Gamble at Caesar's Palace [Phobos]

[eris]

Lights flashed all around in the rows of slot machines with the jingling of bells and the mild scrape of coins going down the slots and levers pulling down while hoping to win buckets of gold coins. Dice rolled along the felt tables, cards flipped and chips flicked, piling upon one another. Roulette wheels spun around in circles and clicked endlessly as it spun in circles as the marble rolled until landing on a number. Chaos surrounded everywhere. It wasn’t the complete chaos that existed within wars and battles. It wasn’t to that degree, but it was still chaos.

But there was something better than that that appealed to Eris that night. It was the whole reason she came to this casino. It was filed with fear as well. It was what drew her to this place, it was a place she was sure would also attract the attention of a certain someone she was wanting to talk to. Phobos, God of Fear, hopefully wouldn’t be too upset with the location. It was quantity rather than quality, but it was still a location where both of them had a vast amount of chaotic and fear energy.

Eris stood in the near the back of the casino Caesar’s Palace, ironic since it was a ‘Roman inspired’ but it still had nice architecture inspired by the real masters of art and architecture. She watched everything play it out with an amused expression upon her face. Most of the people in the room paid little attention to her, too engaged with their little games, hoping to win a fortune with a little luck. Of course, with Eris there, luck came in little to none quantities.

Without a word, she slowly began to move through the casino, moving in and out of the people as though she was moving through a wheat field. She exited the casino into a side empty alley, completely dark. No one in their right mind would have come down this place alone. She glanced around the dark alley before saying aloud, “I’m waiting for you, Phobos,” she mused aloud glancing around, her lip curled upward slightly, and waited.

[Phobos]

A poof of yellow smoke is all that could be seen at first in the alley. As the smoke cleared, a teenage boy in a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses stood in front of Eris. He lifted the shades dully and examined the Goddess standing across from him. With a bored sigh he took the glasses off and folded them, placing them inside his jacket. He stared at her for a moment in silence. His arms lifted in a shrug.

“Vegas.” He muttered. Phobos glanced toward the exit of the alley toward the stream of neon lights. Sin City itself. It was a glorious place where little fears thrived. People fearing they will lose every penny they own. Men fearing that what happens in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas. Those fears were always fun. Chaos ensued here and chaos was one element that gave fuel to fear. Phobos looked back to Eris and a slight grin popped on his boyish face. “It’s like you know me.”

Phobos moved forward and folded his arms across his chest. “It’s been a while Eris. I can assume that you are still causing chaos where ever you roam?” He laughed. “Of course you are, you wouldn’t be Eris if you didn’t.”

The casual tone and expression dropped from his face. It turned deadly serious. Eris would be the perfect ally or, as Phobos liked to think of his allies, the perfect servant. And while Phobos was fairly certain he had the Goddess of Discord on his side, Phobos didn’t trust the Gods as far as he could throw them (though he would be able to throw them pretty far. It was just an expression). He cleared his throat. “So, I trust there is a specific reason for our meeting here in city of sin? Good choice by the way. Though, kind of distracting, I can practically taste the fear in the air.”

[eris]

Eris watched as the yellow smoke quickly formed into the one person she was quite interested in talking to and not causing too much trouble to them. The reason, she knew it would benefit her more if she caused trouble for him, and him in return for her. Of course, she could far from predict what the God of Fear was up to, so chances of her plan working were slim. Of course, it would have been ironic to come to Vegas without having an Ace up her sleeve. One of the advantages of being a Goddess was knowing a few things here and there outside the normal mortal capacity.

“Quite a while,” she replied, the corners of her lips curving into a sadistic grin. It only became wider when he commented by her obvious causing trouble. Eris wasn’t one to control others. Having others help her cause trouble and let the dominoes fall; definitely wanting something with him, she cut her normal odd speak from her voice and focused on the task at hand “I certainly do miss watching you in action, Phobos,” she commented in a rather smooth voice. It was obvious in her own Eris way that she was flirting with the God of fear. That was only the fun part of it.

She kept her twisted smile up, but her lips tightened and her eyes darkened. His mind wouldn’t be on the fear of Vegas much longer. “Tell me, God of Fear,” she said, her voice no longer amused but hollow and obviously down to business. Her chin raised a bit and she looked directly at Phobos. “What do you think of one: Perseus Jackson?” Her eyes flashed at his name. She knew of what happened with Phobos, but it wasn’t a mockery flash. She hated the hero with more hatred than she’d felt in a while. That Demi-God, seemingly a hero in so many eyes, was a brat in hers. Just maybe, Phobos would want to take revenge on the boy and help her stir up a little chaos of her own.

