AN: Okay...Ria might be getting her own series...

Ria played with her earring, "See them yet?"

"Just spotted them," Cassie replied, waving from her spot on top of the bench. Then she hopped down. "They're on their way over. Got your bags?"

"Yeah. Why did we fly again?"

"We had to leave after the vans had, you because you were in the infirmary after fracturing your leg, me because I had to finish judging a competition. We both had to get here, and here we are." Cassie lifted her bag and put it on her left shoulder, then slid her right arm into the strap.

Favoring her left arm again, Ria noted, definitely sure that she could use it to a distinct advantage. Not that she needed to destroy the girl.

Not yet.

"How are your dreams?" Cassie asked, peeking through the crowd.

Ria sighed, "Fine."

Cassie nodded, then frowned, "Someone's behind us. Been following us since the layover in Texas. Don't look. We'll take care of it outside. The Romans have our weapons."

Ria nodded. That was one good thing about Cassie, she had a weirdo-radar. Like a sixth sense.

The romans reached them, introducing themselves as Andy Gallus (son of Ceres), Shelly McClintick (daughter of Apollo), and Jade Karrington (daughter of Mercury) all of the third cohort.

Cassie was friendly, but curt, and quickly moved everyone toward the exit, "We should get moving. I don't like being exposed and weaponless."

Andy nodded sharply, understanding the nod to the side that Cassie gave.

Ria started thinking about strategy for fighting this stalker. Grab her hammer, confront person/monster, attack, give the others time to grab their weapons. She was the youngest, but that would also make her less likely to be a threat in an enemy's mind, if that enemy wasn't a monster. She was also fast and strong. She was fairly certain she could take out an enemy on her own.

The got to the van, and Jade and Andy hopped into the front seats while Shelly handed Ria and Cassie their weapons.

Ria picked up her bag again.

Shelly got into the van.

That's when it blew up.

Ria and Cassie got pushed back by the blast, but they didn't have any time to think.

The person following them attacked.

Ria blocked his first blow, which would have hurt Cassie badly, and slid her hammer along the blade of his sword, and then twisted herself so that she could crush his wrist.

Elbow to the stomach, duck out of the way, turn to—

Ria fell to the ground, having tripped over the curb.

Cassie slid in with her tiny swords or knives or whatever they were, cutting the guy's other arm, then she did this spinning jump onto the hood of the car, sheathed her knives, and then leapt, using all of her weight behind her fist and knocked him on in the head. Following through with a kick to the head, to fully knock him out.

"Ria, get up." Cassie pulled her up with her good arm, "We have to get the others out of the van."

Ria cursed and they hurried to get the other demigods out or at least make sure that they were okay.

Cassie treated the cuts and burns as best she could, "We need to move. The police will think we caused this. Andy? You okay to drag that jerk?"

Andy nodded, and grabbed the guy.

"Ria, help Shelly. I've got Jade."

Ria put her arm around Shelly, supporting the older girl. How did the guy plant a bomb as well as follow them through airport? "Cassie—"

"I know. Couldn't have been in two places at once," Cassie interrupted, "We're still in trouble. Just keep moving. Andy, burner phone?"

He paused to pull it out and toss it to her.

"What are you doing? Cell phones are dangerous," Ria hissed.

"We need help. I'm calling Rome." Cassie glanced around, "There, head for that van."

"The minivan?"

"Yes."

Ria shook her head, she was starting to think it would be easier to fight whatever was about to happen.

They got to the van and Cassie managed to pick the lock, open it and unlock the other doors, "Get it. I've got to hotwire it."

"How do you know how to do that?"

"It's pretty much a crime to be a daughter of Hermes and not be able to pick locks and hotwire cars," Cassie replied distracted.

Ria helped Shelly and Jade into the van, then helped Andy haul their attacker into the van as well. It made sense now, to have gotten into the van, that she knew that Cassie could hotwire it. Their escape would be easier and they wouldn't be trying to run with four injured people.

"Frank, it's Cassie Dellaro. There was an incident. We've stolen a van and are—" The van lurched forward as Cassie whipped out of the parking space, "en route, but we could definitely use backup. Andy probably has a concussion, Shelly has some bad burns, as does Jade, who also has a pretty bad concussion. We have a prisoner."

Ria shook her head, their situation sounded crazy. There wasn't a plan she could make for this. It wasn't like fighting. She was running from the fight.

Not that her first fight since getting her new weapon had been especially grand. She had tripped, an eventuality she hadn't accounted for, and a mistake she wouldn't make again. Besides, her move of crushing the guy's wrist had allowed the older girl to knock him out without risk of getting stabbed. Cassie wasn't especially strong, and it had provided the proper distraction for her to calculate the exact way to knock the guy out.

It was strategically sound.

Though Ria really hated that she hadn't been the one to take the guy out.

"You have a cut on your leg." Cassie was driving with ferocity

"It'll heal," Ria grumbled, running a hand through her pixie cut. She didn't want to admit that she had made a mistake, tripping. She also didn't want to admit that she loved the way Lacy had done her hair. It looked like fire. The edges of her hair were red, then they became orange and gave way to yellow. And whatever that hair stuff was that she had been instructed to use left her hair all soft and fluffy.

Andy frowned out the back window, "Here's hoping Rome is fast in responding."