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siribaes · 7 months

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IN OUR PAST LIVES ( Part 1 )

Dario Sepúlveda x blackfem!reader (OC — Nina Fuentes)

“During his quest to find Griselda, Dario reunites with an old friend in Miami—”

PARING: Friend/ “Former Client” to Lovers

SUGGESTED TUNES💿: Mack the Knife (cover) by Tito Puente, La Plena Bomba Me Llama by Celia Cruz & Tito Puente, Yerbero Moderno by Celia Cruz, Abayarde by Tego Calderon, Una Noche Mas by Yasmin Levy

CONTENT: 18+ MDNI, SMUT, Cursing, Some racist language/ideologies (reference to La Perra Negra & the story takes place in late 1970s so you know, not the most foward-thinking of times), the main character is a sex worker, use of the Spanish language, star-crossed lovers-esque elements, references to death, drugs, trafficking, Cartel activities, or*l (fem & alluded to male receiving), f*ngering, praise k*nk, Fluff, Dario being lowkey a soft boy, *Unedited/Not Proofread

AUTHORS NOTE: uhmmm who else has seen alberto guerra in griselda??? 👀 it’s a great show highly recommend everyone go watch! alberto being shirtless is just an added bonus, so basically this is slightly AU-ish in this fic dario travels back to miami twice (i think i can’t remember lol) before “finding” griselda—full stop bc spoilers but yeah. the OC is a former sex worker, and Afro-Colombian/Latina (faceclaim is Yaya DaCosta <3), but yeah i hope y’all enjoy :) 💖

Medellín, Colombia - Spring 1976 (The Past)

The weather was in a particularly odd flux. For most of the day, heat raged on like an unrelenting wave, the weatherman reported scorching temperatures, a whopping, almost record breaking 101 degrees. Medellin quickly became a ghost-town, people sought refuge from the unbearable temperatures. The heat trickled its way into the evening, until around 9 or so, storm clouds suddenly swirled the sky, then, boom, a torrential downpour. The rain came down in violent pelts, hitting everything and anything insight. However, as quickly as the storm came, it went. The temperatures went down, the rain aided in crispness in the air. The wind swept through the streets and neighborhoods of Medellin, with coolness and airiness that was necessary, relieving.

Relief was exactly what Nina needed.

With the scorching temperatures, it brought a particular irritation with her clientele. It was like the hotter it became, the meaner they were. One of her regulars, Mr. Moneybags (an older gentleman, who happened to be very, very, generous with his wealth.), who was severely punctual and only wanted oral. He was never rude, impatient or rough with her. Until today. He was late, storming into her room, barking orders for her get on her knees, and when Nina finally did give him what he wanted, all Mr. Moneybags could ramble on about was high rough day at the office and he needed to tame "La Perra Negra". To make matters worse, when Mr. Moneybags orgasmed, he cummed on her shirt (a brand-new halter top, made of fine silk and in the prettiest shade of coral, it wasn't cheap, it cost her 78 pesos.) and in her hair (pillowy-soft coils as someone told her once). That was a complete, no, no.

Mr. Moneybags was the first of her clients to receive a verbal lashing, but he wasn't the last. As the hours rolled by, each man arriving acting more brutish and egregious than the last. Nina handed out her lashings with ease, all for her to be met with the same insult, fuck you, Perra Negra. The heat only fueled her rage, so much that the one customer, who had some semblance of decorum, went soft in her mouth. He quickly scurried out, offering a sympathetic smile, and promised that he'll come back next week, when she felt better.

So, when the storm came, Nina was more than relieved. She got some reprieve from her finnicky clients, even though her room was tucked away on the further corner of the brothel, the rain seemed to drown out the noise from the other end of the compound. She was able to soak her stresses away in her tub, light a candle or two, slip on her favorite mini-silk robe, and actually rest. The raindrops served as a lullaby from Nina as she drifted off to sleep.

Now, at 2 AM, Nina sat in a chair on her small balcony. She people-watched from her small corner, relishing in the cool breeze the generously fanned over her skin. She more than deserved this peace and stillness after the shit she had to deal with. After a while, Nina became engrossed in this older couple blocks away, were dancing in the middle of the street. She was so enraptured with the couple she didn't even hear the door creep open.

A familiar scent drifted through the air, a blend of cinnamon, tobacco, cardamom, and strangely mint. Nina couldn't help the smile the curled onto to her lips, as heavy footsteps inched closer and closer.

"You left the door open,"

Nina smirked. "What if I left it open for you,"

"Hm. That's unlike you,"

Nina turned around meeting those soft, russet-colored eyes, she cared to enjoy so much. She playfully batted her eye lashes.

"Oh, Dario, you mustn't forget, you are my favorite customer," Nina purred. She rose from her seated position, and unabashedly took in Dario's appearance.

He was meticulously dressed, he wore neatly ironed, black slacks with a coordinating black dress shirt. A few buttons were undone, revealing a sliver of warm-tawny skin, and the ink-colored edges of a tattoo. Nina wondered sometimes what the fully tattoo would look like, or better, would she ever get to see it.

From the first night they met, Nina gathered that Dario was someone who took pride in their appearance. He was never sloppy, not a flick of dirt or dust sullied his clothes or shoes. Thick, brown tresses were combed and quaffed with care, while he maintained neatly trimmed facial hair. Even the way Dario carried himself was equally irresistible, he possessed a poise and calmness that was developed, cultivated, even. He was careful with his words, never speaking out of turn or without thought. He charmed his way into people's hearts, both old and young alike.

Dario was a true debonair. It was the perfect distraction from what he truly was, a hit man. El Sicario.

"You look thirsty," Nina strutted past Dario to the small bar along the wall inside, "Would you like a drink?"

''Not tonight,"

Nina tsked, "Where's the fun in that? You can't just humor me, I've had a terrible day and--"

"Enough Nina," She paused to looked over her shoulder at him. His brows were furrowed, as looked intensely at Nina. After a beat, Nina turned a back around, pouring some tequila in a glass. She turned back around, gesturing for Dario to speak. "I'm looking for someone," Dario pulled a photo out of his front pocket.

"Aren't you always," Nina sassed. She couldn't help it, she was enjoying seeing Dario a bit peeved, it was so refreshing to see, even Dario, el sicario himself, could be annoyed.

He shows her the photo, "Vincent Fernandez, you know him?"

Nina scans the picture, taking in the face of the man.

"Yes and no," Dario's eyebrow quirks, "His real name is Vincent, but nobody calls him that. He goes by Chuy,"

"Okay...Chuy, have you seen him?"

"Yeah, a few weeks ago. He was coming out of Carmen's room...now that I think about it, she was leaving with him. She carried a suitcase too. Haven't seen her since,"

Immediately, Dario balled up the picture, flinging at the wall. He began to pace and back forth, his left handed raked through his hair, messing up that of that beautiful handiwork.

Something thrummed inside of Nina as she watched Dario slowly lose composure. Dario’s beautiful features were twisted with frustration, his jaw was clenched, and eyes were blazed. He stopped pacing and stood next to a small coffee table with vase that sat on top. With hesitation, Dario snatched the vase and launched it at the wall. Ceramic shards exploded on impact, pieces flew everywhere in the process.

"FUCK!"

"What the hell is your problem!?" Nina rushed over, she brushed past him, and picked up a broken piece of the vase, "Fuckin' pendejo, this was a gift from a friend," She was seething, gearing up to cuss him out to fullest extent but she paused. On one of the broken pieces with a red speck. Nina's eyes drifted towards the floor, seeing a trail of red spots, the spots grew larger and larger, until there was a small pool of blood underneath Dario's hand. "...You're bleeding,"

"What?" Dario one step but Nina quickly stopped him.

"Stop! Stop, it's getting all on the floor. Go to the bathroom and rinse the cut. When your done there's a first aid kit and a bottle of peroxide in cabinet, grab it, and sit on the couch," Dario just stood there a bit lost in his eyes, "Vete! Go, now!"

Dario disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Nina in the mess he created.

---

"This is going to sting so keep still," The two sat next to each other on the couch. In one hand, Nina gently cradled Dario's hand, his wounded palm facing up. The other hand held a cotton ball soaked in Hydrogen peroxide. She slowly inched the ball towards the cut, when it the skin, Dario instantly hissed, moving his hand slightly. Nina pressed again, trying to be a bit softer than before, but Dario jerked his hand away again. Nina swatted at his stomach. "Ay! Stop moving,"

Dario finally complied, relaxing against her touch, letting her clean the cut. A quietness fell over them as Nina worked in a comfortable rhythm of wiping and dabbing.

"I'll make sure to pay for the vase," Nina stopped, looking up at Dario. There was a sincerity in his eyes, and something else...embarrassment maybe? "The least I could do, since you put up with shit all the time..."

Nina bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling, at Dario's gesture. She said nothing in return, but instead sat the used cotton balls to the side and reached for the roll of bandages. Nina couldn't make heads or tails of how she felt about Dario right. One part of her was agitated with him with how he broke her vase and how edgy he was being towards her all of the sudden. The other part of her was attracted to Dario, something about him losing control like that revved her engine. For once he wasn't so controlled and calculated, he was human, flaws and all.

"I know I'm not supposed to ask, but, why are you looking for Chuy?" Nina asked, slowly wrapped the bandages around Dario's hand.

To Nina's surprise, he answered. "He took something that didn't belong to him,"

"...Oh. Oh," Nina nodded realizing what Dario what he meant. Chuy had to have stolen a kilo or two of coke from them. Everyone in Medellin knew stealing from the Bravo family was a guaranteed death sentence. "Shit, I should've known..."

Dario shook his head. "It's not on you. The sneaky bastard managed to fool all of us, especially me,"

Nina chuckled nervously as she tucked the last strip of the bandage underneath a bottom layer.

"All finished," She slowly let go of Dario's hand to gather and put back her supplies, "I would give it a day before checking the cut to see if its healing. Just try to keep it your hands clean the best you can,"

Dario nodded. "Thank you,"

Nina smiled gently at him. She could feel his eyes on her as she bounced around and out of the room disposing of the trash and putting her supplies back. When she came back into the room, she found Dario relaxed against the couch looking outside. She followed his gaze up to the night sky. The normal starry, ink-colored sky was now filled with stormy clouds.

"It's going to rain again," Nina murmured, she returned to her spot next to Dario.

"How'd you figure?"

Nina pointed to the sky. "The clouds. Plus, the air is getting thick...y'know humidity,"

Dario laughed, flashing those gorgeous pearly whites, making Nina's heart skip a beat. He quickly quieted as a look of curiosity filled his expression.

"Where'd you learn to do that kind of stuff...like patch people up?"

"I guess I got tired of getting rug burns and bruises on my knees from giving head so much. It's bad for business,"

"That's fucked up,"

Nina shrugged. "It's a part of the job. I have to be perfect and presentable at all times. It's what sells the fantasy. So, I had to become my own doctor, learn how to patch myself up. I also learned, that if I was on my knees for too long, all the time, I wasn't doing my job correctly.

Dario tipped his head, scratching at his goatee, "Where the guys always that rough with you?"

"Someone is mighty curious tonight," Nina teased. She twirled a coil round her pointer finger, "but, to answer your question, no. Some tried to, but I was always on guard. I had to be, I'm the only black girl here...La Perra Negra. Before my regulars, most of the guys thought because I’m black, a morenita, that's I wanted. It took some threats and me pulling out my switch blade a couple of times, but they got the picture. Sometimes I feel bad for them...they’re so caught up in fucking me as a conquest, and not for their own pleasure. Typical men,"

Dario's brow quirked. "Typical?"

"You know what I mean. Most men when they have sex are either caught up in some ego thing, or only focus on pleasuring themselves they don't bother in pleasuring their partners, especially if the partner is a woman,"

"I suppose you're right,"

"You suppose? Do you feel the opposite?”

"Not entirely. You do have a point…I guess I’m not most men. I like pleasuring my woman,” Dario rasped. His pink tongue swiped at his bottom lip before continuing, “It turns me on to see her lose..composure ‘cause I’m fuckin’ her so good. I dunno it just gets me there. I could never get hard or cum without doing so,”

From the tops of Nina's ears all the way to the bottoms of her manicured toes, she ran hot. Her mind raced with flashes of images of her and Dario in the nastiest of scenarios. If she wasn't sure about being attracted to Dario, this solidified it. Despite her growing need to literally lunge herself at him, she pulled back. She needed to make him sweat.

"I guess there's some room for exceptions," Nina hummed, she readjusted herself, re-crossing her legs, make sure to give him a quick flash of her lacy panties. She secretly thanked her Orishas, when she saw Dario's eyes wander to her thighs.

"I had customer the other day," Nina continued, "Sweet guy, couldn't fuck to save his life, so I suggested get on top. I thought riding him would be better, but it wasn't. So, in a last-ditch effort, I closed my eyes and imagined it someone else..."

"Who did you imagine?"

"...You. I imagined you underneath me, fucking me. I fantasized about those beautiful brown eyes staring up at me. How it would feel to have your hands on me...all the things those hands could do. Like would you pull my hair, or grip my hips so hard that I would have bruises? Or, would you smack my ass while you stroked, deep inside me...even better would you hold my hands behind my back, while you played with my clit? Then, like magic, I came...I don't think I've cum so hard in my life—”

He cut her off with kiss. It was gentle and sweet. As Dario moved his lips, he gingerly swept his tongue against Nina’s lips savoring her taste. He snaked his arms around Nina’s waist, drawing her closer to him. A small whimper escaped Nina as Dario’s hands roamed her body. She felt her body hum with need as he rubbed and squeezed at her flesh. A smarting slap from Dario caused Nina to mewl breaking the kiss.

“Fuck! Dario,” Nina whined. She leaned her forehead against Dario’s. She pulled back to see Dario’s face fully, her heart rattled against her chest as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“Mi hermosa mariposa," Dario murmured, hands drifted up and down the sides of Nina's torso. She felt a wetness begin to pool beneath her, the more Dario caressed her.

“I want you,”

Dario smiled softly. “Yeah?”

“Mhm,” Nina nodded her hands reaching for Dario’s belt buckle, but he stopped her.

“It’s not about me tonight,” he hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around him as he carried Nina to bed. Dario dropped her softly down the plush sheets. “It’s all about you,”

Nina could tell from the serious yet lustful glint in his eyes that Dario meant every word he said. She sat up on her elbows watching as Dario’s nimble fingers undid the belt of her robe. He pushed the fabric, revealing nothing but soft curves, rich brown skin and lacy fabric. With his pointer finger, Dario traced Nina's collar bone, dragging it down her navel, leaving a trail of goosebumps the further down he went. Nina's breath hitched in her throat as Dario's thumbs rubbed soft circles on the skin above the waistband of her panties.

"I like the way your eyes light up when I touch you, solecita,"

"Please, Dario. Enough games,"

Dario chuckled. He held her hips in place, sinking down to his knees.

"Patience," Dario held his gaze as he inched his head closer to Nina's clothed pussy. The two moaned in unison when Dario licked a stripe at Nina's clothed entrance. He continued on licking, probing, and mouthing her pussy. Moans fell helplessly from Nina's lips as she felt the lacy fabric rub against her clit. Dario relentlessly moved his tongue, spurring Nina on, she felt slick dripping downwards on her thighs.

"More. I need more, baby, please,"

It was like switch went off in Dario. He stopped all movement, as he just stared at Nina. Long eyelashes fluttered as he slowly blinked.

"Baby...say that again," he murmured.

"Baby," Nina cooed. She sat up, reaching for Dario, she cupped his cheek. He nuzzled her cheek, placing a kiss on her palm.

Then like a flash, Dario ripped Nina's panties a part. He skillfully gathered the torn shreds and flung them away. He dove straight for Nina's pussy. Despite his meticulous nature, when it came to pleasure Dario was sloppy. There was no spot or area left unattended. His tongue alternating between swirling and lapping Nina's clit. Dario's pace was so unrelenting, it sent Nina's body into throws of pleasure. Just when she felt the familiar coil in her belly, Dario pulled back, only to blow cooly onto her drenched pussy.

"B-baby, fuck!" Nina yelped aloud, her hands found themselves back into Dario's hair, as he returned back to her core.

He placed a wet kiss, creating a lewd smacking noise that echoed into the air. Dario dove back in, plunging his expertly skilled tongue into her entrance, fucking her. Nina felt like her entire body was on fire, completely blazed with pleasure as Dario relentlessly fucked her pussy. Her mind swirled feeling the familiar coil in her stomach become tighter and tighter.

"I-I'm gonna cum. Oooh shit," Nina panted. She pulled tighter at Dario's hair. "I'm c-cuming, fuckkkk!"

The coil snapped. Nina shakily thrusted her hips towards Dario's mouth, riding out her orgasm. Dario stayed still softly lapping up her cum, he did keep gentle hand on Nina's waist to steady her.

"Mhmmm, so good to me, baby, s'good," Nina loosen her grip on Dario's tresses, letting her arms fall back onto the bed.

Dario hummed appreciatively before pressing soft kisses on Nina's inner thighs. Her fluttered when she saw the slick sheen of her nectar glistening in Dario's mustache and goatee.

"You like when I'm good to you?" Nina could feel his grip on her thighs get tighter as he spoke. When Nina nodded instead replying, Dario slapped her thigh. "Words, Nina, I wanna hear you,"

"Yes!"

"Good. You gonna be good for me this time?" Nina hissed when two of Dario's fingers found her clit, rubbing taut circles.

"Yessss, I'll be good for you, baby!"

He quickly switched his technique, he plunged his fingers into her wetness. Nina whined at the squelching and lewd noises that her pussy made as Dario stroked in and out of her. Dario bent down and gave Nina searing hot kiss, he wedged his tongue inside of Nina's mouth, allowing her to taste herself.

"Please don't stop,"

"I won't mi amor, I can feel you...you close?"

"So close, baby, please,"

Dario slowed his pace down, giving Nina slower strokes, but drove deeper, and deeper every time. Her walls fluttered around his fingers when they met her oh so sweet spot. Nina's orgasm came swiftly as a fast-moving freight train. Her mind went blank, as she screamed out in pleasure. Nina's legs jerked and spasmed as her nectar flowed out in endless droves. Dario slowly slipped his fingers out, kissing the side of Nina's face as she reveled in the planes of ecstasy.

The two fell back into the bed. Nina snuggled up close to Dario's side, her fingers still tingly, traced the ink of his half-covered up tattoo. She looked out to the balcony. It was raining.

"I think we knew each other in our past lives..." Dario trailed, he kept his eyes towards the ceiling as spoke.

"As what? Enemies?" Nina teased.

"No," He sighed deeply, turning to meet her eyes. His face was open, vulnerable, Nina felt her heart flutter. "We were...something to each other, I know it..."

For the second time this night a quietness fell over them. They stared wordlessly at one another, as the raindrops lightly pelted outside. Nina didn't know what to make of Dario's sudden confession, or revelation. She did know that the way he looked at her in this moment, made her feel all mushy and gooey inside. Nina leaned in capturing Dario's lips into a passionate kiss.

"You know what I know," Nina purred parting from Dario's lips. She straddled him, reaching for his belt buckle, this time Dario didn't stop her. "Reciprocity...Can I have some more, baby?"

"Yes. Mi amor, in every lifetime."

#siribaesfics #dario sepulveda x blackfem!reader #dario sepúlveda x blackfem!reader #dario x blackfem!reader #alberto guerra fanfiction #griselda netflix fanficiton #black fanfiction #poc fanfiction #woc fanfiction

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tainted-liquor · 1 year

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Su Tiara Rosa₊˚⊹♡

E42!Miles Morales x Daddy’s Girl!BlackFem!Reader Ingredients: sugar, kisses, n a lil bit of smiles! TWs: Cussing, (im not tagging it nm after this) N word usage, suggestive jokes if ur rlly perceptive W/C: 2.1k!! A/N: PART 2 OF THIS FIC!! RAAGAGHHH (you see any errors no you didnt.)

