Olympian's Blood 1x1

He struck a nerve with his sarcasm and she wheeled around on him, her eyes narrowing, until she saw his face. "You...." she started before slowing down, "My Gramma is gone...and you..."

She held each side of the sink and took a deep breath. "She raised me...taught me to fight and live. She was my mom and my dad....just forget it. Yes, I do have a better plan. Those three werent interested in me. I'll go and ask. Tell them I saw you and you skipped town."
 
Theo stayed silent, for he didn't want to push her over the edge... He bit his lip, and stared at the ground, his cheeks red and flushed.

"I'm going to kill them." He insisted. "I'm tired of them following me... I just haven't had the courage to... and once I kill them, I can go... someplace else." He muttered. He could tell when he wasn't wanted, and even if he was, Maroe needed sometime to herself. He grabbed his bag, and slung it over his shoulder, gritting his teeth. He was glad she'd saved his skin, not once, but thrice. He needed to do something on his own... Although he's never slain anything more than a monster... killing a fellow demigod... that was different...
 
The young demigod looked to Theo with unreadable expression. This kid wasn't going to kill anybody. "Kill them and you wont get your answers. All that blood you're so fond of being in your insides will probably be on the outside too. In the last 2 days I've seen more demigods than my entire life and if any of them can do what we can do...well..if you're insistent I wish you luck, I can't exactly stay here any more either."

She was tired from using her abilities so much but their apartment did have rent due at the end of the month and she doubted the Red Dragon would be hiring her back.
 
Theo shifted his weight uncomfortably. His face showed he was trying to read her expression, but couldn't. He stared into the girl's eyes for maybe a bit too long, as if he was trying to read her, or worse yet, intimidate her. He frowned, sitting in the nearest chair he could find, his brow furrowing as he bit his lip.

"Look, if you can't stay here, where are you going to go?" He asked, although his valiant efforts to keep his voice level were in vain. He sighed wearily, and stared at the floor, for her eyes once again had the steely expression that they often took on. His eyes darted around the room, but his exhaustion was setting back in, his posture was less rigid and slouched, and his voice became softer and less intelligible. He subconsciously began chewing on his fingernails, a nervous habit of his, but kept his eyes trained on the ground, as if something was going to burst from it any moment now...
 
"I don't know," Maroe said. It wasn't an uncertain pronouncement so much as a resigned one. She didn't know but she would figure it out. Her eyes roamed over the boy, and she could tell he looked a bit clueless too. She had never been on her own and that terrified her, but she wasn't about to say that. Gramma had always told her run or fight, but commit to either one. "I do know, you can't keep running for forever."

Walking into the living room, she picked up the ambrosia stuff he had left out for her and took a bite. It tasted like her grandmother's cider, tart and spicy all at once. What happened to her? Tears threatened to spill over her cheeks, and she swiped at them angrily before Theo could see. She did notice that the energy used on her abilities trickled back to her the more she chewed, almost as if it were a power bar.

"We aren't kicked out yet, so we stay here until some time has passed and then I'll go find these...bounty hunters and just ask. At that point, it'd be best not to be here. We'll meet up somewhere else." That was her only plan and she didn't like it, but it wasnt like he was coming up with something better. "It will give us time to pack. Plus, you can tell me anything else you know about those three beforehand."
 
"Yeah, that sounds nice... I have no idea where to go, though. I have no idea where we are, let alone where we could meet up..." Theo muttered, finally meeting her eyes. He immediately glanced back down after seeing her pained expression. He sat there silently with his head turned to the ground, swaying every now and again from exhaustion. He held his head, and groaned, hiding his grime covered face with his dirty hands...

"But... you are right. Where will we go? What will we do?" He asked, his voice breaking. "I've gotten more rest last night than I've gotten in the past three months, and I hardly survived..." He pinched his nose, suppressing any tears that threatened to leave his cloudy eyes. He was weak, and he couldn't keep going like this... All those years on the run must've finally worn him down... He slung his backpack over his shoulder, and picked up his blanket, stuffing it haphazardly into the small bag. His face was in a scowl and his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked at Maroe for further instructions...
 
