Divine Retribution | Luke Castellan

6. Public Transport from the Circles of Hell

"You have a thermometer in your watch?" 

"Luke, I think the better question to ask would be, what don't I have in my watch? And anyway, Rin didn't answer my question. Don't let her get away with it."

Rin shrugged, a nonchalant gesture belied by the fatigue etched on her features. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," she quipped her tone light despite the weariness in her voice.

The terminal hummed with the low murmur of distant conversations, the sound blending seamlessly with the gentle whir of the air conditioning units that did little to alleviate the heat. In the distance, an elderly couple sat huddled together, their heads bent in quiet conversation. A middle-aged man in a long black coat stood near the ticket counter, his bowler hat pulled low over his eyes. Rin's eyes were drawn to him, mostly because she found his attire quite curious. When he moved to take a seat a few paces down from them, his coat parted to reveal a dark suit underneath and what might have been...a tail. It was gone when Rin blinked and the man had settled himself into his seat, preventing her from taking a second look. Either he was not what he seemed or she was losing her mind. 

"Why couldn't we just take a plane like normal people?" she complained, voice carrying a hint of exasperation, her words punctuated by the dull click of her nails against the metal of her can. "I mean, seriously, what's the deal with taking public transit? It's not like we're broke or anything, and it will quite literally take us forever to get there."

Luke chuckled, a wry smile playing at the corners of his lips, "Something about Zeus wanting to smite us mid-flight maybe?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rin's leg bouncing with nervous energy, her foot tapping against the floor in an erratic rhythm. He knew her well enough to what caused it, and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and place a comforting hand on her knee. Not that he could of course, unless he wanted her to make good on her earlier threats in public. 

"We're not nearly relevant enough for that," Rin sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She was unable to help responding to him, despite her self-proclaimed vow of silence. "There's no way the king of the heavens is waiting around to strike down a bunch of teenagers from the sky. And if he does, he's-"

Samarah immediately clapped a heavy hand against her mouth, effectively silencing her next words. Luke burst out laughing at the indignant look in her eyes, and Samarah frowned apologetically. 

"Best not invite bad luck just as we're beginning our quest. You never know who might be listening," she explained. "Be careful of what you say."

Luke raised an eyebrow expectantly, "While we're on the topic, would you like to share your theories?"

Samarah rolled her eyes in response, her expression a mixture of amusement and resignation.

"Knowing Chiron, he's probably just being stingy," she remarked, her tone casual yet tinged with annoyance. "I mean, why spend money on plane tickets when you can just squeeze us onto a crowded bus, instead? Once in a lifetime opportunity to backpack across the country, you know."

Rin let out a muffled protest and Samarah dropped her hand immediately, muttering a half-hearted apology. 

"Just so you know, I was seconds away from biting your hand."

"Didn't know I had a mutt for a best friend, but duly noted, Rin."

Rin sighed heavily, "But in all seriousness, how long it's going to take us to get there? Long Island to who-knows-where?"

Samarah shrugged nonchalantly, a faint frown marring her features. "I haven't quite figured that part out yet," she admitted. "But I do know one thing—we need to keep heading west until we find what we're looking for. That's what the prophecy said anyway, didn't it."