Daughter of Apollo

Nico 10

This was going to be an aggravatingly long few weeks. But at least I would have Laci. There was somthing about her... it felt like I needed to protect her. Everything I though I felt with Percy, was like a thimble in comparison to tidal waves of feelings I was having with her being within five feet of me. I looked at her out of the corner on my eye. I knew she couldn't see me becuse she continued her inspection of me. I couldn't help but give into the smile pulling on the corner of my lips.

--Laci--

I was walking next to Nico. Trying to keep up with his fast pace. Zack was behind me and Kiana and Reese was behind him. I realized that Zack was going to be the fifth wheel on this trip.

I felt a little bad for him but he didn't look upset or depressed at all. Just determined and exited.

"I think we need a car," Kiana announced. Nico turned around and smiled devilishly at us.

"Why would we need a car when I can do this?" He grabbed Mine and Zacks hand and slowly began to dissipate into the blackness. Then I felt my hand doing the same. Kiana realized quickly what we were doing, and grabbed Reese's and Zacks hands. From there we all fell to the ground in darkness. I felt nauses. We were moving so fast the I couldn't differentiate any one person in the group. It felt like he were shadows forever. But then we materialized behind a large sign on a desserted highway. Kiana ran off into a nearby bush, from a distance it sounded like she was puking. I felt slightly quesy, but not any thing like Kiana, obviously. Reese was next to her, holding her hair back and rubbing circles on her back. Zack and I were downright giddy. Nico looked at me.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Real concern in his eyes. Zack walked around to the front of the large billboard.

"Are you kidding me? That was awesome!" The concern shifted to happiness.

"Colombia Ohio. 3 miles. " Zack read. "We should probably start looking for the hunters here. I have no idea where they are-"

"We could call Thalia through an iris message. She's a hunter right?" Kiana said comming over slowly. Her recent evacuation left her a shade paler. Reese had his arm snaked around her waist and her head rested on his chest.

"That's a really good Idea Ki!" Zack said exitedly. He ran in to the forest and came out a minute later, yelling "there's a little creek right here!!" We all went down to the small body of water.

--Reese--

Ki handed me a drachma, assuming I knew what I was doing. Every body was looking at me so I said

"Thalia hunter of Artemis." And threw the coin in the water. After about 30 seconds I leaned back, but the water began to flicker with an image of her face. "Thalia? Can you hear us?"

"Loud and clear boy. Let us speak to a female." Kiana pushed into her view. "Hi, where are you guys? He have to find you. "

"We are in Columbia Ohio. Staying at a trashy motel in down town."

"What's it called?" She asked.

"Super star,"

"Expect us there by night fall. Number?"

"119b" the image began to dissolve.

" Well at least were close." Said Zack optimistically.

"How do we want to get to down town Columbia? It's probably 5 miles from here." Ki asked us.

"We could always just walk, it's not far and it early enough is the day we won't get stopped. " I told them. Nico, Laci and Zack agreed. But I could tell Ki was hesitant. Somthing about shadow traveling made her weak and sick.

"You guys go out to the high way. We'll meet you out there in a couple minutes." They agreed and walked out.

"Reese, I don't know if I'm going to be able to walk the whole way." I started going through her bag for the bottle of nectar. "Reese did you hear me? What are you- oh!" when I finally pulled it out i handed it to her and said

"Just take a sip," she lifted the bottle to her lips and quickly pulled it down again. She closed her eyes and shivered. I saw her color come back, a healthy smile played on her lips.

"It tasted like cotton candy." She put the bottle back in her bag, slung her bag around her shoulders and stood up. She put her hands out to help me up, I took them gratefully. She pulled my up (kind of) and I bushed the dirt off my back side. I could tell that from one sip of the nectar she was fully restored with energy to spare. I leaned down and placed a bearly there kiss on her lips. That's when I heard Laci scream.