Despite the turbulence in the chariot and the killer headache I had, the flight wasn't so bad. I hated flying, not that I'd ever tell anyone. It just freaked me out that the ground wouldn't be there if I stuck my foot out. But I think that since we were riding with Pegasus that he was really the only reason I wasn't huddled in a corner, hyperventilating. I looked over at Jacob; the very top of his head just peeked over the top of the chariot and his hair looked even more pale than usual. I mean he was covered in dirt and sweat, but somehow his hair always seemed like strands of silver or gold. Maybe it was his smile; he always seemed to wear one. He turned his head suddenly and smirked.
"Hey, what cha looking at?" he questioned. I chuckled and set my cheek in my hand.
"Nothing." I lied. He grinned and looked back up at the violet stained sky.
"The stars are gorgeous from up here." He said in awe. I scooted a little closer to him and tilted my head.
"I think that's a cell tower, Jacob." I joked, he scoffed and gave me a little push. Nico and Kori were sleeping soundly, at least Kori was. Nico came in and out, rolling his head before resting back onto the side. Jacob had fished an extra t-shirt out of his bag when we first had taken off and given it to Kori since hers was crumbling by the minute. He was a real sweetheart, he put others first rather than himself. Glad to know chivalry wasn't quite dead yet.
"You know, I think you're right. It is a cell tower." He agreed, squinting his eyes.
"Maybe if you actually looked up more…" I took his hand and pointed it more skywards. A few stars were breaking through the twilight, there would be more soon.
"Kinda reminds me of my farm back home." He whispered. I pulled my backpack behind me and laid down on it to get a better view. I wish my legs weren't so cramped, there's hardly any room in here!
"What was it like?" I asked. He leaned back on his bag and folded his hands on his stomach.
"Well, it's in the middle of nowhere for one. But the sky was always so alive." I smiled, he looked happy talking about home.
"For a while it was just my mom, grandparents, and I. My grandpa taught me how to drive a tractor when I was 8."
"Not the best decision." I teased. He laughed in agreement.
"Yeah, he also helped me get kicked out of Boy Scouts." He choked on laughter.
"He sounds pretty awesome." I laughed, his expression darkened.
"He was. He died when I was 15. Something about his pacemaker." His voice was soft. I leaned back onto my elbows and looked at him.
"Oh, wow. I'm so sorry." I said sincerely. He turned his head and smiled bitter sweetly.
"It's ok. I mean I still miss him and all but it's ok. It was really hard on my Grandma. She's a strong lady." He said turning his face back to the sky. More of the stars were piercing through the velvety curtain above us. It was peaceful. A few silent moments passed before a thunk came from the other side of the chariot. I shot up and saw that Nico and Kori were using each other as pillows. I snorted and swallowed a laugh back down my throat.
"Oh what I wouldn't give for a camera right now." Jacob joked, framing the two with his fingers. I smiled and then he turned his "camera" at me.
"You know, you have a great smile." He said after he looked up from the frame. I pursed my lips, but their corners turned up anyways.
"Thanks." I said, feeling my ears grow warm. I tucked a curl behind my ear and leaned back again.
"So what was it like growing up in a convent?" Jacob asked, turning his face towards me.
"Well, it wasn't only a convent. It was an orphanage and a school all wrapped up into one. The sisters were really strict. Once, a girl got swatted with a belt because she had a cigarette in her pocket."
"Ouch, really?" He winced.
"Yeah. I guess they were ok once you got used to them, they just really needed to lighten up." I replied with a shrug.
"So, when were you born then?" He asked, twisting his mouth a bit.
"1928. I'm technically three years older than Nico, but he won't have it." I said off-handedly.
"Well, for an eighty-five year old, you look pretty good." He cracked, running a hand through his hair.
"Why thank you." I laughed. I saw him open his mouth to ask another question, but he slammed it shut immediately. I knew what he was thinking.
"So I guess you're wondering why I grew up in an orphanage?" I asked looking up at him.
