Ethereal

Chapter IX

The van was silent most of the journey, apart from Zoe and Thalia's occasional snarky comments to each other.

We decided to head toward Manhattan first, trying to follow Lady Artemis' scent. Traffic was bad with the holidays and all. It was mid-morning before we got into the city.

It had never even occurred to me that Zoe could drive. I mean, she didn't look sixteen. Then again, she was immortal. I wondered if she had a New York license, and if so, what her birth date said.

As it turned out, Zoe drove like a crazy person and we were into Maryland before she finally pulled over at a rest stop.

We decided to go inside and warm up, maybe get a cup of hot chocolate or something, while Grover was explaining the tracking spell that he was attempting.

"Grover, are you sure?" Thalia said as we were walking out of the store.

"Well... pretty sure. Ninety-nine per cent. Okay, eighty-five per cent."

"And you did this with acorns?" Bianca asked like she couldn't believe it.

Grover looked offended. "It's a time-honoured tracking spell. I mean, I'm pretty sure I did it right."

"D.C. is about sixty miles from here," I stated.

"Nico and I..." Bianca frowned. "We used to live there. That's... that's strange. I'd forgotten."

"I dislike this," Zoe said. "We should go straight west. The prophecy said west."

"Oh, like your tracking skills are better?" Thalia growled.

Zoe stepped toward her. "You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!"

"Oh, scullion You're calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?"

"Whoa, you two," I said. "Come on. Not again!"

"Grover's right," Bianca said. "D.C. is our best bet."

Zoe didn't look convinced, but she nodded reluctantly. "Very well. Let us keep moving."

"You're going to get us arrested, driving," Thalia grumbled. "I look closer to sixteen than you do."

"I'm the one who can drive!" I exclaimed.

"Perhaps," Zoe snapped. "But I have been driving since automobiles were invented and Aelia, you are underage! I'm driving, let's go."

As we continued south, I wondered whether Zoe had been kidding. I didn't know exactly when cars were invented, but I figured that was like prehistoric times—back when people watched black-and-white TV and hunted dinosaurs.

How old was Zoe?

As we got closer, and Zoe got faster,  I started to write my will on the back of a napkin.

You know, just in case.

Fortunately, the van started to slow down. We crossed the Potomac River into central Washington.

As we got out, Grover pointed toward one of the big buildings lining the Mall.

"Let's try there." He suggested.

"You four go ahead, I'm going to scout" I stated, looking around.

"Is everything alright?" Asked Thalia

"Yeah, I just want to check something"

Thalia nodded, and the four of them trudged off into the cold wind.

I looked down the street. A block away, the door of a black sedan opened. A man with grey hair and a military buzz cut got out. He was wearing dark shades and a black overcoat. Now, maybe in Washington, you'd expected guys like that to be everywhere. But it dawned on me that I'd seen this same car a couple of times on the highway, going south. It had been following the van.