Indigo Eyes

Chapter 100

When they met up again, Cressida's face was pale.

"What's going on? Everything ok? Did you reach your brothers?" Percy asked and she nodded.

"Yeah. They, uh, they're beginning war preparations," she said nervously.

"Chiron was also there. He said they're going to do their best, but they want us back. They're going to need every hero they can get. Did we find a ride?" Annabeth added, a hand on Cressida's back.

"The driver's ready when we are," Rachel said as the chauffeur was talking to some other guy who didn't seem happy.

"Come on," Rachel said. She led them to the car and got in without even looking at the annoyed guy who'd rented it. A minute later they were cruising down the road. The seats were leather. There was plenty of legroom. The back seat had flat-panel TVs built into the headrests and a minifridge stocked with bottled water, drinks and snacks. They started pigging out.

"Where to, Miss Dare?" the driver asked.

"I'm not sure yet, Robert," she said. "We just need to drive through town and, uh, look around."

"Whatever you say, miss."

"Do you know this guy?" Percy asked. 

"No."

"But he dropped everything to help you. Why?"

"Just keep your eyes peeled," she said. "Help me look."

"Eat something," Percy said, distracting himself as he saw Cressida just staring out the windows.

"I'm fine."

"Cress, you haven't eaten properly since camp which was who knows how long ago? And we're about to go into battle. If you don't eat something, I will force it down your throat," Percy threatened and she sighed as she took the bottle from him and chugged the whole thing before digging into the packet of crisps he offered her. And then another. And another.

She was on her fourth packet when Percy realised she was stress eating but at least she was eating as they drove around Colorado Springs. For the next half an hour, Rachel found nothing that could possibly lead back into the labyrinth. Annabeth also cut off Cressida's stress eating around bag six and water bottle two, so Percy gave her Riptide to twirl through her fingers in pen form, her anxiety building every minute they weren't back at camp where her brothers were preparing for war.

Not to take it the wrong way, but Percy was glad she was stressed because taking care of her distracted him from wondering who Rachel really was that this random driver would drop everything to help them.

They were about to leave Colorado Springs when Annabeth couldn't take it anymore.

"Gods of Olympus! Grapes, I love you, and I get that you're stressed, but please, I will pay you to stop," Annabeth begged as she held Cressida's bouncing leg down.

"You couldn't meet my price," she returned before Rachel sat up bolt-right.

"Get off the highway!"

The driver glanced back. "Miss?"

"I saw something, I think. Get off here."

The driver swerved across traffic and took the exit.

"What did you see?" Percy asked, a little nervous because there was nothing around them except hills, grassland and some scattered farm buildings. Rachel had the driver turn down this unpromising dirt road and past a sign that read, 'Western Museum of Mining and Industry.'

For a museum, it didn't look like much – a little house like an old-fashioned railroad station, some drills and pumps and old steam shovels on display outside.