Hi! So, another late chapter, but... what can you do? It's here, it's kind of short, and it's only mildly interesting in my opinion. But the real action starts in the next chapter! Which I will also have a three-day weekend to write, so...
But anyways, enjoy. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.
- CHAPTER XI: I GET A SWEET RIDE -
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
I felt jittery and somewhat empowered, since I knew exactly where I needed to go, and where I needed to start to find Kenny. I found myself idly making plans as the day progressed—wondering how to get away without being seen, wondering how I'd get up to Chicago, wondering how I was supposed to trick an Earth goddess without loosing my brother in the process. Too many flaws, part of my mind whispered, impossible. But I wasn't going to let it be impossible. There was no way she was keeping Kenny.
Unable to keep everything to myself, I gathered Aaron, Emma, and Robert up in the arena and told them about the recent developments just before dinner. I didn't want Annabeth and Piper to be the only ones aware of everything.
Aaron scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Count me in!"
"What?" I asked, staring at him.
"Yeah," he said. "I want to help you find your little bro. He was kind of cool, even if he called me annoying that one time."
"Same here," Emma volunteered. "I'll definitely come."
"I'm coming too," Robert said.
"Wait, wait," I said, holding up my hands. "I wasn't asking for volunteers—"
"Oh please, Nat," Emma said. "Like you're going to be able to manage this by yourself. Let us help you out."
"But this isn't just a frolic in the woods," I said. "We're going to be dealing with the goddess of the Earth—"
"Look, she's already saying 'we're,'" Aaron noted. "Besides, how are you supposed to catch a deer that can outrun arrows by yourself? Hercules tried that, and it took him an entire year. Something tells me that the earth lady isn't so patient."
My stomach churned uncomfortably. "Guys, I literally just met you a week ago. I would feel terrible if something happened..."
"We know he risks, Nat," Robert said. "Honestly, living on the street isn't much easier than a quest."
They looked at me, and I had a second to appreciate exactly how much these people had done for me in just a short space of time. Besides, now that I'd told them where I was going, it was pretty much going to be impossible to stop them if they wanted to come. I sighed. "Alright."
"Whoo!" Aaron said, pumping his fist in the air. "Adventure!"
He then proceeded to run around the arena, stabbing targets, rolling at unnecessary moments, and shouting, 'Adventure!' an obscene amount of times. Robert sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose like he couldn't believe that he even associated with Aaron.
"How do you date that?" he asked Emma.
She smiled fondly. "He has his own type of charm."
Not surprisingly, packing took me very little time. Everything I had was pretty much necessary, so it was just a matter of shoving things into the old backpack I'd been using since I ran away with Kenny. I even decided to bring the teddy bear—mostly because I told myself I would be able to give it to him when we found him. Because we were going to find him.
Even the picture of my father came along, but instead of putting it in the backpack I tucked it in the waistband of my jeans, just in case we were to lose our supplies somehow I wouldn't lose it.
We'd all eaten a good dinner, and I'd tried not to show how nervous I was about leaving the camp. Unfortunately, Annabeth had noticed, and had intercepted me after dinner. I was afraid she was going to try and stop me, tell me that I should wait and plan it out a little more like a typical daughter of Athena would, but what I got was the opposite.
"You're going to leave, aren't you?" she asked. "To go find him?"
I sighed. "Yeah."
"When?"
"Tonight."
She nodded. "That's what I thought."
I blushed. "Is it that obvious?"
"To me, maybe," she said, pushing her hair out he face. "I know what it feels like when you're missing someone. You've got that kind of 'I've got a plan' air about you, anyways."
I shrugged. "It's a plan, but not a very solid one."
"Well, maybe I can help you out a little, huh?" she said. "Follow me."
Curious, I followed her into the forest, a little ways out behind the horse stables. As we walked, she said, "I figure you're probably going to need some transportation, right?"
"Yeah," I said. "We figured since we had money, we could just sort of—"
"Wing it?" she asked. "Yeah, that always ends up badly. Take it from me, I've been on three quests. One of which I spent riding in a zoo truck from Denver to Vegas."
"Sounds lovely," I said sarcastically.