Maroe wasn't entirely sure why the guy was wishy washy with his decisions. Maybe it truly was the lack of rest, so she pointed to her bed room door. "Just go lay down for a bit I guess. There's no point in running around looking for those three until I've had some time to make it look believable."

With the boy gone back to her bed, she walked into her grandmother's room and curled up in the crisp sheets. While nobody where there to see or hear, she cried into the pillows.

***

The macaroni and cheese was ready, so she called to Theo from the kitchen and sat a bowl down on the small breakfast nook booth for him. By the time, he appeared she had sat down in front of her own bowl and a squeeze bottle of ketchup to pour over the cheesy noodles. "So," she said, taking a bite of her dinner, "Besides knowing they are bounty hunters working for whatever god they're hired by...what exactly do you know about those three?" Surely he had to know more?
 
He trudged in, with a peculiar hairdo from his nap. He didn't seem quite awake, especially when he nearly missed his chair. He sat there for a moment, bleary eyed, looking at the girl with a blank stare... After an uncomfortable staring session, he spoke...
"At the train... you'll find vegetables... and snakes... smells bad... like chicken...." He muttered, falling asleep at his seat... He swayed, before his head his the back of the chair, jolting him awake, finding himself at the table. He was roused, and was looking at Maroe with a slightly more comfortable gaze. He shifted in his chair awkwardly, staring into his dinner, pushing some noodles around.

"Um... Demigods... They're demigods... they work for some sort of organization controlled by the gods. There is a smart one, a strong one, and the girl. The blonde one has a ranged weapon..." He raised his hand, showing her his dirty palm. As he did, she saw a small white scar on it, where a bolt from his crossbow had pierced.

"The girl can charm speak. Almost stabbed myself because of her... I think she's the most unpredictable..." He muttered, his shuddering wasn't a good sign. Whatever happened between him and the girl made his hairs stand up on the back of his neck. He looked at the food, taking a deep whiff of it... He hadn't eaten in a whole day, and at this point, he was famished, given away by his noisy stomach. He began eating his dinner, without ketchup mind you, and almost smiled. for meals that most kids are entitled to, he was lucky to get... and these kids were walls away at schools, and such...

"Thank you..." He muttered beneath his breath.
 
She'd already noticed the crossbow and the girl's dagger, though she wasn't familiar with the term he used for whatever her ability was. "Charm speak? She didn't look so charming to me. You really almost stabbed yourself?"


When he said thank you, she nodded. "You're welcome. It's even better with ketchup."
 
"Charm speak is just... a terrifying form of hypnotism... Controlling what you do with just her words... You probably won't be affected however. You don't seem like the type who would. Plus, you'll know when to watch out for it, and yes." He said, staring into his bowl. He rubbed his eyes, and combed his hand through his hair, his cheeks flushing as he became aware of his bed head.

"Anyways, Simon, the one you were talking to is the son of Poseidon, and has some wicked sword fighting skills. Ben will usually be lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to shoot your brains out with his crossbow, but other than that, all he has is a small dagger in his boot. That's all I can remember from our previous encounters..." He said, anxious to steer the conversation away from charm speak. He looked up at her, to gauge a reaction, before reaching for the ketchup to try on the remainder of his dinner....
 
"Hmm...Poseidon's a busy guy," she huffed, taking a bite of her macaroni, "I suppose that means this Simon guy can do the same things you can....you know with the water."

Scraping at her bowl, she went for another spoonful from the pot and then cracked open a root beer. It was a personal favorite of hers.

"I'll go find them, I suppose. You should get to the train station in mid town. Get the furthest ticket out with the emergency money I have for midnight. If I don't come back by the time the midnight train comes, just assume the worst and go."
 
