A rule-breaking trip around the u.s.

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

if you asked taleis, it was far too sunny out for a monday. mondays aren't supposed to be bright, sunny days. that just doesn't work, it has to be dark and gloomy and whatnot. but of course it wasn't, and taleis was tired.

taleis almost forgot why he was out and about when he could be sleeping, or trying to spy on girls trying on their prom dresses, or doing anything other than standing out in the hot sun, except, well. he's been planning this for weeks, planning to leave (finally), so he kind of couldn't forget.

his backpack was full of stuff he'd need once he got out of camp - his cell phone (and charger), money, some drachmas, an extra weapon, reading material, and some other stuff. he was prepared, and nothing could stop him from leaving. not anything or anyone, nope.

except he wasn't planning on somebody being at the border of camp. he wasn't planning on a girl just sitting there, he was planning on everyone getting ready for prom, which is why he chose this date. because everyone would be getting ready for prom and not sitting around the border.

but apparently this chick didn't get the memo, and taleis isn't exactly planning on telling her, so he just carries on his way, trying not to bring any attention to himself. it's logic, if he doesn't bother her, she won't bother him.

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

"woah there, tiger, slow down," taleis says, putting his hands up and taking a step back.

taleis' mind is racing, trying to think of a way to get out of this because he wasn't anticipating her breaking the rules of 'i don't bother you, you don't bother me.' it's like a code and everyone else he passed closer to the heart of camp knew it, but again, this chick didn't get the memo.

"i'm taleisin," he says, mind racing to come up with some sort of lie. "well, most people just call me taleis. son of clymene? yeah, well, you see, i've got a mortal girlfriend, right? and we kinda messed up and she's kinda pregnant and the baby's due, and i've really gotta go now if you don't mind. so, bye!"

taleis hurries off on his way, trying to maintain the 'awkward-teenager-who-isn't-prepared-to-become-a-father' image as best he can. it's not like he's had any preparation, but he's good at pretending so he figures he can pull it off and just hopes that she won't tell anyone or follow or something like that, because that would be truly awful. and a mess, and rather uncomfortable to explain. like, 'hey! i told you my mortal girlfriend was preggers and giving birth but really i was just going to run away and you followed me! hahaha why did you follow me do you get a kick out of women giving birth or do you want to kill me.'

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis is about to freak out, afraid that this chick is gonna drag him into camp by his backpack. like, he's never met her before in his life, why would she care about him?

but then she's asking how long he'll be gone for, and, uh, well. that's strange. "sorry, did we meet and i just forget or something? because if you're a stranger, like, why do you care? i mean, i don't even know your name."

the truth is, he doesn't know how long he'll be gone. he doesn't know if he's even coming back at all, because like, his mom's a mortal god, so monsters don't care for him much. even in what was supposedly the monster capital of the u.s.a., he was pretty safe.

he tries to pull himself out of her grip, but like - damn, she's got a good grip. and he doesn't really fancy the idea of leaving his backpack behind to get away from some crazy chick who wants revenge because he dated her and forgot, or something like that.

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis blinks at the girl - alice - with a kind of blank expression before saying, "okay, so, you want to leave camp with me. a complete stranger who you had no idea existed until just now. okay, cool. well, i'll be gone for longer than a few days. probably won't be coming back."

the thing is, taleis doesn't want to come back. he's sick and tired of camp and he's tired of the monotonous routine. he needs danger and excitement and just more, and he can't get that while he's somewhere where he's safe. safety doesn't provide the kind of thrill taleis needs, but the outside world does. and if he can't get it where he is, well, there's no reason for staying, is there?

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis grins at that because, well, it can be fun to have someone else with him, right? someone who can prove it happened.

"well, first we're going to have to get to the city so we can get some means of travel. i was thinking we could look around neighborhoods to see if anyone was selling a car. i've got more than enough money," taleis says. it's actually happening, he's actually leaving and it's kind of awesome, honestly. like, camp is great, right? free food, and he doesn't have to deal with his awful family, either. but outside, outside is better. he can live and do stuff and it's easier to breath, easier to think. there's danger and excitement and yeah, they've got stuff like that at camp, too, but the risk isn't all that great there. he knows he'll live, so there isn't the adrenaline rush he likes.

"once we get the car, we'll just go wherever. maybe do some sightseeing, or maybe just drive until we have no idea where we are and go from there. the possibilities arew endless, or whatever."

