𝙇𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙨 (𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙭 𝙁𝙚𝙢! 𝙊𝘾) 𝙏𝙏𝘾

Someday, I'll Murder Jackson

An hour later, they were rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because everyone got their own luxury car. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Thalia, Sylvia, and Lux had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so they could pick up the altrock stations from D.C. Not Sylvia's favourite genre, but it was better than some.

"Join you?" Percy asked Thalia, passing Lux, who was on their way to the washroom. He completely ignored Sylvia and her defiant "No."

Thalia just shrugged, so he climbed into the backseat. 

Ugh, I hate the White Stripes, Fawkes said from where she was perched on the rearview mirror. Their songs are all stolen from children of Aphrodite and Apollo who were too poor to even get lawyers to fine them. They're also very rude to everyone.

Yeah, I don't really like their songs, either, Sylvia admitted. The ones they made and didn't steal, anyways.

"Nice coat," Thalia told Percy.

"Mhm," Sylvia agreed. "Really brings out the fake innocence, you know? Makes everyone think you're not a complete assh-"

Sylvia! Fawkes interrupted, actually squawking so others could hear.

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "Jerk."

Percy pulled the brown duster around him, probably thankful for the warmth, and flipped Sylvia off. "Yeah, but the Nemean Lion wasn't the monster we're looking for."

"Not even c-close," Lux agreed, opening the door farthest away from Percy and getting in. 

"We've got a long way to go," Percy sighed. 

"If you're only gonna complain, Jackson, just leave," Sylvia snapped. "We don't need you."

"Oh? You don't?" Percy challenged, a spark in his sea green eyes (not that Sylvia noticed the colour).

"When have we ever needed you? You just mess things up."

Sylvia, Fawkes protested, that's an awful thing to say.

That's his problem, Sylvia told her rebelliously.

"I mess things up? Don't do anything? Are you sure that isn't you?" Percy asked, putting a hand in his pocket--which just happened to be where Riptide was--and glaring at her. "I was the one who killed the lion, wasn't I? What were you doing when we fought for our lives again? Oh, yeah, watching us from the safety of the top floor!"

That stung. Sylvia had wanted to stay with Lux, because it was their first time fighting a monster while holding an actual weapon. Yeah, maybe the top floor was technically safer, but it hadn't stopped the monster from attacking her sibling. She hadn't stopped the monster from attacking her sibling.

Hey, Fawkes said, it wasn't your fault.

"What did you just say to me?" Sylvia had a dangerous glint in her eyes. "I know you didn't accuse me of slacking off in the middle of battle, right? Because you know I wouldn't do that, right?"

"It sure looked like that was what you were doing," the stupid, stupid boy argued.

"You're just jealous you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn," Sylvia concluded. "I don't blame you. You really are awful at archery, héros courageux."

Lux stifled a snicker, looking down when Percy frowned at them.

The music playing in the car, contrasting everyone's mood, stopped. "Don't glare at my sibling," Sylvia hissed in a low voice, her steel knife finding its way to her hand in a matter of nanoseconds.