"Um...can I say something?" Percy asked, shooting Hephaestus an apologetic look which he waved off.
"Go ahead, lad."
"Could we maybe break for the day after this chapter?" he asked
"Sure. We've done quite a bit of heavy reading. A break should be in order." Chiron agreed.
FRANK SWEPT HIS SPEAR…Maybe they were laughing
"Maybe they just expected a better dialogue…A better catchphrase or hero line or something, you know?" Travis said to Frank with a grin.
"I have a feeling that that is not what they thought." Rachel snickered. Travis shrugged.
"That's what I would have thought if I was a basilisk." He said sheepishly.
The spear tip was almost…Now he had a golden stick
"That's the best part." Ares smiled, rubbing his palms together.
"Honestly, you're always too excited to be using the skeletons." Hades shook his head
"Technically they're under my service." Ares pointed out
"But under my realm." Hades shrugged.
"They are exciting to use or watch being used." Ares smiled
"That I can't deny."
"If anybody who didn't know what you were talking about then them hearing that the tip of the spear broke off is the best part would make them think you're stark raving mad." Reyna raised an eyebrow at Ares who couldn't help but grin.
Some crazy part of him wanted…"Not me!"
Frank snorted in amusement at his own self. The others chuckled.
"Nice orders. Very clear." Lee said
The skeletal warrior leaped…otherwise he looked pretty good.
"Yeah, the mental image that is forming in my head is of the Hercules Hades." Demeter shook her head.
"Don't even." Hades vaguely threatened.
"Can't help my thoughts. Anyways, I prefer his looks."
"You have horrible taste." Hades snorted.
The basilisk did the smart thing…Tooth Man? Bones? Gray?"
"Jules Albert." Will snickered and grinned. Nico clicked his tongue and winked at Will.
As its face disappeared beneath…definitely not his style
Percy grinned sheepishly.
Riptide was in his hand…controlled by the power of Mars
Ares nodded seriously.
"That's true. Like uncle Hades said, these skeletons are technically under his realm but they owe me a service. They can especially be harmful because they died in a wild way." He said
Frank got the feeling it would…man in Portland we've got to see."
"Sounds like a joyride." Michael said, sarcasm dripping of his words.
"Chapter's done." Hephaestus said
"These last few chapters have been quite short." Hestia said. "Lets break for today." She then said with a smile.
"What are you guys planning on doing?" Nico asked Hades, Poseidon and Zeus who looked at each other with raised eyebrows as they walked towards the quarters.
"Do some paperwork." Percy grinned and winked at Poseidon who knew exactly what Percy meant and chuckled.
"Not fun." Zeus said, shaking his head, not understanding what Percy meant.
"He means Monopoly." Poseidon said
"Do you want a war, nephew?" Hades said to Percy amusedly.
"Do you guys want a war? Depends on how you play." Percy said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. The three gods chuckled.
"What are you planning on doing?" Zeus asked.
"Well, I need a dose of Turkish coffee." Nico shrugged, looking at Percy and Thalia with a knowing glance.
"Its much needed." The two nodded in agreement.
"Turkish coffee? Damn, you need that much is it?" Hades raised an eyebrow at them.
"Trust me, right now, we do." Percy shook his head.
"Play fair, kids!" Nico shouted with a grin as he conjured Monopoly as the three young gods left the three in the Hades quarters.
"Who wants to roll first?" Poseidon sighed but with a small smile on his face.
"You've got to be screwing with me right now." Percy said as they stepped inside the coffee shop where apparently Hera and Rhea had come for time as well.
"Ditch it. Lets just take our coffee and watch the Monopoly match." Nico nudged him with his shoulder. Percy shrugged.
"Sounds more fun." He said with a chuckle.
Rhea who sat opposite Hera and had view of the counter saw the three young gods who didn't look at her though she knew they saw her and felt guilt build up in her chest but was distracted by something Hera said.
"Three Turkish coffees please." Nico asked. The three younger gods waited, leaning against the wall and placing bets on whose dad would win Monopoly.
"Tyson's got to get his genes from somewhere!" Percy protested
"He has his own brain, Seaweed Brain. He's made for business. Has nothing to do with genes." Thalia snickered.
"I'd say its equal but my dad's definitely going to win." Nico laughed.
"At what?" Hera asked as she came to the counter to order a cinnamon roll. A dark look came over the three younger gods but they pretended as if they didn't hear or see her because gods knew what they would do if they looked her in the eye.
