Chapter 11: I Become a Love Rival to the Girl I Have a Crush On

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
"How do I find the Master Bolt?" Percy asked. 
Dorothy's withered body shuddered in her seat, and from her gaping jaw, more green mist swirled out and around her. Slowly, the fog began to take shape, and Percy resisted the urge to scowl when he recognized Gabe's ugly face and his table full of goons. 
They were all sitting around the table playing poker like the last time Percy had seen them, but when Gabe turned his head to face him, it was eerie. His neck moved unnaturally stiff and when his mouth opened, his lips didn't move as he began to speak in Dorothy's young voice. 
"You shall go west, and face the god who has turned," she hissed through Gabe's mouth. 
The man next to him was the next to open his lips and she whispered, "you shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned."
Gabe's other friend, the baldie who had at least tried to stop Gabe from being so cruel, gave Percy sad, empty eyes and muttered, "you shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend."
And, at last, it was Gabe's turn once more, and she sighed, "and you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end."
Dorothy's paper-thin skin rubbed against itself and made an unpleasant noise. The green mist began to dissipate, falling away and the attic returning to back before once more. It was like she hadn't said or done anything at all, and soon Percy was alone again, with only the body of a young girl as company. 
"Crap," he said out loud. 
《♤•••♤》
Dinner was already being served by the kitchen harpies when he finally decided to head down after a few hours of pacing and cursing. 
Dorothy's words continued to disturb him. There were a lot of things wrong with what she said (and just her in general), but two things bothered him the most. 
The implication that a friend would betray him and even worse, that he would fail to save what mattered the most in the end. 
Did that mean that this quest was for nothing, and that he would never be able to recover the lightning bolt? 
He wandered down from the attic in a daze and watched as the bonfire in the distance was lit. He could see various colors and shapes of smoke rise to the sky from the numerous food offerings, but he only headed towards the lake shore, too deep in thought to have an appetite. 
He took off his sneakers and stuffed his socks into them. The sand was soft and cool under his bare feet as he started to slowly walk down the bank, trying to ignore the way the quiet lake waves tried to reach towards him whenever he got close. 
He paused when he heard something in the distance, and it wasn't long before he realized it was two voices singing. 
He began to approach a small source of light farther down the shore, and he breathed out a noise of fondness when he saw Will and Song-ee sitting together on the pier.