You spent the next few months talking to Miles nonstop, building a relationship, and getting to know each other little by little. One thing was for sure, the communication was consistent. You went on various dates, with you each surprising and outdoing each other each time. Even though you weren't officially a 'thing', with you telling Miles you don't do boyfriend slash girlfriend until you meet each other's parents, all of that changed today. You made plans with Miles to formally introduce him to your parents, and to say you were nervous was an understatement. It was all that plagued your mind, the idea consuming your glittery pink brain tissue and replacing it with small details about Miles.

You paced around in circles in your room, contemplating if you should wear something pretty for your soon-to-be boyfriend or just stay casual. Would Daddy like him? Mommy already seems to take a liking to him but-...oh no what about your brothers? You thought everything over a thousand times, groaning loudly as you flopped down onto the floor to 'clear your head'. You spent 15 minutes on the soft carpet of your room, overthinking everything as you contemplated canceling today entirely.

You checked the time on your phone through heavy-lidded eyes, huffing as you grazed over the number 4:27 on your clock. You pulled yourself up off the ground and made your way to your closet, deciding on a cute house outfit to wear since you were...literally only having dinner downstairs and then making cookies with Miles. You heard a couple knocks at your door before it nearly came flying off its hinges, revealing 4 pairs of eyes staring at you blankly. You deadpanned, watching as 4 very unwelcome guests filed into your room with confused chirps and sniggers of amusement. Your brothers poked and prodded at your face and room, questioning why there was so much noise coming from your 'pink corner' of the house.

You huffed in annoyance, shooing them all out as they let out noises of disapproval and entertainment. "C'mon, get out I don't want you here...HOW ARE YOU ON MY SHELF?" You shouted, wide-eyed as you watched your brother 'DJ' hang onto your tall dresser. You swatted him down with your pink mini fan, brutalizing your older brothers as they giggled their way back out of your room. Like who do these niggas think they are? Anyway, you have more important things to attend to.

You groaned in slight fear as you realized it was almost time for Miles to make his way over to your house, sucking in a deep breath and fixing your Afro puffs in your vanity mirror. After making sure you looked slightly more presentable than usual, you made your way down the stairs on tip-toes to not disturb the calm atmosphere. “There’s my princess! What’s wrong, you look troubled?” Your dad sparked, immediately tearing his gaze away from what looked like his paperwork. You gave a nervous smile, slowly preparing to explain that you intended to bring a guest to dinner before the doorbell rang. Shit.

You slowly inched towards the door, confusion residing on your father's face as you painfully opened the door, revealing a 'nonchalant' dead Miles. "Daddy, this is Miles..! My new boyfriend!" You muttered, pulling Miles into your house by his hand. He gave a shaky "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. L/N" as your mother materialized from the kitchen, glaring at the two of you with a blank expression. "Hey! Princess, why didn't you tell me we'd be having guests? I would've moved my work to my study!" Your father joked, laughing loudly as he cleared off the living room table. Your mother smiled, giving him a small "Welcome back, Miles! Food should be done in a couple of minutes, alright?"

The two of you stood in shock, utter confusion filling your mood as everyone continued on like normal. "Wait, mommy, you're not mad? Daddy, you're not either?" You asked, tilting your head to the side as your brothers began to pour in an unintentional single-file line. Your parents looked both confused and amused, your mother answering quickly. "Why would we be upset? We know Miles, lovebug. We'd be upset if you brought home some...gangbanging bum you never introduced us to." Miles sniggered, quickly walking over to the dining room table and talking to your brothers as he saved you a seat next to him. "Huh..." you hummed, slowly processing that Miles had already done everything right, and didn't need to do anything to impress the pair.

You took your seat next to Miles, watching as he quickly bonded with your older brothers. "Nah, Nah. It's not even like that. Ask her yourself" he shrugged, nodding in your direction. "Ask me what? What's happening?" You queried, leaning over the table so you could see your brothers all doing their own thing. Your brother Kazir only waved a hand at you, signifying not to worry about it as he struggled to keep a straight face. "Nah, cuz what are you saying over there that's THAT funny?"

The table began to erupt with bickering, you arguing back and forth with Kazir and Zakova. Your father came in not too long after, setting up the food and scolding your brothers for annoying you. They rolled their eyes, taking their plates and going upstairs to their rooms as you giggled under your breath. Your parents rolled their eyes, immediately returning their attention back to you and Miles. "So! Miles, how long have you and Y/N been together? We sure do hear a lot about you" your mother giggled.

You buried your face in your hands, looking down at the ground as Miles chuckled. "Well, we didn't really start dating until today? She wanted me to meet you first before jumping into anything" he sighed as he placed a gentle arm over your shoulder. Your mother seemed both shocked and pleased, sporting a warm smile as she passed a cup to Dj. "Oh wow! So you waited until she was ready to bring you here?" She asked. "Yeah! That exactly" Miles responded with a warm smile.

"That's wonderful! I'm glad to see someone in the world who knows patience. Unlike...some boys." Your father added, subtly eying your brothers. "Dad!" Navir grunted, giving him a sharp side-eye. You giggled, finishing up the last of your food as you flipped off Navir under the table, earning you a very suspicious-looking nod and a low mumble of "remember that." As Miles finished up his food, you offered to help your parents with the dishes as DJ and Navir dashed up the steps. "Nah, we got it. Go, show Miles some more of your sketches!" your mother urged as she beckoned you both upstairs.

You raced straight to your room, dragging Miles with you by the hand as you giggled all the way up. "You play smash? Or are you a Mario Kart person?" you asked, grabbing your switch and semi-flipping onto your bed. Miles looked up at your tiara case, clearly in awe about how gorgeous it looked as he mumbled out "Smash Bros..." You got up, climbing up on your shelf to reach the pretty pink tiara, gently holding it in your hands like the holy grail. "Pretty, right? Daddy won it for me at some sort of auction years ago!"

Miles nodded, watching as the pink crystals glimmered underneath the dim yellow light of your room. He gently took the tiara from your hands, placing it as delicately as possible on your head and fluffing out your curls. You attempted to fight the smile that formed on your face as he turned you around, facing your mirror as he rested his hands on your hips. "¿Ves? Una chica tan bonita" He cooed as he gave your face a little squeeze with his hand, watching as your smile widened in the mirror. "C'mon, let's play some Mario Kart" he stated as he scooped you up and sat you back down near your bedframe.

You screamed internally, laying down on your bed with your pretty pink switch in your hands as you fought the urge to kick and scream into your pillow. He casually took out the 'spare switch' you had in your nightstand, that was basically his as he booted up Mario Kart. He chuckled lowly, looking over at you before mumbling a menacing "I'm not letting you win" into your ear as you chose your racer. "Me and baby peach will fucking smoke you, try me" You spat, giggling as he gave you a small pat on your head. "Sure, Mamas. Sure you will" he taunted as the countdown sounded off.

You spent 30 minutes trying to beat Miles in Mario Kart, feeling like you were on the verge of tears until he let you win. "LETS FUCKING GOOOOO!" you shouted, standing up on your bed and flexing as you yelled like a madman. Miles's eyes widened in amusement, gently holding your ankle so you wouldn't fall as he reminded you to be careful and that you still had your tiara on. You held your tiara firmly, carefully sitting back down on your bed with Miles as you turned off your switch. "I'M THE GOAT. ME! I'M HIM!! I'M HER!!" You shouted, watching as Miles laughed at your antics.

"How does it feel to lose? Get mixed. I know it hurts." You retorted, crossing your arms and holding your head up high. Miles blankly stared at you for a minute, giggling quietly. "First of all, I let you win cuz yo ass was about to cry. Second of all, you won 1 round of 20-" he began, voice laced with obvious amusement. "I don't care! I won! I won! C'mon, let's go make these victory cookies."

You quickly jogged down the stairs, nodding your head upward to greet your brother DJ, who was staring deeply at the blue-ish light of his phone screen. "What y'all bouta do?" he asked blankly, not tearing his focus away from his phone. "We bouta make cookies. You want some?" You asked as you slowed down your speed-walk to the kitchen. "Yeah, as long as they not them fuckin'...mint cookies you made last time. Shit tragic."

You roll your eyes, giving him a thumbs up as Miles chuckles to himself. "ain't shit funny Morales." you grumbled as you got out the ingredients for heart-shaped sugar cookies. "My bad Mami." Miles muttered as you sat down on the kitchen counter, scrolling on your phone for a recipe on sugar cookies. You showed Miles the recipe, watching him scan over the information and ingredients as you got out the necessary contents. You spent about an hour in the kitchen, watching as Miles did most of the work.

"How the fuck you can't bake? Nigga this was YOUR idea?" he asked with a lazy smile, arms flexing as he whisked the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract together. "Has anyone ever told you your arms look delectable" you stated flatly, clearly not hearing his previous question as you stared at his arms. "You don't have noooo filter! Thank you, mi muñequita" he laughs, pausing his mixing briefly to take a breather before continuing his brutal assault on the whipped butter. You gave him a small smile, adding the flour, salt, baking powder and a little bit of strawberry powder to the bowl and watching as he continued to mix the combination until it resembled a dough. You placed down some flour on a large baking sheet, rolling and kneading out the dough and breaking it into little pieces as you covered the smaller balls of dough in sugar before shaping them into hearts.

You handed the baking sheet to miles, watching as he chucked them in the oven and sat on the kitchen counter with you. He scrolled on his phone with one arm around your shoulder, briefly stopping so he could watch as your legs swung back and forth as they dangled off the counter. You hummed to yourself as you watched his phone screen, finding his feed much funnier than yours as you giggled at every other post on his explore page. He had over 5k followers on Instagram, but only followed you and four other people as he opened up his Instagram camera, snapped a quick photo of you two holding hands, careful that neither of your faces were in the camera. He uploaded the photo to his story before hopping off the counter to retrieve the cookies from out the oven.

He sat them on top of the counter, putting his phone down as he took one fresh off the tray, not even wincing as he picked up the hot cookie. "Miles! Are you okay how are you not-" you began, quickly being silenced as he place the cookie in your mouth, thumb grazing the tip of your tongue and giving you a kiss to the forehead.

"Soy puertorriqueño. That shit is nothing to me" he stated, clearly unbothered as fuck.

"Miles make me knock you out."

#atsv #across the spiderverse #into the spiderverse #miles morales #miles morales x reader #earth 42 miles x reader #earth 42 miles #earth 42 #earth 42 miles morales x reader

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prinxeali · 2 years

Text

Breakroom

Another Oneshot! I've never written full-blown smut before, so bear with me. Huge thanks to @generallysapphic for helping me; they're the best!

Shuri and reader receiving, pussy slapping 🥴, and bratty Shuri.

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“Your job is so boring. When you applied to become a private eye for Wakanda, I didn’t think you’d spend so much time studying.” Shuri groans, slumping childishly into the chair next to you. “When I agreed to date you, I didn’t think you’d complain so much,” you reply, not looking up from your work. Shuri makes an offended noise and gently tugs at a strand of your hair, causing you to hiss in pain and annoyance.

You take a deep breath and turn to your queen sitting on your desk with her arms crossed. “I agreed to let you stay with me as long as you took a nap.” you seethe. Shuri had been spending too much time working in her lab, so you tried to force her to nap, but she insisted she’d rather stay with you. “I’m not tired. I told you I was fine. Please let me go back. I might die if I have to watch you type another word.” she implores, jutting out her red-tinted lips in a pout. Under different circumstances, her demeanor would've been adorable. Still, given that you had a developed headache from all the research, her brattish behavior started to irk you.

You run your fingers through your now tightly shrunken afro and rub your temples. “Baby, I need to finish this research, and you need to rest. I stand by my decision. You aren't going back to work until you rest.” you say, leaning back in your seat, tapping one of your well-manicured nails against the arm of your chair. You and Shuri glare silently at each other for a while, two unwilling and unmoving forces against one another. After you feel your point is made, you return to your work, much to your lover’s disappointment.

Another hour passes by with no exchanged words or glances. Shuri is laid out on the floor, tossing a ball off the walls of your office while you do a few finishing touches on your report. “Bab-” you start to say before you’re interrupted by a call from your boss. You look between the call icon on your screen and Shuri before smiling apologetically as you pick up the call. You can hear Shuri shuffling in the background as you put on your headset, but you don't have the time to look back and see where she has gone.

Five minutes into the call, you feel the ghosting of warm fingers up your thigh. Without thinking, you jump from your seat; your eyes darting back and forth anxiously in search of the offender. Almost immediately, your eyes land on Shuri, shaking in laughter underneath your desk, her body doubled over in amusement. “Are you alright?” Your supervisor asks from the other side of the call. You take a deep breath and sink back into your seat, “Yes, I thought I saw a bug.” you say, looking pointedly at Shuri.

The call goes on for what seems like hours. Your supervisor drones on and on about upcoming cases and data. At this point, it all sounded like gibberish. Shuri had her hands back at your waist, carefully and quietly unbuckling your belt and flicking open the button of your jeans. You hastily slap her hand away and shake your head. Shuri pouts and gives you the softest, most pitiful look she could muster. Tearing down your stern demeanor with her pretty brown eyes and plush lips, the way she batted her eyelashes…

Ah, fuck it.

You sigh and lean back on your seat, an open invitation for Shuri to continue her task while you speak on the phone. It didn't take the princess long to get your ankles and underwear off your body, as she's had plenty of practice before. Despite the build-up, the first caress of her hot tongue on your clit made you moan loudly. Both of you freeze and look nervously at the cell phone. In your hand, “Y-Yes, director, I just caught a cramp in my thigh.” you explain, reaching down with your free hand to guide Shuri's mouth back between your thighs.

Shuri spends most of the call between your thighs, savoring your pussy like a treat. Occasionally you muffled moans into your hand, but the longer this went on, the more desperate you got. You had been on edge for an hour already, and that little black dress Shuri was wearing wasn't doing you any favors. Shuri had been getting impatient, too. The movements of her tongue and fingers made it much more difficult for you to focus. “Mhmm, Yeah,” you say into the phone, unclear if your words were directed at your boss or the way Shuri was sucking on your clit.

“Y/N? Y/N, do you understand?” your supervisor asks rashly. Your head was thrown back in euphoria as Shuri curled her fingers just right. You take a shuddery breath and respond, “Yes, I understand. Ah, I-I’m, I'll have them to you tomorrow” you rush out, turning away from your phone to conceal the moan building up in your chest, your thighs shaking against the chair's leather. Finally, the line dies, and your boss vanishes from the screen. “Fuck, I'm gonna cum-” you exclaim, grinding your hips against Shuri’s tongue. Relief washes over you like a wave, the blood rushing in your ears as the knots that steadily built in your stomach come undone. Your head is swimming in the best way possible.

“I can't believe I let you do that-” you say between pants. You were closing your legs and focusing on the woman before you. Shuri shrugs and licks her lips with a cat-like smirk. “You looked so tense, I figured an orgasm would help lighten the mood,” she says shamelessly. You click your tongue and reach down to grab your clothing. Shuri shuffles about next to you for a bit before going still; suddenly, something soft and light hits the side of your head, Shuri's underwear, to be precise.

“If you want me to take a nap, I can think of a couple of ways for you to tire me out,” she says, holding up two of her fingers, shiny with her own slick. In a motion blur, you quickly and efficiently moved Shuri onto your desk, pinning her more petite frame down to the polished surface. “You are such a fucking brat,” you say with a chuckle tilting down to bite her bottom lip. “I thought that's why you dated me?” she says softly, pulling you down for a kiss.

Shuri spreads her legs invitingly, using her hand on your neck to guide you down between her legs. You use two fingers to spread her lips apart, leaving her sensitive body entirely at the mercy of your tongue. Her thighs were soft and warm around your head, occasionally quivering when you grazed her clit. You lift your head and hook your arms under Shuri’s knees to pull her closer to the edge of the desk before dropping to your knees so you were eye level with where you need to be. You took the opportunity to look up at Shuri’s eyes, dark with lust, her hips tilting up as a silent plea for more.

“intombi entle,” (beautiful girl) you coo, blowing cool air over the wetness between her legs. She whines pitifully and tries to pull your head closer, but you pull further away instead. Using your hand to pat her pussy firmly, her juices sticking messily to your hands. “So desperate. What do you want, usana?” you ask. Shuri silently rocks her hips against your hand in response; she needs to do more than that.

“Just make me cum, please,” she begs, pulling her dress above her breasts and tugging at one of her perfect, dark buds. You stand up and pull her into a heated kiss, swallowing every whimper and moan she had to offer as she ground against you. You trailed kisses down her neck, stopping to suck a bruise right where her shoulder meets her neck before moving downwards to take one of her nipples into your mouth. You alternated between gentle nips and sweet caresses of your tongue, leaving her shivering under you.

By the time you were back between her legs, she was dripping. Her lips glistened in the dull light of the office. Shuri took it upon herself to drive you mad, slipping two of her pretty fingers into her sopping heat and pulling them out, drenched in her essence and spreading it over herself. “Fuck, you're so wet,” you say, running your fingers through her slit before sinking two of them into her with ease. Shuri bites back a moan as you plunge your fingers deep into her pussy. You curl your fingers and bend to suck her clit, swirling your tongue around the sensitive nub.

Shuri’s cries raised in pitch, her breath stuttering as she approached the edge. “Such a good girl. All those other bitches can flirt, but at the end of the night, this pussy is mine, right baby?” She doesn’t answer; her eyes shut tight as you drill her with your fingers. Dissatisfied, you slap right over her clit, the sound reverberating through your office.

Shuri moans the loudest she has so far, her thighs immediately closing around your wrist. For a moment, you think you’ve gone too far until you feel the evidence of her arousal running down your forearm as she tightens around your fingers. You didn't know someone could get this wet. “Oh? Do you like having your pussy slapped?” you ask, pressing down on her clit as you slide in a third finger, her eyes rolling back into her head while she mumbles dumbly in response to your question. You stop your fingers and cup Shuri’s cheek gently with your free hand, encouraging her to look at you. “Use your words, sithandwa,” you speak gently, kissing her plush lips. “Yes, but do it harder,” she says between kisses.

Shuri looks up at you sweetly, simultaneously clenching around your fingers. “Undenza ndiphambane,” (you drive me crazy) you groan, twisting your fingers inside her and delivering a few sharp slaps to her pussy. Three thrusts were all it took for her to come undone all over your fingers. She sobbed in ecstasy as you milked her orgasm out of her. Her hands were unsteady as they grabbed desperately at your wrists, unsure whether she wanted to run or pull you in deeper. You rubbed her clit in quick, fast movements. “I'm coming, I'm coming fuck-” she a but screamed, her legs tremoring against your arms as you sent her right into a second orgasm that had her gushing all over her thighs and the desk beneath her.

You carefully pulled your fingers from her core and wiped them on a tissue before sitting in your chair, pulling Shuri’s shivering body into your lap. “Good girl, you did such a good job, Usana,” you whisper, pecking her head. After cleaning her up as thoroughly as you could, you leaned back to look her in the face. “I think I squirted on your report,” Shuri says, referring to the now-soaked papers on your desk. Some of you cringed at the thought of reprinting all of those papers; however, the heavy weight of Shuri in your lap made the damp work seem insignificant. You shrug your shoulders and rest your head against hers.

"Worth it."

