Sorry.

~~~~

Chapter 4

"So how are we supposed to get to St. Louis?" Percy asked Luke as the four of them entered the park.

"Working on that..." Luke replied. "We'll need bus or train tickets. Probably bus, they're cheaper. And your mom gave us some money, and we have some but we still need more."

"And that's why we have to do this weird plan?"

"Yup. And it's not weird. It's... Resourceful. You both remember how it goes right?"

"Yup!"

"Course!" Annabeth nodded.

Luke nodded at both the kids. "Great. Now go and let's start the plan. Make sure you talk to women only."

"Got it!" Both yelled before the two kids ran off and Luke smiled.

"Turning them into Hermes kids? And why women only?" Thalia asked Luke. "Men are more likely to use their pockets."

"Studies show women are much less likely to be serial killers."

"What?"

"Just go do your part."

~~~~

"Excuse me?"

A woman looked down surprised to see a small black haired boy beside her. "Uh, can I help you?"

The little boy nodded. "I lost her."

"Who?" The woman asked crouching down to his level. "Your mommy?"

The boy shook his head. "Thalia, she's my babysitter. Can you help me find her?"

"Oh of course sweetie. My name is Jane what's yours?"

"Percy."

~~~~

"Have you seen my big brother?"

A woman looked down surprised at the little blonde girl by her side. "Well that depends. What does your big brother look like?"

"He's tall and he's blonde. And he has a big scar on his face."

"I haven't seen anyone like that but I'm sure I can help you find him. Where did you last see him?"

"By the sandbox."

"Okay let's look back that way. I'm Karen what's your name?"

"Annabeth."

~~~~

"Percy! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Thalia!" Percy cheered dropping Jane's hand as Thalia ran over to him and the woman.

"Your mom would've killed me!" Thalia said pulling him into a hug by Jane's side but her hands reached past him and toward Jane, though the woman didn't notice. "Think we can keep this just between us?"

"I can," Percy nodded as Thalia pulled her hands away from Jane's jacket pocket. "Can you Jane?"

Jane chuckled a bit. "Of course just don't wander off on your own again okay?"

"Okay!" With that said Jane left the two alone. Once out of sight Percy looked back to Thalia. "How much?"

Thalia smiled at the money in her hand. "Not too shabby but certainly not enough. Let's get three or four more maybe there'll be more than loose cash a card hopefully."

Percy nodded and began scanning the people around them. "There's a lady behind you with a jacket and big purse."

Thalia glanced over her shoulder. "Then what are we waiting for?"

~~~~

"We did good today," Luke nodded counting the cash in his gloved hands. "We should gonna need to go the bus station as soon as they wake up."

Thalia nodded and leaned back against the tree. "It's kinda weird isn't it? It's been so long since we needed to sleep outside in the cold. I'd gotten used to my empty cabin."

"You can't complain," Luke shook his head. "I haven't known what privacy is in years. We have a bit more space in the winter but during the summer? Every spot on the floor is taken. Can't move without tripping over someone. Also means many pranks back fire on to us. What I would give for your cabin."

"I get privacy yes but, it's cold and kinda lonely in there. I wouldn't mind being with siblings..." Thalia trailed off staring down at Annabeth and Percy. The two nine year olds lay next to against one another under a mound of blankets and jackets to keep warm on the snow covered ground.

Luke didn't respond at first as pulled the blanket from around his body and placed more of it on her. "It's not your fault."

"I should've done something."

"How were you supposed to have known? You were a kid. You still are technically. While I, on the other hand, am nearly an adult."

Thalia hit him lightly on the arm. "Shut up. I know you're older shut up about it already."

"Why should I?"

Thalia laughed a bit and rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Why thank you."

Thalia paused. "Aren't you cold?"

"I'm fine you can have the blanket."

"You sure you're not cold?"

"Yes Thalia. I'm completely- what the fuck!" Luke yelled as Thalia threw a bit of snow in his face. "That was uncalled for!" He shouted quickly standing and trying to stop snow from going down his neck while Thalia laughed hard. "Oh it's on," Luke decided scooping up some snow.

Thalia gave him a smirk. "Bring it."

"Or you can both shut up and I can sleep," Annabeth said with a slight glare from her spot on the ground.

Luke gave an awkward cough and dropped the snow. "I'm gonna head to that McDonald's and buy some cheap breakfast."

"Good idea."

~~~~

The four demigods sat in the back of the bus as the long fifteen hour ride progressed.

Primarily as the hours passed they slept, but Luke and Thalia continuously traded off keeping watch though so far the most dangerous thing had been were the farts from some guy a couple rows ahead, and Annabeth and Percy continuously fighting over the window seat. Thalia peered over Luke's sleeping head on her shoulder to look at the two. Percy was looking out the window as Annabeth practically climbed over him to look out it too.

"Something wrong Perseus?" Annabeth asked Percy.

"It's Percy," he corrected. "And I'm fine."

"Tell me. I can help. You're stuck with us for a while after all."

"I-I just miss my mom," Percy admitted. "She's all by herself with Gabe."

"You don't like him?"

"I hate him and he hates me."

