Logan's POV

By the time the sun had risen in the morning, shining through the glittering green leaves, Roman and I had packed up our campsite.

Virgil had insisted that he was healed enough to assist us, despite the bandages still wrapped around his torso, but we assured him that it was unnecessary. The Demigod in question was leaning with his shoulder on a tree watching as we zipped up our bags.

"Guys I told you," he protested once more. "I'm perfectly capable of helping! It's only a few bags."

Roman scoffed as he threw both his and Virgil's backpacks over his shoulder.

"Virge, you were nearly shredded yesterday." He pointed out. "If I hadn't caught you when you collapsed, you would've fallen off the roof and probably died."

Virgil simply rolled his eyes and began to walk alongside us down the forest trail.

"You're just being dramatic. I would've been fine."

"Falsehood." I interjected. "Given the speed and height of the train, coupled with your lack of reflexes due to unconsciousness, your fall would be nearly one hundred percent lethal."

"So what you're saying is," Roman pondered before a grin spread across his face. He nudged Virgil with his elbow. "I saved his life?"

Virgil rolled his eyes once more but I could tell that he was throughly enjoying their banter.

When he had told me about his romantic feelings for Roman last night, I had been truly surprised. Although I had already deduced it, the near last thing I expected was for him to come right out and tell me. It's quite obvious that Virgil is not one to share many personal feelings or details about himself, evident in his insistence to keep his before-camp-life secret from us, so I wonder what encouraged him to confide in me...

Well anyway, I find that Virgil and Roman are quite compatible with each other. My guess is that given their chemistry, by the time we're back at Camp Half-Blood they'll be in a relationship.

At this point, we had reached the end of the trail and emerged from the trees to a small parking lot next to a quiet road. We decided to go into the convenience store across the street.

I had lost my map when the train had been attacked, so as my friends wandered around the aisles, I approached the cashier to inquire about a new one.

"Excuse me sir." I greeted as the person behind the counter turned around. He seemed about sixteen years old with curly brown hair.

"How can I help ya?" He asked. I had to repress a cringe at his loose grasp of grammar.

"I'm interested in purchasing a road map." I informed the employee. "What's your assortment?"

"Uh...." He responded slowly as if I had said something odd. "Let me check."

He turned and went through a door behind him, most likely to search for what I needed. Roman and Virgil came up behind me as I waited.

"What's up, teach?" Roman asked as he leaned with his back against the counter.

The cashier returned and laid a collection on the counter. I surveyed the assortment to see which would be the most useful.

"I'm attempting to select a roadmap to assist us in our travels." I told them.

Virgil turned his head to look at me. He had a pair of sunglasses with the tag still attached sitting on top of his purple hair.

"Why the heckity heck do you need a roadmap?"

"I lost mine in the..." I realized the mortal cashier was still standing there, listening to our conversation. He was staring at Virgil's hair and eyes (which is understandable as mortals don't typically possess his colouring), and Roman was eyeing the cashier warily. "...train accident. And I'll need a new one to plan a path to the nearest train or bus station."

"Nope. Absolutely not." Virgil said flatly. I looked at him confused as I chose a map and handed the cashier the money required.

Before I could say anything, Virge grabbed the map out of my hands.

"Yeet!" He nearly yelled as he threw the map over his shoulder.

"Virgil what the-"

He shushed me.

"There is no way I'm taking another train to hell or bus of satan so soon after last time." Then he turned to the cashier who seemed startled by having Virgil's attention on him. Maybe he felt intimidated. "You got a phone?"

The employee nodded wildly with wide eyes. Roman rolled his eyes.

Virgil then leaned in a minuscule amount to ask the cashier something in a low voice, assumably so Roman and I couldn't hear him.
Roman crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the cashier, who seemingly hadn't noticed but was beginning to sweat nervously as he took out his smartphone.

"Jealous much?" I whispered to him.

"People get jealous of me. I don't get jealous of people." He said quietly, attempting to seem calm but failing miserably. "Roman Garcia doesn't get jealous."

I shook my head. I swear my two companions share one brain cell between them.

