Demigod
Quinn woke up feeling 150 percent refreshed. She was also, she realized, wrapped snugly around Rachel.
"Morning,' the smaller girl muttered, eyes fluttering open.
"Morning. Sorry, I'm a sleep cuddler."
"It's fine."
Quinn smiled, hugged Rachel close for a second, tried to ignore the rush of bliss she felt when the younger demigod hugged back, and rolled out of bed. "Rise and shine, you two," she called, tossing a pillow at Santana and Clarisse.
Santana caught it without sitting up and snuggled into the daughter of Ares.
Quinn rolled her eyes. "We can get started. They'll be a while."
Rachel smiled and began shuffling around her bags. One of the traps fell out.
"Did you ever figure out what that was?" Quinn asked.
"Oh! Yes. And we need to stop by a bookstore, by the way."
"Why?"
"They're mazes. I need to know about any labyrinths in Greek mythology."
"That's easy," Clarisse said, hip checking Quinn out of the way of the sink. "We can just drop a drachma for an Iris message to Annabeth. She's probably got a catalogue in her head or some shit."
"No, I need to see them," Rachel said.
"No problem," Quinn said. "There's got to be a million Barnes and Noble bookstores between here and San Antonio. We'll stop at the first one we spot."
It ended up being the third one they spotted, because Santana was driving too fast to stop at the first ones. They pulled into the parking lot and hopped out. It was a strip mall, bustling, but not busy. The three veteran demigods followed Rachel into the bookstore. Santana and Clarisse made a beeline for the magazine rack while Rachel and Quinn wandered to the history section. Quinn took Rachel's hand and smiled.
"So…tell me about your dads," she said softly.
Rachel smiled. "One's an accountant and the other is a marketing exec. They met during a baseball game. Dad had never been to one, so some of his friends took him. Daddy was sitting right in front of them. He caught a foul ball, but he said Dad looked so disappointed he had to give it to him. They struck up a conversation and the rest is history. What about your parents?"
Quinn shrugged, not letting go of Rachel's hands while they perused the bookshelves. "I don't know too much about them, really. My stepmom came around about a year and a half after I was born. Once she knew about…me…she sort of gave my dad an ultimatum. He held out until I was three, and then he shipped me off to camp."
"That's awful," Rachel said quietly.
Quinn squeezed her hand gently. "All of us make it there at some point. It's okay. I still see him a couple of times per year. Plus, I'm happy at camp. I have my siblings, and Santana and Clarisse. And…."
"And me."
"Yeah." Quinn ducked her head a little to hide her blush. She waited silently while Rachel flipped through a few books.
Rachel sneezed. It seemed oddly loud in the quiet bookstore.
"Bless you," Quinn said absently. It seemed a bit too quiet, actually. "Find the one you need?" she asked, voice dropping to a whisper.
Rachel nodded, seeming to pick up on Quinn's unease in an instant.
"Let's find Santana and Clarisse."
"No need, demigod," a gentle voice said from behind them.
They spun around to see Clarisse and Santana standing with a lady. She looked to be about thirty, except for her eyes. Something about the oceans of dark green made her seem incredibly old—like those eyes had witnessed centuries.
"Be cool," Clarisse told them. "She's—"
"Erato," Quinn finished. "A muse."
"Exactly," Santana said. "Let's get the book and go," she added in an undertone.
"Don't be in such a rush, young Roman," Erato said. "Stay a while. You never know what you'll learn in books. Quinn…your young friend looks apprehensive."
Quinn glanced over at Rachel and found that the girl had, indeed, taken a step back. "It's okay," she said, taking her hand again.
"You are the leader of this quest, demigod?"
"Yes," Rachel said, nodding.
"And what is your name?"
"Rachel Berry. Wait, how did you know Quinn's name, but not mine?"
"I have a special connection with all of the children of Aphrodite. I am the muse of love poetry after all. I have given us a bit of privacy to talk, but the charm will wear off in a minute, so we must make haste. I do not possess the sight in the same fashion that the gods do, but I wish to help you nevertheless. In exchange for a promise…."
"What kind of promise?" Rachel asked.
"If my information is helpful…I wish to be returned to my home."
"Where's that?"
"New York. I imagine that you will have to come back through my state to get there? Take me with you."
"Rachel, no," Quinn said quietly, shaking her head.
"Come on, Q," Santana argued. "We're shooting in the dark here!"
"Sorry, but I'm hesitant to get into deals with gods and…er…godly beings."
"A rather wise statement for the daughter of Aphrodite. Are you sure you're not one of Athena's?" Erato remarked with a smile.
"Why do you want to go back to New York?" Rachel asked after a moment.
"Oklahoma isn't exactly the best spot for nurturing romantic poetry. There are only so many country songs I can inspire, and most of them run off to Tennessee as soon as the inspiration hits."
"Why are you out here in the first place?" Rachel asked.
"Ahh…you are a daughter of Athena, young Rachel. You want all the information before you make your decision."
"I just don't want to get blasted off the face of the earth if Zeus banished you or something like that."
Erato chuckled and shook her head. "No, nothing like that, my dear. I fell in love with a mortal, and followed him out to this gods forsaken state. You see, demigod, I do not have the power of free roaming as you do. I must be taken from place to place, and then I remain tied there through my relationship to the land. I had made a home here when the mortal ran off to be with some 19 year old tattoo artist named Skyy. Thus, I need someone to take me back."
Rachel looked at Quinn, then over to Santana and Clarisse.
"Rachel," Quinn insisted. She sighed and shrugged. "I don't have a good explanation, just…no."
Rachel squeezed her hand. "Clarisse? What do you think?"
The oldest demigod stared at the group. Around them, time was slowly slipping back to normal. "This is only binding if the information is helpful?"
"She knows it will be," Quinn said, not taking her eyes off Rachel. "She wouldn't have offered otherwise."
Rachel looked back and forth between them, and then let go of Quinn's hand. "Okay," she said, taking another step towards Erato. "You have my word. I swear on the River Styx, if we can use your information, we'll take you with us back to New York."
There was a thunder clap in the distance, and Quinn half expected Erato to change into some gigantic monster, or a look of triumph at least.
But there wasn't. The Muse only looked happy and relieved.
"Thank you, demigods," she said. "And now, for my end of the bargain…. I do not know who is behind this exactly, but I know that it is another demigod."
"Really?" Santana asked.
"Yes. As I said, I do not have the same sight as the gods, but I can feel other godly beings and demigods. This definitely reeks of demigod drama. There is a man with a ranch in Texas. His name is Sherman—Sherman Valley Ranch. You'll find he may have more answers for you."
"Thank you," Clarisse said, as time snapped back to normal.
"You are welcome. Have the book as a gift," she added, nodding to the book in Rachel's hands.
"We should go," Clarisse said, checking her watch.
Quinn breathed again. She just wanted to leave. She still felt uneasy, but she had no idea what it was about, if Erato wasn't a threat. A sense of relief washed over her as Rachel took her hand again. She smiled at the younger girl. "Let's roll."
