Chapter 23: The Lake

By the time the bus reached their stop, Drake and Erika had both fallen asleep on the bus, and jolted awake when they felt the vehicle lurch to a halt to let people off. They got up and walked off the bus, which let them off just two blocks from Erika's house.

"So...your house, or mine?" asked Erika
"Well, we're closer to yours...but it's your choice. It's been a long day...we should get somewhere and rest up a bit." said Drake
"My house it is, then." beamed Erika, leading the way.

Upon entering Erika's house, they both did a quick check for signs of life before settling into the living room and plopping down on the couch. Erika procured a book seemingly from thin air and Drake sat, stroking her hair while she read. "So," she started "When do you wanna tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" asked Erika
"What do you mean? About today, with Triton and all?" asked Drake
"Exactly." said Erika "Fill me in on what happened after that vile woman and Fern attacked me."
"So you noticed it was her, did you?" he started "Well, Triton took us to his...place, and then he told me all about Pos..er, Neptune, and where we can find him. He doesn't know where Zeus is...but Neptune should. I think they have some sort of system where only one other one of them knows their location...like, they all know where they are, and the location of one other...and you have to track them all down to find them all."
"Well...where is Neptune then?"
"Apparently, he's in or near Lake Okeechobee." said Drake, amused.
"Hmmm, well, he is supposed to be the god of water." she said
"Technically, the sea...but water is more accurate." Drake said. "But this makes it a lot easier for us to find him...being that Okee is only like 2 hours away...depending on the route you take."
"I wouldn't know...I've never been anywhere near there."
"Well, I've got a few friends there...they used to live around here but they moved to the lake area when their dad opened a new branch of the family business...a boating shop."
"Well that's cool...you can just say you're going to visit them, so your parents won't suspect anything, right?"
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking...but what about you?"
"I'll just say I'm going to the lake with some friends for the weekend or something...my parents don't really care too much about stuff like that." said Erika, droping her head a little.

Saturday came and with it brought a new adventure for Drake and Erika. Drake got the car for the weekend, his parents were gone to their high school reunion and only needed one. They headed out down I-275 and hit I-4, then went down I-75 until they found the right exit to take them across the state. It had been an hour and a half and they were still on the West coast, so Erika was getting a little impatient.

"I thought you said it's only like 2 hours to the lake?" she said
"Relax, Erika...it's been an hour and a half and we've covered most of the ground...but ti might be 2 and a half hours...depending on the traffic along the main roads."

Sure enough, an hour later, They were parked on the shore of the lake, looking out and taking in the sights. The lake sparkled in the sunlight, nearly blinding Drake when he stepped out from behind the tinted windows of the Highlander.

"So, where do you think he is?" asked Drake
"No idea...he could be anyone...anywhere. You remember how Triton was disguised, right?"
"True...hey, there's an old man in a fishing boat out in the middle of the lake...you see him?" asked Erika.
"Yeah...you think that could be him?"
"I think there's a good chance." she said, just as a young couple jogged past them, the man wearing a blue wetsuit and the girl in a skimpy bikini that looked like the "how to wash" tag was the biggest piece of material on it. They kept going a few yards and came to a stop at the lake's edge, where the girl sat down on a blanket and he picked up a rope cuff off the beach and strapped it to himself, then hauled the windsurfing board off the beach and into the water, where he took off and headed towards the center of the lake.

Drake and Erika walked along the beach a while, they ahd dressed appropriately with shorts and T-shirts with their swimsuits underneath. Flipflops clacking in the sand, they trudged along the edge of the lake, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious and trying to get a better look at the old man in the rowboat. They finally got out of the direct sunlight when they approached the North side of the lake, after a half hour's walk. Suddenly, Drake stopped dead in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" asked Erika
"Well, I was just looking out there and I saw that windsurfer again...but I realized...there's no wind today. I know for sure there was no wind by the shore when we first saw him...his sail didn't even blow or anything." said Drake pointedly.
"Yeah...I guess, but we don't know about out on the lake...there's bound to be some wind."
"Yeah, maybe...but I know there wasn't any before...did he seem at all odd to you?"
"Well...He looked young...but he looked old for his age, if that makes sense."
"Exactly what I was thinking...he looks younger than he probably is...like, a lot younger. I'm beginning to think that the old man is just that...an old fisherman who likes it out on the lake." said Drake
"You might have a point...maybe we should try and talk to him...see if we can pick up on anything." said Erika, turning around.
"Yeah," said Drake, following and heading back towards the car. "I'll keep an eye on him, hopefully he'll be near the shore when we get there."

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"But why would they come here, Belinka? I don't see anything remotely important looking here...it looks like they're just here to goof off and frolic in the sun." said Fern, looking out from her high collared jacket.
The radio pipped back 'I'm not one hundred percent sure either, Fern...but I know something important is in the area...I just don't know what."
Fern glanced abck at Drake and Erika, they had turned around. "They're turned around...looks like they're going back to the car."
"Well, looks like you should move in closer." said Belinka over the radio

Fern palmed the oar and started rowing, her fishing line trailing behind her boat. She noticed the windsurfer make another pass by her. He seemed to have some sort of fascination with Fern, or at least she thought so. "Odd...there's no wind out here right now...how is he moving so fast?" she mumbled to herself while continuing to row.

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"Hey, look, the old man is heading in to shore too, it looks like. I guess we might be able to get two birds with one stone, eh?" said Erika
"Yeah, I guess...have you noticed that the wurfer keeps circling past the boat? It's like he's keeping an eye on him." said Drake
"Yeah, I saw that...weird. Maybe they know each other or something."

Right about the time they got within shouting distance of the surfer's girlfriend, they noticed that he was heading for shore too. He pulled up on the beach right as they got about 20 feet away. Drake decided to make his move.

"Hey! Excuse me, sir...how's the wind out there? We were thinking of going out there later on if the wind's decent." asked Drake

The man stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and looked Drake dead in the eye, then looked at Erika. His eyes widened ever so slightly when he saw Erika. "Well, the wind's starting to die down right now...it might nto be a good time to go out there, or you could get stuck." he said. "I haven't seen you two around here before...new in town?" he asked them
"Well, we're from out of town, actually, visiting some friends of his." said Erika, nodding at Drake.
"Ah, whereabouts might you be from, then?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"Err, we're from Tampa, just drove down today." said Drake

The man thought a second, then stepped in closer, where his girlfriend couldn't hear.
"Did my son send you to see me, kids?" he asked


END CH 23