligent first step would be to find a change of clothes - something a bit more Rapture-appropriate.
"Head to Cupid's Arrow."
Elizabeth almost stopped on the spot from the sudden voice in her head. It sounded... vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. The voice belonged to a woman, but she didn't exactly have a lot of those in her life. The only one was Rosalind, and the voice wasn't accented. Strange...
The voices in her head... was she going legitimately crazy?
Either way, the voice had just given her an answer. Cupid's Arrow. That was where she was headed. After a quick walk through a hallway, she found herself face to face with a neon sign advertising for the place. She was confused about this place's purpose until she saw the advertisement to the left of the door.
APPETITE FOR SIN! See the temptations of Rapture through the eyes of a midwest girl!
And the one to the right:
BIG DADDY! Rapture's man of steel! He works hard... but plays HARDER!"
Both featured drawings of scantily clad individuals... wait... was she seriously being sent to a sex shop? You had to be kidding... She went through the door to find the place empty, save for the clerk behind the counter. All around the shop were books and books and books of erotica. With such notable titles as "Gender-Bender", "Mother May I?", and "Below Decks".
"Hello, miss! Oh, dios mio..." The person behind the desk had a Hispanic accent and was as handsome as a man could be. "You're in need of some new clothing, my dear."
Elizabeth looked down at herself... even in 1894, this dress probably wasn't fashionable. It was pretty ugly, and definitely not like Rapture. "Yeah... umm..."
"Well, come on then! Let the masterful Antonio Rodriguez remake you into una chica de Rapture!"
As the man grabbed her hand, she began to stammer a protest. "Uhh... as nice as this is, I don't have any money..."
"Think nothing of it, my beautiful lady! The store is closing tomorrow, and the shop is empty."
She looked at him oddly. "Why is the store closing?"
Antonio gave her an incredulous look. "You haven't heard the news? My goodness... Fontaine's Department Store is closing tomorrow."
"Oh." Elizabeth guessed that the place she was in was the department store. She considered asking what day it was, but that would be a bit too obvious of a sign that she wasn't from Rapture. She was trying to blend in, not do the opposite.
Antonio led her into a area behind a stage... probably a stage for dancers, which wasn't reassuring to Elizabeth. "Let me see you, my lovely lady. Face me, and undress."
"Excuse me?"
He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "An artist must know his canvas before he begins to paint."
Elizabeth looked at him uncomfortably, and shook her head. "I'm not sure I'm okay with-"
"Come on, darling. Show me what you've got."
She quickly stripped down to her corset and underwear, blushing madly as Antonio circled her, examining her appearance. "Yes... yes! I can make you a goddess! A true beauty among the many beauties in our great city of Rapture."
She shifted awkwardly at the praise. "I don't want to-"
"Nonsense! When I'm done with you, you'll be able to wrap any man around your finger with a single glance."
"Can I open my eyes yet?" She asked impatiently.
"Not yet, my young Aphrodite." Antonio said, as he continued to do her makeup. He's been doing this forever - it was even more humiliating than when he'd put a blindfold on her as he dressed her. Hell, for all she knew, he was dressing her like a clown.
Aphrodite... an interesting choice of words. The Gods were of no interest to Elizabeth - she simply didn't care. The Luteces often liked to annoy the beings, but Elizabeth didn't see the purpose of that.
Antonio removed his hands. "Alright, my lady. Stand up. And then open your eyes."
Elizabeth did so, and then almost fainted.
She wore a relatively simple white blouse that hugged her torso tightly. The sleeves were long with black cuffs, and around her neck was a small red bow. On the bow was something that nearly made her cry - the bird pendent. The one Percy had picked out for her. On her lower half was a black skirt to her knees that accentuated her hips a bit more than she was comfortable with. Fishnet tights were on her exposed lower legs, and she wore a pair of black stilettos.
Her face was what scared her the most. She looked like she was made of porcelain - pale as the snow due to Antonio's work. Dark red lipstick came in contrast with that, as did some blue eye makeup. Her eyebrows were thinner - more feminine. Her hair was done up like all the popular movie stars of the day.
