Chapter 56 – A Rest Before Returning to the Road
The motel corridor was dimly lit with flickering fluorescent lights, the carpet worn from years of travelers, as Dante walked toward the vending machine to buy some sweets for his lioness something chocolatey to smooth over any lingering pillow-throwing mood from earlier. The night air outside was cool, carrying the faint chlorine scent from the pool area.
While walking toward the vending machine to buy some sweets for his lioness, Dante saw Percy diving into the pool, the water splashing under the motel's floodlights, ripples spreading across the surface like echoes of his carefree dive.
Dante then bought the sweets a mix of chocolate bars and gummies, perfect for appeasing Annabeth and approached the pool while thinking: After all that calling him fish-boy, the moment he sees water, he dives right in—no hesitation.
Dante approached quietly
Dante then sat on the edge of the pool, dipping his feet in the cool water, and looked at him, thinking: What's the fun in staying underwater like that for so long? Well, considering he feels powerful because water gives him power recharges him, makes him stronger it's understandable he's so obsessed with water, like it's his element calling him home.
Dante looked at Percy surfacing gracefully, water streaming down his face and hair, shaking it off like a dog, and said casually: "Well, finally remembered you're not a fish and need to breathe? I was about to dive in and drag you out."
Percy said smiling, wiping water from his eyes: "Sorry. I just feel free in the water and ended up losing track of time completely. It's like everything else disappears. Don't you have something like that? Like, dragons like to sleep in caves with gold, right? Hoarding treasure and curling up on it—don't you like that?"
Dante said smiling, leaning back on his hands: "Don't confuse things. Just because I'm a dragon doesn't mean we all have the same taste or habits. The situation with dragons is like the situation with demigods. Since you're Poseidon's son, you like water it's in your blood. Just like Annabeth likes reading and knowledge, always buried in a book or strategy. Ares' kids, the god of war, like fighting and chaos. And so on. Not every dragon likes treasure in the same way. Sure, we have a thing for treasure shiny, valuable things appeal to our nature but usually the ones who like hoarding massive piles of gold and treasure in a cave and sleeping on top of it are the red dragons—the classic ones you see in movies, with fire breath, giant size, roaring flames, that whole destructive package."
Percy said thoughtfully, treading water: "Interesting. So dragons have different types too—varieties with their own personalities. I thought they were all the same big, scaly, fire-breathing hoarders."
Dante said seriously: "You need to increase your knowledge a bit if you plan to live in this supernatural world from now on. A lack of knowledge about a monster or any creature can kill you faster than strength alone. One wrong assumption, and you're done."
Percy said smiling, joking to lighten the mood: "Well, you must be exaggerating. It's not that serious—come on."
Dante looked at him seriously and said: "I'll give you an example to make it clear. You're fighting a monster and, after a tough battle—sweat, blood, everything you're finally about to kill it. You think fire will finish it off, so you throw flames or something. But here's the problem: for that particular monster, fire is food it's how it heals and grows stronger. It recovers instantly with fire. So now you have to face it again, fully recovered and energized, while you're all hurt and exhausted. What do you think will happen to you in that scenario?"
Percy said reluctantly: "In grace, I'll die."
Dante said with a smile: "Yes, you'll die. Not from lack of strength, but from being an idiot—ignorant about your enemy."
Percy said, admitting defeat with a nod: "Alright. I'll learn more about monsters when I get back—promise. But Dante, you didn't tell me what type of dragon you are exactly."
Dante said smiling mysteriously: "I'm the black dragon king. And my type of dragon only has one thing it likes to do: cause destruction and death to the world total chaos."
Percy looked at Dante wide-eyed and said: "You're joking, right? Come on."
Dante said, looking at Percy steadily: "No. The former black dragon king was a psychopath who liked to kill and destroy everything he didn't like. But the problem is that he didn't like anything—pure hatred."
Percy said curiously: "Well, then why are you so calm and lazy like this, after all? You seem pretty chill."
Dante looked at him and said wisely: "Percy, learn one thing: just because someone's race is angel doesn't mean they'll be good and benevolent. Just because someone is a monster doesn't mean they'll be bad or evil. You have to learn to really know people before judging them based on stereotypes. Just because I'm the new black dragon king doesn't mean I'll be a lunatic like the last one. And the previous one too if it weren't for some really sad reasons that led him to be consumed by hate and rage, who knows it would be different—he might have been something else."
