To Hold Up the Sky (Percico/Pernico)

Chapter 13: Drew's Grandmother Plays With Nature

Katie couldn't believe it. She looked around the room with dismay, expecting the world to suddenly crash around her any minute. This room shouldn't even be standing.

"How in Hades is this possible?" Katie whispered. She heard Annabeth and Rachel cautiously climb up the steep stairs, leading to the wide, spacious room Clarisse and her were standing in. The daughter of Demeter found she couldn't keep her eyes on Clarisse, for the huge, delicate chandalier hanging above them made her feel very nervous. A marble set of stairs spiraled up to the upper floors of the orphanage, the dark silent halls giving it air of spookiness.

Clarisse's face became serious. "Look outside, kid." She tiled her head towards the big, iron doors that were wide open.

"First off, I'm not a kid and second off, why?" Katie answered.

"Look, kid," Clarisse sneered, ignoring her protest. "I'm not gonna give a three hour lecture. If you want to know, then go see for yourself." Then she walked away, standing next to Annabeth as she explained the situation to them.

'Huh. I wonder why she hates me so much.' Katie thought to herself, following Clarisse's advice and went outside. 'It's not like I'm gonna bite her head off!'

Her thoughts were immediately interupted by a scaly hand closing around her mouth.

"AHHH GET OFF ME!!!!" Katie screamed, or tried to. She thrashed and bit her holder's hand, leaving not a single dent as her teeth scarped harmlessly against the leatherly skin.

"Struggling in futile." a monotone voice told her. "You can not esacpe."

Katie wanted to yell, "NO SHIT SHERLOCK!" but that annoying hand over her mouth prevented the daugher of Demeter from cursing at her holder. Desperately trying to stop the monster that was dragging her up a long flight of stairs, she clawed at it's arm.

"Stop. You will do nothing." It ordered her.

Katie rolled her eyes. "No thanks." she thought.

Soon enough, she was released. Dropping to the ground with a thud, she looked up to see an elderly dragon woman smiling down at her sickly sweet. Her smile reminded Katie of a certain daughter of Aphrodite *cough Drew *cough* Oh how she would kill Katie if she knew what was going through her mind, for this monster wasn't what you'd call a model.

"Hello, dear." the dragon woman greeted her. The monster's eyes were glossy with fake compassion, making Katie confirm that Drew is SO related to it.

"Uh, hi?" Katie didn't know how to respond. She decided to play along and she where this conversation goes.

"Now dearie." The monster suddenly had a dangerous tone in her voice. "There will be none of that. What do you say?"

"Hello?"

"That's it dear! Good job!" The head dragon woman smiled down at the daughter of Demeter again, making Katie feel like a child.

"Right."

"Katie," the monster growled warningly.

She gulped. "Um, I mean, uh, thanks!" Katie added a fake smile of gratitude.

The dragon woman bought it. "You're very welcome. Now, you must be wondering why you were most graciously brought into my presence." She added a smile with that sentence.

"Yeah, I am." Katie aswered, gritting her teeth at graciously. She conculded that the monster didn't know it's vocabularly, for she didn't think that graciously included being kicked and dragged somewhere.

The monster turned to a smaller dragon woman who turned out to be a male when she ordered, "Bring it to me, Kevin."

Kevin turned and brought over a long, leather-incased case with plant decorations carved into it. Trees harvested golden leaves and pine cones glittered a warm brown. Berry bushes were scattered around it, gold and black berries shining brightly. Katie felt completly drawn to it, the case seeming to emit waves of energy to the demigod. A green glow seemed to pulse around the leather case, almost looking like it was bringing the pictures carved on it to life.