Chapter 174: Lotus Casino (2)

[Third Person's PoV] 

A Few Moments Later…

As Percy and Grover walked toward one of the game booths at the Lotus Casino, Grover playfully nudged Percy in the side, his tone light and teasing. "So, you and Clarisse, huh? You two kissed~," Grover sang, drawing out the last word in a mock swoon.

Percy's face flushed crimson, practically glowing from embarrassment. He grumbled, not meeting Grover's eyes. "She kissed me," he muttered, his voice filled with indignation. "I didn't kiss her. And it was disgusting. I'd rather lick the bathroom floor than go through that again." He scoffed, wrinkling his nose in exaggerated revulsion.

Grover gave him a sidelong glance, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little harsh?" he asked, his usual cheer dimming slightly, concern creeping into his voice.

Before Percy could respond, someone bumped into him, hard. He stumbled, catching himself just in time, and looked up to see none other than Clarisse walking past, her expression neutral but her hand reaching up to wipe something from her cheek. Percy's blood ran cold.

Smack!

"Ouch!" Percy exclaimed, wincing as he was smacked on the back of the head. He spun around to see Thalia standing behind him, arms crossed, glaring down at him with narrowed eyes. Annabeth stood next to her, clearly unimpressed, shaking her head in disappointment.

Percy opened his mouth to protest but stopped himself, knowing exactly what this was about. He groaned internally. "You guys heard that?"

Thalia rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Yeah dipshit, we were right behind you. Maybe you should've done a quick check of your surroundings before you said something so stupid."

Percy threw his hands up in exasperation. "How was I supposed to know you guys were following us? I thought we split up to have fun!"

"Fun?" Annabeth echoed, her eyes narrowing in disapproval. "So your idea of fun is talking behind someone's back? I seriously expected more from you, Percy."

"Of course not! Grover was just teasing me, and I had to say something so he wouldn't think I actually liked her!" Percy protested, his voice rising defensively.

"I get that teasing wasn't the best move," Grover admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, "but what you said was just mean, Percy. That wasn't cool."

Percy's shoulders slumped, guilt settling heavily in his chest. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings," he muttered, the reality of what he'd said sinking in.

Thalia shot him a look, still unimpressed, her arms crossed tighter. "Well, you did, genius. So, you'd better go fix it."

"I know..." Percy said softly before turning and sprinting off in the direction Clarisse had disappeared.

As his footsteps faded, Annabeth ruffled her hair with a sigh. "Talk about a mess," she muttered under her breath.

"Tell me about it..." Thalia grumbled, shaking her head in frustration.

"Hey, where's Lucian?" Grover asked, suddenly realizing that Lucian has been gone for a while and hasn't seen him since they had entered.

"Who knows?" Thalia shrugged. "But it makes me wonder how Lucian would've reacted to all this."

Annabeth chuckled lightly. "Lucian? He would've punched Percy in the face without a second thought. You know how his mother raised him"

Before anyone could respond, a familiar voice chimed in from behind them. "Why would I punch Percy? What'd he do this time?"

They turned to see Lucian standing behind them, holding the reins of his shadowy horse, Sébastien. On top of the horse sat two wide-eyed kids, one of them grinning ear to ear.

"Please help us!" Bianca, the girl, pleaded, her voice filled with terror. "This maniac said he's kidnapping us, he forced us on this horse and said we don't have a choice!"

"I don't know what you're crying about," Nico, the boy, piped up, clearly enjoying himself. "This dude's got a freaking horse! He can kidnap me anytime he wants! This is awesome!"

Annabeth gave Lucian a disbelieving look, mouthing, 'Lucian, what the heck?'

Thalia, hands on her hips, fixed him with a glare. "Lucian, what the hell are you doing?"

Lucian smirked, his expression unbothered. "Didn't you hear what she said? I'm kidnapping them, obviously."

"I'm here willingly," Nico said, raising a hand and running his fingers through Sébastien's shadowy mane with a fascinated look.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "And the real answer?"

Lucian let out an exaggerated sigh. "Alright, fine. I needed cash, so I figured I'd sell them off to the highest bidder. You know, settle some debts."

"What?" Nico gasped, eyes wide with betrayal. "Seriously, dude? I trusted you! I was even gonna show you my rare and limited collection of Mythomagic cards…"

"Why would you trust him in the first place!?" Bianca snapped, glaring at her brother. "He literally said he was kidnapping us!"

Annabeth facepalmed, muttering, "Lucian…" in a warning tone

Lucian let out a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, fine. They're part of the reason my dad sent me on this quest. Meet Bianca and Nico—children of Hades. My little siblings."

"WHAAAT?!" They all exclaimed at once, Bianca and Nico's eyes growing wide with shock as they stared at Lucian.

Nico threw his hands in the air, grinning like a maniac. "WOAH! I HAVE AN OLDER BROTHER!"

---

Meanwhile, Clarisse stood alone in the dimly lit bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She splashed water on her face, the cool liquid dripping down her cheeks. "What the hell am I doing?" she muttered, frustration boiling beneath the surface. "His stupid words shouldn't have hurt me like that... I've been through worse, I mean look who my father is for crying out loud."

She grabbed a paper towel, rubbing her face dry before crumpling it in her hands. With a huff, she tossed it into the trash and stalked out of the bathroom, her fists clenched.

As she stepped outside, she found Percy leaning awkwardly against the wall, waiting for her. "Clarisse... can we talk?" he asked cautiously.

Without a word, she turned and swung, her fist connecting with his face.

"Argh!" Percy yelped, clutching his eye in pain.

"Go lick the bathroom floor for all I care, Jackson. That's why you're here, right?" she snapped, turning to walk away.

"Okay, okay, I deserved that!" Percy winced, still holding his eye. "But can we talk? I... I really want to apologize properly."

Clarisse paused, her back still to him, her shoulders tense. She turned, her expression cold. "I don't care. We'll find the master bolt, finish this stupid quest, and after that, we'll never have to speak to each other again. You stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you." She turned to leave again, her voice hard.

Percy's next words stopped her in her tracks. "I'm going to be betrayed."

Clarisse froze, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What?"

Percy let out a heavy sigh. "There's more to the prophecy, something I haven't told anyone yet. It says I'll be betrayed by someone I consider a friend."

"And you're telling me this why?" Clarisse asked, her voice laced with irritation.

"Because I want to be honest with you," Percy said softly, his gaze earnest. "When I say I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I mean it. I'm being completely honest."

Clarisse blinked, her mind racing, then realization dawned on her. "That's why you chose me, isn't it? You thought I was so awful, so disgusting, that we'd never be friends."

"It's not like that," Percy admitted, looking away, his expression guilty. "But yes, part of me thought you were the safest option to avoid the prophecy. You always said we weren't friends, and I believed you. I thought I was outsmarting the prophecy."

Clarisse stared at him, anger and something else swirling in her chest. "And now?"

Percy gave her a small, awkward smile, his one good eye full of sincerity. "Now? Now I realize that I've come to care about you more than I ever expected. And I'm sorry for the way I hurt you"

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