Yeah, she looked good. But she felt like an object - like a doll.
"I... I'm..."
Antonio clapped his hands. "You look absolutely stunning, love."
Love.
Suddenly, she was elsewhere.
"Remember!" Cried a horribly familiar voice. Comstock's. "No sedatives! No anesthetics!"
No... she... she couldn't be...
Two doctors looked down at her body, which was lying on a table. "Yes, Father Comstock. Prepare the syringe." Pettifog said grimly.
She was back in Columbia - in Comstock House. She was being prepped for surgery. How was she here? The doctor pulled a cable with a three-inch long needle on the end of it out from under a table. Elizabeth heard herself whimper, remembering the pain. "No... nonononono..." She pleaded desperately.
"Don't worry. It'll only hurt for a second, love."
As the tool sunk in between her shoulder blades, Elizabeth screamed in pain. She felt everything again - the vulnerability, the hopelessness... her only hope was for Percy to bust down the door to save her.
Pettifog and the other doctor, Powell, began to experiment on her while she cried and pleaded for them to stop. They injected her with various chemicals to see how her blood would react. They played with her pinkie stump, trying to figure out if that had any significance to her powers. She was hit a few times to check her reaction time. They even began to experiment with her private areas, seeing how her reproductive system had been affected.
Elizabeth was hyperventilating, feeling the pain for a second time. She'd tried to forget that this had happened to her... mainly because...
The door to the room was kicked open, and a sweaty man in his thirties burst into the room, shotgun at the ready. "COMSTOCK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?" The man demanded. It was Percy Jackson, obviously.
The Prophet chuckled. "What's the expression, Mr. Jackson? 'A day late and a dollar short'?"
"I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU LIKE AN ANIMAL!"
Elizabeth looked weakly at the man, and barely managed to mutter, "Percy..."
"Shit!" Pettifog said as he gave Powell a panicked look. "Turn on the machine!"
The Siphon speaker-things sent beams of light at the tortured woman, who shook wildly with pain. It was... impossible to describe. "No. No! Turn it off! TURN IT OFF! PLEASE! Please, it hurts!"
Percy looked at her with fear on his face. "Kid, hold on! I-I'll be right there!"
Comstock's voice was heard over the PA. "Do you hear that screaming, Jackson? That is the sound of your interference! You've led my daughter into temptation!"
"SHE IS NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!"
"Perhaps not now. But trust me... she will be."
She was back in Rapture. In the new clothing.
"My dear, are you alright?" Antonio asked with concern, taking her arm. "You spaced out, and looked ever so frightened."
Elizabeth looked at her reflection with determination. She was in Rapture. She was strong. She wasn't in danger. She didn't need Percy Jackson to rescue her. "I'm sorry, Mr. Rodriguez, I just-"
"Antonio, my goddess." The man insisted.
"Antonio." Elizabeth took a deep breath. She needed a smoke. "Just... remembering my past, is all. Thank you for your kindness."
She really did owe the man money - he'd done her a big service, as the clothes were most likely expensive. The fact that he hadn't charged for this was ridiculous. So ridiculous that she was a bit suspicious.
"Think nothing of it." He re-insisted. "What's your name, miss?"
"Elizabeth," she said cautiously.
He nodded, smiling. "We are now even, my beautiful Isabel. You've graced my establishment with your beauty, which is enough payment for me."
She couldn't help but blush madly at his words. She'd never received such a complement. The man was almost too good - granted, he owned a sex shop that seemed to double as a private gentlemen's club, his job was to be flattering. "Th-thank you, Antonio, you're too kind."
"I only ask that you come and visit me sometime. After the department store closes, we'll be moving our store into Fort Frolic."
Elizabeth nodded slowly. She was unsure of how long she would have to stay in Rapture, but she guessed it was more than one night. She could definitely pop in and possibly pay the man back. "I'll see you there."
"Of course, Isabel."
And so Elizabeth walked back out into the atrium, now a Rapture gal. No more sticking out like a sore thumb... this was good. Now to figure out what the hell the Luteces wanted her to do. Basic information about where exactly she was would help.
