I hate the way my head spins as I sit up, like brain turned rotten soup. Beneath me, something crinkles, but I'm more concerned about the pounding in my chest and throbbing in my stomach... and the thirst. I draw in a deep breath to try and ease some of the parching, feeling the flakiness of my tongue on my throat.

"Damn, I thought I only had some wine." Leaning back, I can feel a sturdy plush seat behind me: the back of a car. I use it for support. Gods Fidi, I know you're a lightweight but this is ridiculous.

"Ah yes, my specialty. Nothing takes away reality better than the certified moonshine of a god!"

I peel open my eyes at the sound of the cheery voice to find Dionysus way too close for comfort, yellow teeth bared in a smile. "Wakey wakey Goat and Snakey."

With a scream, my fist goes out, colliding into his cheek with a pop. He's launched back, his rail of a body nearly flung to the ground as he races to steady himself.

"Ouch! Someone certainly woke up on the wrong side of the car." He rubs at his face, left completely red, no doubt to bruise later.

"You're about to be on the underside of the car if you don't learn real soon what personal space is," I growl.

"Hm, there's the Chimera I know." It's not Dionysus this time, but it doesn't take me long to connect the voice to Chiffon sitting on the truck. He hops down, fixating a pair of yellow eyes on me with a small frown. "You sure were out for a while. Feel any better?"

I think about it for a second. My head pounds, but as I feel for the hole in my chest, I find it mostly scabbed over, the pain dulled down to a single ache.

"About as good as I'm getting," I answer before fully pulling myself out of the vehicle reeking of stale tobacco. It's light out, although the sky is far too full of clouds to call it bright. I scan for Phre, glancing up and down at what I could tell now was a mostly vacant lot, but neither her, nor her motorcycle was in sight.

"If you're wondering where she is, she went to look for food," Chiffon mentions with a shrug.

"Food? Here?" My heart pounds as I try to recall where we are, but the memories are thin, out of reach even when I push for them. I wasn't there, so to try and remember... Bad alcohol tolerance so- Fidi?

"We're in the middle ring of Tartarus. The Human district," she replies curtly with a twitch of my tail. "Quite the maintained area too, compared to Styx's base."

"No, she can't wander around there!" I shout, ignoring the confused look from Chiffon as I start to pace back and forth, far too panicked to keep my thoughts in my head. "They could call the demigods to slay her! With Keres still going around, they'd do anything to afford treatments. If they- if she-" I cut off, trying to breathe as my steadily increasing heartbeat racked at my already throbbing ribs.

"Relax..." I heard Dionysus drawl as he hobbled over next to me. "I gave her some cash. The only thing she's gotta do is walk into a nice little joint and pass it over the counter."

"And how is she going to do that without being caught?" I wheeled on him, fire clamoring to coat my arms. It trickled over my skin, burning freely as the mark on my wrist glowed a fierce red. "I don't know if you can see this from la la land, but she has giant, fucking wings!"

"You use a coat, Satyr," Chiffon cut in with a sigh. "How do you think I get around places?"

"With a lot of bleeding and a bad attitude."

Dionysus snorts, the action quickly turning into choking as he inhales the water bottle he's drinking. "She's got you there Cha-"

"Chiffon."

A voice stirs in the back of my mind at the growl of his answer, Leivah whispering in worry, but I ignore it. I already know the man can't be trusted more than I can throw him. I just wish that meant I could throw him. One day...

"Hey!"

I turn my head to find Phre waving from the back of her cycle. It only takes a moment for it to reach us, screeching to a stop as she puts out a single leg to catch the bike. The bulky grey coat doesn't suit her, but I can't deny how gorgeous her auburn hair looks when it's windswept. She pulls every strand over to the side before removing the goggles from her eyes until it rests like a headband to hold everything back. A confident smile fills her face as she removes a warm, tied up box from the edge of the seat. "I got food."

"Oh thank the gods." I ran forward to throw my arms around her. I thought the Demigods were going to find her.

"You're totally welcome!" Dionysus calls out behind us. "What'd I do?"

"Nothing! Shut up!" I shook my head even as Phre giggled. I focused back on her. "What were you thinking, running off into Human territory? Coat or no coat, they could have called the Hecatoncheires, or sold you off to buy the vaccine, or-"

"Satyr." Her voice comes out harsh. "It's just a supply run. You know, the ones you liked so much? I got food, and I'm fine, so stop worrying." She makes to move past me, but I step back in front of her.

"But the point is that you could have been. What would you do then?" I stared up at her, demanding an answer.

"Then I would have defended myself." She blinks at me, clearly unamused as she pushes me to the side, walking away to sit down next to the others. The box taps the ground as she reaches to untie the string.

