[2] 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 ― l.valdez ✓

014.

「014. how cherry got her groove back (kinda), pt 2 」

CHERRY DIDN'T like how it was currently going. mr bull man wasn't being nice, and he was holding a lot of grudges. perhaps that was his fatal flaw. cherry had been recently working on hers, bottling up what she was feeling- thinking how others were feeling was more important than what she felt. it was something she was trying to work on, but wouldn't always be able to properly fix. speaking of which, she was feeling absolutely furious.

she understands that hercules is a jerk- oh she does. the moment hera is mentioned he throws a little hissy-fit. not cool. but to try and steal piper? what was he going to do? kill her? or perhaps the more mortifying option... marry her? no, absolutely not. cherry adams may have sometimes been a coward, but nobody and she really does mean nobody tries to kill her loved ones.

the current grabbed piper like a fist and pulled her into the deep. piper could drown. that was another horrifying possibility which only seemed to anger cherry more. she forced herself to think0 perhaps calm down and maybe try think of a solution. she wasn't annabeth, but she could try her hardest to find some way to save their butts.

somehow, perhaps it was the way she'd stood, she hadn't been affected by the water. jason had, and had only just burst to the surface, gasping for air. climbing on a large rock, cherry stood with her sword in reach- but she decided otherwise. not yet, she thought to herself, perhaps negotiation? although, cherry didn't know exactly how well that would go. but she glared at the bull man who was still underwater, and thought to herself exactly what would stop him?

fire? she wasn't leo, that wouldn't work.

air? jason was flailing his sword around- that didn't look too good.

persuasion? piper was currently in a whirl pool and barbie was back on the ship. if she called for help from barbie, hercules wouldn't let them past. and she didn't think piper would be able to really do anything whilst trying not to drown.

so... what else?

"i'm really sorry about this," achelous said, rising from the water. jason lunged for him as cherry tried to find a hiding spot. it seemed cowardly, but her mind was slowly forming a plan- she just needed to execute it properly. "none of that, son of jupiter."

a curl of water slammed into jason and sent him uner once more as piper's broken cry of, "stop it!" rang through their surroundings.

"i'm afraid i can't stop," the river god said, "i can't let hercules have my other horn. it would be mortifying."

"there's another way!" piper said. "you don't have to kill us!"

jason clawed his way to the surface again. a miniature storm cloud formed over his head. thunder boomed. "none of that, son of jupiter," achelous chided. "if you call lightning, you'll just electrocute your girlfriend." the water pulled jason under again.

"let him go!" piper charged her voice with all the persuasiveness she could muster. "i promise i won't let hercules get the horn!"

achelous hesitated. he cantered over to her, his head tilting to the left. "i believe you mean that."

"i do!" piper promised. "hercules is despicable. but, please, first let my friend go."

the water churned where jason had gone under.

suddenly, cherry was brought back to something hercules had said. granted, she didn't like the hero. but what had he said? something about... corrupt? tainted? perhaps focus on the tainted.