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A/N more to come hopefully 👀

#bottom!shuri #shuri x plus size!reader #shuri x fem!reader #shuri x woc!reader #shuri x reader

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the-ravenist · 7 months

Text

That's my wife

Steve Binder x Fem!Black!Reader

Reader and Steve are married, they share both of their last names, reader is somewhat tall, reader is a boss ass bitch, reader is implied/mentioned to be infertile, reader is female(sorry), Steve is a simp for reader, suggestive dialogue(no smut), reader wears pants, reader and Steve match accessories, and protective!Steve(I think)

The smell of cigarette smoke fills the sound room, multiple eyes focusing on Elvis on the stage below, the young man's voice blasting through the speakers. The abrupt sound of the door slamming gains the attention of people in the room, yet a pair of blue eyes stay focused on the act below. Those pairs of blue eyes belong to the amazing Steve Binder-(L/N), a great man, producer, friend, partner, and husband, yes husband.

Steve had the opportunity to work with the infamous Elvis the Pelvis Presley, to produce his Comeback film. At first, he was hesitant to accept the offer, but he could see that Elvis's career wasn't doing...well. But Bones had convinced him, there could be a possibility that old Elvis might come back.

Steve can feel a headache beginning to form, a dull pounding at the back of his head and the slight twitch in his left eyebrow gave it away. If the Conole didn't shut his yapper soon, Steve was gut him like the fat fish he was.

"Kennedys' been shot!"

That definitely broke him from his thought. The backtrack of Elvis's song continued playing through the pen-drop silence throughout the studio.

Dancers, makeup artists, hairdressers, singers, and others alike were piled in the small dressing room, the dialogue of the news lady sounding like white noise besides a couple words Kennedy, shot, and dead stick in the brains of the listeners. The decrease in volume catches the attention of the grieving, Steve stands in front of the TV eyes slightly red and glistening with tears.

"Listen I, uh, I just want to say that," a sad chuckle breaks through his lips. "This nation is hurting, it's lost you know."

A couple of nods and sniffles ring throughout the group.

"It needs a vioce right now, to help heal it," he nods towards Elvis. "You, you have to a statement EP," said man's eyes lighting up.

"Mr. Presely doesn't makes statements." Eyes snap to the colonel.

"He sings here comes Santa Claus", he walks towards Steve menacingly. "And wishes everyone merry Christmas and good night", he continues with a sharp glare on his face.

A beat of somber silence passes by, anger and frustration build up in Steve and Elvis. Steve knows that the Colonel could care less about the president's death and Elvis, he was The Snowman, after all, he was cold in all ways.

"This tragedy, a tragedy yes," fake sympathy is plastered on his face. "But it has nothing to do with us."

At that Steve had calmly stormed out of the room, Bones and Jerry following. Everyone else had walked out of the room slowly after, all going their separate ways to dressing rooms mostly or back to the stage. Steve had walked, well stomped into the sound booth, lighter lighting the cigarette in his hand.

He takes a deep inhale of the toxic smoke, holding it for a beat. He knew that he had a show to run he knew it but during this time, nobody was really in the best mental state to work. As he exhaled the smoke the phone on the best corner rang, he let it ring for two more rings before his shaky hands picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey sweets, you okay?"

At the sound of your voice, his body instantly slacked. He was glad you called, but that's not what he's worried about at the moment.

"I'm fine puff," he had called you that due to your afro, rather than a halo of curls on top of your head reminds him of a puff of smoke. I know weird comparison.

"'M just a little tired, how about you?"

" 'M not gonna lie to ya sweets," your voice shakes a little. "I'm a lil shakin' up."

Steve puts out his cigarette as he exhales the last bit of smoke. He can feel the dull pounding get a bit louder, now trust me dear reader it's not because of you I promise.

"Yeah, this...event has everyone shakin' up," a small sigh. "I wouldn't be surprised if the damn whole country stopped functioning." A small laugh was heard through the speaker.

"Honestly, I'd believe it," A huff escaped your lips. "Damn near got into a fuckin' car accident when I heard it."

"What?"

"It's nothing though, I'm fine the cars fine," you murmur softly. "And so is my fro." Steve couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

The line is silent for a moment, it's somewhat comforting in a way. "Even though neither of you is facing the other in the comfort of your shared bed, it seems as if you were standing next to one another.

"Hey, puff?"

"...yeah?"

"How do you feel about getting creative again?"

"I'm on my way."

Elvis, Bones, and Jerry are watching Steve pace in the small room. Elvis laying on the floor by the piano, Jerry lounging on the black couch on the wall, and Bones leaning on the crisp black piano watching his friend stress out.

"What's he stressin' about," questions Elvis.

"I don't know E," Jerry says eyes narrowing on the nervous man.

"He's nervous about his dames," Bones speaks up from his spot.

"Wait his girl," Elvis questions. "Why is she comin'?"

"I guess-"

Steven turns around quickly startling the men in the room. He seems calm, yet his eyes give him away; they're wider than normal.

"I'm sorry boys," a hand runs through his hair. "This might seem completely out of character of myself," and was it ever.

"Yeah, we can tell," Jerry mutters. "Why does your girl make you nervous?"

"Huh?"

"Bones had said that your girl was coming," Elvis had said from his spot on the floor.

"And we want to know why you're actin' a nervous mess," Bones continued.

"Well if I'm being honest boys," Steve reluctantly starts. "I'm worried how she would think of y'all, minus Bones."

Well, it's not like you were a judgmental person or anything like that. It's just that you're kind of intimidating in a way.

"What," Elvis says through a small laugh. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Now listen EP," Steve's is laced with seriousness. "This woman is very important to me, she's the best out there for this operation."

"So please behave," he slightly begs.

"But still be yourself, and don't say anything stupid," Bone adds.

"Don't worry my mama taught me better than to disrespect a woman," Elvis says as he sits in a crisscross position.

"Good, 'cause she'll," he takes a glance at his watch. "She'll be here any minute now."

Just as he says that the door is pushed open, with a dark brown heeled boot. And those boots are paired with brown high-waisted pants, a white turtle neck, and a pearl necklace.

"Sorry that I'm late, sweets," the woman closed the door with her heel.

"I had to speed back home to get the stuff that I thought we could use, but then I realized that I had no fuckin' scissors," she dropped the bags full of supplies on the couch next to Jerry.

"So, I had to drive to the store to get scissors, and I realized that we'd might be here a while so I bought myself a silk scarf cause why the hell not, and-"

Steve grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you a bit, to stop her rambling. She had stopped talking as she looked at Steve with wide (e/c) eyes.

"Puff, I'm glad you're here but we have company," his eyes dart to the people behind her.

"Shit," she looked at the men behind her. "Right, my bad y'all." She coughs to clear her throat. "Hello, my name is (Y/N) (L/N)-Binder, and I'll be helping y'all 'cause y'all desperately need it."

"Now excus-"

"And you, white and sideburns," you point to the boy on the floor. "You must be the big Elvis the Pelvis Presly," the boy smirks a bit. "Now I'm not a big fan of yours but I have to admit you have some hip swingn' songs." The woman demonstrates as she moves her hips a bit.

"Well thank you," Elvis trails off, not sure if what the woman had said was a compliment or not.

"It's no problem," she dismisses, she puts her attention on the entire group.

"Now what have we gotten so far hmm?"

Silence

"Have y'all at least started on a song?"

"I mean," Jerry bravely speaks up. "We sort of do," (Y/N)'s sharp (e/c) eyes are basically pinning him to the couch.

"All right let's hear it."

And then the construction begins.

"Alright, the song is done," she sighs in exhaust. " And let me tell you, y'all are by far the hardest people I've worked with."

Jerry and Elvis gawk at the confidence of the women in front of them.

"Now E," the switch from sarcasm to seriousness throws off the boys. "It's quiet obvious to anyone with an IQ of a basic human being, that your career has been nothing but a pile of flaming shit lately."

Steve chokes on a bit on the smoke of his cigarette.

"But with this song and a killer outfit by my design," you can see a child-like excitement spark in Elvis's blue eyes. "You'll bounce back in no time."

"Now," you snap loudly. "How does everyone feel about leather?"

"Good night boys, I'll see your show tomorrow m'kay," you say as you watch the guys leave. Leaving you and Steve in the small room.

You plop your body down on the dark green couch, body slacking once it hits the cushion. A sigh leaves your mouth and your eyes begin to close.

"God, I'm getting old. I've never been that tired in a hot minute," you mutter as you grab your head scarf from your purse.

Steve nonchalantly kneels before you, hands reaching for your boots.

"You're not getting old, you need to stop saying that," he mutters as he unzips your left boot and gently slides it off your foot, hands moving to unzip the right one.

"Oh right, I'm not getting old. I'm aging," your speech is sarcastic. Yet Steve ignores it and places your boots next to the piano.

Steve plops himself on the couch next to you as you wrap your hair with the scarf. The scarf in which looks similar to the ascot that you're husband is wearing around his neck. Once finished you wrap your leg around his waist and your arms around his neck. As if automatically, he wraps an arm around your waist and slides a hand into your back pocket.

"You know what else ages," Steve croons teasingly as he locks eyes with you. You hummed in a curious tone.

"Wine, wine ages," he leans his head forward, lips grazing yours.

"'nd you my darling puff, are some very fine wine~" His lips finally touched yours. Once your lips touch you fight back a smile as his comment registers.

"Oh, Mr. Binder you are the devil in disguise I swear," you're able to say through the onslaught of kisses you're receiving.

"If I'm the devil, you're my angel in disguise," he purrs as he continues his trek of kisses to your neck.

"Okay, now you ruined the mood," you snort as you push his head back slightly.

"Aw whaddya mean," he rests his chin on your shoulder.

"... he's so young sweets, too young."

"I know."

"He looks like a young man but has the eyes of a man who works at an office 9-5. Tired, stressed, yet yearning."

You begin to play with Steve's fingers as you begin to ramble.

"He misses his mama Stevie, he stuck to me like glue. Kept looking at me, as if he was looking for affirmation. Like a child would."

"God Stevie, why do I want someone to look at me like that again?"

Your eyes begin to water as you subconsciously rub your stomach.

Steve frowned at your sadness, he knew you wanted kids. The both of you did. The thought of having a little bundle of y'all's creation running around the house made him smile. Of course y'all have tried but when you went to a doctor the worse news has erased that dream. As an interracial couple adopting a child was harder than it looked, so in the end it was replaced with two fur babies you have at home.

Oh, Harley and June, two energy filled great danes. They're probably sleeping in your shared bed, drooling all over the sheets. The thought of them brings a small to your face.

You look at Steve's blue eyes. Oh, how you love those blue eyes. You cup his cheek, he leans into it, it makes you snort. You peck his lips, once, twice.

"Let's go home Stevie," you hop off his lap. You bend over to grab your boots and bags. Steve of course can't help but take a glance at your ass. Those pants accentuated everything. You pop right back up and turn to Steve, who still sits on the couch looking up at you. "I have to go home and sew a leather suit for a 6'2 man."

Your husband groans as he reluctantly gets up from the couch, standing in front of you.

"Do you ever rest?" His hands grip your hips as he sways them a bit.

"Yes, but only during a full moon," you tease with a smile.

"That tracks," you let out a squeak of a shock. He turns you around and carries you bridal style.

"I'll have you know that I'm working because I want to," your arms automatically curl around his neck. Steve takes the bags from your hands and puts them as far up on his arms as possible.

"Mhmm, puff y'know Harley and June don't need set after set of pajamas, he remarks as you begin to walk out of the office.

"But they're cute~."

#steve binder x reader #black!reader #black reader #steve binder x black!reader #x reader #x black!reader #x black reader #x black!fem!reader #x black fem reader #black writer #darce montgomery #darce montgomery x reader

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shinestarhwaa · 1 year

Text

LADY OF THE NIGHT || PARK SEONGHWA

Genre: Smut

Pairing: Virgin!Seonghwa X Escort!reader

Word Count: 3K

Tags/warnings: Non idol!AU, reader is older, graphic design student!Seonghwa, Dirty language, virginity loss, sub!hwa, dom!reader, oral sex (f and m receiving), fingering, masturbation, mommy!reader/mommy kink, unprotected sex

Taglist:

@anyamaris @a-soft-hornytiny @whatudowhennooneseesyou @star1117-archives @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @pyeonghongrie-main @woosanbby @dreamlesswonder86 @lemonhongjoong

ENJOY!

Seonghwa's fingers trembled as they dialed your phone number. His breath was shaky when he brought his phone to his ear. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, so loud he thought you might hear it through the phone.

"Hi, this is Chanel Jordan from Lady Of The Night escort services, how may I help you?"

Seonghwa felt like his throat was closing up, choking on his words. "H-hi, this is...uhm... Seonghwa, I'm calling to...uhm... make an appointment." His voice came out much more shy than he wanted to. He sighd and mentally slapped himself for coming off as so insecure. The woman on the other side of the line let out a little grinning noise.

"That's definitely possible, young man. Have you looked at our website? You can check out the services and experiences we provide."

She called him young man. Oof. And yes, he surely had checked out the website. He had looked at the profiles of all the workers. There was a nice variety even though the business wasn't a big one. There were 5 women available this Saturday night, and he decided to shoot his shot now.

"Yes, I have, I have seen the site and your...uhm... escorts." "You have seen our ladies? Okay, did you have a preference?"

He looked at his laptop screen once more, seeing the women's profiles. There was a gorgeous 22 year old Japanese woman; Yui, looking like a model. Then a Thai and Korean woman; Zora and Eunbin, both 23. One Afro-American woman of 23; Alexis, which he had considered, but when he saw your profile he had to pick you, the only one older than him. He wanted that. He wanted someone who was older, sexy and experienced.

Your hair was beautiful, shining and your eyes spoke to him when he saw your pictures. He nearly immediately got a hard-on in his pants. Your legs looked long on the picture, the heels on your feet making you look dominant. Seonghwa shifted as he felt himself getting excited.

"Yes I'd like to choose Y/N."

"Very well then, when would you like to book your appointment?"

"U-uhm, Friday or Saturday night?" He stuttered as the looked through his agenda. "Saturday night can be arranged. Are you free at 9?"

Seonghwa looked around his apartment as if someone would come in and say 'Aha! I know what you're doing there' and laugh at him. "Yes 9PM is great, thank you."

"Alright then, I have to register who she's meeting so it's... Park Seonghwa, right? What's your age, dear?"

"I'm 25, ma'am," Seonghwa said, but almost whispered. He could practically feel this woman laughing at him for his awkwardness. "Alright... 25... and the address?"

Seonghwa told the woman his address and floor number as he fidgeted with the bracelet on his wrist. "Noted, thankyou, now do you want a special service? The girlfriend-experience, the extra long appointment..."

He took a look at the special services written on the website. Some of them scared him, but he tried to put on a brave tone. "Virginity, ma'am." "For you or for her? Although, I think I can tell."

Seonghwa felt mortified. Did he sound like a virgin? "Yes, me, ma'am," he confirmed. "Alright, that is not a problem at all. Further questions or things you want to do in your session can be discussed with Y/N. You can contact her via the E-Mail address on the website, or wait for your session."

"Thank you so much, have a good day," Seonghwa said before quickly hanging up the phone. He sighed deeply as he rubbed his temples. Was this a bad idea? He'd have to find out.

It was finally Saturday night and Seonghwa had showered twice in a time-span of an hour and touched up his hair about a million times. He had never been this nervous before in his life, and he really wanted to look good for his 'date'.

He sat on the darkgrey couch, legs trembling with anxiety. He stupidly undoes his pants and checks if his genital area looks okay enough. He sighed as he buttoned his pants up again, taking a deep breath. You must've seen worse than this, Seonghwa was very hygienic.

The doorbell suddenly rang, startling him and making him jump up. He took a deep breath before walking into the hall, opening the door. There you were, looking like a modern day Goddess. Your black satin dress hugged your figure, black fuzzy coat making you seem somewhat rich, fancy.

A smile played on your glossy lips as you greeted him. "Hi, Seonghwa is it? I'm Y/N, nice to meet you." "H-Hi," Seonghwa stuttered as his eyes lingered on your exposed collarbones. "Come in."

You stepped into his apartment, taking off your coat and hanging it on the coatrack in the corner. "Do you want a drink or anything, Ma'am?" His stance was cute, hands intertwined behind is back, bouncing on his legs anxiously.

"Some water would be great babyboy, let's sit down and discuss before we get started," you said, walking into his living room. You sat down on his sofa, dragging your hand over the soft cushions. Seonghwa was quick to put some water on the table before sitting down at the other side of the couch.

He fidgeted with his fingers, obviously nervous, making you smirk a little. "So baby, you're a virgin. And you do not wanna lose your virginity to a sweet little girlfriend?" His head shook. "I don't have one and... I am in my senior year, I don't... wanna graduate and still be a virgin, I wanna... I want to have sex and be good at it. I wanna learn."

Your smile softened, feeling for the boy. "Well, it's not something to be ashamed of, but if this is what you want then I am happy to help. So you have no experience?" "I have only kissed before and... touched myself." You couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the shy boy playing with his cock.

"Alright, is there anything you wish to do? Kinks, fetishes, positions?" You said as you drank your water. "Uhm, I just... hope to... get the whole... thing yk, learn how to... do the foreplay stuff and... have sex and yk... make you feel good."

"Sweetheart, it's not about you making me feel good. It's about you feeling good." "Yes but, I also wanna learn... how to please a woman, so I know how to do it next time," he said quietly, sipping on his water. "Hm, okay, you basically want a bit of a sex masterclass," you smirked, "alright sweetie. Tell me about the stuff you're into... What gets you hot and bothered?"

You leaned back into the couch, crossing your legs. Seonghwa's eyes slid from the heel of your shiny black boots all the way to your thighs. "I... I want to hear you moan my name... and I... I want to cum inside you."

"Mhm, you enjoy affirmation and breeding, okay, well that's good to know. I think you're unsure of your likes and dislikes, obviously, so I'll help you figure that out. Do you want to start?"

Seonghwa nodded, standing up and guiding you to his bedroom. It was lit romantically, making you smile softly at his attempt of pretending he didn't hire a hooker to get his dick wet. He's a cutie.

You sat him down on the edge of his bed, standing in front of him. "You got any sexy music on your phone sweetie?" He nodded and put on a sexy playlist, placing his phone on the nightstand before getting back to his original position.

You twirled around, feeling the music as you sexily unzipped your boots, giving the boy a little stripshow. He visibly gulped, his cock hardening in his pants as you slid your dress off, letting it fall onto the floor. You were left in just a black thong as you walked over to him, sitting on his right thigh. You ran your hands over his chest before placing your lips on his, deciding to ease the guy in.

His plush lips were so smooth against yours, it made your body flutter. It had been a while since you had a client this beautiful, especially with such beautiful velvety lips. You kissed for a minute or two before you slipped your tongue into his mouth. He let you take the lead completely as your tongues discover each other.

You broke off the kiss and unbuttoned the buttons of his black blouse, revealing his toned upper body with lightly carved abs, leaving you pleasantly surprised. "You look good baby boy, you work out?" Seonghwa nodded shyly. "Sometimes."

You got off his lap, getting on your knees as you took off his pants and boxer in one go, revealing his semi-hard cock. "Don't overthink it, okay?" You said as he noticed he was really nervous about showing you his naked body.

You figured he didn't want your sexy 'pornstar' type of vibe most guys enjoyed. This boy really cared about your pleasure and your softness. He smiled softly as you peppered kisses down his abs to his pelvis. He felt safer now with you, as you slowly dropped your act.

His cock twitched as your longue lapped on the tip, wet with pre-cum. You licked a stripe from the base of his length all the way back to the tip before taking him into your mouth. Your head bobbed up and down on him, making him moan out and throw his head back.

"Holy fuck, h-holy fuck," he whined out as you took his balls into your hands, working on them too. You stroke the base of his cock slowly as you focussed on his sensitive tip. ''O-oh, mommy,'' he moaned out. You pulled yourself off his cock, letting it go with a pop as you smirked at him. ''Mommy?''

