First thing, I would like to thank my reader JamieValdez for letting me pester her with questions etc. You are the Queen of Awesomeness. Second, I don't own any of the mentioned movies or tv shows. Lastly, I would also like to thank all my other readers and followers of this story. I really appreciate people reading this story even if it is a little corny. ;) You guys are the best.


Simon's point of View

Getting back to Kansas took us the whole day. Mostly because we stopped multiple times for supplies and making plans. This wasn't the usual slash, slash, die monster. This was more like stealth and mission impossible.

Charlie didn't seem all that excited to have to steal from a bunch of mortals, but we quickly convinced her that we would be fine. It would be just like a 007 movie or even better, a Jackie Chan movie.

Charlie had been drumming her fingers on the side of the chariot, "We need a distraction…"

I gripped the reigns tighter. "Like perhaps the son of an international singing sensation?"

Eric glanced up from sharpening his sword and Charlie rolled her eyes. "We don't know anyone like-" Charlie stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes snapped to me. I only glanced at her, before I adverted my eyes back to the road. I was a little afraid of the grin that had been growing on her face since we left Utah. I couldn't tell if she was losing it or what?

"Hey Charlie," I started tentatively. "Why are you smiling like that?"

Eric started chuckling, "I was thinking the same thing the first time I saw that smile. She gets that way every time she gets a crazy idea."

Charlie gave him a light kick, but she was smiling.

"What other 'symptoms' should I look for?" I jokingly added air quotes with my free hand. Charlie's face started to go red. I couldn't tell if it was because she was laughing or embarrassed.

Eric ticked of his fingers as he listed things. "She gets focused. Like, a sort of distracted focused. One time she almost got skewered because she was too busy doodling in her notebook during war games." Charlie tried to protest, but Eric went on. "She sleeps in short intervals and wakes up to work on things or when an idea strikes her. She won't eat unless you make her. Corey and Samantha have had to do this on multiple occasions. Also, she forgets that a clock is a thing. She has no concept of time. Like at all. One time she got so into a project that when she finally finished she thought it was still Thursday." Eric rolled his head to look straight at Charlie. "It was Monday."

Charlie was even more red and she just hid her head in her arms as we road. Eric was elbowing her leg with his arm. "You know we love you Charlie. We just like teasing you."

I felt my own face start to redden. Dang it, dude, did you have to embarrass me too? I focused on steering the horses. Not really that hard, because of course, the chariot was enchanted.

Eric's point of View

It had been a long day. We were a mere twenty miles away from the museum when we stopped for the evening. (Her magical chariot could cover it in ten minutes max.) Charlie decided we should try to check out the museum first before deciding the best time to strike. She was being very thorough and I was proud of her. Taking charge and all.

We laid out all the supplies we had gathered. Charlie was afraid that there were monsters posed as guards at the museum. I hadn't thought of that, but she had. She also thought there might be regular guards. We had picked up some sleeping medicine and rope for the humans if need be. Simon also picked up some hot sauce. He said it would be very valuable in the end. I just nodded like he wasn't completely crazy. There was ductape and of course Charlie's magic tool. She thought we might need wire cutters for security cameras. She kept shaking her head, saying "There is no way I'm going to get in trouble for this. I don't need my face plastered around the country being described as a fugitive."

I couldn't help but smirk. Who would think she was a fugitive? Charlie looked too sweet and innocent. Not that I would ever tell her that to her face.

Simon was down for the count once we set up camp and for once Charlie didn't argue when I told her I would take first watch. At this point I couldn't remember how many days it at been since we started the quest. The days and nights were starting to run together, but I liked the way we were all working together. Simon had his good qualities about him. He was way funny too. Maybe we could be friends after this was all over. Maybe we could go on more quests together.

Wow I was really starting to sound like an episode of Barney or something. Maybe I missed hanging out with Sam and Charlie that much. No, not maybe. It was a defiantly.

Speaking of Charlie. I looked into the chariot at her sleeping form. She had been mumbling for the last few minutes. It wasn't uncommon for us demigods to have dreams, especially about our quests and things. But when she started yelling in her sleep I wasn't sure what to do. Simon shot up, reaching for his weapons.

He had an arrow loaded before he realized it was Charlie. I stood at the back of the chariot and shook Charlie, doing my best to avoid her flailing limbs. When I got her awake, she was breathing hard. I hadn't realized how bad she was sweating.

"Charlie?" Simon was fully awake. "Are you ok? What were you dreaming about?"

When her breathing finally slowed, she threw her covers off. "Nothing. It's fine. I need to get up." She was frantically trying to climb out of the chariot. I grabbed her arm and helped her steady herself. She checked for her sword and then took off walking down the road.

