With my forehead pressed to the glass of the window, I had a great view of the gas station we were rolling past. There was nothing special about it, except that we passed the California border a couple of miles back. I hadn't known prices could even get that high. Thank the gods our van ran on something different.
Of course, that meant needing to generate another type of fuel… like I was doing right now.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
My hips beat hard enough against Clarisse's backside to drown out the radio. My head was shoved against the top of one of the windows. Beneath me, Clarisse was pressed to the window herself. Her nose was being pulled up, giving her a pig nose, while her tits were jammed against the crack between the window and the door. She growled each time I penetrated her. Her hands were under mine, our fingers interlocking, trapped against the wall of the car.
Lou lay in the seat behind us, sprawled with her clothes missing and dried sweat across her skin. Her eyes were closed, but she was smiling. Emily was in the passenger seat with her clothes very much on. Even two days later, her legs hadn't recovered from our sex on the Hole in the Wall set. She was more than happy to watch, though.
My breath was leaving a fog cloud on the window. Clarisse surged sideways, trying to roll out from underneath me, but I pinned her in place. The moment I overpowered her she came again, tightening even more against my cock. In the corner of my eye I watched the fuel gauge climb.
"So… gods damned… tight," I grunted.
"Is that all you've got, Jackson!" she shouted.
But her nose was still squashed, so it came out sounding more like, "Is zat all zou got?"
It was not.
I stood up straight, although I had to bend my head to keep from banging it on the roof. I pulled my hands away from Clarisse's. I reached down with one hand, digging my finger against her clit without my cock slowing down for a second. My other hand found her hair. I yanked it back, at the same time keeping her pressed to the window with the force of my thrusts. Clarisse's tongue came out, licking the window the way mom's are always having to tell toddlers not to.
From one of the seats all the way in the back, Artemis suddenly asked, "She is enjoying that?"
As if answering her question, I felt Clarisse cum again. I thrusted even faster in response, not giving her a second to catch her breath.
"Of course," Valentina, sitting beside Artemis, told the goddess.
"Why?"
"Because she's a slut."
"I see."
Valentina laughed.
"I'm joking," she said. "Although, it is true. But even though it looks like that, Percy knows what he's doing. It might hurt a little in some ways, but that's only to make it feel better in others."
I felt their eyes burning into my side, Artemis in particular. It felt like a teacher was waiting to call on me. Valentina was being strangely civil about all this, too. Usually her dislike of the goddess leaked through right away, but maybe if Artemis was asking about her favorite topic, sex, that outweighed her dislike.
"Does she not feel helpless?" Artemis asked.
"Of course she does," Valentina said. "That's the fun part."
Artemis furrowed her eyebrows. Valentina glanced at her. It looked like she was getting an idea, and that scared me, because the last idea she got involved fucking on a New York street corner for handouts.
But I had my hands full— literally. I had been plowing away at Clarisse for twenty minutes now, and it felt as good for me as it did for her.
I cut loose and, like Lou put it so many days ago, gave Clarisse her 'treatment'.
Clarisse fell forward when I released her, face sliding down the window until she was huddled on her knees. I didn't feel much more energetic than her. I dropped into an open seat, gazing through lidded eyes at the gas gauge. It had risen from near empty, the lowest it got as we sped across the Great Basin, to about halfway full. That was better, but not enough to make it all the way to the Pacific.
Even as I let myself relax, settling in for a much-needed nap, I could see Valentina shooting glances at Artemis.
That couldn't be good. I just hoped whatever she was thinking wouldn't piss Artemis off too much when it inevitably caused something crazy.
Our plates were plenty full without adding more.
O-O-O
We made the call to stop when it got dark. Emily's legs were still too shaky to hit gas pedals, Artemis didn't know a single traffic law, and I was too tired to drive. Lou and Clarisse were out of it themselves. That left just Valentina to spell Annabeth behind the wheel, but for some reason she was entirely in favor of stopping overnight.
We found a campground on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The lake was so big it had waves like an inland sea, with pine trees and rocky beaches ringing it. I'm pretty sure you had to pay to reserve a site, but that was nothing Lou couldn't fix with a few careful spells.
I thought we'd have to sleep in the van, but Artemis pulled out a new trick.
She clapped her hands and three state-of-the-art tents appeared from thin air. I don't go camping much, but even I could tell these were nice. And the best part? They showed up completely assembled. No clipping straps onto tent-poles or hammering stakes into the ground for us. All I can say is, if you're going camping, bring a nature goddess with you.
