Chapter 25

Jarred woke up earlier than usual the next morning. Looking around He saw that their fire had died out sometime while he was asleep. When he turned his gaze towards his friends, what he saw made him smile a bit.

Pascal and Stephanie were leaning against each other, still fast asleep. Pascal's head was on Stephanie's as her arms were wrapped around his waist.

He stood up and stretched. Looking up at the sky he guessed it was about five or six am. We got about two hours before the bus shows up...

Stephanie muttered something and shifted closer to Pascal who wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair.

Jarred glanced at them. Now's not the time to wake them up... He stepped into the shadows and started to head back to town. He figured he'd go buy their tickets for the bus before coming back.

"That'll be $60 for three tickets sonny." The ticket seller said from his booth. "It'll take you straight to New Jersey."

Jarred handed him the money and took the tickets. "Thanks." He gave a friendly smile before turning to go back to the campground.

When he came back, Pascal was awake and cooking breakfast while Stephanie was nowhere to be seen.

Jarred didn't look at Pascal but instead sat under a shady tree. "I got the tickets for the bus." He said calmly. "It should take us all the way to New Jersey."

Pascal nodded as he stared into the fire. "Stephanie's getting changed. She'll be here in a few minutes."

"'Kay."

Stephanie stepped back into the clearing just as Pascal finished making breakfast. "Here." He handed Jarred and Stephanie their bowls. "It's all we have. I'm sorry."

It was oatmeal mixed with crushed berries. Jarred took it and shrugged. "It's fine Pascal." He gave his friend a small smile.

To his surprise Pascal gave a small smile back, some of the old mischief back in the younger boy's eyes. Pascal then took his bowl and sat down by his tree.

The three ate their breakfast, before packing up and setting off back to town. "Hey you guys know what time it is?" Stephanie asked them.

"It's around 7 'o clock." Pascal said, shifting his backpack higher.

"We got an hour to spare, you guys want to look around?" Jarred asked.

The two nodded. "So where are we going?" Pascal muttered as he stretched.

"I don't know, just wander around for awhile?"

Pascal shrugged. "Sure why not?"

"I still wonder what the name of this city is, I feel like I should know it." Jarred grumbled as they walked through the streets.

Stephanie shrugged while Pascal stayed quiet, lost in his own thoughts.

The son of Ares looked up at the sun a small glare in his eyes. Soon he had to look away and pulled his hood over his head. "Why does it have to be so bright?" He muttered to himself.

"Alice likes bright things." Stephanie randomly said.

"She herself is bright, so I'm not surprised." He said.

"Plus her father is the sun god." Pascal added in.

"So I'm offending Apollo by saying that I hate the sun lately?"

The two shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Okay good." Jarred sighed slightly. "I don't get why it's bugging me."

Pascal looked up at the giant clock at the train station. "Guys we better go. The bus will be here in a few minutes."

The three arrived just as the bus pulled in. The quickly went inside, handed in their tickets and sat near the back of the bus.

"How many days has it been?" Stephanie asked as they waited for the bus to pull out.

"Three days. We have eleven left." Jarred replied simply, his black hood hid most of his face.

"This bus ride is around a day to New Jersey then the train is around two days to Denver." Pascal added in.

"We'll have plenty of time to get back then. If all goes as planned." Jarred smirked.

The other two nodded just as the bus pulled out of the station. A few minutes into the ride, the three demigods were already twitching in their seats.

"Stupid ADHD." Pascal muttered.

"No joke." Jarred sighed with annoyance. "To think we have to be here for a day too!"

"What's a good way to waste time while we're here?" Stephanie asked desperately.

"I don't know!" Jarred rolled his eyes. "Ask Pascal!"

They both looked at the son of Hermes. The very same one who was currently tapping his foot and his head bobbing up and down as he listened to music from the iPod he clutched in his hand.

"Pascal is of no help to us..." Jarred said darkly.

"Where did...he even get that?" Stephanie asked.

"His dad's the god of thieves, he probably stole it." Jarred snatched the iPod away and put the headphones into his own ears.

"Hey! That's mi-" Pascal stopped himself. "Well not technically mine but still!"

Jarred stuck his tongue out at the other boy. "Too bad, mine now!"

Pascal pouted at him. "Stupid son of Ares." Pascal grumbled before taking out another iPod from his bag.

"How many of those do you have?" Jarred asked incredulously.

"Uhm...six I think." Pascal said, handing another one to Stephanie. "That city's a big place you know."

"I can see that." Jarred said before getting lost in a Green Day song

"Hey Jarred? Jarred! I have a question." Pascal said, his voice sounding like that of a preschooler.

Jarred sighed and took out one of the headphones. "What?"

"Why are you paler than your siblings?"

"Paler?"

"Yeah. You're much paler than them."

He shrugged. "No idea."

"Huh." Pascal said before he took off his hat, his messy mop of blond hair bouncing. "I'm bored." he said as he started to do some hat tricks.

"Make that two of us." Jarred mumbled.

Looking between them, they saw that Stephanie had already dozed off.

"How she got past the ADHD and was able to sleep is beyond me." He shook his head.

Pascal shrugged and dusted some dirt off his hat. Jarred never saw anyone look so fondly at a hat before.

"Why do you wear that hat all the time anyway?"

"Huh?" Pascal said, looking over at Jarred with a startled expression.

"Why do you always wear that hat." Jarred repeated.

"Oh. This hat." Pascal said, looking fondly at the hat in his hands. "This was Alice's first gift to me. It was bigger than my head when I first got it but now it fits."

He felt a small pang of jealousy. Pascal was closer to Alice then he was, and sometimes it really did make him jealous. "That makes sense." He said and turned back to his music.

"Her gift to you is by far the fanciest one though." Pascal leaned back and tilted his hat down.

He pulled out the pocket watch and opened it up. "Really..." He looked at the two pictures and smiled slightly before putting the watch away.

"Of course. Alice made it herself." Pascal smirked.

"I know that." He gave Pascal a small shove.

Pascal smiled at him before closing his eyes. "She really does love you." He said quietly before drifting off.

Jarred did the same not long after. "She really does love you." I know...that's why I'm so scared to lose her...