A / N: Hi all! I don't really have anything to talk about, so read on!
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, but I did go to the gym this morning ...
11
When I woke up, it was barley morning. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the street lamps out the window were still shining brightly. The sheet was scrunched up around me from my tossing and turning. The plate of food was no longer on the table, and I assumed that Jack had taken it back when I was asleep.
I climbed out of bed and brushed my hair until it was soft and silky, but my heart wasn't in it. I folded up the dress that Aphrodite had put me in, and put it in my backpack. I couldn't think of an occasion where I ever wear anything that fancy, but it was too pretty to leave behind.
Instead, I got dressed in a plain grey top, and pale jeans. My eyes were their usual intense blue; my face wasn't giving away what I was feeling inside. My body still ached and the cut up my leg was throbbing persistently.
I walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where the boys were just finishing breakfast. I sat down on the bar stool next to across from them, grabbing the cereal box and pulling it towards me as I yawned.
"You didn't eat," said Jack bluntly.
Leo was looking concerned, but I ignored him.
"I wasn't hungry."
I stared at Jack, daring him to object.
He just shrugged. "You will have to eat sometime."
I nodded. Jack didn't get it. He didn't exactly have much experience with heartbroken girls. And I was heartbroken, I just wasn't going around crying because of it. Leo was looking at me nervously, but I didn't want to talk to him. At least, not now. Dad was safe. Our quest was complete. Now it was just time to get back to camp.
"How are we getting back to camp?" I asked, voicing my thoughts and breaking the silence.
"Bus," said Jack simply.
I smiled slightly, remembering that those were my exact words to him when we had left camp. Even though it was probably only a couple of days ago, it felt like a lifetime.
I slapped on fake smile and grabbed my bag. "What are we waiting for?"
We left the hotel and made a beeline for the nearest bus stop. I tried to keep my face light and not too sour the whole way. I couldn't wait to be back at camp. This trip was becoming a nightmare, and I just wanted to go home, and if I couldn't go home, camp was a close second.
As we boarded the bus, the driver asked, "Where to, kids?"
"Long Island, New York," I told him, rummaging in my pockets for some cash.
"That is very far," the driver said uncomfortably, scratching his balding scalp.
I handed over a generous wad of cash. "Keep the change."
The drive mumbled something, but let us board anyhow. We found a four seater near the back of the bus, and lugged out bags down the aisle, trying not to bump the other passengers. I took the window seat. It would give me time to think. Jack sat down next to me, and then blinked.
"You removed the charmspeak!" he said, looking surprised.
I nodded. I hadn't actually removed it, but it took a lot of will power to make charmspeak last longer than a couple of days, and at the moment I had none. Jack looked rather pleased with himself. Leo was across from us, also on a window seat. He was staring out the window, lost in thought. His eyes were a beautiful emerald green, flecked with paler shades. That was the first thing I had loved about him when I met him last summer. I looked away. I had never thought our journey would end up like this. I had just thought that we would find Dad and all live happily ever after. Only Happy Ever After doesn't exist. I knew that now. Everything was so much more complicated. I knew was just being protective, but I didn't need protecting. I was sick of being the damsel in distress.
Nagrata's words kept on coming back to me. The gods would never help you. Well, one of them did. He had also said that the gods had taken a special interest in me, completely contradicting himself. Maybe he had meant that they I had sparked their interest, but they didn't want to interfere. That's right isn't it? Why would gods help worthless mortals?
The other people on the bus were reading, texting, or talking quietly to each other. I looked out the window, but I saw nothing mythical this time, just miles and miles of fields. Every now and then there would be a couple of horses in a paddock, and the smaller girls on the bus would get all excited.
When I was a girl their age, I thought being a teenager in love would be the best thing in the world. Now I'd tell any girl thinking that 'It sucks. Stay a little girl as long as you can.' When you were little, you were oblivious to any problems that weren't your own. You never had to make big decisions, and you were never put in any life-death situations. The worst pain you would feel was a little bruise on your knee from when you fell over.
I looked over and saw that Leo had fallen asleep, his head resting on the window. Leo looked vulnerable when he slept; no guarded emotions. His mouth was open slightly, and his usual rugged jawline looked soft and sweet.
"He really likes you, you know," said Jack.
I knew he was talking about Leo.
"How would you know?"
It wasn't an accusation; I was tired of being angry. It was just a question.
"I've been his friend since he first arrived at camp. I was still unclaimed, so I was in the Hermes cabin with him, and, well, I sort of took him under my wing."
I was surprised. I had always thought it was the other way around.
"He was never really interested in girls that way. Until you. He would do anything for you, Maia. At first when I saw you together, I thought it wouldn't last. But he's in love, Maia. And being away from you now, is killing him."
