So You Wanna Be A Demigod: Book 1 - What Lies Beneath The Seabed

Chapter 9: Are You Kidding Me?

Hi! I'm back! I know its been a long since I updated, so yeah. I'll try and update a little more frequently though. I wonder dawdle, here's chapter nine ...

CHAPTER NINE: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
~P E R C Y   J A C K S O N~

Something was wrong with Rebecca.

Her eyes were narrowed, her face was ghost white and sweat trickled down her brow. She started breathing heavily, like she’d just run a marathon. It went on for a few seconds before her face slackened and she smiled strangely.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Annabeth asked Rebecca. ‘You look pale.’

‘I’m fine,’ my sister grinned. ‘Everything is great.’

Something about that didn’t sit right with me. The way she held her shoulders all stiff like, and the jerky way she spoke. It reminded me of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

‘We better get moving,’ I said cautiously. ‘We only have nine days now.’

‘Maybe it’s better if we go the long way,’ Annabeth suggested. ‘It would take longer, but we should still have enough time. That means going through New Mexico, probably with a stop in Santa Fe. I just don’t feel like stopping in Vegas.’

‘Agreed,’ I smiled at her thankfully.

Rebecca nodded enthusiastically, ‘Of course. I’ll check bus times.’

She jumped up like she was shot out of a cannon and hurried out the door. I exchanged a worried look with Annabeth.

‘What happen to her?’ I whispered.

Annabeth frowned, ‘She’s under a lot of stress. She knows she’s a demigod, her family is kidnapped and she might not be able to go home. Maybe she just needs time to take it all in.’

I glanced at the door, waiting for my sister to come back in, ‘Maybe. I don’t know.’

It was nearly ten minutes before Rebecca returned. She smiled that weird smile and plonked down in front of Annabeth and me. She held out three rectangular tickets.

‘Got them,’ she grinned and I instinctively sat back. ‘Straight through to Los Angeles with maybe one stop on the way.’

Annabeth put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, ‘Great. Then let’s go.’

We stood up and headed for the door. Rebecca hung back behind us, her head down. I bit my lip.

Something was definitely wrong. I hadn’t known Rebecca for that long, only a few days, but I could tell this wasn’t like her. She seemed like the kind of person to hide her emotions when the going got tough. I didn’t think this was her way of dealing with stress.

Rebecca led the way to the bus she’d purchased tickets for. Something told me this wasn’t a good idea, but I quickly dismissed it as paranoia.

The bus was warm and reasonably comfortable. It had old leather seats that were coming apart at the edges, the air conditioner was loud and creaky, and the bus driver smell of rotting meat. Maybe it was his cologne.

Rebecca headed straight for the back and took a seat by the window. I moved to sit next to her, but Annabeth caught my arm and shook her head. So we took the seat in front of my sister.

‘Better rest up,’ Annabeth murmured to the two of us. ‘With our luck, we won’t make it to Los Angeles without meeting a monster.’

I nodded and settled on the seat, ready for a long trip. We had eight days left, this wouldn’t be so hard. I stifled a yawn and Annabeth laughed.