voungbloodsâ:
watching the ball sail into the cups one after another made nicoâs breath hitch. he was not going to lose again, not to poppy of all people. he grabbed the ball with a huff, but not before drinking the swill that mortals loved to drink. he winced at the taste but powered through the last of it. beer did nothing to his psyche except make him hate everything just a little more. he tossed his ball at poppyâs cup, and his confidence was high when he made the first two tosses. âfuck!â he shouted as the third ball hit the rim of the cup and bounced away instead of landing inside.
poppy had to hold back a laugh every time nico had to down another cup of the mortalsâ weak, yet disgusting âbeer.â she wished she could snap a photo of his priceless expression, but perhaps she could capture the one on his face once he finally lost instead. as she watched him take his turn, poppyâs mouth hardened ever-so-slightly; sheâd forgotten how much a threat he really did pose. but she was zeus, queen of the gods. there was no way sheâd lose to a silly underling. her smile returned when he missed another shot, and she uncrossed her arms, leaning lazily across the table for the ball.
âsuch language, hades. are you getting nervous?â his given name slipped out as they dredged their age old tensions to the surface. with her cocky smile, she took aim. miss. she took a deep breath and tried again. miss. she waited for nico to take his turn, anger scorching her face and daring him to speak.