''I-I'm sorry, it just slipped,'' he quickly apologized. ''No, no, no, don't apologize, I'll be mommy tonight baby boy, don't you worry,'' you said, stroking his cock slowly. ''Were you embarrassed to tell mommy what you like?'' you cooed, placing a kiss on the tip of his cock. He nodded, biting his lip as he felt his dick twitch once more for you.

''M-mommy... take me in your mouth again.'' You nodded and lowered your mouth on him, taking his entire length into your hot mouth. You deepthroated him, sucking his cock as if your life depended on it. You were determined to make this an experience he'd never forget.

''Oh my God, so close, I'm so close! I'm gonna fucking cum!'' he moaned out loudly it startled himself. You looked up at him as you worked his cock, admiring his beauty. His chest was flushed red, sweaty, rising up and down rapidly as his breathing picked up. Normally you would've stopped and dragged his orgasm out, but you found it quite cute he felt so good he was cumming just a few minutes in.

His eyes rolled backwards and his brows furrowed slightly. Seconds later, he came hard, spilling his seeds into your mouth as he let out the most beautiful loud, long moan you've ever heard from a man. He panted as you swallowed his load, hissing when you licked his cock a final time.

''Wow,'' Seonghwa breathed out as he ran his delicate hands through his dark soft hair, ''God, you're so amazing.'' You smirked as you got up, sliding off your panties. ''Oh sweetie, I know, it's my job. Now it's also my job to make you a god-sent lover for your future girls, isn't it?''

You laid down, legs spread for him, displaying your wet pussy. ''Come on here, lover boy, I'm gonna show you how to use your pretty mouth,'' you said as you gestured him to come closer. Seonghwa positioned himself in front of your pussy. ''No, no, no, my babyboy, we don't immediately dive down there the first time. We work from the top down, start at my neck,'' you suggested. Seonghwa nodded and moved his lips to the sensitive skin on your neck.

His kisses were gentle and soft and it made you smile. What an innocent boy. ''Come on baby, be a little more... sensual, intense, use your tongue, bite me softly, switch it up.'' Seonghwa's a fast learner, immediately following up your advice. He used his velvety tongue to run from your neck to the valley of your breasts, gently biting your soft skin. ''Don't mark me up baby, cannot go too far.''

Seonghwa took his hands and cupped your tits, squishing them closer and dragging his tongue over your nipples. You moaned at the feeling of his hot, wet muscle crossing over your sensitive nubs. ''Very good... that's a good boy... now kiss down my stomach, lick my pussy,'' you smirked, spreading your legs further apart.

The male moved his face down your body, leaving kisses on your torso, down to your hips and thighs before lapping at your wet pussy, tasting your juices for the first time. It was like he felt enlightenment when he kissed and licked your pussy, receiving soft moans from you as he licked at your sensitive clit. He felt his cock harden again, noticing he got horny from this. This encouraged him, made him more confident as he explored your cunt with his tongue.

''Yes, good boy, lick mommy's pussy, put it in baby, put that tongue in there, fuck me with it,'' you panted out as Seonghwa pushed his tongue into your hole, slurping up your wetness. ''Yeah, fuck, rub my clit too baby, rub my clit as you fuck me with your tongue!''

Your moans got louder the more he stimulated your pussy, feeding his building confidence. He was a natural, following every comment you made, eager to pleasure you. He rutted against the sheets, needing to release himself. Seonghwa felt his cock ache for you as he listened to your melodious moans. You noticed he got sloppier, distracted when you heard his muffled moans.

''Are you touching yourself babyboy? Are you getting off on eating mommy's pussy?'' you smirked. Seonghwa whined and nodded as he licked your clit. ''Yes mommy, fucking love it, love it so much!'' ''Come on, show mommy how hard my pussy makes you, show mommy your beautiful cock.''

Seonghwa got on his knees, showing you his hard pre-cum coated cock. ''Jerk off. Jerk yourself off for me, and moan for me,'' you said smirking as you pinched your own nipple, letting out a high-pitched moan. Seonghwa groaned as he started to fuck his own fist, looking at your sensual body.

''Yeah baby, you like that? Watching my naked body as you touch yourself? Do you wanna cum on my body?'' you smirked. ''Yes, fuck mommy, wanna cum, wanna cum so fucking bad,'' he grunted as he jerked himself off quickly. ''Wanna cum on my pussy, Hwa? Cum on mommy's pussy, come on, give it to me!''

Seonghwa's lewd moans filled the room as he pumped himself through his orgasm, emptying his cock just above your pussy, coating it in his white slick. ''Your sounds are so fucking beautiful angel, you're such a good boy... Wanna put your cock in mommy's pussy now, angel? Wanna fuck mommy's delicious pussy?''

''Please, please let me in your pussy, let me fuck you full with my cum,'' he begged. His beautiful big brown eyes could not be resisted, so you pulled him closer. ''Alright baby, slide it in then, make sure you're comfortable.'' He nodded as he positioned himself between your legs. He took the base of his dick in his hands before slowly sliding it into your cunt.

Seonghwa slowly moved his dick into you, thrusting deep. ''Try to create a rhythm, baby, make it consistent, not sloppy,'' you guided him, placing your hands on his hips. When you noticed he found a steadier rhythm you let go of him, letting him rut into you. His brows furrowed again and you were worried he was already cumming for a second.

But Seonghwa just let out beautiful moans as he thrusted his hips into yours, hitting sensitive spots deep in your wet pussy. He whined as he felt your tight walls clenching around him. You smirked as you played with his nipples as he kept fucking into you. Suddenly he thrusted against your g-spot, seemingly awakening every nerve in your body.

''O-Oh, Seonghwa, that's it baby, fuck me right there, just like that, fuck me, harder, fuck me, fuck me, yeah baby!''

Your sounds were hotter than any moans Seonghwa had ever heard in the porn he's seen, and it brought him closer to the edge. ''Mommy, I'm so close, I'm gonna fucking cum, gonna cum in your pussy, gonna fuck you full of my cum,'' he moaned loudly.

''That's it baby, talk dirty to mommy, fuck me full of your cum sweetie, fill me up, breed me, breed mommy's pussy! F-Fuck you're gonna make mommy cum, make mommy cum with you baby, give it to me!''

With a few more thrusts you felt a wave of pleasure washing over your body. You clenched around Seonghwa's cock as you orgasmed, pushing him over the edge. His thrusts got sloppier as he spilled his seeds inside you, filling you up entirely. He cried out as he emptied his load fully, milking himself dry in your tight cunt.

You panted as he pulled out, laying next to you. You smiled as you placed a kiss on his lips. ''You did amazing babyboy, you're gonna be an incredible lover.'' Seonghwa smiled but was too shy to bring out a word. He was happy with his choice after all. You were worth his first time.

''Do you have to go now?'' Seonghwa asked a few minutes later. ''Why? Do you not want me to?'' ''I know I had you for just an hour and you probably have other clients... But I want you to stay... I wanna... feel good, together, with you, I want more, please stay, give me more of you,'' he begged.

You grinned and nodded, cause how could you resist this sweet boy?

#kpop #ateez #smut #seonghwa #oneshot #seonghwa x reader

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jgrills · 1 year

Text

Ghostface hobie (readers a survivor)

"Stabbing Fest"

Tw: stabbing, MENTIONS OF GUNS, blood and injuries, ghostface, character deaths, chainsaw, cussing, honestly, this is more of reader fighting their betrayer.

Got inspired by @breeandhermunches and her e42 and 1610 ghostface miles fic.

reader survives.

6:30 pm.

It was an exhausting school day, good thing its Halloween night, now you can chill out and watch a (horror movie you like marathon).

Your phone rings as soon as you snuggle into the couch blanket. You groan and check who it is..

It's Mekell.

You answer, and immediately get your ears bursted with a loud "Hey!!" From them.

"Yes?" Your voice is groggy, still comfortable in the covers.

"I know exams were exhausting, but can the group come over?"

"Why are you just now deciding to tell me?"

"I'm sorryyy, the plans just came in late, so can we?"

"I swear.." you sigh

"Come on over, just don't mess shit up"

"Okay, we'll be there!"

6:56 pm

Shortly after they arrive, everything's going well, laughing, grimacing at the gorey scenes, but mostly yelling at the characters for being dumb.

"Fucking dumb bitch, go the other way!"

You snicker at Kay's comment, as she dramatically groans and leans on Maya , when the character on the screen gets stabbed.

You notice Mari, just admiring her features, she had looked even more different more different than when you first saw her. She had a afro-mohawk, several piercings, just overall beautiful.

You guys talk for a while, just talking about school, what grades you got, and just relaxing.

it's been a while since you've been able to hang out with them.

9:30 pm

All your friends are asleep, except Mani and Maya, Mani seems unnerved, looking at Maya with a suspicious look. Maya just looks back in worry, shaking her head.

The tv blares with a loud sound, you recongnize the yellow bottom banner.

"BREAKING NEWS: TAY'SHAWN HARRISON, HAS BEEN MURDERED IN HIS FAMILY HOME ON QUEENSWAY GROVE"

"Shit.." You hear Mani murmur. "He just texted me too, rest in peace."

"Poor Tay'Shawn, today was his and his girlfriends anniversary.."

You see Tay'Shawns family on the tv, looking absolutely horrified and crying as they speak into the mic.

The house phone goes off. Mani and Maya look towards the phone.

"I'll go get it"

You pick the phone up, putting it to your ear.

"Hello? Is (your name) here?"

"This is them"

"Look, I..just want you to tell Mekell about the group chat, she didn't invite me to it."

"Why? There's a reason she wouldn't invite you."

"Speaking of Mekell, she talks a bunch about you"

"What does she say about me?"

"She says your (insert personality), and that you like scary movies."

Since the call is on speaker, Mani quickly wakes the others up, telling them a possible killer is talking with you. They all get up, and go to several hiding places around the house.

"She..does?" You're feeling unnerved as the strangers voice suddenly got deeper, and with more of an accent.

"Yeah, (your name)"

...

How does he..?

You hang up quickly, putting the phone back.

"Man-"

"Nope, I know, but keep the phone on you incase that fucker tries to mess around." Mani whisper-shouts at you from upstairs. "Maya's with me also."

"Thank you Mani, I can always trust-"

Phone rings.

"Now, let me ask a question" The stranger asks on the other line.

You stay silent.

"Did you lock the back door?"

Fuck.

FUCK.

You quickly downthe stair- Mani stops you. "Do NOT go down those stairs, I know that tatic"

Drip.

Something lands on your forehead.

You put a finger to it, looking at it..

It's blood.

"Mani.."

"I know" She wipes the blood off your forehead and leds you somewhere else.

"Not gonna answer me now?"

"Wait, huh-"

"Okay then, sucks Mekell will go the same way Tay'Shawn did." Horrible screams and stabbing noises come from the other line, something bubbling, choking sounds, likely from blood, then no more.

You go up the steps.

You put the stranger on mute.

"Mekell?!" You open the door and..

You see Mekell, or..what's left of her, she's torn up, her eyes dull and she stares ahead, her left arm chopped up, being able to see the bone underneath, and a knife in her throat.

"Mekell.." You sob, holding a hand to your mouth, Mani slowly brings you away.

"I know, I know.." She mumbles, bringing you away from Mekell's bloody body.

10:47 pm

Nothing has happened since you've handed up and saw your best friends body. You can't get a hold of your parents, you only have their gun for comfort.

"You don't need to hug it that tight you know, it could be a prank" Maya murmurs.

"Nigga, what did you just say? A PRANK? A FUCKING PRANK? HE LITERALLY JUST KILLED MEKELL, AND YOU THINK THIS IS A PRANK?!" You yell at her, Mani holding you back by your shoulders.

"That's not what I meant, I know she's dead, just get over it."

"Just shut the fuck up Maya" Mani grimaces at Maya, and Maya quickly shuts up. Mani continues comforting you, and you put the gun on the island table, you soon go to sleep.

12:00 AM

You're in your bed, gripping a gun to your chest, looking at that door-

You hear steps, firing off 2 shots.

"Did you just fucking shoot at me?"

You go downstairs, and keep your gun pointed ahead.

Revvvvv...

What's that noise..

Revvvvvvvvvv.... (my poor sound text of a chainsaw)

You go and see who it is..

MAYA?!

Maya stands there, looking downwards, pulling the string to rev up the chainsaw.

"You helping us? Cus i know he's in the house."

"Yes"

You hear the sound of clothes rustling,

Firing off two shots and getting closer, the figure stabs you in the stomach, and slashes you on the collarbone, seeming to dissapear in the shadows as he laughs.

It's a charming laugh..

You keep the knife there, not wanting to bleed out.

"Shit! Mani!" You run back into the house, through the back door.

The powers out, and you can't see shit.

Someone pins you to the wall and digs the knife deeper as you let out a scream of pain. Maya doesn't seem to come to your rescue though.

You kick him away, running to another room.

Where the hell is Mani??

"Mani!!" You yell out, desperately putting your hand over the wounds.

Mani comes out, prepared with a knife.

"What?!"

"Oh thank god" you slump on her, she grabs you close in response.

She sits you on the couch, patching you up, the best she can anyway.

"You keep a close eye on Maya, she's been acting weird."

"Why do you say that?"

"Saw her talking to someone on the phone-"

"Back already, (your name), you must really want to die"

You fire shots where the voice came from, you get a kick to your shin, and Mani jumps into action by stabbing the figure in the chest, but she gets stabbed in the neck.

Seems effective, she falls down beside you, and Ghostface goes somewhere else.

"Mani.." you look at her, tearing up as she looks up at you, her eyes softly dull meanwhile.

"You better kill him and Maya, or I'll haunt you, you hear?" She laughs, choking a little, then letting out a sigh. Mani gives you her families knife.

"Why are you-"

"Don't question it, take it, kill Maya and Ghostface, cya in heaven or hell.. (your name)." She gives you a two-finger-salute, and she goes limp. You hug her cold body, then get up.

Your sweater, now riddled with blood, holes, and the shoulder of the sweater loose, draping over your right shoulder.

12:45 AM

You walk into the kitchen, and walk in on Ghostface stabbing Maya, her screaming and crying for you, you help, stabbing him and throwing him to the kitchen floor, seeming to knock him out. You drag him outside, and tie him to a tree by his waist, you also grab his knife.

You go back to where Maya is, she's standing up, and she hugs you, getting her blood on you.

"Maya, are you-"

"I lied."

"About what?"

"I planned this all out, I'm not really injured" Maya grins sickenly, looking at you through her locs. "How did you think Mekell and Tay'Shawn got all torn to shreds?"

"How could you.."

"How couldn't I?" She grips your face, inching you closer to hers, smiling creepily. "You were all so vulnerable, and honestly, all those years of friendship didn't mean shit, I just wanted a reason to kill you in the end."

"That how you really felt.." you mumble, grabbing ghostfaces knife from your pocket.

"Yep" She hugs you closer, and she stabs your chest. You gasp, bloods pooling already.. but quickly look at Maya with your own knife.

1:20 AM

It's a bloodbath, you and Maya are in a whole stabbing competition it seems, you have the lower hand, while Maya has the upper hand. She's made 2 lethal hits.

Neck and stomach.

You cough up some blood in a towel and rush towards her. I haven't made any lethal hits yet.

You manage to pin her down and keep stabbing her in the chest, she screams and cries, no one comes to her aid.

Like she did to you.

In a few minutes, she bleeds out on the floor, the marble having a stain on it, and some splatters on the floor and your face.

"Seems like you did the job for me" Hobie grabs your waist and kisses you.

You keep looking at her body though, feeling a sense of bloodlust rush through you.

It's just a dream...

right?

@chessbox, fics can be translated (ask first), I don't allow my content to be posted on wattpad/tiktok/youtube without MY permission.

I'm so sorry, this was genuinely unnvering, have a drink from me after that!

(^^)~☆

I actually apologize with what I just wrote.

#Ghostface hobie #hobie brown #hobie brown x reader #hobie x you #Is this good??#The dialogue was kinda shitty though.#I was about to give up on this #When I remembered to listen to Playboi Carti #then I didn't give up #I ALMOST did ☠#I spent so much time on the plot #I'm so sorry #This came out TERRIBLE #The fuck did I just write #WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST WRITE #THE FUCK #what the actual fuck #what the hell #Chessbox🗯

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suzukiblu · 1 year

Note

WIP game: pink

"Listen," Kon says reassuringly, dropping into a crouch between the Mallorys, who both clutch anxiously at his weird fancy Tim-chosen jacket as he puts a hand on both of their backs. "It really is okay. I know it's scary, but your parents are gonna make sure you get taken care of, and the aid workers are gonna help them out."

"But–" they both start, and then both make frightened noises again and cover their mouths with their free hands. Whatever realities they happen to be from, they are clearly very similar ones. The local Mallory wasn't talking in unison with either of them, but they keep overlapping each other without meaning to, and she's wearing a pink corduroy dress but they're both in the same black denim overalls. Different shirts, at least, but their hair's identically braided and beaded where hers is in afro puffs.

"This is weird and crazy, but you're not alone," Kon says firmly, patting their backs. "Your mom and dad have your backs."

He wonders what that would be like, having not only parents but parents who'd just roll with alternate dimension versions of you to the point that they wouldn't leave you in a government-sponsored refugee center, but quickly shoves the thought aside to focus on the actual issue.

Maybe Ma and Pa would come get him if they knew, he thinks for a moment, the thought slipping through the cracks, and then feels like an idiot. He's not a teenager anymore. Was never even a kid, technically. And also he's a literal superhero anyway.

That'd be stupid, for them to bother doing that for an alternate version of the guy who spent a couple years crashing in their real kid's old room before running off to San Francisco.

Hell, for all he knows, this reality's version of them doesn't even know him at all.

Seems likelier than not.

#lumaxmayclair #kon el #conner kent #superboy #wip: mistaken identities and interdimensional refugees

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jhkfan123 · 8 months

Text

enchanted- tom blyth | ch. 4

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

✦iv.

after your amazing actors on actors with jenna, you didn't even have a day to spare before rachel's get-together tonight. you had been to her apartment a few times. the only people you knew were going to be there was rachel, obviously, josh, and tom. maybe hunter but you weren't sure. you decided to dress in a smart casual look. it wasn't anything fancy, but showing up in sweats was not going to work.

after about 10 hours of finding parking, you finally got to her door and knocked. you thought Rachel would answer the door, but it was actually josh.

"hey, come on in!" he said. you gave him a side hug and got inside the door.

"it's so good to see you, josh." you said as you made your way out of the entryway. you looked around. you had always loved this apartment. it was simple, but elegant. floor to ceiling windows around all the walls, providing a beautiful view of LA. white furniture, with pink flower accents and beautiful gold mirrors. it was pretty much your dream apartment. she had jazz music playing over the speakers as background noise. you heard voices coming from the kitchen, so you made your way over there.

when you finally arrived at the kitchen, you noticed rachel, tom, and a few people you didn't recognize. rachel was wearing slacks with a beautiful sleeveless top. her hair was done and she was wearing a dark eye look. gosh she looked great. tom was standing next to her. in fact, he was helping her cut some vegetables. rachel always cooked for you guys. tom was wearing black pants, a green button up shirt. what looked like half the buttons were unbuttoned, it was his thing. you're not sure you've ever seen him in a shirt that was fully buttoned. there was a leather jacket on the counter, which you assumed was his. you hadn't met the other people in the room, but their style seemed to be similar to yours. when rachel finally looked up, she walked over to give you a hug. you embraced her. when you released from the hug, you caught tom smiling. smiling at you. he looked down once you made eye contact, which made you smile. you were feeling bold, so you made the first move to give him a hug. you walked over and hugged him. you felt his arms wrap around your waist. you let your head sink into his shoulder.

