Raging Seas [pjo au] || 1

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CHAPTER TWELVE 
( MEET-UPS AND STRETCHES )

"KALI," PERCY BEGAN AS they all stared in alarm at the date, "if you have anything optimistic to say right now, that would be great."

Her brows lowered as she thought. She said, "We still have time. It's not the solstice yet."

Grover brayed anxiously. "We're hundreds of miles from Los Angeles without a ride!"

She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Well, then we'll find one. Steal a car if we have to; I mean, Percy and I are already wanted for the two explosions in New Jersey and at the Arch, car theft can't hurt. But that can be Plan B."

"So then what's Plan A?" asked Percy.

"Annabeth." At her name, she looked at Kali, who smirked. "You have a plan in that head of yours?"

"Of course I do." She smirked back, though it was short lived as her expression became determined. "Let's go."

Annabeth lead them away from the newspaper stand, and down the sidewalk until they came up to a parked taxi. They all loaded themselves into the backseat, which ended up being a pretty tight fit.

"Los Angeles, please," she told the taxi driver.

The man chewed on his cigar as he twisted around in the driver's seat. He eyed them, sizing them up. It's not everyday four kids ask to go to Los Angeles. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay upfront."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

She handed him her green LotusCash card.

He looked at it skeptically.

"Swipe it."

He did.

The meter machine began to rattle. The lights flashed. Then, an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the cabbie's mouth. He looked at them again, this time with wide eyes. "Where to in Los Angeles...uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth straightened in her seat a little. Kali could tell she liked the 'Your Highness' thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

Not once did the speedometer go below ninety-five the entire way through the Mojave Desert.

+++

On the road, they had plenty of time to talk. Kali and Percy told Annabeth and Grover about their shared dream. Well, some of it. As they tried to remember it, the details got more and more skewed, and it became harder to pull up specifics. Maybe the Lotus Casino did something; short-circuited their brains, or something. She knew the voice of the invisible servant had sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall who it sounded like. And the servant had called the monster in the pit something... "My lord" but also another name...

"It was some special title," Percy said. He scowled out of the window as he tried to remember.

"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested from in between them. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."