"Yeah, right," she said. "But here, maybe you won't have to end up like me."
We stepped into a small clearing a little ways away from the camp, like it'd been hollowed out just for workspace. In the middle was a beautiful snow white pegasus that was hitched to a simple wooden chariot. It pawed the ground, looking at Annabeth and me with disinterest as if we'd just woken it from a nap.
"Wow," I murmured. "A chariot?"
"Yeah," she said. "Pretty sweet, huh?" She walked over and patted the pegasus on the nose. "The head counselor for Apollo, Will Solace, got tired of me using their chariot whenever I had to leave camp. So I had a couple of my siblings help me put this together for anyone who needs some transportation. since the Apollo kids are using the good chariot for bigger things."
"And you're loaning it to me...?" I asked.
"Pretty much," she said. "Your mother was Zeus' charioteer, so I figured you could handle it. Have you ever ridden a horse before?"
"Well, yeah," I said. "My dad used to take me riding when I was younger, but... that's a pegasus."
"Riding a pegasus is just like riding a horse, except in the air," she said. "You'll be fine. Your instincts will probably take over anyways."
I stared at the pegasus, which was eyeing me suspiciously. Well, it wasn't like I had any other options. I smiled a little, and patted the pegasus. "Alright," I said. "I can handle it."
"Holy Hermes," Aaron muttered, staring at the pegasus. "Annabeth gave you a chariot?"
We stood in the small clearing in the woods, each of us shouldering a backpack with all of our necessities. Aaron's was the bulkiest—he'd 'bought' some provisions from the camp store. Right. We all believe that. But everyone else was staring at the chariot, and looking back and forth from it to me.
"You can drive this thing?" Robert asked.
I scratched the back of my head. "Well, she said it was like riding a horse in the air, so it can't be too hard—"
"So we're riding in an open-backed chariot with our driver having no experience at all?" Aaron clarified.
I blushed. "Well, kind of."
Aaron climbed onto the back. "You better learn fast, Nat, because I'm choosing to trust you."
I grinned. "I'll try not to kill you. Emma can probably save us, anyways."
"I wouldn't bet on it," she said, letting Aaron pull her up into the chariot.
I held out Robert's jacket to him. "You want this back?"
His cheeks flushed. "Um... you can keep it if you want."
"Suit yourself," I said, stuffing it into my backpack as he climbed on. I walked up to the pegasus and patted it awkwardly on the shoulder. "Erm, hi, Mr. Pegasus."
Aaron snorted. "Mr. Pegasus?"
I glared at him, but then hoisted myself up onto the beast. It felt strange and familiar at the same time, since I had to avoid the pegasus' wings, but I knew exactly where to sit and what to hold. I took a deep breath. "Everyone ready?"
"I guess," Robert said.
"Okay," I said. "Um... we're going to Chicago," I told the pegasus, feeling stupid for talking to a horse. "Understand?" The pegasus snorted. "Well... er, let's go."
I urged the pegasus forward, but it did nothing. I frowned and did it again. "Hey," I said, patting its side. "We need to go now." It remained still. I could hear Aaron trying to stifle a snicker. "Fly!" I said, waving my hand slightly. Nothing. "I'll give you a sugar cube!" The pegasus stomped it's foot in the dirt. Aaron was outright laughing now. "Go! Come on!" I even resorted to saying, "On Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen!" Aaron was practically doubled over in laughter by then.
I let out a frustrated growl. "I'm a child of Nike!" I told it. "Aren't you supposed to—whoa!"
Apparently, the 'child of Nike' thing had worked, because the pegasus took off swiftly into the night sky, nearly dropping Aaron out of the back. Cold air washed over my skin and blew through my hair, making me slightly regret not putting on Robert's jacket. I looked down, and saw Camp Half-Blood spiraling away, morphing into only a strawberry field and a farm house. For the first time in days, I felt truly happy for an instant.
"Yeah!" I yelled into the sky. "Let's get this show on the road!"
And it begins! I thought that was an okay place to end, even if it's short. So this *should* be the end of the filler chapters, and their lovely little quest can begin.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading it. Reviews are appreciated.
