haunting ＊ percy jackson

viii. long distance calls suck

For the rest of the ride to Denver, Amos treated Percy as though he had been injured, constantly asking if he was okay. It was as endearing as it was annoying, and though the continual need for reassurance got on his nerves just a bit, Percy entertained it nonetheless. He worried a little that if he didn't, Amos might second guess himself again and think that they weren't friends, so Percy figured dealing with a little babying was worth it. It was also kind of... nice, in a slightly irritating, overbearing way. The two boys had been friendly at camp, and Percy knew that Amos was nice because of the way that he let Percy ramble and never complained, and by the way that Amos had stuck by his side after he'd been claimed. Still, he hadn't expected his friend to be so caring, worrying over him and fretting over his well-being even after he tried to reassure everyone he was fine. Mom would like him, Percy couldn't help but think, a thought that made his heart clench painfully.

By the time the train rolled to a stop in Denver, Amos had finally decided he was convinced enough to ease up on his concerns. After days of travel, the four of them certainly had seen better days, all of them varying degrees of hungry and smelly. Amos had to resist scratching his face despite the uncomfortable feeling that had developed due to the concealer that he had put on his face days ago. He had been lucky so far, that the light in the train had been dim, and that the others were often too distracted by whatever monster was attacking them next to take notice of his face, but Amos was sure that luck would run out soon enough. The thought of it alone sent a wave of unease through him.

Annabeth spoke, snapping him out of his anxious spiral, "Let's try to contact Chiron." She marched ahead towards the downtown area like she knew where she was going, though Amos was almost positive she didn't — she was a year-round camper like him, and that didn't exactly give them many opportunities to explore and travel. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"We can't use phones, right?" Percy asked, which made Annabeth roll her eyes.

"I'm not talking about phones."

For a moment Amos wasn't sure what exactly she was talking about, so when Percy shot him a look of confusion, he merely shrugged. She hadn't led them astray so far, and Amos was quickly realizing that Annabeth was often their best bet in situations like this. They all trailed her like a group of lost little ducklings, following her as she led them through town. Eventually, they reached a self-service car wash, empty and nearly abandoned, but still seemingly working. It wasn't until Grover picked up the spray gun that it finally clicked. "Oh!" Amos blurted, "We're I-M'ing."

Since he had grown more comfortable with his companions, Amos had found that his internal filter had sort of stopped working. He figured it was all the near-death experiences — it was definitely an effective way to bond with people. So when he spoke his words of realization out loud he wasn't thinking about it. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him, and even Grover gave him an amused look, as though he should have realized what was happening ahead of time. His face burned, "I knew that."

Annabeth snickered lightly, clearly enjoying his embarrassment, while Percy steadily grew more confused. "Uh, I didn't. I-M'ing? Like... instant messaging?"

"It's seventy-five cents," Grover mumbled, frowning down at the hose as he counted the coins in his pocket, effectively ignoring Percy. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

Percy looked like he wanted to throw his hands up in annoyance as his question went unanswered, the others too busy rummaging through their pockets. "Don't look at me," She said, crossing her arms, "The dining car wiped me out."

When their eyes turned to Amos, he was already shaking his head. Percy was their last resort, grumbling as he handed Grover some of his leftover change. "Can one of you guys explain what we're doing already?"