Camp Half-Blood, Lia's POV
It wasn't till we were walking away from Camp when I realized we forget to think about something.
"So... How are we getting to this Roman camp place?" I asked, turning to the other two.
"I don't know, how are we going to get to Camp Jupiter, quest leader?" The only guy of the team scoffed, giving me a look that was somewhere between disinterest and annoyance.
"Lia, you have a phone, right?" I felt a tap on my shoulder, looking down at Fawn. I nodded, and she continued. "Let's get to the nearest checkpoint, then you can get an Uber to bring us to the city. We can get some sort of transportation while we're there. I'll pay." She held up a credit card before slipping it back in the small bag she was carrying. It was rather... Odd that such a young kid had a credit card.
"You two better keep up then." Nico strode ahead of us, not bothering to look back. I looked at Fawn, both of us shrugging as we followed.
~~~ This is definitely an interesting team. ~~~
"Nope."
"I already said there is no problem using the money, come on!"
"We are not going on a plane."
"Someone seems to be scared of airplanes." I leaned against a wall, joining in on the argument while people continued bustling around us.
"You wouldn't either if your uncle is ready to shoot you down the moment the airplane sets off. We are finding some other form of transportation, or this entire quest is a fail." Nico responded, giving me a death glare.
You know how people are fearful of a glare, and that's why they call it a death glare? Yeah, none of those compare to this guy. I feel like I'm about to die because of that look. Who knows, maybe I am?
I raised my hands in self-defense "Truce, truce. What do you suggest we do then?"
He rolled his eyes "I don't know. A train, another roomy car, you guys choose."
"Boat?" Fawn chirped in again.
"No."
"Should we just get on a bus that'll get us out of town and headed in the right direction?" I suggested.
"Fine. Look it up and find one that can get us as close to our destination as possible." He sat down, watching me.
~~~ Hello again. All this arguing is probably boring, so let's skip a bit, shall we? ~~~
I figured out by the fourth bus to find a seat behind Nico before I had to awkwardly sit with him staring me down, waiting as I searched the next bus we would take.
I had also figured out that Fawn must be from some sort of fairly wealthy family, considering she waved off any offer that suggested walking more for a cheaper price.
Apparently irritated by not getting the seat in the far back, Nico started pacing up and down the center of the empty bus, looking deep in thought. Fawn laid back in one of the seats, closing her eyes and humming to whatever music was going through her earbuds. Sounded like a familiar tune, but I couldn't quite pin it down while looking for our next bus. We wouldn't be stopping for many miles, but if I didn't at least act like I was looking up the bus, I had the feeling I would be forced to walk for quite a while.
"Instead of looking up the next bus, perhaps look up a hotel near where we'll be dropped off?" I looked up as Nico finally sat down in front of me, leaning back in the chair.
"First the buses, now a hotel?"
"Would you like me to take the phone and look it up?" I felt my breath catch before it turned into a yawn, which made me realize how tired I was.
"Sure." I offered the phone to him. He opened one eye, a surprised look crossing his face as he carefully took it. Once the weight left my fingers, I laid down, closing my eyes.
~~~ Tired children ~~~
"This isn't even an internet browser." I looked up from the phone, now being the giver of a death stare myself.
"I... Well... Are you sure?"
"Yes, this is the photo gallery, and this specific photo is from an anime. Do you even know how to use a phone?"
His eyes widened. "O-Of course I do! Anyone that lives in this year does!"
Something about that response seemed to clearly tell me that he had absolutely no clue what he was doing when it came to using a phone. But since he was being stubborn, I guess I would have to test him.
"Fine, then tell me which of these is an internet browser." I brought up a folder with multiple apps, with the one in the center being a Google browser. He took the phone tentatively, looking at each of the apps with an expression resembling fear. He pointed at the phone, showing it to me.
"That... Is Mystic Messenger. The only thing you're finding on there is pictures of pretty boys." I told him, taking the phone back. It is quite lovely, being in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains with a scary boy that has no clue how to use electronics and a girl that was only awake enough to step out of the bus. We had ended up in some sort of small town, with a sign saying we were fifty miles away from Elizabeth Johnson City, Tennessee.
"Come on, let's see if there is any lodging nearby. Or at least a restaurant, I'm starving." I declared, setting off down the nearest street.
~~~ Small towns always seem like a bad omen, huh? What do you think it will be this time ~~~
Who would have thought Mr. Scary would want a Happy Meal from McDonald's? At least he seemed content eating them, and for once was not scowling at everything.
"You sure your parents are okay with us buying all this?" I asked Fawn. She shrugged, continuing swirling her fry through the small container of ketchup.
