Do-over (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

23. I realise I am a threat

Don't blame me. I don't do well in enclosed spaces and I'm pretty sure Thalia doesn't either. And two irritated children of the Big Three was never a good combination. 

When we pulled over at a rest stop in Maryland, the first thing I did was stretch my legs. Being stuck in the backseat of the van was pretty cramped. 

'I'm going to get a cup of hot chocolate,' Thalia yawned as she stretched her arms. 'Anyone want one?'

As it turned out, all of us wanted a cup of hot chocolate, including Zoë. To be fair, Zoë was probably there when hot chocolate was invented. 

While we were waiting in line to pay for six cups of hot chocolate (hey, I like hot chocolate), Grover performed a tracking spell by serenading a bunch of acorns with his reed pipes. I wasn't paying attention to the moving nuts. My attention was purely on the two cups of hot chocolate in my hands.

Also, I was trying my best to block out the "music" with both my hands occupied. 

'Grover, are you sure?' Thalia asked as we walked out of the convenience store.

'Sure about what?' 

'If you listened instead of chugging hot chocolate, you would know.' Thalia rolled her eyes.

'Hot chocolate is good,' I countered, taking another sip. 

'D.C. is about sixty miles from here,' Bianca continued, ignoring the two of us. 'Nico and I...' she frowned. 'We used to live there. That's...that's strange. I'd forgotten.'

'I dislike this,' Zoë muttered. 'We should go straight west. The prophecy said west.'

'Oh, like your tracking skills are better?' Thalia challenged.

'Can you two please stop arguing for once,' I groaned. 'And Thalia. Stop picking fights.'

Surprisingly, both of them stopped talking, just resulting in giving each other death glares.

'We go where the acorns point us to,' I said as I finished my second cup of hot chocolate. 'We go to D.C.'

'Very well,' Zoë relented. 'Let us keep moving.'

'You're going to get us arrested, driving,' Thalia grumbled.

'Thalia.'

'Fine!' she threw her hands in the air. 'I'll shut up. Happy?'

I smirked. 'Very.'

I want to say that the drive to Washington was good, but I would be lying. Even though it took only a little under an hour to get there from where we stopped, it was still more time spent in a van than I wanted.

As we entered Washington, Grover directed us towards the Smithsonian using his wonderful acorn GPS. 

Zoë found a spot to park the van and everyone stepped out of the vehicle. Looking around, I couldn't help but feel the sense of deja vu as cars sped past. Then again, this whole blast to the past courtesy of the Fates was a giant deja vu experience.

I knew why as soon as I spotted the black sedan pull up to park a block away. Throughout the entire trip to D.C. I had felt an uneasy feeling, like we were being followed. At first, I couldn't tell why because I couldn't recall what exactly happened but seeing that car, seeing the person that stepped out of the car, I understood.

I watched as subtly as I could as Dr Thorn walked onto the kerb. He whipped out a cell phone and said something into it, all the while looking at us out from the corner of his eyes. He must not have noticed me looking at him because he didn't give any sign that I spotted him.