"Okay thanks." Virgil said as he finished his conversation, not looking back at the completely stricken cashier as he strode back towards us, completely oblivious. "Time for you guys to become more connected with fellow Gen Z kids."

Roman, who had brightened up significantly once Virgil had turned away from the employee, and I looked at each other confused. I had no idea was Virgil was planning, but I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to find out.

"What do you mean?" Roman asked cautiously.

"We," Virgil nodded his head forward hard so the sunglasses on his head flipped down in front of his eyes. The price tag that dangled down the side of his face read $3.99. "are getting an Uber."

Virgil's POV

I enjoyed the Uber ride with an air of familiarity.

As a kid in Queens I usually hail a taxi since it's cheaper than Ubers in NYC, but sometimes you just need a break from those gross as hell cabs so Ubers are a pretty good alternative.

We had been driving for a while and I was leaning with my elbow on the window as the world whipped past outside the window. Climbing in the car was honestly a massive relief. While we were standing around in that convenience store, I was really trying not to show how much pain I was in. But my back throbbed and burned like someone had set it on fire and it was pretty hard to keep that under wraps.

I had drank some Nectar that morning, but it seemed like it was having a pretty slow healing effect on me. At least my skills at concealing physical pain have been very fine-tuned over the years, big surprise.

Roman was to my right in the middle row and Logan was behind us in the back row. They had been a little bit skeptical of the whole driven-around-by-a-random-stranger thing, but they both got over it pretty fast since we were able to chill in a hella nice black 2018 Escalade instead of a shitty bus or train that's a much bigger target for monsters looking to kidnap/kill us.

Eventually we pulled up in a big gravelled parking lot by a sign that read:

Pisgah National Forest

Roman had opened his door and was starting to get out while I unzipped my bag to look for the bag of mortal money Chiron had given us.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked the driver.

He waved his hand dismissively.

"The guy that ordered the car paid for it over the app already." He told me.

"Huh, okay." I closed my backpack again, swung it over my shoulder and pushed open the door. "Thanks."

He drove away once I closed the door. I turned around to see Roman with his hands in his pockets and a kind of moody look on his face.

"That cashier paid for our ride?" He asked, his hands swinging in the pockets of his letterman jacket.

I nodded.

"Yeah I guess."

"He might as well've given you his number and taken you out for dinner." He said with a tone I haven't heard him talk in before.

"What are you talking about?" I said, completely bewildered as we began our trek across the huge parking lot.

"Virgil, I believe Roman's implying that the employee is romantically interested in you." Logan supplied while adjusting his glasses.

"Wait what?!" I was really surprised.

Usually I can notice when someone is flirting with me, so why was I so oblivious this time? Now that Logan and Roman pointed it out, hindsight is completely 20/20. The way the cashier stared at me as soon as I joined Logan at the counter, his nervous nodding, the way he was tripping over his words. It was nearly exactly how I acted around Roman when I first met him.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Dude." Roman said flatly. "I'm the son of Aphrodite, you know, the goddess of love? I always notice everyone's romantic feelings."

Logan and I exchanged a look that was a mixture of if-only-he-fucking-knew and is-he-really-this-oblivious?

Ever since I confessed my feelings about Roman to Logan, I feel like we've grown closer. I never talk about my feelings, ever. Not even when Roman had basically broken into my cabin and the whole thing with the sword and the crying happened did I magically open up. It felt kinda good to confide in someone though, someone that I can have a sort of inside joke with. As soon as I told Logan about my basic bitch feelings, I felt a fraction of the weight I have had pounding down on my shoulders for a decade lift.

I broke the eye contact and cleared my throat awkwardly.

"You really didn't notice?" Roman asked me, still with that unfamiliar tone of voice.

"Nope." I ran a hand through my hair.

A thought occurred to me then. Maybe the reason I was completely oblivious to that random cashier's "affections" was because I don't have eyes for anyone but Roman anymore.

Roman's POV

I'm so hopeless it's barely even funny.

As soon as that cashier started making those stupid heart eyes at Virgil, it took pretty much every single ounce of my willpower to not grab Virge and pull him far far away from that guys line of sight.

