We finally reached a city after what seemed like hours of walking.
Nico trailed along in the back. A few times I'd look over my shoulder and make sure that he hadn't run off, and he never did. I guess he decided to stay loyal for a while.
We got a few strange looks, especially Phillip, but he simply grinned and waved, so I guess they just shrugged us off as cosplayers and went about their business.
Ren was nervous the whole time. He tried his hardest not to eat away at any tin cans and pieces of furniture, but you could tell that it was killing him. I told him that he would live, and he did for a while.
Sophia finally shouldered her bag, and sat down on the middle of the sidewalk. "My feet are killing me! We should take a bus or taxi or something."
"Sounds okay to me," I, once again, felt myself say, but I didn't will it. Everyone else agreed with me, even Nico. I decided to talk to Sophia about it privately later.
And so, we waited patiently for a taxi to come driving by. While the boys conversed (except Nico, he stayed a few feet away) I talked to Sophia.
"Why is it that every time you say something, I immediately agree?" I mused. "I think it happened with Nico when I spoke to him."
Sophia pondered in thought for a moment, then muttered something in Greek. "Oh, great." She growled. "Aphrodite granted us temporary charmspeak."
"Charmspeak?" It was nothing I'd heard of before.
"Charmspeak is something Aphrodite's daughters - or her victims, such as us - are granted. It's when you can use the power of your voice to, basically, get anything you want. Sometimes you charmspeak and don't even realize it. Like when Nico agreed, then shook it off for a moment, or when I said we needed to find a ride and everyone agreed. It can come in handy, but sometimes it's annoying when it's done on yourself. That's why I never liked the thought of it. My friend, Piper, has charmspoke me on accident before."
There was a pause between us, until I finally broke it. "COOL!"
Sophia rolled her eyes, then quickly stood up. After grabbing the boys' attention, we hitched a ride on a bus.
With the help of Sophia's charm, we didn't have to pay the driver. I thought that was pretty rad. I decided that I needed to work on my own charm.
We found seats in the back. Sophia next to Leo (of course), Percy next to Phillip, Ren by himself.
I was about to sit beside Ren, until I noticed Nico again. He was in the back row by himself, gazing out the window from time to time. Just to pick at him, I plopped down beside him but didn't say a word. He didn't even turn to look at me, so I didn't move.
I listened to everyone on the bus converse, and it sort of calmed me down. It made me feel normal for once, like I wasn't on a life-threatening quest to find my mother.
After letting that calming feeling sink in, I decided that the bus driver wouldn't be meeting his destination for a while, and that I needed a little rest. So I laid my head against the nearest thing, and slowly drifted off.
I dreamed rather vividly. I was on a mountain, or something. I couldn't exactly tell. And in the middle of a large clearing that the trees seemed to avoid, a large, ugly giant stood. Its backed was turned, so I couldn't see its face, but somehow I knew that it was the one we were going after. Enceladus, I whispered to myself. I had no idea how I knew. I just did.
He was jeering at a small figure that was gagged and had their hands and feet tied. My mother, I recognized. Seeing her like that made my blood boil with rage.
