Madeline shuffled through her bag one last time, making sure she had everything she would need for the weekend. Seeing that she did indeed have everything, from her clothes neatly folded to her daggers sheathed at her ankles (hidden by her jeans, of course), she said a final goodbye to her siblings and then left the Demeter cabin. They all wished her good luck and told her to be careful, their warm looks reminding Madeline of home so much and making her long for her first home even more. Katie reminded her that if anything happened to Iris message Camp. Madeline had learned about them from her time at Camp Half- Blood, and though she found them fascinating, hoped she wouldn't be given a reason to need one.
She waited in the center of the cabins for Connor, who came walking out of the Hermes cabin only a minute later. She saw Travis and Connor say their goodbyes, along with the few other Hermes children who had woken up early to send him off. She waved back at them, sending an assuring smile to Travis as she and Connor walked away towards Half Blood Hill.
Atop the hill, next to Thalia's Pine, Chiron stood there, his stallion lower half glowing in the morning light.
"Good morning," he greeted the two warmly.
They nodded back in response, standing next to the tall centaur.
"Here," Chiron said, holding out a package; inside there was a wad of cash, several golden drachmas, wrapped up golden squares of Ambrosia, and a canteen of Nectar.
"Be careful, my dear demigods."
Connor took the parcel, reaching back to put it in his backpack. "Of course we will," he said with a faint air of sarcasm.
Madeline tossed him a look of amused disapproval as Chiron frowned.
"We'll be careful, Chiron," Madeline assured him.
He nodded at them, clapping Connor on the shoulder and holding Madeline's hand in both of his for a moment when they turned to leave.
They walked down to the road in the distance, a "Delphi Strawberry Co." truck waiting with a patient Argus leaning against its side. He nodded at Connor and Madeline as they opened the door and hopped into the back seat. He calmly slid into the driver's seat and turned the key, bringing the truck to life and driving down the street, away from Camp Half-Blood. Madeline glanced out the window just before the familiar sight disappeared from view; the distant figure of a centaur standing beside a great pine in the soft morning light.
Argus drove through the New York traffic which, even in the early morning, seemed everlasting and constant. After a short enough ride, they finally arrived at the bus station.
"Goodbye, Argus," Madeline said kindly as he leaned out the window, all his many eyes blinking a warm reply to her. She wondered what all the mortals around her would see if they looked at the man covered in eyes, what the mist was capable of.
He sat back in the driver's seat of the truck and pulled away into traffic again, leaving the curb and disappearing into the flow of vehicles.
Connor and Madeline turned around and walked into the bus station. They made their way over to a ticket window.
"Two tickets to Rhode Island, please," Madeline said politely. The bored looking counter woman typed something into the computer in front of her and dully pulled out the two bus tickets that the machine spit out. Madeline cheerily handed over the money and took the tickets. She handed Connor his ticket and stuffed hers into her jean pocket.
They walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.
"We'll be at my house by noon," she said, smiling at Connor.
He smiled back at her and said, "So, what'd your father say when you told him you were bringing me?"
"Well," Madeline said cautiously, like she did whenever she was delivering unpleasant news, "I told him I was bringing along a friend, I just didn't get into the details."
Connor stared at her before saying, "He doesn't know you're bringing home your boyfriend."
"He didn't ask," Madeline said innocently, smiling sweetly. If Connor didn't know her so well, he'd have been fooled by her acting. "I did say a friend, I just didn't say what kind of friend."
"Do you really think it's a good idea to spring me as a surprise on your father by bringing me home with you?" he scolded her, looking at her with an worried glare.
"Oh, c'mon. Cheer up. I don't think it's a good idea, but it's not a terrible idea either. Besides, you're charming enough," she added, pinching his cheek mockingly.
"Though true," Connor said smugly, smacking her hand away, "flattery doesn't help. Much."
"Aw," Madeline said with a pout, sliding closer to him and putting her hands on his knees. "Who wouldn't like a handsome, charming young whipper snapper like you?"
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, taking up an air of wonder. "Probably the father of a pretty girl who I have my eyes on."
Madeline shrugged, dismissing the topic as she stood up.
"Well, no going back now," she said. "The bus leaves in 10 minutes."
Connor sighed and walked with her towards their bus; they would ride it for a few hours to Rhode Island, where they would then make it to Madeline's house, and then finally meet her father for the surprise he had waiting for her. They walked up the steps into the comfortable coach bus and choose a pair of seats in the back of the bus, placing their bags on the ground.
People slowly filled the bus, the driver announcing their departure as they were finally leaving the station.
Madeline sat with her back to the window, sideways in her large seat with one of her legs pulled comfortably up to her chest.
Connor grinned at her small figure in the seat and fiddled with the hem of her jeans. She flicked his hand away, straightening the pant leg and covering up the dark leather sheath that had been revealed, and pulled out a thick book from her bag. Despite her dyslexia, Connor noted, Madeline loved to read big, fat books. He smiled at her without her noticing and watched her brush one of her dark curls behind her ear as she glanced out the window at the passing city around them.
He pulled an iPod out from his bag and popped a pair of ear buds into his ears.
"I'm going to take a nap, seeing as I had to wake up at 6:30 for this adventure," he told her, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes.
Madeline looked back at him and enjoyed the sight of him. Her eyes followed the strong line of his jaw and came to a small area by his temple where a muscle was moving beneath the skin as he fidgeted, trying to get to sleep. She resisted the urge to reach out and gently touch his face. Sometimes she would look at him and not believe he was real, not able to fully accept the fact that she could just reach out and feel him.
For the next few hours, Connor slept next to Madeline as she read her book, Wuthering Heights. She would look up from the pages every so often and smile at him, glad for his company.
For no particular reason, Madeline glanced out the window to the highway that flashed by, as she often did whenever traveling, and something caught her eye.
Through the dark tinted window, she notice two bright red motorcycles riding alongside the bus. Their two massive riders wore dark red helmets and leather everything, from the gloves they wore to the jackets that surrounded their massive shoulders and backs.
'Nice bikes,' Madeline thought to herself, noting the menacing painted flames that surrounded the bodies and the real, blue flames that shot out from the backs.
As if they had heard her thoughts, the two bikers turned and looked directly at Madeline in sync. She was sure they couldn't see her through the dark windows, but they were looking straight at her, making what she considered eye contact. She couldn't see either of their faces beneath the helmets, but for some reason, their stares made Madeline's heart flutter with a sudden surge of fear. She swallowed and felt her chest tighten in terror.
As she watched, one of the riders flicked his hand and Madeline felt the bus swerve, losing control as it strayed from the road.