Thanks to my awesome "sister", Bright Silver Lady of Midnight for betaing this story, and for making me laugh. Without her, I'd be a poor, sad little writer with lousy stories.( I still have crappy stories posted here that are left over from my younger years, but I've gotten rid of the worst) Anyways, thanks for everything you've done sis.
Thalia pulled over at a deserted gas station. The flickering, neon lights gave the place an old, rundown appearance. She spared a glance at her companions and couldn't help the soft smile that curved over her lips. Rayne's temple was pressed against the window, soft snores gliding from her lips. In the backseat, Amber lay curled up against the door, her upturned features at peace. Next to her, Arianna's head leaned against the seat, the lights casting an eerie shadow on her light olive features. An odd feeling crept up the hunter's spine as she gazed at the younger demi-god, a feeling she had no name for. Arianna stirred slightly, startling the brunette girl.
"Thalia," murmured Arianna, turning around to press her cheek to the window in a similar position to Rayne's.
Thalia furrowed her brow in surprise but shrugged her shoulders as she slipped out of the car, thinking Arianna was just dreaming. In the store, Thalia purchased energy drinks, snack foods and coffee. She also filled up the gas tank; it was the middle of the night and she didn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. The girl behind the counter raised an eyebrow at the sight of Thalia's purchases but she stayed quiet, only speaking when she tallied up the total of the items. The dark haired girl handed her the money silently, grabbing the bags and her change and went back to the car.
Back at the car, Amber was awake and stretching. "Food?" she asked hopefully, patting her stomach. The hotdogs from the basketball game seemed like weeks ago.
Thalia smirked and handed her a package of Twinkies, "Don't eat everything, Rayne, Arianna and I need to eat too," warned Thalia, putting the car in gear.
Amber grunted a response through a mouthful of sugary sweets and Thalia rolled her eyes, taking a large gulp of coffee before pulling out of the parking lot.
A few hours later, Amber was back in dreamland and Thalia was once again left alone with the quiet sounds of breathing and snoring. She didn't turn the radio on, they were in the middle of nowhere and the only stations she could get where Mexican ones.
The moon shone in the night sky, and Thalia felt a pang of loneliness. Artemis would be with hunters in some far off place. Amanda would be trying to fill the shoes Thalia had left. Trying and failing.
Slowly, the mixture between flat, dry plains and dense, rolling hills became a huddle of small wooden houses.
"Turn left," chirped the small GPS that had come with the car.
Thalia did as she was told. The sun was slowly peeking over the horizon, and Thalia was hit with the memory of driving Apollo's chariot, er, car. In the early morning light, the rugged landscape shone its harsh beauty, and for a moment, Thalia could understand why so many people would've have wanted to move to Texas many years ago, when the land was new.
Thalia smiled to herself as she noticed a young foal prancing around its mother in a nearby field. The foal was a warm, chocolate color with a fuzzy mane and tail.
A slight stirring brought the hunter back to reality and she glanced towards the passenger seat where Rayne was waking up, "Morning," muttered the blond grumpily, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
Thalia grinned; Rayne wasn't a morning person like the rest of her siblings, she'd sleep well past noon if she could.
"There's a bag of snacks in the back," said Thalia in her cheeriest voice; another known fact about Rayne was she hated people who were perky in the early morning.
Rayne shot her a glare and rummaged around in the bag before pulling out a Honey Bun and a Monster.
"Did she wake up?" asked Rayne quietly after she had finished her meager breakfast and the Monster had time to kick in.
Thalia shook her head. The faint images of buildings could be seen up ahead if one squinted hard enough.
"She stirred when I stopped for gas and food; that was around two in the morning but besides that, she's been out like a light."
Rayne nodded, biting on her lower lip, "What about you? Aren't you tired?" she asked; the dark circles under Thalia's eyes answered her question.
"We should be in San Antonio in twenty minutes, better wake up Amber," said Thalia, stifling a yawn.
The mixture of coffee and Monster were beginning to wear off, she needed to find a motel and get a three to four-hour nap. Maybe longer.
Twenty minutes later, Thalia parked the car in the parking lot of a tiny motel. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her fake I.D., glad that for once, Arial's troublemaking ideas had come in handy. She signed in at the front, holding in a shudder of disgust as the whiskered old man leered at her body. Thalia hurried back to the car and had to carry Arianna up the stairs to their motel room.
"She's still asleep?" grumbled the Hunter as she set her down in one of the spare beds. Rayne shrugged, her mouth stuffed with Zebra Cakes. Amber flopped onto the couch and lazily began to flick through the channels. Thalia rolled her eyes and went to lie on the last bed.
"Wake me in a few hours or when Arianna wakes up," Thalia muttered, closing her eyes and falling into blissful darkness.
Thalia stood on the edge of a cliff, watching two large armies face off against one another. Across from her, stood a young woman who looked familiar. The woman was slightly taller than average and pale, unruly black curls tumbled down her back like a dark waterfall and strands pressed against her perfectly sculpted cheekbones. Her pupils were slanted, like a cat's, and her irises were a bright, golden hazel with green flecks in them.
She wore a black tunic with gold stitching and matching black breeches and boots. A slender dagger hung from her waist. She smiled a wicked smile, cruelty flashing in her eyes, and both of the armies turned on their comrades, killing both their enemies and their own. Eris, goddess of strife and chaos, smirked and suddenly, she looked up from the battlefield and stared at Thalia.
The demi-god was paralyzed by the intensity in the goddess's eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest like a war drum, her throat was parched. Suddenly, the fierce look faded from the goddess's eyes and smiled, a true, genuine smile that made her look like a kindly mother.
"Προστασία της ."(1) Thalia nodded and with that the goddess smiled and disappeared.