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis starts walking again, grinning to himself. this is - he's free again, able to do what he wants and it's awesome, really. this is the freest he's felt in months, years, even, and he can feel the adrenaline because he's running away. and his head is clear and he kind of wants to start sprinting, jump and whoop and yell, but that could draw attention and he doesn't want that to happen. 'later,' a voice in the back of his head says, and the fact that he'll be able to do that is just great, really.

"there aren't any cabs up here, so we're going to have to walk a bit and hope somebody's driving by and is willing to take us to the city. i wouldn't want to walk all the way there," taleis says, and he's trying to keep the excitement out of his voice because they could still get caught, someone could notice they're gone and come looking for them and take them back to camp.

but everyone's busy with prom, he reminds himself, and it's unlikely that they'll be missed. taleis has friends, but nobody who he's all that close to. he's not so sure about alice, but if she was sitting by the border of camp by herself and not getting ready for prom then she probably won't have many people to come looking for her.

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis glances over to where alice is pointing and well, hey, whadaya know, there's a car. "well, i'd assume that someone is driving that car. it'd be kind of terrifying if someone wasn't, honestly," he says, and, well, if alice hates him by the time they get to the city, it's not his fault she decided to ditch camp with a complete stranger.

he sticks his thumb out, praying the driver will notice them or actually have a heart and pull over for them. he doesn't quite fancy the idea of having to walk all the way to the city. no, that'd definitely suck; taleis is nowhere near athletic enough to make that trip.

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis swears under his breath, scowling at the toad as he starts walking again. it's not fair, having to walk to the city while almost everyone else who he sees leave somehow manages to get a taxi to appear out of thin air.

there's a reason his mother isn't tyche, taleis muses to himself.

"well, it's looking like we're stuck walking," taleis says, heaving out a sigh. this is not going to be fun, this is going to be very not fun. and he doesn't like it one bit. running away is supposed to be thrilling and exciting, not full of walking miles to the city so you can finally get to the excitement.

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis glances tiredly at where alice was pointing. he's the nephew of rich business...people in los angeles, it's not his fault he never had to do much walking. sure, he's been getting better since camp, but he's trying to walk all the way to new york city. it's not such a good plan, honestly, knowing his physical record.

but, yeah, that does look like a parking lot, and whereas taleis used to think he was above hijacking a car, he basically got the gist of it from the hermes campers. besides, his feet are killing him. then again, the whole becoming a wanted criminal thing doesn't seem all that nice, but his feet.

"i think i know how to hijack a car," taleis mumbles, mostly just to put the idea out there instead of just outright saying "hey, wanna hijack a car?" like, who even does that?

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

"if we get caught, i'm your hostage and had nothing to do with any of this," taleis says before shooting alice an unruly grin and breaking into a sprint to reach the parking lot. which probably was a bad decision, seeing how tired his feet were, but hey, a car, right? it's not his fault he's excited. plus it has air conditioning. taleis doesn't think he's ever appreciated air conditioning as much as he does now.

the parking lot is further away than it seems, though, and before taleis knows it he's hunched over, gasping for breath with his hands on his knees. his curly hair is even more plastered to his forehead, and it feels like his sweat is going to dry like glue and his hair will be stuck there forever. not to mention the fact that he reeks. he's starting to regret this whole decision greatly. he should have just hijacked one of the camp vans with the help of the hermes campers. he'd return it someday. probably.

can't stop,

addicted to the shindig.

taleis grins at alice again and salutes. "aye aye, captin!" he says before skipping off (skipping, it's ridiculous what adrenaline can do to a person) to distract the guard.

the thing is, taleis can already feel the adrenaline running through his veins and this, this is why he let camp. he hasn't felt the rush of adrenaline before doing something reckless and rash and stupid in forever and he's been going insane, and now that he finally has it and really, taleis can't imagine anything better than this.

"hello!" he says brightly to the guard, who just stares blankly back at him. taleis can actually see the lack of his soul. it's depressing. "my name is taleis, i was wondering if you could spare a moment for our lord and saviour jesus christ?"

the guard is staring at him, like 'dude, you've gotta be kidding me,' but this is taleis' thing, knows how to do it distract people with complete bs about jesus. even if they are devout christians. in that case they usually get into this whole conversation about how great jesus is and how much they love god. it's kind of funny, actually. and they never realize he's making fun of them, either. it's hilarious.

before he can even think about it, taleis is rambling about how great christianity is, how his life will benefit if he starts going to church and all that crap. the guard still looks soulless, but at least he's not looking at alice.