Caleb Pierson POV:
I let out a sigh of relief as my foot touched the floor of the plane. I was nearly out of breath after racing to make the flight at all. I'd left my bag in a bathroom by the front of the airport, so I had to run all the way there and get it. One of the flight attendants gave me a dirty look when I stepped back onto the plane — I'd assume she wasn't too happy that I made her wait to take off.
Reaching into my back pocket, I grabbed my ticket and brought it out in front of me.
Seat 13B. I tightened my grip around the handle of my bag and began walking down the aisle of the plane, counting each row as I went. I stopped at row 13 and glanced into the seats.
Emma was seated at the window seat, and Jordan sat in the aisle.
I was perfectly happy to sit next to Jordan — I could tell her all about my plan for this trip.
Emma, however, was a different story.
I saw her glance up at me when I reached our row, and I think I saw her jaw tighten up a bit. She turned up the volume of the music she was listening to and turned her head to look out the window.
We're still at a rocky point in our relationship, but I think I can fix it all soon. Once I uncover everything I need to know about Percy and Annabeth, Emma will come around. She's just blinded right now.
Jordan drew her legs into her chest, letting me step past her and take my seat. I shot her a friendly smile before turning my attention to the flight attendant at the front of the plane.
As the plane began to move, the flight attendant gestured her arms to inform everyone on oxygen masks, flotation devices, and emergency exits. When she was finished, I felt the plane slow down a bit while we made the turn onto the runway.
Then, it began to shoot forward. I turned to look out the window, excited to see us leave the ground. I didn't get to fly much, so I liked to enjoy the view whenever I could.
Emma glanced up from the book she was now reading, because we had to turn off our phones while taking off. She followed my eyes to the window, then moved her hand up and slowly shut the shade.
Wow, she's not even going to be subtle about her anger, is she?
I felt the plane lurch up and sunk back into my seat, disappointed to have missed the takeoff. Emma smiled to herself for a brief second before looking back down at her book. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, pretending to look deep in her reading.
Whatever...
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I slid my notebook back into my backpack, zipping it shut and flipping up my tray table. I pulled my legs up into my seat as Emma stepped past me and a sleeping Jordan, walking toward the back of the plane to use the bathroom.
I took the opportunity to nudge Jordan's arm, ready to fill her in on my plan. She grumbled in protest, rolling away from me slightly. I shook her again and she groaned, slowly opening her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the plane.
"What?" She mumbled in-between a yawn.
"Emma left," I started, gesturing to her empty seat, "I wanted to tell you about my plan."
Jordan sat up a bit in her chair, albeit still looking disinterested. "I still think you're taking this a bit far, Caleb."
"I am not."
She shrugged, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair and looking up at me. "Whatever, man, fill me in."
I stared at her for a bit, but she did nothing but blink right back at me. I still really can't tell how she feels about this plan, but I need to tell someone where I'm going, just in case I get caught and Percy kills me or something.
"Okay, well Percy and Annabeth's camp is in New York, right?" I began.
"Right." Jordan nodded.
"They always talk about wanting to go back to it, right?" I said.
"Mhmm."
"Okay, well then they're probably going to sneak off there at some point, and I'm going to follow them."
"Okay, that...wait, what? Are you insane?" Jordan sat a bit straighter, giving me a puzzled look.
"What do you mean?" I tilted my head to the side.
"Don't you literally think that this place is a cult?" She asked, mirroring my head tilt.
I forgot that she doesn't know everything that I know. I open my mouth to correct her, but then shut it again. Would she even believe me if I told her what I knew?
"I can take care of myself," I reassured her.
She stared at me a bit longer. "Are you sure? I don't want you getting hurt - er - doing something you'll regret," she muttered, looking down at her lap.
"I told you already, Jor, I have to help Annabeth."
"Right, anything for Annabeth..." She trailed off.
"What does that mean?" I asked, but she kept her eyes glued to her lap.
"Nothing, Caleb," she replied.
I shut my mouth, continuing to watch her. Something was up. I wasn't sure what her problem was, but I can take a hint, and she clearly doesn't want to talk about this.
Emma walked back up to our row, taking one look at Jordan than another at me. She raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged in response, lifting my legs to let Emma back into her seat. She finally slides the window open again now that Jordan is awake and stares out at the clouds floating by beneath us.
As soon as Emma sits down, Jordan stands up and walks off to the bathroom. I turn my head and watch her leave, frowning. I wish I knew what was wrong.
My eyes naturally floated to where Percy and Annabeth were supposed to be sitting, but they're nowhere to be found. Andrew's sitting in the window seat, his back against the wall and his feet rested on the other two seats as if the pair were never there. Now that I think about it, I never actually saw them on the plane...
"They aren't here, you know," Emma said behind me. I turned back around in my seat, trying to look nonchalant.
"What?"
"Percy and Annabeth. That's who you were looking for, right?" She asked.
"Right..." I responded warily.
"Yeah, apparently they both really hate planes. Annabeth said it was 'life or death' so they must share a pretty serious phobia of flying." Emma said, her gaze flickering out the window again.
I could imagine Percy being scared of flying, but Annabeth? She isn't scared of anything... at least I thought...
I joined Emma in looking out the window.
If all these Greek gods are real, doesn't that technically mean I'm flying in Zeus's house right now? You would think Percy and Annabeth would feel safe in the domain of a god...
With the massive clouds surrounding the plane and the ground several miles below us, I couldn't help but feel like a single speck of dust in the grand scheme of the Earth.
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Wooooow it has been a while since my last chapter. I know I always apologize for that, but now I actually have a way to make it up to you guys.
Surprise, I have an updating schedule now!
It's VERY late in the game because there's like less than 10 chapters of this story left, but better late than never, right?
I will now be posting a new chapter every single Monday, so stay tuned! We're almost done...
5/3/21