[Phobos]

Phobos smirked at the compliment his ego only growing. She would certainly see him at what he did best soon, if everything went well, first the Camp and then the Gods. He figured that Eris was trying to butter him up for some reason but he didn’t care the excuse, the fact was Phobos was good at what he did and he knew it. The tone in Eris’ voice changed and brought Phobos back down a little knowing that she had called him hear for something serious.

The amusement dropped completely from Phobos’ face at the name of Perseus Jackson. He felt his ichor boil hot at just the sound of that damned demi-gods name on Eris’ tongue. There was literally fire that lit his eyes much like his fathers. Phobos began to glow brighter and brighter as if he had forgotten to take a lesser form and was ready to expose his true appearance. The look on his face was deadly as he glared at Eris. Still glowing Phobos turned toward the street and outstretched his hand a car driving by on the street was sent air born. People screamed and fled in terror.

Breathing heavily Phobos pivoted back to Eris calming down only slightly so that his body no longer glowed. His eyes still burned with flames. He gave her a look that read, ‘does that answer your question?’

Phobos would love nothing more than to get that stupid demi-god who bested him a few years back. He huffed and raised his head a little. “What about Percy Jackson? Unless you have his body hidden somewhere amongst your leather and are willing to hand him over to me, I don’t ever want to hear his name again.”

Phobos snorted and fixed his jacket, his tone only slightly losing its severity. “If you have news of his death though by all means I want every single tiny detail. Please tell me you have a good reason for bringing up that pathetic worm that calls himself a son of Poseidon.”

[eris]

Eris watched with little emotion but amusement on her face as Phobos got beyond the point of fury and caused destruction back out on the street. Her lips stayed in a thin line but her eyes sparkled as she watched the destruction take place. Her eyes turned back to Phobos just has he gave her his angry look. She in turn raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips together. "Hmm," she replied, though it was obvious to read she liked his reaction, and more or less was counting on it.

"Search as you wish, I don't have him hidden in my garb; nor has death come to the Demi-barnicle," she replied, her voice held a heavy heart and a fake smile while her eyes glittered profusely with amusement. "Unfortunately." She took a step closer to him, her lips slowly curling upward once more. Something sinister was circling behind her lips and deep within her eyes, and since she was the Goddess of Chaos, it had to be something ugly. Or in her and Phobos's case, beautiful. "The young squid has not suffered at all for his mockery of the Gods. He tests us, he scorns us, he mocks us, and still nothing has been done to silence the brat. How father and the others can order him around and he consents without so much as blinking is insulting."

She turned toward the street cocking her head and watching the effect of Phobos's work. Energy of chaos radiated as people ran to and fro from the accident. "No mortal, immortal, or Demi-dork is without weakness," she said softly, her eyes landing back on Phobos once more. "I want him ruined for making us lower than him." Her lips twitched slightly. "I'm sure you understand my views, Phobos." Certainly Phobos would understand, since Perseus had pretty much made a fool of him by defeating him in battle, the proud little twit.

[Phobos]

Phobos was still worked up over the name of Percy Jackson. He hated the very thought of that specific demi-god. It made the ichor in his perfect Godly body run like lava. It boiled and churned with absolute hatred. A simple death for that son of Poseidon would not be enough to satisfy Phobos. He wanted to watch Percy Jackson suffer as no one had suffered before. While he was number one on Phobos’ hit list, he wanted to make sure Percy begged for death. It also didn’t help that the brat was now invincible. He needed to find his Achilles Heel, in a manner of speaking, and make sure to drive a red-hot poker through it.

“I understand completely Eris. You are one of the few who understand what I am trying to accomplish. If one demi-god has disrespect for the Gods then a hundred do. And the ones who do not will soon fall in line with the others. You Eris, I don’t feel that the Olympians have it in our best interest anymore. The old days were better, where I was rightfully feared. Now the punks at Camp Half-Blood laugh in our faces, they send their precious hero Percy Jackson to fight all of their battles. If we bring him down we can topple the rest. The minor Gods have taken a back seat for too long. I think we should rise up and take Olympus for ourselves, and of course create Chaos on our way.” There was a greedy glint in his red eyes. Of course they were blocked by the sunglasses he still had on.

“I’m positive you are no stranger to chaos Eris.” He chuckled. He lowered his head a little and stared Eris directly in the eye from behind the black shades. “Camp Half-Blood will crumble and then Olympus. Percy Jackson may be invincible but as you said he is not without a weakness, and I think I know what it might be, that daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase. I don’t suppose you have any clever and fun ideas of how to crush Percy and his friends?”