"i'm so happy you made it, y/n! i have to introduce you to them!" rachel said, she gestured to a group of three standing near her. you glanced up at tom and he nodded back at you. you took rachel's hand and went over to meet them. "guys," they all looked at you, "this is y/n, one of my best friends, i worked with her on hunger games. she's the best. y/n this is dahlia, steven, and zola." she gestured to each one as she named them off. you shook steven's hand first.

"hey girl, i've heard about you. it's so nice to meet you." he had a very feminine way about him. he seemed to radiate warmth, as his smile was very welcoming.

"lovely to meet you." you responded. next you looked over at zola. she was gorgeous. beautiful afro, amazing makeup and eye look, and an amazing outfit. she was very chic. "it's nice to meet you, zola." she took your hand.

"ok not to sound weird, but i loved you in your movie last year. and it's so good to meet you." she was also very charismatic and cheery. you laughed at her comment about your movie and shook your head. finally dahlia got your attention. she seemed shy. more quiet than the others.

"hi, im dahlia it's good to meet you." she hesitantly extended her hand. you took it with confidence.

"good to meet you too. i can't wait to get to know you guys more." dahlia took her hand back after you shook it. they all nodded. you turned away and grabbed yourself a glass of champagne. you had a sip and took in your surroundings again. the whole aesthetic of the place made you feel so safe. you tried to tune out everyone and listen to the jazz music. you had always loved it. you hated that it was put on as background music. sometimes you would listen to straight jazz for hours while you got work done. the way all the instruments and artist work together like clockwork had always been fascinating to you.

you were interrupted by someone calling your name. you looked around and located the voice. it was easy based on the accent. tom. he was sitting on the couch with josh and one other guy. dahlia was sitting on the couch, but farther away from them, not engaging in conversation. tom signaled you over. feeling giddy again, you made your way over.

"you like the jazz music huh? i saw you staring into the oblivion, listening." he commented. you sat down next to josh, who was the one person separating you and tom.

"oh my god i probably looked so odd." you said. you tucked your hair behind your ear to the best of your ability, but quickly put it back because you weren't debby ryan. you looked down into your lap.

"no, no you didn't look odd. it was kind of..sweet, actually" he said. you instantly got butterflies in your stomach. you felt your face get red. it was bad. you attempted to giggle it off, but there was no hiding the reaction you had. you caught josh give tom a look, almost like a proud look. you weren't sure what it meant.

"i'm sorry, i.." you attempted to cover for yourself but nothing came to mind. all you saw was tom smile and drop his head.

"any new updates in your life?" he asked. you were so thankful he moved on from the conversation.

"well yesterday i filmed my actors on actors with jenna ortega. keep that on the down-low, though."

"that's really cool. how was that?" again, he seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say. not a common occurrence. you saw the man next to him glance over at you. he tried to get josh's attention, and mouthed something to him you could not make out.

"it was really cool. really interesting. it was great to meet someone who had a similar career to me. thank you for asking, by the way."

"it's the right thing to do-" he was cut off by his friend.

"dude, are you not going to introduce me?" he said. he glanced over at him, his smile slightly faltered.

"oh. yeah. right. y/n this is brady. he's my friend and rachel has met him before, so that's why he's here. he works in the industry, but more behind the scenes." brady offered you his hand and you shook it.

"yeah, i've been talking to him, he's pretty nice." josh commented. you felt bad talking across him this whole time. he seemed to get that memo. "speaking of talking, i have to go tell rachel something. brady, come with me." you saw him gave a slight nod to tom as he stood up.

"bro what? i don't want t-"

"come with me brady." josh said, more assertively. brady shrugged and got up. without warning, tom got up and moved much closer to you. you weren't sure what to do. your stomach was all in knots. you laughed, slightly awkwardly. it was all you could think of.

"well that was strange. anyways, tell me more about this actors on actors." with him this much closer, you couldn't even remember you name, much less the details of your actors on actors.

"well, we had this really cool talk about how london is both of our favorite cities and if we didn't live in la, we would for sure live in london. and we also talked about social media and stuff."

"i love london. i mean i obviously moved to brooklyn and now la, but i really do love it. i had no idea you loved it so much." he said. you played with the bracelet on your wrist.

"yeah i do. i really want to visit again soon." you felt like a genius. a lightbulb went off in your head. "we should go together sometime." boom. genius.

"yeah, yeah we should go. that would be really fun, y/n." for some reason, him saying your name made the conversation even better. people who take the time to address you by name, truly care about you. at least, that's what your mom taught you. a very excited rachel approached you, with a tray in front of her. there seemed to be little mini appetizers on it.

"hey guys. you have to try these. it's a new recipe and they are delicious! please try one. tom?" she offered it to him first, which he gladly took it. then you took one. there was some sort of creme on top, but a savory bottom. rachel walked away and you tried it. she was absolutely right. it was totally delicious.

"wow, that's amazing, rachel!" tom spoke, a little loud, making sure he heard her. you nodded. she looked over at you and him and blew a kiss. he laughed. "aren't they good? oh. ok y/n i don't think you understand how much creme is on your face right now." you laughed. you were never the cleanest eater. you tried to get it, but according to tom, kept missing. "you know what? let me just-" he reached over and glided his finger across your nose, and slightly above your lip. his touch sent a shock through you. "got it." you played it off cool.

"thank you, tom." you hadn't realized how close the two of you had gotten over the course of the conversation. your knees were pretty much touching. you saw tom place his hand down at his side again. "what would i do without you?" you joked. he smiled briefly.

"i don't think you have to worry about that." he said. now the butterflies in your stomach were flying around even more rapidly. thankfully, josh sat back down, on your side now, meaning you and tom were still close. you looked over at him and began conversation.

...

after dinner, everything was wrapping up. you went to go say goodbye to rachel, who was talking to zola.

"thank you so much for everything tonight. it was great. you're an amazing chef, but i have to go" you said. you caught her attention and she pivoted. she gave you a big hug.

"thank you for coming, girl. i'll see you soon, ok?" you nodded. zola reacher her hand out again and bid you goodbye. you made your way around to everyone.

after saying goodbye to josh, you approached tom.

"hey tom i'm going to go, but i'll see you soon?" he glanced at you.

"oh! let me walk you to your car." he offered.

"oh no that's ok i'm right outside. besides, i can take care of myself. I took self-defense my ninth grade year, you know that?" he laughed.

"no but seriously, let me walk you. it's dangerous at night and it's almost 11." he placed his hand on your back and led you towards the door. you let him. there was no point in fighting, he seemed pretty adamant of this. when you got to your car, he ran around the car and tried to open your door. the door was locked. you watched as he confidently pulled on the door, just for nothing to happen. you couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"oh my gos-"

"not a word. at least i tried." he said, defeated. you snickered again as you unlocked the door. you gestured for him to try again. and, with less confidence now, he successfully opened the door. you stepped in.

"drive home safe, ok?" you nodded. "oh and y/n? how about coffee tomorrow, you know, just to catch up some more, talk about work?" you had never been this excited in your life.

"yes. of course. menotti's?"

"menotti's."

"alright, see you there at 10?" he nodded. "alright. goodnight."

"goodnight. y/n."

#tom blyth #jhkfan123 #hollywood #fame #coriolanus snow #hunger games #rachel zegler #josh andres rivera #tom blyth x you #tom blyth x reader #tom blyth fanfiction #tom blyth imagine #coriolanus x you #coriolanus x reader #coriolanussnow #hungergames #tbosas

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kookies2000 · 5 months

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Because I have to make everything Latino.

Gangel is Jax older sister in real life. And Jax would push her face into the cake on her birthday every year. Even fight others who tried to do it before him. And at every party, he would wrestel with her inside the jumper. Then, he'll turn off the jumper with Gangel still inside. But Jax would also fight children when the piñata breaks, with the piñata spike in hand. Just so he could get Gangle some candy. He's a good little brother. And Gangel is that sister who's a hopeless romantic and gives Jax dating advice from anime. And doesn't let Jax out on a date in rags. She'll give him a make-over and do his eye liner for him. When he doesn't comply, she drags him to the Latino salon where their tías will take over instead.

"Tranquilo! I will not let you go on a date with Ragatha looking like this!" Gangel trying to fix Jax hair.

And Jax teasing Gangle about her crush on Zooble. Kissy noises and forcing her to talk to Zooble.

I see them as Afro Latinos. Mostly Mexican.

#tadc #the amazing digital circus #jax x ragatha #ragatha x jax #Gangel #being a good sister #we know she would #zooble x gangle #gangle x zooble

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rahuratna · 3 months

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JJK: Encounters across the animeverse

Part 1: Na Nami Nami

Happy birthday to Nanami and Nami!!

This is crack. I have no adequate explanation.

Nanami had a feeling about today.

The strange vortexes he'd been hearing about had not yet made an appearance on any of his own missions. Gojo and Itadori had been together when one such anomaly struck. They'd been investigating a large and seemingly dangerous spike in cursed energy, when they had been caught in an unnaturally strong electric storm.

The vortex (portal, whatever that swirling maelstrom had birthed) had opened before their eyes and ejected a ... person. If that's what it could be called. The person in question was a very tall skeleton wearing a feather boa, a top hat and had been in possession of an afro-style hairdo.

This very strange individual had taken one look at Gojo, complimented his beautiful blue eyes and asked to 'see his panties'. Needless to say, Yuuji had been telling the story for days on end, crying with laughter every time, and Gojo had been looking quite sulky. Nanami secretly wished he could have been present for that.

The skeleton had introduced itself to Itadori and Gojo as 'Brook, the musician' and proceeded to play them a series of beautifully rendered musical pieces. Nanami was, once again, slightly jealous. All he encountered on mission were cursed spirits who tried to eat him. Why couldn't he ever come across a flashy skeleton with musical talent and an afro?

The most pressing question of all had not been answered, though. What exactly was Brook? He had given Itadori and Gojo the impression of being in possession of some power and skill, enough to keep them on guard. But all he'd done was play them a couple of songs and then, when the portal had reappeared, he'd lifted his top hat, blown Gojo a kiss and disappeared.

In light of these events, Nanami was ready. If any portal opened up near him on one of his missions, he was certain to investigate it thoroughly. Not that he was longing for something like that. No, not at all. He wasn't the kind of sorcerer who looked to spice up their missions with the mysterious or unexplained. Nothing exciting to see here, for anyone who cared to look at the increasingly long list of monotonous slog work he had to get through ...

Straightening his coat, Nanami sighed and picked up the pace. He had a possible exorcism in a meat packing facility to get through. Oh joy. Nothing like bringing home the bacon.

The facility in question was in the industrial zone just outside Shibuya. Surrounded as the building was by many other such plants, Jujutsu Tech had made full use of their contacts within the police department to clear out the area and make sure that no employees were on the premises. Nanami entered through the cordoned-off front doors and made his way carefully through the lower floor. If his information was correct, the higher grade spirits had installed themselves on the upper floor.

Somewhere outside the facility, thunder rumbled. As he made his way carefully up the staircase, Nanami began to feel an eerie sensation. It was the feeling he had grown to associate over the years with a spike in cursed energy, but this was somewhat different. This felt ... off. He could sense the proximity of the cursed spirits on the floor above, and something else.

There was a sudden commotion on the floor above. Something had alerted the spirits to his presence, perhaps, because their energy signatures were going haywire. He could hear their aggressive ghoulish shrieks echoing down to where he stood on the stairs. And ... was that ... a woman screaming?

Without warning, a loud electric clap of noise sounded from close by. The clean smell of burning ozone told Nanami that this was no longer a safe area to be. Something about the similarity to Gojo and Itadori's encounter was keeping him in position, however. Would he also be encountering something ... strange today?

Swearing under his breath and taking the stairs three at a time, Nanami prepared himself for battle, his sword drawn and at the ready.

What was going on? Hadn't the facility been cleared before he'd arrived? Had someone been missed?

Of all the strong, brave and capable members of the Straw Hat crew, it had to happen to her. Not that Nami didn't think of herself as capable, she was just ... capable in a less overt, more sneaky sort of way.

The first of their crew to experience it had been Brook. He had been playing a lazy afternoon refrain for them, after one of Sanji's sterling suppers, when the freak storm had come lashing by and sucked him right into what looked like a portal of some kind. Nami hadn't thought too much of the storm, initially. Such strange weather phenomena were common occurrences on the Grand Line. But the portal had been ... new. She'd certainly never seen anything like that before.

They had all been frantic after losing Brook, but he'd reappeared, unharmed, after a few hours from a similar portal, waxing lyrical about a 'blue eyed beauty who could outmatch the dawn'.

Sanji had been horribly jealous, but the rest of the crew were just relieved that their musician was back intact.

The monster shuffled past, and she had just breathed a sigh of relief when the boxes were swept away by a powerful blow. Nami screamed and moved in the same instant. Her cat burglar reflexes were probably the only thing that had saved her from being beheaded. Knees shaking slightly, she looked up from where her quick somersault had taken her, locking gazes with what looked like some kind of praying mantis monstrosity, its rolling eyes following her with predatory intent.

And now, this. And boy, was Nami's luck just enviable. Unlike Brook's idyllic little jaunt with a pair of pretty blue eyes, she was in some kind of dingy building being hunted by creepy monsters.

Monsters? Nami didn't know if that's what they really were. All she knew was that she had to control her breathing really carefully, because right now, one was walking right by her hiding place, it's horrifying, gargling whispers about 'canned beans on toast' reaching her from where she crouched behind some boxes.

Nami felt real fear begin to take hold of her. This was no game. This thing was trying to kill her. And it didn't look like any of her skill with words and sleight of hand would do her any good here. Reaching for her belt, she slowly drew her Climatact. She wasn't sure how it would function here, but she could at least manage a small distraction. Readying herself for flight, Nami was about to try something, anything, when he arrived.

The only warning she had was the tap of heavy footsteps behind her, a rushing sound as he passed right over her head and the powerful wave of energy that coursed from the weapon he held as he brought it down on the praying mantis creature's head. There was a horrific squelching noise as the monster split apart down the middle, purplish liquid pouring from the gaping wound that bisected it.

The man stepped back, flicking his blade with a quick, neat motion, cleaning it of excess blood. Something about the motion, as well as the height and power of the man, reminded her a little of Zoro. He turned to her, and she saw a stern, angular face, neatly combed blonde hair and eyes hidden behind a strange pair of shaded glasses. She wondered briefly how they stayed on his nose.

"Are you all right?"

His voice was deep, reassuring and melodic. Nami felt more at ease immediately, but her experience with all manner of scoundrels on the high seas kept her on guard. For now, she'd keep up the 'damsel in distress' act.

"I - I'm fine, I suppose. Thank you! And ... what exactly is that monster?"

He eyed her in silence, and she wished he would take the glasses off. His expression was unreadable. Finally, he sniffed and turned away, his voice carrying to her over his shoulder.

"Those are cursed spirits. Not everyone can see them."

Scrambling to her feet, Nami followed him. She had enough sense to know her ticket out of this place when she met it.

"Cursed ... spirits?"

"They infest places like this. And it is my job to ensure that they are removed."

"So ... you're some kind of battle priest?"

The man coughed slightly.

"Hm. Not quite. But before we go further, I must insist that the formalities are dispensed with."

"What do you mean?"

To Nami's surprise, the man stopped and bowed before her.

"Nanami Kento. Grade one jujutsu sorcerer. And you are?"

"A ... sorcerer? And did you say ... Nanami?"

"Ha." Nami scratched her cheek and stuck out her tongue. "Well, I'm Nami. Just Nami. Navigator of the ... well. I'm a map-maker by trade."

"Yes?"

One of Nanami's thin eyebrows raised almost to his hairline.

"I prefer to refer to people by their family name until I am better acquainted with them."

"Oh. Well, I don't have one of those."

He regarded her in inscrutable silence once more before turning on his heel.

"Nami it is, then. Did you say you were a ... map-maker?"

"One of the best! I'm documenting the high seas. I've already mapped most of East Blue. Once I get back to the Grand Line, I'll continue my work."

The silence from Nanami was growing heavier and Nami began to feel a tad nervous. Was this man affiliated with one of their enemies? She'd certainly never seen any wanted posters with his picture or description on them before.

"Grand Line? East Blue? I've never heard of these places."

The feeling of uneasiness was growing stronger by the minute. Nami's tone became a little more defensive.

"What do you mean? Everyone knows about the four oceans and the Grand Line. Have you been living under a rock?"

"Not quite. If I'm right ... hmm. Do you by any chance, know of a skeleton with an afro who can sing?"

Nami's brow cleared immediately. So that was it. The portal had sent her to the very place Brook had arrived at before. Someplace very far from home, if this man hadn't even heard of the oceans. All the same, she had to tread carefully.

"Haha. Are you making jokes at a time like this? A skeleton with an afro? I think you'd better lay off the strong liquor, sweetie."

"Please refer to me as Nanami. And I don't drink when I'm on the clock."

Wow. No sense of humor at all. And this man couldn't be charmed, as she was learning. Changing tack, Nami slid a little closer to his side.

"Fine. I just want to get out of here. So I think I'll stick with you for now, just in case something ... else shows up."

"Something else will show up."

"How do you know?"

"Cursed spirits, like the one we just encountered, will attract others of the same kind."

"Oh. Ew."

"And you'd best be prepared. Maybe get your cursed tool ready."

"My ... what?"

He glanced at her sideways and she caught a glimpse of very, very shrewd brown eyes behind the shaded lenses.

"The one you have on your belt. You were about to defend yourself against the spirit right before I arrived. I assume it's useful for more than pole vaulting, yes?"

"Uh ... well. Yes, you're right. It is my weapon. But I'm just a map-maker, as I've said. I only have basic self defense skills. If it's okay with you, I'll just ... stay right here behind you and - "

"Self defense? Did you learn how to evade attacks like that with such basic lessons?"

Nami gritted her teeth. This guy was no sucker. Not at all. No sirree.

"Fine. I've got your back."

"Oh, that gives me a lot of confidence."

"I don't like your tone, Mister."

"Forgive me for not finding you reliable."

"And why wouldn't you find me reliable?"

"Could you give my wallet back? My credit cards are in there and I don't want to go to the bank to apply for new ones."

Huffing in increasing annoyance, Nami slapped the wallet into his outstretched palm.

"I just wanted to confirm your identity."

"Is that why my cash for lunch is missing?"

"Oh, fine! Here. It's not like I can use this currency where I'm going anyway."

"And where would you be going?"

"Back to - "

Nami stopped short, realizing her error. This sly, sly dog of a man. He was now eyeing her in what could only be amusement.

"You seem awfully sure that you'll be back where you came from soon. Tell me, young lady, do you really not know of any skeleton with an afro?"

"No!"

The man called Nanami was, unfortunately, correct in his prediction of more cursed spirits being present. Nami soon realised that he wielded some kind of technique that allowed his blunt blade to do devastating damage. He'd explained about the ratios to her, for some reason. She wasn't sure why he'd reveal information like that so openly to someone he didn't know, and in front of the monsters no less, but she assumed that he had his reasons.

She did her best to stay in the background, but he wasn't having it. It wasn't that he put her in any danger. He just seemed to be expecting her to play her part, something Nami wasn't very accustomed to. She worked better from the shadows! She was a cat burglar for a reason! But desperate times called for desperate measures, she supposed.

While she couldn't deal much physical damage, Nami did what she did best. Run away. The creatures infesting the building homed in on her as a soft target each time, and while she wheeled, dodged, somersaulted and made full use of her speed and flexibility to dance around their attacks, Nanami followed like a steadfast, cleaving thresher, slicing his way with deadly precision through every spirit in his path.

When Nanami found himself in a rather tight spot, surrounded by spirits, she used her Climatact to create opposing fields of hot and cold air within the small room. The spirits were not paying her much attention at that moment, and so, did not feel the hair-raising change in the atmosphere. Nanami did. He looked her way briefly, before nodding.

