The first thing Connor did was use the restroom. At first, he wasn't sure how to handle the situation. He couldn't let go of Abby, but he also couldn't not pee. He wasn't even sure if he should bring her into the men's bathroom. Again, he wished Travis was with him. Travis might have been able to hold her in his absence. In the end, he pushed her through the wall in one of the stalls so that she wouldn't technically be in the room. He hoped that was okay. Getting phased through walls might be troubling for spirits.
The next thing he did was find a spot to sleep. The rest area didn't feel dangerous. Even so, Connor sent up a quick prayer to Hermes. He had a feeling his dad was listening. This was a place for travelers after all. It made sense that it would be protected. He picked a place hidden from the road, in the shade of a tree.
Sleeping on the bench of a picnic table wasn't ideal, but it would do. He slept with one arm dangling, his hand still clasped around Abby's. She floated nearby like a grey balloon that had lost most of its helium. Connor woke up with two emotions: happiness that Abby had not faded or slipped from his grasp, and irritation at the crick in his neck. The sun was going down.
There weren't many cars left in the parking lot. Connor sized them up as he walked past. He knew how to hotwire. The question was whether he could get away with it. There were security cameras in places like these. Also, could he drive while maintaining a connection with Abby? He decided to come back to that obstacle later.
The vending machines were around the back of the building. The only light came from one streetlamp and the soft glow of the machines. Connor crouched in front of the snack machine and stuck his hand through the slot. It wasn't as easy as it used to be. He could fit most of his arm in these things when he was younger and smaller.
He had just managed to knock a chocolate bar loose when he heard something slither across the asphalt. Connor looked around. There was nothing there. Nothing that he could see anyway.
"I'm being paranoid," he told himself, glancing at Abby for reassurance. He had a knife in his backpack. Could he get it in time if a monster attacked?
Connor set to stealing more snacks. He would finish up here as quickly as possible, then steal a car and be on his way. No problem.
If Abby hadn't screamed, he never would have seen the two headed serpent lunging for him.
It wasn't the largest monster Connor had ever encountered, but it was still pretty massive. He rolled away just in time. The serpent crashed into the vending machine, creating a cascade of snacks. Abby continued to wail.
Connor was surprised he recognized it: an amphisbaena. He must have been told about it at camp. Granted, it was pretty unique monster. There were plenty of two-headed beasts in the mythological world, but this one had its heads positioned on either end of its body. It didn't need to turn around to make its second attack.
Connor leaped up and ran, dropping his stolen food. He tried to swing Abby onto his back; he couldn't fight it one handed. The amphisbaena followed at a startling speed. It was pretty much a giant snake. Connor had handled lots of grass snakes in his childhood and knew how quickly they could move. Outrunning it probably wasn't an option.
He fumbled for his knife. He'd tucked it into one of the outer pockets when he'd been packing to leave. There was no time to take the backpack off, so he was blindly groping for the zipper while running for his life. Eventually, his fingers found the pull. Connor brought out the weapon and spun around.
The amphisbaena charged at him, jaw open as if to swallow him whole. Connor sidestepped and slashed it. The blade made contact. The amphisbaena hissed in pain. One of its eyes was bleeding heavily. But that was only one of four.
Abby started crying again. She clung to Connor tighter. Her ice cold arms locked around his neck. Connor tried to ignore it. Getting distracted would be a death sentence. He tried to get another stab in. The amphisbaena was faster. It slithered backwards, then surged forward again to sink its teeth into Connor's arm.
The pain was excruciating. Connor cried out, stabbing wildly at the amphisbaena. He managed to get its other eye. It let him go and moved backwards again, hissing threateningly. Connor gritted his teeth and got up. Warm, fresh blood trickled down his arm and soaked the sleeve of his t-shirt.
He couldn't beat it by himself. He wasn't strong enough. Connor didn't have amazing powers like Percy or Thalia. He didn't have Clarisse's brute force. And he was alone. He didn't even have his brother to help. If Travis were there, they could have taken it down.
No. He wasn't entirely alone. Abby's wails had quieted, but she was there, clutching at Connor for dear life (or death, he supposed).
Maybe, once he was dead, he could drag her with him to the Underworld.
The amphisbaena came at him again. Connor raised his knife, prepared to go down fighting.
It didn't come to that. Instead, a black sword sliced out of the darkness and straight through the body of the amphisbaena. The serpent shuddered and went limp, both heads dropping to the ground as it disintegrated. All that was left of it was a large, crumpled snakeskin.
Connor sagged. His entire arm was throbbing. "Nice of you to show up," he said. "I thought you quit."
Nico rested his sword against his shoulder. "I almost did. Then I realized you have no idea how to get to the Underworld without me. You're welcome, by the way."
