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—JUDITH had no idea what had happened inside that limo, nor did she really care. Percy was keeping his distance from her and frankly, it was such a blessing. Though, the eye contact they would accidentally initiate felt different, like charged or tense. Again, Judith had no issue with this, she just made a point of not looking his way at all.
But when she saw him become some blushing and blubbery mess as she handed him a water bottle from the vending machine in front of the 'camp director' building, she couldn't take it anymore. Deftly pulling him to the side with a harsh grip on his forearm, she created space between them and the rest of the group.
"What's your problem?" She hissed.
"Problem?" He practically squeaked, his arm yanking out of her grip like she'd burned him and she lightly raised an accusatory eyebrow. Oh, how the tables turn. "I don't have any problems. Certainly not with you or anything like that."
The girl crossed her arms and leaned her back on the small building, knowing he was lying straight through his teeth. "Who was in that limo?"
Back at the taqueria, Percy had withheld the identity of the person in the car, saying it was completely irrelevant to the quest. Zoë was extremely suspicious, but hadn't probed him for answers considering he seemed to be going through some inner turmoil over the meeting. But now, Judith was starting to think the meeting in the limo was more than he made it out to be.
"If there's something you're not telling us, Jackson ..." she trailed threateningly.
"I swear," he held his hands up to placate her, "nothing that was said in that limo should be repeated ... ever. It doesn't even pertain to the quest." He wasn't lying this time and Judith wasn't sure what to make of that.
But just in case, "If you're lying—"
"I'm not." He held up his right hand, three fingers up in a pledge. "Scout's honor."
For some reason, the thought of Percy in a boy scout's uniform — sash, badges, and neckerchief — made her crack the smallest of grins as she turned to walk away. She didn't think the boy could get any more dorky, but she was wrong. She heard him take a heaving breath of air behind her, like he'd been holding it in for the duration of their talk. He was certainly hiding something, that much was obvious, but she didn't have enough concern to beat it out of him. She just hoped he would stop acting weird.
The group collectively decided not to dawdle the rest of the night and packed up their things. They'd have to find another café at their earliest convenience if they were to go another day without sleeping.