The dark clouds that had collected within the small space gave up their electric burden, a swing of Nami's staff bringing down a controlled bolt of lightning right into their midst. Screaming and clawing their way to safety, the spirit's bodies burned and dissipated under the onslaught. Nanami, in the meantime, had dived to the side of the room, dispatching any spirits that escaped with deft sweeps of his blade.

He stood, performing the quick swipe of his sword that she was becoming familiar with.

"That should take care of the issue."

"Wait, what?"

"I don't sense any further spirits in the vicinity. We've taken care of them."

"You mean ... we've done it? We cleared out all the monsters? Just us?"

"Yes. Thank you for your assistance."

" ... oh."

Breathing hard, her stomach still tied in anxious knots from the numerous narrow escapes she'd had, Nami felt a growing sense of ... elation. Those monsters had been tough and she'd helped take them down without any of the other Straw Hats present!

Raising her Climatact in the air, she uttered a short cheer.

"Yay for Team Na Nami Nami!"

"Excuse me?"

She pointed between the both of them.

"Nanami. Nami. Nanaminami. Na. Nami. Nami."

"I - what?"

"What? Oh come on. Even you have to admit it. It's catchy, right?"

He gave a long suffering sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Let's just ... find the exit. It's well past lunch time and I need a coffee."

"You're paying for my food right?"

"I suppose."

"I want something nice. Don't be a cheapskate, now, not after all the help I gave you!"

"What's your definition of nice?"

"Hmm, five courses at least. With drinks and dessert. And if they have a bar, I want in on that. Oh, hey, what kind of fashion are the women around here into?"

Nanami was very glad that his monthly salary would be paid soon. First, there had been the issue of her attire. The girl, Nami, was dressed for the beach, in a green bikini top and jeans. Nanami was now beginning to feel envious of the people who were coming through the portal. Judging from her talk of seas and map-making, the place she hailed from was obviously near the ocean.

Once they exited the facility, the young woman looked around her with interest. She twirled a strand of her flaming orange hair around one finger, a gesture she seemed to perform when she was about to ask for something. Just seeing it made him feel like a stomach ulcer was coming on.

"Well, this place looks sort of run down. Where are all the nice shops and the restaurants?"

"Not far from here, actually. But first, here."

He handed her his coat which she took, glancing at him curiously.

"We aren't close to the seaside. You may stand out dressed like that."

"Oh. All right then."

She shrugged and pulled on the coat, folding up the sleeves and tucking it into her jeans to form some kind of oversized fashion statement.

"Hmm. You've got good taste in clothes, at least." She wrinkled her nose. "But that tie of yours. Gross."

"It's not gross."

"Please. You look like an understated version of Trafalgar Law."

"Who?"

"Some guy who loves animal print. Yours looks like ... what animal print is that? A cow?"

"It's a random design," he countered stiffly. "Now please let's go. I'd like to eat soon."

Then, there was the question of her appetite. Nami could really pack away the food. He'd taken her to a simple cafe in the nearby area, despite her protests and demands for compensation with five-star dining. She settled down soon enough with a steaming cup of coffee and some pastries in front of her. Nanami also bought some sandwiches and a hot soup to keep things healthy. The facility they had cleared out had been rather frigid, and he would rather she didn't develop a chill.

"You said that you draw maps, correct?"

Nami nodded before scarfing down another pastry.

"One of the best. Here."

She slipped a piece of what looked like parchment from her pocket and slapped it down on the table.

"Take a look at that. Finest penmanship and accuracy this side of the four seas."

Namami looked over the small fragment. Granted, he wasn't familiar with the finer aspects of map-making, but the attention to detail and finesse certainly didn't escape his attention.

"And you're in this ... map-making endeavour alone?"

"Oh no."

Nanami could tell, from the way her expression immediately brightened and took on a softer cast, that she was telling the truth.

"I'm part of a crew. We're ... very close. We have each other's backs. They're all very strong and talented. Kind of like you."

"And the skeleton?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"All right, fine. That's Brook. The ship's musician."

"Interesting. And how does he - "

"Don't ask. Please."

"Very well. But, pardon my curiosity, does he play - "

"Yes, he plays the electric guitar. They call him 'Soul King' Brook."

"Fascinating."

He took her back to the facility when they had finished their meal. It had been roughly three hours, approximately the same amount of time that 'Soul King' Brook had spent in their world before the portal had re-opened.

Already, Nanami was feeling that strange sense of otherness, that hair-raising energy on the air that had heralded Navigator Nami's appearance. Soon enough, the storm that brought the inter-dimensional gate had made an appearance, the disturbance in space-time creating a warping effect that left one feeling a little queasy if they looked for too long.

Nami hopped fearlessly towards the portal and Nanami almost stopped her. How did she know that it was safe? How did she know for sure that it would take her back to her place of origin?

As if sensing his worries, the girl with bright orange hair winked and tapped the side of her nose.

"Are you stressing yourself out again, old man?"

"That's Nanami to you."

Her expression turned serious for a minute, taking him in.

"You should worry less, you know. Our Captain never cares about what tomorrow brings. I guess some people see that as reckless. Maybe even irresponsible. But I've spent enough time with him to understand a little better."

"Understand what?"

"Your dreams won't wait for you. Don't waste your life being ... cautious. Here."

She produced the fragment of map from her pocket once again.

"Keep this. Maybe one day, you'll find yourself on the Grand Line. And if you do, come look for the Straw Hat Pirates."

" ... pirates?"

But she was already halfway through the portal, her hair billowing in the energy stream.

"And thanks for the compensation! I'll keep this as a souvenir!"

Tongue out in her signature mischievous pose, Nami was holding something up between two fingers.

His wallet.

Clapping a hand to his pocket, Nanami sighed when he realised she had at least been thoughtful enough to leave his credit cards behind.

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halothenthehorns · 26 days

Text

Chapter 18: CHIRON THROWS A PARTY

Alex started shouting reading in delight, and only continued in that way, "and we all know Chiron's family throws the best parties!"

Annabeth was a third worried about Oceanus, a third worried about Percy, and a third worried about her eardrums as she gently tapered, "but Chiron's throwing the party. Perhaps he has something planned more mellow, with hot chocolate and Dean Martin."

"Odd time for a party if so," Magnus offered in peace.

Thalia was mildly impressed Alex couldn't get a hint off Annabeth about even rainbow afros in the near future. She really had her shit together.

Alex frowned at Annabeth killing her vibe but nodded and continued reading a touch more in the normal hearing range.

Midtown was a war zone. We flew over little skirmishes everywhere. A giant was ripping up trees in Bryant Park while dryads pelted him with nuts. Outside the Waldorf Astoria, a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin was whacking a hellhound with a rolled-up newspaper. A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of Rockefeller Center.

Those who had never been to New York just heard landmarks and monsters being smashed together like wrong puzzle pieces. They understood the gravity of what they were hearing, simply because of the look on Percy's face. As if every new crack he'd traveled over was a new vindication he sought.

I was tempted to stop and help, but I could tell from the smoke and noise that the real action had moved farther south. Our defenses were collapsing. The enemy was closing in on the Empire State Building.

The sense of gravitas in Alex's voice always did sound like she should have all attention around the campfire. Even those who were in the know had a way of listening in and left breathless at what was going to happen.

We did a quick sweep of the surrounding area. The Hunters had set up a defensive line on 37th, just three blocks north of Olympus. To the east on Park Avenue, Jake Mason and some other Hephaestus campers were leading an army of statues against the enemy. To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover's nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos's demigods. The south was clear for now, but the flanks of the enemy army were swinging around. A few more minutes and we'd be totally surrounded.

"We have to land where they need us most," I muttered.

That's everywhere, boss.

"We've only just started this one and the horse already gets the gold star," Jason looked pretty proud of Blackjack earning that.

Percy nodded seriously. "Right, so, our options include splitting the island in half and hoping Kronos takes the part that doesn't have the Empire State Building-"

"Pass," Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Or shutting the hell up, Jason, to see what we do about it," Percy concluded.

"I'm sort of leaning towards the first option though," Thalia said honestly, "like honestly, I'd just kind of like to see you try."

"You're all hopeless," Nico said in true bafflement how they'd survived this night.

"We're all heroes," Percy reminded with pride, "hopeful, hero, hhhh-" he stammered on another H word.

"Hobgoblins," Alex offered.

"Humanitarians," Magnus grinned.

"Honorable, hopeful, heroes," Jason offered, immediately getting back on Percy's good side as he gestured to him with a nod of thanks.

Alex huffed and called them all a bunch of hobgoblins before she continued.

I spotted a familiar silver owl banner in the southeast corner of the fight, 33rd at the Park Avenue tunnel. Annabeth and two of her siblings were holding back a Hyperborean giant.

"There!" I told Blackjack. He plunged toward the battle.

"No offense to Annabeth in the slightest," Will couldn't help but say through only slightly gritted teeth, "but that's really who you thought needed the most help?"

"No," Percy dismissed at once her injured shoulder had any play in this thought...even if he wouldn't deny it either. "I came to ask her like I would Chiron on top of that hill where forces needed me most."

I leaped off his back and landed on the giant's head. When the giant looked up, I slid off his face, shield-bashing his nose on the way down.

"RAWWWR!' The giant staggered backward, blue blood trickling from his nostrils.

"Does it taste like an Icee?" Alex grinned.

"I didn't lick it!" Percy yelped in disgust.

"Your loss," she shrugged.

I hit the pavement running. The Hyperborean breathed a cloud of white mist, and the temperature dropped. The spot where I'd landed was now coated with ice, and I was covered in frost like a sugar donut.

Alex laughed in delight that further sweets just reinforced her idea of these guys showing up in the next imagining she had of visiting Canada in a complete Willy Wonka mayhem.

"Hey, ugly!" Annabeth yelled. I hoped she was talking to the giant, not me.

"Both?" Magnus smirked.

"No Magnus," Annabeth chuckled, "I meant the giant."

"I don't know, the two looked pretty similar right then, that's not a great defense," Thalia smirked.

"You weren't there, shut it zappy," Percy huffed.

"I don't need to be there to know how you look covered in donut powder, I've witnessed that mess," she chuckled.

Blue Boy bellowed and turned toward her, exposing the unprotected back of his legs. I charged and stabbed him behind the knee.

"Just as planned," Annabeth told Will.

"You planned on Percy descending from above to stab that thing while you distracted him?" He asked in disbelief.

"He's very handy that way," Annabeth shrugged. "I wouldn't have even been surprised to see him tame that pig."

Will couldn't even be mad if they were joking. The two did work best together.

"WAAAAH!" The Hyperborean buckled. I waited for him to turn, but he froze. I mean he literally turned to solid ice. From the point where I'd stabbed him, cracks appeared in his body. They got larger and wider until the giant crumbled in a mountain of blue shards.*

"Why was that somehow more disturbing than turning to dust?" Magnus asked.

"More visually destructive," Alex said with relish.

"They won't turn to dust and vanish as fast," Nico agreed.

Magnus's frown grew as he realized they were right and decided to set aside for now why that did deeply bother him about all these monsters.

"Thanks." Annabeth winced, trying to catch her breath. "The pig?"

"Pork chops," I said.

"Good." She flexed her shoulder. Obviously, the wound was still bothering her, but she saw my expression and rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Percy. Come on! We've got plenty of enemies left."

She was right.

"Mmmmm," Annabeth closed her eyes and savored that.

"About the enemies, you only get to enjoy that half as much for not being fine in the shoulder," Percy huffed.

"Mm," Annabeth mocked, trying to sound just as savoring with a serious face.

The result caused them all to snicker like idiots.

The next hour was a blur. I fought like I'd never fought before—wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telkhines with every strike, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods. No matter how many I defeated, more took their place.

Percy had been fighting for his life since page one of this mess.

This felt like more. Heavier. Nine times out of ten Percy was outside of Camp facing down these threats, but this time Camp had come to defend his home, and it didn't feel like there was an end goal in sight this time of running them all out. Even if they won this day. More would always take their place.

Annabeth and I raced from block to block, trying to shore up our defenses. Too many of our friends lay wounded in the streets. Too many were missing.

Will fidgeted with the beads of his camp necklace. He officially had more than Micheal at the end of last summer. The assortment of colors always stood out on his neck when he looked in the mirror, like flashes of eyes he'd never see again.

As the night wore on and the moon got higher, we were backed up foot by foot until we were only a block from the Empire State Building in any direction. At one point Grover was next to me, bonking snake women over the head with his cudgel. Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Thalia at my side, driving the monsters back with the power of her magic shield. Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth, and flung him into the air like a Frisbee.

Annabeth used her invisibility cap to sneak behind the enemy lines. Whenever a monster disintegrated for no apparent reason with a surprised look on his face, I knew Annabeth had been there.

But it still wasn't enough.

Jason felt as if he were being held captive by his own mind. The sounds and smells flashing by to fast to get a real grasp on, the emotions that kept peaking and rolling back out of him while he sat in a green bean bag at the bottom of the ocean. He knew every flick of the wrist Percy had made, but everything felt a step off from truly connecting he felt a little madness creeping in what the heck his old life really was until he forced himself to focus on Alex reading with her whole self, Percy's manic grin, Thalia lounged out in her seat still fiddling with her bracelet. This was real, at least. These weren't moments a god could take away from him again. He wouldn't let it happen.

"Hold your lines!" Katie Gardner shouted, somewhere off to my left.

The problem was there were too few of us to hold anything. The entrance to Olympus was twenty feet behind me. A ring of brave demigods, Hunters, and nature spirits guarded the doors.

Alex's voice shook rarely, but it did now as she realized this was Rachel's drawing, again. Just popping up in Percy's near future. And she was on her way there...somehow. She kept it together well and barreled through the moment, still reading with a thrill in her voice for the idea of being in that action, but Magnus saw it.

I slashed and hacked, destroying everything m my path, but even I was getting tired, and I couldn't be everywhere at once.

Behind the enemy troops, a few blocks to the east, a bright light began to shine. I thought it was the sunrise. Then I realized Kronos was riding toward us on a golden chariot. A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners. The Titan lord looked fresh and rested, his powers at full strength. He was taking his time advancing, letting me wear myself down.

Alex felt the internal urge to puff up and hiss. To transform into a chimera and use all three heads to deal with this. To throw a slushie with some human teeth in all their faces. This entrapment down here really was starting to affect even her creativity when that's all that came to mind before she just audibly grumbled for a moment before moving on.

Annabeth appeared next to me. "We have to fall back to the doorway. Hold it at all costs!"

She was right. I was about to order a retreat when I heard the hunting horn.

It cut through the noise of the battle like a fire alarm. A chorus of horns answered from all around us, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan.

I glanced at Thalia, but she just frowned.

"Not the Hunters," she assured me. "We're all here."

Alex threw Annabeth a look of fond excitement. She'd known all along the party ponies were coming but had tried to tamper her expectations they weren't going to until the end of the chapter and perhaps only a handful of them would be there with more paintballs.

This, sounded like fun.

"No international league heading in?" Jason asked her, knowing the real answer, still imagining girls in kilts and bows showing up for his own amusement.

"Not unless I was finally unbanned from Saskatchewan," Thalia shrugged. "Long story," she promised at the many confused faces.

"Then who?"

The horns got louder. I couldn't tell where they were coming from because of the echo, but it sounded like an entire army was approaching.

Alex grinned. She read giddy, with such mayhem and delight it would have been infectious to Ethan or possibly even Kronos himself to get hyped about his own demise coming. Annabeth, at least, got a moment to smile and imagine Luke with that old challenging smile on his face to hear of an enemy being thwarted.

I was afraid it might be more enemies, but Kronos's forces looked as confused as we were. Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos's honor guard looked uneasy.

Then, to our left, a hundred monsters cried out at once. Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward.

I thought we were doomed, but they didn't attack. They ran straight past us and crashed into their southern allies.

Percy was already blinking like he was trying to get the dust out of his eyes. The monsters had already started to blur together by that time. The slightly different shades of their skin and the little details they each had in their armor had faded to nothing in his mind but where next to swing his sword. Seeing them run right past him, flee and then explode on their allies' own weapons, coating the streets in glittering sand that was dispersed moments later as more took their place amid those horns really messed with him and put in perspective while an entire army just watched in terror really had made him feel small for just that moment.

A new blast of horns shattered the night. The air shimmered. In a blur of movement, an entire cavalry appeared as if dropping out of light speed.

"Yeah, baby!" a voice wailed. "PARTY!"

A shower of arrows arced over our heads and slammed into the enemy, vaporizing hundreds of demons. But these weren't regular arrows. They made whizzy sounds as they flew, like WHEEEEEE! Some had pinwheels attached to them. Others had boxing gloves rather than points.

"Centaurs!" Annabeth yelled.

"So, I think the Party Ponies have arrived," Will said conversationally.

"And they're going to smash everything in their sight charged on the power of awesome!" Alex yelled like a child high on soda and cursed knowledge. They were already resigned to pissing off the ocean titan and letting her have her fun.

The Party Pony army exploded into our midst in a riot of colors: tie-dyed shirts, rainbow Afro wigs, oversize sunglasses, and war-painted faces. Some had slogans scrawled across their flanks like HORSEZ PWN or KRONOS SUX.

"That's going to be my license plate one day," Alex declared, reading each new thing as if a treasure trove of a lifetime. Maybe Loki Sux instead.

Hundreds of them filled the entire block. My brain couldn't process everything I saw, but I knew if I were the enemy, I'd be running.

"I'm so disappointed in your brain," Jason groaned. He wanted every messy detail of this just as bad.

"I am too," Percy nodded. He knew his friends loved this kind of stuff and really was sorry he couldn't give them better visuals. Stupid brain.

"Percy!" Chiron shouted across the sea of wild centaurs.

"Chiron and Percy, parting the sea of wild centaurs and creatures to get to each other," Thalia gave a mock sniff. "It's such an amazing story of mentor and mentee-"

"I'm going to turn you into a manatee," Percy scowled.

He was dressed in armor from the waist up, his bow in his hand, and he was grinning in satisfaction.

"I half imagined him showing up to this in his tweed jacket," Nico admitted.

"He's worn that once guys, while pretending to be a real teacher at my school," Percy chuckled.

"What do you mean a real teacher?" Annabeth looked at him in disappointment. "He's literally the trainer of all hero's seaweed brain."

"Like, grading papers, and Paul- no, but- boring, no," Percy groaned that wasn't right either and waved at Alex to just get back to the fun stuff.

"Sorry we're late!"

"DUDE!" Another centaur yelled. "Talk later. WASTE MONSTERS NOW!"

"That centaur knows how to live," Alex nodded in agreement.

"We haven't slayed one monster in here," Percy agreed in mild disappointment. "Guys, do we talk to much?!"

"Yes," they all agreed, not that it was going to stop a single one of them.

He locked and loaded a double-barrel paint gun and blasted an enemy hellhound bright pink. The paint must've been mixed with Celestial bronze dust or something, because as soon as it splattered the hellhound, the monster yelped and dissolved into a pink-and-black puddle.

Alex's laugh was subdued at best, even for that badass moment though. She couldn't recklessly laugh at that harm done anymore without picturing Mrs. O'Leary crossing her paws over her nose in Percy's apartment. Even Magnus couldn't have a vindictive laugh over this happening to a monster dog with that look on her face.

"PARTY PONIES.'" a centaur yelled. "SOUTH FLORIDA!"

"As opposed to North Florida?" Jason asked blankly.

"Bet the Flordia Georgia line is an epic meet-up spot?" Percy shrugged.

Somewhere across the battlefield, a twangy voice yelled back, "HEART OF TEXAS CHAPTER!"

Will pressed his hand to his heart and started humming something. Nico just thought what a lovable dork he was no matter the song.

"HAWAII OWNS YOUR FACES!" a third one shouted.

It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Annabeth tried hard to hitch up a mock sob, but it came out to much as a laugh to be anything more than adorable to Percy.