The point was that you didn't even let me know you were gone. My fists clench, but I keep my mouth shut, following her to join everyone.

The cardboard of the box falls away to show an array of even smaller boxes, each heated from their own packed meal. Phre looks at me, eyes practically glowing in excitement. "Isn't it amazing, Satyr? I knew Humans have restaurants and things, but to have food at such convenience... And you can get whatever you want! Can you imagine if Beasts could have these?"

"I'll take it over the hundreds of cans of beans." I laughed, grabbing one of the plastic containers. "So what exactly did you get?"

She swapped the box in my hands for another, flatter one as she handed the other to Chiffon. "Well, I got something they called moussaka. It's got potatoes, tomatoes, lamb, mostly eggplant..."

I stick my tongue out at the last part, immediately retracting it as the tips of it begin to taste the soggy scent of the vegetable in the air.

Phre only gives me a look. "I know, so I got you something else. I hope you like it."

The white lid of the box flicks open, showcasing several chunks of meat, all lined up on skewers over a bed of vegetables and pita bread. I flick my tongue out again, catching whiffs of garlic, pork, olive oil, and char. With that, I pick up one of the sticks, about to take a bite when I finally notice Chiffon, sitting there forking what looks like desert into his mouth. "...you got cake?"

"Phre asked me what I wanted, and I told her. Is cake suddenly off limits?" He angrily shoves in another bite, scraping coconut flakes off the sides with his pathetic plastic fork.

Blood rushes to my face as I try not to burst out laughing, only to fail miserably. "We're about to go and try and escape this hell, and you're sitting here eating cake?" I try to take a bite of my own meal, but it catches harshly in my throat. Instantly, the spices are burning my lungs, the lemon juice on it certainly not helping. Phre whacks a single hand on my back, but even as the meat painfully drags down my insides, I continue to laugh. "I can't wait to go to Chiffon's Post-Apocalyptic Desserts: because everything is always sweeter in The End."

"Screw you." His fair skin flares red, a perfect balance of anger and embarrassment as he finishes it off, snapping the box shut. "I didn't comment on your food, so let me eat in peace, damn it."

"Yeah yeah, Cake Boy, whatever you say." I chuckle before going back to my meal, this time picking at one of the grilled vegetables. "So, this is nice and all," I mumble through it, glancing around. "But what's the plan afterwards? Dionysus might be a god, but how's he getting us out of here?"

"...you're kidding me, right?" Chiffon watches me as if I'm lying, studying my face. "We talked about this yesterday."

I only stare at him.

"You got a Mark, I got a Mark. The last one is Life, and if we find them we could open the gates of Tartarus? Anything?" He looked stunned, but I could only shrug at him.

"First time I'm hearing this."

"It's not!" He flings his arms out, gesturing to me. "I know you were drunk and all, but it was literally yesterday. How do you forget something like that?"

I barely hear Phre draw in a sharp breath as I twitch, claws beginning to rap in annoyance on the asphalt we sit on. "Look, Cakester, maybe if I got a nice, easy to follow day-to-day life like most people, I'd remember. But I don't, okay? If it's not me making the memories, then it's fuzzy at best, and a blank spot at worst. So if you would be so kind as to catch this forgetful Chimera up to speed, it would be much appreciated."

Surprisingly, a soft look enters the Griffon's face before his tail comes to rest around his leg. "Sorry... I didn't know it worked that way."

"Well, now it's over, so bygones can be bygones, am I right?" Dionysus clamps a hand over his shoulder before eventually being brushed off. Still, he focuses on me, mismatched eyes glittering in excitement. "No harm in repeating myself anyway. Basically, there's three Marks: Life, Death, and the Fire to Choose. Pretty sure it's obvious who got what here." He points a finger at the black flames that have been on my wrist for as long as I can remember, his other hand gesturing to the scythe tattoo on Chiffon's forearm. "Collect all three and ta-da! You get to escape to Elysion, just like Cakey here said!"

"Please, stop calling me that."

"Why? It also starts with a C and sounds dumb. Those are the rules, right?" He flashes a grin before continuing. "Anyways, the only issue here is neither of us know who, or what the last Mark belongs to, but once we can find it, we'll be good to go."

"...And you said this last Mark is Life, right?" Phre finally asks. She's asking Dionysus, but she stares off to some far off spot, lost in thought.

"Yes Ma'am."

She takes a deep breath before finally settling her teal eyes on him. "Have you thought about looking in the Olympia Corporation?"

"What?" I almost shout, the box tumbling out of my lap to scatter vegetables along the street.