"Yeah. If you fight him near water, you will lose. He is nearly invulnerable." He said gravely, staring into his half eaten bowl of macaroni. He couldn't finish it, his years on the run without a steady source of food must have taken its toll. He shifted the noodles around with his spoon, looking half heartedly up at Maroe. He wasn't giving her looks, for he was too exhausted to seem unaffected by the stress of the situation, or to seem strong in the face of danger. He didn't look to happy about her confronting the three demigods alone, but he didn't argue...

He sighed, his stomach churning as a scowl crept over his face, making him look almost menacing... He was almost like a scared animal, afraid and wild, and for the most part, his primal fight or flight instincts are what helped him survive. He began chewing on his fingernails again, lost in thought.

"Where is this emergency money?" He asked, looking back at Maroe with weary eyes, trying not to be sick... It seemed so hard not to be sick ever since Lamia had bit his shoulder, and his exhaustion wouldn't help...
 
"Then its a very good thing I like dirt," she replied, "And no offense, but I'm not telling you where that money is. I'll give you some before I leave."

*****

After dinner, Maroe restocked her go-back and tried not to let the nerves settle in. Why was she doing this for this guy? Gramma always told her to look out for herself first. It easier she'd said. Sometimes it didn't feel easier. Sitting back and doing nothing could be just as hard.

Putting her bag by the door, she pulled out the massive wad of emergency money and tossed a few hundreds into Theo's hand. "Ticket and food. Leave 30 minutes behind me or more in case they are watching."

With the rest of her money stowed in her small purse, she walked out of the door without a word to him or looking back. The air was cold outside and snow was starting to fall. "If I was a demi-god...where would I be?"
 
Theo froze awkwardly, for the trust he had counted on wasn't there. He watched her go pack her bag, as if he was trying to figure something out. After she told him his directions, he nodded briefly. He sat patiently, waiting for her to return. When she did, his eyes widened to plates as he took the huge amount of money, relatively speaking. His eyes followed her as he watched her go.

"Thank-" He began, but she had already left. "... you..." He grumbled, going back to to his bag, gathering his ripped scraps of clothing from when Gramma had cut his shirt off, and put his blanket in the pack. He began looking for his ambrosia, for his shoulder had flared and he craved the painkilling properties, but he had remembered he'd given them to Maroe.

He sighed, flexing his throbbing shoulder, before closing his pack, and slinging it over his right shoulder, the one that remained unscathed. He decided to occupy himself by taking a shower. He was dirty, and quite frankly, he couldn't stand the way he smelled. He didn't know how the other two could bear his stench. He walked into the bathroom, and took his shirt off, revealing his bandages. He gazed at the shirt, wondering if he'd ever see Maroe again. He shook the thought off, and stripped down the rest of the way. Why does it matter, He asked himself. She seemed distant, and uninterested in Theo. He shook it off, pinning it as him being too concerned for what others thought of him, and began taking his shower.

***

"Don't touch it! It might be poisonous!" Chloe exclaimed, staring at the venomous fang of Lamia. They were behind the Red Dragon, and happened upon the fight scene. Ben had tucked the small piece of cloth from Maroe's bag into his pocket, that was attached to the fence when she tried to crawl underneath, and was rubbing the spire of rock that had pierced Lamia's tail, leaving green blood in its wake. Simon was crouched over the blackened fang, examining it, Chloe looking at it as well. She knew Maroe had been here. It was just a gut feeling, a hunch, but she trusted it nonetheless... but that means the magnitude of the demigoddess' power was... Chloe didn't want to think about taking on Maroe, and just scoffed.

"Do you think it was the girl?" Chloe asked, standing back up, noticing the snow beginning to fall.

Simon stared for a moment, before nodding in the affirmative. They both jumped when Ben shouted to get both of their attentions.

"Guys! We have a blood trail!' He called over, and the two followed. "It's fresh. Meaning that either Theo or the girl was injured. We can follow it, and it will tell us the answer." Ben explained, and the other two nodded.

"Lead the way, my dood." Simon replied, and they followed the trail... to Maroe's apartment.
 
