"Jen! Jen!"

I woke up with TS right in my face. "Wha-?" I sat up and tried to gather my thoughts. TS bounced on the bed with adorable, puppy-like enthusiasm. At least, it would have been adorable if he hadn't been almost crushing me. I realized he looked more worried than enthusiastic and immediately thought that something bad had happened.

"Hurry up! Get up! The bus leaves in five minutes!" he cried, before I could start to panic.

"The bus?"

"To Machu Picchu! I forgot to set my bloody alarm!"

Now I was awake. I realized that I hadn't set mine, either. I scrambled out of bed and looked around before realizing I didn't have my suitcase.

"Oh shoot, my clothes are in my room!"

"Then we'll get them!" TS bounded off of the bed and immediately yelped in pain. Even though he was hurt, I couldn't resist being amused at how much like a dog he sounded as a human. He sat down on the bed and stuck his leg out. "Bugger. That hurt."

The door to the bathroom opened, and Thomas stuck his head out. The door was open just wide enough for me to see that he only wore boxers. I quickly turned away. "Tethys, we have to hike all day. I know it doesn't hurt anymore, but please go easy on your leg."

"Sorry," TS said petulantly.

"Oh, Jen... you're awake." Thomas closed the bathroom door without another word.

TS snorted in amusement, and I was sure I was blushing. TS stood and rocked from foot to foot. Then, he grinned.

"That's better. Just landed on it wrong. Tom, I'm going to take Jen to her room. Meet you at the bus!" He didn't raise his voice at all, but I knew Thomas could probably hear him easily.

TS waited outside my door, while I changed. We were the last three to get on the bus and couldn't sit together. The ride wasn't very long, but I was starving by the time we reached the train station. I was already glad that we were going to have breakfast on the train, but as soon as I climbed aboard, I was thrilled. I'd been expecting a crowded commuter train. Instead, it looked like a dining room. There were huge booths with tables between them all along the car. I slid into one and nearly sank into the cushion.

"This is great," I said.

"Yeah, it is," Thomas agreed. "That side," he added.

"Mind?" TS asked as he sat down. Thomas settled in across from us. Did Thomas not want to sit next to me? "If I'm not facing front I'll get sick."

"Why didn't you bring the stuff you're taking for seasickness?" Thomas said.

"I didn't think I'd be on a train facing the wrong way."

That explained why TS was sitting next to me instead of Thomas. A waitress came by to take our orders, and she and TS chatted in Spanish.

"How do you do that?" Thomas grumbled.

"I'm taking Spanish."

"For a month, same as me! I didn't understand a word of that. Except agua. Did you say agua?"

"Yes. I was ordering breakfast," TS said.

Thomas shook his head, looking amused. "I don't know how you pick up languages so fast. Or how you keep from mixing them up. Every time I try to say anything in Spanish, half of it comes out Japanese."

TS only laughed. A few minutes later, we were on our way. Thomas and TS both seemed to be in good moods. We ate breakfast, and soon, we were flying along past mountains and rope bridges. I lay back when I was done eating, and the motion of the train nearly lulled me to sleep. It looked like most of the people on the train were sleeping.

"How's your stomach?" I asked softly.

Instead of answering, Thomas lifted his shirt. My jaw nearly dropped. The horrible, gaping wound was gone. There was nothing left but a small scar that looked like it was several years old.

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"Will the scar fade, too?" I gasped in awe.

Thomas nodded. "It'll probably be gone by tonight."

"Wow."

He leaned back with a yawn. "Excuse me. This train is making me sleepy."

"Me too," I agreed.

"Well, we've got three hours," TS said. He stretched out and closed his eyes.

I spent a few more minutes looking out the window, but soon, I fell asleep too. When I woke up, we were rumbling into the station. The mountain with Machu Picchu at the top loomed over us, and we climbed onto a bus for the final leg of the trip. It was the most harrowing ride of my life.

"I'm gonna hurl," TS groaned as the bus whipped around a tiny corner.

Out the window, I could see all the way down the mountain. The tiny, twisting road we had come up peeked in and out of the trees. The bus swerved, narrowly missing a bus coming down the mountain, and everyone screamed.

TS slid out of his seat and practically curled up on the floor with a groan.

"It was only supposed to take an hour to walk up, right?" Thomas asked. "I really wish I'd opted for that."

I peered nervously out of the window, as the bus went along a straight section of road. "I think I can see the bottom."

