Lucinda continued humming her song as her fingers brushed Greyson's curly hair. She didn't want him to stay up until midnight, and she was glad he had fallen asleep before eleven. He kept trying to stay up by eating. Fortunately, he managed to finish most of what he took, and the leftovers she ate were minimal. Though whenever he asked to go back to the buffet table, he always asked for coffee jelly. She had to stop him before he would finish it all and not leave some for the other guests.

Once the party was over, she carried him out of the venue hall and into Lucia's car. Originally, they planned to head back to the DUO's apartment complexes. But now, Poseidon had told them all to meet her in the SCD's base.

"I'm inviting you to play a game, Weaver. Not the Underworld's game, but my game. Which means you play by my rules."

A part of her wanted to say she was infuriated. That hearing that from someone who might truly be one of the most dangerous people in the city made her blood boil.

But as she pressed a soft kiss on Greyson's forehead while he hugged her in his sleep, she was certain that what she was feeling was far from anger.

The sight of Poseidon's office gave her comfort. It was little comfort, but it was comfort nonetheless. Her office being underground and close to the bay's waters meant she had an underwater view everyday. And Lucinda had to admit; seeing sea creatures like fish and seawater dragons dancing around the reef did relax her tense shoulders a little bit.

As she sat down on one of the couches, Greyson shifted in her hold. He rubbed one of his eyes as they opened, and a tiny yawn left his lips. "Are we home?"

"Shh." She kissed his forehead again. "Just keep sleeping, sweetheart. We're not home yet, but you can keep sleeping."

His ears drooped down. "But I wanna lie down. Do we have more coffee jelly?"

"No." A soft chuckle left her lips. "Do you want to sleep on the couch? We can fix it to be more comfortable."

He nodded. "Okay."

In front of her, Lucian stood up from his own seat. "I think Sidon has a blanket somewhere. Let me look for it."

Lucinda grabbed one of the pillows, placing it near couch's arm so Greyson could lay his head there. Before he closed his eyes, she took off his grey coat and placed it on the couch's headrest. It took him a while, but Lucian managed to find a green blanket from one of Poseidon's drawers. She spread it out, letting it cover all of Greyson except for his head. His ears remained droopy, but he was able to close his eyes and sleep softly.

She sighed as she sat next to him, brushing his hair again. He was so peaceful and comfortable.

Lucian groaned as he stretched his arms. "I'm gonna make coffee. You want some?"

She shook her head. "I never drink coffee, you know that."

"Right, you weren't the coffee drinker."

Her ears twitched at the comment, and she shot him a blank stare, but Lucian didn't say anything else. He headed to Poseidon's coffee maker and started making one for himself. Soon, the drink's aroma filled the air. It was a welcoming change of pace compared to the artificial floral scent.

The doors to the office opened once again, making her turn her head there. Lucia first stepped inside, her face twisted into a scowl. Behind her, the head of the Special Connections Division and their handler followed. Poseidon's green ankle dress matched her eyes, and its large elbow-cut sleeves made her look more powerful than she already was. Even from the way her black hair flowed loosely made her fiercer.

Lucian lowered his head. "Sidon."

Lucinda nodded as well. "Sidon. I hope you don't mind, but we used your blanket for Chuchu."

"Of course." She turned to Greyson, placing a hand on her chest. "The poor child. He must be so tired."

"It was a mistake bringing him along," Lucia said with a scoff. "Our job is dangerous, and bringing Chuchu just puts him in more danger than he already was. He should have stayed home."

Lucinda shook her head. "If Nyx knew that much about me, then it was better I brought him along. Who knows what would have happened if he stayed with a babysitter that didn't even know what to do if something bad happened."

And she didn't want to think about what could have happened. She didn't leave Greyson, and she was able to keep an eye out on him while Nyx talked to her on the second floor. 'What ifs' didn't matter—what was done was done.

Poseidon took a deep breath, and an even longer sigh followed. She grabbed a cup of coffee for herself before sitting down. "We're not sure if that was Nyx or someone pretending to be her. We don't have a lot of info on the Furies, and verification is difficult."

"How the hell do we have more info about Zeus than her dogs?" Lucian asked. "You'd think we'd either have equal info or less info about the Lady."

Poseidon's lips turned into a thin line as she held her hands together. "Because we have someone who knows something about Zeus. We don't have someone who was on a personal level with any of the three."

"Right." He nodded, though judging from the way his golden eyes gleamed he didn't look entirely convinced. "Anyway, did you check the cameras? Even if we aren't sure who they might be, we can check the cameras."

"That's the thing," Lucia said. "There was nothing. The cameras on the second floor were dead for almost an hour or two. They weren't dead at the same time, but it took them that long for the signal to come back. The last thing they all saw was a server before they stopped working."

"That's Nyx, then," Lucinda replied. "No one was allowed on the second floor. And her ability isn't cutting off signals, it's illusions. She showed a device that she said Alecto created, and that's how she managed to intercept the signal. It must have done the same thing for the cameras."

Poseidon hummed as she drank her coffee. Her green eyes seemed to have gone duller as she sat taller. "Regardless of who that was, I don't think it's as simple as illusions. If she was able to trick cameras, then her ability isn't just messing with someone's senses. Did she tell you anything?"