[eris]

Eris watched Phobos as he made his little monologue. He was just like those stupid supervillains that anyone found in the movies. In the time of the monologue, the 'hero' ended up finding a way to defeat the villain. If Phobos wanted to have a single hope of doing some damage, he would stop talking about it and actually start acting. Once he was done with his monolouge she let out a soft laugh which grew slightly. Once she was done she let out a soft sigh she began slowly moving her way around Phobos in a circle. It wasn't like she was prowling or a huntess on the kill, she was just observing him, looking him up and down before she finally spoke, speaking more modern than she usually did. "You are a hot-headed minor God with an ego higher than Olympus itself Phobos." she chuckled, stopping right in front of him so their faces were mere inches apart. "One great plague at a time or else you'll find things will blow out of proportion. You don't want to bite off more than you can chew. It's stupid and will get you in a whole lot more trouble than you realize."

She flashed him a small smirk, watching him dead in the eye. Being the body of chaos, she really didn't have a fear. It was more of an annoyance. She was a goddess and couldn't die. Peace was an annoying side effect and could be dealt with easily. Besides, she knew how Phobos used his powers and could easily close her eyes or turn away. "You should know better than try to crumble the Olympians. They defeated their parents, and more than once. They will not be so easily moved by their children." She knew Phobos would probably be pissed she said that, but it needed to be said. Eris liked the little imp God of fear, so instead she decided to give him a little advice.

"If you're looking for some sort of alliance against Olympus, Phobos, I don't take sides. I get more out of it if I watch discord unfold on two sides of the battlefield rather than one." Her lips curved upward and she took another small step closer reaching for the collar of his leather jacket and straitening it out a bit, just because she could. And maybe partly because she wanted to see how far she could push him before he attacked her. "But I like you. You have a good mindset of what should and shouldn't be. So here's what I will give you: the Gods need their half-breed children. They proved that in the last battle against Kronos. Take out their support and they'll be walking slowly and unsteadily. Just tip one domino and watch the rest fall. I will not completely turn my back on my father or the other Gods. Doesn't really give me much of a place to go if you fail, does it?" She paused for a moment. "However, I can greatly aid you with the Jackson problem and guarantee you full satisfaction. He'll suffer more than mortal, half-breed or immortal ever has tenfold. But only if you ask me nicely." Eris pulled her head back slightly and studied his face, her lips still inkling a smile. Her eyes had flashed at his name, knowing Phobos hated hearing the word. She didn't hate it as much as him, but it still made her own ichor churn with a deep vengeance. Now all she had to do was wait for his reply.

[Phobos]

Phobos chest heaved in and out as he tried to calm himself down from his monologue/rant. He hated Percy Jackson more than words could even describe. There wasn’t a word for it in Greek or in English or any language on Earth. He licked his lips and forced a grin at Eris, he blinked a few times and gave a nod.

“Thank you Eris you’re too kind.” He replied. “But I am fairly certain I can handle all of this. Underestimating me is a grave mistake that I honestly hope most of the those filthy half-bloods make.” If the fools at Camp Half-Blood only gave him half of the credit he deserved Phobos was certain he could take them all by surprise. He knew what Percy Jackson thought of him while Phobos wasn’t great at sword to sword combat he had a new weapon up his sleeve. Sure he hadn’t acquired said weapon just yet, he was still searching for it but Jackson would not make the same mistake twice.

Phobos sighed and felt he rage begin to grow in his stomach again as Eris doubted and gave him a warning. His lips twitched and he stared at her with a calm expression, an eerily calm expression. “I am not so overly confident to attempt to accomplish this alone. Why shouldn’t the minor Gods get a chance at the big time? Come on Eris you can’t tell me you are content to be labeled minor and practically forgotten by any and all humans? This is an opportunity for all of us so called minor Gods. If the Olympians over threw their parents than why can’t we?”

He should have known that Eris wouldn’t have sided with anyone let alone him. Phobos’ lips drew tight and he stood his ground staring at the Goddess of Chaos and Strife. He listened to her speak she was just telling him things he already knew. Once he toppled Camp Half-Brains than Olympus would follow. He didn’t like that Eris threw in the comment about him possibly failing. Faling was out of the question. It was not a viable option. However he did smile when Eris mentioned she would help him in getting rid of Percy Jackson. He liked the sound of Percy Jackson suffering. It sent a pleasant bloody image through Phobos’ mind.

He folded his arms across his chest and exhaled. After a minute contemplating what Eris had to offer he smirked. “I think we can arrange some kind of agreement on that end. I like the way you think Eris. Without chaos there would be no fear and vice versa. It’ll be fun working with you to finish off Percy Jackson.”