Maroe tugged her scarf a little higher over her neck as she walked down the back alley ways of the city. Surely it wouldn't be so hard to find 3 teens running around with old school weaponry. Snow was fluttering along the frigid wind, sticking in her long hair poking from under her knitted toboggan. Checking street after street, she wondered if she would actually find them. If they had been tracking Theo, they have gone to the Red Dragon. Maybe there would be a clue to where they went there. With a puff of air that left a curling plume of steam escape her lips, Maroe headed toward her work hoping it would lend some sort of direction to take. It was only 4 hours till midnight.
 
The three demigods were once again at Maroe's doorstep, however this time was much different.
"What do we do? If we confront her, the same thing is going to happen. Let's just attack." The girl said, ready to make her innards into outards ever since she threatened Simon. She brandished her bronze blade, looking to Simon.
"No. We are to ask her about the blood. We can't force her to do anything, even if it all looks too suspicious." Simon insisted.

"I'M WALKING ON SUNSHINE, WOAH-OH-OH-OH" Theo sang in the shower, quite terribly. However, his singing is what prevented him from hearing the door being rapped on by Simon. If he had heard, he would've thought it was Maroe... What a stroke of luck. He turned the shower off, and stepped out, feeling pleasantly refreshed, drying his naked body off with one of her towels. It wouldn't matter if he was using her things, he thought. She and him are going to take the midnight train to the farthest place in New York.

"Are they even still home?" Simon asked, looking in through the windows. He saw no one on first glance, and saw no signs of movement. "Must have hightailed out of here. I guess another dead end." He shrugged, walking back to his two other friends. Chloe pursed her lips... She knows it's immoral to use charm speak to get what she wants, but her friends were being completely stubborn, despite the evidence screaming Maroe was an accomplice. It was important, for the safety of them, and the gods. He destroyed an entire demigod camp. There's no telling what he might do next, she thought, and used her most deadly power on her two best friends...

"We are going to fan out, and find Maroe, and interrogate her. For the safety and well being of us and the gods." She commanded. The boys looked at each other and nodded, doing her bidding as they began to drift away, searching for the girl by fanning out.

At this time, Theo had gotten his clothes back on, and put his pack on. He took one last look at the apartment, leaving to go off to the train station...

As Maroe arrived at the scene, there were dozens of footsteps in the snow all over the fight scene. The horn was moved, and the scrap was gone. There was even a hand print left on the rock spire in the frost, left by Ben... Someone had definatly been there, and the footsteps followed the trail of blood from last night. It had seemed like years ago, when really it was only 24 hours old...
 
Maroe frowned at what she found behind the Red Dragon. Fresh foot prints in the snow all around the rock spike. It could been anyone looking such an odd formation, but given the three she was looking for, she doubted it was coincidence. The foot prints followed the path around the corner and to the left....the same path she had used to carry Theo back to apartment. "Shit."

She started to jog back to the apartment, hoping Theo had either the sense to leave on time or stay inside out of sight. As she jetted around the corner, her full force slammed into something solid, and yet slightly soft. "Ooof!" Bouncing off, Maroe landed on her rump as the figure she had collided with stumbled back with the same problem.
 
She'd slam into the one and only Simon...
"Hey! I found her!" He called out. Chloe and Ben heard, and came running to the scene.

Theo was walking to the station, when he just so happened to spot Maroe... He knew what she said, but he couldn't just leave Maroe when the enemy was right there. He hid behind a hedge, watching silently as he draw his sword... Chloe ran to the scene, as well as Ben, their weapons ready. Simon stood, although his eyes seemed a bit glazed over.
 
"Ow," Maroe grumbled, as she stood up, rubbing her rump. Her green eyes flicked to the taller boy Simon as the other two cohorts came jogging down the adjacent alley ways. "Wasn't exactly how I meant to bump into you. I've been looking for you guys."
 
Theo was watching, with terror in his eyes as the three kids began surrounding her. Chloe approached faster than the two boys, a fire in her eyes.
"Hello. Are you injured? Because there is a trail of blood leading to your house."
 
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