Author's Note:

How are y'all? Sorry if this comes out a little late, but I still made my update schedule! Also, I'm writing from the perspective of someone besides Jess? What? That's crazy!

Oh, also, all translations will be in the author's note at the end of the chapter!

Cheers!justapercyjacksonfan

Chapter 15:

To be honest, Jo didn't see what the problem was.

Jess had vented to her the night before about being frustrated with the lack of information and planning in their quest, but as the youngest in her immediate family, she never had any control over anything, so it was pretty on par for the course. The only one who had even bothered to listen to her before was her Mémé.

Now they were cruising down the highway, with Ian at the wheel of the car Leo had loaned them. He had cheekily suggested he would never see the Prius again, given how often demigods wrecked their transportation. So yes. Cruising.

At least three of them were. Jess was staring out the window blankly, having tuned out everything. Caleb alternated between looking out his own window, and sneaking glances at Jess. Jo had been shoved in the middle, much to her indignation. She drummed her fingers, and hummed "Frere Jacques" until Bri snapped at her to stop the annoying noises.

Bri was sitting in the passenger seat, looking absolutely awful. Having never stepped outside of Camp Half-Blood before the quest, she was completely car sick. And despite being the only one of their group to be legally allowed to drive, she had pointed out the obvious flaw in having someone with no knowledge of what buttons did, driving. At that point Ian, about a month from his own sixteenth birthday, had offered to drive, given he had done a fair amount of practice with his uncle, and drivers ed.

Despite the offer, he looked stiff with worry. He kept opening his mouth to say something before looking at Bri, and realizing she wasn't an experienced driver giving him instruction. He and Bri definitely weren't cruising. They looked about as uncomfortable as one could be.

Jess sighed in boredom, and readjusted herself. Jo smirked as she watched Caleb's eyes once again flit over to the tall, dark haired girl, and then away again.

She elbowed him. "Évident beaucoup?"

He looked aghast, before making a bad attempt to conceal his embarrassment. "Je ne sais pas de quoi tu parles." His cheeks were flaming red, as he responded.

Jo rolled her eyes. Her brother really thought she hadn't noticed? He should be glad she wasn't telling him in English so they would all understand. "Tu n'es pas un bon menteur. Je peux te dire comme Jess."

The daughter of Nemesis started paying actual attention to the exchange at the sound of her own name. She narrowed her eyes, and Jo could tell she was trying to understand the French, even if she hadn't had a lesson in her life.

"Est-ce si évident?" Caleb asked her

"Only because I know you. Croyez-moi, elle n'avait aucune idée."

"Ne le dis pas à Jess, s'il te plaît." Caleb pleaded.

"Nah. I may be honor-bound, as your sister, to embarrass you. But I'm not that mean. I'll find something else to do later. "Vous avez ma parole."

"Merci." He responded simply, before turning away.

"Okay, what just happened?" Ian asked, his eyes not moving from the road, but his interest obvious.

"Yeah, why are you talking about me? I'm literally right here, what can you have to say about me that you can't say to my face?" Jess interrogated

Jo glanced at Caleb, who was still as a statue, staring out the window. She shrugged, and yawned lazily before deciding on an answer. "I suppose that's for us to know, and you to find out. Désolée!"

And despite the questioning of the others, Jo remained firm in her resolve. Despite the fact that they were only in Nashville, and it was over four hours until they got to Atlanta, their goal for the day. Bri had set the goal of an almost eight hour drive. Ian hadn't entirely agreed to that arrangement.

As they set up their camp, (more carefully this time, taking Leo's advice to heart) they lit a tiny fire, just to cook some of the food they had received at the Waystation. Ian mostly rested after getting his tent up, being exhausted from the drive.

Bri and Caleb sat down at the fire, keeping an eye on the hazard to the trees, and on Ian, who was mostly defenseless in his conked out state. Jo went to join them, but Jess grabbed her arm. "Hey. Want to go spar? I was hoping to get some practice in."

