Indigo Eyes

Chapter 41

The Hunters set up their campsite in a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out of the woods. They began circling the camp like guard dogs. The Hunters walked among them and fed them treats, completely unafraid.

One of the hunters helped fix up Cressida's leg as she drank some nectar from her pack that they brought her. Percy in the meantime had to have Grover help him as he nibbled on some ambrosia, but after Grover rubbed a salve onto the wound, he felt a lot better.

Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow – little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes as he sat next to Cressida. She was smiling as she seemed to hold a figure of her father armed with his thyrsus.

There were others, Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, and Apollo with his sun chariot.

"Big collection," Percy admired.

Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."

"You've been playing this game a long time?"

"Just this year. Before that..." He knitted his eyebrows.

"What?" Percy asked.

"I forgot. That's weird." He looked a little unsettled but that didn't last long before he asked Percy if he could see Riptide.

"And how are you now?" he asked Cressida who was wrapped in a silver parka like the hunters with a fresh bandage wrapped around her thigh.

"I told you, I'm fine."

"And yet, why do I only believe you now?"

"Fish Face."

"Grape Girl."

Despite the names that were used in an insulting manner, they were both smiling as they were interrupted by Nico.

"Does it ever run out of ink?"

"He doesn't actually write with it," Cressida laughed. "Though I think you should try it."

"Are you really the son of Poseidon?" Nico continued, preventing Percy from responding to Cressida's suggestion.

"Well, yeah."

"Can you surf really well, then?"

Percy glanced at Grover who was trying not to look at Cressida because if he did, they'd both burst into laughter.

"Jeez, Nico," Percy said. "I've never really tried."

That just prompted Nico to ask even more questions. Did Percy fight with Thalia a lot since she was the daughter of Zeus - Percy didn't answer that one. Though the next one about if Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't she know better than to fall off a cliff? Cressida had to pull him down to sit by her and calmed him with her powers so he didn't strangle Nico, the little boy chose then to ask if Cressida was his girlfriend.

Percy went red in the face and Cressida just chuckled, seeming unaffected by the question despite the way her stomach rolled. "He wishes," she grinned before leaning closer to him. "Nico, you still haven't asked me who my father is?"

His entire face lit up in wonder. "Who?"

"Do you like grapes?" she asked, and he looked a little confused before he nodded. Cressida then pressed her hand to the ground before lifting it up and growing a grapevine that twirled its way through the air before coming to a stop in front of Nico who looked completely amazed as he plucked off some of the red grapes and stuffed them into his mouth.

"That is so cool!" he exclaimed, his mouth full.

"I think so too," she smiled as she plucked some off for herself before sinking the vine back into the ground. "My father is Dionysus. God of wine, theatre, pleasure and madness."

"Oh! I have his card! And his figurine! He is kinda the weakest one, but I love his powers. They're really cool," Nico blurted as he found the card and passed Cressida the figurine again.

"Man, tough blow," Percy taunted as he nudged her shoulder.

"Watch it, Barnacle Brain. Or I'll show you how weak my powers really are," she threatened, and he nudged her shoulder again, the action saying all the words he didn't need to say as the corners of her lips lifted again and Nico asked another question.

"Where's your weapon? Your spear?" he wondered, and she held up her wrist, the charms on her bracelet jangling.

"The pinecone charm. It was a gift from my father," she explained. "It can be a spear, a staff or a thyrsus, depending on what I need."

"This is the best day of my life," he said, looking as if he was going to burst with excitement. "What about the other charms? Do they do anything cool?"

Percy watched as she fidgeted with them, a warm smile on her face. "Not exactly. This one was a gift from my brothers before my first quest," she said as she pointed it out. "And the other two, they were gifts... from a really good friend."

And Percy smiled at the way she smiled whenever she got to say that she had a friend, knowing how much it meant to her after all she'd been through.

"That is still pretty cool," Nico admitted, eyeballing the way Percy looked at her, just as Grover did. "But are you sure she's not your girlfriend?"

Cressida smacked Percy's head before he could move, the pain distracting him from his anger.

"Ow!"

"Chill, Fish Face. He's a kid."

Percy didn't get a chance to retort as Zoë Nightshade came up to them. "Percy Jackson, Cressida Lynn," she greeted. "Come with me. Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."

Zoë walked back into the biggest of the seven tents as Cressida turned to Percy. "Shall we go and greet another god who potentially wants to kill us?"

"That we shall, Wine Vine," he said as he stood and took her hands to help her up, the girl now walking perfectly fine on her leg. And they followed Zoë into the tent.