hola everyone! so this is two posts in one night, I hope that it somewhat makes up for my super slow updates lately, and I hope you all don't hate me! also a few replies to reviews I got:

Person - duly noted. I see what you mean and will attempt to fix that. I didn't even realize I was doing that :$

Amethystgirly - can you tell me where I messed those two up so I can g back and fix it?!

anyway other than me telling you for the 17th time that I do not own the percy jackson characters and whatnot, I will move on with the story now.

Chapter 17

Clara's point of view

Well. As fun as that was, I happen to be glad it was over. Surprised? Yeah I know right? Because I'm sure everybody wants to spend just about every minute of every day fighting Canadian giants who want to eat you.

Sigh.

And now we were stuck out in the Middle of Nowhere USA going a whopping zero miles an hour headed in the wrong direction.

Oh…wait…

Okay, make that about one mile and hour. Val just started dragging Nico. Yes. You heard me right; dragging.

After walking about ten minutes with Nico and Val holding onto each other like the little lover birds I just know they are, Nico finally collapsed and refused to take another step.

Something about everything looking like he was stuck on the spin cycle and how Val wasn't being very helpful at all. All I know is, he lay down, Val yelled out that he was such a huge wimp, he ignored her, she grabbed hold of his ankle and started dragging him in the direction we were headed in before we stopped.

Nico spluttered and cursed, but he really couldn't do anything about it.

"We need to get farther!" Val grunted as she towed him along.

Her flame converse obviously didn't get very much traction on the slick grass, so she was having a bit of trouble accomplishing her goal. And no way I was helping; I didn't want Nico killing me.

"We're far enough!" Nico moaned.

"No!" Val panted, pausing to regain some footing. "We aren't!"

Leo and I looked at each other. He was laughing, and his eyebrows were practically in his hair.

"Way to go Val!" he cheered.

"Seriously? You're encouraging her?"

Leo shrugged and bounded towards her. Picking up Nico's other foot, he began helping Val drag Nico through the wet-ish grass. No way he was gonna be happy about this.

"We've gotta get away from the scene so that people don't think we're from there!" he agreed.

"Ugh!" I groaned and shook my head at Leo's stupidity. I mean, from Val, sure I'd expect this kind of thing, but Leo? I though he was smarter than this! "You guys have a death wish!" I warned.

"Whatever," Val huffed. "You gonna help or not?"

"Umm, no. I don't think so."

"Oh, come on, Blondie!" Leo urged. "It's not like he–"

"Nope, not doing it! I refuse!"

"You guys know I'm still right here, correct?" Nico growled.

"Yeah, it's kind of hard to forget that when we're dragging you," Val spat.

"Oh, well, here's an idea," Nico's face twisted in mock revelation. "Why don't you let me the hell go!"

"Then we wouldn't get anywhere!"

"Guys, does it really matter anymore?" I whined. Looking back in the direction of the bus, I added, "You can't even see the wreck anymore!"

Val gazed warily into the distance, searching for something no longer visible.

"Fine."

"What? You mean we're stopping?" Leo asked.

He looked confused.

"Finally!" Nico yelled.

Val dropped his leg and Nico kicked out of Leo's grip. He sat up with his arms resting on his knees and glared at Val and Leo.

"That did not help, anything," he told them grimly.

"Nico, just shut up," Val told him.

"Alrighty…" I giggled nervously and tried to get Leo's attention. But he was too busy rubbing his stomach and complaining about the foot shaped bruise he was gonna have now to notice me. "What do we do now?"

Everyone looked at me. Then, of course, Val and Nico opened up their mouths and started talking at the same time.

Val: "We need to hitch a ride. How does everyone feel about hitchhiking?" it sounded like a rhetorical question.

"This is stupid. We need to get to the nearest bus station or train station or…something. I don't think I can shadow travel all four of us though." Obviously Nico.

Nico and Val looked at each other. Narrowed their eyes.

