Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a closet geek.
But it's ok! Because 'Reese and Jess seem to be, too.
And, hey, we're little kids in a big, big world, in end of it all.
And playing pretend detectives was one of my favorite games in Preschool.
Except we're not playing pretend, this time.
This is real.
Chapter Eleven
Riker tugged at his collar uncomfortably. Jesse stood beside him, looking awkward in his white, button-up dress shirt. Clarisse had forced them both into outfits, but Riker knew she was just prepping them for the game-plan. Full-out detectives, that's what was decided. As long as they stay in character, all should go well.
He looked down at his own white dress shirt. Both he and Jesse had on black ties and nondescript black leather jackets that matched their fingerless gloves. Clarisse had been generous, and all three of them worse black jeans and boots. The blond girl had on her own white button-up, and leather jacket over that. In fact, her own outfit was practically cloned from theirs, asides from the lack of a tie. The girl walked over with a thing folder of papers attacked to a clipboard tucked under her arm, containing their plans, and the three of them clambered onto the black van that Argus was now driving down the Long Island highway to Manhattan.
Riker ans Clarisse shared a bench near the back of the bus, Riker sitting near the window, and Jesse knelt on the bench in front of them, stomach pressed against the back of the seat and arms folder across the top for a place to rest his chin. As Argus the many-eyed chauffeur got off the intersection nearest to camp, they all went over the information they'd managed to compile from their interview with Chiron. "Subject was knowledgeable on much useful information," Clarisse read aloud from the open file in her lap, "Subjects intelligence and experience has been noted. Possibilities that subject was keeping more information than he was giving has been noted. Information detailing on the immediate mission is as follows: the main entrance to the Underworld can be found in Los Angeles, keeping true to the characteristic of being located to the far west of Mount Olympus.
"Team leader's affinity towards water has been noted. Team leader's aversion towards flight has been noted. Team members 1 and 2's affinity towards vehicles has been noted. Quest prophecy has been copied word-for-word and filed.
"Plans continue as follows: team will travel overland toward the city Los Angeles unless faster means in given and accepted. Team allowance numbers at $400 in cash. Team leader carries emergency funds in Enemy 1's stolen credit card. Team will board Greyhound bus out of Manhattan and further plans will be considered and finalized."
She snapped the folder shut and grinned at them. "Well, boys, this is it."
Jesse reached lazily over to ruffle Riker's hair. "Can't believe you pocketed your step dad's credit card and he hasn't even noticed yet."
"Probably 'cause I haven't exactly used it yet." Riker slapped his hand away and fixed his hair bake into it's spikes. "And he's not my step dad. He's scum off the bottom of my shoe that just happens to carry a soul and is fostered in my apartment. Which reminds me," he turned to ward Clarisse. "Add in a note to the team instructions: "Team must avoid using emergency funds at all costs. The possibility of Enemy 1 or authorities noticing card transactions are high and have been noted. Team must keep this in mind at all times when gathering needed supplies."
The vehicle was silent except for Clarisse's pen scratching across the paper, forming neat letters on a file below the one she'd just closed. "Done."
"Alright, and we're all completely certain we packed all provisions?"
"Going over checklist now," Jesse said, pulling out a smaller folder in the design of a planner out of his jacket. "Stash of fifty drachmas, check. Nectar, check. Ambrosia, check. Bags of clothes and personal belongings according to each team member, check. Coupon book for cross-country hotels, check. Weapons, check. Cell phones, check." They'd originally had eight hundred dollars in camp funds, since they'd been expected to cross an entire country all on their lonesomes, but they'd all come to a mutual decisions that communication when split up was a must, and had invested in three cell phones and a wide-range, 4G data plan. They cells had come in the mail just the day before, through way of Hermes' mail service. The package came with a note that had said they were charmed against monster attraction, which they'd all been completely glad for.
"Are we missing anything?" Clarisse asked, worried. "And Jesse, you didn't list the snacks packed in bag number 2." They each carried one messenger bag each, packed with their belongings.
Jesse pulled the pen from behind his ear and scribbled something into the planner before checking it off after a brief search through his own messenger bag. He shut the case with a snap and stowed it back into his jacket.
