Daughter of Light

6 - Checking Out is a Little Harder Than Expected (WIP)

The sunlight poured in through the small window of the hotel room. I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of birds chirping in the trees, almost forgetting where I was. After a long time at Camp Half-Blood, I relished the thought of staying away. I missed the forest, the campfire songs and s'mores after dinner, watching the sun setting over the horizon, and I wished I hadn't been chosen to go on a quest.

Mariana was also waking up when I sat upright in my sleeping bag. She rubbed her eyes and pulled her hair behind her head with her hand. I think this is the first time I'd seen her hair in such a mess.

Ignoring me staring at her, she flopped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I was surprised we were even able to afford a room, but Mariana had easily covered the cost. When she came out, I asked her, "Hey, Mariana, how'd you get the money to pay for a room?"

Mariana just walked past me. "Don't ask," she answered bluntly, stumbling to the drawers next to her bed.

I shrugged and threw off my sleeping bag. "I'm going to get breakfast," I announced. Mariana didn't say anything, but I left anyway.

The hotel we stopped at was surprisingly cheap. It was actually a little too nice to be so inexpensive, but you didn't see me complaining.

There were a lot of people in the lobby getting breakfast that morning. The line for the coffeemaker stretched around the counter. I never cared for coffee, anyway. "Excuse me," I said as I pushed past a woman in line. She stared at me, her eyes cold. I looked back at her, confused. We locked gazes for a moment until I looked away to prepare my cereal.

I sat down at a table and started to eat. About halfway through my meal, I began to notice people watching me at other tables. When I looked at them, they gave me that same cold stare before turning back to what they were doing. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but I was too tired to register any kind of danger. I simply finished my food, tossed my bowl and spoon, and left to get back to the hotel room.

Mariana and Luke were packing up when I opened the door. "Hey," Luke said.

"Hey," I returned. "We're leaving soon?"

"Yeah, it's still quite a ways to Washington D.C. We'd like to cover as much ground as we can as soon as possible," Luke answered.

"Do we have the transportation problem figured out yet?" I asked.

"I know a guy," Mariana said. "He can take us as far as we need to go."

Luke nodded. "Will it take you long?"

"No, I didn't take much," I said. I rolled up my sleeping bag and stuffed my toiletries in my duffel bag. By the time I finished, Luke and Mariana were already packed.

We entered the lobby together and I handed the room key to the man at the desk. "We'd like to check out, please."

The man slowly looked up from his computer. He stared at us, not saying anything. I repeated myself. "Can we check out, please?" Still no answer.

Mariana and Luke reached for their weapons. I turned to them. "What's going on?"

"The Mist," Mariana said. "It's obscuring our senses." 

I looked around. Everyone in the lobby was standing up at this point. They were all young woman, maybe in their early twenties. Looking closely, I noticed that their hair was golden. "Empousai," I said. I reached for my knife.

"Hello, Lucas," one of the woman said. (WIP)