"That's a stupid idea! Hitch hiking in New York? What kind of retard would suggest doing that?"

"Well it's a better idea than sitting here and waiting to be eaten by freaking ancient Greek demons, for the gods' sakes! Oh wait a minute, that's only your guys' problem! Me and Clara can just wait 'till you two are dead, then do whatever the hell we want!"

"Why wait?"

"Oh, you know what? I think that's the first good idea you've had since we met! Come on Clara!"

I glanced at Leo in panic. We seemed to be caught in the middle of a full blown yelling match between Val and Nico, the two scariest people I knew. I'm pretty sure that if Nico wasn't still so obviously woozy, Val probably would have tried to re-break his nose. And honestly? I'm not sure what Nico would have done.

Val seized my arm and started dragging me farther from the crash site of the bus, muttering to herself. Listening closely, I caught something along the lines of her wanting to skewer Nico and then stuff him into a meat grinder before frying his remains and feeding them to a shark…

Okay, I officially was not going anywhere with her while she was this mad. It was scary.

Twisting around and looking back at Leo standing in the middle of Val and Nico uncertainly, I wriggled out of Val's bone-crushing grip and ran back over. Val was standing still and watching me.

She stared at me for a few seconds before she muttered, "Why am I not surprised? I never should have deluded myself into thinking that you would ever be there for me. Some best friend you are," and turned around again.

Oh course, there it was: the guilt truck. Speeding up and crushing me right under it, then reversing and hitting me again, thoroughly pulverizing me underneath it. That girl really knew how to make people feel guilty.

Ironic since that was one of the emotions she seemed to lack…

Val was walking away though, she would really leave all by herself, I know she would. I could see her shaking her head and absently cracking her knuckles, probably plotting all our deaths.

"Nico, you have to stop her!" I hissed.

Leo and Nico both looked at me, totally shocked.

"Me?"

"Him?"

"Yes, you!" I put one hand on my hip and used the other to point to Val. "If you don't stop her, she's going to leave. She'll keep walking until she finds whatever satisfies her. And besides," I cut off whatever comment Nico had been about to make. "Last time I checked, you need her for this quest."

Nico scowled and Leo made a nervous sound from behind me. He placed his hand on my shoulder in warning, but I shook it off, trying not to picture the sad puppy face he would make.

"Yeah? Well last time I checked, we just needed someone able to see through the mist. And that's you," Nico jabbed a finger at me and scowled viciously. "If she wants to go and get herself killed, then so be it."

Nico wasn't budging. I stared at his back in dismay as he turned around and started walking back towards the bus.

Leo sighed behind me and rubbed my arm encouragingly.

Then, he walked past me and called up to Nico, "Dude, face the facts!" he splayed his arms and shook his head. "We need her, but you're just too proud to admit it. I swear, if you come to get her, we'll tell her we forced you or something. She won't ever know you admitted to needing her."

Nico stood still, but he didn't turn around.

And the way Leo talked about Nico "needing" Val…it sounded like he knew more than he was saying. I mean, call me a crazy matchmaker, but he said that Nico "needs her". Not, "we need her for this quest". If you ask me, I'd say that sounds pretty suspicious.

"Dude," Leo chuckled and clasped his hands behind his head as he addressed Nico's back. "Give it up."

There was about two seconds of eerie silence, then Nico whirled around, and in a flurry of movement, he was standing in front of Leo with a white-knuckled grip on the front of his t-shirt.

"Listen Valdez," he spoke so quietly I could barely even hear him. "Let's get one thing straight. I do not 'need' anybody, got that?" Leo swallowed and nodded. "Alright, good. We're making progress." Nico's grip on Leo's shirt slackened, but he didn't relinquish his hold on Leo completely. "Now, I realise that I made a rash decision, and I acknowledge that Val is an…important part of this quest. So I will go with you to stop her from subsequently killing herself, but I will not enjoy it."

Leo nodded again and Nico dropped him. Leo stumbled back two steps and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Leo forced a grin and gave a shaky laugh.