"Nope, we got everything." The redhead said, smiling. Riker hit his fist with his own and nudged Clarisse gently in the ribs.
"You excited? This is your first quest ever, isn't it?"
She scoffed good-naturally. "It's all of our first quest ever." She replied. "But yeah. I'm a little nervous."
"Don't be. That's what our omniscient detective/secret agent personas are for." They had all been in an acting class back in their collective school experiences, and had mutually decided to put the skills into good use. The life-or-death situation had been making them all anxious and going into a quest less than confident that they would succeed was dangerous.
"I know," she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to shut out the glaring, early-morning sun. "It was a good idea."
"Relax," Jesse said. "We gotta keep clear heads through this."
Traffic slowed them down all the way through Queens, but it soon cleared and they were speeding down the rode again. Argus eventually made it into Manhattan, but by that time most of the day was over and it had began to rain. They instructed Argus to drop them off at the Greyhound Station on Upper East Side, which wasn't too far from Riker's apartment.
"Shades on," Clarisse warned before they stepped out of the van, and all three of them slipped a pair of sunglasses onto the faces. This had been a decided security measure, just in case anyone recognized Riker's face, which had been appearing all over the news according to Chiron.
Argus stayed long enough to make sure they got their bus tickets, then left, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled the van out of the parking lot.
As they waited for their number to arrive, Riker sat on the street curb, messenger bag in his lap. Clarisse and Jesse sat on either side of him, and all three of them had their jackets zipped up. Riker let his gaze wander down the street that lead back to his apartment and shook his head. "Bastards probably playing poker right now." He mumbled quietly. "Bet he doesn't even notice either of us is gone."
"From what you've told us of that thing, I'd wager that you're right," Clarisse breathed back, and the edges of Riker's lips upturned in an almost-smile. Jesse leaned forward.
"Mission objective is a go?" He almost made no noise when he spoke, just loud enough for them to hear, and only them. They all kept very quiet in case anyone had decided to try and listen to anything.
Riker looked up to see the bus pull in, and gave a curt, barely noticeable nod.
The rain began to pour even harder as they got up and stepped up onto the Greyhound, moving to sit in the back. As they settled down, Clarisse pulled her clipboard-folder out from under her jacket and checked something off, making a few notes. Riker kept his gaze ahead, watching out for any signed of danger. He met Jesse's gaze over their blond team-members bowed head and shook his head slightly. No, all the passengers seemed to be your average mortals. But...
He stretched an arm silently around Clarisse's shoulders and tapped the redhead's shoulder, dropping a paper into his lap. Jesse unfolded it and then slipped it into the back fold of his planner.
Three elder ladies near the front, it had said. Watch them.
Jesse met his eyes and blinked. Riker looked toward the front and then tilted his head back to glance over at the bus' back emergency exit. He blinked again and looked back at Jesse, who seemed to understand. The redhead settled down in his seat and they both began silently observing the other passengers and the surroundings as Clarisse tapped a few numbers into her cell phone's calculator app.
Ω Δ Σ
The Greyhound was halfway to it's next stop when it happened. It was a subtle thing, but Riker saw it, and his eyes narrowed. Two of the old ladies he and Jesse had been watching were sitting on opposite sides of the isle in the front. They crossed their legs in the isle making an X. Nobody else, aside from a few strange looks, seemed to notice. But Riker knew what they meant; it was a clear message. Nobody leaves.
Then one turned back to smile sweetly towards the back of the bus, and Riker had to tilt his head down to keep his face from paling. But his entire body stiffened, and it caught the other's attention.
"Captain?" Clarisse murmured. They'd chosen acceptable names to call each other than sounded normal. Ish. He was the Captain, Clarisse was Class Rep, and Jesse was Second. They'd decided on 'code names' because they knew the monsters out there would at least know Riker's name.
He let out a breath and leaned against her shoulder, Jesse doing the same on her other side so they were huddled. "I put Second on watch for three up front. And guess what?"
Jesse frowned. "They made their first move," he hissed. "No one's getting off this bus, if it's up to them."
"It's my math teacher."
They went rigid. "Dodds?"
