╭───────────────────────────── ❛❛ 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚍 ❜ ────────────────────────────╮
→ tagged joey, talos, liberty ✘ mentioned warren & tobias ✘ role assigned to protect joseph
troius froze, a wicked chill crawling across his spine as warren brushed against him and snatched back his bottle. he should have expected his tipsy confidence to fade quickly, especially with the way he used every last drop of courage to snap at the fallen son and sashay away to what he thought would be safety. his bad. warren growled a threat and troy felt his knees buckle just in time for joey, blessed joey, to emerge from the crowd and grab hold of his now-trembling hand. he quickly nodded, shell-shocked, and stumbled after his dearest joey toward the elevators. he felt numb, dazed, and anxious all at once, and his glassy blue eyes seemed to glaze over as they walked. it wasn't long, though, until he had something to snap him out of his stupor.
someone who looked suspiciously like tobias solaris, warren's equally damned cousin-turned-brother and notorious hothead with an endless list of casualties under his belt, was huddled close to warren right by the elevators. troius's body reacted on its own, legs locking in place and his arm yanking joey back until he was cradled right against his chest. "well. i guess i deserve this," he muttered, clutching joey protectively and slowly moon-walking back toward their abandoned booth. his eyes never left the brothers as he crept deeper into the room, despite protests from intoxicated humans trying to get their club on. suddenly, warren pulled his phone out of his pocket and skimmed over a message, then shouldered his way back into the bar. " !!!!! "
"oh, my gods!" he hissed as he scrambled to assemble a plan. warren seemed to be on a mission and tobias hadn't seemed to notice him yet, yes, that was good. he had a slight upper hand in that sense. warren approached the bar and began accosting talos and liberty, which made troy's heart stop, do a flip, and sink right to his feet. "oh, my gods, oh, my gods!!" he gasped and buried joey's face into his shirt as though shielding a child from an inappropriate scene in a movie. "for gods' sake!! o-okay, joey, yes, let's go back to my room, but we can't pass the bar." he haphazardly pet joey's hair as he spoke as though he was the one who needed calming and finally released his stifling grip on the smaller demigod. "okay. we need a plan. a game plan, an idea, a scheme," he rambled as he eyed the group at the bar. his brows knit together and he paused for a single moment before bending over, hooking one arm behind joey's back and the other under his knees, and hoisting him into a cradled position in his arms. "this is horrible. this is not a good plan." still, he shuffled among the dancing humans in an effort to camouflage his ridiculous display as he hurried toward the elevators.
"gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, oh, my gods."
troy was racing between the increasingly slim gaps between gyrating humans, trying and failing to keep joey's dangling legs from booting people in the arms, backs, and asses. he had no time to stop, no time for "sorrys" and "excuse mes"──there were multiple murderers in their midsts! didn't they see that?! through the grace of zeus, the elevators were drawing closer and he could see the light. they were almost there. he still had to figure out a way to rescue talos and liberty, sure, but they were more than capable on their own, let alone together. he figured they could hold their own for just a moment more. finally, he made it to the elevator bay and set joey down by the doors closest to the end of the hall. his heart raced, his hands trembled, and his eyes were incredibly wide with fear, but he was pleased with his quick thinking and flawless execution. with a labored breath, he smashed the up button a few times and turned to face joey. "phew, okay. wait here while i figure out how to save my siblings, pretty please. if anyone talks to you, immediately go upstairs, especially if he looks like that." he pointed an accusatory finger toward warren and tobias, once again silently pleading with joey with an apologetic wince. he melted back into the fray, circling the bar to find an empty stool he could perch on, listen from, and remain fairly hidden. he tried his damnedest to get liberty and talos's attention from his end of the bar without drawing any notice from warren, waving recklessly when his back was turned and sipping from a random patron's drink when he happened to glance his way. how he so badly wanted to cast a flare of light into the bar, blinding the patrons and dragging talos and liberty out while everyone literally couldn't notice, but how he knew the demons surrounding the space would instantly recognize it as a signature troius move and likely make the entire situation worse. dammit, dammit, dammit.
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