I RIDE INTO THE SUNSET ON A CHICKEN

(Cammie's Pov.)

It was the third time I had thrown my necklace out the window. I watched as it rolled off into the distance until it became a speckle in the landscape. Each time, only seconds after it was gone did I feel it's weight return around my neck.

I signed, almost frustrated, pulling it off over my head again. I weighed it in my palm, glaring down at it to give me answers.

"Are you going to chuck that thing out again?" Roe slurred from the back seat sarcastically. The poison still hadn't completely worn off. "Or can you keep your focus on the road from now on? I think we're nearing town."

I ignored her, and tossed it one more time. I watched, then waited. When nothing happened, I stopped the car on the side of the road and hopped out.

"She might have finally lost it," I heard Roe grumble to Josh as I started walking away.

I made my way over to my necklace. It lay in a puddle of mud, and I reached down to pick it up, wiping away the gunk. It stared back up at me almost mockingly. I gave it a squeeze, not knowing what to make of this.

I crawled back into the car, and fastened my seatbelt. I put my necklace back on, and started driving again.

"It didn't return to you this time," Josh said from the back. I met his eyes in the rearview mirror. He was propped up against the car door, his eyes serious. "It didn't return to you when the Amphisaena took it either."

"I'm aware," I grumbled. "It does that sometimes. Not often. But I'll take it off at night, and then in the morning, I'll leave without it, and usually it'll just appear as I'm walking down to breakfast, but some days I'll find myself reaching for it and it not being there. I've never been in danger without it till now."

"Does Percy's do that too?" Josh asked, trying to sit up.

I shook my head. "No. Riptide is completely reliable." I glared down at my weapon. It hung there all innocent-like. "Mine glitches."

"But aren't they, like, the same?" Roe asked. "Weren't they forged together and all that?"

"That's what Chiron said." I shrugged. "I'll have to ask him about it when we get back. Maybe he can fix it or something."

"Okay, but from now on, how about you just not take it off?" Josh suggested, worry in his voice.

I sighed, but nodded. "Probably a good idea."

"But now I'm serious," Roe said in a joking tone. "Eyes on the road. You driving at all makes me nervous enough. I'd rather not survive a two headed monster only to die in a car crash. So anti-climactic."

I knew she was trying to lighten the mood, not only for my sake, but her own. I could tell she was bummed she missed the opportunity to stay with her brother. We were running late on schedule, so turning back now wasn't an option. She was stuck continuing on this quest until further notice. And while she kept on a brave face, I knew Roe well enough to know she was pouting in the back seat.

"So, think we're going to run into any more snakes?" Josh joked.

"Do not mention those reptilians ever again!" Roe gagged. "I have had enough of those slimy, scalely monstrosities."

"I guess we just hit the serpent-jackpot this time," I shrugged. "On the bright side, now only snakes are ruined for you. If it had been something furry you'd probably never be able to look at a dog the same way again."

"Well, I've always been more of a cat person myself, actually," Roe sniffed.

"Team canine," Josh said, fist pumping the air weakly.

"Gods, somebody move me so I'm not leaning on this guy," Roe mocked.

The light for gas on the car's dash started flashing, signaling we needed gas. "Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station," I said. "We're almost out."

We made it about ten more miles before we spotted a Chippies Quick Stop. Good thing, too, 'cause it seemed like we were on our last couple drops of gas. By that point, my friends' limbs seemed to be able to work, and we all got out to stretch our legs and get some junk food inside the station.

"Look Cam!" Roe held up two bags. "Free ice!"

I gave her a thumbs up. "Sounds good, Roe."

Josh shook his head. "It's the simple things that delight her."

"I'm way more complex," I said, heading toward the candy isle. "You got to buy me some kit-kats to get a smile out of me."

He picked up a few bars. "Consider it done."

After raiding the store for candy, donuts, Doritos, and caffeinated beverages, we stood at the counter to pay. A man came up behind us, and waited. He looked to be about forty-some years old, very scruffy looking. He was sporting a smile though, and his teeth shone brighter than any I'd seen on toothpaste commercials. I half debated suggesting he audition for one, but the cashier handed back our change so we left.