"She asked me to play hide and seek."

Poseidon paused. "Pardon?"

"She told me to play her game with her rules, and the first game seems to be hide and seek." The words echoed in her head once again, and she cupped her chin. "I'm the one who needs to hide while she seeks. She told me to hide well."

Lucian scoffed, but it also sounded like a chuckle. "Of course. Count on those Underworld hounds to see this as a game. And let me guess, you're going to play along?"

Lucinda hummed, and a smile formed on her face. "You make it sound like you won't do the same thing. It's not like I have a choice either. It's either I play her game, or she ruins my life."

"And count on you both to take it lightly," Lucia said. "You don't even know what kind of rules she has. What if she kills you at the end of her 'hide and seek'? Or what if you have to give Chuchu if you lose? Or—"

"Enough." Poseidon placed her hands on the table and stood up. Her brows furrowed down in anger, and her own pointy ears flattened. "No one is playing anything. This isn't a game, this is a life and death situation. I don't know if Zeus knows about this as well, but if we believe what Nyx says, I doubt she does. Which means there's a way out of this while still making her think we're playing her game."

Lucinda raised a brow. "And that is?"

"Your identity is at risk. We're not sure how much Nyx knows, and we're not sure who else knows. She might be working alongside Alecto, she could be working with other criminal organizations. I can send someone to get rid of any of them, but the best choice for you, Lucinda, is to disappear."

"Excuse me?"

"We can send you to a witness protection program. Nyx will realize it, but by the time she will it'd be too late. We can fake your death and send you to—"

"I apologize, but no."

Lucinda stepped in front of Poseidon's table. Her eyes met her handler's own, and their deep green hues were almost the same color as the ocean behind her. When Lucinda was younger, she remembered not wanting to look at Poseidon's eyes. She couldn't remember the reason. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was out of respect. Or maybe she didn't want to look at the woman who let her parents die when she was still a child.

But right now, while Poseidon's gaze hardened to a glare, Lucinda kept her head up. And while Poseidon had a matching frown, she kept the smile on her face.

"I need you to think properly, Sidon," she continued. "Nyx knew that much about me. Who's to say that she won't track me down and find me even with a new name? I've been an assassin for two decades now, and I've been playing different games from different people for that long. And I've mastered every rule of every game and played it better than any of them can. I'm not running away."

"What part of 'this is not a game' do you not understand?"

"The part where you say it isn't when Nyx said it is."

"And if the game involves Chuchu getting hurt?"

A cold chill traveled down Lucinda's spine, but she kept her mask up. She turned around, watching as Greyson turned on Poseidon's couch and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

She faced Poseidon again. "Then I'll make sure he won't get hurt."

"What if the rules involve him getting hurt?"

"I'll make sure he won't get hurt."

"What if you have to die?"

She hummed and raised her head higher. "Then I'll make sure I won't die."

Poseidon's glare hardened even more. "Your pride will destroy us all, Lucinda."

The smile on her face didn't fade. "Then I'll make sure it won't."

Finally, Poseidon sighed. The glare faded from her face, and instead her brows furrowed down in concert. "Nyx is telling you to hide, but you're not even doing that."

"No matter what I do, I unfortunately doubt I'll win this game. So why not let Nyx win by doing the complete opposite of what she wants me to do?"

"Even if it sacrifices a safer life?"

"I don't think it's possible for anyone in this room to have a 'safer life'."

She gritted her teeth, but kept the anger inside of her. And besides, it wasn't like she could leave the DUO.

Poseidon tapped her finger on her desk. The only noise that filled her office was either the air conditioner or Greyson moving and mumbling something while he slept. Lucinda sat down next to him once again and brushed his hair while humming her song. She twirled one of his black curls before gently brushing it.

After a while, Poseidon nodded. "Alright. I've made a decision."

"And that is?"

She stood up and placed her hands behind her. "I'll have a few people gather as much info about Nyx as they can. Lucia, I'm assigning you to lead this search. Lucian, I might need you for here as well, so I'll have to reduce some of your missions. But whenever you can, keep an eye out on your sister to make sure she'll stay safe."

Lucia nodded. "Of course."

"Yeah." Lucian nodded as well. "Whatever."

"Once we gather enough information, we'll plan a way to get rid of Nyx. And once that plan is done, Lucinda, get rid of Nyx no matter the cost. As much as capturing her for information would be better, we can't take any risks such as if she escapes. Is that clear?"

Lucinda nodded as she placed a hand on her chest. "Get rid of Nyx without dying."

"We've never dealt with a Fury before, and we're not sure what someone like Nyx is capable of. If things end up becoming too dangerous, we don't have a choice but for Lucinda and Greyson Saffirus to die and for both of you to have new identities."

"There's no need for you to worry about that." Lucinda turned around and picked Greyson up from the couch again. He shifted a bit in her hold and muttered something about coffee under his breath, but he didn't wake up. "I'll make sure that never happens."

"As always, Lucinda, you concern me."

Lucinda hummed, and the corners of her lips tugged into a small smile. She was going to beat  Nyx with her own game. 

And she wasn't going to lose. 

Word count: 2209
Total: 16911

how do i tell people that poseidon is wearing a filipiniana or maria clara when both the philippines or maria clara dont exist in the duo