WORD COUNT::449

[eris]

A small smirk crawled its way to the surface, the corners of her lips tugging upward and barely revealing her white teeth. Eris knew she was playing with fire, but Eris had no fears to worry about. She was a Goddess, and one of Discord. The only thing she would really have to fear would be no more chaos, and that was more of a nuisance than a fear. It was boring and pointless. She was what made life interesting for those on the earth and on Olympus. Either way, she wanted to make her intentions perfectly clear before Phobos went and ruined the one good thing he had going for him.

“Oh, I don’t underestimate you, my dear Phobos. Nor do I attempt to discredit you. Your high ego is one of the things that I like so much about you. You have your head on strait. No ideals for happy endings and stupid fairytale triumph. You’re a realist. It’s enticing.” She took a few steps away from him and stood still facing the other God, her lips still playing at her smirk. She chose her next words carefully, just playfully playing at the ironicness of it. “But I do fear you might be underestimating the task at hand. Things will get messy. And of course, I’ll be right in the middle of it soaking it up from both ends of the mess.” Eris closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the smile growing more content before she opened them once again upon Phobos. The Goddess was not in denial of her own thirst for power, but at least she thought herself wise. “Olympians have not lasted in power for this long for no reason, Phobos.” It was not something he didn’t know, but it was something he needed to remember if he was to go through with this.

She let out a soft chuckle at Phobos's insisting comments. “You know me, Phobos. I don’t take sides.” She paused, making her own standing final. “However, if you do succeed, Phobos, let us just say I will not be unhappy with that outcome.” Her eyes flashed slightly and she glanced at the ground, shifting her weight a bit. “In fact, I know of a certain unclaimed Demi-Goddess whom I would love to fight on your side, just to make things interesting. You may have met her once before in New York.” Eris was of course talking about her daughter, but did not say so. She never claimed her children, especially now since Percy Jackson disgraced her father Zeus.

Speaking of Percy Jackson, the conversation seemed to switch right to him. Her lips hardened into a thin line, thinking about how the King of the Gods let the half-blood walk all over him after his request for Demi-Gods to be claimed. Offering immortality was something else, but turning it down was the same as spitting him in the face and acting like a spoiled brat. Eris had ideas for him, but her blackened heart was generous enough to share the fun with Phobos and Apate. Her lips smiled when Phobos spoke again. “And that’s why I love working with you Phobos,” she mused, taking a deep breath. “You know how my mind works. Now, for the Son of Poseidon.

"I have already placed one of my curses within the camp. It's in the possession of Deceitful Apate. A mirror. It curses one by uprooting their deepest darkest desire, and drives them to utter chaos, fear, and every other dark emotion taking over their body to the point of possibly killing others or themselves. Demi-Gods killing Demi-Gods is so much harder to trace back than if we kill them ourselves. Perhaps if you ask nicely she might use it to aid your cause, or even hand it over for this one little favor. I know I would love to see Jackson's darkest desire drowning him in strife, causing him to turn against his own friends before it splatters his brains on the wall. Maybe a few others’ as well.” She let out another small chuckle. "Let the dominoes fall dear Phobos. Who knows? They may fall in your favor."

She took a small step forward. “Now, you won’t be able to use the mirror without my full permission. If you try, it will disappear and return to me.” The Goddess’s eyes bore into Phobos’s as though attempting to see his soul. “What are you willing to do or give in return for this precious curse upon the sea serpent of a Demi-God?”

Word Count: 762

((let me know if I need to change anything whatsoever. Wasn't sure where this thread fell specifically on your timeline...))

[Phobos]

Phobos felt a nice boost in his ego as Eris praised him. He smugly grinned at her folding his arms across his chest drinking in the sheer pleasure of hearing about how awesome he actually was. Why couldn’t everyone else recognize what he was trying to do like Eris? But as the conversation took a turn where the his goal was brought into question. He wasn’t underestimating things. And if he was Phobos sure as Hades wasn’t going to admit it to Eris or anyone else, even himself.

He licked his lips and his eyebrows dropped inwardly pressing together as he glared at the Goddess. Phobos was going to take down the Olympians if it killed him, which it wouldn’t and couldn’t. But as the expression went he was going to see this through and prove that minor Gods are just as strong if not more powerful than the almighty Olympians. Phobos hoped he wouldn’t have to fight his father though, when the time came Phobos hoped he could sway his father to his side. Ares on his side would make his part in the war stronger. Ares leading the army of the Gods, his soon to be champion to lead the demi-Gods all while Phobos sat back and directed and commanded the troops on both sides.

