It felt great to wash the twigs from my hair and dirt from my face. As I rubbed conditioner into my hair, I began to think of my dad. I wondered how he was holding up. He'd said he probably wouldn't make it. That meant Nico and I needed to get out of here and board the subway. Fast. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when I entered his hospital room. The thought made me smile, even if it was a tragic smile.
I quickly pulled my clothes from the washer and changed. I felt bad for using the rooms for free, so I found a pad of hotel paper and left a note with a twenty, saying thanks so much for "allowing" us to use the facilities.
Next, I knocked on Nico's door and handed his clothes. He only had a towel wrapped around his waist, so it was a little awkward.
I walked back to my room and brewed a strong pot of coffee with the hotel room's things. I stirred sugar into it then sat out on the patio with the Styrofoam cup in my hands, sipping it slowly.
Once Nico came into my room he said, "Ready to go find your dad?"
"Yep. Let's head out. If we go now, we might be able to make it and get there tomorrow," I said and tossed his boots at him.
Finally, we were on the sidewalk outside of the hotel.
"Where's the subway?" I asked, looking around for a sign or something.
"We won't be needing the subway," Nico's dark eyes twinkled in the fading evening light.
"What do you--"
My question was cut off by his long whistle.
Just like that, a colossal black shape appeared from thin air, and Nico's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary, barked so loudly a few car alarms went off down the street.
"We're shadow traveling," Nico grinned.
"Erm...what's that like?" I inquired feeling a nervous twisting in my stomach.
"It's sort of when you mold into the shadows, I guess, then you can move really, really fast," Nico explained.
I gulped. "Sounds...fun?"
"Just c'mere," He climbed up onto Mrs. O'Leary's broad, furry back. He took my clammy hand and pulled me up behind him.
"Hold on tight," He warned. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on tightly, locking my fingers together.
This position was more than uncomfortable. It was downright embarrassing, especially after what had happened that morning.
"Ready?" Nico asked in an excited voice.
"Uh, sure?" I said nervously.
"Okay, Mrs. O'Leary," Nico told the hellhound, and, just like that, we were off.
I think my face nearly peeled away from my skull. The wind yanked my hair so viciously I thought maybe I'd be bald when we stopped.
When, after maybe ten seconds, we were finished and the lights came back on, my fingers unfroze from around Nico's waist. He jumped down from Mrs. O'Leary's back lightly. I felt my weight begin to shift, and before my limbs could move again, also before Nico could help me down, I slid from the hellhound and hit the ground with a thud.
"Paris?" He was trying not to smirk. "Are you okay?" Nico coughed to hide his laughter.
I picked myself up from the ground. "I'm fine, no thanks to you," I glared at him.
He hesitated, waiting to see if I was going to kill him. Although I really wanted to, I knew his death would have to wait.
"Erm, we have about a half an hour walk to get to the hospital," Nico said.
The hospital's address had been on the envelope, and I'd memorized it, then written it down for Nico so he could get us there in time.
"Why couldn't we just shadow travel to the hospital?" I asked curiously, brushing dirt from my jeans.
"Mrs. O'Leary is exhausted," Nico nodded to the hellhound which was now sprawled out across the grass, snoring so loudly, I figured she could use a muffler.
"Whoa," I said. "Will she be okay?"
"Oh, yeah. Shadow travel is draining. The first time I traveled by shadow to China, I was passed out for a whole week," Nico shrugged as though being asleep for a week is no big deal.
"A week?" I was stunned. "Wait, you can shadow travel?"
"All kids of Hades and hellhounds can," He nodded matter-of-factly. "Ready to get going?"
"Yeah," I replied.
After about ten minutes of silence, Nico asked me, "What's your dad like?"
"Well, he's really awesome. He's a chef at a five star restaurant in New York City, New York. He likes to draw. He's really smart." As I went on and named other facts about my father figure, I began to feel scared. What if we didn't make it in time to see him? What if he was already...I took a deep breath and willed the tears to stay inside.
I'm an essentially strong person that never cries, but my dad was a different matter. He'd always been there for me. Percy had described his mom to me, and my dad reminded me a lot of her.
"Paris?" Nico asked. "We'll get there before...it happens. I promise you."
After that, we walked without talking.
Approximately twenty minutes later, we arrived in front of a huge building that I knew was the hospital.
Before we entered the automatic doors, Nico gave me a confident smile.
"Ready?" He asked me again.
"Yep. Let's go," I returned the smile as we entered the lobby.
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A/N
Hey, Narwhals! I'm so sorry this update was short :/. This was just the perfect place to end the chapter! Please, forgive me ;).
As always, comment, vote, and love ;)! Remember, I love CC, so if you have any, comment it below! Thanks so much!
Love my Narwhals!! ;D
The Unicorn LOOOOVER :D
