The Festus Chronicles

The Road Trip

Felix POV

Felix missed his penguins.

He'd pleaded to be able to bring some for the journey, but Carter insisted he wait until they actually arrived. So he was now sitting in a minibus next to a girl named Nyssa. She was pretty in a steam punk way, with a toolbelt on her waist and hands covered in machine grease. His sort of pretty, when girls don't try to be pretty.

............

I'm getting off track.

On a subject besides pretty girls, the buses were crawling along in the traffic. It might've been a good idea at the time they planned it, but no one had anticipated how bad the traffic would be.

The bus hit a bump and swerved trying to right itself. Felix could hear Connor moaning in the back. Well, he assumed it was Connor because according to Nyssa the only people who got car sick were him and Leo, and Leo was on another bus. So it would make sense if it was Connor.

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The bus drove for hours. He spent most of his time staring at the ceiling and daydreaming since Nyssa had been up all night and was catching up on sleep. He felt like doing the same but with the bus bumping around he found it impossible.

Whoever was driving - I think it was Larry, but I'm not sure - turned into a service station. Thank gods. My bladder was going to burst if I didn't go to the toilet soon.

We all exited the buses. Some went to the Starbucks, some browsed the shops and some people, like me, sprinted full force for the toilets.

I went and freshened up before exiting the bathroom. I decided to look around the shops.

I looked through one of those generic service shops. I'm about to leave when something catches my eye. There's a shelf full of chair pillows, those ones that curve round your neck, and one is a penguin.

You see where I'm going with this.

I exit the shop with my prize and head back to the bus I was on. Getting on, I see Nyssa has had the same idea. She's leaning back on her seat with a monkey pillow. Smart and pretty.

..........

Off subject again.

I reach my seat and put my pillow behind my head. I kick my backpack around a bit so it's not in the way of my legs.

About ten minutes later, everyone is on the bus and we head out again. I decide to take a nap while I can.

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Nyssa POV

I would never admit this to anyone, but I think I have a crush on Felix.

His sandy brown hair and pale blue eyes... I could go on. I love the way he draws on his hands when he's bored. I love his obsession with penguins. I've always loved the things.

I need to get my head out the clouds. There's no way he even slightly feels the same way about me.

'Yeah, but what if-"

'Shut up.' I tell myself.

I lean against my new monkey pillow. It's a lot more comfortable then the headrest.

Then I see something out the corner of my eye. It's the car that's been following us since Virginia. It's long,but it's not a limo. Perhaps a Porshe? Yeah, probably. It's red.

Wow Nyssa, what an amazing description.

Anyway, I haven't mentioned it because it didn't seem important. A lot of people need to go to the same place. But most cars would have lost at roundabouts or simply dropped behind. But this this is still with us.

Maybe a coincidence, but I fear not.

I shake Felix.
"Wake up." I say.
"Hmmummph... What?"
"I said wake up. I need to talk to you."
He managed to sit up. "About what?"
"Have you noticed the car that has been following us?"
"No. Which car?"
I point out of the window at the red Porshe.
"Oh. How long had it been following?"
"Since we left. I didn't think anything of it because, you know, alot of cars go to the same place. But we ought to have lost it on a roundabout or something."
"Yeah. Should we do something about it?"
"Probably. But what?"
"Uhhh..... Maybe we could ask whoever 's driving to try and lose it?"
"Might work. But we're on a motorway. Not a lot of room to manovere."
We sat in silence for a moment. Then I thought of something.
"Oh! Maybe we could ask some Hecate kids to hide us in the mist. There are some on this bus I think."
"Good idea! Shall we go find them?"
"Yep."
We wander the bus for a bit before finding Lou Ellen.
"Hey, Lou, did you notice the car following us?"
"The red one? I only just thought about it, but it has been with us a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah. We were wondering if maybe you could cover the buses with mist so we lose it."
"Sure. I'll go find my siblings to help."
She got up and went further back in the bus. Me and Felix went back to our seats.
Soon we can see the buses changing to various business vans. It seems to confuse the driver of the Porshe because he veers off and dissaperaing in the lanes.
"Yes!" I exclaim quietly.
We drive on without interuptions for a while. I doze a bit.

I wake up fully when Larry follows the rest of the buses into a turn off. We can now see the hills Dakota described from his dream in the distance. Finally.

We park in the car park of the national park, which is apparently what it is. I didn't know there was a national park in Kentucky.

Once we retrieve our bags and get off the buses, Annabeth and some others start sorting us into smaller groups. They put six people in a group to wait where we are, so they can be contacted if someone finds something and will contact the others groups.

I'm with Felix, Jake, Malcom, Sadie, Mitchell and and Clarisse. Bigger groups than normal, but if we went in to groups of three it would be impossible to contact everyone.

We are directed to an area with two other groups. We then split into individual groups and start searching.

We spot a couple of caves, but they either turn out to be dead ends or come out in the other side of a hill.

Then we go round a hill and see a mass gathering of hellhounds, empousai, drakons and many others I can't even name.

And they surround a large cavern, inside which I can just make out Rachel 's red hair.