The entire Titan army turned and fled, pushed back by a flood of paintballs, arrows, swords, and NERF baseball bats. The centaurs trampled everything in their path.

"Run, wild horses, run!" Will said with a static kind of energy that got the others just as hyped as Alex could. He'd been running around trying to ensure the sick and injured had gotten inside first, he'd been snatching up supplies so fast the Stolls would have been proud, he'd been having to deal with his own chaos and really hadn't even been aware these guys showed up until one tapped him on the shoulder and offered help. He was pretty sure it was one from Colorado and had still instantly said yes without question.

"Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and ACKK!"

Alex really drew that noise out too, making it sound wet and painful, leaving no one in doubt Kronos had not managed to finish saying the word attack.

That last part was because a panicked Hyperborean giant stumbled backward and sat on top of him.

The lord of time disappeared under a giant blue butt.

Through an effort Hercules would never bother with, Percy refused to let himself laugh at that like most everyone else did as Annabeth bit her lip. He was pretty sure that should earn him a free pass for laughing at something inappropriate in the future. Jason might even laminate it for him.

We pushed them for several blocks until Chiron yelled, "HOLD! On your promise, HOLD!"

It wasn't easy, but eventually the order got relayed up and down the ranks of centaurs, and they started to pull back, letting the enemy flee.

Thalia's face was flushed with joy, still panting just a bit from her laughter at Luke's stupid face vanishing under an icy ass like he wholly deserved, the ghost of adrenaline she hadn't properly felt in days still pumping through her. Once this high had worn off she'd been so exhausted she'd nearly fallen asleep climbing some stairs!

"Chiron's smart," Annabeth said, wiping the sweat off her face. "If we pursue, we'll get too spread out. We need to regroup."

"I mean, yeah, but," Alex gestured to the book and the chaos being taken away.

"I'll personally sign you up for the next scavenger hunt at Camp, nothing gets more chaotic than that," Annabeth promised.

"Deal," Alex shrugged without further ado.

"But the enemy—"

"They're not defeated," she agreed. "But the dawn is coming. At least we've bought some time."

I didn't like pulling back, but I knew she was right.

"How to sum up them dating," Will and Nico said at once before they both busted out laughing. Annabeth and Percy exchanged unamused looks at this somehow continuing long past the point it was funny, but as constantly proven, they knew when to pick their battles.

I watched as the last of the telkhines scuttled toward the East River. Then reluctantly I turned and headed back toward the Empire State Building.

We set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron informed us that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union: forty from California, two from Rhode Island,

"Rhode Island slacking," Alex sniffed. "It's right next door!"

"They're, congressional appointments, of centaurs," Magnus said in fascination. "Like, they sent some by population? Is there a centaur president?"

"Ah, no," Annabeth shook her head with a smile. "Don't overthink it cuz."

"Right," he chuckled, imagining that would be Chiron anyways and he already knew what a hectic leader that guy was.

thirty from Illinois . . . Roughly five hundred total had answered his call, but even with that many, we couldn't defend more than a few blocks.

"Just topple over one unoccupied building, that's all I'm asking for," Alex crossed her fingers hopefully. "Brick launcher grenade gun!"

"They could too," Jason said with mingled dread and delight for that idea.

"Dude," said a centaur named Larry. His T-shirt identified him as BIG CHIEF UBER GUY, NEW MEXICO CHAPTER.

"Are all the Hells Angels just secretly centaurs? Is there a centaur gang?" Percy asked.

"The only turf war they'd have is best licorice supply runs, I think we're safe from that," Annabeth shrugged.

"That was more fun than our last convention in Vegas!"

"Yeah," said Owen from South Dakota. He wore a black leather jacket and an old WWII army helmet. "We totally wasted them!"

Chiron patted Owen on the back. "You did well, my friends, but don't get careless. Kronos should never be underestimated. Now why don't you visit the diner on West 33rd and get some breakfast? I hear the Delaware chapter found a stash of root beer."

"Root beer!" They almost trampled each other as they galloped off.

"I got it," Thalia snapped her fingers, "they argue over which brand is better and that's why they all have to live separately!"

"How many brands of root beer are there?" Percy asked blankly.

"3,192," Alex said without hesitation.

There was a long pause before nobody decided to ask how serious that answer was.

Chiron smiled. Annabeth gave him a big hug, and Mrs. O'Leary licked his face.

"Ack," he grumbled. "Enough of that, dog. Yes, I'm glad to see you too."

"Chiron, thanks," I said. "Talk about saving the day."

He shrugged.

Nico smacked the side of his head. "I finally figured out where you got it from!"

"Yeah Nico, after the second time you've saved the world, it is kind of not a big deal," Percy shrugged.

Nico wouldn't know. He'd only kind of helped once.

"I'm sorry it took so long. Centaurs travel fast, as you know. We can bend distance as we ride. Even so, getting all the centaurs together was no easy task. The Party Ponies are not exactly organized."

"Noooo, say it ain't so!" Magnus chuckled.

"I mean, they're about as organized as Percy's camp, aka being held together by an awesome speech and the thrill of surprise attacks," Alex nodded. "I think it works."

Percy kind of wanted to be offended, but like, she wasn't wrong.

"And a sense of family, loyalty, duty?" Annabeth prompted with a frown.

"Don't forget the duct tape," Thalia chuckled as Will hid his wince. Maybe Annabeth wouldn't admit they'd been fighting family amidst those monsters, but he didn't forget.

"How'd you get through the magic defenses around the city?" Annabeth asked.

"They slowed us down a bit," Chiron admitted, "but I think they're intended mostly to keep mortals out. Kronos doesn't want puny humans getting in the way of his great victory."

"So maybe other reinforcements can get through," I said hopefully.

"What other reinforcements are there?" Jason asked critically. He didn't mean to sound so sharp, but he did all the same. There was an electric storm still simmering in his brain that felt like it was zapping every part of him from the inside if he tried to concentrate on any blurry idea to long and it was giving him a serious headache.

Chiron stroked his beard. "Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side . . ."

I understood what he meant. Kronos wasn't beaten. Not by a long shot. I half hoped Kronos had been squashed under that Hyperborean giant's butt, but I knew better. He'd be back, tonight at the latest.

"Well there goes my master plan," Alex sighed. "All those years of practice training that guy to squash things with his ass, wasted."

"Have no fears Alex, you'll move onto your next passion project soon," Magnus said with complete confidence.

"Yeah," she agreed with a longing sigh all the same.

"And Typhon?" I asked.

Chiron's face darkened. "The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon smashed his chariot, and the wine god went down somewhere in the Appalachians.

Nico spluttered on a painful sounding laugh. "Even Chiron calls him the wine dude?"

"The wine god," Will corrected in a posh voice. "And I'm sure Mr. D's threatened to turn him into a table a few times for it."

No one has seen him since. Hephaestus is out of action as well. He was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia.

"I really hope some mortal thinks that's an asteroid bringing the dinosaurs back," Percy laughed.

"Percy, no," but Annabeth stopped with a sigh and let him have his fun.

He will heal, but not soon enough to help. The others still fight. They've managed to slow Typhon's approach. But the monster can not be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow. Once he and Kronos combine forces—"

That's all they'd been hearing of this problem from the start, and it somehow just got worse every time they heard it. Even if, beyond all hope, Percy had somehow stopped Kronos with one stupid decision, how the heck had that been stopped?!

"Then what chance do we have?" I said. "We can't hold out another day."

"We'll have to," Thalia said. "I'll see about setting some new traps around the perimeter."

She looked exhausted. Her jacket was smeared in grime and monster dust, but she managed to get to her feet and stagger off.

Annabeth had watched her go with such a tight pain in her throat she wondered if she'd accidentally swallowed some monster dust. Thalia hadn't even glanced back at her. She'd gone off to do her next task with the stoic, stiff shoulders of Luke watching them fall asleep and promising to get more firewood.

"I will help her," Chiron decided. "I should make sure my brethren don't go too overboard with the root beer."

"No such thing as too much fun," Alex huffed.

"I'd believe you'd find it even before the Party Ponies," Annabeth agreed.

I thought "too overboard" pretty much summed up the Party Ponies, but Chiron cantered off, leaving Annabeth and me alone.

"That was strategic," Annabeth huffed how unsubtle he was. She owed him a good nerf arrow.

"I know right, he just got there and he's already running off again," Percy huffed with a frown what on earth he meant by it. He would have thought Chiron would want to stay and chat for more of an update.

She cleaned the monster slime off her knife. I'd seen her do that hundreds of times, but I'd never thought about why she cared so much about the blade.

"Not really something I ever would have questioned," Alex shrugged. "I notice you never clean your blade Percy. Just because it's magic doesn't mean it might not like a good polish every once in a while."

Percy rubbed awkwardly at his nose and had nothing to say to that.

Jason suddenly felt the strong smell of polish in his nose and had an odd deja vu moment of being in an armory doing just this and smiled. He turned eagerly to Nico and asked, "how do you polish your sword?"

Nico grinned and started talking about more deadly rivers that could probably do worse to you than wipe your memory or kill you, like put gravel in your shoes or something worse, but Percy was distracted from listening by still watching Annabeth until someone shut the pair up.

She'd spent the entire time fiddling nervously with her hair, a long lost look in her eyes. He finally let the impulse win and traced the side of her neck with a question in his eyes. What the hell had she been through while he'd been away?

Annabeth caught his fingers and smiled but shook her head. Not now. That was okay. He'd wait as long as she needed.

"At least your mom is okay," I offered.

"If you call fighting Typhon okay." She locked eyes with me. "Percy, even with the centaurs' help, I'm starting to think—"

"I know." I had a bad feeling this might be our last chance to talk, and I felt like there were a million things I hadn't told her.

Athena, her stoic, absent mother, was far from her highest concern, Annabeth shook her head. Though of course her brain had been able to process plenty of concern all around. Chiron darting in and out and around everyone while sparing her a smile first had been that way since she'd arrived. Her dad was on the other side of the country, safe away from the monsters, from her.

It had been Percy she'd wanted, and him who had stayed right there.

"Listen, there were some . . . some visions Hestia showed me."

"You mean about Luke?"

Maybe it was just a safe guess, but I got the feeling Annabeth knew what I'd been holding back.

"I always just assume Annabeth can read your mind and has just been politely not informing you," Magnus nodded.

"That's not polite," Percy frowned.

"Um, or possible," Annabeth gave them a strange look.

"Right, that too," Percy waved off.

Maybe she'd been having dreams of her own.

"She's been having dreams about your dreams?" Will asked excitedly. "Dreamception?"

"This is somebody's nightmare around here," Nico rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," I said. "You and Thalia and Luke. The first time you met. And the time you met Hermes."

Annabeth slipped her knife back into its sheath. "Luke promised he'd never let me get hurt. He said ... he said we'd be a new family, and it would turn out better than his."

"Which, isn't going well," Magnus said in the kindest, most respectful voice anyone could make that sound.

"Right on the money," Annabeth nodded slowly as she leaned back into Percy's side, fingers still linked together. She really didn't know what she'd do without him in all this.

Her eyes reminded me of that seven-year-old girl's in the alley—angry, scared, desperate for a friend.

Thalia bit back a miserable sigh at how much she'd failed her too. Never on purpose, but enough that she wasn't in this moment and felt every hammer swing she deserved for it in the heart.

Annabeth sighed and gave her a good hard nudge with her foot. She wasn't going to let Thalia keep blaming herself for all that happened since then. There was enough to go around.

"That I can't face Luke," she said miserably.

"Hey, look how well you know me though," Thalia said with a genuine smile.

"Yes, your faith in me is everything," Annabeth said with a sad, sarcastic smile.

Thalia tipped her head and looked back at the book with the unsettling feeling this was about to get worse.

I nodded. "But there's something else you should know. Ethan Nakamura seemed to think Luke was still alive inside his body, maybe even fighting Kronos for control."

Annabeth tried to hide it, but I could almost see her mind working on the possibilities, maybe starting to hope.

Thalia let out a puff of breath and looked into her miserable eyes. "I'm not happy to be right you know."

"Well that's always good to know," Annabeth nodded as the two watched each other for a few moments before looking away.

"I didn't want to tell you," I admitted.

"But you did," Annabeth said in relief, just for him. He kissed her temple and couldn't think of anything else to say, but it was more than enough for her.

She looked up at the Empire State Building. "Percy, for so much of my life, I felt like everything was changing, all the time. I didn't have anyone I could rely on."

I nodded. That was something most demigods could understand.

'Most, but not him,' Will shook his head. He'd wondered a lot during this if Percy really knew how good he had it, the best of both worlds in his parents, all three of them.

"I ran away when I was seven," she said. "Then with Luke and Thalia, I thought I'd found a family, but it fell apart almost immediately. What I'm saying . . . I hate it when people let me down, when things are temporary. I think that's why I want to be an architect."

"To build something permanent," I said. "A monument to last a thousand years."

She held my eyes. "I guess that sounds like my fatal flaw again."

Most everyone around Camp knew that that was 'her thing.' Her go to if someone had a project, her specialty. Someone who was even paying attention could probably even piece together that was her fatal flaw.

Percy was still the only one she ever talked about this with. The one who made her feel like she could tell him anything and he'd never judge her for it. He'd shared his mortal spot with her. How could she ever be afraid to share anything with him?

Years ago in the Sea of Monsters, Annabeth had told me her biggest flaw was pride—thinking she could fix anything. I'd even seen a glimpse of her deepest desire, shown to her by the Sirens' magic.

Annabeth had imagined her mother and father together, standing in front of a newly rebuilt Manhattan, designed by Annabeth. And Luke had been there too—good again, welcoming her home.

"I guess I understand how you feel," I said.

"Liar," Annabeth chuckled.

"Yeah," Percy agreed. He knew he'd never understand every part of her, but he did try.

"But Thalia's right. Luke has already betrayed you so many times. He was evil even before Kronos. I don't want him to hurt you anymore."

Annabeth pursed her lips. I could tell she was trying not to get mad.

"And that was going so well," Jason said in surprise. She hadn't even pulled her knife back out.

"Yeah, first time for everything," Percy agreed in surprise.

"And you'll understand if I keep hoping there's a chance you're wrong."

I looked away. I felt like I'd done my best, but that didn't make me feel any better.

Annabeth struggled to swallow as his hand held hers tight enough to never let go. Gods this somehow kept feeling worse the longer they were dragged over each letter.

Across the street, the Apollo campers had set up a field hospital to tend the wounded—dozens of campers and almost as many Hunters. I was watching the medics work, and thinking about our slim chances for holding Mount Olympus. . . .

And suddenly: I wasn't there anymore.

I was standing in a long dingy bar with black walls, neon signs, and a bunch of partying adults. A banner across the bar read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOBBY EARL. Country music played on the speakers.

"Friends in Low Places?" Magnus nodded without surprise. It was barely even a shock to his system Percy had just been yanked out of his own head to deal with another gods mess.

"Does any other country song exist?" Percy chuckled.

Will opened his mouth with a pained look at the pair before closing it slowly, knowing that rant would fall on deaf ears.

Big guys in jeans and work shirts crowded the bar. Waitresses carried trays of drinks and shouted at each other. It was pretty much exactly the kind of place my mom would never let me go.

"In public?" Thalia said in understanding.

"Places where alcohol and those outfits are in one room," Percy huffed. "Mostly the alcohol!"

"We need to get him drunk one of these days, just to see if it'll finally be the thing to piss of Sally," Thalia rolled her eyes.

Somebody was clearly in a terrible mood. "Pass," Percy said at once. The stench reminded him of Gabe without even bothering to indulge the other stupid part of that.

I was stuck in the very back of the room, next to the bathrooms (which didn't smell so great) and a couple of antique arcade games.

"Oh good, you're here," said the man at the Pac-Man machine. "I'll have a Diet Coke."

He was a pudgy guy in a leopard-skin Hawaiian shirt, purple shorts, red running shoes, and black socks, which didn't exactly make him blend in with the crowd. His nose was bright red. A bandage was wrapped around his curly black hair like he was recovering from a concussion.

"So he blended right in like a sore thumb," Nico said, blinking spastically at the setting.

"Accurate," Percy nodded.

I blinked. "Mr. D?"

He sighed, not taking his eyes from the game. "Really, Peter Johnson, how long will it take for you to recognize me on sight?"

"About the same time as when he gets his halo," Alex rolled her eyes.

"About as long as it'll take for you to figure out my name," I muttered.

"Oh, so much never!" Magnus laughed, clasping his hands together in mock praise.

"An infinite amount of never, that's the answer to some riddle out there," Percy laughed along.

"Where are we?"

"Why, Bobby Earl's birthday party," Dionysus said. "Somewhere in lovely rural America."

"It's not a very lost Lestragonian is it?" Nico asked, vividly remembering their names had a similar ring.

"Don't stereotype Nico, lots of normal people have names like Earl, and they're just your everyday pieces of crap," Will rolled his eyes hard. If they were going to make jokes about the South he might as well get his digs in with another classic country song coming to mind.

"I thought Typhon swatted you out of the sky. They said you crash-landed."

"Yes, but Chiron never said where," Jason agreed. "Why wouldn't he land in a bar? Makes sense to me. Bars have wine."

"They're not magnetically drawn to their domain when they crash land," Annabeth sighed.

"Yeah, but I bet you anything if Hepahsuts had drawn me in for a one-on-one, I'd find myself in a very tiny tool shed with him throwing saws around and complaining about their dullness matching mine," Percy sighed.

"Your concern is touching. I did crash-land. Very painfully. In fact, part of me is still buried under a hundred feet of rubble in an abandoned coal mine.

"Huh," Percy and Jason said together with interest they'd been wrong.

Annabeth just smiled and rolled her eyes at these idiots.

It will be several more hours before I have enough strength to mend. But in the meantime, part of my consciousness is here."

"At a bar, playing Pac-Man."

"You sound a tad jealous," Alex chuckled.

"Eh, I prefer Street Fighter eating my quarters," Percy shrugged. There was a retro arcade not far from one of his favorite movie places he didn't get to visit enough, but his high score was still in the top ten.

"Party time," Dionysus said. "Surely you've heard of it. Wherever there is a party, my presence is invoked.

Percy yelped and covered his ears at the idea of such a future pain in his ass. "I take it all back! Alex and anyone else is forbidden from ever throwing me a party!"

"Awww, come on Perce, I promise to keep him in the back with an arcade machine," Alex looked like a kicked puppy.

Percy's heart instantly crumbled. "Yeah, well, fine, but nobody had better involve singing."

"Deal," she instantly agreed. She winked at Will though when he looked away, who instantly grinned back.

Because of this, I can exist in many different places at once. The only problem was finding a party. I don't know if you're aware how serious things are outside your safe little bubble of New York—"

"Safe little bubble?"

"Come on Percy, you'd know this was a trap if he wasn't delusional on all that partying," Thalia shook her head at him.

"Yeah, yeah, one thing is normal in this crazy world," Percy huffed.

"—but believe me, the mortals out here in the heartland are panicking. Typhon has terrified them. Very few are throwing parties. Apparently Bobby Earl and his friends, bless them, are a little slow. They haven't yet figured out that the world is ending."

"Don't know what he's on about, sounds like the perfect time to throw a party," Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, that tracks," Jason nodded without surprise.

"So . . . I'm not really here?"

Magnus couldn't even be upset and surprised that Percy had legitimately thought he'd just been yanked off the street like that. Considering where he'd woken up without memories. It really wasn't that far-fetched.

"No. In a moment I'll send you back to your normal insignificant life, and it will be as if nothing had happened."

"Yes please," Percy sighed. He might even be grateful for a memory wipe!

...unless Dionysus had gone to far. That actually seemed likely.

"And why did you bring me here?"

Dionysus snorted. "Oh, I didn't want you particularly. Any of you silly heroes would do. That Annie girl—"

"Annabeth."

