A/N: I'm really trying to update more. I hope you enjoy this. I think I might be talking to one person lol love you Ana.
Clara POV
"Thalia, I got the candy. Let's go."
No response. I looked around. "Thalia?" She had been right with me until a minute ago.
"Clara," I heard her whisper. "We need to get out of here. Now!" I whipped around. Her face had gone white. She was pointing at something on the floor. "Snakes are never a good sign."
"Snakes?"
Thalia glanced at the bathroom. "Sunbeam. Now!"
I had no idea what Thalia needed, but I held one at the ready. A cashier wearing a flowered hat came out of the room.
"What can I help you with, my dearsss?" I couldn't place her accent, but it was thick.
"I, uh, we were just leaving," Thalia stammered. I couldn't breathe. Her eyes were so mesmerizing.
"Not sso fassst, what'sss the hurry? I can ssupply you with a full coursssse meal, for free, my dearsss."
"Cover your eyes!" Thalia yelled, and then I realized. I hurled the sunbeam at Medusa, but she flicked it away as if it was nothing.
I had my wand out in the blink of an eye. Keep her distracted, Clara. "Aguamenti!"
Water flew towards her hat. Medusa dodged, and I heard the door open. "Zoё!" I screamed. "Bianca! Get down!"
"What's taking you so long, anyway?" Zoё snapped, not understanding.
"Cover your eyes!" Thalia shouted.
Gods, I could really use Renee's proficiency for Latin and spells right now. Would turning the snake "hair" to antlers help or harm? What about making her bald? Would that set the snakes loose and harm more people? Would changing the color and style help? No, that wouldn't do anything. Fire might help, but no, what we really need is a mirror. Renee, how in Hades do I conjure one of those!?
Thalia thought I'd frozen up. What was the mirror spell? I could really use an iPhone right now. Siri, what's "mirror" in Latin? All I could think of was Aguamenti. Aguamenti aguamenti aguamenti! "Aguamenti!" I yelled again, this time out of frustration.
Medusa laughed. "Your ssilly water sspell will never get to me, my dear." She started to pull back her hat
"Water," Zoё mumbled in awe. "What happens when water freezes, Clara?"
Zoё was brilliant. Bianca was already racing to the thermostat. "Make it as cold as it goes, Bianca!" I shouted. Thalia raced outside, presumably to grab snow, and Zoё screamed.
"Clara! To thy left!" She threw a hand over her eyes, and I did the same. "Aguamenti!"
Thalia came back, her arms full of snow. She threw it down, and Bianca cranked the temperature all the way to the lowest it could go. "Aguamenti!"
This time it worked. The stream of water turned into a stream of ice. I threw it to Zoё, who was between me and Medusa. She ran behind a wall while the gorgon was focused on Bianca.
"Hey ugly! Over here!"
"Yesss, Zoё Nightshade, asss ssoon as I get Bianca di Angelo to come out of her hiding sspot."
"Oh no you don't!" I fired an arrow at Medusa, and she turned. It was just long enough for Zoё to flash the ice at her. Medusa gasped, and she died with her mouth open.
"Will you do the honors, Thalia? None of the rest of us have swords."
Thalia slashed off the gorgon's head, hands shaking.
"We have to go," Zoё muttered. "They have our scent now. They know we are here. But you must tell me what is going on. You got the chocolate?"
I nodded, ready to throw it at her. She had helped me, but she was still being a jerk.
"I'm a witch," I muttered. "I can perform….sorcery and magic and stuff."
Zoё had her foot pressed to the pedal as if it was her life (then again, we had just met Medusa, so it probably was). Thalia was rummaging in my suitcase, looking for the right spellbook. Bianca just sat there looking numb.
"Like Circe." Zoё said it with a shudder, but it wasn't a question.
"No, you brat!"
"Thalia, calm down. It's not her fault she doesn't understand. You had a hard time with this, too."
"You explain it then."
"That's what I'm doing. Please just find the stupid book." Thalia was starting to get on even my nerves.
"Whatever."
"It's not exactly like Circe," I went on. "She's, well, immortal. More so than even you, I think. We're not, and they put us through school. To learn to control it, I mean." I saw her shoulders relax somewhat. "Our spells are real and based on Latin. I've learned some, but I won't really have them until I'm older. There are laws that keep me from using these spells, but because I wasn't born in the United States, I don't have to follow them here."
"You have problems," Zoё told me.
"Says the three-thousand-year-old teenager," Thalia snapped. "Is this the one, Clara? Spells to Ease the World?"
"Should be. And please, try to be civil."
Thalia grimaced. "Fine."
I pulled out my wand and thumbed through the book until I found the right spell. "Mea via," I muttered. Wizards had found that when a spell didn't work, it was often better to just say the meaning in Latin. "Set course for DC, Zoё."
"I don't like this," Zoё snapped back at me. "The prophecy said west. I don't care about your witchcraft, Sunny."
"Honestly, I prefer Miss Sunshine. And I think you're getting tired. Why don't you let Thalia drive for a while?"
"You challenge my skills and think that scullion would be better?"
"No, I just-"
"Oh, you're calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?"
"Guys, please, not now. Just, Zoё, as long as you can drive safely."
"She's gonna get us arrested," Thalia muttered.
"I've been driving since automobiles were invented," Zoё countered.
Even from my position in the back, Bianca looked uncomfortable. "DC," she murmured. "Nico and I used to live there. That's strange. I'd….I'd forgotten."
I raised my eyebrows. We all munched on our snacks and I tried to sleep again until we reached DC.
Zoё looked incredulous. "The rocket museum, Clarissa? This is no time for tourist stops!"
"It's called the Air and Space museum, and we need to get warm. Figure out our next plan. I don't care about the museum itself, Zoё, but I want a public place where we're less likely to have another Medusa." Also, although I didn't want to worry them, I was pretty sure we were being followed. I thought a regular touristy stop might throw our enemies off the trail.
"Fine," Zoё grumbled, but I could tell she was at least happy for the heater that greeted her as we walked in.
I pretended to take a real interest in the rockets in front of me. I had to admit, maybe this little detour had been for my peace of mind as much as anything.
As we were walking, Thalia collided with a kid. The Hunters immediately put their bows up, but then I noticed who it was. "Percy?" I asked in shock.
"You! How dare you show thy face here?" Zoё didn't lower her bow.
"I can't believe you, Percy Jackson!" Thalia stormed.
"Um, guys," Bianca muttered. "We've got a bigger problem than whether or not Percy is here."
I heard a crash and then a loud roar. "Run!" I screamed.
A/N: Well that was a messed up chapter. I didn't really know what I was doing, and it took me too long to write it. The coming chapters will be more interesting.
I'm working on like six different fics right now and I can't even manage one, but I don't care. Better in the summer than in the school year, I guess.
Hey guess what I got to fifty chapters! If only I had that many readers/reviewers. Sigh.
~Celia