"I'm serious, Satyr." Her hand trails from her lap until it's grasping mine, long, elegant fingers squeezing with determination. "If their magik is powerful enough to cure Keres, then Beast or not, I'm willing to bet Olmpia is after them. Honestly, if power like that got out, no one would need a vaccine anymore. The Demigods would fall out of power." Her face lit up, words quickening as she became more and more set on it. "Even if they didn't capture them, they would at least be looking for them, right? We could find a lead, or information, or a map... It'll be just like old times! The good missions."

"Phre," I interrupt, squeezing her hand back. "That's great and all but-"

"But what Satyr?" she groaned.

"...That's not a regular break in and steal mission from some broken down part of town. Olympia is guarded to the teeth. They've got weapons, tech, cameras..." I wouldn't mind trying to break in, but that's with magic. "It's dangerous."

I bite my lip, feeling my fangs prick at my flesh the second the words come out. Already, Phre is glaring at me, face flushing pink. "I know that. I'm not a child!" She pushes herself, looking away, but I know it's to hide tears in her eyes. "I know I don't have magic like the rest of you guys, but I'm still a Harpie, okay? I'm strong, and can still change the wind, and fly... So please, just let me help you. Why can't you just trust me to do anything?"

"Satyr! Why did you make her cry?" Leivah calls out, panicked. "She's already saved us twice, and got us food. Did you even thank her?"

Regret pangs in my chest, and I stand, wincing as she continues to glare at me. Slowly, I take a step towards her, arms held out for a hug. She doesn't stop me, and I wrap them around her, careful not to knock my horns into her head as I pull her close. "I'm sorry. It's not trust I just... I worry a lot, okay? I don't want anything to happen. You're all I got."

"...I know that. It's just with everything happening, I want to keep up with you guys," she whispers into the tip of my ear, the softness of her tone sending a small shiver through me. "When Styx would send you out for missions, I was always left behind, and with you and Chiffon both having magic... I don't want that to happen again."

I pull back, scooping my hand beneath her chin to gently tug her head down to meet my eyes. "I would never do that to you. I love you."

Bringing myself to the tips of my toes, I push my lips against hers, feeling the softness, the gentle return of her affection. Then she lets go. "I love you too."

"Aw... young love. So beautiful, so adorable." The god smirks up at us, clearly bored.

I wipe my mouth and step back, already feeling a sting with the moment ruined. "I swear, if we're doing this, you better knock it off. I'm not dealing with this everytime I kiss my girlfriend from here on out."

"On the contrary, you won't be hearing from me at all after today," he replies with a wink.

I blink at him. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"Nope! Breaking into places sounds very bloody and gross. I'm a lover... not a fighter." Grabbing hold of the garbage, he opens the back door of his car, chucking them in before hopping on the seat. "So I'll be staying right here, and once you find the last Marked, we can meet back up, and I'll show you where the door is. Sound like a deal?"

"You know what?" I grab Phre's hand as Chiffon also rises, brushing off his jeans before starting to walk away. "That works for me." I went to follow the Griffon before turning around one last time. "Guess this is goodbye then."

"Yep!" He hops on his toes to wave cheerfully, his loose clothes flowing with his scrawny limbs. "Bye Phre, Satyr.... Chiffon." He snorts at the name one last time until we're getting on Phre's bike, my arms around her waist as Chiffon awkwardly waits at the end of the alley for us to follow.

"...You do know there's no way his name's Chiffon, right?" She asks me as she reaches to rev the engine.

"Oh of course I do, but what better way to insult him than continue to call him a stupid name that he picked himself? Really, he dug his own grave here." I chuckle.

"You know I can hear you, right?" he shouts, arms crossed as he continues to wait for us.

"I know. It was kind of the point." Phre laughs as I shout back, the short, bubbly sound only enticing me to lean and plant one last kiss on her back, right betwixt her wings.

"Great! I'm so glad I'm trying to escape this hellhole and all I have are these two prankster lesbians." His hand flung up into the air. "Now can we leave, or am I forever doomed to watch a flirtfest?"

Phre finally sets the motorcycle into motion, the vehicle lurching forward until we're stopped in front of Chiffon. He awkwardly climbs on, making himself a seat behind me. I cast him a mischievous glance, wiggling my eyebrows as I tip my head towards Phre, but he only frowned at me before I finally shook my head.

"Nah, I've wasted enough time as it is. Let's go."

Awgy?

Writing fluff??

Actually writing fluff and not foreshadowing, manipulative, guilt tripping material???

Just characters being dumb and eating food?????????

Must be a holiday miracle. Anyways, I can't promise it forever, but for now, enjoy my prankster lesbians, and like the banner says, thanks for reading.

~ Awgy