I don't own PJO. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 10: A different perspective.
(Margaux's POV)
"Do you have twenty cents?"
I searched in my pocket until my fingers touch the cool piece of metal and handed it to the tired looking seller. A journalist on the screen behind him was reporting from Los Angeles, where multiple fires had started, and then he showed the plains burning in Texas and the other countless blazes which had spread across the whole country since yesterday. I couldn't hear what the journalist was saying, but I was sure of something: it wasn't natural.
"Do you want anything else?" The vendor's voice cut my reverie.
"No thanks, good night." I got out of the half café, half grocery store and enjoyed the warm summer air on my face. I'll have to tell Chiron about the events I saw on television, maybe he could tell me what was going on. After all, those kinds of disasters only happen when gods are involved: to name one, the second Titomanchy where almost half of the United States had been destroyed due to a hurricane, aka Typhoon. Holy Hades, I'm glad I didn't have to fight this one!
Nobody was outside, so I nonchalantly sat on the road. My hand plunged into my bag, extracting a mashed, a bit torn packet of cigarettes. I took one out and made it roll gently between my fingers. I chuckled. Definitely, being truant is at the same time fun and relieving, plus I was rather annoyed by all the restrictions we had at camp. I mean, come on I'm fifteen, I want to live not spend my day training for some random reasons as "saving the world". The worst was I had to speak English all day, and I didn't even like this language! Too much pressure isn't good for teenagers, especially when they have ADHD.
I grabbed the lighter, shielding the little fire it produced with my palm, my cigarette stuck between my lips. I was about to ignite the tip of it when the soft sound of cracking branches interrupted my action.
From the corner of my eyes, I got a glimpse of a slim girl coming out of the thickets that bordered the road. She entered the café/grocery nimbly, not paying attention to me. Even though I didn't get a good look at her, she seemed oddly familiar. It was something about her paleness or maybe the way she moved, as she was some sort of wild animal. I contemplated my cigarette again, hesitating. My interior voice warned me: this girl was dangerous and I was going to get in trouble. I smiled widely, well getting problems was a speciality for me. I put back the cigarette in the paper box and headed to the café.
If only I had knew what was going to happen, I think I would have stayed outside and smoked. Bah, at least my lungs were happy.
I entered in the café and the vivid light dazzled me for a moment. The girl was sitting at a table, arguing with the waitress. She hadn't raised her voice and seemed composed, however the way she was glaring at the poor waitress put my survival instinct in alert, and I had to intervene before a murder was committed.
"She's with me." The waitress startled, visibly scared before she recognised me, and let out a relieved sigh. I came here every so often, and by the time she knew I was a respectable consumer.
"Okay then, but if I saw her again alone, I call the Police." Wahoo, the pale girl had probably frightened this poor lady to death. I nodded comprehensively and gave her my best smile.
"As you wish, Madame." Adding Madame or Monsieur at the end of a sentence is something I do to make adults appreciate me. It fits well with the image French have in the U.S: polite and elegant. Okay, we have other stereotypes, but I prefer to use the good ones!
The little trick worked on the waitress and she seemed to relax a bit. She went finding the menus, not before giving a threatening look to the pale girl, who ignored it royally. I sat in front of her, and began to talk:
"You have certainly a gift. This lady is normally really sweet, what did you do to make her furious enough to phone the cops?" Pale face didn't answer but her eyes became two slots, piercing me. I felt a small smile play at the corner of my lips. I knew where I had seen this fierce look. It was the girl Chiron asked me to show around. What was her name again? Lara? Linda? No Lanna.
"Why did you flee camp?" It was a simple question, and I didn't even ask it accusingly. Nevertheless she seized my throat firmly, chocking me and bended over the table, hissing coldly in my ear:
"Not your business." She let out her grip and came back in her previous position. I coughed, gasping for air. Had this little pute menaced me? I made a mental note to make her pay. The waitress arrived with the menus, and she felt the tension between us. I thanked her, and of course Lanna being the nice, happy person she was let out an almost animal growl. The waitress hurried away, not willing to be here when Lanna explode.
How can someone, who I bet wasn't even fifteen, could frighten adults so easily? And holy Zeus, who was her Olympian parent to give her such a temper? Even among The Big Three children they hold it better! Merde, what was she doing there anyway?
"I guess I know why the lady wanted to kick you out. If you always behave so kindly…" I smirked and Lanna's fist clenched. Oh, so you don't like to be teased? Let's have fun then:
"You are so tan… Do you often go to the beach?" I smiled brightly at her. "By the way, do you like sticks?" When she didn't respond, I continued, ever so cheery:
"No, because you seem to have one in your ass." It was the final straw and she bounced on me, predator like.
Before you say that I'm a moron, let me add something: I'm a daughter of Dionysus, the god of craziness. It sometimes explains my behaviour.
Now there was an angry girl on top of me, trying to rip my head off. Yeah, sometimes I also wish I was a daughter of Athena. I started to defend myself and punched right in the temple, like my half-brother François had told me. It was pretty effective because she lost balance and stopped to strangle me for a moment. It was enough for the costumers to separate us and kicked us out.
Fais chier, the only other café near the camp was situated five kilometres away! Fortunately, I had still my bag and its important cargo with me, at least not everything was lost.
I turned and there was Lanna, still a bit groggy from my attack. I laughed internally: take this one salope! I'm not violent, but you had deserved it.
"Why did you try to kill me?" I was angry, and a little anxious she attempts to end my life again, so my accent showed up a bit more than usual.
Of course, she didn't reply. Why wasn't it surprising me anymore? I rolled my eyes and began to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Her voice was steady, but there was a twinge of apprehension in it.
"It's getting late; I'm going back to camp."
"Don't!" For once her voice was vehement. "What are you going to tell them?"
I turned slowly around, realisation hitting me.
"You want to run away." It was a statement, and she didn't contradict it. "But why? I know it's not always… funny, but I swear it can be great."
She admired the stars for a long time, before softly responding, a bitter smile on her face:
"I'm lost… and scarred. I can't." She regained composure and added, aggressive:
"So are you going to tell them?" She was giving me a challenging look, probably assuming I was going to try to reason her. I have the immense pleasure to say that I surprised her. A wide smile on my lips I riposted:
"I'm coming with you."
Hades yeah, she was more than amazed.
God, I love Margaux! The words written in italic are french swearing.