"Could I get a nice chair please?" Emily asked when she saw the tents appear.
Artemis took one look at her wobbly legs and clapped again. A portable chair with two mesh cup holders appeared, and Emily dropped onto it with a delighted sigh.
It wasn't just tents and chairs for jello-legged women. Artemis made a campfire with a gesture. She conjured hot dogs marshmallows by swishing her wrist. Soon the sun had gone down and the night had turned cold, but not for us. We huddled around a warm fire, packed together basking in the scent of fresh smoke.
"So I've been wondering," I said. "What do we do when we get to the ocean?"
The others exchanged looks.
"Find a boat, I guess," said Lou Ellen.
"It kind of has to be," I said. "The only thing is, it's two and a half thousand miles from San Francisco to Hawaii. That's not going to be quick."
Left unsaid was whether we could outrun Echidna once we left. She'd have to leave behind her children that couldn't fly… but who knew how many nasty surprises might be waiting underwater.
"Maybe your father can help us," Annabeth suggested.
"I can pray to him," I said.
But Artemis shook her head.
"Do not expect too much of Poseidon," she said. "With all the trials that have threatened the world in recent times, we Olympians have pushed the ancient laws quite far. My brother helping you when you freed me, for example. I'm sure you can think of other examples from your trials. The Fates are growing irritated. Unless straights are truly dire, Poseidon will stand by for fear of bringing repercussions on himself or us."
"What about you?" I asked, ignoring the sudden urge to set down my food and step far away from the summoned fire.
Artemis actually laughed. It was a wonderful sound, as crisp as fresh leaves crunching underneath your boot.
"You do not have to worry about paltry things like these," she said about the campsite. "The Fates hardly care about that. So long as I do not fight your battles for you, minor comforts should bring you no fear."
"That's good," I said.
But to be honest, I was barely paying attention by the end. It was settling in again just how pretty Artemis was. Ethereal and down to earth all at once.
I looked away, not wanting to stare. I still saw Valentina lean over, whispering something in Artemis's ear. The goddess stiffened so quickly I almost thought the fire burned her.
I narrowed my eyes. Valentina was up to something. It was obvious just from the fact that she was still next to Artemis, sitting at her side just like she had been in the car. Before I could ponder it any longer the conversation moved on, and I was distracted.
The talk turned to lighter things. Artemis told stories of old hunts. I think she was glad to have an audience other than the Hunters, half of whom knew her stories because they'd been there. Emily told baby stories about Rachel. Lou showed us she knew a few mean ghost stories. It started to feel like we were really camping, not just taking a pit stop on a life-threatening quest.
Some of that mood evaporated when it came time to settle down to sleep.
"Someone should keep watch," Annabeth said.
"I can do that," Artemis offered. "I am used to sleepless nights, and my senses are the sharpest."
"Uh-uh." Valentina crossed her arms. "We aren't relying on a goddess right after you talked about the Fates getting all testy with you helping mortals."
Artemis looked confused. "As I said, they do not care about inconsequential things—"
"It's out of the question!" Valentina said.
Everyone was looking at her strangely. Finally, Lou said, "I can take first watch."
We hammered out a system for two-hour shifts. Each of us picked a slot except for Emily, who we would let sleep for the whole night. Not only did she need the rest, it just wasn't right to leave a mortal in that kind of position.
Finally, with everything else done, we packed ourselves into the tents, all of us except Lou who settled back down by the fire.
Each was stocked with sleeping bags and comfortable foam mats. I unzipped mine and snuggled inside, sharing a tent with Annabeth. I was comfier than some hotel beds. With birds chirping and waves lapping the shore, it was no surprise I was asleep in minutes.
Sometime later, I woke to the sound of the zipper sliding open. I tensed, but only a little. I assumed it was one of the girls. Sure enough, soft hands shook me a moment later.
"Get up, Percy," Valentina hissed.
I rolled over, blinking. "Is it my turn on watch?" I whispered.
"No silly," she said. "This is much more important than that."
She dragged me up, pulling me toward the entrance. I resisted long enough to slip my shoes on, then let myself be dragged along. I'd known she was up to something. If anything, I was glad to find out what.
One step outside of the tent my brain forgot all about those things and stopped working entirely. Waiting for us, looking even more beautiful than earlier, was Artemis.
And she had nothing on.