Halfway back to the car, the man came out of the convenience store and stopped us. "Hey! Hey kid!"

We turned back around as he came jogging up to us. He held out a hand. "You dropped one of your kit-kats," he said brightly.

"Oh, thanks," I said, taking it from him. I didn't even realize I dropped it.

"Do I get a smile now?" he asked, giving one of his own.

Coming from Josh, that line would have been cute. Melted my heart, really. But it was just weird and freaky when this guy did it. If not for the fact that he was way older than me and a stranger, than for the way his teeth nearly blinded me.

I gave him a weak one though, just so I didn't offend him. "Uh, thanks."

"Is that any way to treat a family member, cousin?"

I went from not liking where this was going, to really not liking where this was going. My fist tightened around my candy bar. "Who are you?" I asked, trying not to sound threatening.

"I keep forgetting we haven't formally met," he said. "How about we move somewhere a little more private and I'll change out of this dingy old disguise into something a little more…me."

"Or we could just stay right where we are," Josh said, coming up beside me.

"Now, now nephew, calm your flappy sandals," the man chuckled, waving his hands. "You sweet on this girl or something? She is pretty." He sent Josh a wink. "Nice choice."

"Who are you?" Roe asked, already pulling out her bow and arrows.

"No need to get violent!" he said. "I just want to talk. Help you actually!" He looked me straight in the eyes. "Just like I helped your brother."

"Percy?" I asked, taking a step closer. "You've seen Percy?"

The man nodded. "He's in good hands, I swear. I've paid him a few…visits, and he's on the right course. You'll be meeting up real soon."

"Well, where is he?" I asked. "Where can I find him?"

"Sort of why I'm here," he said. "We both want the same thing. To find our siblings." The man held out a hand. "Name's Apollo, sweetheart. Nice to finally meet you."

We decided to follow the god into a more secluded place. Well, it was less of a group decision, and more of me telling my friends "I'm going. This guy knows about my brother, follow me if you want". And, as promised, he changed into a different form. This time a blond haired business man in his early thirties wearing a pure white suit. He had a thin goatee and a wide smile.

"What do you think?" he asked, adjusting his suit. "I'm trying to stay incognito. Tried the homeless guy approach before. Too smelly for my tastes." He took a deep breath. "Oh, yeah, I'm enjoying that Ambre Topkapi smell."

"You spoke to my brother earlier," I said. "What did he say? Where is he headed?"

"I don't think even he's sure of that, kid," the god said. "I want to tell you, really I do, but I wouldn't be wasting time if I did. Said as much to Percy. There is only so much I can do without getting into trouble." He smirked at me. "But you Jacksons seem to have a thing for seeking it out."

"I don't look for trouble," I said, crossing my arms. "I'm just easily swayed by its appeal."

"Exactly my point." The sun god took a few steps closer to me, crossing his own arms. "Look, here's the deal. I'm here to help you. There isn't much I can do, but what little I can should help you a ton. Starting with this little tidbit of advice." He looked past me, towards Josh and Roe. "Send your friends home."

"Are you crazy?" Roe yelled, putting her hands on her hips, kicking a little chunk of dirt as she stomped. "Cammie can't go alone. It's too dangerous."

"You can not avoid a prophecy," he said, turning his gaze to mine. "You know this, Cammie. No matter how hard you try. And trust me, many have tried. Haven't you heard of all those myths where someone hears a prophecy, then has the wise idea to try and avoid it? Oedipus? Perseus—not your brother, mind you—? The uncle of Romulus and Remus? I mean, even Kronos tried avoiding his fate of being overthrown by eating his children! If that's not trying your hardest, I don't know what is.Don't forget that myths are actually history, and if you don't remember your history, you are bound to repeat it. A prophecy is a telling of fate." Apollo pointed one accusing finger at me. "And despite what you might think, you are not above fate, Cameron Jackson."

