Chapter 6
After the three woke up and got ready, Chiron went over the check list of what they need to bring.
"Drachmas?" Chiron asked.
"Check," Rue said.
"Clothes?"
"Check," Alexander mumbled.
"Mortal money?"
"Check," Jacob said.
He went over some more things and soon they were ready to go, but Rue had a question for Annabeth. She ran over to Annabeth.
"Hey," Annabeth said. "I thought you had left."
"I got a question for you before you leave," Rue said. "Do you know where Atlas is?"
Annabeth sighed. "Mount Othrys, holding the sky up."
"Ok, thanks Annabeth!"
Rue sprinted back and soon was back with the boys. Argus, still covered in eyes, sat in the driver's seat and looked around as Jacob, Alexander, and Rue climbed in the van.
"The farthest he can take you is to the end of downtown," Chiron told them. "The rest of the way, you're going to have to find your own way there."
They nodded.
"Do you guys have your weapons?"
They all nodded. They said good-bye and Chiron closed the door. Argus took off down the hill.
As they rode in the van, Alexander noticed Rue had on dog tags. He wasn't looking at her or anything, it was… I hope she didn't notice me.
Alexander was sitting behind Rue and Rue was sitting across the aisle from Jacob. Jacob was fiddling with his sword, Alexander was busy thinking about Rue, and Rue was thinking about Alexander and the quest.
"Wait, where's your weapon?" Alexander asked Rue.
Out of her jacket, she pulled out an iPhone. She flipped it and it turned into a sword. Alexander smiled.
"Cool!"
Rue smiled and looked at it. Alexander thought her smile was cute; especially her dimples. Her glasses that made her turn invisible were on and she was fiddling with them. Alexander so wanted to talk to her like they did yesterday. It was so easy to talk to Rue. He understood that she didn't want to talk about her mom or that guy. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her it was ok and that that guy couldn't hurt her, she had him.
But he didn't.
"So where are we heading?" Jacob asked.
"San Francisco," Rue said, turning her phone back into a sword. "That's where Atlas is imprisoned. Remember? To Atlas's will they must uncover?"
"So we have to go see Atlas, huh? That's great! With our luck, he'll throw the sky at us!"
"Your dad is the god of the sky," Alexander said. "If one of us has to hold it, it's you!"
The three of them laughed. They hadn't realized that they were already at the end of downtown. Argus pulled over. He turned around.
"Is it time to get off?" Rue asked.
Argus nodded. Jacob opened the door and thanked Argus. The three got out, grabbed their backpacks, and Argus drove away with a wave. They walked down the streets and Rue started a conversation.
"So where you guys from?"
"Boston," Jacob said.
"Key West, Florida," Alexander said. Jacob and Rue were a little shocked. "Yea, I know; Poseidon's territory."
"How about you, Rue?" Jacob asked.
Rue smiled. "A couple of mile outside of Dallas."
"How are we going to get to San Francisco?" Jacob asked.
Rue stopped and looked to her right. There was a store. They walked in and saw tourist stuff, but they were looking for a map. Alexander found it first. It was behind the counter, but thank gods no one saw him. He grabbed it, snuck back out, and met them in the drink aisle. He opened it up and of course it was only of New York.
"Well, I –" Alexander started.
Rue covered his mouth with her hand. She was listening. Voices came from behind the Employs Only door.
"So where are you heading back to?" the manager asked.
"San Fran," a raspy voice said.
Rue smiled. They said a few more words and while they talked, they got in the aisle nearest to the door. When the manager came out and was out of sight, the three of them slipped in the door. Rue was in front. Jacob didn't understand why she was in front, but she knew when to move and when not to move. She stuck her arm behind her and stopped Alexander while she stuck her head around the corner. One worker stood there with his back turned towards them. The door to the back of the 18-wheeler was still open.
The teenagers quickly tiptoed across the garage. The worker turned around and saw them. It was a woman. Her eyes flared red and she bared her fangs.
Great, a monster.
Jacob whipped out his sword and got in the back. The thing slowly crept over to him. Then she shot fire at him. He tapped his watch and the shield came out. He held it up just in time and it hit the shield. Rue flipped the phone and her sword appeared. She stepped up in front, catching the monsters attention. It shot fire at her. She dropped to the ground and it missed her by a centimeter. While it blew fire at Rue, Alexander shadow walked over to the things side. He stabbed it in the side. It screeched and turned into monster dust.
Alexander ran over to Rue and offered her his hand. "You ok?" he asked, a little worried.
"Yea," she said breathlessly. "That was faster than I thought."
"I hate Empusa," Jacob muttered.
The sound of a door opening came. Rue, Alexander, and Jacob jumped and sprinted into the truck. They hid behind the boxes and watched the driver from the peep holes that they could find. He was a ginger with a long straw beard. He was wearing one of those hats truckers wear. He had on a flannel shirt and some unbuttoned jeans. He scratched his head, scowled, and closed the door. They heard him walk back to the truck, get in, and crank it.
They let out an easy breath. The driver drove the truck and they were on the road.
This was going to be a long drive.