Sea Green Eyes

Chapter 89

"Gods above, Captain Nemo. I thought you were done taking me on dates in sewers to fight giants," Cressida whined as they walked through an iron storm gate and straight into an underground lair that smelled like rotting fish, mould and snakeskin.

"Yeah, well I didn't plan this and if this time works as well as the last time, then maybe we'll be back in Paris after this."

"You guys have done this before?" Piper asked.

"A favour for Hermes," Percy explained. "And in exchange, we got to have date night in Paris."

"Yeah, it was their one-month anniversary," Annabeth chimed in.

"Which somehow, Annabeth was more concerned about than us," Cressida said.

"You didn't care about your anniversary?" Piper laughed.

"Not the small ones. One year, yes, one month no," Cressida said before Percy reached back for her hand.

"I'm so sorry you have to spend your birthday doing this," he said, and she gave him a small smile.

"It's not your fault. And we spent your birthday last year in a war. Seems kinda full circle to me."

"We spent the morning of my birthday in battle and ended the day making out in the canoe lake."

"Day isn't over yet."

And Percy gave her a small smile before he pecked her lips, and they continued walking.

"I don't like this place," Annabeth murmured. "Reminds me of when I was underneath Rome."

Kekrops hissed with laughter. "Our domain is much older. Much, much older."

Annabeth reached for Piper's hand and as much as she wished Jason was here, she was glad for Annabeth's support and vice versa.

Piper's voice echoed through the tunnels. As they travelled further into the lair, more snake people gathered to hear her. Soon they had a procession following behind them – dozens of gemini all swaying and slithering.

Cressida chimed in every now and again, singing her song of mental manipulation just to take some of the stress off Piper. More and more snake people joined their procession. Slithering behind her, they sounded like an army of football players shuffling with sandpaper on their cleats.

They thought the booming sound was their own heartbeats, but then they realised the persistent boom ba-boom was all around them, resonating through the stone and the air.

 I wake.

 A woman's voice, as clear as Piper's singing.

Annabeth froze. "Oh, that's not good."

Cressida's hand gripped tighter on Percy's. "It's like Tartarus," she whispered. "His heartbeat...when he appeared and -"

"Stop," Percy said. "Stop. We're out. We're free and he can't get to us. Stay with me."

Piper couldn't help but admire how romance novel worthy the two of them looked as they looked at each other, the bronze light of Percy's sword shining on them and making them seem as golden as one of Midas' statues.

Cressida just nodded before Gaia's voice spoke again and made her flinch.

At last.

Piper's singing wavered. Fear washed over her, as it had in the Spartan temple. But the gods Phobos and Deimos were old friends to her now. She let the fear burn inside her like fuel, making her voice even stronger. She sang for the snake people, for her friends' safety. Why not for Gaia, too?