𝓟𝓻𝓪𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓪 - (𝓟.𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷)

07.

vol ii
➵ chapter seven ➵

Helia has only been in the van for a few hours, and she's already desperate to claw her way out.
Playing mediator between Zoe and Thalia is one tiring role; it's a constant back and forth—the two somehow always have something to disagree about.
Traffic also makes the entire journey even more maddening, with the current holidays meaning that the group hadn't even reached the city until mid-morning.

To make matters worse, Zoe drives like an absolute madwoman. For a girl who supposedly looks sixteen, she drives like a retiree who needs her licence revoked.
Helia isn't even completely sure that the hunter even has one in the first place?

It isn't until Maryland that the group finally makes a rest stop. The daughter of Apollo practically bolts out of the vehicle and into the convenience store, sugar being an absolute need to stay sane for the rest of the drive.
With arms full of sweets, she rolls her eyes and trudges out of the store to her arguing companions.

"Grover, are you sure?" Thalia asks pressingly.
"Well... pretty sure. Ninety-nine percent. Okay, eighty-five percent." The saytr answers.
"And you did this with acorns?" Bianca questions bewildered.
Grover looks offended. "It's a time-honoured tracking spell. I mean, I'm pretty sure I did it right."

"D.C. is about sixty miles from here," Bianca says. "Nico and I..." She frowns. "We used to live there. That's... that's strange. I'd forgotten."
Helia gives the girl a comforting pat, and the di Angelo girl smiles thankfully.

"I dislike this," Zoe says. "We should go straight west. The prophecy said west."
"Oh, like your tracking skills are better?" Thalia growls.
Zoe steps towards her. "You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!"
"Oh, scullion You're calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?" Thalia snarls.

"Oookay," Helia immediately gets in between the two girls, "we are not doing this right now." She gives them stern looks.
"Come on, guys. Not again!" Grover says it nervously.

"Grover's right, Zoe. D.C. is our best bet," Helia calmly utters, "and we don't have much of a choice."
Zoe doesn't look convinced, but she nods reluctantly. "Very well. Let us keep moving."

"You're going to get us arrested," Thalia grumbles. "I look closer to sixteen than you do."
"Perhaps," Zoe snaps. "But I have been driving since automobiles were invented. Let us go."
Helia snickers at that. She forgets how old the girl is.

"Don't laugh at me!" Zoe gives her a warning look.
"Lighten up, grandma. Let's just get back on the road." Helia teases, quickly rushing out of the girls reach and back into the van.

The group follows Grover's directions, finally slowing as they reach central Washington. The satyr excitedly exclaims that they're close as they near the mall, and their ardent driver parks at the curb.

Pilling out, they head through the cold wind towards the building their tracker is pointing to, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Thalia checks the door; it's open, but there aren't many people going in, largely due to school being out of session.

The quest party slips inside and makes their way through the admissions area into the main part of the museum—it's one huge room with rockets and aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling. Three levels of balconies curl around, so you can look at the exhibits from all different heights. The place isn't crowded—just a few families and a couple of tour groups of children.