"Thanks for the coffee." Thalia said as she collected the three mugs from the barista.
"Lets go. I'm telling you, you guys better pay up already." Percy said to his cousins.
"You're going to be paying me faster than you can say 'shit'." Nico snorted.
"You wish." Thalia retorted.
"Lets find out." Percy grinned and the three young gods raced to the Hades quarters where an intense game of Monopoly was taking place.
"Whose winning?" Thalia asked
"Hades." Zeus all but growled.
"Wow, really can start a war, huh?" Nico snickered and smirked smugly at Percy and Thalia.
"You have no idea." Hades said dryly.
"You can't deny that you aren't having fun though." Percy smirked. Poseidon looked like he wanted to disagree. The younger gods plopped down on the bed as well just when Hades showed up at Poseidon's hotel. Percy whooped and high fived Thalia and then smirked at Nico who flipped him off.
The game went on for a good one hour more when it ended with Hades winning. Nico and Hades high fived and Nico looked expectantly at Percy and Thalia who begrudgingly handed over 10 drachmas each.
"Told you. Don't bet against the player." Nico clicked his tongue, tossed a drachma and winked. Percy and Thalia grumbled.
"I'm going to get lessons from Hermes." Percy shook his head. Nico's smile dropped off his face and turned serious.
"Depends if he can give you lessons." He said
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked, all three of them partially forgetting that even Hades, Poseidon and Zeus were there.
"I don't know…he's been out of sorts lately." Nico said hesitantly, playing with his ring. A grim look came over Percy and he nodded in agreement, giving Nico a knowing glance. The three of the younger gods had a whole conversation in just looks and both of them grimaced, remembering their conversation with Rhea.
"What just happened?" Zeus interrupted.
"Some sort of conversation apparently." Poseidon said.
It was as if, the younger gods summoned Rhea with their thoughts. Nico got up to open the door and raised his eyebrows when he opened the door.
"Uh, Perce, Thals?" he called out across the hall. Percy and Thalia jumped up from the bed and went to the door.
"2 meetings in one day?" Thalia asked in mild surprise.
"Just wanted to drop by and see how you're doing." Rhea said with a smile.
"Not bad." Percy shrugged "How about you?" he asked with a small polite smile.
"Conflicting." Rhea admitted.
"Well, do let us know what the result to that conflict is." Nico said with a small dry chuckle.
"Nick-" Percy said, looking at him.
"Apologies." Nico said "Came out a bit rude."
"You'll be the first to know." Rhea said to him, with a weak chuckle. Awkward silence lingered in the air after that.
"See you then." Percy said awkwardly. Rhea nodded and they closed the door.
"This shit makes me more awkward than that one time back in school when I ran into…" Percy started but then looked at Nico and Thalia who were staring amusedly at him. "Never mind." Percy mumbled.
"Was that mother I heard?" Zeus asked, when the younger gods walked into the room again.
"Oh yeah." Nico said and stretched on the couch on which Thalia was about to sit.
"Son of a bitch." Thalia swore at him to which Nico just winked. Thalia threw him some more unflattering comments as she sat on the chair. Percy on the other hand sat on the chair with his legs dangling from the sides of the back of the chair.
"What'd she want to talk about?" Poseidon asked.
"Nothing much. Came to see if were all good." Percy told him. Hades stared at Percy as if he was taking an X-Ray with his eyes.
"Not that easy to trick, nephew." He said
"I'm not tricking you. She did ask us if everything was okay." Percy said to him, shaking his head.
"Mother doesn't really just leave from the door." Poseidon pointed out. Percy shot Nico and Thalia a look, begging them to join in.
"First time for everything." Nico provided.
"Like I said, not so easy to trick." Hades told him.
"Trust me dad, if we wanted to trick you, we'd be better at doing it." Nico told him. He felt bad lying but he knew he had to do it this time.
Percy and Thalia yawned.
"Its quite late. Lets get some sleep." Poseidon said with a smile to Percy and Percy stretched out his arm in a comedic gesture for his dad to help him get up. Poseidon laughed heartily and lifted Percy onto his shoulders with Percy whooping.
"The piggy getting the piggyback ride." Nico chuckled.
Zeus and Thalia went to their quarters as well. They were called the next day to continue the reading.
"I'll read." Hermes volunteered, still not himself.