I internally groaned. Fine.

I, Roman Garcia, am jealous. I can't help it! It's like Virgil has complete control over me sometimes.

At this point we had reached the edge of the forest, but there was one complication.

The second we stepped over the threshold dividing the parking lot and the trees, it began pouring rain.

It didn't start slow and grow into a storm, it was just like someone had ripped open the clouds and dumped out their contents. Rain hammered down on us.

"Where the hell did this come from?" Virgil yelped. He had one arm covering his face and the other hand scrambling to pull his hood over his head.

I had my arms over my head attempting to shield my hair from the falling drops as the three of us ran through the trees. Dirt was skidding around and melting into mud.

"It must be Aletheia!" Logan yelled over the roaring downpour. "She's rumoured to be a daughter of Zeus and this might as well prove it!"

"Son of a bitch!" Virgil swore as his foot caught a tree root and nearly tumbling on the cascade of mud. Just before he fell I caught him around the waist and steadied him on his feet.

"You good?" I asked. He looked at me oddly, his eyes the colour of lavender with water running down his face in rivulets and nodded.

"We need to get out of this rain before we get ill or Virgil gets an infection." Logan said with his glasses completely obscured in rainwater. His black hair was pasted to his forehead and I'd be surprised if he could see at all.

"Yeah great idea but where are we supposed to- never mind." Virgil broke off and raised an arm to point ahead. I didn't miss his wince as he moved his shoulder. "There's a sketchy looking cabin."

Logan and I turned to follow where he was pointing. Through the shower I could see that there was a pretty small stone cabin with a shingled roof and a wooden door.

"Let's go." Logan said and took off in that direction, trying not to slide around. I went to follow him when Virgil put a hand on my arm.

"A little help?" He asked clearly in pain, I assumed from yesterday's injury.

I swung his arm around my neck, wrapped my arm around his waist and helped him over. Logan knocked on the door but when no one opened it, I grew impatient and pushed open the door.

"Roman wait-" Logan objected but I had to get out of that rain. It was ruining my hair. It was dark inside except for a dim chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling.

I left Virgil leaning on the wall and wiped my face with the inside of my jacket.

"I already don't like this goddess." I grumbled. "She ruined my makeup."

Logan had dropped his backpack on the ground and was trying to clean off his glasses lenses.

"First impressions can go a long way and she is not doing us any favours." He said.

Virgil, who was using the wall for support and was breathing heavily, shook his hair out like a dog. His wet t-shirt was sticking to his torso and honestly, that's one thing I can thank Aletheia for when we find her.

"There's no mud in Queens." He complained as he pushed his hair back. "There might be puddles and tons of crime, but I've lived a beautiful full city-kid life without mud."

He looked down at his now-turned-brown Vans.

"I miss New York." He concluded.

"Are you okay Virgil?" Logan asked, observed him.

The son of Hades did a 'go on' gesture.

"Be more specific?"

"You needed Roman's help to get to our destination and you seem to be in pain." Logan elaborated.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Virgil dismissed. Logan and I stared at him. "Okay. My back is a bit painful but I'm really okay."

"Hm," Logan straightened his tie. "Allow me to examine your injuries."

But before he could reach the other boy, a bright golden light exploded from a form in the middle of the room. Blinded, I covered my eyes and turned away.

"I believe I am the one you seek." I female voice, as clear as a bell, rang out once the light had faded.

I opened my eyes to see a woman that had an ageless face that looked like she could be anywhere from sixteen to thirty-five. She had long straight black hair and was wearing a flowing traditional white Greek dress.

We had found Aletheia, the goddess of truth.

AN - All comments are read and appreciated <3

'Sup non-gender-specific dudes.

In honour of reaching 200 followers, I'm doing a Q&A! Ask me anything, whether it's about me or about the story, and I'll answer all of them (the only questions I won't answer are the ones that could spoil future chapters) so just leave your questions on this paragraph!

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Fun Fact: Patton can play 20 different instruments and the song of his and Logan's relationship song is Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish

Hope you enjoyed :)