Chapter 37: Bon Voyage
The next morning, I woke up and Maxwell was still holding me in his arms. It felt so warm and comfortable, I didn't ever feel like getting up.
I was surprised he stayed all through the night even after I went to sleep. A content smile worked its way on my face.
I bumped into his side with my elbow trying to get comfortable and he started shifting under me. He pulled away and the cold morning air replaced his presence. "Morning. You feeling okay?" He asked me. I nodded as I looked at him. I was worried I didn't want things to be awkward between us, or have him think I was crazy or something. Out of nowhere I let a fart loose right there in bed.
What? I get gassy in the morning. Big deal.
Max snickered as he pinched his nose closed and swatted his free hand in my face. "Dude, what you eat at lunch yesterday, beans or something? Gag I'm dying here!"
"Idiot" I jokingly ribbed him, giving him a gentle shove as I went to the fountain in the back to brush my teeth. He stuck around waiting for me to get ready, looking over the journals I'd left out on the table while I wrapped up my morning routine.
As we headed out of my cabin and I closed the door behind me, he told me out of the blue, "those two kids in those books. They sure were a pair of messed-up half bloods".
"Don't I know it" I told him. "Half the time I feel like I can relate to Cat and Beau".
"Yeah, I get that. Life of a demigod ain't a box of chocolates and roses. But I wouldn't trade it for anything else" Max admitted. "I mean, sure we see some crazy crap, but also a ton of cool stuff too".
"Yeah like a maze that's wants to kill you, or shark the size of a submarine or Gods. I guess that's all pretty cool. Certainly more interesting than what I'd be doing back home. Probably catching some curls at the beach or playing Final Fantasy on my PlayStation bashing zombies with a sword".
"Not sure about the zombies part, but you can get a sword and stab a monster or two for real now" Maxwell kidded with me.
"Eh, I'd prefer to fight my monsters on the television" I replied.
It wasn't long before we walked onto the dining pavilion. Everyone swarmed around me like a cloud of locust when I came into view. Asking me where I went, and if everything was okay and if I could predict the future. I looked at Max with an eye brow raised at that.
"Predict the future?" Max scoffed with a grin. "He can barely decide on whether he's going to have the waffles or the pancakes for breakfast" he bumped me in the side with his elbow as I rolled my eyes.
"We were a bit worried" Cassidy replied as she shyly twisted a lock her hair between her fingers. "When you ran off, Maxwell went after you. But then neither of you came back afterward". She focused her wide eyes on Maxwell who for some strange reason started blushing under her gaze.
"No mystery" he broke eye contact and stared at the ground as he brought out his knife and started slipping it in and out of its sheath. "Me and Alex went down to the Sound to talk about stuff. You know: the ocean, video games, farts" he added with a straight face.
Cassidy looked at Max like she wanted to strangle him before she rolled her eyes while Reyna crossed her arms and glared at him like as if he were scum on the bottom of her shoe.
"Yeah, don't go near him with a lighter. The guy would go off like a Molotov cocktail" Max added while Harley started laughing.
"What a stink man" the little guy chuckled to himself.
"We even got to talking about your tinker toys Harley" Max added.
The little kid stopped laughing and his voice grew a bit tense. "Oh, what about?"
"I told Alex this wasn't the first time one of your inventions ended up being a half-baked death trap. Nothing new anyway".
"Half-baked…" Harley repeated with an edge to his voice as his eyes appeared watery. At once he threw a temper tantrum, he was hopping mad. "My inventions are awesome! You stink…" Harley stomped off with heavy feet.
A girl with fire-proof overalls shook her head. Nyssa sighed, "did you really have to do that Max? He's just a little kid. I better calm him down before he does something stupid back…"
"Uhm, well, we're short a plane and time is of the essence" Cassidy mumbled softly. "I think I have an idea for transportation to the Sea of Monsters though…" She hesitantly had us follow her to the back of Big House to where the stables were housed. Standing in one of them was a brown Pegasus who fluttered is wings happily and neighed when Reyna appeared.
"Ah Guido, hello old friend. How are you doing?" Reyna asked the horse as she tenderly rubbed him behind one of his ears.
Guido neighed, 'hi girlie good to see you're doing well too' as he nuzzled her open palm.
Maxwell had his arms crossed as he stared at the Pegasus intently. "Only one Cass?"
She shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, "well yeah, Blackjack's back at Camp Jupiter and the others are out with some of the satyrs at the moment. Guido's the only one free and ready to go".
"But we can't all go on one horse; who's going on the quest then?" Maxwell asked in a defensive tone.
Reyna took centerstage and declared, "I must attend to this personally. It is Camp Jupiter that is in danger, my people, my burden. Besides which, Panacea will not likely appear before anyone else here"
"How high and mighty of you" Max grumbled as Reyna took her place on Guido's saddle. "That leaves the back seat then".
Cassidy shook her head emphatically no, "no thank you, I'm all quested out. After the Labyrinth, I need a break".
Reyna interrupted, "in any case, I shall choose who will accompany me on the journey". Her laser-focused eye quickly cut across all of us before piercing right at my forehead. "I choose Alex to accompany me. Out of you all, he seems the most capable".
Maxwell looked like a riled-up cat and Cassidy gently but firmly put her hand on his shoulder. He glared at her before shrugging off her hand and stormed off. I guess he really wanted to go on this thing.
"Alright then" Cassidy conceded happily like I'd just won a grand prize at the county fair. "I guess you're our man Alex. May the Fates be with you."
It wasn't long before we were packed up and ready to go. Everyone in camp gathered to give us a send-off. I couldn't help but notice Shayla's absence and that just made this quest even more important. She was depending of me, on both of us.
Chiron stood as a centaur at the edge of the crowd. Every time I left camp, he always seemed to have that sad, foreboding look on his face. As if he was expecting this time to be the one I don't manage to come back from, alive.
Cassidy waved at us good bye eagerly shouting "bon voyage et bonne chance!" I never knew Cassie could speak French.
Reyna declared, "alright, enough fanfare. Time to fly". She flicked the reins and Guido took off at a cantor. His wings beat hard, trying to get himself, along with the two of us strapped on his back as dead weight, up into the air. As we flew off, we barely cleared Hera's Cabin at the end of the Common Green and clipped the crown of Hera with Guido's hoof. Not the best omen but what could possibly go wrong?