Unknowing Attraction

20. Road Trip?

"You need to call Jade tomorrow and tell her we're going on a road trip. That should buy us some time to figure out what we're doing. Fuck- dammit." he says as he struggles to zip his suitcase, a shirt getting stuck in the zipper.

"Road trip? Where are we going?" I ask.

I put on a hoodie of his and a pair of my jeans, pulling my hair into a ponytail and putting on a pair of socks.

"Yes, a road trip. I don't know where we're going just yet. I'll have an answer for you before you talk with Jade, I promise." he says. "Poseidon isn't telling you where to go?"

He shakes his head, pulling his suitcase onto the ground and extending the handle. "He's quiet. This is what I meant when I said that sometimes, he's too quiet in the most inconvenient moments." he says as he pulls his suitcase over to the door, leaving it there for a second to grab mine.

"Convenient." I say, grabbing my purse and my phone after putting on my shoes.

"I'll get these into the car, you just get settled." he says as we walk out of the house. I see the man who'd been shot, that man being Dante.

"Dante." I whisper as we walk past, Caius turning to look at me.

"You know him?" he asks, opening up the trunk to put our things inside.

I shake my head, hurrying to get into the car. There's a slight chill in the air, so I'm more than excited to get out of the cold. Caius gets in after putting our bags in the trunk, buckling his seatbelt.

"I don't really know him- he was one of the guys who broke into my apartment. Dante." I say, and Caius groans.

"Fuck. That means that we're being watched."

"How do you know?"

"Well, how else would they know where you are? They had to have been watching us. How many were there? Just Maxim and Danter?" He asks, speeding down the street.

"No- there was some guy that they called G. So, three total." I say, and a silence accompanies us as we drive.

I sigh, looking out the window. A road trip. She's definitely not gonna buy that story. She knows I hate being far from home, but then again, my house just got broken into, so she might.

"What if she doesn't believe me? I mean, what am I gonna say? Caius and I decided that because my house got broken into, it'd be a good time for a road trip. Love ya!" I say, a fake smile on my face as I finish my sentence.

"She'll buy it- trust me. And that actually sounded really good, although I'd use less sarcasm."

I look out the window again, the trees passing by quickly as we speed.

"You should slow down, you're gonna get us pulled over." I say, becoming nervous as the speed of the car continues to accelerate.

"Jasmine." he says, looking at me sternly.

"Well, if we're trying to get away, I feel like it really isn't a great idea to get in trouble with the cops, too. Think about it-"

"JAZ! Just fucking stop. Please. I'll slow down when we're farther from the house." I jump as he says my name, his voice loud and angry. My eyes are wide as I look at him, in complete disbelief that he just yelled at me.

I stay silent, not wanting to agitate him any further. I decide it's a good time for a nap.

I lean my head on the window, closing my eyes. I feel the car slow down, to what I assume is the speed limit. Soft, slow music playing in the background.

It feels like hours have passed, and I finally fall asleep.

I look around me to see the flames. I'm in the hearth again. This time, the flames are blue, signifying their heat. I don't feel the warmth like I normally would.

"Hestia?" I call, getting no response.

I step out of the ring of fire, walking over to the still lake that had been in my last dream. I see the two moons and the stars, a meteor shower dancing above me. I sit by the water, looking up, admiring the beauty of the sky.

Clouds begin to roll in, the flames that now are behind me fizzing out as rain starts pouring. I'm still dry.

I hear a noise in the woods behind me, jumping and turning around. "Hestia?" I call out, still no response.

"Hestia- is that you?" I say, now standing. I walk closer to the edge of the forest, seeing the trail that Caius and I took.

"Don't." a voice whispers. I don't recognize the voice.

I take a step, hearing the voice again. The water behind me suddenly starts flowing rapidly, waves forming in a matter of minutes.

"Don't." the voice says again as curiosity consumes me.

I take another step, now on the trail. Thunder crashes, the sound of lightning cracking shortly after. I keep walking, making it 12 steps before the voice now yells angrily.

"DON'T! RUN!" he yells, and I turn around, running back toward the lake. I hear dogs barking and howling as I run. I look back, seeing what could only be described as hell hounds.

"Get to the hearth." the voice whispers again and as I exit the forest, I realize that the hearth isn't lit. I step inside the circle, the ground scorched where the flames once stood.

"It's not lit!" I say in a panic.

"SO LIGHT IT." the man's voice yells. I close my eyes, hearing the dogs getting closer- their paws thumping through the grass and mud.

"I can't, I don't have time!" I yell, now feeling the air around me burn my lungs.

"DO IT, NOW!" he yells, and I close my eyes.

I imagine the ring of blue flames encircling me. I imagine their warmth, and how they had felt cool to the touch.

I hear the dogs howling as they approach the circle.

I scream, the flames now surrounding me as I lift my arms at my sides.

I open my eyes, seeing the hellhounds staring at me on the other side. I see a tall, robed man with a scythe standing there. He had a small statured woman at his side, holding her by the back of her neck. I realize it's Jade.

"Jade!" I yell, stepping towards them. The man lowered his scythe to her throat as I did so, and I knew not to make another move.

His eyes glowing red, and his long, gray hair flowing in the wind.

Cronus.

"CRONUS!" I yell, sitting up straight in my seat. Caius swerves, startled by my sudden outburst.

"Holy shit, Jaz- I could've crashed just now."

"We have to get Poseidon's crown, like, right now." I say, pulling out my phone to call Jade. Caius nods and makes a U-turn on the empty road, heading towards Rainer.

"How do you know he's after it?" he asks, his eyes wide with panic. At least we're on the same page.

"I just had a dream about him and his hellhounds. I saw the trail that we took to get to the lake and so I started walking down it, but someone told me not to and it was because Cronus and his hellhounds were coming." I say.

I tried to call Jade, but it had gone straight to voicemail.

"FUCK!" I yell, frustrated that I can't get ahold of her.

"What's wrong?" he asks, and I look at him as tears blur my vision.

"I think he has my fucking sister." I yelp out, sobbing shortly after.