What Lies Down the Road

by hammertime69

AU. It's the summer after senior year and Annabeth and Thalia are road tripping across the country. Thalia's there for the thrill, but Annabeth needs this trip-after the incident in high school the blonde hopes new places and new people can help her rehabilitate and forget her past. Summer nights, mild misdemeanors, hot lifeguards, ACDC, and adventure waits around every corner...

1. Caffeine and Iteneraries

A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus Series... Enjoy the first chap and don't forget to review! Happy reading, ya'll!

June 1, 5:20 AM

San Francisco

Annabeth had the patience of Job, but for this particular trip she wouldn't wait. It had been twelve hours since the eve of her high school graduation and she was already behind the wheel of her Firebird, cruising through San Francisco as the sun rose over the bay and painted the sky an optimistic shade of coral.

Though her gray eyes were calm, her mind whirled with a thousand different thoughts as she went over her mental checklist:

Emergency cash? Check.

Spare tire? Check.

First aid kit? Check.

Fire extinguisher? Check.

Cell charger? Check.

Road maps? Check.

Coffee? Annabeth glanced down at her cup holder, where a lone Styrofoam cup sat, steaming. The caffeine would be for Thalia, who had to drink the bitter liquid to be worth anything in the morning. Annabeth preferred tea.

The blonde nodded to herself. Yes, everything was in place. This trip would be perfect.

It took her a record seven minutes to get to Thalia's townhouse—a looming sky-blue-and-white structure that dwarfed everything in the surrounding neighborhood.

The raven-haired girl was already waiting for Annabeth on the front porch. To the random passerby Thalia Grace was a lanky punk girl who looked like she went to metal concerts and tattoo parlors, although realistically she was a pleasant individual. Yes, her favorite color was black and yes, she may have been what many teachers called "a problem child", but underneath the attitude and the eyeliner Thalia had a kind heart. She stowed her duffel in the trunk and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Good morning!" Annabeth said brightly, handing her friend the red-and-brown Java Joe's coffee cup.

Thalia accepted it without a word and spoke after a few hearty gulps, wincing as the harsh liquid poured down her throat. "How can you be so enthusiastic at this hour?"

Glancing at the dash, Annabeth realized it was only half past five. "I'm just excited, Thals! This is our high-school road trip!" as she said this, Annabeth did an unconscious happy wiggle in her seat. Glancing at her blind spot, she pulled into the street and started to head out of the city. "Just me, my best friend, and the open road."

Something blindingly white caught Thalia's eye—a piece of paper taped to the dash in front of her seat. "What's this?"

"The itinerary." Annabeth replied.

Thalia didn't know whether to spit out her coffee or laugh. "Annabeth, I thought the point of this trip was for us to be free—you know? No rules, no boundaries, no parental supervision?"

"I know. I just thought it would be nice to have a schedule. This way we can keep track of where we need to be and when we should be there and—"

Thalia reached out, peeled the piece of paper off the dash, crumpled it up, and rolled the window down.

"Thalia Grace, don't you dare!" Annabeth made a grab at the paper, jerking the steering wheel and making the car swerve erratically in the process.

Thalia glared at her friend, icy eyes boring into steel. "Fine. You do it."

"No!" Annabeth successfully snatched the paper away and tried to smooth it out against the steering wheel.

"Annabeth!" Thalia said sharply. "You promised me that on this trip you'd let go—You'd let go of high school, and everything else!" Annabeth winced. "This is the first step. Repeat after me: I am Annabeth."

"I am Annabeth." the blonde echoed, somewhat reluctantly.

"I am strong."

"I am strong."

"I don't need rules or itineraries to hold me back!"

"I don't need—hey!"

"Annabeth!" Thalia said sharply.

The driver sighed. "I don't need rules or itineraries to hold me back."

"Great! Now you take this," Thalia placed the crumpled itinerary in Annabeth's hand, "And throw it out the window."

"Thalia, do I really have to?"

"Yes."

"But we're littering."

"I'm sure it's biodegradable."

The window slid down slowly in defeat, and after checking the rearview and heaving a dramatic sigh, Annabeth flicked her wrist, and the ball of paper disappeared in the breeze.

"Woo! Now we're talking!" Thalia cheered. She reached out and turned on the radio. ACDC came pouring over the speakers—Shoot to Thrill, a mutual favorite of the two.

They grinned at each other and started belted out the lyrics as the skyline of San Francisco shrank behind them.