"But why do you-"

Annabeth didn't get to finish her question. Everything was suddenly cut off by the sound of squealing tires and honking horns. Thalia barely had time to process before she was thrown from her seat and everything went black.

~~~~

Thalia's ears were ringing when she woke up. Her eyes were blurry and everything hurt.

"T-ha-lia?"

The sound of the small voice caused Thalia to turn despite her pain. When she did she saw Annabeth. The little girl had blood coming from a wound on her head as reached out to Thalia for help. Thalia moved quickly and cried
out in pain. Shut bit down on her tongue as she reached out to Annabeth and scooped the nine year old in her arms. Once she did she began to look around. Above her were the bus seats- above? Thalia looked around some more and it quickly made sense. They had been flipped over. Car horns and sirens could be heard from outside.

Glass covered the bus ceiling now turned floor. Other passengers were helping each other out of the bus. But where was Luke and Percy?

Thalia felt her heart rate increase. "Luke? Percy?" She shouted holding Annabeth tighter. "Luke! Percy!"

"Here!" A small voice shouted. Thalia was filled with relief as she found Percy hanging above her. "Can you get me down? It really hurts." He told her.

Thalia nodded and stood up  and reached up. The little boy has gotten his leg wedged between some metal of broken seats. "Don't worry I'll get you down," she promised trying to sound more confident than she felt. She tried to pull apart the pieces of metal to no avail. "Damnit. Wait where's Luke?"

"He's here and he looks really bad!" Annabeth shouted sounding like she was ready to cry.

Thalia followed her gaze to where Luke lay underneath a chair which had fallen. He wasn't moving but Thalia could see his chest rising and falling. His arm and one of his legs was bent the wrong way and he was covered in glass. Thalia swallowed and looked back to Percy trying to figure out how to get the boy down. "Annabeth can you get me Luke's sword."

"Yeah."

After a few moments which felt like forever shy holy was pressed in her palm. Thalia took it and told Percy not to freak out. "I'm just gonna cut the metal around you okay?"

Percy nodded and a few tears escaped his eyes. Thalia reached up and began to cut away at the metal with the steel side of Backbiter.

After some time Percy's leg was release and he down into her arms. Once done she set him down so he could stand on one foot. "Annabeth help him outside. I'm gonna try and help Luke."

Annabeth nodded and walked along with Percy holding him up. She spotted her backpack as they went and grabbed it before continuing.

Thalia looked back to Luke and the chair. She pushed at it trying to move it off of him to no avail.

"We've got him miss please head outside."

Thalia stared at the emergency team surprised before she looked back to Luke and bit her lip. Finally she nodded and headed outside.

~~~~

Once they were all out Thalia had encountered a different problem. Avoiding going to a hospital.

Annabeth was fine and Percy needed a cast he had eaten a bit of ambrosia but he still needed it to be positioned correctly so it didn't heal incorrectly. Then there was Luke. Luke was still unconscious and Thalia knew nothing of his condition. She could only watch the paramedics and try to come up with a plan to keep him out of that ambulance.

"I need you two to distract so I can grab Luke?"

"How?" Annabeth questioned. "Figure it out. I'll meet you beyond those trees okay?"

"Okay."

Thalia gave both children a quick hug before she made her way closer to where Luke lay on a stretcher.  Luke's blonde hair was stained a bit from blood. A new scar now crosses his old one. His arm looked wrong- there was no better word for it and there had to be more wrong but she wouldn't know. The paramedics suddenly ran away from Luke and Thalia hurried over. She in strapped him from it and picked him up despite his larger size and hurried for the trees.

She wasn't exactly sure how she had managed to escape without being seen but she had. She crept through the trees until she decided she was far enough away and then found a small clear spot of grass where she lay Luke down.

Around ten minutes later Annabeth and a limping Percy came in.

"They're freaking out since he's gone," Percy informed her. Thalia nodded and reached over to Annabeth's bag to pull out the nectar. She opened Luke's mouth and only poured. A bit down the unconscious' boy's throat.

"It's gonna be dark soon," Annabeth noted. "And we no longer have food, blankets, or sleeping bags."

"At least we have medical stuff,"Percy told her.

"We're gonna need to build a fire," Thalia stated.

"I'll grab wood," Annabeth offered.

~~~~

When Annabeth returned Thalia was debating on how to make annals shift cast for the two boys. She had already made progress on bandaging general rules but she was kind of lost beyond that.

"We could use sticks," Annabeth suggested. She dropped the sticks she had been carrying then grabbed two and headed to Percy and held them both to his leg. "We can tape them or something."

"Gonna use the last of the medical tape but fine by me," Thalia nodded.

~~~~

Luke finally work up a couple hours after dark. He coughed a few times then groaned in pain clutching his chest as he looked around.

"Welcome back," Thalia greeted with a smile from where she sat close two the other two for warmth.

"What happened?" Luke asked with a wince in pain.

"The bus crashed. I don't really know why though," Annabeth told him. "We're in the woods and we did makeshift first aid."

Luke nodded. "You guys are okay then."

Annabeth nodded. "I just had a cut on my head. Percy's leg is broken. And Thalia- Thalia you never said."

"I'm fine," Thalia told them with a small smile. "Come here let's move next to Luke for more warmth."

Annabeth didn't look convinced but she nodded anyway.

~~~~

"Thalia's still asleep?" Luke asked Percy.

The little boy nodded. "Yeah."

"I suppose she deserves it. She took care of the three of us."
"We should wake her up though," Annabeth told them. "We need to move before people come back to check out more about the accident."

"Sadly you're right," Luke sighed. "I have no clue how we're getting there now."

"Hitchhike?" Percy suggested.

"I rather not but at this point we have few options. I still have the little bit of money but I doubt it's enough for a taxi if we were to track one down out here."

"Thalia?" Annabeth asked shaking the other girl while Luke mused. About what to do next. But Thalia didn't respond. "Thalia? Thalia!"

"Why are you yelling?" Percy questioned.

"She's not waking up! Thalia! Thalia! Thalia!"