"The point is," he said, "I pulled you into party time to deliver a warning. We are in danger."

There was another long, awkward pause where even Alex looked disconcerted because she hadn't caused it this time.

"As opposed to?" Percy finally asked into the silence.

"Um, Norwegia? Do they have anything bad going on right now?" Nico finally answered.

"To hell if I know!" Percy threw his hands up, long overdone with these gods making no sense and expecting him to keep up.

"Gee," I said. "Never would've figured that out. Thanks."

"Can't say he never helped guide you," Will chuckled.

"Yes I can," Percy huffed.

"It would just be a lie?" Will tried in vain.

"No Will, I know full well when I'm lying," Percy smirked.

He glared at me and momentarily forgot his game. Pac-Man got eaten by the red ghost dude.

"Erre es korakas, Blinky!" Dionysus cursed. "I will have your soul!"

"Appropriate reaction to be honest," Jason nodded.

"Competitive streak, locked and loaded," Percy pointed at him accusingly.

"I, well maybe, I don't know," Jason frowned before he shrugged and decided against arguing the point. He had a strange feeling he'd once strangled someone with a controller, but he wasn't sure if it was a monster or not and that was kind of bothersome.

"Was nobody going to translate that awesome Greek cuss so I know what I'm saying when I use it?" Alex pouted.

"He said go to the crows too," Nico offered with the same helpful smile as the first time.

"Oh, I see, now I know where she got it from," Alex grinned at Annabeth, who didn't bother to look embarrassed as she shrugged.

"Um, he's a video game character," I said.

"That's no excuse! And you're ruining my game, Jorgenson!"

"Jackson."

"Whichever!

"No, no, Percy Jorgenson should very much be discussed more. What's his life like?" Magnus chuckled.

"Going to Giants games, living his best life I assume," Percy sighed.

Now listen, the situation is graver than you imagine. If Olympus falls, not only will the gods fade, but everything that is connected to our legacy will also begin to unravel. The very fabric of your puny little civilization—"

The game played a song and Mr. D progressed to level 254.

"Ha!" he shouted. "Take that, you pixelated fiends!"

"Um, fabric of civilization," I prompted.

"And Pac-Man is a part of that, gosh Percy, let the man prioritize his way," Jason grinned.

"I'll set Blinky on you, don't test me," Percy promised.

"Yes, yes. Your entire society will dissolve. Perhaps not right away, but mark my words, the chaos of the Titans will mean the end of Western civilization. Art, law, wine tastings, music, video games, silk shirts, black velvet paintings—all the things that make life worth living will disappear!"

"This is not news," Thalia frowned as she looked from the book to Percy. "He didn't really think you were tempted by Prometheus did he?"

Percy shivered, something tight lodged in his throat. He couldn't breathe for several moments as his head swam, that stupid jar leaping to mind strapped into the backseat of a car-

Annabeth put her arm around his shoulders. She held him close as he leaned into her for the stability he desperately needed right now as his head swam without the rest of him.

She ran her fingers gently through his hair until his breathing labored into something more even and Alex kept going without question.

"So why aren't the gods rushing back to help us?" I said. "We should combine forces at Olympus. Forget Typhon."

He snapped his fingers impatiently. "You forgot my Diet Coke."

"Gods, you're annoying." I got the attention of a waitress and ordered the stupid soda. I put it on Bobby Earl's tab.

"Is that illegal?" Magnus frowned. "It feels like that should be illegal."

"I honestly don't think anyone here knows," Will admitted. None of them were exactly law-abiding citizens on the regular.

"Fair enough," he nodded.

Mr. D took a good long drink. His eyes never left the video game. "The truth is, Pierre—"

"Percy."

"Posey," Thalia offered with a smirk at Percy, who groaned in dismay. He just knew she'd find a way to tell his dad he'd once accidentally called him that.

"Nah, got to give him one thing, he's never called Percy a Polly," Alex said in delight. "I was thinking Peitro though, or Picholo."

"I'm so glad I wasn't named after an instrument," Percy frowned and knew he owed his mother yet another thanks in his life.

"—the other gods would never admit this, but we actually need you mortals to rescue Olympus. You see, we are manifestations of your culture. If you don't care enough to save Olympus yourselves—"

"Like Pan," I said, "depending on the satyrs to save the Wild."

"Yes, quite. I will deny I ever said this, of course, but the gods need heroes. They always have. Otherwise we would not keep you annoying little brats around."

"I feel so wanted. Thanks."

"You really should," Annabeth was blinking at him like a new riddle to solve. "I don't think he's ever said that out loud. You must have done something during the battle to really get his attention Percy." Short of creating an ocean of Diet Coke, she couldn't think what he'd done to earn this audience.

Percy realized he hadn't yet mentioned the bit where Dionysus had pulled him aside and basically told him he'd cured Chirs and he was sad his son was dead. It was one of those things he was used to the others all knowing. He'd kind of become Mr. D's fall guy for the entire camp after that he supposed. The good and the bad.

"Use the training I have given you at camp."

"What training?"

"You know. All those hero techniques and . . . No!" Mr. D slapped the game console. "Na pari i eychi! The last level!"

"And that means?" Alex asked eagerly, this time looking around at Nico expectantly.

Nico grinned in a way that already made Will blush before he said, "that one's something more in line with what Will would call Hera."

"Ah, fantastic update, thank you," she chuckled while Will sighed without much regret that was never going to die.

He looked at me, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. "As I recall, I once predicted you would turn out to be as selfish as all the other human heroes. Well, here is your chance to prove me wrong."

"Yeah, making you proud is real high on my list."

"Like, right up there with getting kissed by an empousa," Thalia said in a really good simpering act.

Percy high fived her in agreement and Annabeth really kept telling herself she should move so they'd stop doing that across her face.

"You must save Olympus, Pedro!

"Remind me to send Pedro a thank you gift," Percy rolled his eyes.

"Sounds like you might have to learn some Spanish, personally I'd just take credit for it," Jason shrugged.

Leave Typhon to the Olympians and save our own seats of power. It must be done!"

"Great. Nice little chat. Now, if you don't mind, my friends will be wondering—"

"There is more," Mr. D warned.

"Oh thank gods," Magnus clutched at his shirt over his heart. "This just wasn't dire enough yet!"

Alex patted his shoulder and knew in that moment he'd love a good theater camp.

"Kronos has not yet attained full power. The body of the mortal was only a temporary measure."

Annabeth licked her suddenly dry lips as her eyes darted around like she expected to find an angry mob with pitchforks appearing out of nowhere. It made no rational explanation, she kept trying to scold herself, but that did no good. She half expected them all to laugh at her, to throw in her face they'd known all along that Luke was just a pawn, a means to an end, and he'd deserved this.

None did, and she started feeling dizzy with her own relief until Percy put his arm around her in turn until she caught her breath and her eyes stopped burning so bad. Gods she missed Luke so much.

"We kind of guessed that."

"And did you also guess that within a day at most, Kronos will burn away that mortal body and take on the true form of a Titan king?"

"And that would mean . . ."

Dionysus inserted another quarter. "You know about the true forms of the gods."

"Yeah. You can't look at them without burning up."

"Kronos would be ten times more powerful. His very presence would incinerate you. And once he achieves this, he will empower the other Titans. They are weak now, compared to what they will soon become, unless you can stop them. The world will fall, the gods will die, and I will never achieve a perfect score on this stupid machine."

Alex read all of that without to much surprise. It really was a constant case of, 'how could this get any worse?' and then she got her answer and just moved on. It had kind of been the track record of her whole life anyways.

Nobody was really up for arguing the point with her. It's not like it was new information anymore than, 'Percy needed to save the world or we'd all be dead.'

Maybe I should've been terrified, but honestly, I was already about as scared as I could get.

Jason mock rummaged around in his pockets. "Hang on, I have a meter I need to check for that."

"Where haven't I threatened to shove that yet?" Percy tapped his chin, before he snapped his fingers. "Ah, into your belly button!"

Jason theatrically covered his stomach with a horrified expression and the two idiots chuckled for a moment while Thalia and Annabeth exchanged bemused looks.

"Can I go now?" I asked.

"One last thing. My son Pollux. Is he alive?"

Alex really hated herself for the emotion that gripped her voice. That her mind flashed to her father for just a second, then Loki, before she slammed her fist into an already destroyed washing machine in her mind that made something fall out with a clunk to scatter those stupid images away. She knew what she was telling herself, it wasn't denial, it was just anger it wouldn't go away.

I blinked. "Yeah, last I saw him."

"I would very much appreciate it if you could keep him that way. I lost his brother Castor last year—"

"I remember." I stared at him, trying to wrap my mind around the idea that Dionysus could be a caring father. I wondered how many other Olympians were thinking about their demigod children right now.

Will caught Percy's eye and held it to let him know he wasn't alone. That he'd really felt that, been thinking it too. He'd wondered how useless his prayers were while sending them to his dad. The fact that Mr. D even bothered to pull one camper aside to check in, in his own way, really made him believe for a moment that even if he hadn't gotten an answer, his prayers had been heard.

Or that Pollux hadn't been making any.

And he wasn't sure which it was.

"I'll do my best."

Magnus heard that as, when he went to visit his cousin there, he should expect to see a pudgy blonde kid chilling at a cabin alone. The one with grapevines all over it probably. Percy's best wasn't always the solution to everyone coming out alive, but it was as close as he'd ever expect.

"Your best," Dionysus muttered. "Well, isn't that reassuring. Go now. You have some nasty surprises to deal with, and I must defeat Blinky!"

"Nasty surprises?"

He waved his hand, and the bar disappeared.

"Would the gods stop doing at least that," Percy heard it in his own voice, tried to reign in the reverberating power that could easily topple the room they were in, but man was it heard. "If they know something helpful, next time start with that!"

It took every bit of his concentration not to form his hands into fists and draw Riptide and figure out how to go back to his subconscious or whatever and at least break that stupid machine!

"I don't think their brains are exactly linear like ours Percy," Annabeth reminded patiently.

"Then I'm going to start the conversation by setting three alarms so they think they're running out of time and actually tell me this stuff while the first two to go off! The third one's because I'm positive I'll actually want them to stop talking by then," Percy sighed.

"Good plan. Hope it works out for you," Annabeth sighed right with him at whatever god he decided to test this theory on.

I was back on Fifth Avenue. Annabeth hadn't moved. She didn't give any sign that I'd been gone or anything.

She caught me staring and frowned. "What?"

"Um . . . nothing, I guess."

"That really was nothing to you too," Magnus sighed. Just another day in the life of Percy Jackson, being dragged across the country only in his head to have a conversation with the wine dude who also wasn't really there!

"I know the important things in my life," Percy grinned.

I gazed down the avenue, wondering what Mr. D had meant by nasty surprises. How much worse could it get?

Magnus felt the urge to cover his eyes and whimper pre-monster arrival. Just to get it out of the way now.

My eyes rested on a beat-up blue car. The hood was badly dented, like somebody had tried to hammer out some huge craters. My skin tingled. Why did that car look so familiar? Then I realized it was a Prius.

Paul's Prius.

With every new descriptor Alex's voice had gotten a little quieter, a little more shaken. This wasn't her spooky, telling ghost stories over a fire voice where she tried to make herself sound scared to up the mood. She was legitimately upset at realizing Percy's parents could be hurt much more than some dents in the hood of a car, and Percy was as touched as he suddenly was panicked. It was a very strange feeling that stole his spurt of action but left him feeling sick with the need to do something.

I bolted down the street.

"Percy!" Annabeth called. "Where are you going?"

Paul was passed out in the driver's seat. My mom was snoring beside him. My mind felt like mush.

The fact that she was asleep was of interest to note to those not in the know, but not enough to do more than exchange surprised looks.

Rachel was on her way there, and she'd be asleep for whatever message she wanted to deliver. That was yet another disaster on the horizon while he was processing this one with his face an entire mask of pain.

How had I not seen them before? They'd been sitting here in traffic for over a day, the battle raging around them, and I hadn't even noticed.

"We don't come with built in radars Percy," Annabeth gently reminded as they held each other's hands so tight. "I've tested."

Percy gave her a shaky smile, his mind a complete mess he expected to collapse any second. They'd possibly have to start this all over again and build himself back from the ground up. But she kept smiling back and didn't let go, so that was okay.

"They . . . they must've seen those blue lights in the sky." I rattled the doors but they were locked. "I need to get them out."

"Percy," Annabeth said gently.

"I can't leave them here!" I sounded a little crazy. I pounded on the windshield. "I have to move them. I have to—"

"Percy, just . . . just hold on." Annabeth waved to Chiron, who was talking to some centaurs down the block. "We can push the car to a side street, all right? They're going to be fine."

My hands trembled. After all I'd been through over the last few days, I felt so stupid and weak, but the sight of my parents made me want to break down.

Percy had been scared plenty of times over the course of this, but it was usually coupled in with adrenaline and determination and anger. The kind of grit that made him defeat the next monster, gave him the strength to know that even if he hadn't saved everyone from his past at least he'd never forget them again and try not to make the same mistakes.

This is how Kronos could have defeated him all along, he could feel it in his bones. Yet mortals were beneath his notice, and so she'd sat by untouched but always there at the heart of all this.

Chiron galloped over. "What's . . . Oh dear. I see."

"They were coming to find me," I said. "My mom must've sensed something was wrong."

"Most likely," Chiron said. "But, Percy, they will be fine. The best thing we can do for them is stay focused on our job."

Then I noticed something in the backseat of the Prius, and my heart skipped a beat. Seat-belted behind my mother was a black-and-white Greek jar about three feet tall. Its lid was wrapped in a leather harness.

Percy glowered at the book in the kind of way that made Alex confident he wanted to throw the book in her hands out of the ocean and possibly her along with it if she held on to tight. She ignored it best she could and relied on Annabeth and Thalia to remind him why that was a bad idea. She'd actually never done something like that before, but hey, first time for everything.

"No way," I muttered.

Annabeth pressed her hand to the window. "That's impossible! I thought you left that at the Plaza."

"Locked in a vault," I agreed.

"How do you put something in a vault wrong Thalia?" Jason decided not to let that moment pass without a tease.

"When Percy's involved," she said with a straight face. "It was his magic item and he set me up to fail."

"I'm sure you deserve it for something," but Percy was so jittery he couldn't think straight, couldn't think up one instance over the past where she'd messed with him. All his mind could latch onto was his mom, dropping him off at another new school with another hopeful smile, the songs she'd hum while she was baking, the dark circles under her eyes and the sense of joy radiating off of her for a good night's work. Gods he'd be lost without her.

Chiron saw the jar and his eyes widened. "That isn't— "

"Pandora's jar." I told him about my meeting with Prometheus.

"I thought it was a pithos?" Jason felt the strain in the room and strived to do what Percy did best, give a little levity to it. "You told him about Prometheus giving you Pandora's Pithos Percy, remember how pithy that sounded?"

Maybe word play wasn't everyone's cup of tea in amusement, but he at least got a few smiles and eye rolls for his attempt, which made all the world to him to feel like he hadn't failed.

"Then the jar is yours," Chiron said grimly. "It will follow you and tempt you to open it, no matter where you leave it. It will appear when you are weakest."

"Forever?" Magnus frowned. "Like you have a new Riptide? Man, talk about something in serious need of a regift."

Percy had the brief thought that he should give it to Rachel. She'd probably paint over it and make it look more fun and tempting to open, but she'd also been dealing with hopeless situations with much more style than he'd ever have so she just seemed the obvious choice.

He got a pained spike to his brain for the thought and his eyes flickered to Annabeth with guilt instantly so he decided not to voice any of that.

Like now, I thought. Looking at my helpless parents.

I imagined Prometheus smiling, so anxious to help out us poor mortals. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient.

Anger surged through me. I drew Riptide and cut through the driver's side window like it was made of plastic wrap.

Alex grinned at all the mayhem Percy's sword could cause he didn't indulge in nearly enough. "Did it have that smooth feeling like when scissors glide through wrapping paper?"

"Yeah, actually," Percy's smile was a tad diabolical and Annabeth swallowed in horror how many cars were going to be broken into when those two teamed up.

"We'll put the car in neutral," I said. "Push them out of the way. And take that stupid jar to Olympus."

Chiron nodded. "A good plan. But, Percy . . ."

Whatever he was going to say, he faltered. A mechanical drumbeat grew loud in the distance—the chop-chop-chop of a helicopter.

Rachel's insane deal to go to a finishing school all so she could have a chat with Percy hadn't been mentioned in a few hours, what with the constant battles and deaths and centaurs appearing, but boy did they not get a choice now but to think of all the problems, implications, and disasters that were about to happen!

On a normal Monday morning in New York, this would've been no big deal, but after two days of silence, a mortal helicopter was the oddest thing I'd ever heard.

He'd felt it in his chest, the reverberating machine that disrupted his world overtaking the rest. The ground hadn't actually been shaking, but he'd been so loopy from seeing his parents he wouldn't have been surprised to see drinks shaking and windows rattling like the arrival of that machine had smashed them back together.

A few blocks east, the monster army shouted and jeered as the helicopter came into view. It was a civilian model painted dark red, with a bright green "DE" logo on the side. The words under the logo were too small to read, but I knew what they said: DARE ENTERPRISES.

"Did you, ever get a ride in that Percy?" Will's voice was choppy as he strived for his usual cheerful voice but knew it sounded fake. Gods that helicopter crash had been terrifying. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to sit through another action movie with an explosion again without shivering at the heat and noise.

My throat closed up. I looked at Annabeth and could tell she recognized the logo too. Her face was as red as the helicopter.

Trouble and danger afoot, Nico didn't even roll his eyes in surprised annoyance this time because of course Percy looked to her first.

"What is she doing here?" Annabeth demanded. "How did she get through the barrier?"

"You're asking me?" Percy looked so wounded and confused as he sat deep in his seat.

"I'm asking her as soon as I can," her scowl was more light and playful than anything, but Percy felt like he was in trouble for some reason.

"Who?" Chiron looked confused. "What mortal would be insane enough—"

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Thalia answered with pride.

"Yeah, not something I'd brag about right now," but Jason couldn't help begrudgingly sounding the same. She really was something, charging into the unknown for her friend. It was as admirable as someone could be.

Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward.

"The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron said. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep."

I watched in horror as the helicopter careened sideways, falling toward a row of office buildings.

Even if it didn't crash, the gods of the air would probably swat it out of the sky for coming near the Empire State Building.

I was too paralyzed to move, but Annabeth whistled and Guido the pegasus swooped out of nowhere.

You rang for a handsome horse? he asked.

"Come on, Percy," Annabeth growled. "We have to save your friend."

"Well don't sound so happy about it Annabeth," Alex said with a strained smile she still tried hard to make casual. "You should be used to this by now!"

"It was Rachel's turn for this, wasn't it," Magnus groaned as he watched Percy get up to take the book. "Gods, is there a ticking clock on this? Are you guys going to have to rescue me by association?"

"Possibly," Percy said sheepishly.

Annabeth waited patiently until he got back beside her before swatting him on the back of the head with a very calculated scowl for trying to scare her cousin.

To her surprise though as Percy flipped to the next chapter as if nothing had happened, Magnus just sighed as if he were already resigned to it. He obviously knew Rachel was fine and they had rescued her. He really was taking this much better than she ever would have dreamed.

PJOPJOPJO

*This was legitimately one of the stand-out kills for me from my first reading of the series and I tried to analyze why upon this reread and I think I've narrowed it down to this reason. Instead of dust like every other monster, it's imagining the pain and anger frozen on the monster's face as he collapses to blue shards that stayed there until they melted long after the fight was over. Something about deviating away from the usual formula I guess?

#pjo #Percy Jackson #Annabeth Chase #percabeth #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #alex fierro #magnus chase #fierrochase #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo #reading the books #last olympian

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