His tone actually made me a little ashamed of myself for even trying.

"I mean, it's sort of insulting, really," he said. "I'm the god of a lot of things, prophecy being one of them. And they are disregarded like Terms and Conditions pages. Except mine actually matter!"

"If there is no way to avoid a prophecy," Josh asked, "does that mean someone has already died?"

My stomach dropped and ice water ran through my heart at Apollo's sad expression. He didn't have to say anything, his face spoke volumes.

"Who?" I asked. He didn't answer. "Who!?"

"It wasn't your brother," he told me. "I told you, he's fine."

"I have two other friends on this quest," I yelled. "Was it one of them? You have to tell me!"

The sun god held out his hands. "Stop. I'm pushing lines as it is. I can't interfere anymore. You're going to be upset no matter who it is, so why don't you stay focused on the task at hand instead of mourning?"

I didn't care if it made sense or not. I needed to know.

"But how badly am I going to be mourning?" I grounded out. "How bad is it going to be?"

It took him a while to answer. He looked old, sort of wise. It looked like he was seeing past me, but not through me. He seemed to be picking his words out carefully, and when he finally spoke, he was hesitant. "Not as bad as you're thinking."

Josh's hand on my shoulder stopped me from asking any more questions on the subject. I couldn't even begin to form words in my head. I was blank.

"Send your friends home," Apollo advised. "Before fate decides to start picking them off to fulfill the prophecy."

I walked my friends back to the car. Roe was hissing and cursing, not even looking me in the eye. Josh held my hand, squeezing every time I flinched. "She'll cool down," he said. "She's just upset she won't be there to protect you."

I nodded, squeezing back. "I know." I looked up at him. "You'll take her back to her brothers? Now that you guys have the time…"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll make sure she's settled in before heading back."

"You'll check in with Chiron every so often, right? So he knows you're coming?"

Josh laughed. "Gosh, you are such a worry-wart."

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you," I said. "You're my friend."

His face flushed pink. "About that, I've been meaning to ask you something."

My eyebrows drew together. "What?"

"Being your friend is great and all, and I wouldn't end it for anything…but even great things could use an upgrade."

I cocked my head to the side. "Um, I'm not following exactly."

"What I'm trying to get at…" his face was really red now, and he was sweating, and stuttering, and I was worried he was about to have a heat stroke.

"Josh—"

"Oh gods," Roe groaned from the car. "Just do it!"

"Do wha—"

One of his hands gripped me from the back of my head, and pulled me closer. I stumbled, grabbing on to his arms so I wouldn't fall. My little lurch brought me down a few inches, so when Josh leaned in to me, he ended up kissing my cheek instead. Something he was quick to fix, sliding down to my mouth.

The kiss was sweet; it was innocent. It was everything I had ever dreamed it would be. Josh's lips were soft, and he held my head gently. My eyes were closed, so I couldn't see, but if I had to guess, I would assume his were as well, and together we savored this amazing moment with no one but each other.

"Well it's about time!"

And Roe.

We pulled away from each other. Josh looked like he was about to melt into a puddle if I didn't say something soon.

But I could still feel his lips on my own. My hands were still holding onto him.

"I…I guess," I mumbled, too afraid to speak louder. "I guess I could use that upgrade."

A smile split across his face, and suddenly I was imagining that smile kissing my own.

"Okay, okay, gross," Roe said, walking up to us. "About time you two just sucked it up and kissed, but still. Gross."

Now I was flushed red. Josh stood there, smiling proudly.

"We need to go before I puke," Roe concluded. "Lover boy, up front, you're driving. I need to talk with my girl."

Josh squeezed my hand before walking to the car. He kept glancing back at me, still smiling.

"Look at him, acting all stupid," Roe muttered. When the car door slammed behind him, she stared me down. "If he gets out of line in any way, you tell me, and I'll handle it for you."

I scoffed. "Roe, this is Josh we're talking about."