She headed into a nearby newsstand and picked up the day's copy of the Rapture Tribune. The headline screamed: FONTAINE'S TO CLOSE TOMORROW: To Be Converted into a Prison for Lackeys of Frank Fontaine.
The date was November 13th, 1958. Alright... basic Rapture knowledge told her that the city fell on New Year's Eve of the same year. So the city was soon going to disintegrate. Elizabeth's mission... she didn't exactly have long to do it. Being around after the collapse probably wouldn't be good.
Also on the list of "not good" is being in a department store that was to be turned into a jail. What was the purpose of that? Elizabeth shook her head in wonder. Rapture and Columbia had a lot of similarities after all - both cities were damn weird. Especially their rulers. Andrew Ryan was all about free-markets and "the sweat of your brow". He'd probably cast out Antonio for the kindness he'd done Elizabeth - dismiss it as altruism.
But that was all irrelevant. Getting out of this place was first on the list.
"Fort Frolic." The mysterious voice commanded. "You must go to Fort Frolic, and observe the Gambler."
"Who are you?" Elizabeth thought back. "Why should I trust you?"
The woman's voice laughed softly. "I have an interest in helping you. And considering that you have no other choices, you're going to have to listen to me."
"Your first directions led me to a gimp store. How do I know you aren't screwing me over?"
"Yes, I did send you to Cupid's Arrow. And in there, you received a free outfit and a high-standing friend in Rapture."
Elizabeth mulled over the thought, while she realized she was just staring off into space. It probably looked strange. She set the newspaper down on the rack. "Okay... whatever you are, I'll do what you say for now."
Alright - she had a new objective. Fort Frolic. She didn't like that the person in question was known as 'the Gambler' - it reminded her a bit of someone else she'd met.
Now, just to find her way out of this shopping center, and into the actual city.
"Hey there, baby? What are you doing without a date?"
Elizabeth set her head forward and tried to ignore her rather annoying admirers. She was nearing the exit to this place, and she'd rather not cause a scene. Maybe Antonio had done too good a job - six young men had already asked to take her out. This was getting ridiculous.
She stepped into the main city of Rapture for the first time - well, second, if you counted the Songbird drowning... and she tried not to think of that. She was in Market Street - it seemed to an middle class area of the city. Fort Frolic could've been anywhere. She needed to find a way there. Asking for directions would probably be the best bet.
She looked around her quickly, scanning for any stalkers. Okay, she was good. She approached a woman who was enjoying a cigarette. "Um... excuse me, miss?" Elizabeth asked uncertainly.
The woman looked up at her, and Elizabeth immediately knew something was a bit off. The woman's brown eyes seemed just a little too timeless - her golden hair was weaved like a basket, which probably too bizarre for even Rapture. Her brown eyes just seemed timeless, in a strange sort of way.
"Oh. Apollo, look at this young lady!" She said, grabbing a man behind her. This 'Apollo' wore a blue pinstriped suit and some strange glasses - ones with blacked-out lenses. "She's quite the dish."
The other man nodded and smiled. His teeth were a blinding white. Even with his concealed eyes, the man was quite handsome. "Show some manners, Demeter! She's Jackson and Chase's girl. The one who can open Tears."
Jackson and Chase's girl.
"Excuse me... who are you?" Elizabeth asked cautiously, though she had a good guess. Who else would know about her AND have names of the Ancient Greek Gods?
The charming man stuck his hand out, and Elizabeth took it. "Apollo's the name. God of the sun, music, poetry, prophecy... and I'm quite adept at pleasing a woman."
Maybe Elizabeth should've swooned at the god's subtle flirting, but frankly she didn't care. Apollo was what most women would consider cute, she suspected, but Elizabeth didn't see why so many women thought men were attractive. They were so... boring. Women could be beautiful, they could express themselves more, and dresses were nicer and more alluring than anything a man could wear. Women were more tender, softer...
She decided that she wasn't a romantic person.
"And I'm the much more humble Demeter," the goddess interrupted, breaking the two's handshake. "Goddess of the harvest."
Elizabeth coughed awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Should she bow or... something? She had no idea. "Well... um... what exactly are you two doing down here?"
