"Relax, it's just me. The real me" Griffin whispered, pushing Link back into the bathroom, much to his displeasure. Nether less, Link found himself breathing a sigh of relief. If Griffin was okay, Zelda must be safe.
"Where's Zelda?"
"Back in the apartment" He leaned casually back onto the door, but it seemed to Link that he was listening for anyone approaching. It was hard to tell; Griffin normally was a laid back guy. "So, the guards are looking for you, I'm a waiter, as far as anyone else knows, and Pipit's probably walking around half awake. Can you guess what happens now?"
Link shook his head. All of his ideas were far too risky to actually pull off.
"Well, listen to this, then you might get what I'm hinting at. The lotus employees know when someone's awake and when someone's pretending. That's all they look for, if you're asleep or not. Now, me being a waiter means that they won't notice if I'm awake. They won't notice most of what I do around here, as long as it's not too flashy. Now what do you think?"
"I still have the same plans as before, but all of them are still too risky to actually pull off."
"No pain, no gain; but don't worry, this won't involve a lot of risk. Ready to hear it?" Link nodded. "Alright, you're going to eat this lotus, then I'm going to lead you and Pipit out to the apartment once I get him to sleep again." Griffin grinned.
"Wait, wouldn't it look suspicious if you lead us out?"
Griffin's grin deflated immediately, but then his smile came back just as quick as it left.
"Change of plans, we- someone's coming, quick!" Griffin whispered frantically. Link grabbed Griffin and shoved him into a stall with him, while Griffin quickly stood on the seat so his feet wouldn't be seen. The two males sighed with relief when they heard the foot steps of a girl.
Link blushed horribly, and he heard Griffin shift uncomfortably behind him. Listening to a girl use the facilities wasn't at the top of Link's to do list. It only got worse when he heard her sigh contently.
Thankfully, the girl didn't linger, and Link burst out of the stall quickly. Griffin hopped down from the seat, staring at the door with sadness. The blonde raised an eyebrow. He would expect an awkward glance or a weird look, not a sad gaze.
"She's an old friend. It makes me sad, seeing her asleep. I almost wanted to wake her up right then, but getting you and Pipit out is already hard enough." Griffin explained. He'd been shifting around because of guilt, not from awkwardness. He shook his head.
"Anyway, new plan. You eat this lotus right in front of Pipit. You'll pass out again. He'll be so concerned that he'll drag you over to the apartment, where I'll show up later. Then you'll be home free to do whatever quest you were on. By the way, what quest were you on?"
Link closed his eyes and strained to remember. "Lord Zeus told me to find the three flames and ascend to Skyloft."
Griffin choked. "What? The flames of the Big Three?"
Link nodded. Griffin composed himself.
"I see. So that's what happened. Damn..." The son of Poseidon buried his face in his hands and groaned. "Oh gods how long has it been!" He let his hands fall before smiling bitterly. "Well, good luck kid. Now let's put this plan into action."
Link kept silent as he walked behind the black haired teen, wondering to himself why Griffin had chosen to help him instead of his old friend, and why he had that reaction to learning about the flame quest. He decided asking would only put Griffin in more pain than he already was.
"Hold on. You should eat the lotus in front of Pipit, not me. I still need to find Poseidon's flame here. I can't leave without finishing what I came for." Link murmured, grabbing the other teen to keep him from leaving. Griffin let out a frustrated groan.
"Yeah, alright, I guess that makes sense." He was able to take off the uniform quickly, thanks to the fact that he still had his other clothes underneath.
Link grimaced. He was causing the other a lot of trouble, despite how helpful he had been. 'What if he was going to rescue his other friends somehow? I'm stopping him all because of a stupid quest. His reaction to that too… I feel like he had that quest at some point. Maybe he couldn't pass it and that's why he's here? Maybe all these kids had that quest and stayed here too long. I only got out thanks to him. Some way to repay him…'
"I'll give it back to you at the apartment-"
"Don't bother. We'll be long gone by then." With that, Griffin turned, crushing the lotus in his grip as he slammed the door behind him.
The blonde stood there for a long time, staring at the uniform in his hands. He couldn't help but feel like a monster. He put the uniform on quietly, regret coating his face. It wasn't fair to Griffin. He would have to repay him eventually.
Stepping outside, he couldn't see Pipit or Griffin, so he assumed that the plan had worked. He weaved through the crowd, careful not to touch someone. He wondered who would come to rescue them, if they ever got out at all. Link felt responsible for them, but then again, how would he be able to free them alone? Even with Zelda, Pipit, and Griffin's help, it would still be a challenge, if he could catch up to them. The black haired teen did say they would be gone by the time he reached them. Gloom settled over him. Zelda was gone, and he wouldn't see her again. Unless she went to Skyloft, the odds of ever finding her again were one in a billion.
Walking up the stairs to the outside while awake was disorienting. Once again, Link was submerged in its seemingly endless darkness. His fears came to light as he listened to the quiet patter of his footsteps. The manticore was behind him, breathing on his neck, threatening his life. Then it was worse; the manticore was no more. Instead, it was him. Link's lifelong fear.
He sprinted up the stairs into the light, shielding his eyes from the raw sun. Yet again, Lord Apollo managed to taunt him in the smallest of ways.
"What does my father think of me?"
"Not much"
Artemis' words echoed in his head. He sighed and walked out of the kitchen area, heading toward the bathrooms where he remembered his mark glowing. Sure enough, it started to glow at a slow, steady pace. His heartbeat picked up. It was close by. He ran up the stairs he'd seen on his first day here, and saw the strange rune circle on the floor. He smiled slightly, mentally preparing himself. He reached down and pressed his palm to the floor. Soon enough, the noise in his ears dulled and black swirling clouds covered his vision completely.
Since school is over, I'm sure to update more! Of course, right after I typed that I was enrolled into prep school. Great success! Thanks to all those who've reviewed, and please continue to leave feedback.