"What do we do?" I turned around to find Simon staring at me with big worried eyes.

"Simon," I started and then I turned back to see Charlie's dark figure pacing in the distance under the bright moon. "I have no clue."

We sat there in silence, not knowing what to do.

"Should we bring her change of clothes? She was soaked in sweat," Simon said breaking the silence after ten minutes.

I nodded grabbing her pack. "That's not a bad idea."

Charlie was already coming back over our way.

I tossed her bag at her, "Go change before you catch a cold." Charlie looked at her bag and then back at us and then down again looking mortified. I felt my face redden. Hopefully no one could tell in the moonlight. "Oh, Tartarus Charlie. There's a bush over there."

She ducked away.

Charlie hadn't been gone for more than a minute. "Are you still there Charlie?" Simon called.

"Simon, shut up."

"Good, just wanted to make sure."

Another minute passed.

"Charlie?" Simon was sitting on the edge of the chariot. He had his bow sitting in his lap, an arrow sitting on the string, but not drawn.

"Simon…" Charlie sounded exasperated.

Another minute. "Charl-" Simon fell back into the chariot, a backpack now sitting on his face. "Ow," he moaned.

"I'm alive dummy." The dark circles under Charlie's eyes were only magnified by the shadows of the night. I told her to go back to bed. She complied, lightly shoving Simon over when he jokingly offered to tuck her in. I looked at Simon who came to sit beside me, while we waited for Charlie to go to sleep. It seemed like forever before we heard her breathing even out.

"Do you know what that was about?" Simon asked.

I shook my head.

Charlie's Point of View

Eric and Simon probably thought I was asleep. I was great at faking things like that, especially when Corey got on me for staying up too late.

I could tell them what it was all about. It was a horrible nightmare. I couldn't tell if it was my own head or maybe some of it was about the quest. Aphrodite was in it. That part wasn't going to happen. She was taunting me, making fun of me. She sounded like Drew. So that part was defiantly in my head.

Eric interrupted my thoughts, "She mentioned something while she was asleep. Before she started screaming."

'Great, what did I say?' I did my best to keep my breathing even.

Eric continued. "She said 'Aphrodite.' That's all." I felt myself ease up. They had known I had spoken to Aphrodite before. But Eric wasn't done, "But- and hear me out because I think Charlie would never do anything to hurt us. Ever. She is a good person and-"

Simon interrupted Eric. "Dude, I know she's a good person. She's a great person. Don't worry, I'm listening."

I heard shuffling, nervous fidgeting. "Well, the other day she mentioned how she wished 'Aphrodite would forget things'… I mean, if it was something worth mentioning, she would have mentioned it. Right?"

No one said anything for a moment. Great my own team was starting to doubt me.

"Maybe," I held my breath as Simon spoke, "she made someone mad. Like you did? Maybe she ticked Aphrodite off?"

Eric gave a ha, but it wasn't full of much laughter. "I really hope she didn't make a goddess her enemy."

Simon was agreeing, but finally he asked the question that had been just itching to ask myself. "So who cursed you? And what the heck did you do?"

"Did Charlie tell you?" Eric sounded a little angry. I was mad at him for thinking I had told someone else his secret.

Simon gave a sarcastic laugh, "Chill. Charlie wouldn't betray you like that and you know it. Everyone talks about it at camp. You only confirmed it each time I saw you fight."

I was strangely proud in the fact that Simon had defended me.

Eric gave a sigh. "Well I made Hephaestus mad. I mean he even warned me and- Let's talk about this another time. I'm exhausted."

I heard what must have been Eric standing.

"Night man," Eric yawned.

"Yeah, night."

I decided then and there I would explain everything in the morning. I let myself fade into a fitful sleep.

Simon's Point of View

When I had first woken up my heart was pumping. I knew it was Charlie screaming. I had my weapon ready before I realized she had been screaming in her sleep. My nerves were starting to act up. My talk with Eric hadn't made me feel any better about our situation. I trusted Charlie, but perhaps we did have two cursed demigods. I mean that would be our luck, right?

I looked back at the two of them. I heard a soft snoring come from Eric and Charlie had her mouth hanging open ungraceful like. I smirked, she was probably drooling. She made even that look cute.

I shook my head and started to sing one of my mom's favorite songs. It wasn't one of hers. It was from a movie about a red-headed orphan. She always sang about how tomorrow would be better and the sun would be shining. It made me feel better.


Did anyone get my chapter title? I thought it was kind of funny ;)