"I don't care if it's a boy scout we're talking about—wait, is Josh a boy scout?—doesn't matter. What matters is that he doesn't make you uncomfortable or hurt you. If he does—"

"You and Percy will beat him up," I said. "Yeah, I think Josh values his life enough not to do that." I pulled her into a hug. "But thanks for worrying."

"I always worry about you," she said. "You're always attracting some kind of trouble."

"No trouble here. This is completely without trouble."

"You say that now." Roe pulled away, giving me a look. "But just you wait. Something will happen, I know it."

"Go," I insist. "You need to go meet up with your brother."

My friend smiled. "You take care of yourself."

"Same to you."

"He's a real cutie," Apollo said as the car pulled away. He seemed to have just appeared beside me, and it made me jump.

"Uh, yeah, he is."

"Hermes' kid, right?"

"Yeah."

"Young love is so cute.

They like to hold each other's hands,

Because that is sweet."

Turning to give him a bizarre stare, I asked, "Did you just make a haiku about me and Josh?"

He nodded. "Your welcome."

"Uh, thanks."

Apollo laid a hand on my shoulder. "Well, because they just stole your ride, how about I give you a new one?"

He lead me back to where we had been before, pulling something out of his pocket. It was a small wooden flute. It had shallow carvings in the body, and they were very simple. Apollo put the flute to his lips and blew, creating a very soothing sweet tune. He continued to play, though what for, I didn't know. Until I saw a speck in the sky. A large dark speck that was getting closer and closer. I looked to the god, but he seemed completely calm about the situation, so I assumed this was his plan from the start.

As the creature got closer, I couldn't decide if it was a really large rooster, or a Pegasus with a really bad hairdo. But when it landed, I saw it was neither a rooster nor a Pegasus. It was both.

The back end of a rooster, and the front of a horse. The creature's main was made up of feathers the stood straight up like a Mohawk. Instead of lips, it had a yellow beak, and its back chicken legs matched. It had a red wattle under its chin, and I could hear it clucking. It had large wings, one the length of my body. Instead of a tail of hair, it had a plume of rooster feathers. It was black, orange, and red. It was kind of a goofy looking creature, and I sort of wanted to laugh. But at the same time, it was beautiful. In its own way.

"Go ahead, chuckle," Apollo said. "That's what keeps evil spirits away." The sun god walked over, and the creature timidly took a step back. He placed a hand on the side of its neck, soothing it. "This is Keaton. He's a Hippalectryon. He's going to be your ride."

I came closer to get a good look at him. He sort of acted like a rooster, his head twitching, looking around. But he was very calm, almost docile. I held out a hand, and his nudged it with his beak.

"Aw, he likes you," Apollo cooed. "Maybe you guys can talk or something, seeing as he's part horse."

"Hello," I said softly to him. "I'm Cammie." He didn't respond, simply nudged my hand again. "I guess not."

"Too bad," Apollo sighed. "I've been singing him haiku's all day, wanted to get his opinion on them."

"Where did you find him?" I asked, brushing my hand along his side.

Apollo smirked. "I may have…stolen him."

Quirking an eyebrow, I asked, "Stolen him?"

"I may not be Hermes, but I'm not helpless in the thieving field. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The guy was only using him to make omelets." He gave my shoulder a squeeze. "That being said, good luck Cameron Jackson."

"Thanks. I'm just going to make a quick call, then—" But he had already disappeared. "I'll be off."

Keaton was off plucking at something in the field. I pulled out my phone and booted it up. Might as well call Bex real quick. She's probably having a fit by now, reading the search parties. Well, if the ten voicemails and twenty text messages were anything to go by, she already had.

Sighing, I resisted banging my head against something. Bless her heart, but she was insane. Deciding not to listen to any of her, or Lizzie's, messages, or read their texts, I decided to just call her instead.

She picked up on the first ring. "You don't happen to cross dress, right?"

Surprisingly not the weirdest thing she's asked me. "No, can't say I have. What, looking for tips?"

"I'm pretty sure I just say you."