I sighed. Maybe Leo did love me, but it was too late now.
"I didn't hear him declare his love for me while he called me ruthless, irrational, and incapable of holding a fight on my own."
Jack had no answer to this. I didn't expect him to. What did Jack know about love? I turned back to the window, but it wasn't long until something caught my eye. There was a lady wearing a large black turban across the aisle from us, muttering to herself in another language. She had strange features; a large chin and eyes that seemed to pop out of her head. The language she spoke sounded ancient and confusing. I listened in, hoping that I might catch something I knew the meaning of, but I didn't understand anything but two words. Maia Lightwood. My name. I froze.
I nudged Jack and gestured to the turban headed woman.
"Do you know this person?" I whispered.
Jack glanced at her. "No, why?"
"Well, I think she knows us."
Jack's eyes widened. "Not good."
Jack shook Leo awake and murmured something into his ear while Leo wiped sleep out of his eyes. Leo looked at the woman and he too looked scared.
"What is it?" I demanded, trying to keep quiet.
"Let's put it this way," said Leo. "She has a long overdue haircut."
Even as he said that, the woman began slowly unravelling her turban. Catching my eye, she smiled, her mouth full of sharpened teeth. My hand flew to my sword. In need of a haircut? You could say that. Instead of hair, her head had sprouted a mass of writhing green snakes. I knew Audrey would demand a mass make over, possibly including several bottles of her herbal essence shampoo.
The lady can't have been Medusa. If she was, we would have already been turned into some very life-like decorations for Central Park. My mind flashed back to my studies at Camp Half-Blood. She was a gorgon; either Stheno or Euryale. Pity, since Medusa was the only mortal gorgon. Blood from their left side was deadly, sure to kill, though blood from their right side could heal almost anything. That last bit of information had been acquired from Jack's constant sprouting of facts. Come to think of it, we could really use some magical healing blood at the moment, but that would only matter once we killed the gorgon.
I drew my sword from its sheath, hoping the battle would be worth it. With absolutely no warning, the gorgon lunged at me, her snakes extended, snapping viciously. I jumped up and propelled myself off the uncomfortable seats, slicing my sword and leaving three glittering snake heads lying on the ground, twitching feebly.
The gorgon howled with rage. "HOW DARE YOU!"
"Next time, you should keep your turban on. That, or wash your hair. I don't mind either one," I replied, grinned.
Leo laughed.
"Quiet down," grumbled an old man further up the bus. As far as he could see, we were just having a rowdy argument.
I stabbed at the gorgon's chest, but she dodged, running straight into Jack's range. Jack was using a knife instead of a dagger, revealing the little bit of Hermes left in him. Leo and Jack began stabbing and slashing, slicing at every bit of available skin. Leo seemed to always be in front of me, keeping me out of the fight. See, this is why Leo was annoying me. He was always too protective. The boys twirled their weapons in a blur of silver and bronze. The gorgon's knees were bent, and she bit and snapped where ever she could.
I snuck around the other side of the gorgon, staying in her blind spot. I stood, both feet firmly planted on the ground, and pushed my sword forward, hard. The blade cut straight through the gorgon's chest, protruding so far out the other side that it stopped mere inches away from Jack and Leo's ears. They eyed the blade somewhat nervously, and stared at me in awe.
I pulled back my sword, and the gorgon heaved over, spluttering blood. I casually wiped my sword clean on the seats.
"Watch it!" said the old man grumpily. "I complain to the driver!"
I sheathed my sword, feeling pleased with myself but also sickened by the sight of the gorgon's body. We couldn't just leave it there. As if reading my thoughts, Jack grabbed one of the blankets reserved for long distance travellers from the overhead luggage rack, and with Leo's help, threw it over the gorgon, obscuring the body. The gorgon was a long distance traveller, right? At least, if no body moved her.
I looked out the window and saw the bright lights of New York City. We were almost there. The bus was moving slowly due to the heavy traffic, and it jolted every passenger now and then. The old man on the bus eyed us beadily, and then walked up to the driver and began to talk to him. After a few minutes, the old man walked back to his seat and the bus driver beckoned for us.
The driver sighed. "I'm very sorry, but due to the disturbance you've caused the other passengers, you are going to have to get off at the next stop."
Leo opened his mouth to object, but I cut him off, not wanting to start an argument.
"That's alright. Sorry about the disruption," I told the driver, dragging the boys back to our seats.
Leo sat down in a huff and Jack handed us our bags before sitting down as well. Jack was staring at the old man with a murderous gleam in his eyes.
"No," I told him, gently removing his hand from the knife in his pocket.
