OKay! Here's Chapter 5! Hopefully this will be an average chapter...
Travis
"How about a thermos?" Connor called.
Travis's eyes scanned the shelves of the camp store.
"Nah, that'll take up too much room. Hey, should I grab--"
"Oh my gods. Are you two seriously stealing?"
Katie's voice scared Travis. He slowly turned to face her. "We were going to pay for these things."
Katie crossed her arms and gave the two boys pointed looks. "The store is closed on Fridays."
Travis smacked his head. "Really? That explains why the door was locked and the lights were off."
Katie rolled her eyes and mumbled something to herself.
Connor wiggled his eyebrows at Travis, but Travis didn't know why.
"It's time to go," Katie said and turned to leave.
"Hey, Gardner?" Travis asked.
"What?"
"Where exactly is Chiron having us go?"
Katie gave him a sarcastic smile. "We'll find out when you two get your thieving butts to the Big House."
Without saying anything else, Katie turned and left the store.
It was quiet between the two brothers for a moment. Then, Connor said, "She's super attractive and you know it."
Travis stared at the door she left out of. He thought about denying it, but he gave up and said, "Yeah, she is."
Travis knew that his brother was smirking, but he ignored the boy.
"C'mon," Travis said, "let's go steal from a goddess."
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"The Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Virginia. That is where you three are going."
"The garden is disguised as a garden?" Katie asked.
"Yes."
"So, all we have to do is sneak in, find the cure, and get out?" Connor asked.
"While avoiding the guard dragon, an angry goddess, and three Hesperides," Travis added.
"That is it," Chiron concluded.
Travis swallowed. He was good at stealing things. Not at fighting.
"Which reminds me, you do not have protection. Do you?"
All three of them shook their heads.
"Alright, you have ten minutes to find a weapon of your choice, then you'll be off."
Travis looked at Connor. "What are you getting?"
Connor shrugged. "A sword?"
Travis nodded. "I'll come with you. Gardner, do you want a sword?"
She shook her head, "I'm getting a bow and arrows. Either of you want a bow?"
Travis shook his head. He was horrible at shooting. Connor said no, too.
Without saying anything, Katie slipped away off to the archers range.
"Travis? You commin'?"
Travis looked up at his brother who was twenty feet away. "Yeah, sorry."
Travis followed his brother to the swords arena. He never really went to practice his sword skills, since Luke...well since Luke left.
Connor got into the weapons shed and picked out two swords. He tossed one at Travis. "How does that feel?"
Travis balanced it in his hand for a moment. "It's good."
Connor saw something else in the sed. He took it out. A whip.
His eyes lit up and Connor said, "Back up."
Travis did and watched as is brother gave the whip a few cracks.
Connor's eyes lit up. "I'm bringing this."
Travis laughed. "Alright, let's go."
The boys hurried back up to the Big House to find Katie had beaten them there.
Katie raised an eyebrow at the whip. "You know how to use that?"
Connor shrugged. "Nope."
Gardner rolled her eyes. "Great."
"So!" Chiron boomed. "You are ready?"
The three nodded.
"Alright, Argus will take you three to the nearest bus stop. Good luck, be safe, and thank you."
Travis turned and looked back at the camp. He wondered if it would be his last time seeing the camp. The thought made his heart hurt.
He turned back to find Argus with his hundred blinking eyes.
"Hey, man," Travis greeted. Argus smiled.
Argus motioned the three to follow and they did.
They all got into the camp van and started for the nearest bus stop.
Travis had never been so scared. Connor looked a little worried, but Katie seemed like she had done this a bazillion times.
He wondered if she was secretly freaking out on the inside.
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Argus gave a little wave to the three, then he was off and gone.
It was quiet for a moment, then Travis asked. "Okay, what now?"
Katie looked down the road both ways. She bent down and put her fingers in a puddle of oil.
"It's warm. We just missed the bus."
Great.
"Get your walking legs on," Connor mumbled and the three started their hike.
It was quiet for the most part. Connor was messing with his whip, occasionally hitting himself, Katie focused on her arrows, and Travis just walked.
He wondered if Katie was going to have to use her little 'gift' during this quest. He hoped she would, because if they were in a garden, it could definitely come in handy.
They walked for about thirty minutes until they stumbled into a town.
"Alright, let's find out where we are," Katie said as they stepped into a small grocery store.
Katie went up to a cashier to ask him where she was. He looked plenty happy to be helping Katie out and probably would have offered to drive her to wherever she needed to go if Travis and Connor hadn't been lingering around.
The cashier gave Travis a look before answering Katie's question. Connor saw the look that the guy had given Travis and raised an eyebrow at his brother.
Travis shrugged and turned back to Katie.
She was giving the cashier a smile. "Thank you," she said and turned back to the boys.
"Alright. We're an hour away from New Jersey if we take a bus."
"Or we could get there quicker if we borrow a car," Connor joked.
Fire lit behind Katie's eyes. "I swear if either of you do anything to get us in trouble I'm turning you into spinach and eating you for dinner."
Travis and Connor grinned at each other as they followed Katie. "Would I be a good salad?" Travis asked.
Katie didn't answer, she just started braiding her hair to the side. "Alright," she said, "Let's get on a bus."
So they did. They had to wait an hour, but they got on a bus that took them as far to Virginia as they could. They were still in New Jersey, though.
"Do either of you two know the kid's name?" Katie asked the boys as they got off of the bus.
"What kid?" Connor asked.
"The kid we're trying to save. Did Chiron tell you anything about him?"
Travis looked at Connor and Connor looked at Travis.
Chiron hadn't said anything about the kid to them. There was obviously something that Chiron was hiding.
"Nope," Travis said. Connor agreed.
"That's weird, right?"
Travis nodded and the three all looked at each other.
"What if the kid is Percy's brother?" Travis said.
Connor laughed bitterly. "It's like starting over from the day Percy got to camp."
"Great."
The three were quiet for a moment.
Then Travis interrupted the silence by saying, "We should go to Jersey Shore."
Katie rolled her eyes and turned. "Let's not."
"Oh come on. We could get spray tans and everything."
Travis could have swore that he saw Katie smile, but he got so excited at the thought that he didn't know if it was for sure.
"Let's just get the cure to camp."
"Are you sure? I mean I'm sure we could get your hair all big into a poof if you want..."
Connor rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot."
A grin grew on Katie's face. "I'm glad we can agree on something," she said and she gave Connor a high-five.
Travis gave a sarcastic laugh. "Ha ha. You guys are so funny."
That was how the first day of traveling to Virginia went. Connor and Katie ganging up on Travis like they had been old friends.