"Bloody hell, don't say that," TS whimpered.

After what seemed like hours, the bus pulled onto a wider road and came to a stop.

"That was something I never want to experience again," Thomas said. He nudged TS with his foot. "Get up, we lived."

As we got off the bus, I spotted a few people jokingly kissing the ground. We joined the group walking up to the main gates. It wasn't a very steep hike, but by the time I reached the top, I felt a little out of breath from the altitude. Then, I found myself looking out over Machu Picchu.

"Oh, wow," I breathed.

"This is fantastic," Thomas agreed.

"Brilliant... Can we sit down now?" TS panted. I noticed he had a hand pressed to his ribs, and the reminder of what waited for us on the ship dimmed my enthusiasm a bit. He didn't wait for an answer, but sat right down where he was. His tongue lolled out happily. "Much better."

While we waited for the rest of our group to gather, I knelt down next to TS. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Still a bit sore, and the altitude isn't helping."

Thomas patted him on the head. It probably looked to other people like he was just messing around, but I could tell it made TS feel better. Soon, our tour guide met us, and we spent the next hour on a guided tour. It was fairly slow going, which seemed to annoy a lot of people, but I was glad that it was easier on TS. At last, we were free to explore on our own. Most of the group headed for the large terraces and spread out on the grass. The moment we found a place, TS sprawled out on his back and closed his eyes. Even though clouds mostly hid the sun, he reminded me of a happy dog in a warm, sunny spot. I settled in near him with my legs dangling over the huge step below us, and Thomas sat next to me.

"Great view, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah."

We sat quietly for a while, just relaxing and taking it all in.

"What is that?" TS said suddenly.

"What?" I asked, turning.

He pointed up into the sky. "That."

I looked up and saw a bird circling. It was huge. "I think it's a condor!" I said eagerly.

"Looks too big to be a condor," TS answered. "I think it's a roc."

"A what?"

"A roc."

Thomas looked up, then immediately squeezed his eyes shut and winced in pain. "Oh, that was stupid," he groaned. He rubbed his eyes and blinked them open. To my surprise, they were watering. "I didn't realize the sun was out."

"I thought the sun didn't bother you," I said softly.

"It doesn't exactly bother me. I mean, obviously I've got no problems being out in it. But unlike some lucky people," he inclined his head in TS’s direction as he spoke, "my eyes don't change during the day, so they're pretty sensitive to light. I like a good, sunny day as much as the next guy, but only if I've got sunglasses. Cloudy days like this are great, unless I look into the sky like an idiot." He shaded his eyes and squinted up into the sky. "I think you're right, though. That is a roc."

A few facts from a mostly forgotten mythology class clicked into place. "Wait, a roc? The giant bird that eats elephants? That's a myth, isn't it?"

"The witch is asking the vampire and a werewolf if a big bird is real?" TS asked.

I blushed. "Well... I mean..."

"Yes," Thomas said with a chuckle. "It is real. Although the elephant eater is the African Roc, which I'd love to see some day." He put a hand above his eyes again and looked back up. "That's a South American Roc. They're smaller."

"But still neat to see," TS said.

"Yeah," Thomas agreed. "I bet he's checking out the llamas."

I looked back up at the circling bird. "He's big enough to eat a llama?"

"Absolutely."

A couple of people nearby had their binoculars trained on the sky. "Don't non-magics see him? Wouldn't they notice an enormous bird catching a llama?"

Thomas shook his head. "Most magical beings have a few defense mechanisms to keep non-magics from noticing. Right now, all they see is a large bird. They can't tell how large."

"But wouldn't they still see a large bird pick up a llama and fly away with it?"

"From what I understand, the illusion only works so well. If the roc gets too close, even non-magics will be able to see it. But, most magical animals are a lot smarter than non-magic ones. That roc knows there are non-magics down here. It won't come too close. But if it does... Well, legends have to start somewhere."

The roc circled for a few more minutes and glided away, out of sight. Not long after that, our group went to go get lunch, risked our lives to take the bus back down the mountain, and then had free time to shop. We wandered the market, and I bought a few souvenirs and postcards. As the day wore on, I started to worry about TS. He'd started limping earlier in the afternoon, and by the time we were ready to get back on the train, he was obviously in pain again. When we boarded the train, he sat heavily down in the first booth.

"My leg is killing me," he groaned. "I can't wait until sunset."

"Just a few more minutes," Thomas said.