Camp Hermit-Blood: The Titan's Curse

Reyna

"No, it clearly says San Diego Zoo right here!"

"Well, I don't see it! Maybe if you actually let me look at the map-"

"Do you not trust my judgement?"

"Not really, no! Slow down, I can't run that fast."

"Okay, both of you, shut up," Reyna grumbled. Jason and Gem miraculously quit arguing over the map. Gem caught up to Jason and yanked the map out of his hands.

Reyna sighed. "I know we're all tired, but we really need to find this leopard. The faster we do, the faster we can go home."

Jason tried to point to the map, then realized it was no longer in his hands.

Gem rolled her eyes. "Jason, I told you. That's not the zoo. The zoo's right here, see?"

"Oh," Jason said, peering over her shoulder. "We've been going in the wrong direction."

"You need glasses," Gem mumbled.

Reyna groaned. "Alright. Let's get moving. You two are acting like siblings."

Saying that was a mistake. It immediately made her think of Hylla. To hide the expression on her face, Reyna turned on her heel and took a sharp left..

Being lost in San Diego was not very fun. Gem kept holding the map upside down. Jason apparently was incapable of reading. Reyna often found herself quoting the Lion King to herself - "I am surrounded by idiots."

"So if we take another left here, and then go right, and then straight for a while, we'll be there," Jason said. "We will have to cross a massive highway, though."

"We will figure that out when we get there," Reyna decided.

They all turned left.

They had fortunately not gotten robbed yet this morning. Jason had told the girls to stay on guard, though. As if they had anything that could hurt mortals at all. On second thought, Jason could summon lightning at will, and Gem could (sometimes) turn weapons into tulips, so they'd be fine. Probably.

They arrived at the highway thirty minutes later.

"What were we worried about?" Jason said. "There's literally a crosswalk."

After Gem pressed the button about six times (she was fascinated by the beeping noise), the crosswalk signal finally turned green and they got across without being hit by a garbage truck.

They arrived at the zoo. At least, Reyna assumed it was the zoo, because it had a big sign that said San Diego Zoo.

"Okay," Gem said. "Do we use money to get in or is it free?"

"Money," Jason answered, taking out several bills, fumbling with them, and dropping one. Gem picked it up and handed it back to him.

"Gem," Reyna said as something occurred to her. "You probably are either going to be super excited or incredibly horrified by this zoo. Just... brace yourself."

"For what?" Gem asked. "It's just animals. Unless the people here are like those zoo truck drivers..." her expression darkened.

Jason walked up to the ticket booth and paid for three people. Gem suddenly seemed reluctant. Reyna grabbed her arm and pulled her through the gate.

"Oh," the daughter of Ceres - no, Demeter, Reyna needed to get that right - said once they were in. "This isn't so bad."

Reyna breathed a sigh of relief.

Reyna looked around, taking in the crowds, the enclosures, the animals.

Jason waved a map in the air. "They gave me one at the ticket booth," he said.