Jo was a little startled, because they weren't very close, but she shrugged and agreed. Jess led her a little ways away to a clearing, and Jo drew the little knife Sara Lee had given her. "If an enemy gets too close you can skewer them. But if you're any daughter of Apollo, you'll get them with your bow first. It's only for emergencies." The blade was about four inches-much shorter than the twin daggers Jess was wielding.

The daughter of Nemesis raised an eyebrow at the little knife. "I'm sorry. I should have remembered you fight with a bow. There's not a lot to spar with there."

Jo shrugged. "I'll manage. I need to be at least competent with this if anyone gets too close."

Jess hesitated, but nodded. "Okay. Let's start then." She offered a weak thrust at the younger girl, who knocked it aside, and countered with an equally unwilling action.

The daughter of Apollo frowned. "We need to take this up a notch. Seriously. Attack."

The demigods entered a careful dance. They rained blow after blow at each other, all capable of being horrible, if they weren't just cautious enough to allow the other to parry. After an hour of practice, Jess declared it too dark to continue, and they sat down to rest before heading back toward the faint light of camp.

"So. You and Caleb?" Jess asked, by way of starting a conversation.

"Hmm? Yeah, he's my brother. Annoying, but my brother." It suddenly occurred to her that maybe she should be talking Caleb up to his crush, and quickly changed tactics. "That's-that's not to say he's annoying to be around, I just mean that as his sister I can't really declare him a paragon of virtue! Err….not that he's a paragon of virtue, I just mean that he's a normal-I mean he's a really nice guy. And he's my brother. "

A few creases appeared in Jess's forehead, her confusion obvious at the sudden shift. "Sure. What's with the French?"

Jo was glad for the sudden escape from her rambling. "Um, my mémé-that's grandma- is French. She taught my dad french to, and he taught it to us. So yeah, we're a quarter French. It's kinda fun. Hardly anyone near us knew French growing up, so we could use it as a code-"

"To talk about people behind their backs?" the accusation clear in her voice.

"No! Ummmm…." Jo blushed, realizing she either had to expose her brother's crush, or her own oddity. She had given Caleb her word. She would just have to take the loss. "Ever since I was little, I only felt really safe and comfortable around my mémé, because she would always listen when no one else would. And at her house, we only ever spoke French. It's sort of a safety net for me. So when I get nervous, or scared, or just really mad, I switch to French. And until I calm down, I sort of just get stuck. So Caleb takes care of me, and translates for me."

Jess seemed intrigued. "So at the Waystation-"

"I was really nervous. I couldn't switch back. Sorry."

"And in the car?"

Jo took a deep breath. "That, I'm afraid, if beyond explanation."

Jess shrugged. She stood up, and offered Jo a hand up as well. "Well, thanks for sparing. And for sharing. And I promise, I won't tell the others about your…..ummm…...predicament. You have my word."

Author's Note:

Saturday, update day! A little later than I planned, but still on time!

Thank you to zaliyah for following AND favoriting! You're so kind!

No new reviews, so just a big thank you for reading to the over 1500 of you! Wow! Thanks so much! (and also, only five reviews? Step up your game guys)

French translations:

Évident beaucoup? = Obvious much?

Je ne sais pas de quoi tu parles = I don't know what you're talking about

Tu n'es pas un bon menteur. Je peux te dire comme Jess= You're a bad liar. I can tell you like Jess

Est-ce si évident? = Is it that obvious?

Croyez-moi, elle n'avait aucune idée = Believe me, she has no idea

Ne le dis pas à Jess, s'il te plaît. = Don't tell Jess, please

Vous avez ma parole = You have my word

Merci = Thank you

Désolée! = Sorry!

And that's it! I don't have anything else to say! I would loooooooove you forever and always if you would review.

And also-to my bestest friend- Ruuuuuuuuude! Making me send you my cringy fanfic to a fandom you've never even read? Just kidding, love you Jill. From your Beth.

(Those aren't our actual names, don't go crazy.)

Have a lovely day!

justapercyjacksonfan