Behind the Shadows

Apollo's chariot was a blessing. It was warm, dry and the drama was less intense. Clarisse sat right at the back with a face full of thunder and refused to speak to anyone. Annabeth decided to sit at the front and question Apollo. Grover took the seat next to her and began munching on some cans. Sapphire took up two seats with her sprawled out legs. It made Jake huff but he decided to sit on the floor just to face her. The sea of monsters was out of sight and for the first time in weeks Sapphire could finally breath. Actually make that months. She was back with her friends and could be herself. Sapphire knew that the camp would not treat her the same but it was still her home. She could only try and make the camp trust her again.
"I don't know that look" Jake says with a slight frown on his face. He had been just sitting there studying her for the past half hour. Sapphire gives him a look and crosses her ankles.
"What look?" She asks. Jake attempts to pull a copy of whatever expression she had just had on her face.
"You looked conflicted but that's not it. You just look older I guess" Jake frowns and lets out a deep sigh. "My butt is very numb" Sapphire imitates his sigh and wiggles her feet at him. Jake swats at her feet and then grabs one with a devious look.
"Don't you dare" Sapphire hisses with a knowing look. Jake shrugs and slowly releases her foot before grabbing it tightly and yanking her down the seat. She yelps and kicks at Jake with her free foot. He just laughs and continues to pull her off her seat/seats. Sapphire lands on the floor with a hard thump. Jake is up within a split second and has occupied her seats. She slowly stands up and glares down at the seat thief.
"We just nearly died and you two are already back to your annoying selves!" Annabeth scalds from the front with a disapproving look. Sapphire turns to shoot her a grin but is interrupted. The chariot lurches forward with a violent force. Annabeth cries out in horror and Grover drops all his cans as he jumps up from his seat. "He's gone!" Jake gets up and runs to the front of the chariot. Sapphire follows and notices what the problem is. Apollo is no where to be seen. No one is driving the chariot so that meant... Another jolt comes and everyone falls to the floor.
"Oh great now we are definitely gonna die" Clarisse grumbles from the back. Sapphire springs up onto her feet and grabs the steering wheel. The chariot was in car mode so this had made thing slightly less and more complicated. Sapphire could not drive and neither could anyone else. The wheel jerks about and whines from the force. Sapphire attempts to put it all back in control but nothing makes sense. There are too many buttons and pedals. All she manages to do is make the chariot stop but they are in mid air with only the ocean below them. Not the sea of monsters thankfully.
"Maybe Apollo will come back" Jake offers. No one seems reassured. Sapphire stares ahead onto the ocean and thinks.
"We can jump" She says flatly. "I can't do much to help everyones landing but its all we have" No one replies but they all share the same look.
Annabeth is the first to jump. The Grover and Clarisse. Jake stops before he jumps and looks back at Sapphire.
"If I don't make it. I want you to know that I.." That was when the chariot decided to fall. It falls with such a force that Sapphire is picked up off her feet and thrown this way and that way. Jake yelps as her falls out and disappears. Sapphire cries after him but it is muffled but the rattling chariot. Her head smacks against the window and clacking noise echos over all the noise. Sapphire turns her aching head and sees a large crack on the window. She begins hitting her fist on it and kicking it but the crack won't give. Its like the chariot is laughing at her and intends to keep her trapped. The chariot hit the water and things go crazy. All the windows explode open and the controls at the from spark and crackle as the chariot sinks and collects more and more water. Violent jolts make the chariots unpredictable. Sapphire attempts to move forward to a now open window but does not make it far before the another jolt sends her flying forward. She smashes her head on the steering wheel and everything goes black. All she can feel is the cold water enveloping her. All she could hope for now is for her friends survival.

Notes