{1} 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐒𝐄𝐘𝐄 | p.jackson

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦

| chapter twenty-five |

in which the best inside joke is created

AT THE EDGE OF THE DUMP, Nia and her friends found a tow truck so old it might've been thrown away itself. But the engine started, and it had a full tank of gas, so they all decided to borrow it. 

Well, everyone except Nia. She couldn't even speak at all.

The daughter of Artemis was so conflicted. She was lost; she was scared; she was confused; but most of all?

She was angry. Gods, was she angry.

Angry at the gods. Angry at her friends. Angry at her mothers. Angry at this horrible quest. But most all, she was angry at herself.

Before any of them could get in the tow truck, Nia swiftly kicked the back tire of the truck in rage. And again. And again. And again. And again.

No one stopped her. They all just stood watching.

Eventually, Nia finally slowed her actions and quickly climbed into the front corner of the pickup bed, trying to make it obvious to everyone that she had absolutely no interest in talking with her body language. If she talked about anything; if she focused on anything else other than her rage, she would burst into tears. And crying was a huge no in the story of her life.

Luckily, her friends all seemed to understand and piled into the truck with Nia. Silence filled the air. Zoë sat up front with Thalia. Grover and Percy sat in the pickup bed, leaning against the tow wench.

Thalia drove the truck; she didn't seem as stunned. "The skeletons are still out there," she reminded everyone softly. "We need to keep moving."

The daughter of Zeus navigated them all through the desert, under clear blue skies, the sand so bright it hurt to look at. The air was cool and dry, but the nice weather just seemed like the biggest insult after losing Bianca. 

Percy was still clutching the little figurine that had cost Bianca's life. Nia couldn't even bear to look at the thing — she knew that if she did, she would, without a doubt, start bawling her eyes out — so she didn't even know who the figurine was. She wasn't sure that she even wanted to know.