He nodded, and Clarisse let out a slow breath. "Shades stay on."
Riker shook his head. "They already know who we are. We either make our move next, or they continue on until we're completely trapped."
"Thank god this bus has a back exit." Jesse breathes, before they all hovered over Clarisse's clipboard as Riker wrote out a plan. They could expect an attack soon, since the Furies didn't need to worry about mortals seeing—the Mist would get in the way. Hopefully, when things went down, Chiron's theory about the Mist liking him would hold true, and he and his friends wouldn't be sen as the bad guys.
Soon enough, the bus hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the entire cab went dark aside from the lights that ran down the isle. Riker's foot shot out over Clarisse's and hit Jesse in the shins. The redhead nodded and leaned over the side of their seat, pulling off the panel that covered the lights in the very back.
Riker brought his legs up under him and crouched on the seats. The Greyhound was about halfway through the tunnel, now, when the lights suddenly all went out. There were few shouts and a sudden scream, then the rest of the passengers started murmuring. The Greyhound jerked a little in the driver's startled grip, but Riker had already vaulted over the back of the seat in front of them. He leaped from seat to seat until he reached the front, having already traced a pathway before Jesse short circuited the lights. He was careful when jumping over where the Furies were—had been—sitting. They appeared to be making their way to the back now.
"Second!"
The lights flickered on again and Riker grabbed the wheel out of the driver's grasp. He pushed the man aside and practically sat on his lap as he reached out a foot to slam on the breaks. The Greyhound jerked to a sudden stop at the side of the tunnel, near the exit, and Riker looked back in time to see the emergency exit in the rear of the bus slam shut in the three screeching old ladies' faces. He gave the stunned driver a solid pat on the back and moved his shades down to grace the man with a wink, before turning to the doors of the bus, where Jesse and Clarisse were motioning wildly for him to get off.
"Captain!" Jesse called. "Let's go!"
He clambered off the bus and the three of them raced off into the woods to their left, that ran along the New Jersey rural roads which led to the tunnel. Riker couldn't believe there was so much nothing right across the road from his home city. On the other side lay the Hudson river. Riker felt a slight pull to the body of water, deep in his gut, but he ignored it. There were more pressing matters, like the triple demon grandmas that were now free of the bus and chasing after them.
Except, Clarisse seemed to have other ideas. She glanced between Riker and the Hudson, before grabbing both their wrists and veering to the right.
"'Reese, what—!"
"The river! It'll up our chances," she stressed, and Riker pursed his lips before slipping his wrist from her hand and clasping it with his own, quickening his pace, Jesse right on their heels.
"Jackson!" One of the furies, the one who'd been Mrs. Dodds, screamed. "You've offended the gods!"
Riker glanced back long enough to sneer at her. "You—were a horrible algebra teacher!"
She screeched, flicking her fiery whip, and the three of them skidded to a stop at the shore of the river, Clarisse still holding on tight to both of their hands.
"Uh," Jesse floundered for a second, panic setting in. "Wh-what now?"
Riker narrowed his eyes and the pull in his gut settled into a connection. Jesse was Jesse right now, suddenly, but he needed—
"Second!" He snapped, and Jesse spun around to meet Riker's eyes with his own, wide green ones. "We need to keep our heads on, right now!"
The redhead sucked in a breath. "Right," he nodded. "You're right."
Clarisse tightened her grip on her sibling's hand, and he squeezed back.
The furies came to a halt a few yards away from their current position, and 'Mrs. Dodds'' sisters flicked their own whips, sick smiled stretching across their wrinkled faces. Riker would never trust an old person the same way again. They were all evil. They must be.
Riker released Clarisse's hand and clicked Riptide into existence, narrowing his eyes as the three Furies hesitated slightly. The ex-Mrs. Dodds, who seemed like the leader of the group(so, Alecto, then), had felt the sting of his blade before, and it appeared that she wasn't too enthusiastic to see it again.
"Submit, now!" She shrieked. "And your eternal torment will be lessened!"
Clarisse shifted back, before slipping off her bracelet and flipping it into a straight line. Jesse watched it grow into her electric spear their father had given her for her birthday. He turned back to the three monsters in front of them and shifted to the left of their group, reaching into his pocket and calling his crossbow into existence.
