SERENDIPITY ~ A. Chase

ix ~ A Friendly Chat with the Fabulous 'Fred'

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chapter nine ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
009. A Friendly Chat with the Fabulous 'Fred'

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Cassie was driving the van again.

The brunette had a giddy smile on her face. The first time in a while that Percy saw her smile like that. Though every time he had seen it there was a common reason.

Annabeth Chase. The girl Cassie missed more than anything right now. Ever since the blonde disappeared it was like the weight of the sky was on her shoulders. And she didn't even know what that felt like.

But Cassie knew one thing for certain. She wasn't going back to camp until the daughter of Athena was safe, no matter what happened.

The brunette hummed to herself, forgetting about the world around her. The blaring of a horn from her left brought Cassie back to reality.

It was only when she was driving them across the Potomac that she noticed the helicopter behind them. It was the exact same model as the one at Westover Hall.

Through the rearview mirror, Cassie did a double take. "Guys we have company."

Percy rushed to look out the window. "They know the van. We have to ditch it."

"That way!" Zoë ordered for Cassie to switch lanes.

The daughter of Ares obliged and pushed harder on the gas pedal. She swerved into the fast lane and sped up. Still the helicopter was gaining.

"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover suggested, an undertone of hope in his voice.

"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Percy contradicted. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"

"Mercenaries. It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid." Zoë informed.

Cassie shrugged, not seeing the problem. "I would too."

Percy stifled a laugh and raised an eyebrow."But don't these mortals see who they're working for? Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"

Zoë dismissed his thought. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."

The helicopter didn't let up and was getting through much smoother than they were. Cassie blamed the D.C. traffic.

In the back Thalia shut her eyes tight and clasped her hands. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

The corners of Cassie's lips perked up as she steered past another car, earning another horn. The great kind of gods didn't answer and the sky stayed snowy.

"There! That parking lot!" Bianca pointed out.

"We'll be trapped," Zoë protested putting a hand on the wheel.

"Trust me," Bianca urged.

Zoë gave in and Cassie smacked her hand off. "You're not the one driving remember."

She spun the wheel, turned on the blinker, and the van darted across two lanes into a mall parking lot. The group hurriedly got out and trailed after Bianca.

"Subway entrance. Let's go south. Alexandria."

"Anything," Thalia agreed.

They got the tickets and through the turnstiles, keeping a close watched behind themselves. Just a few minutes after they were safely on their way away from D.C.