Page 41 of Zeus' Spark
I shouldn’t snap at him because he doesn’t know, but seriously, she could strike the car down right now if she’s made aware of our presence outside the wards.
Jayden sighs. “Which means if this town houses the Hesperides, and I don’t believe in coincidences, then it’s going to be even more dangerous for you.”
Raven peeks over Greyson’s shoulder. “Can you see where the next exit on the highway is?”
She frowns at the map and cocks her head to the side. She must see the same as me. A whole lot of nothing in the damn dark.
Okay, maybe we need several flashlights, just in case.
Greyson grimaces. “The next exit is into Hesperia. We don’t have a choice but to go there.”
I shrug. “Look, it’s getting late, and we’re all tired. I say we find a place to crash for the night and decide what to do in the morning.”
I’m the one in the most danger here. Hera wouldn’t think of starting a war with Hades or Ares by going after their children.
“You want to stay here?” Jayden looks at me incredulously.
“I think it’s nothing, honestly. A weird coincidence. I think it would be cool to meet the Hesperides, but they’ll probably know me on sight, so I won’t go looking for them.”
Jayden shakes his head. “This is absolutely insane. If we stop, we can end up being attacked. We should keep going.”
He’s holding on to the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles are turning white.
Raven rests her elbow on my armrest and leans forward. “It takes days to drive across country, Jayden. You going to go without sleep for that long?”
“I can see your eyes drooping already. We need to play this safe, which means we rest when we’re tired.” I put a hand on his arm, and his eyebrows rise to his hairline before he blows out a resigned breath.
“Fine, we’ll stop in a town named after the queen’s pets. This is such an amazing idea.” Sarcasm is strong in his tone.
Raven grins at him and high-fives me. “Oh, come on, Jayden. It will be fun, and if monsters show up, we can handle it.”
Greyson chuckles. “You two are trouble with a capital T.”
“You love it though,” Raven singsongs, sitting back in her seat.
We drive to the little desert town of Hesperia.
“This is a cute little town. I sure hope there aren’t any monsters living in the shadows,” Raven says, staring out her window as we drive through the darkened streets.
“You just love inviting trouble, don’t you, Raven?” Jayden sighs, and I can’t help but grin.
“Well, it has been a few hours since we had to fight any monsters.” I chuckle.
“You aren’t supposed to even be fighting monsters,” Jayden growls.
I shake my head. “It’s a bit late for that.”
I turn to stare out the window. There are cacti and Joshua trees dotting the sand on either side of us.
Greyson scoffs. “This is going to be an interesting trip with you two, isn’t it?” He shakes his head.
“We’re always the most interesting people in the room.” Raven grins and leans forward in her seat again. “There’s a Marriott up ahead. We could see if they have space for the night.”
“Shouldn’t we find someplace that’s cheaper?” I chew my lip, wiggling in my seat and a little uncomfortable.
I know that hotel is on the expensive side. I’ve never stayed in a nice place like that. It was hard for Mom to keep down a job when we constantly moved around. She never would have wasted money to stay in a nice hotel.
My chest aches with a pang of sadness for what I’ve lost. I push it down deep. I don’t want to think about how alone I am outside of Halfling Academy.