Apollo sighed like it was obvious. "The two of us are on a date, duh!"
"You just had to pick Rapture," Demeter muttered.
The sun god looked at her exasperatedly. "What are you talking about, darling? Rapture's as classy a city as any."
"If your definition of 'classy' is militant atheism and cheap prostitutes, then I suppose this might as well be Dubai."
"Someone's feeling left out because a part of the city wasn't named after her." Apollo said under his breath. If he was trying to be discreet, he failed horribly.
Demeter looked at her current date with rage. "Everyone else has a slice of the pie! Apollo Square. Adonis Baths. Neptune's Bounty. Point Prometheus. Hephaestus Energy-"
"You're rambling."
"Mercury Suites. Minerva's Den. Dionysus Park. Even Persephone Correctional Facility! Now that is just an insult!"
Apollo patted her back delicately. "I'm sure Andrew Ryan dedicated the forest to you."
"Even so, wouldn't 'Demeter Gardens' have a nicer ring to it than 'Arcadia'? And even then, in a year or so the Saturnine are going to drink cups of blood and ADAM in my name down there!"
"Excuse me!" Elizabeth interjected, desperate for an answer. How could the immortal Greek gods of legend be so... frivolous? "I just need directions."
Apollo turned back the frustrated young woman with a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry, baby. Poor Demmy here can get pretty jealous over this stuff."
"Shut it, Apollo!" The goddess snapped back, clearly frustrated.
"Anyway, why are you asking us? You can see..." a look of realization crossed his face. "You've lost your powers, haven't you? You can't see the Sea of Doors."
Elizabeth nodded slowly in confirmation. "The Luteces did... something to me. Sent me here. I just need to go to Fort Frolic."
Apollo gave her a scandalous smile. "What would a kind young lady need in a place like that?"
"I just... I just need to." A voice in my head told me to. "Can you tell me where to go?"
Demeter sighed and dragged on her cigarette. "It's simple bathysphere travel to over to Cohen's place, my dear. That'll be one Mark for the access."
"I don't have any money." The woman responded with shyly.
Apollo shook his head. "For a pretty lady? I'll help you out." He handed her a small plastic card, which Elizabeth studied. The thing had a strange set of lines on it, along with the logo of a sun. "Credit card. It has... I think around forty or so clams on it."
"Clams?"
"The airhead means Rapture currency. Marks." Demeter clarified.
"Airhead? I resent that." Apollo said pointedly. Elizabeth couldn't for the life of her understand how the two of them were courting if they always seemed to be at odds. "Anyways, this thing should get you started in Rapture."
Elizabeth nodded gratefully. "Thank you, sir and ma'am."
"Don't call me sir. It makes me feel old."
You're 3,000 years old... She only nodded again, slowly. "Okay. I'll be on my way now."
"Do have fun, baby!" Apollo called as Elizabeth walked away. "The Rabbit awaits!"
The Rabbit, huh?
The words Apollo had said stuck with her: "What would a kind young lady need in a place like that?" Rapture was clearly a city of sin, and with a name like "Fort Frolic" Elizabeth doubted that the place would be the center of morality in the underwater metropolis.
Regardless, it was time to find this 'Gambler'. And apparently 'the Rabbit'.
She didn't like such vague titles such as that, as it reminded her too much of 'the Lamb' and the 'False Shepard'. Hopefully this venture turned out better than the... thing up in Columbia.
The Bathysphere ride was quick and quite scenic. Rapture was about ten times more beautiful than Columbia - Elizabeth loved the water. Granted, with her Sea God roots and the fact that she'd lived in a city in the sky her whole life, that was a given.
As she stepped into Fort Frolic, the voice sounded in her head. "Sir Prize is your destination, Anna. Inside of Poseidon Plaza."
"My name isn't Anna."
The voice didn't respond.
Oh well. So... Sir Prize. Judging by the name of 'the Gambler', she had to guess it was a casino of some kind. And it was inside of Poseidon Plaza. Couldn't be too hard to find. But as she'd learned in Columbia, things were seldom as easy as they appeared on the surface.
