[1] 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋 ― p.jackson ✓

017.

「017. dance until you realise your friends now 」

BARBIE ALLEN considered herself a cultured person. she considered herself violent too. but... she really didn't want to stand in front of the gods and let them just pick out the worst and best bits of their quests. she walked in with her friends and immediately felt embarrassed. her t-shirt was stained red in some places and ripped. her hair was greasy and matted with blood and she was covered in grime. her nails were chipped and in general she looked like a mess.

they'd walked into the throne room and barbie had to bite her tongue to make sure curses of amazement didn't spill out. the gods and goddesses turned to them all at once and she felt herself grow small under their gaze. none of them spoke and barbie's eyes wandered around them all. 

"welcome, heroes."

barbie turned and spotted bessie (the weird cow that had taken a liking to percy) and grover. she smiled slightly at grover, almost certain she looked ridiculous.

"you made it!" cried grover before he looked to zeus as if asking for permission to be able to go and speak to his friends.

"go on," sighed zeus as he waved grove off, focusing entirely on the group of hero's.

grover trotted over to them all and hugged each and every one of them. then, he grabbed percy's arm and said, "percy, bessie and i made it, but you have to convince them not to do it!"

what did grover mean by it?

"do what?" asked percy in confusion.

"heroes," spoke artemis, "the council has been informed of your deeds, they know that mount othrys is rising in the west. they know of atlas's attempt for freedom and the gathering armies of kronos. we have voted to act"

there was mumbling and shuffling amongst the gods as if not all of them were happy with the decision.

"at my lord zeus's command," artemis said, "my brother apollo and i shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the titans' cause. lady athena shall personally check on the other titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. lord poseidon has been given permission to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship princess andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. and as for you, my heroes..." 

she turned to face the other immortals, "these half-bloods have done olympus a great service. could any here deny that?"

the gods sat around them all, in modern formal attire. barbie looked around to the gods, athena seemed to frown in her direction whilst most of the gods were pretty neutral. barbie then turned to her mother who looked like she was holding herself back from squealing.

"i gotta say," spoke apollo, "these kids did ok."

apollo cleared his throat and began to recite, "heroes win laurels-"

"um yes," spoke hermes, "first-class. all in favour of not disintegrating them?"

aphrodite and demeter raised their hands and barbie let out a small sigh of relief.

"wait just a minute," spoke ares, pointing to thalia and percy, "these two are dangerous. it'd be much safer, since we got them here-"

"ares," spoke poseidon, "they are worthy heroes, we will not blast my son to bits."

"nor my daughter," spoke zeus, "she has done well."

barbie gave thalia a grin and thalia smiled back in happiness and pride.

"i am proud of my daughter as well. but there is a security risk here, with the other two."

"mother!" annabeth said, "how can you-"

athena cut her off with a calm but firm look, "it is unfortunate that my father, zeus, and my uncle, poseidon, chose to break their oath not to have more children. only hades kept his word, a fact that i find ironic.  as we know from the great prophecy, children of the three elder gods... such as thalia and percy...are dangerous. as thickheaded as he is, ares has a point."

"right!" ares said, "hey, wait a minute. who you callin'-"

he started to get up, but a grapevine grew round his waist like a seat belt and pulled him back down. 

"oh, please, ares," dionysus sighed, "save the fighting for later."

ares cursed and ripped away from the vine, "you're one to talk, you old drunk. you seriously want to protect these brats?"

dionysus gazed down at them wearily, "i have no love for them. athena, do you truly think it safest to destroy them?"

"i do not pass judgement," athena said, "i only point out the risk. what we do, the council must decide."

"i will not have them punished," artemis said, "i will have them rewarded. if we destroy heroes who do us a great favour, then we are no better than the titans. if this is olympian justice, i will have none of it."

"calm down, sis," apollo said, "jeez, you need to lighten up."

"don't call me sis! i will reward them."

after-parties... as barbie liked to call them, with the gods was exciting and weird. her mother had ran up to her and hugged her before squealing.

"i knew you would do good!" she spoke with a smile, "i had faith. barbara... i'm so proud."

barbie tried not to cry right there, she hugged her mother back and spoke, "thank you... mom."

"i'm so proud," she repeated, "only a little more training and maybe you can hear the mist!"

"hear?"

"why yes!" spoke her mother excitedly, "she's rather proud of you two... but she questions the name you gave her."

"you, uh... mean jerald?"

"is that what you named her? unique!" giggled aphrodite to her daughter, "i love it!"

i love it... eh, close enough, thought barbie as she smiled at her mom.

"thanks, mom."

barbie was about to go search around for her friends when a voice called behind to her, "you and my son make an unlikely pair," spoke poseidon.

she turned around and spoke politely, "poseidon."

he smiled at her and she noticed how he had eyes just like percy's. "you and my son did well. i trust your little feud is.... over?"

"uh," she spoke, slightly dazed, "yeah... i guess near-death experiences do that to a person."

he smiled slightly before saying, "and your powers with the mist are quite impressive, barbara allen. be proud of yourself."

and with that, he walked away.

"uh," spoke a voice behind her, "why was my dad talking to you?"

"i... have no idea," spoke barbie with a smile, "care to willingly dance with me this time, water boy?"

"sure, barbie doll."

"you like that one, don't you?" she mused as they began to dance.

"it's grown on me," he said with a small smile.

"sure it has, water boy."

rosie speaks!

not much extra written here, because i have
newly planned chapters! they work with
the story and they're cute. we get to see more of 
valentino and nessa along with ms garcia!

word count: 1,170