Thalia woke with a start. The clock on the nightstand read 10:00am. She groaned and staggered to her feet. Arianna was still sleeping, but Amber and Rayne were gone. Just then, the door turned and in walked the missing girls, arms laden down with McDonald bags.
"Breakfast is here," grinned Amber, setting her load down on Thalia's bed.
Thalia raised an eyebrow, annoyance flickering through her but she pushed those feelings away. "How come you guys didn't wake me up?" she asked, stretching and flexing her muscles.
Rayne shrugged, sitting down and began to sort through the bag, "You need all the sleep you can get, Thalia," said the slim blond, handing a platter of pancakes with a wrapped biscuit on top.
Thalia nodded, taking her food and flopping down on the unoccupied couch and tore into the warm food.
"So, where are we going after this?" asked Amber through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.
Rayne scrunched up her nose in disgust and tossed the younger girl a napkin. Thalia leaned back and furrowed her brow.
"We're heading back to New York, Amber. We've got to get Arianna to Camp," explained the hunter, sarcasm dripping from her voice like honey.
"What camp?" The trio turned around to where a bedraggled Arianna stood, her wild curls hanging limp down her back.
"Arianna, you're awake! Have some breakfast," said Rayne, grabbing one of the McDonalds bags and tossing it to the Hispanic girl.
Arianna fumbled with the bag for a moment before getting a firm grip on the bag and flopped onto the bed, eyeing them warily. "What camp? Where am I?" asked Arianna, digging into the food hungrily.
The demi-gods shared a look before Thalia broke the silence.
"You know the Greek myths, right? The ones about Zeus, Hades and Poseidon," Thalia paused and Arianna nodded her head to show she was following along. "Well, they actually exist. The myths aren't just stories, they happened for real. Zeus and the Greek Gods are real, and you're one of the god's kids." Thalia waited with baited breath for Arianna's reaction.
Arianna dropped the platter of pancakes she had been eating, and Thalia watched as the syrup splattered on the carpet. "You're insane." Thalia bit back a chuckle.
"I'm afraid we can't let you Arianna, you see, if you went back home, your father could be killed, or you could be, or someone else. The Greek gods are real, and like in the myths, they go around having children with humans, with mortals. Those children are called demi-gods. Rayne, Amber, and I are demigods. Rayne's father was Apollo, Amber's a daughter of Hermes, and Zeus is my father. We're not normal, Arianna. Monsters, stuff out of the Greek myths come and hunt us down and kill us if they can. They're attracted to our scent, the more powerful our immortal parent is, the stronger our scent is. Like me, for instance. My dad is Zeus, so monsters come in the hundreds to kill me. The same goes for Rayne and Amber. The reason we haven't been attacked yet is because we're disguising our scent. Monsters aren't a fan of Texas; it's so dry and humid here, and barren. We're using the scent of Texas to hide our own particular smell. Haven't you ever seen things? Things that can't be explained?"
Arianna furrowed her brow, "One time back when I was in 5th grade, there was this dog that attacked me on my way home from school. It was pretty big, as big as my house, with black fur and glowing yellow eyes. I freaked out and ran for my life. Suddenly, this woman comes out of nowhere and waves her hand and the dog disappeared. She was pretty, blond, pale and blue eyes. She smiled at me, and suddenly I felt peaceful and calm. When I told my dad about it, he said I was imagining things and that the neighbors said the dog had been a big Rottweiler," said Arianna slowly.
"Anything else, Arianna?" prompted Rayne.
Arianna shook her head, "You guys are insane! Magic and Greek gods don't exist!" spluttered the Hispanic girl.
"No? Then explain this" growled Thalia, already losing her patience. Her can of mace shifted into her traditional spear and the sarcastic arrogance was wiped from Arianna's eyes, replaced with terror.
"Holy shit! How the hell can you carry around a fucking spear without anyone noticing! Hell, how did the mace in your hand become a spear?" Arianna jumped away from Thalia, pale features flushed.
Thalia smirked. "There's a thing called the Mist, Arianna. The Mist makes mortals see anything but the truth. Right now, doesn't the spear in my hand keep flickering, sometimes looking like a pistol or some other weapon?" Arianna nodded slowly, unsure of what Thalia was getting at.
"Mortals wouldn't see my spear, only a modern weapon. The Mist keeps the mortals from seeing the magic. Only demi-gods and a few special mortals can see through the Mist. You being attacked by monsters only proves that you're a half-blood," explained Rayne, giving Thalia time to regain her patience.
"The gods exist Arianna, they move wherever Western civilization takes them, and it's brought them to America; New York City, to be specific. In fact, Olympus is the Empire State Building," chipped in Amber.
Arianna shook her head. "This is crazy. I'm not the daughter of some Greek god!" Thalia smirked. "Of course you aren't the daughter of a Greek god; you're the daughter of a Greek goddess. Unless of course somehow your dad gave birth to you.." the Hunter trailed off.
Arianna glared at the daughter of Zeus. Thalia chuckled and tossed her a backpack. "Get dressed, we're heading out as soon as you ready." She strode out of the room with an amused Rayne and Amber at her heels.
Arianna shimmied into a plain black t-shirt and matching jeans, quickly tying the laces of her high-tops. She stuffed her basketball clothes into the bag and hurried out of the room.
Thalia waited outside the room alone, having sent Rayne and Amber to start the car. She carried her backpack slug casually over her shoulder. A few moments later, Arianna emerged, carrying her own backpack. "Ready?" asked the Hunter. Arianna said nothing, shooting a glare at the older girl. Thalia ignored the look and led the way towards the car, where Rayne and Amber were busy arguing about something in the backseat.
Thalia opened her door and sighed. It was going to be a long trip.
A/N: I'm on summer break, so I'll probably be updating more often, if I'm not too lazy of course.
Translation- Protect her