|| Runaways ||

|| Chapter 5 ||

A crow peered curiously in the direction of the forest as a loud screaming noise could be heard. After a length in which the screaming continued, three kids ran out. Two girls and a boy. Following them, silver arrows thudded into the trees around them.

The kids ran away from the forest, pumping their arms as a group of girls emerges, glaring in their direction. The crow internally shrugged and flew away.

Thalia glowered as she slowed down, her chest heaving. Next to her, Luke put his hands on his knees.

"Well," Annabeth panted. "They don't like it when people refuse them."

"That idiot, Zoe," Thalia fumed. "She needs help with... everything."

"Immortal girls," Luke added, shaking his head in disgust. He straightened up. "Now what?"

"Now we keep going," Thalia said softly. "We need a new safe house, who knows how far our old one is from where Artemis drove us."

They continued to walk as the sun slowly sank under the horizon line before disappearing completely. As it continued to grow darker, Annabeth's pupils dilated until she was sure they were the size of oranges, before she shook her head.

"We should stop soon," she advised. "Best to rest now while we're tired."

"I'll take first watch," Luke offered. "Once, you know, we find a good spot."

"Why not here?" Thalia asked. "I mean, we're right next to a highway. There isn't much cover anyways."

Luke shrugged. "Sure. I'm pretty well rested from that rest stop with Dian-- Artemis, you guys get some sleep."

Thalia was out like a light as she curled up. Annabeth eyed the silver bracelet on her wrist, Aegis.

"I hope the shield doesn't expand in the middle of the night," Annabeth said to Luke. "That would be uncomfortable."

Despite the exhausting heat of the day, the temperature dropped quickly. Annabeth shivered under her new huntress jacket, grateful she had new clothes. Then she gave a side glance at Luke, who was still in his old clothes.

"We need to stock up soon," she said. "Get you some new clothes, maybe some food. You're too skinny." Her stomach let out a soft mew at the thought of food, despite being well rested and fed earlier.

Luke laughed. "Are you sure I'm the one that needs the food?" He asked playfully. Annabeth pouted cutely, and Luke laughed again.

"We'll figure it out in the morning," he said. "For now, get some rest. You're last watch."

"Alright," Annabeth yawned. "Don't let Thalia o-oversleep. You should sleep too."

Luke watched as her breathing became slow and even, and internally sighed. He didn't want to sleep. He needed it, but sleep meant dreams. Demigod dreams were never good. Especially not the ones he was getting. His mind drifted as he readjusted the grip on his sword, watching the moon as it rose to a peak. Then he sighed and gently probed Thalia awake.

The dreams continued. A dark presence, drawing him closer. It was cold and dangerous. Luke had to know what it was. He was standing before a black-hole like well in the ground, seemingly never ending. The presence was coming from inside it. Drawing him closer.

"Join me," a voice whispered, and Luke took half a step back. It was the first time a voice had come. It was smooth and deep, but had a rough edge to it, like the voice hadn't been used in centuries.

"Join me," it whispered again. "What else do you have?"

"A family," Luke managed, his entire body on guard. The voice laughed, slightly in understanding, slightly in cold amusement.

"A family," it hissed. "How lovely. I had a family once. Look what they did to me. The gods, they did this to me. My own children, betrayed me, destroyed my body, scattered my consciousness so thin it has taken me several millennia to even regain the strength to speak again."

"Why would they do that?" Luke asked, his voice rising in pitch.

A breath of rancid air escaped from the pit, and Luke had the impression the voice just let out a massive sigh. "A misunderstanding," the voice said. "And pure cruelty. The gods are evil creatures. They don't care about anyone. You just met one, that cursed Artemis. You saw how she treated people that didn't bow to her. The same with the other gods. Have any of them helped you? Even tried to contact you? No. They abandoned you."

A chill passed over Luke's spine. The voice chuckled.

"You should know all about being abandoned. You and the girls. They can join with you. After all, you are a new family, aren't you? Because your old one was insane, driving you into fits and shouting about your death. But you can have a new life with me, Luke Castellan."

And Luke woke up with a start. Annabeth was watching him from the lookout spot, her eyes looking over him in concern.

"Bad dream?" she asked in her timid voice. Luke sat up from the rough ground and realized that his entire body was covered in a thin layer perspiration. He stood up and brushed off the dirt and grass that had stuck to his body while he was sleeping, not meeting Annabeth's eyes.

"Sorta," he admitted. Annabeth nodded in sympathy.

"Nothing we can do about it," she said. "Wake Thalia for me? I'm packing up."

"Leavemealone," Thalia grumbled as Luke approached her. "I'm awake. Goaway."

Luke prodded her with his toe. "C'mon, Thalia. We're restocking on supplies." He checked the limp one-strap backpack they had luckily found on the side of the road. "I just have a few packs of ritz left from Artemis's car."

Thalia rolled onto her back and regarded Luke with a raised eyebrow. "You stole from a goddess?"

"Technically we didn't know she was a goddess yet," Luke said, his hands up in surrender. "I was just stealing what she gave us."

"If we take what she gave us, it wouldn't be called stealing," Thalia said, half groaning as her knees cracked loudly. "I think I slept on a glass bottle," she added, wincing and craning her neck backwards.

"People shouldn't litter," Annabeth said as she kicked a plastic bag with a wrinkled nose. "Makes a bad sleeping place for runaway demigods."

"Where are we right now?" Luke asked, looking down the road for a sign.

"New York" Annabeth replied immediately. "On the border of Connecticut."

"So we're just going to keep on heading north, then?" Thalia asked. "Are we ever going to stop?"

"I guess we should just keep heading to the ocean," Luke said in a half-hearted tone. "Just because... the beach is nice."

"We visited the beach before, right after you picked me up," Annabeth reminded him. "And that turned out just lovely."

"Hey, I thought that guy was just naturally hairy, okay?" Thalia said defensively. "To be fair, he was in the gift shop, all decked out in tourist clothing."

"To be fair, he had extra long arms with claws," Annabeth repeated in the same tone.

"Well, do you have another destination in mind?" Luke asked. The girls shrugged.

"To the beach it is." Luke shouldered the one-strap backpack and the three set off towards Connecticut.

"You're sure about going to the beach in Connecticut?" Thalia asked in a low voice. Luke set his jaw.

"We're just going to the beach," he said pointedly. "We're not going there."

His tone of voice made it clear the matter was closed. Thalia shrugged.

"Fine by me," she said. "As long as you can snag us a snow cone, I'm good."