The Elemental Book 3: Fire

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We Return Home, I Hear News, and We Visit Vegas

We were in the car not even an hour before Piper and I became claustrophobic. After almost a year of being out in the wilderness with no confined spaces (besides being in a tent during winter), being in a small space unnerved us. Especially me, since I was the daughter of Poseidon, and we both didn't like being confined, since neither does the sea.

"Um, can we take a break and stretch our legs?" Piper asked nervously.

"Seriously?" Dan asked. "We just got in the car."

"I know, it's just...cramped," Piper said lamely.

"Move your legs. You've got room," Dan said.

"We're claustrophobic, Dan," I said, annoyed. "We haven't been stuck in a small space like this in ten months. We're not used to it, and I absolutely hate it."

Dan sighed. "Fine, you two can walk. It's not that far away."

Piper and I started to nod, knowing where to go, but Jake and Brendon stopped us. They both looked worried and annoyed. Obviously they didn't want us out there in San Francisco alone.

"Are you crazy?" Jake half-yelled. "They could kill someone, or they could get killed!"

"They'll be fine," Dan said. "They're armed, and all the city lights are on. Besides, they'd be the most dangerous things on the streets."

"It's not that, it just isn't a safe place for them," Brendon said. "We're by the Tenderloin, and the people there are worse than Ares and Hermes combined. Piper and Ari would be attacked and would kill the people."

"It's true," I admitted.

"We would," Piper agreed.

"Let's just stone travel," Jake said. "It'll be easier and quicker. I've gotten better at it, so I won't be as weak anymore."

Dan sighed and pulled over. "Fine, we'll stone travel. I'll just make sure you get through, then I'll drive. It's a nice car, and I can't afford to lose it. Not after the damage those two did to my camaro in August."

Piper and I exchanged a grin as we climbed out of the car. Piper and I had hijacked Dan's car for fun and accidentally crashed it into a brick wall. We like speed; he should've known what we'd do to his car when he left it unlocked.

The cool dusk air helped relax me, but I was still on high alert. I heard a noise, and my hand instinctively curled around Okeanos. My sword can shrink down to the size of a letter opener and grows to full size with a touch to the bottom of the hilt.

Jake noticed this movement and put a hand on my back: a comforting touch, but also a quick way to push me out of harms way. "It's okay," he whispered.

I swallowed thickly. "I know. You can never be too careful, after all."

I'm pretty sure that's a rule of mine. Maybe not. I must be thinking of rule number six.

Jake smiled. "You and your ways. Always so secretive and cautious."

"I wouldn't be me if I didn't do those things."

"True. But you could let us in on your secrets, just small ones."

I fell quiet. I don't even tell Brendon all my secrets, such as my deal with Zeus to bring Deuce back in exchange for a year of freedom from him and a little visit to the Underworld to see my dear Uncle Hades in May (it was just to talk, but it didn't go very well, as he now knows how well I can fight). Let's just say Piper and Artemis thought I was meeting my dad for an issue in his palace. I'm very good at lying, and they still don't know about it.