Pernico - Survivor

Ch.25 Free

Percy's P.O.V 

     A loud rumble stole my attention. I tore my eyes away from Nico and glanced in the direction of the sound. Just like I was seeing through the mist for the first time, a strange vehicle emerged from over the slight incline of a street. It was obvious even from a distance that this vehicle hadn't had a proper cleaning in quite some time. It was also obvious that whoever had decorated it had a strange sense of style. As the misfit on wheels approached, it was easier to make out the smaller details. The most important detail being the small fact that this strange vehicle was in fact the bus we were waiting for. The next detail that I noticed was the wording on the side. The bus had been spray painted, recently by the looks of it, something along the lines of : Vibes Van. The more of these details that I noticed, the less I wanted to get aboard this bus. Or should I say van? 

The rickety old safety hazard finally pulled to a stop in front of us, missing Jason with the sideview mirror by inches. Up close, it was even more dingy than I had originally thought. The door ended up being beads on a string hanging from the ceiling of the bus, matching the description painted on the side of the bus perfectly. If anything, I was deffinetly getting vibes from this van, I just wasn't sure they were good ones. 

"Howdy y'all? Need a lift?" The beanpole of a man asked, as pushed aside a few strings of beads. 

"Yeah, we're just trying to get to the edge of town." It was only after I said the words outloud that I realized just how shady that sounded. The man gave us a suspicious look before exchanging his raised eyebrow for a huge grin. 

"Well, you fellas sound like you have some story to tell. And I don't mean about the godly side of your lives either, I want your real story." The old man's grin seemed to grow as he took notice of our surpised expressions. 

"How... Demigods..." I stammered. The old man broke out in a fit of laughter that soon transformed into a coughing fit. 

"Eversince I was a youngin, I could see through people. I could always tell when someone was fibbin, or when someone was hiding something. Then one morning, I saw a strange boy in an alley with only one eye. When I pointed him out to my ma, she told me to stop messin around. That's when I knew that I could see through much more than just people. Over the years, I starting seeing lots of crazy things, each one crazier than the last. So I left home, and decided to live in a real city, with buidling that got more than two stories. I got a job working at one a those junk food restaurants and saved up my money to buy a car, cept the only thing I could afford was this minivan. The shop owner offered me a new job, running this bus loop, as long as I paid him for the van under the table, so he wouldn't have to claim it for taxes or something. I accepted and now here I am, fifty years later, still working this bus route." The old man explained, before taking a swig out of his waterbottle. 

"That's..." Jason started.

"A strange story, I know. Now it's your turn." The strange man said as he sat down in the driver's seat. 

"Um..." Nico stumbled for the words.

"Well, get yourselves in here. Don't wanna be listening to ya through a wall of beads." The man chuckled as he made himslef comfortable. Reluctantly, Nico stepped up the two small stairs, and into the odd vehicle. Jason and I followed quickly behind him, trying not to get whacked by the beads that swayed. Nico had chosen to sit in the first bench, directly behind the driver's seat. He was squished right over to the window, so I slid in beside him leaving Jason to sit in the bench opposite us. 

"Go on, let's hear it." The old man announced. 

"I guess I'll go first." Jason started, " I grew up in a camp for roman demigods, and managed to be quite succesful, before having my memory wiped and getting shipped off to some strange wilderness school field trip. Basically, from then on I've been on a crazy adventure with it's ups and downs. I even got to help save the world a few times along the way."