"Now," Connor said, "is not the time to be a little shit."
Nico treated him to a withering scowl. Connor would've laughed if his arm didn't hurt so goddamned much. He dropped his knife and rolled up his sleeve to examine the extent of the damage. It did not look good.
"Let's go somewhere with more light," he suggested. "I need a second to walk this off."
Nico gave Connor some ambrosia to heal his wound. It would take a while for it to fully take effect, but at least it would keep Connor from dying. It also took some of the pain away. He dabbed at the blood with paper towels he'd taken from the bathroom.
"Sorry I bailed," Nico muttered. "I got frustrated."
"Yeah, I guessed that. Thanks for saving me. How did you know where I was?"
Nico rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, um. I was following you. Shadow travel."
"Hmm." Connor raised his eyebrows and smiled. "I would've thought you'd just walk out and not think twice. I know you don't really like me, for reasons which I cannot fathom."
"I came with you so you wouldn't get hurt. I decided to honor the agreement."
"Are you sure it's not because I'm your friend and friends don't leave people behind?"
"We're not friends, Connor."
"That's funny, because I've known you for, like, four years."
"Knowing someone a long time doesn't equal friendship," Nico said bitterly.
Connor decided to change the subject. "How far away are we from that entrance to the Underworld?"
"We've still got some ways to go. It's a long drive, but not too far."
"Where is it anyway?"
"Howe Caverns."
Connor sat up a little straighter. "I know that place. I went there on a school trip. There's an entrance to the Underworld in a tourist attraction?"
"It's a cave system. That's enough for there to be an entrance. You just have to know how to get there. Mortal tourists aren't stumbling into the Underworld, in case you're wondering. It's perfectly safe."
"You know, it's starting to make sense. They named a lot of stuff after Greek mythology. The River Styx, the Titan's Temple…"
"Sometimes these places are more obvious than you'd think."
Connor wadded up the bloodstained paper towels and tossed them into a nearby trashcan. "We'd better get moving if want to make it there in time. Help me pick a car to steal."
Nico sighed. "Can't you think of a way that won't get us arrested?"
"It'll be fine. We'll travel a few miles, then ditch the car and pick a new one."
"You're talking like you've done this before."
Connor winked. "I have lots of stories to tell you. It'll make the drive go faster. Come on, Nico. Haven't you ever wanted to live on the edge?"
There was a beat, then Nico laughed. Though it sounded like it was trying to be wry, Connor detected a faint hint of humor beneath. "I live on the edge every day of my life, Stoll."
"Do you even know how to drive?"
"I'm seventeen, Nico. Of course, I know how to drive."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Au contraire! I had to sit through classroom training and I took road and range. I can show you my license. If you say 'please' I might even let you hold it."
"You might want to do that yourself," Nico hissed. "In fact, you can kiss it good-bye, since it's going to be revoked when we get caught stealing a car."
"Shh." Connor pressed a finger to Nico's lips. Nico swatted it away. "I know what I'm doing. Now let's see what we've got."
There wasn't much to choose from. Most cars looked too unwieldy to make off with. Others were too expensive or conspicuous. What they needed was a small, nondescript vehicle. Maybe something that already had a few dents in it.
Nico pointed to a brown sedan. "How about that one?"
"Nice work. Is anybody around?"
"No. Everyone's inside."
"Okay, keep watch. I'll get us in." Connor walked nonchalantly to where the car was parked, casting glances over his shoulder just in case it had a protective owner. As he sidled past, he put his free hand over the lock. He could sense the mechanism that held it closed. He gave it a gentle push. The lock popped up. He signaled for Nico to come over.
Nico jogged up to the car. "I thought you were going to break the window. How did you do that?"
"Son of Hermes. I'm good with locks. Get in."
The inside smelled faintly of cigarettes. Nico wrinkled his nose but didn't comment. Connor shifted so that Abby could sit in his lap, then buckled his seatbelt. His heart drummed excitedly in his ribcage, but the rest of him felt calm. This was what he was born to do. Connor whispered a quick prayer to Hermes and snapped off the ignition panel.
He got the engine started in no time. Nico exhaled. Connor hadn't realized how tense the kid really was. He sat up and tested the steering wheel, just in case it was locked. It wasn't.
"We're good to go," Connor said.
"Hurry up, before someone comes back outside."
Connor backed out of the parking space and drove away. He glanced in the rearview, waiting to see if an alarm had been raised. It hadn't. Connor grinned. Apparently, his gift of getting away with theft worked for larger objects as well.
"I told you with had nothing to worry about," he said. "I think it'll be a while before they realize."
Abby made a pained noise. The ends of her pigtails faded into nothing. Connor pressed the gas pedal a little harder. He ignored the way Nico grabbed the door handle. They couldn't afford to move slowly.