She emerged into a fine hallway, which was full of people who looked fairly upper class. A sign denoted that Poseidon Plaza was through a main atrium, so she began to walk that way. All around her, posters advertised art, records(whatever those were), and musicals by a man named Sander Cohen. Well, he seemed to be a true renaissance man.
Poseidon Plaza was buzzing with activity, as the wealthy talked amongst themselves excitedly about a performance at Fleet Hall. Some famous musician appeared to be playing at nine. Good - maybe then the casino would be less full. Sir Prize was at the far end of a hallway, and so Elizabeth made her way there.
As she entered, the voice spoke once again. "This is where my help no longer becomes necessary, Anna. You'll know what to do."
"Who are you? How do you know these things?"
"I'm a friend. Don't you worry about it, child. Just find Him and do what comes... naturally to you. Goodbye. You'll not hear me again."
"No! Don't leave!"
No response.
Great. She'd lost her only ally, which had been a detached voice in her head. She had no Tears, no cosmic knowledge. She was even more vulnerable than she had been back in her tower.
Her tower...
No... NOT AGAIN...
Elizabeth looked out of her window and out at the distant city of Columbia, and she sighed contently. The day was July 6th, 1912.
Just then, something creaked above her.
She looked up at the door Songbird used curiously. No... no... Elizabeth pleaded desperately. She didn't want to see... this... again.
The door snapped, and a figure plummeted downwards. An arm reached out desperately and grabbed for a railing. Elizabeth approached it with horror. Why?! Why was she forced to relive these moments? It wasn't fair!
The man looked up at her. He managed to stammer, "Uh... hello."
Elizabeth screamed, and the stranger fell to the ground with a thud. She felt herself take aim with the book in her hands and fire. It hit him square in the forehead. Ha. Take that you baby-selling son of a bitch. It felt pretty good to get some measure of petty revenge.
Every time Elizabeth had these visions, she was in first person but was forced to view. She couldn't influence what was happening. She was merely reliving the past.
"Hey, knock it off!" The man pleaded. Another book was fired, but this one missed to the left. "Will you stop it? WILL YOU STOP IT?!" She grabbed a book off the top of a nearby pile and approached him, literature raised and poised to attack.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
"I'm a friend." Percy reached out to try and touch her shoulder. A bad move.
"Get away!" She tried to hit Percy with the book, but he blocked it with ease. She tried once more, but was quickly winded.
She dropped the book and really looked at the figure. He... She'd never seen another person before. He couldn't seriously be right there, in her tower - she was the only one in the whole place. Yet... here this man stood.
She held out her right hand and slowly inched towards him, wanting to know if it was truly there. "Are you real?" She barely asked, grazing her father's stubbly face with her fingers.
"I'm real enough, miss. Now, we should-"
Songbird screeched, and Elizabeth pointed wordlessly to the golden statue behind Percy. She remembered being absolutely terrified at that moment.
"No, wait! I'm getting dressed!" She desperately cried out to her warden. The whistling died down and she turned back to Percy. "I'm sorry. He's very possessive."
"Who? Your father?"
IRONY.
She hugged herself and snorted. She shakily said, "Ha. I wish. I don't have parents."
"I know that feeling. I never knew my real father growing up." The two strangers stood in silence for a few seconds before Elizabeth finally made eye contact.
"You never told me your name," she said softly.
"I'm sorry. I'm Percy Jackson." Percy stuck out his hand to shake. She took it shyly.
"And I'm... Elizabeth."
Percy darted around in his pockets, and finally drew out a key. "I'm here to bust you out of this place."
"Oh my god!" Elizabeth grabbed the key out of Percy's hand, and examined it. She looked to the large door in the corner of the room. "Thank you, Mr. Jackson! Let's go!"
Suddenly, a loud screech was heard.
Elizabeth shuddered, and she was back in Rapture.
She hated this. Shards of Columbia hit her all the time, usually at the random. The Luteces had never bothered to tell her exactly why this happened, or why it was Columbia in particular. Frankly, she didn't care. She loathed them, and could only put up with them.
She shoved aside the thought and entered Sir Prize. It was, in fact, a casino, just as she had predicted. The place was showy, thick with cigarette smoke, and full of sweaty men who were wasting all their money. Fairly standard for a place like this, she supposed.