"Yeah, but I didn't know if it was a touchy subject or not." He answered sheepishly. I took a deep breath and looked back up at the sky.
"Nah, it's ok. My mom, from what I know anyways, didn't exactly have a stable income or a place to sleep every night. So when she had me, she knew she couldn't take care of me, so she gave me to the sisters." I answered, feeling melancholy. I didn't think about her too much, I only know that her name was Rosa Fuertes. I've seen pictures of her from the Ellis Island immigration files; she was beautiful and had a warm smile. It must have killed her to give me up.
"Oh, geez. That really, really sucks." He said empathetically. I shrugged and tried to convince him that I didn't care.
"You know, it's ok to be upset about it. You don't have to pretend." He said seriously. I jerked my head to him and widened my eyes a smidge. Well, I guess he's more observant than I give him credit for.
"I got cha, didn't I?" He smirked mischievously, blue shadows danced in the crevices of his dimples. I rolled my eyes and flicked his nose.
"Just this once, I'll let you have this one." I teased. He did a quick fist pump and mouthed yes!, I chuckled and looked back up. All the stars were out in all their blazing glory now. I heard Troy and Saph talking, their voices were quick and hushed. Something's not right. I sat up and pulled myself to my feet.
"Hey, what-" suddenly a giant, grey blur flew past Pegasus' flank and shook the chariot. I yelped and fell backwards onto Jacob's stomach.
"Oh, gods, sorry!" I apologized as he coughed, clutching his stomach.
"The hell was that?" Jacob managed to wheeze before unfolding himself. Kori and Nico jolted awake, blinking in confusion. Another blur flashed by, but this time it grazed the supports for the chariot and the left draught pole crackled.
"Rock giants!" I heard Saph holler over the wind. I whipped my head over to Kori.
"I thought we weren't supposed to run into any trouble!" I shouted, gripping the side of the chariot.
"Hey! I know history, not the future! Complain to Urania, not me!" She cried as the chariot ricocheted from the blast. Another boulder flew by, Pegasus managed to dodge it but he didn't see the other. It clipped his right wing and made him spiral downwards.
"Pegasus!" Kori screamed making her way to the front of the chariot. He whinnied before managing to steady himself out but it was like he was treading water, bobbing up and down like a buoy. Then I heard a creaking sound before a violent snap and the chariot flipped sideways and was hanging under Pegasus' legs. Jacob yelled as he fell backwards, but I managed to grab him by his backpack strap.
"Someone do something!" I shrieked, clinging to the wheel. Nico climbed onto the top and grabbed the hitch with Kori in tow.
"Take the bridle off and throw it to me!" Kori yelled at Saph, who didn't hesitate and instantly slung off the bridle and threw it to Kori.
"Now when I say now, jump! All of you!" She added as the bridle shrunk into a leather strap around her wrist.
"Wait, what?" I yelled, tightly. I looked back down at Jacob. His knuckles were white and his eyes were wide with fear.
"Don't let go!" His voice was thick. I wrapped the strap around my wrist and gripped tighter.
"Now!" I heard Kori's voice echo like a symbol as Nico sliced the other draught pole like it was a piece of celery. I pushed off, sending the carriage spinning to the ground. I wrapped my arms around Jacob's shoulders and buried my face in his neck. The wind picked up and began swirling around us like a whirlpool. I looked up and saw Kori standing on the air, her face was scrunched and red in concentration and her hands were clenched fists.
"Oh gods." Jacob said in awe. I was speechless; this had to be hard for her. But she seemed to have a good grasp, we were slowing down. We were about 100 feet from the treetops when the wind began to die. Kori kept trying but she sputtered out and went limp in the air and we went spiraling to the ground. I looked at Nico for a split second and both of us knew what to do. In moments a black sheet caught us and we slammed into the ground at a safe distance. I hissed through my teeth and grabbed my head as Jacob scrambled off of me.
