Twins of the Hunt - Book 3: The Rescue ✔️

Chapter 8: I Chillax In A Mercedes Convertible

1757 words

I know it's a shorter chapter again, but I hope y'all still it!

Raiden P.O.V.

It was several minutes after we'd left and were crossing the Potomac that Grover spotted the helicopter. It was shiny and black, like the ones the military used.

"It's coming after us," said Orion, staring at the helicopter as it came closer with every second. "We need to leave the van."

Zoë slammed her foot down on the accelerator and shot across two lanes of traffic into the fast lane.

"Why is the General using mortals, anyway?" asked Percy.

"They're easy troops," I explained. "Many of them will fight for money. There were a ton of mercenaries when I was growing up on the Princess Andromeda."

"Woah," said Percy. "You grew on that ship? What happened to your mortal parent?"

I didn't answer his question; remembering what happened in my childhood and to my mother was very traumatic.

"Where are we supposed to go?" asked Grover nervously, looking at the helicopter almost onto us.

"There!" Bianca pointed to her left out the window. "That parking lot!"

Zoë swiftly crossed two traffic lanes and parked in a mall parking lot on the southern bank of the Potomac. We exited the van and trailed behind Bianca as she led us down a flight of stairs.

"What are we doing here?" Thalia said.

"It's an entrance to the subway," Bianca explained. "Let's go south to Alexandria."

"I'll buy the tickets," said Orion, pulling a credit card from his backpack.

He headed over to the ticket booth and purchased seven tickets for the train. We headed through the turnstiles and boarded the train. The helicopter emerged, circling the parking lot, as the train came aboveground, but it didn't pursue us.

"Good idea, Bianca," said Grover.

"Thank," Bianca said. "It's been a while since I've been here. Nico and I came here last summer. I was really surprised to see it because it wasn't here when we were little kids."

Orion frowned. "That doesn't sound right, Bianca. You're twelve, and I'm forty. I came through here when I was ten, and this station was here."

"You're forty?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Yes," said Orion. "I only appear to be twelve because the gods gave me the gift of manipulating my age and appearance, so I could take care of my children."

"Children? You're a father?"

"Yes. Ainsley and Aidan Theron are my children." Orion's voice was full of bitterness and spite. "Well, Aidan used to be my son."

"Why..." said Percy, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the helicopter.

We hurried off the train at the next station and onto another and then another. The only thought in any of our minds was to lose the helicopter, which we eventually did. However, at the end of the line, we only got to an industrial area with railway tracks, warehouses, and quite a lot of snow. We wandered around for a long time, searching for another train to take us west, but there were just endless rows of freight cars.

"Y'all look pretty cold!" a homeless guy with almost no teeth called from his place at a trash can fire. "Come and warm up!"

Everyone, except me and Orion, rushed over to the fire and huddled around it. I didn't want to get anywhere near the homeless dude; after all the bad experiences I'd had with strangers, I was always wary of them, particularly males.