Then a thought hit her: The Gambler. This place was obviously full of gamblers. Excellent. So how was she-
"Sally, just a few more minutes. I'm winning."
Elizabeth's blood froze. No... it couldn't be...
Her head snapped to the voice, and she visually confirmed her suspicion. A man with black hair and sea-green eyes - probably in his mid-twenties, if Elizabeth had to guess. He wore a fine suit, had a cigar in his mouth and was looking down at a little girl. Couldn't've been older than ten.
What was HE doing there?
"But... but Percy..."
"I know, kid. Just give me a few more minutes, okay?"
Percy Jackson turned back to his game as Sally turned to go look at the rest of the casino. She dissapeared into the crowd.
"Who's that girl, Jackson?" An old man to his left asked.
The man who had no business being in Rapture only shrugged. "She's just an orphan I've been looking after."
"City's been rotten with 'em since Fontaine went down. Still, Jackson, I didn't peg you as a soft type. Why'd you do it?"
Percy shrugged. "I don't know, Sullivan."
Elizabeth tried to blend in and control her breathing. A version of Percy Jackson was here - young, and still a gambler. How appropriate.
She felt a stir in her stomach as she looked at the man. He was going to die. Make it eighty-seven. She'd have to figure how he existed in Rapture or what exactly his connection to this orphan was later. Or maybe as she went.
She hadn't really psychologically terrorized a version of him in a while. This would be... beyond satisfying.
Only thing now was to get close to him.
"Goddammit..." She heard her mark mutter. Percy was looking down at his card dejectedly as a pile of chips in front of him was dragged away. "I'll cut my losses. I'll see you guys some other time, eh?" He looked expectantly behind him. "Alright, Sally. Let's go."
The girl was gone.
"Sally?!" He said louder, rising to his feet. He began to scan the crowd with panic. "Come back here!"
Elizabeth tried to peek through the mass of people to find the child. She imagined that the girl'd be of use to her in getting rid of Percy. But Sally seemed to have dissapeared.
As Percy began to desperately ask people around him if they'd seen the child, Elizabeth stepped outside back into Poseidon Plaza to see if she'd getting jostled back out here. Nothing. How strange.
She sent a panicked look back into the casino to see where Percy was. The man was still desperately poking through the crowd, trying to find the girl. Elizabeth didn't want to be seen by him until it was necessary, so she slipped back into the casino and tried to survey from the shadows.
Percy moved back to the poker table and looked at the man to his right expectantly. "She's gone."
"Well what do you want to do about it?"
"You're a COP, Sullivan! Help me out here!"
Sullivan wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and looked up at Percy with an exhausted expression. "Look, Jackson. Girls have been dissapearing all over the city, I don't know what you want me to do."
"Look into it!"
"Why do you care so much about some orphan?"
Percy turned back to the policeman. "I... I don't know. Just help me out here."
He left the table again, before bending down. He rose back into Elizabeth's field of view with something clutched tightly in his hand, and he walked out of Sir Prize.
Elizabeth moved quickly to tail him. She'd never had to do this - being omniscient and all greatly helped in the pursuit of countless other Percy Jacksons. But this one was going to be tricky. She couldn't make an easy escape with Tears here, so she'd have to kill him where no one would find out. And then... what? She wasn't sure if any bathyspheres led to the surface, so her best bet was even a long shot.
Sally... Elizabeth could use the orphan as bait to lure out Percy. Yeah, that'd work. Finding the little girl was next on the list.
Percy got into the bathysphere heading for Market Street (of course, back where she started) and Elizabeth barely managed to get on the same tram as he. Thankfully the ten or so other pedestrians allowed Elizabeth to keep a low profile. The submarine boarded at Market Street, and after a short walk Percy headed up a set of stairs and into a small building. The sign above it read "Jackson Investigations". So he was a private investigator. Interesting.
She knew where Percy lived, which was good. Now to figure out where Sally was. Elizabeth yawned and stretched her back, realizing she was tired. There was bound to be a hotel somewhere around here.