It took some time before they found a ride to California. Denise commented that they could call a cab, but that hadn’t worked out well the first time. Sophie suggested another bus, but Blake came up with the genius idea for once. “Hitchhiking.”
At first Sophie had been opposed to the idea. What kind of weirdo would pick up a bunch of random teens?
Then, she reluctantly put up her thumb as the other two were already on the side of the road. Sophie didn't like to give in to peer pressure, but they did need a ride. A young man with shaggy blonde hair, chiseled features, and a wide grin pulled over in a yellow Jeep.
"Ain't you kids a bit young to be hitch hiking?" He asked them. The three hesitated. "Never mind. Hop in. Where you headed?"
Denise was the first one to answer, sliding into the backseat. "California. But we'll take anything close enough, if you don't mind."
The man threw back his head, chortling. "Mind? Sweetheart, I've been heading for the land of the dead for hours. It wouldn't matter to me either way."
Sophie slumped into her seat, but straightened her shoulders. "Wait, what do you mean by land of the dead?"
The man shrugged. "Well, the Under-" he stopped abruptly. "You kids probably ain't interested.
"What were you going to say?" Blake eagerly demanded.
The man squinted at them, his eyes filling with recognition. "Wait, three... No signal either... You kids are from Camp Half-Blood!"
Sophie filled with suspicion. How would this man know about camp, unless he was a monster… “I’m Carl. Son of Tyche.”
“Great!” Denise grinned. “So what did you mean by the land of the dead?” She asked, still curious.
Carl shrugged. “The entrance to the Underworld is there. I’m heading’ that way to visit an old friend of mine.”
Denise glanced at Sophie and Blake. “Could we… Could we stop there?” Sophie rolled her eyes. Was she kidding? The Underworld was dangerous, not to mention creepy. “My mom’s there. I want to meet her.” Denise quickly explained.
Blake’s gaze shifted. “Sophie…” He slowly said. “Her mom could help. We should stop there after we go to Camp Jupiter.”
Sophie shrugged. “We’ll see.” The yellow Jeep shuddered to life, and soon enough they were bouncing along the highway.
The four demigods played the license game. “Illinois!”
“Minnesota!”
“New Jersey!” Everyone groaned when Blake called it out.
“Blake, it doesn’t count. We’re in New Jersey right now. We’d obviously see the state plate.” Blake huffed and pouted.
After a while, Sophie grew curious. “Carl, what are the perks of being a child of Tyche?”
Carl smirked, and looked at Sophie through the front mirror. “I don’t know. What are the perks of being a daughter of Athena?”
“Well, we have expertise in war strategy, we’re highly skilled in armed and hand-to-hand combat, we possess high intelligence and wisdom, and we can weave.” Sophie matter of factly stated. Everyone else stared at her. “What? Oh, was that a rhetorical question?”
“Yep.” Carl laughed, his eyes on the road. “Well, with my luck, we’ll be in California by seven in the morning.”
Sophie gazed at the clock on the dashboard. “We’ll be across the country in a couple hours?” She quizzically asked.
Carl nodded. “Yeah. Tyche’s my mom. Luck’s on our side.” As they drove along in the night, Sophie had no idea what would happen next.

Notes

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Right now I don't have a lot of time on my hands. Anyways, thanks for reading!