Victorious

Alex

I was tired. I was hungry. I was mad.
So, to say, I was doing great.
Those two- what to call them- idiots? Had told me they wanted to go get some food and wait while I did all the work.
I was so mad at Carter and Cleo for acting like preschoolers fighting over a donut or a pair of scissors.
I looked around the small town we landed in. Nothing much. An Irish pub, (in Mexico?), a pharmacy, a hotel and miles of desert.
I went to the hotel.
I stowed my spatha on my jacket in pin form.
I took a deep breath as I opened the doors.
An instant of a wave came over me and told me to run. I breathed in something sweet- jasmine, maybe? It smelled unnatural. For a hotel at least.
There was no one in the lobby. Just an old lady receptionist, who was watching me, smiling. I didn't look at her. She smelled weird and I didn't want to get close to that.
I scanned my surroundings again- looking for anyone- anyone better than that receptionist. The walls were covered with cheap fake paintings, and soft hotel music- if there's such a name- was playing in the background.
I sighed, walking towards the receptionist.
She's a monster. I thought. Or a demigod. Just walk fast, ask, and get in and out.
"Hello little boy." The creepy old woman said. Her name tag read Uli.
GET OUT!
"Um... Well hi. Do you know any places I can get a ride?"
"Why would you want to leave?"
I pulled the sarcastic teenager. It's not like a demigod would go around being all snarky.
"Because reasons, lady. Now give me an answer."
She smiled, which would've been sweetly if she had teeth.
"I can give you a ride." Uli said.
"NO." I said a little too loudly. "Can you give me directions? Or a gps?"
"You already have a gps." She said, smiling creepily.
"Oh no." I breathed. "Thanks for the help!"
I ran as fast as I could out of that freak show.
And then slammed face first into the glass doors. Before the split second I was out, I saw two figures behind the glass, yelling at each other.
Hey look it's Carter and Cleo. I thought to myself groggily as I was losing consciousness.
"This was the easiest prey I've ever consumed," the monster said.
I figured I'd die soon from the beginning of this quest, I thought for the last time. but this is not how I wanted to go down.

And then I did something I hadn't done before.
I woke up.
I know. Waking up- what a triumph! But I was pretty darn sure I was dead. I felt dead.
"Man, dude don't scare us like that!" Someone said.
I opened my eyes and saw Carter and Cleo leaning over me. I was lying on cold metal which was bouncing me up and down. And from that guess, I knew we were in the back of a shipping truck.
"You were dead." Cleo said dryly, relief passing over her face. She meddled with something from her bag and stuffed it in my mouth. And from the vanilla cake- like taste, it was ambrosia.
Instantly, I felt better. Relief and life flooded through my veins like a fast paced river. My face and body felt warmer and much less cold.
"He wasn't dead." Carter reminded Cleo.
"Yes he was, he wasn't breathing-" Cleo said sternly, shaking a bag of ambrosia at Carter.
"Please don't argue." I pleaded. "I just woke up from the dead and you two are arguing about something that doesn't matter."
"It matters a little." Cleo mumbled. Carter grunted and sat cross legged, making something out of the wacky stuff in his tool belt. Cleo rested a washcloth on my forehead.
I frowned.
"Isn't it good I'm gaining warmth? Why do I have a cold washcloth on my head then?"
She sighed and turned it over. The small ray of light from Carter's flashlight illuminated her face just enough to see the: I'm telling you, you know nothing look.
"Because you're a little too warm. I should've fed you less ambrosia. But you'll be fine." She said quickly.
"Where are we going?"
"I don't even know." Carter grumbled without looking up. "Hermes? Someone? The Greek god of impulse travel? Could you tell us where we are?"
"There's no such thing as the God of impulse travel." Cleo said blankly.
"Well there should be, because then maybe they'd help us." Carter complained loudly, throwing his hammer against the steel wall.

Turns out they were going to Costa Rica.
The three of us were able to get away with it, sneaking out when the driver did and coming back before he turned the truck on and left. Luckily, he was slow.
The truck stopped by another rest stop. We looked at each other expectantly.
"All we need is food." Carter stated. "I'm hungry." He held his hands up like he had just been accused for murder.
"Alright. I'll get it. I need to get up anyways." I latched open the back of the door and sunlight hit us. I squinted my eyes and turned back.
"Mortal money? Do we have any?"
Cleo dug in her coat pocket and slammed $50 in his hand.
"Use it well." She grumbled. "That's all our savings for food."
I hopped out of the back of the truck and shielded my eyes. I walked towards the gas station.
"If I run into any Gorgons, vampires or puppies, I'm going to lose it." I grumbled as I walked to the door. Then, I did a double take as I thought I saw a pack of 12 girls in matching silver jackets and bows waiting by the door.
The hunters of Diana. I thought instantly. I blinked again and they were still there, but the leader, probably Artemis herself, stared me down. I pushed the door open and ran inside. I didn't know how much time I had or when the driver would be done picking a variety of Doritos, but the hunters of Artemis at a gas station was never a good sign.
I scanned the aisles, grabbing a packet of beef jerky and chips, as well as some granola bars. I walked to the freezer section and saw a six pack of Coke and put my hand on the cold, rubbery handle, ready to pull it open. But, a hand landed on top of mine and I jumped away.
An angry girl, around twelve, yanked open the door, scanning the section and grabbing 2 six packs of cream sodas and she looked at a blue soda and smirked, tossing it in her basket.
Her face seemed vaguely familiar. She had wavy blonde hair and green-sea-like eyes. She closed the door and turned in my direction.
Then I thought, Mackenize! Mackenzie Sally Jackson!
I wished I said that aloud.
She looked at me for a few seconds and walked straight past me. I shook it off.
No way. That's not Mackenzie. She joined the hunters. And that girl wasn't wearing a sliver jacket.
I proceeded with the rest of my shopping. Band-aids, food and whatever the crap I could find.
I walked over to the cash register and the same girl was arguing with the cashier.
"But it's gold! Or something like it. Please? Look!" She exclaimed, holding out some coins with a worried look on her face. Her faces was sketched with freckles.
"I'm sorry kid. I only accept American currency." The fat cashier said.
"Here." Alex said, stepping up to the register, handing him $20. "I'll spot you. Could I have the change back though?"
The cash man raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. He rang her things up and stuffed them in a couple of bags. He handed me back a few dollars and gave the girl the receipt. I was about to ask her name, but my mouth went dry. She left before I could say anything.
I rung up my stuff and walked out of the store, where the groups of girls had left. I looked around for the shipping truck.
"Sprite label." I muttered to myself, describing the label on the truck. Panic rose from my stomach. There was no large shipping truck.
It was gone.