Percy remembered what Medusa said earlier: Try to be a better man than your father. And the first step is to learn and observe with your own eyes to decide if something is right or wrong don't just follow blind prejudice.
At that moment, Grover saw them at the pool from the balcony and shouted urgently: "Dante! Percy! Come here quick now! You need to see this!"
Dante and Percy then got up quickly, drying off hastily, and ran toward Grover, hearts pounding from the sudden call.
Grover looked at them breathlessly and said: "You have to see this—it's on the news."
He then took them to the room and turned on the TV, flipping to a local news channel.
Dante and Percy then looked at the news report with Percy's stepdad Gabe, disheveled and dramatic—on screen saying he was a drug addict who kidnapped Sally, spinning a wild story for the cameras.
Dante, seeing that ridiculous performance, couldn't hold it and started laughing uncontrollably while pointing at Percy and saying: "Percy, you gotta go easy on the seaweed cigarettes, man. Stop sniffing your coral rocks. You're a danger to aquatic society public enemy number one!"
Percy said exasperated but with a hint of amusement: "Very funny. But now the police are looking for me as a suspect. What are we going to do about that?"
Dante said reassuringly, wiping tears from laughter: "No need to worry too much. There must be people in charge of handling these supernatural matters cover-ups and such. And since you're Poseidon's son, your whole life must be on a file on some powerful demigod's desk who became a politician or general to handle these supernatural cases and keep the Mist intact, right? They clean up godly messes."
Grover said nodding: "Well, that's true. There are many influential demigods in various government sectors FBI, police, media. So we shouldn't be too wanted or hunted down aggressively."
Dante said: "Unless Percy goes to a police station himself and confesses or something dumb. Then it's Percy's stupidity and no one can help natural consequences."
Percy said defensively: "I'm not that stupid."
Dante said: "Well, then I'll say goodbye because we have to hit the road early tomorrow. I don't want to wake up sleepy and cranky. So good night to you two rest up."
Then he left for the room, sweets in hand.
Arriving there, he saw Annabeth lying down comfortably on the bed reading a book under the soft lamp light, her hair loose and relaxed.
He then approached quietly, climbed onto the bed with her, and started kissing her ears tenderly, eliciting soft moans from her as she squirmed slightly, the book slipping from her fingers.
Annabeth said with quick breathing, her body responding instantly: "What are you doing? We have an early start…"
Dante used his claws carefully to tear all her clothes slowly and teasingly, leaving her completely naked, her skin goosebumped and flushed under his touch, the fabric ripping with satisfying sounds.
He then started kissing her passionately, tongues intertwining with the hunger built up from the day, hands roaming freely over her curves.
He then started descending kisses down her neck, lingering on her collarbone, chest, belly, until her pussy, and started sucking hard and precisely, his tongue exploring every fold and sensitive spot while playing with her anus with his finger rhythmic, building movements that made her moan loud and arch her back, her hands gripping his hair desperately and pulling him closer to her pussy, hips bucking involuntarily.
Annabeth screamed hoarse with desire, voice breaking: "Like that! Deeper! Deeper! Faster don't stop!"
She then had an intense orgasm, trembling all over on Dante's face, waves of pleasure crashing through her body, leaving her breathless and shaking.
Dante spread her legs more, positioned himself at her entrance, and thrust his penis deep into her pussy at once, filling her completely and making her moan loud, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist to pull him deeper.
Dante then, while penetrating her with increasing rhythm and force, started sucking her breasts hard, nibbling and teasing the nipples until they hardened, making her go crazier with pleasure, the moans mixing in a desperate, rhythmic chorus of ecstasy.
He then came inside her with a low, primal growl, filling her completely with heat and making her release another powerful orgasm, her body convulsing around him, nails digging into his back.
She then fell weak on the bed, breathless and sweaty, glowing in the aftershocks.
Dante then turned her onto her back carefully, lifted her hips gently, and started fucking her from behind, deep and possessive thrusts that reached new depths, making her moan loud while biting the bedsheet to muffle the screams of overwhelming pleasure.
Then came once more inside her, the warmth flooding her and making her faint from pure, overwhelming pleasure, her body limp from delicious exhaustion, a satisfied smile on her lips even unconscious.
Dante then turned her face up tenderly, pulled her close to his chest, and slept with her clinging to him, bodies intertwined in peaceful warmth.
Dante thought contentedly: Well, better sleep now. I wanted to do more—keep going all night. Unfortunately, we have to wake up early for the road.
Dante then kissed her forehead while saying softly: "Good night, dear."