And now, here she was, back in the room where she had first seen the Titans congregate.
At least, this time, she and Kronos weren't alone in the room.
No, this time, it was her alone, and all the Titan brothers and Percy. Much f*ckING worse.
Her only consolation was that they couldn't see her. Although Percy could sense her, she was confident that he wouldn't outright blow her cover. He would wait so that he could be the one to finally kill her.
The room was not as dark and dimly lit as before. The air though, was still as stale, and even worse, for Hyperion has recently got into the habit of chainsmoking. He was puffing away at a half-burnt cigarette, emitting smoke clouds like a steam engine, which seemed to bother everyone else. Kronos had an endless coughing fit, while Oceanus looked sick, and Koios had blacked out, a manuscript spread over his face. Krios was sitting in the far corner, as far from Hyperion as possible, while Oceanus was holding some exotic underwater flower close to his nose. Iapetus and Percy, though, seemed to be unaffected. Upon closer inspection, one could see that they had pegs closing their nasal cavities, so that they could keep the horrifying stench away.
Artemis gagged.
All the males in the room, at least those who were awake, were absorbed in a card game. They had switched the lamp for a miniature sun, which remained suspended in the middle of the room like a glowing ball of fire.
See AlsoMy command. - Chapter Four:Percy Jackson One Shots - This is me, shallowing my pride, coming to you to apologize. (Perthena) PART 1.Lire le chapitre 88: Partie 5 - Chapitre 18The Sea's Serpent - The Surprise - Page 2Everyone had a look of intense concentration on their faces as they clutched the cards close to their faces. Occasionally, they would peep over their cards at others, to check if they were peeping, or to peep at others themselves. Confusing? Yes, the card game was very confusing.
Occasionally, someone would break off to go outside for a stroll, and enjoy the fresh air. Oceanus would change his flower for a fresh one, every time the current one wilted. Everyone cursed at Hyperion with the most violent language that Artemis had ever heard.
At one point, Kronos shouted, "Hyperion! If you don't stop smoking that at once, then I will...I will..." He went on to promise his death, then he would kill his wife and children, and anyone he had ever loved, and he would burn down his palace, then he would burn all the cigarettes in the world at his funeral, set fire to his coffin, and then go and play the harp jumping over his grave.
Artemis found it odd.
That is, until she saw the horrified look on Hyperion's face. Everyone else agreed, saying that if Kronos played the harp on Hyperion's grave, then his soul would commit suicide in the Void. After that, the smoking stopped for a few minutes; till Hyperion opened another packet, and everything was the same as before.
And it was justified, as well.
The door had been the own wide open, and a ventilator was hard at work trying to refresh the room's air so that its occupants wouldn't suffocate. But still, the room stunk horribly of tobacco, with the white-grey smoke hanging like a veil over them.
At one point, a nymph carrying glasses of nectar entered the room to offer refreshments to her lords. One breath, and she had gone reeling, slumping back unconscious against the wooden door. Two more nymphs had to come to take her away and give the Titans their drinks. The nymphs wore gas masks.
All through the chaos, Iapetus and Percy chatted, showed each other their cards. Artemis had a feeling that they weren't supposed to do that, but nobody seemed to care.
Right now, the last round of bidding was going on.
A pile of haphazard cards lay at the centre of the table, beside the now empty bottle of nectar. Each one had a stack of cards by their side, and another deck lay at the centre of the table. Hyperion's, Iapetus', and Percy's stack of cards seemed to be the thickest. Each one of them, nevertheless, held a single card in their hands, casting each other dark glances and evil glares.
Krios nodded from his corner. "I won the last round, so I'll go first." He approached the table, and tossed a two of spades from his hand. Kronos went next, tossing over a two of clubs. The king of the Titans flung his hands in desperation, and slumped back in his seat. Oceanus tossed a nine of diamonds. Krios was winning this one so far.
Then Iapetus laid a ten of spades on the table in a civilized manner, and Krios slumped in his seat. The Titan of the West looked questioningly at Hyperion, and tapped his card impatiently.
"Hah!" Hyperion shouted joyously, rising from his seat. "I win this one!" He tossed a queen of hearts onto the mess.
Percy said nothing, he just turned around to reveal his card. His was a joker, a wildcard.
Hyperion looked like he had popped a vein. His face was red, and veins bulged from his forehead. "YOU BASTARD! YOU HELD THAT f*ckING CARD TILL THE VERY END!"
Percy's smirk couldn't be wiped off his face as he collected his hand, and expertly shuffled his deck. With a movement of his fingers, all the cards that had been held in his thick deck went flying, coming to rest in a perfect stack on the table.
Iapetus merely sighed. "I had been wondering where that card went."
Kronos sighed too, and he left his seat, going out the door. Percy followed him, a hand lazily resting on Iapetus' shoulder. Oceanus and Krios dragged out Koios, holding his arms, finally relieved to get fresh air. Hyperion looked furious, glaring around the empty room. He flung the table, sending it flying. It crashed into the wall, and shattered into pieces. Hyperion's boots crunched over wood and glass as he stomped out, slamming the door behind him. The door groaned, but held together miraculously.
Two cards fluttered down to rest at Artemis' feet. With a jolt she recognised them to be Hyperion's queen of hearts and Percy's joker which had conquered it.
The joker had the standard-issue Hermes on it. Artemis stared at it, disappointed, as if she had been expecting something else. Suddenly, right before her very eyes; the card shimmered. The image on it changed to show a man wearing a black suit, and a cobra mask. He was in the process of removing his cobra mask, revealing his slitted pupils, and evil grin. His lips were red with blood, which stained his neck and lower jaw.
Artemis had a sick feeling in her stomach as she looked at the queen of hearts.
There, looking back at her with dead, glazed over, silver eyes, was the unmistakable beauty with auburn hair.
AN: Done! I wrote the ending first for this chapter for a change. And this chapter was written and published in a single day! Cheers! Also, I have been reading Three Men in a Boat (again, that sh*t never gets old), and that has rubbed off on my writing. Extra points if you can guess which parts.
Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)