The bus lurched forwards as it skidded to a halt at the curb. There was no file of passengers to get off the bus this time; we were the only ones getting off at this stop. I hefted up my bag and exited the bus, Jack and Leo following suit. I was walking a lot better now. I had learnt just to detach my mind from the pain.
As it turned out, I knew where the bus had dumped us. We were in lower Manhattan, only a few blocks from Mr and Mrs Balboni's restaurant. The bus screeched away, splattering my boots with dirty water.
"We are not walking," said Jack defiantly.
"Lazy pants," I teased, but I knew he was right.
There was no way we could walk all the way to Camp Half-Blood in this state. I wondered if Chiron was angry at me for running away. He probably was, but Chiron was never good at staying angry.
"We should make a call," said Jack, taking charge.
I frowned. We all knew that using phones attracted monsters, something we really couldn't afford to deal with right now.
"But monster and phones –" I began.
"Not a phone call," said Jack, cutting me off. "An Iris massage."
I stared at him blankly, still completely befuddled.
He sighed and took my arm. "Here, I'll show you."
Jack led us across the road to what looked like the newest building on the street; a blue and white car wash. There was a cartoon blue man with a water bucket grinning broadly on the sign above our heads.
"Okaay," I said, feeling slightly amused.
"Well, how else are you meant to make a rainbow?" Leo snapped.
"Iris is the goddess of the rainbow, right?" explained Jack hurriedly. "So if you give a proper offering and you are polite, she'll let you contact someone, no matter where they are."
I nodded. That was actually pretty smart. I wondered how I hadn't learnt of this earlier. Leo walked over to the nearest hose and twisted the nuzzle so that it would produce a fine spray; fine enough for the sunlight to catch at the water droplets and create a shimmering light.
Jack nodded at Leo, and then Leo did something that lived up to Hermes' name. Leo's face broke into an evil grin and he turned on the water, pointing the hose at Jack and I. I yelped as Jack and I were soaked with the gushing water from the hose. My hair stuck to my face, and I began to feel extremely grateful that I was wearing dark clothes. It was silent for a moment, and then we all burst out laughing, and it became a fully-fledged water fight. Jack and I grabbed the two other hoses, and soon we were all dripping wet.
"Okay, okay," I gasped, struggling to breath for laughing to hard. "Let's make that call."
We turned off the hoses and tried to catch our breath. The sun overhead warmed the clothes clinging to my slender frame. Leo turned on the hose again, but instead of pointing it at us he pointed into the air, letting the sun hit the glittering droplets. The sunlight bounced off the fine mist and created a dazzling rainbow.
Jack pulled a golden drachma out of his pocket and turned to address the rainbow goddess.
"O' Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering!" cried Jack, throwing the drachma into the rainbow.
The coin shimmered and then disappeared. Jack paused, and then said, "Camp Half-Blood!"
The colours of the rainbow flickered and soon a grainy image had taken place. It was a view of the canoe lake. It must have been a free period, because there were small groups of campers huddled by the water's edge. The glistening blue-green of the lake sent pangs of emotion through my body; I wanted nothing more than to be back at camp with my friends.
I suddenly recognised one of the figures by the lake's edge and the designer handbag that accompanied them.
"Audrey!" I called, desperately trying to grab her attention.
Audrey's golden head whipped around, and her face broke into a beaming smile when she saw us.
"Maia! Jack! Leo!" she cried gleefully. "Where are you? How are you?"
"We're in Manhattan, and we're doing fine, thanks," answered Jack. I could tell he was trying to stop himself from craning his neck to further see the camp. He wasn't the only one who was feeling the home sickness.
"Um, not that fine, actually," corrected Leo, glancing down at my wounded leg.
"Is Chiron angry? I asked, quickly changing the subject.
Audrey sighed, flipping her hair dramatically. "He was pretty mad at first, but then he went to Olympus as planned, and the gods said they wouldn't help." Typical. "It was really close, though. Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon and Athena all voted to help, but Zeus, Hephaestus, Hermes, Demeter, Ares, Hera and Mr D all voted against it. Anyway, Chiron forgives you guys, seeing as you rescued Maia's dad anyway. And," Audrey added, answering my unspoken question. "Your dad is fine, Maia. The satyrs are taking good care of him. Um, he's been passing out a lot, but he's still fine.
I exhaled heavily. Alive. Dad was still alive. "Thanks Audrey. Really.
"Maia?" Jack said, tapping me on the shoulder. "The water's running out. You've got about ten more seconds."
I rolled my eyes. "Okay. Bye Audrey. Tell the others we called."
Audrey nodded brightly. "I will. Bye!"
The hose spluttered, destroying the image, and we were all alone once more.
A / N: Please review!