"Everyone ok?" I croaked, trying to sit up. I heard some noise from Saph and Troy and Nico's feet scratch the ground in frenzy. I turned and saw him sit Kori up, she slumped against his chest.
"She's fine. What about you?" he asked a little panicked. I waved him off and Nico sighed with relief. Before I could stand Jacob pulled me up and into a firm hug.
"You didn't let go. Thank you." He whispered in my ear before helping me up. I turned and looked at Saph, she was ok, and then I looked Troy dead in the eye, looked at Kori, then back at him. But he just bit his lip and jerked his head away.
"Someone needs to go and find supplies. I saw some lights before we were attacked." Nico said, looking up from Kori.
"Troy and I seem to be in the best shape, we can go." Saph offered up, pointing behind her. But I shook my head, much to my heads dismay.
"No, Troy needs to stay here with Kori. If she wakes up, I'm sure he can whip something up to help her out. Jacob and I will go. I can cover my scratch with my hair." I assured them, flattening my hair against my forehead. Saph still didn't look convinced.
"Plus I have all of the cash." I said as I tossed my backpack off. She finally gave in and told us to be careful. I grabbed a wad of euros and pulled Jacob behind me as Troy and Saph went into the woods to find some herbs and Kori's backpack. Luckily, we'd landed about a mile from a cute little town just barely inside the Switzerland border. It was nestled against a green covered mountain with houses that had burnt orange roofs.
"Wow, it's like a story book!" Jacob awed. They had yellow paper lanterns lining the narrow streets; I guess some sort of local festival was going on. People were laughing down the street at nothing and smiling with their families. Must be nice to just take a break.
"Well hopefully we won't have any more attacks and can actually enjoy this place." I said, bumping into his shoulder. He smiled and shoved me back. We crossed a stone cobbled bridge and took a left onto the next street.
"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Jacob asked, leaning to the right. I patted some curls above the cut to assure its secrecy and shrugged.
"We'll know it when we see it." I replied. The shop windows looked like something out of a picture book, wheels of cheese stood proudly on display while manikins gave blank stares at the people in the streets. We finally came across a tourist help place with a red "English spoken here" sticker in the corner of the front window. The man behind the counter had a round pink face and shaggy blond hair. He was more than happy to give us a map and tell us in excruciating detail all of the local attractions. It felt like 10 years had passed by the time we ran out the door.
"That guy was way too friendly!" Jacob said skipping ahead of me, "What's the map say?" I unfolded the shiny paper and scanned for a general store, or Walgreens. Do they have Walgreens in Switzerland?
"Ah! Here, about three blocks from here." I snapped it shut and stuffed the paper into my back pocket. The locals were all blonde and smiley, each of them waved to us as we passed by. We turned right and came to another bridge. I smiled and jumped onto the thick cement side and swung around a light pole.
"What are you doing?" Jacob chuckled as I leaned off the side.
"I have always wanted to do this. Let me have my moment." I teased as I started walking towards the other side. He raised his hand up and offered it to me.
"I'll let you have your moment so long as you don't fall." He grinned mischievously. I rolled my eyes but accepted his offer and gripped his hand. It felt nice, his hand was warm and just slightly clammy. Poor boy isn't too suave with the girls. Good. I felt some sort of pride that I seemed to be his first attempt at the female species. We swung our arms and the passing natives smiled and pointed at us. At the end of the bridge I was about to hop off when Jacob grabbed my waist and lifted me up to the ground. But he slipped and ended up half-dropping me. On second thought, I wish I wasn't the guinea pig.
"I meant to do that." He said real fast. I raised an eyebrow and he cracked up. I smiled and pulled myself back upright. Jacob still had his hands on my waist and slowly leaned his face closer to mine until our foreheads bumped. His ears turned a little pink and he leaned just a little closer. I really wanted to let him kiss me, I didn't care who was watching. I closed my eyes and leaned just a bit forward. I can take a break from the quest. Just a little break I tried to convince myself. But I couldn't.
