As we walked along the highway, I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. Back at camp, things had seemed all fun and games, but it was more serious now. We were without a leader and barely had any information. But, as I looked over to Brandon, I supposed we had each other. I knew it was all it took for him to not run after the car. But, I also knew he knew he wouldn't catch up to Jessica's car.
We trudged along in silence for a long time. By the time we could make out a town in the distance, night had already fallen. Brandon picked a shady tree to camp under while I lit the fire. We sat there, too deep in thought to eat. Finally, I broke the silence.
"How...how did you figure out the cryptogram so quickly?"
He looked up at me and said. "It's something I did when I was young with my mother. She would teach me all these ciphers and I would memorize them easily. We had so many secret codes that were really fun to crack. I guess they proved to be useful in the end."
I sighed. "You're lucky to have a mother like that."
He chuckled nervously and went back to stoking the flames. "Yeah...I'm pretty lucky."
After an hour, he handed me a sleeping bag and said, "Go to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us. I'll take first watch."
I slid into the bag, a little astonished. Brandon really knew how to handle these situations. He seemed like a survivalist who knew his stuff. I guess I never really knew everything about him. As I went to sleep, my mind went to the prophecy and of secret codes.
An hour later, I was shaken awake by Brandon. He slid into his bag and slept peacefully. I sat on a stump and watched out for anyone. The moon shown brightly down on us. Just as I was about to awaken Brandon, I heard a rustling in the bushes. I hurriedly shook Brandon, who was up in a flash. Together, armed, we slowly moved towards the bushes. I generated a little sun to let us see. Out of the bushes, out jumped...
A satyr.
The satyr squinted against the light and raised his hands. "Woah, woah, woah. Hold it, kids. Calm down."
I lowered my sword but Brandon remained vigilant. "Who are you and why have you come here?"
He shook furiously. "Look, I can explain. Look," he sat down. Brandon and I followed suit. "I saw the two of you getting pushed out of the car and fighting the Earthborn. You guys seemed really powerful. Then, I heard you guys needed help. So, I'm here to make a deal: You guys protect me, and I'll point you the way to the Labyrinth."
I stared at him in disbelief. No way was this guy really going to help us. He was probably just going to point us to our demise and take our money. Brandon furrowed his brow for a second, then reached his hand out. The satyr clenched it and smiled. But, Brandon clenched his hand harder.
"Swear on the River Styx. You for your part and me for mine."
The satyr sighed. "Fine. I swear on the River Styx to uphold my side of the deal."
"I swear on the River Styx to protect you."
He grinned. "Thank you. So, here's what I got. There's a man in the next town, goes by the name of Saul. He'll give you the information you need to keep going on your quest, in exchange for payment."
Brandon nodded, then suddenly smacked him in the head with the butt of his sword. He crumpled like an animatronic suit that got its endoskeleton removed. He reached into his pocket, wrote something on a piece of paper, and dropped it. He turned to me.
"Let's pack up and move out. Let's find Saul."
As we were packing up, I stared at him. "How are you still alive? You swore to protect him."
He smiled mischievously. "Well, I did. That paper had directions to Camp Half Blood. Since that faun was no doubt working for Luke, I protected him by giving him the address to a safe haven that he already knows!"
I laughed. "Pretty clever, Wise Guy. But what do you mean by faun? Hat was a satyr."
His expression changed a bit. "Um...nothing. Let's get moving."
As we shuffled our packs, I felt as if something was missing. "Hey, Brandon. Where's he prophecy?"
He looked up. "Burned it. Memorized it. Can't have the enemies finding it, can we?"
I smiled as we headed for the town. It looked like that little guy still had some mysteries about him.