Jabbing a thumb at Nico, he joked, "Get a load of this guy, eh?"

Nico growled and trudged off after Val. Letting him get a few paces ahead, I grabbed Leo's hand and whispered, "Are you okay?"

"Psh," he waved his hand nonchalantly and made a weird face. "Nothin' like a near death experience to really wake you up."

"Umm…I'll just take that as a yes, I guess…"

I mean, he seemed alright, so…why not?

We started following Nico, but he was still limping. We passed him pretty quick. Then Leo and I were leading, each of us checking over our shoulder every now and then to make sure Nico was actually still there.

He was so quiet. Just like Val. Speaking of her…

"Leo, we've been walking forever! What if she's already gone?" I was worried that maybe she'd hopped right on the back of a passing pickup, or maybe even been abducted by a freaking pedophile.

Who knows? It could have happened.

"It's only been twenty minutes," Nico snapped. "And I can see her."

Leo and I both snapped our heads forwards and stared down the lightly sloping hill we'd just crested. A few hundred yards away was a gas station I hadn't noticed when we drove past squatting all by itself. There were four big rigs lined up side by side around back of the gas station (it looked like it was one of those ones with a mini restaurant thing inside too!) and a few assorted cars idling at the pumps.

"Truck stop," Leo remarked.

Searching for Val, I spotted a small black figure walking astride an overweight trucker (I assume) into the restaurant. Val was limping and staggering enough for me no notice from where I was standing, so either she'd been attacked by a coyote in the past twenty minutes, or she was playing it up to get this guy to give her a ride.

Not basing this off of anything other than my knowledge of Val, I was willing to put all my clothes on her playing the pity card with this guy. Take everything I own if I'm wrong.

"I see her!" I pointed for probably no reason at all, because I'm sure Leo had already spotted her, and knew that Nico had.

Never the less! I broke out into a run (which I never do, mind you) and charged for the door. I could hear feet pounding grass behind me, so I knew the boys were following. I guess Leo was following a little too close though, because he slipped. Therefore, I slipped.

Okay, no. I didn't slip. I got bowled over by some bozo falling down a hill like it was a slip and slide. And yes that bozo was Leo.

With the wet grass acting as the perfect slippery surface, Leo slid right into to back of my legs, and I fell on him. Then together as one congealed blob, we half rolled and half slid the rest of the way down the hill, thoroughly soaking our clothes.

When we finally came to a stop at the bottom of the small hill, I peeled hair that had attached itself to my face away, and kicked Leo in the butt.

Can you blame me? The guy just took me down a wet hill and then conveniently landed with his rear end closest to my foot.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, suck it up you big baby!"

I used Leo boost myself to my feet, and then helped him up as well.

I was just brushing wet grass off myself, all calm and peaceful, when Leo's worried voice interrupted it all.

"Where's Nico?"

You can imagine how that would shatter the peacefulness, I'm sure.

My head whipped up and I quickly scanned all around me, just as Leo did. Running my eyes past the door to the interior of the gas station, I saw it swing the last few inches closed.

"There!" I cried.

I took off for the building again, and I knew Leo was following. Finally bursting in the front door, I looked around what looked like the inside of a gas station on one side and a fast food joint on the other. And looking…looking…

There!

I could see the trucker guy sitting on a high stool at the counter and smiling at…no. No that couldn't be right. Because Val would never hug…Nico…right?

I looked at Leo and saw him looking at the pair locked in a tight embrace with a confused expression.

I could hear Val saying in a watery voice, "Oh, I'm just so glad I found you, Nico!" she even threw in a sniffle for good measure.

But I could see her face. It was tight and rigid and looked like you couldn't split it with that nasty sword of hers. I could see her fingers gripping Nico's hair as she held him close, probably coming close to ripping a chunk of his hair right out from his head.

Nico muttered something I couldn't pick up, and the trucker's eyes shined. Then Val looked up.

