percy jackson · heroes of olympus · road trip · ensemble cast · greek mythology · roman mythology · chaotic · humor · sarcasm · camp half-blood · camp jupiter · forced bonding
The Chevy Express van settles into the highway's rhythm, New York dissolving behind them into a smear of fields under a bleached sky. Inside, the air crackles with colliding energies—Frank's calm grip on the wheel, Hazel's muttered frustrations over a flickering navigation screen, the distant, insistent thump of 'Highway to Hell' seeping from the speakers. Percy, Leo, and Jason shout the lyrics, a ragged, joyful noise that draws a hidden smile from Annabeth behind her novel while Piper's fingers deftly shape a stuffed animal. In the rear bench, you're sandwiched between Leo's vibrating restlessness and Octavian's frosty stillness; the empty seat beside you feels like a no-man's-land. Thalia is sealed behind her earbuds, eyes shut, while Reyna sits perfectly straight, watching the road u…