cover you now ; pjo

eleven ; bridge over troubled water

"No. No way. I mean I've stolen before but this is too far. You hear me? No." Gabi shook her head.

Everyone stood by the side of the road, staring down a rusty 1963 Chevrolet. They had been walking for around three hours but had barely made a dent into how far they were supposed to be walking that day. Everyone was worn out beyond all belief and ready to pass out, as the donuts hadn't tided them over for very long.

That was before Ben had spotted a car on the side of the road and Anela offered up that they hotwire it and the rest of the way to Portland.

"No family in sight, so I doubt we'll be 'stealing'. And if you need a more frugal reason, we're running low on funds and getting on another bus is just gonna suck more cash out of our pockets."

"No!" answered Gabi. "Just... no. OK? And besides, even if I did agree, there's no one here who can hotwire a car."

"Actually, I can," Stef, Bruce, and Ben said in unison.

"Ok, Stef and Bruce I can get. But Ben? What?" Anela laughed.

"Yeah, I'm confused too." Carolyn raised her hand.

Everyone started chattering amongst themselves, but Stef whistled to gain everyone's attention. "OK," she began, stepping forward to face everyone. "All those in favor of this morally gray decision that may or may not be the source of a moral debate later on?"

Six hands, including Stef's, went up. Everybody's eyes turned to Gabi. The (second) oldest rolled her eyes, sticking her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "For the last time-"

"Six out of seven, Tomes. Guess we're going to have to leave you behind then." Stef shook her head, overtly sorrowful. "Now Carolyn will have to be our leader. And she can't even fucking hold a sword."

They all began to walk toward the car, debating who would be the one to actually do the hotwiring, when a clap sounded behind them. They all turned around to see Gabi, who was shaking her head at the apparent hilariousness of the situation. "Fine," she said. "But if we go to jail, I'm not rooming with you guys."

Bruce picked the lock to get into the car and Ben hotwired it. He explained what he was doing as he connected wire after wire, shoving a screwdriver into the ignition and twisting it to the side. Ben pumped his fist to himself as the roar of an engine sounded.

"Hey everyone!" He called, sticking his head out the window with a giant grin on his face. "Anyone have their license?"

The group looked amongst each other, all shaking their heads. Carolyn shifted her weight to one side and put her hand on her opposite arm. Stef pulled her backpack straps down. Anela brushed through her hair. Bruce looked at everyone in the group. Ben drummed his fingers on the windowsill. Finally, Gabi sighed, rolling her eyes. "You guys are useless." She walked over to the car and opened the door. Ben scooted over to the passenger seat as the eldest of group sat down in the driver's. "Get in, losers," she said. "We'll drop off Bruce in Winnett and then off to Portland we go, fuckers."

Stef audibly cheered.

•••••

If anyone had seen that rusty 1963 Chevrolet driving down the highway that day, they would've filed a noise complaint. Stef had managed to shove her mixtape into the cassette player before anyone else, and now it was blasting music from the mid 70's very loudly as six teenagers screamed along. Anela had also managed to pull the skylight window open and kneel on the center console, sticking her arms and head out into the highway air whipping in her face. It was like it was a cliche teen movie.

"YOU CAN DANCEEEEEEEEEEE

YOU CAN JiIIIIIIVE

HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIIIIIIIIIFEEEEEEE"

Carolyn comedically sang "OooooOoOoooH" from the back seat and everyone lost their minds.

As Dancing Queen finished out, the car pulled into Winnett. Gabi parked as best she could (badly), and everyone pulled themselves out of their seats and into the crisp mountain air.

"I didn't think it was possible to see a town more desolate than Cat Creek," commented Bruce as he pulled on his own windbreaker. "Yet, here we are."

Winnett was definitely more lively than Cat Creek, but it had a certain air of sadness about it, as if it knew it was a dying town.

Gabi pointed over to a small booth about 100 feet from the group, where a bus stood waiting. "Looks like we made it just in time, Bruce. Now if you could kindly get on that bus so I never have to see you again, that would be greatly appreciated."

Bruce looked taken aback by this commented, but then remembered that that was what he came to Winnett to do. He looked around to everyone, and then waved slightly, turning around and walking towards the bus.

Carolyn walked over to Gabi and began to whisper angrily.

"It's not safe for him to go out on his own and you know it."

"Why does it matter to us what happens to him? He's the one who wanted to leave the safety of his hometown and mother and I am not going to be his replacement mom! He's not five, he can take care of himself."

"Typhon could be escaping at any moment and you're thinking of leaving a halfblood behind?! You are the most selfish person I've ever met."

"No, I just care about taking care of my friends and not peopleI met literally less than a day ago!"

"Fuck. You."

Carolyn began to run after Bruce, but Gabi grabbed her arm before she could get far.

"Carolyn, please listen. I'm afraid he's dangerous."

"You're the dangerous one." Carolyn tried to wring her arm free of Gabi's grip. Gabi was trying to control her anger as sparks flew off her like mad.

"Let! Go!"

"I'm trying to protect you! To protect all of us!"

"You don't understand!"

"I don't understand? I don't undERSTAND?!"

A sound like the sound wrapping paper makes when you crumple it crackled through the air as Carolyn fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh my... oh my gods..."

Stef knelt by her friends side and checked her pulse. "She's still breathing."

Anela looked over at the dingy old bus stop. The bus was gone.

Gabi looked at her own hands, horrified, like she was reliving a horrific event that had happened a long time ago. Ben, terrified but still a comforter, put his arm around her. "It's ok, you didn't mean it."

Gabi began to cry, and Ben continued to comfort her. Some townspeople gave them strange loos and Stef flipped them off. She turned to the group.

"Anela, help me lift Carolyn into the passenger seat, and then run to the grocery store they have here and get some snacks or some shit. Ben, help Gabi into the backseat and sit with her. Don't leave her side. I'm going to drive." Stef's hands were balled at her side and her eyes were steely. Everyone did as she asked, and soon they were driving down the highway again, Gabi asleep in the backseat next to Ben and Anela, Carolyn passed out in the passenger's seat, and Stef driving, her knuckles white from gripping the wheel so hard. It was quiet as fuck, and as the hours passed everything seemed wrong. wrong. wrong.

To quiet her thoughts, Stef took her mixtape out of the car stereo and put it into her walkman, relaxing as Somebody to Love played through her headphones.

But then something appeared in front of their car in the middle of nowhere, causing Stef to slam on the break.

And as the monster reared back it's head and roared, everything felt wrong, wrong, wrong.