The Plea of Apollo || COMPLETED

LOU ELLEN III

"It's August thirteenth," Lou Ellen said as she watched the news from her bed.

Will nodded. "We left the morning of the eighth, so we were in the Labyrinth for... almost two days? It sure didn't feel that long."

"Time works just as differently as distance while in the Labyrinth," Nico said from where he spun in a chair. For some reason spinning around in the wheelie chair satisfied his ADHD quite effectively. "Percy's birthday is in five days. He'll be turning seventeen."

"Oh yeah," Will smiled. "His birthday is the eighteenth. I'd forgotten! We should get him a souvenir for a gift when we return to camp."

"I'll take care of it," Cecil volunteered.

Will gave him a firm look. "No stealing."

"Aw man... you're such a killjoy."

When the cruise ship docked at an island for its first stop that afternoon they hadn't planned on getting off. They were already in Grecian waters. There were too many unknown dangers on the island before them, despite what the beautiful weather said. However, Cecil had begged them to get off saying he was going stir-crazy despite the ship being bigger than a full-fledged amusement park. Lou Ellen eventually took his side, so the other two questers felt obligated to join them.

"You two can go off by yourselves, but remember that the ship leaves in two hours. Try not to cause trouble and NO STEALING. Got that?" Will told the child of Hermes with a stern glare.

He rolled his eyes, but Lou Ellen saw the mischievousness in them. "Yes, mother," he said before dashing off down the street where an outdoor market was currently going on. Lou Ellen had to run to keep up with him before he could get out of her sight.

"What should we get Percy?" He asked her when she finally caught up with him. He currently had his eyes on a shiny pocket watch on a table in front of him, causing Lou Ellen to roll her eyes.

"He's the son of Poseidon and really likes the color blue. That's all I know."

Cecil frowned. "That doesn't really help. I mean there are so many things here I just don't know..."

It was at that moment he caught sight of a booth with glass sculptures. They were beautifully crafted as they reflected the light of the sun, sparkling wonderfully. Most of them were in the shape of animals or angels, but one caught his attention more than the rest.

"He has a Pegasus, right? This would be perfect for him!"

Lou Ellen squinted at the exquisite sculpture with a furrowed brow. "Cecil, it is beautiful and he would love it but it's made of glass. It'd probably break before we got back to camp."

He deflated. "What if I wrap it up with bubble wrap or cloth?"

"It could work," she said slowly. "How about we buy it but look for another, less fragile gift in case something happens to it?"

"Okay!" A second later Cecil was walking away from her, the figurine gone. She rolled her eyes before chasing after him. So much for not stealing.

A few streets over Will and Nico were talking easily, something they were both proud of. Nico was proud that he had gained enough confidence to be able to hold a conversation. Will felt similar because he had finally coaxed Nico out of his brooding cloud. As the two walked next to each other, smiling and laughing at each other with happiness shining in their eyes, neither of them noticed as some of the people they walked by were staring at them strangely. One old man even chuckled as they walked past him, saying something about young love loud enough so they could hear. Still, the boys were oblivious as always.

A while later, Lou Ellen was thinking it was about time to turn around and start heading back. By now Cecil's new drawstring bag (something she had forced him to actually purchase because his pockets were getting noticeably full and heavy) was filled with souvenirs. A few were for other people, like Percy and other members of the Hermes cabin, but most of them for himself. Lou Ellen had only been interested enough to buy one thing: a scarf. It was thin and see-through, midnight purple with sparkles that glittered like the stars in the sky. It had such a cosmic feel, which reminded her of her mother, so she had bought it with a drachma she used her mist to make it appear like the currency needed.

"Okay," he relented. Just as the two started back down the road, a loud snarl stopped them cold.

"THEIF!" The booming female voice cried. "SOME DEMIGOD STOLE ONE OF MY MASTERPEICES! NOW HE SHALL PAY!"

Cecil and Lou Ellen spun around to see a rather medium-sized monster eyeing them from a little ways down the cobblestone road they were on. On the ground in front of it was a now ripped dress and broken sandals, obviously being what the monster had been clothed with before revealing her true form. She looked like an upright green-scaled lizard with a pixie cut, except she had claws on her front limbs longer than Lou Ellen's arm. Her eyes were the color of liquid mercury as she stared at them with hate.

"You had to steal from her," Lou Ellen scolded as she drew her sword. Cecil followed her lead after giving her a helpless, what-can-a-child-of-Hermes-say shrug. The monster charged a moment later.

Cecil met the beast's claws with his sword, a sly grin on his face. "I wouldn't say a small woodcarving of the sun is a masterpiece, but my friend will sure like it!"

The beast growled as she bore her razor sharp yellow teeth. "I'll make an even better carving out of your body, thieving rat!" She snarled as she tensed to jump. Before she could, however, Lou Ellen struck from behind. The lizard monster roared as it bled from its hind leg. "You will pay as well, foolish girl!"

"I don't suppose you mean in drachmas?" She asked as she and Cecil jabbed at the beast, who struggled to deflect their blades.

Suddenly an arrow landed a few feet away from where the three were fighting. Will and Nico were sprinting towards them, Will knocking another arrow sheepishly while the later drew his sword.

"You can't aim, Solace. Leave the fighting to us," Nico teased.

Will's ears turned red. "I can to fight! Albeit not very well, but still." He launched another arrow just to make a point, this time it sinking into the monster's tail. She howled with rage, using her injured tail to sweep the two demigods next to her off their feet.

He turned to Nico, blue eyes daring him to comment on the fact he'd made matters worse by actually sort of succeeding, before knocking another arrow.

"You've never killed anything before have you?" He questioned as he parried the monster's long claws before stabbing it in the gut. The monster shuddered, but did not explode until Lou Ellen stabbed it in the back from behind.

"Not exactly..."

Nico sighed, sheathing his sword before looking at his friend with honest eyes. "When we get back to camp I'm going to teach you how to use that bow correctly so you can defend yourself, okay? Think of it as payment for being an annoying, but great doctor."

Will rubbed the back of his neck before glancing away. "Anyone who has ever tried to help me improve on my lack of archery skills quits after a day or two. They end up hating me because I'm so terrible. I bet Apollo couldn't even teach me."

"Well I am not Apollo or a quitter, am I?"

"Okay guys," Cecil said as he wrapped a friendly arm around his blond friend. "We're going to miss the ship if we don't hurry. That and if one of those merchants was a monster there are bound to be others around. We should go."

The rest nodded as they began to jog towards where the ship was docked.

"Hey, Cecil," Nico said as they ran.

"Yeah?"

"Did you get Percy's present?"

Lou Ellen smiled as Cecil bragged about all of the stuff he'd gotten. The sarcastic thief, no matter how immature he was at times, had somehow made fighting that monster worthwhile. She even defended him when Will asked him if he'd stolen anything. The look in the son of Hermes' eyes, and the cocky grin on his face a few seconds later, made lying for him seem right. Maybe he was obsessed with stealing like everyone claimed him to be. After all, he had stolen her heart a long time ago.