A child of God

Chapter 8

Annabeth's POV

                          45 hours. I was on a bus to California and the trip would be 45 hours. I sighed from the sheer fatigue of the thought. It was not the length of the journey that made me anxious; I have been on longer trips. My partner, Percy, was going to be chill throughout the whole ordeal. We had enough money for food and snacks. I had planned everything out, from the sleeping arrangements to what we would tell the Dean when he asked why we were leaving. Since Percy had read from Galatians two days ago, the four of us- Yess, Rhema, Percy and I- had been planning and securing a place in universities of Percy and I's choice. We had secured late admission, had registered for our courses, everything that needed to be done had been done in just two days. Even now I wonder how there had been no interference and no rejections. It all went smoothly. Everything should be settled in my head. But I knew we were most likely putting people in danger. Had I ever had a field trip that did not involve a car accident of some sort? Those were mostly due to the monsters that hunted my life as a demigod but I was free from that now. I was free, as bizarre as it may sound, from the spiritual stress of being a demi-deity. Still, I just knew that something would go south.

By the time we were in Buffalo, New York, the silence was killing me. The six hours of quiet was almost maddening. We happened to be in a bus that must have been full of introverts because no one talked, no one stirred, every one minded their business. I was my third book when I could not take it anymore.

"Percy? Are you up?" I nudged him. He looked over to me, his eyes looking bored.

"I'm awake, what's up?"

"We are a little over an hour away from our pit stop. I just wanted to check on you since I don't think I can read another word."

He chuckled a bit, a chuckle that would have made me blush if we were still a new couple. "Ah, Annabeth, don't tell me you are sick of reading already. You just started living without dyslexia."

"I read loads even when I was dyslexic. Even more than you did." I huffed and punched him gently on the shoulder.

"I know, I know. Was just pulling your leg." He replied.

"It still feels sudden." I said, solemnly.

Percy did not respond for a few seconds. "It feels different. We are going to do something we never thought possible. We are about to walk away from the Greek pantheon."

"What about the others?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The others?"

"Don't forget the others we are affiliated with. The Egyptian, the Norse."

"Woah there." He said, "Let's go one pantheon at a time. One is enough for now."

"Yes, you are right. I am not scared, though, I-I am-m just..." I stammered over the last part.

"Excited? Sceptical? Nervous?" Percy tried to suggest words.

"No, Uncertain. this is just...uncharted waters for me. For the both of us." I replied, finally.

He took a deep breath. "Well, I am here with you. And we are going to figure this out. You, me and God." He clasped my hand gently and planted a little kiss on it.

"Yeah. We can do it. Like Pastor Zach said, the God that delivered us from the evil we were in will make a way." I said and nestled into Percy's jacket. The jean material rubbed against my cheek and I was glad that my make-up was light.

We were in that position for a little while and I was just starting to fall asleep in his warm embrace. It was in that safe space that I heard it. It was a hiss that shook me to the core but I found it familiar. It was steady, building slowly like a vehicle that was picking up speed. I jerked up.