Cold green eyes locked onto mine and I swear the temperature dropped about ten degrees in the diner as she looked at me.

But still, she unlocked her arms from around Nico and cried, "Clara! Leo!" and rushed towards us.

Beside me, Leo started to ask what was going on, but I smacked his chest and rushed up to meet Val, dragging Leo with me.

She wrapped us both in a big bear-hug and sniffled, "I really thought I wouldn't find you guys again!"

Getting at what she was going for, I hugged back jut as tight and cried, "Thanks the gods we found you Val! You had me so freaking worried!"

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well you should be," Leo chimed in, ruffling Val's hair and grinning in relieved way. "You had us pulling our hair out trying to find ya!"

"Well," Nico cleared his throat awkwardly and gave the trucker guy a wary glance. "We'd better get going then, Val. We have to find some way back."

"Oh, that's the nice part," Val pulled away from us addressed Nico with something that might be able to pass as sibling contempt in her voice. "George here offered to give me a ride in his truck. He even offered me something to eat since I have no money."

"Oh, well…I'm sure that the four of us would be too much of an inconvenience for him," Nico reasoned. "The offer is probably off the table now that you've…found us."

"No, no, my boy," George pushed his pudgy self to his feet and waved to the stools. "You kids all take a seat! Val here told me all about your troubles, and I'd be happy to do you kids a favour if it means you getting home in time for your mother's funeral."

I saw Nico blink, and Leo's mouth open and close. Me, I scrunched my invisible little eyebrows together and prepared to blurt out, "What?" but managed to hold my tongue. Mostly because of Val's wide eyed go-with-it-or-I-kill-you glare she was giving us all form behind George.

"Oh, yeah. It's sad to think that we might not make it back on time," Leo ventured hesitantly.

George the trucker nodded sympathetically and told us, "You kids have a seat and order whatever you want. I'll be back in a minute after I hit the john."

Mm, charming.

"Thanks, George," Val whipped at a fake runny nose and gave him a tear drenched smile, like the kind someone brave would give while their whole world is falling apart around them.

George nodded and said a quick, "Take care of yourself now," and then he waddled in through the men's room door and we all turned to look at Val.

"What?" her voice was back to a cold block of granite.

Great.

"So what's the story?" Leo finally asked.

Val looked at us all and sighed.

"We were visiting an aunt in Manhattan when we got a call from mine and Nico's dad that our mother was in a car accident and died–"

"That can't be a coincidence…" I muttered.

Val ignored me and kept going.

"And we were going back home to Chicago on the bus when it broke down or whatever and then I wandered off this way by accident and apparently you guys just found me."

"Anything else?"

"Umm, I don't think so. Just remember Nico: we are siblings. Oh! And we got mugged at the bus station so we have no phones, money or food."

"How did you get him to listen to you?" Leo had a puzzled expression like he was trying to figure out how Val could seem so…vulnerable. Even faking it. "I mean, did you just like, walk up to him and burst out crying about being lost or...?"

Val rolled her eyes and snorted in disgust.

"No, you idiot. I went out near his truck and sat down and cried until he came over. When he asked me what was wrong I told him."

"But how did you just…cry?"

"It's a gift. So we've got the story down?"

Val looked mildly satisfied as everyone nodded murmured their consent. Just in time too, cause just then George came ambling out of the men's room all red faced and pot-bellied.

"Have you kids picked what you'll be having?"

"Oh, umm, yeah."

As quick as we could, everyone picked something off the menu and we had a grand feast of hot dogs and cheeseburgers. After George settled the tab, he showed us all to his eighteen-wheeler out back and told us we'd have to hitch a ride in the back. I thought it would be horrible, but it turns out he was on his way back from a delivery, so the truck bed was empty.

So all in all, it was a pretty nice ride, with a bathroom break every few hours, offers of free food every other stop, and of course, let's not forget the stony silence that not even Leo seemed to know how to break.

thanks everyone for reading and don't forget to leave a review ;)