|| Runaways ||

|| Chapter 2 ||

Annabeth panted as they reached the crest of the hill, sending concerned glances her way from Thalia and Luke. Noticing their expressions, Annabeth waved them off.

"I'm fine, guys. Where's the safe house again?"

Luke hesitated. "Just a few more miles," he said vaguely, scanning the horizon. Even Annabeth could tell he was lying and crossed her little arms.

"We're lost, aren't we?" She stated bluntly. 

Thalia smirked. "You can't lie to the girl, Luke. That would be like trying to get past Apollo, god of truth. If anything, harder."

Annabeth smiled at Thalia's praise, sticking her tongue out playfully at Luke. Luke grinned back before stopping abruptly. Annabeth peered around them to see what was the commotion.

"Are you homeless?" A voice asked. Annabeth glared at the girl who was standing in front of them. She had on ripped black jeans and a silvery jacket with her auburn hair tied into a high ponytail. Her arms crossed around a leash attached to a large white dog that resembled more of a wolf than anything. The dog pulled mightily at the collar, but the girl held fast.

Luke scowled. "That's a bit rude, don't you think?"

The girl shrugged. "Well, do you blame me? Your clothes are torn and dirty, your nails are chipped and bleeding, and you smell like you've been living in a sewer. What other conclusion do you think I would come to? Not to mention, your little one is about six years old."

"I'm seven and a half!" Annabeth snapped at the annoying girl, wishing she still had her hammer so she could brain her in. Thalia must've sensed her thoughts and smirked in amusement.

"Oh, such a big difference. Where are your parents?" Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth all stiffened at this one. The girl must've noticed. "Never mind, touchy subject. Why are you all alone?" Again, the girl noticed their demeanor. "Or not. You're not very social people, are you?"

Thalia was about to say something back, when her stomach let out a massive growl. Annabeth remembered guiltily how she'd given Annabeth and Luke her share of breakfast that morning. If the inner bark of a pine tree could count as breakfast.

"You must be hungry" the girl added, tugging on the dog's leash. "And I haven't been been very... nice, I guess. Come on, if you want." she took off. Annabeth's legs trembled under her, after walking 19 hours straight a safe distance from the highway, but they followed the girl. Luke kept his hand on the sword concealed under his shirt, not fully trusting.

"Do you think it's safe?" Annabeth asked faintly. Thalia looped her arm over Annabeth's shoulder and smiled. "If it's a monster, we could take her." Annabeth looked at Thalia skeptically.

"What happened to not lying? Do you really think we're in a good condition to fight?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia sighed and tried to ignore the ache in her muscles and the emptiness inside her. "Well, we have to try, don't we? We did not survive this long just to die here, okay?"

Annabeth managed a weak smile.

Luke strained his eyes to the distance, relaxing as he saw a worn down silver jeep parked on the side of the road.

"Why are you just randomly parked on the side of the road?" Luke asked the girl curiously. She glanced back at him, eyes skimming over his form distastefully, like he'd done something to offend her. 

"I got a flat tire, and then Ellie had to go, then she started running and I bumped into you guys."

Luke glanced down at 'Ellie', who was stopping every few feet to sniff everything then continuing lazily at a snail's pace. "Right. Running."

The girl stopped at her car and reached into the passenger's seat, bringing out three plastic water bottles and some Ritz crackers. Black spots danced before Luke's eyes as he eyed the water, his throat growing tortuously dry.

"Water" he croaked, ripping open the cap as the girl handed it to him. It was half drained in two gulps, not a single drop escaping through his lips. The girl smiled pleasantly as she handed the remaining two bottles to the girls. Annabeth relished the moisture wetting her tongue, sighing in relief as she was satisfied.

The girl watched them curiously. "Can I help you any more?" she asked, her rude demeanor gone. Thalia looked at her warily, but exhaustion was clouding her vision. "Yeah, I can. You're tired." the girl looked around before sighing.

"If you want, you can wash up and crash at my place. Dad's probably getting drunk somewhere, and mom's at work. C'mon, it's safe. I promise."

Luke was alert once again, but as soon as she mentioned the idea, every inch of his body was overcome with exhaustion. Annabeth looked ready to pass out, and Thalia's was no better.

"You need it" the girl insisted, opening the door. "I'm not going to kidnap you, get in."

Thalia recalled the last time this happened, with a man seven feet tall and half as wide, violently gesturing to an ancient chariot with a sword. Then again, he was definitely a monster. This girl, however, seemed-- not monsterly, but not mortal, somehow.

"Only... for a little while" Luke warned, before clambering into the front seat. The girl again looked at Luke like he was a sewage bug, then gritted her teeth and turned away. Thalia and Annabeth sat in the back, Ellie settling herself on Thalia's lap. Thalia was surprised, partially at the heavy weight bearing itself down on her, but gently stroked the dog as it drifted off into sleep. Soon, Annabeth followed.

Thalia looked at Luke and whispered harshly in Greek, "Is this a bad idea?"

"I hope not" Luke replied tiredly. "Should we tell her?"

"If we're sure shes a mortal, then maybe. She deserves to know, if we have to run suddenly."

Luke nodded at her reasoning before nodding off into sleep. The girl looked at Thalia in the review mirror before glancing back down at the road.

"Sorry, but we don't know your name" Thalia said awkwardly. The girl smiled, her silvery eyes calming Thalia. 

"My name's Diana, but my friends call me Diana," Diana said casually. "What's your name?"

"I'm Thalia, that's Luke, and this one's Annabeth" Thalia said. "We were just... hiking."

"Cracker?" Diana asked, offering the box of Ritz again. Thalia took it cautiously, but Diana didn't notice- her eyes were back on the road.

"I'm not going to kill you in your sleep, you know" she said casually. "I mean, if you want to watch over your little one and that male, then go ahead, but feel free to rest."

As much as it ached her, Thalia kept her eyes open. There was definitely something un-mortal like about Diana, but there wasn't really anything she could do lest they revealed the godly world to a mortal.

"Suit yourself" Diana said. 

Thalia leaned back into the velvety seat cushions, her legs throbbing from overuse. She and Luke had taken turns carrying Annabeth whenever she got too tired, so they were extra-exhausted.

"Where are you going?" Diana asked. "I could drop you off, if you want."

"We were..." Thalia frowned. Where were they going? To find more demigods? To find a permanent safe house? Or did they have no destination at all? "Heading to the forest," she finished. The forest was generally the best place for them in the wild- especially if there was a creek nearby.

"Great, there's one near my house. Chill there for a while, then we can leave."

Any guesses on who this person is? ;) its kinda obvious (I think)