“Then I guess it’s time for them to step down.” He said coldly.

Phobos wasn’t going to stand for this any longer and it was getting to the point where it wasn’t worth his time and effort to sway Eris completely to his side. But then the Goddess said something that caught his interest. He thought back to New York and grinned as the face of the brunette Brit popped in his head. His lips curled in a smile. “Oh yes. I remember her. She’s just as stubborn as you Eris.” He didn’t come out and directly say it, but he knew that he had met Eris’ daughter in New York.

Phobos decided to stay a little longer to listen to what Eris had in mind for Percy Jackson. A swift kick off Olympus would be satisfying right now, even if the son of the sea was invincible. It would still feel good to kick that brat around a little. Phobos scratched his chin and thought on the matter running over the million possibilities in his head. “Percy Jackson drowning in his own strife, in his own desire. Sounds interesting.” He said slowly.

He returned Eris’ gaze. “I will not be indebt to you Eris.” Phobos said firmly. "How do I know you won’t turn on me in the middle of all of this just to cause more chaos? I don’t. So in return for letting me borrow your little mirror how about I leave your daughter alone. I’ll make sure no one harms her, and you” He pointed his index finger in her direction, “Can have all the fun that comes with Percy’s friends, maim, kill or obliterate them. Whatever floats your chaotic boat they are yours and I’ll make sure that no God touches you.” His single pointed finger unfurled into a hand. He shoved it toward Eris, “Do we have a deal?”

WORD COUNT"532

[eris]

No matter what Phobos said or did, Eris would not side with him. Not only did it keep her from feeling the joys of both sides of the chaos, but it certainly kept things interesting. However she was in strong favor of him. Perhaps they had ruled Olympus for far too long, but just as Phobos wasn’t about to admit his own overactive ego, she was not going to admit her father had ruled too long. Nor was it time for him to step down. They were Gods, just like Phobos, just like Hecate and Apate, just like Eris. There was a reason the Minor Gods were still around, and that was because the Olympians were still around. Eris wasn’t about to that to Phobos though, she had already told him enough that he wasn’t happy with hearing. No need to push him too far beyond his limit, or she wouldn’t get what she wanted.

Eris’s smirk turned poisonously sweet as he mentioned how similarly stubborn the English Demi-God was to herself. Perfect. It was always nice to know her children were insanely emotionally unstable. It made the world a much more interesting to live in, and feed off the discord and strife. Not to mention was good sport. “A lesson or two of interest could be well taught by you to her, Phobos,” she mused. As much as she could deny it, Eris was horribly biased on wanting to cause as many problems as possible.

Then the conversation was back at Percy Jackson, and Eris let out a growl. Her hatred of him radiated like a radioactive material. She kept her sweet smile though as she watched Phobos play out Percy’s destruction in his head. Of course she knew he wouldn’t want to owe her anything, so she was expecting some sort of compromise. And she got something better than she bargained for: leaving dear annoying Sam alone (that was more of a temperamental condition) and free reign on Percy’s friends without any sort of annoyance from him or any other God. Now, she would have bothered Percy’s friends anyway, that was a given, but the idea that Phobos was letting her and he wouldn’t want them for himself was more than she expected. Then there was the thought of her daughter she had to clear up.

“I have no idea what you mean by ‘daughter,’” she commented in a slightly higher and more innocent voice, her lips curling into a smile. She would never admit that Sam was her daughter, at least not yet. Percy Jackson had to realize he was not above the Gods and could not order them around. “However, I accept you protecting the Demi-God. I am quite fond of her rather stubborn attitude and interesting powers. She’s worth keeping around. Who knows, she may even be an asset. And in return for my magic not backfiring not in the middle of this beautiful discord, I also accept the idea of having fun with the other Demi-dorks with no trifling from other Gods. It seems like a fair enough trade.” She let out a contented sigh. “To be honest I don’t like to be indebted to either. People always forget and then things get really nasty.”

Slowly she reached out her hand, not taking his but locking her fingers around his forearm, placing her own forearm in his hand, making it a stronger seal than a simple handshake. “I think I can agree to the conditions,” she agreed, her eyes boring into his once again with a sick and teasing smirk. She let out a small chuckle, showing off her chaotic smirk once more. “How about a kiss to seal the deal?” she teased in a sadistic whisper, knowing he probably wouldn’t go for it at all and mainly saying it to push his little Fear-God buttons. He was fun to watch when he was angry anyway. And it wasn’t as though he could really do anything to her. She was an immortal just like him, and had just as much chaotic power.

Word Count:678