"Shield." Riker called, as the three Furies began to advance. The passengers and driver of the bus were quiet as they watched, wide-eyed, from the safety of the Greyhound.
Clarisse moved to the front and slipped off her necklace, wrapping the chain around her forearm opposite her spear-hand. A circular shield grew into view, and She knelt in front of them just in time to catch a strike from the whip on it before it hit Riker. Riker leaped over her and slashed down with the sword.
"Second, fire!" Clarisse called as Riker dodged away from another strike and circled back. Fury # 2 now had a rather grievous looking wound in her side and her whip lay on the ground a few feet away.
Jesse let an arrow loose from his crossbow as Clarisse and Riker worked together to distract the other two, and four more arrows followed, another arrow appearing from nothing to re-load the crossbow. The injured Fury crumbled into dust with a horrid scream of rage, and the other two glared hatefully.
Riker rushed the other from behind and she exploded like a pinata.
"Zeus will destroy you!" Alecto slashed at him with her claws. "Hades will have your soul!"
Riker parried the blow and dove in for another hit, but slipped away at the last second and came from her right side instead, catching her deeply above the hip, just below the bat wings that protruded from her back.
Alecto didn't have time to retaliate, since Clarisse stabbed the head of her spear right through her neck, and the fury got a rather bad shock before she exploded into dust with a shriek.
The three of them stood in a circle, breathing hard. Jesse looked up and let loose a grin. "Ha! Nice shot, Class Rep."
The blond girl smirked at him as shrunk her spear back into a bracelet. Riker clicked Riptide into pen form and Jesse's crossbow soon found a place in the redhead's pocket once again.
"Bags," Clarisse reminded them, and they all bit their lips and glanced at the Greyhound. The passengers and the driver were all sitting with their faces pressed up against the windows, eyes wide and a lot of mouths gaping. No one moved for a second.
"Um," Jesse shifted," What do you think they see?"
"How should I know?" Riker huffed, before readjusting his sunglasses. "Hopefully nothing too bad. Chiron said the Mist liked me, so..." He shrugged, and together they made their way back to the bus, climbing up into the back exit, which was left ajar from Clarisse and Jesse's earlier escape.
The passengers back away from the window and watched them climb in and go for their black messenger bags, which were still propped up against their seats, on the floor where their feet would go.
A guy in a Hawaiian shirt, who's mouth was still agape, lifted a camera to snap a picture, but the three of them straightened their back and Riker held his hand up as if to ward him away as the flash went off. The man blushed and the other passengers paused in going for their own camera.
"No pictures, please," Riker said gruffly.
"You weren't suppose to see anything," Jesse added, hoping that Riker's CIA Mist cover still held true.
Clarisse sent him a glance before looking toward the frozen passengers, and the driver who was shifting nervously. "In fact, you didn't see anything at all. Are we clear?"
They all nodded furiously, and Riker was just dying to know what the Mist had showed them. But he shook the thought away as he hefted the strap of his bag over his shoulder, watching Clarisse and Jesse do the same. "Now, what did you see?"
"Nothing," the bystanders to a fight that never happened chorused. Hawaiian shirt man bounced on his heels, slipping his camera back into it's bag.
The three teenagers all nodded once in unison, accepting the answer.
The driver coughed and edged toward the wheel again. "Um, you still on for the ride?"
Riker paused, and exchanged glances with his team. Should they stay on the bus until even the next stop? The people in the cars that had seen what had happened had most likely called the police... He looked out the window and saw the cars that had swerved the the side of the road when the fight had broken out, and people were gathered in small groups staring into the Greyhound windows, trying to see through the tint.
"To the next stop," Riker decided. And the other two teens nodded. They all sat back down in their seat in sync. Riker stared across the rows of seats to the driver. "Not a word to anyone."
The driver nodded hesitantly and sat back down. Soon, the bus was started, and it rolled back onto the road, leaving behind the stares of many bystanders who weren't entirely sure what was going on, or why the vehicle was leaving when the police were on their way.
In fact, they passed those police cars on the way to the Greyhound station. The sirens swept right down the road, not even stopping. The officers had no idea they just passed the bus they were headed towards.