"They don't care so long as my sister and I are getting good reports. We could buy a house for all they cared." She finally took the fry out, sticking it in her mouth and leaning back "Course, a house might show up a bit more than just renting a few rooms, so I'd rather us not make any big purchases."
"Why don't we just rent our own car and drive then?" I heard behind me.
"Do you even have a driver's license?" I responded, turning my head to look at the boy, who quickly set down his toy.
"Do I need one?" He looked back at me.
"To rent a car? Yes."
"How about steal a car?"
"We are not stealing a car." Both Fawn and I replied. He scoffed, turning back to his food.
"So, from the looks of it, there's a hotel nearby. Kinda run down, but it's the only one in town." I spoke loud enough for both to hear, reading the information on my phone.
"Good enough then." Nico got up, grabbing his stuff and throwing the empty Happy Meal container in the trash, heading out. I sighed, looking at Fawn, who shrugged, grabbing her supplies and fries and throwing away the trash as she followed. I sighed, following suit. I checked my phone again as I headed towards the trash, barely looking up in time as I ran into someone, both of us falling over.
"Freakin- I am so sorry!" The woman quickly moved out from under me, grabbing items that had fallen out of a messenger bag. I started grabbing mine as well, looking at the person. They were wearing some blue beanie, short black hair barely reaching the thick-framed glasses sitting crookedly on her nose, giving off a boyish appearance. She finished stuffing her items in her bag before smiling at me.
"Sorry, I'm quite a klutz, huh? Anything I can help you with around town? You don't seem to be from around here." She got up, offering me a hand, which I took thankfully.
"Yeah, how can we get in contact with the next bus moving west?" I asked, looking around to see I had been abandoned by my fellow members.
"Oh, hm..." She thought for a moment, closing her eyes. "I think the next bus will be here at 11:45 tomorrow, leaving right at noon." She opened her eyes, which were an odd purple color. Maybe her glasses were fake and she was wearing contacts?
"Awesome, thank you!" I told her, turning and walking to the door. As soon as I reached it, I bolted down the street, looking for the hotel or for my team members (I am not sure if I can call Nico my friend, since he has made it very obvious that he wants nothing to do with me). I glanced into one run-down building, spotting the two talking to someone that appeared to work at the place. I quickly looked down, patting dust off of myself before heading in.
"-oom 25, which will be on the left down the left hallway." The clerk was saying, handing them a rusty key. So this is what the website meant by run down.
"Thank you sir." Fawn told him graciously, turning and jumping when she noticed me. "L-Lia! You scared me!" I chuckled.
"I thought Nico here was the scary one, not me." I told her, heading down the hallway the guy mentioned. I could practically feel a death glare aimed at my back as the others followed, Nico unlocking the door as we got to the room with a rusted 25 on it. Dust came out as the door was opened.
It was a decent room, if it weren't for all the settled dust and cobwebs. The beds looked nice, and the closets appeared to be in good condition.
"This will not do." I heard behind me, turning my head to watch as Nico stormed back to the front office. I shrugged, going into the room and throwing my bag on a bed.
"He did listen when I said run down, right?" I asked Fawn, her jumping onto the bed, falling so she was laying down, the dust puffing up around her.
"Nico never listens to anyone. Especially not Apollo kids. No one quite understands that though, considering his history."
"History?" I asked, sitting next to her.
"Yeah, guess you haven't heard since you're pretty new. He was dating a son of Apollo before the war with Perfection, but the boy died during the war. Some rumors said that they may have been planning on getting married even. After the war, though, he wouldn't even bother acting as if any of the Apollo kids existed. Him scowling at us is better than that." She looked at me as I tried to process it all. Why would Nico hate the siblings of the boy he wanted to marry?
A loud slam from the door stopped my thoughts, both of us turning to see what looked like the reincarnation of Levi Ackerman. Nico went to the far corner of the room, using the broom he had acquired to start getting the dust out of the corner.
"We should probably leave before... Achoo!" I sneezed loudly, covering my mouth. Nico may have somehow acquired a bandana to cover his mouth, but Fawn and I had no such cover. Following what I was getting out, Fawn got up, both of us leaving the room.
"Who would have thought... Achoo!" Fawn sneezed loudly, rubbing her nose before continuing. "That he would have a problem with all the dust!" I laughed. And sneezed. We both ran away from the room as the dust clouds billowed out, our sneezing fits slowly receding.
"Let's agree not to book anymore run down hotels if possible..." I muttered, looking at Fawn, who nodded in agreeance. We both sat down in the front lobby, a drowsy air coming about us as we waited for the room to be cleaned, us ready to sleep.
~~~
I'm trying to get this done... I promise...