I spun around, surveying my surroundings. "Is that so?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Except you were a guy."

"Last time I checked I was not in fact a guy," I snarked.

"Then I just meet your twin, because the resemblance was bloody uncanny."

Chuckling, I asked, "and where did you find my twin?"

"Hoover Dam. Mum and da have a drop off near here, so I decided to spend the day seeing the sights."

That was sort of suspicious, but I wasn't silly enough to believe it was Percy. The likely hood of that was far too low.

"Helped him escape some guards that were chasing him," Bex laughed. "But then he just got in trouble later when he ticked off some chick who though he tried to kill her with a sword."

"A sword?" I swallowed. Don't get your hopes up, Cammie. It's probably not him.

"Yeah. Bloody crazy, that one. She seriously thought his pen was a sword. I'm not even joking, she was convinced."

Hope levels: RISING.

"Sounds crazy, Bex," I said, running over to Keaton. "So, Hoover Dam you said?"

"Yeah, kind of boring."

"Want to play a game?"

There was a pause on the other end. "What kind of game?"

"The test your spy skills, kind of game."

I described what I wanted her to do, and she immediately protested. "No way am I doing that, have you gone mad!? That's defacing government property! People would no doubt see me!"

"Come on Bex, show me how good you can spy," I encouraged.

"I don't even know where to find blue paint in this maze."

"You'll think of something. You're smart."

Bex grumbled on the other end. "What exactly do these symbols look like?"

I described what I wanted her to do, and double checked to make sure she had them right.

"I don't know why I'm doing this," Bex growled. "I'm angry at you."

"At me?" I gasped. "Why!"

"You haven't answered any of my calls, or my texts. You've been off grid, and I've had no way to get into contact with you."

"I'm fine, Bex."

"Yeah, and why should I actually believe that? You think I don't see it but I do. You're hiding something, and I want to know what."

It was a common argument between the two of us. One Liz often had to defuse. Bex was smart. No doubt she would be one of the greatest spies of our generation. So it wasn't bizarre that she figured out something was wrong with my cover story. She just didn't know what. She tired pulling it from me whenever it came up, and slowly I was feeling my resistance fading.

"Bex, we've been over this," I sighed. "One day I'll tell you."

"And we've been over this. I know you don't actually plan on that."

It was silent on both our ends.

"So is the game off?" I asked.

"No…I just want you to know I'm angry and we're going to talk about it."

I nodded before remembering I was on the phone. "Okay, will do."

"No, we won't." She sighed. "I'll see you when break is over, okay?"

"Of course."

She hung up then. I had to sit down for a second. Suddenly, the weight of this past week settled down on me. I never felt so frazzled.

Keaton nuzzled my shoulder, so I stroked his neck. "You're a sweetie," I said. "I guess we should get going."

The Hippalectryon bowed down to help me climb up. I tried not to pull his feathers as I ascended. I shifted till I sat comfortably before rubbing Keaton's ear. "Okay, I'm ready."

He started to run, and it felt funny, like a galloping jump. I had to hold on tight so I wouldn't fall off. As we gained speed, his wings snapped out, and suddenly we were coming off the ground. Flying still made me nervous—Uncle Zu-Zu isn't my biggest fan and he doesn't like me to be up in his domain—but Keaton was a much smoother flyer then runner, and the wind in my hair felt heavenly.

We soared for what seemed like a blissful eternity, when I felt something tingle at the back of my head. It wasn't anything physical, just…a feeling. A happy feeling. A soaring, gleeful feeling.

And in that moment, I knew Percy had seen my sign. And I could have sworn he was flying too.

Hey! Decent update timing! Whoop Whoop! I didn't think I would, I've been wrapped up in something else. Anyway, I know Hippalectryon are mentioned in the next book, but I plan on keeping Keaton around for a while. Sorry if my haiku sucked. I'm not a poet, I'm barely a writer.

Anyway that's all for this week. We'll see how long it takes me for the next chapter. Night Nerdletts.