As they approached the station, however, the passengers could see news van upon news van parked next to it, and a rather large crowd of people waiting for them. The Greyhound began to slow even before they were half a mile away, and the people inside stared a head to their destination uneasily. The driver eventually stopped the bus, and looked back to the three silent teens seated in the back, who stared right back as the vehicle idled.
"Ah..." He began. "Do you... Would you like to.. get off, here?"
Riker blinked behind his shades, then had to keep himself from smiling. The corners of his mouth still twitched, however. He stood up and walked toward the front of the Greyhound, feeling more than seeing as his two quest-mates followed without a word. "Yes."
"O-Okay." The driver nodded, settling back in his seat and opening the doors of the bus to let them off. They filed down the steps before turning back to smirk at the driver.
"It was a pleasure," Jesse nodded, and the driver waved back nervously. He couldn't have been older than twenty.
"Um, bye," He bit his lip.
The three of them left, disappearing into the woods and jogging along the tree-line out of view until they reached the station three minutes after the Greyhound had. The driver stood off to the side of the doors as a few of the passengers were still getting off, a few news people attempting to get his interview.
It had started to rain again, so the three of them huddled up together under an overhang nearby and watched the proceedings. The driver glanced around nervously, until he caught sight of them and his eyes widened, before he snapped his eyes down to his feet.
"What do you think he's saying?"Clarisse asked.
"Reading lips now," Riker squinted behind his glasses as he stared across the street at the driver's mouth moving.
"You can do that?" Jesse blinked.
"Duh. Who can't?"
"Um..." The redhead shifted, sharing a glance with Clarisse who licked her lips and frowned.
Riker paused, looking between them. "Wait, are you serious? You guys can't?" His eyebrows rose until they could see them above the glasses. "I thought everyone could!"
"It's a talent," Clarisse pointed out. "Not everyone's just naturally good at everything like you, Rike."
He blushed. "I-I'm not—"
"What's he saying?" Jesse interrupted, leaning forward to peer at the driver and a few of the other passengers who were being interviewed or talking to police officers. The man in the Hawaiian shirt was acting too excited. He narrowed his eyes and Riker noticed as well.
"Should have kept an eye on him..." The raven muttered, before crossing his arms across his chest. "They keep asking what 'exactly' happened, Mister..." He squinted, "Michaels. And he keeps saying... "Nothing, nothing happened."
They let out sighs of relief. "Oh, good."
"I didn't think they would actually listen to us," Clarisse spoke up, a little awed. "Jeez, they're adults, and we're just teenagers. I mean, wow, Rike, the Mist must really love you!"
He grinned. "And, the other passengers are saying the same. It differs, though. One's saying "I can't tell you." That guy," he pointed out a guy in a jean jacket and tan carpenter pants, "he's saying "They said I can't tell you, sorry."
Jesse snickered. "Aw man, the Mist is pretty cool."
Clarisse fist-bumped him, but then Riker went rigid. "Oi!" he hissed. "Hawaiian shirt's not saying anything either, but he's giving them that picture he took!"
"What?!" Jesse scowled. "What the hell?!"
"They probably offered money," Clarisse muttered, glaring across the road. "Some people will do anything for money."
Jesse was suddenly elbowing them, moving them all backwards. "Guys, guys. We gotta scram."
They looked over and noticed that one of the officers had noticed them, and was motioning to two others, heading toward them.
"Shit," Riker hissed. "Let's jet."
Clarisse adjusted the strap of her back, and the three of them disappeared into the woods. By the time the officers arrived under the overhang, closely followed by a group of news reporters, they were gone.
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Okay, this was a bit cheesy, but I had sooo much fun writing it. Seriously. So don't judge.
Read and review!
Also, thanks toy all you're awesome help, I found the story I mentioned earlier, last chapter. It's titled 'The Light Before We Land', which is female Percy, with a cynical older Percy. I don't normally read fem!Percy, as I'm not too fond of people genderbending my favorite characters, or any character really, but that story is a really great read.
Thanks, ScholarlyBAMFandImperial Lordfor your help!
~Skye X