Indigo Eyes

Chapter 92

Annabeth had been there when Percy kissed Cressida goodbye and though the two girls hadn't really spoken about it with everything that happened, Annabeth understood why she'd partially forgiven Percy.

She, however, still wasn't exactly happy with Percy and his apparent guide. The mood in the van with Argus driving was even more grave when Annabeth told him about the Iris message that Eurytion sent the girls to tell them that Nico left the ranch and headed back into the maze. He'd overheard Nico talking to himself the last few nights, likely to Minos again.

That just sealed the fact that they had to go into the maze again. A fact Cressida's brothers were also very unhappy with. Percy almost died for two weeks the first time, the next time could be her and it could be for good.

But they had to go. For the sake of their camp's survival.

Cressida was still a little tired from her session with Chris last night which was understandable considering how emotionally strung out and overall exhausted she'd been the past few weeks. So, she napped in the van as Argus drove, and with the heavy traffic going into the city, she was well-rested by the time they got to Percy's apartment.

"I told them you were alright," Sally exclaimed as she hugged her son, feeling as if the weight was lifted off her shoulders. The hug she gave Cressida was almost nearly as long and Percy didn't know what the expression on her face was, almost as if she was savouring the hug.

Sally then led them into the kitchen, sitting them down at the table and presenting them with her special blue chocolate chip cookies. Percy tried explaining what happened on their quest as they ate, watering down the scary parts which was basically everything but somehow it just seemed scarier.

Cressida's favourite part though was when Percy got to the part about Geryon, and the stables and his mother pretended to strangle him. "I can't get him to clean his room, but he'll clean a hundred tons of horse manure out of some monster's stables!"

Both girls laughed and it was a good sound to hear.

"Tell me about it," Cressida said as she reached for her fourth cookie. "His cabin is atrocious."

"I don't doubt that," Sally said with a sigh.

"Hey!" Percy protested before continuing on with his story after all three women gave him a look telling him that there was nothing he could do to absolve him of his inability to keep anything clean.

"So," Sally said. "You wrecked Alcatraz Island, made Mount St Helens explode and displaced half a million people, but at least you're safe."

"Yep. That pretty much covers it," Percy said.

"I wish Paul were here," Sally said, partly to herself. "He wanted to talk to you."

"Oh right. The school. What did you tell him?"

"We thought you were dead. What could we tell him?" Cressida said absentmindedly, more interested in the softness of her cookie as she broke it in half.

"He knows something is different about you Percy," Sally said, agreeing with Cressida and Percy was surprised to know that they'd met. "He's a smart man. He believes that you're not a bad person. He doesn't know what's going on, but the school is pressuring him. After all, he got you admitted there. He needs to convince them the fire wasn't your fault, and, since you ran away, that looks bad."

Annabeth was giving Percy a sympathetic look, knowing from experience how hard it was for a half-blood to be in the mortal world. Cressida, who was hardly ever in the mortal world and had never even been to school before, couldn't relate at all.