acclivity

αρχίζω: to begin

Lena and Kara met the others in the parking lot, standing around Alex's car. Mon-El had his own sword attached to his hip, talking animatedly to Winn about something. Alex and Maggie were off in their own little world it seemed as well. Winn was the first to notice Lena and Kara approach. "Hey guys! Got your sword and all that?" He asked Kara. She grinned, holding out the lightning bolt pendant for him to see. Winn brightened seeing his handiwork at play and gave her a thumbs up.

"Yup. Are we all ready to go?" Kara asked the group. Alex nodded.

"Pretty much, We should probably figure out the route we're going to take first, though," She said, leaning back against the hood of her car. Lena nodded in agreement.

"That should probably be the first order of business. We know that Mount Othrys is in San Francisco." Lena said with a shrug. Demos was on the east coast, New York City to be more specific, so they were a whole country away from their destination. Alex pulled a map out of her backpack, turning around to open it and spread it out on the car behind her.

"Okay. So, I'm thinking we take Interstate 80. It's basically a clear shot from here to there." Alex said, tracing the line of the freeway on the map.

"Do you think we should stick to more backroads or something? If we do run into some rogue monsters?" Mon-El asked. Alex shook her head.

"No. I don't think that's necessary. Besides, some of these long stretches of freeway might be easier for us to drive faster on if we do need to get away. Some of the backroads will require some really difficult terrain." Alex reasoned. Maggie agreed with her girlfriend, nodding.

"So it'll be a 43 hour drive in total, not counting traffic, pit stops and any... unexpected surprises." Winn said, having pulled out his phone and checked the travel time. "Which by the way, how are we going to pay for this?" Lena jumped in to answer him.

"I can cover anything we need. Hotel rooms, gas, food. Whatever." She said with a shrug. She may be a halfblood, but she was also still a Luthor. Much to Lillian's displeasure, Lionel hadn't cut her off from the Luthor wealth. Though, judging by the looks on everyone's faces, they didn't really realize who her family was exactly. Lena figured she shouldn't have been surprised. When she told Winn her last name, he hadn't even blinked an eye.

"Are you sure Lena? It's going to be a pretty expensive trip," Maggie asked her friend. "We can all pitch in something. You know, share hotel rooms, Kara can probably cut down on her food intake." Maggie teased. Kara just pouted, folding her arms and sticking her tongue out at her sister's girlfriend. But Lena shook her head.

"No, please don't worry about the cost. It's the least I can do. Repayment for agreeing to come along with me." Lena said a little unsure of herself. She got a couple of sympathetic looks as Winn wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey! Don't worry about that. We all jumped at the opportunity to come. I know James would have too if you had been able to bring another person. We're your friends, Lena! We stick together. You don't have to feel the need to repay us for anything." He said earnestly. Lena looked up and saw everyone nodding in agreement. Lena gave them a small smile.

"Thank you guys. But really, I'm a Luthor. I can cover it and still have more money than I would ever realistically need." She said with a shrug. On some level, Lena was glad her last name didn't carry the weight in their world as it did in the mortal world. When she was younger, she was always either treated like glass because she was from one of the most influential families in the country. Or with polite disdain. People jealous of her family's prestige and wealth.

She saw Maggie frown a bit before it dawned on her. A look of realization on her face. "Wait. You're related to the Luthors?" She asked incredulously. Lena had to stifle a laugh. Maggie had been calling her Little Luthor for months and it apparently never dawned on her. But she nodded, with a smirk on her face. "I can't... wait. God. I can't believe I missed it. I feel so..." Maggie trailed off, the rest of the group looking curiously at her. Lena just shrugged.