"Jacob, stop." I snapped, letting go of his jacket. I pursed my lips and looked up at him, he looked totally confused and humiliated.
"This isn't a good time. It's not the right place." I said as I took his hands off my waist. Red slowly sunk past his adam's apple and he wrung his hands. Why am I such a terrible person?
"Jacob…" I tightened my hands into fists to keep myself from touching him.
"No, you're right. I, it was stupid." He stammered before brushing past me. I trotted after him and swung in front of him.
"Stop. Jacob, I just mean that this moment isn't good." I said exasperatedly. I looked at his still pink face and looked at his lips. Ok, that's not helping. I snapped my head back up to his near violet eyes. Damn, I just can't win.
"As soon as this is over, I want to go to the cinema with you. No arguments." I blurted out. His eyes crinkled just enough for a whisper of a dimple appeared next to the corner of his eye.
"Cinema? Really?" he snickered. I laughed and pushed his shoulder gently.
"Yes, really." I replied softly. Jacob grinned sheepishly and I smiled back. He leaned slightly forward until I could feel his breath against my ear.
"Promise?" he whispered. I looked down and grabbed his hand and interlocked our fingers.
"This," I raised our hands up to face level, "is the promise."
Jacob and I were still holding hands when we got back to the camp, but we were surprised by a group of white tents and prowling wolves.
"What's going on?" I asked setting the tote bag of supplies down. Saph ran from a flap of a tent with a smile.
"The huntresses of Artemis are here, don't ask me how but they are!" she added when she saw my look. She shot a look at Jacob and mines hands and smiled devilishly. I just rolled my eyes and raised an eyebrow. Thalia, their leader, had just stepped out of he adjacent tent and started walking over. Her raven hair was a choppy pixie with blue stripes tickling her brow and had a sort of silver tiara encircling her head.
"Vanessa, hey!" She greeted putting a hand on my shoulder.
"How'd you guys get here?" I questioned as Jacob and I simultaneously let go of each other's hands.
"Well Jason called me up and Artemis was more than willing to help her fellow sisters," she tapped my head sympathetically, "so here we are."
"Is she here?" I said a little panicked, looking around. Thalia shook her head and I let out a sigh of relief.
"So, you met Kori then?" I inquired.
"Yeah, she's crazy! Taking on a Chimera? I think she just one uped Jason on stupidity!" She laughed jokingly.
"She's in that tent," she pointed to the tent that she'd just exited from," She's being patched up. She's gonna have to get creative to explain her back to others. The burn's worse than we'd hoped but she'll be fine." She explained. I looked up and saw Troy peering out from another tent and he jerked his head, quietly asking me to see him. After a few moments I handed off the groceries to Jacob and excused myself and walked past the tent Troy was in. A second later he was crawling out from beneath the white canvas and stood in front of me.
"Why didn't you help the medic?" I snapped quietly.
"I'm not a bad person! I told you I can't always glow on demand!" he lowered his brow. I took a deep breath and rubbed the space between my eyes.
"You know what?" I looked up at him, "I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm tired of it." Troy blinked in surprise. I started to walk off but he grabbed my wrist and looked me in the eye.
"You're not gonna tell her are you?" he begged. I shoved his hand off me and crossed my arms. Troy took a deep breath and put his hands up.
"Look, I get that you're mad, and you have a right to be-"
"Damn right I do!" I interjected.
"But please, just keep this between us." He pleaded. I uncrossed my arms and rested them on my hips.
"Troy, I'm not mad at you, I'm tired of being angry." His face lit up for a moment.
"I'm disappointed." I retorted with an edge, deflating Troy's glimmer of hope.
"If someone else gets hurt or-" I cut myself off, I didn't want to think about anything worse than a few scratches. I took a breath and continued, "If someone else gets hurt, that's your fault. You can deal with the guilt." I growled and turned away before he could answer. I raised my chin and walked back to Jacob and Saph. I felt like a weight was lifted from my chest, I was no longer Troy Avalon's secret keeper and I was relieved beyond words.