reflection ● jason grace

Nathan breaks the law

Daria had never seen Nathan so quiet.

They followed him through the crowded streets of L.A. It seemed like he knew exactly where he was going. He had grown up here, so Daria wasn't very surprised, but you would think he'd be more excited to come back to his home city.

Daria wasn't very good at comforting people, neither was Jason, so they just shot glances at each other like, are you going to say something?

Of course, this was why they brought Clara along. "Why do you know so much about this pawn shop, Nathan?"

The boy in question ducked his head to pass through the people quicker. He must be in a hurry to get to this pawnshop. "It used to be my uncle's," he answered gruffly.

"Used to be?" Jason asked curiously. "What happened to him?"

"He died."

Daria shot Jason another look, socking him in the arm. He elbowed her back, hissing. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Your uncle was a legacy, right?" Clara asked as they walked through Hollywood. They definitely didn't fit it, a couple of kids dressed in jeans and purple shirts among the richest people in the country, but no one paid them much attention.

"Uh huh. His grandma was Minerva, you know, when she still had kids."

"Wait, Nate," Daria was confused. "If Minerva's your uncle's grandmother, wouldn't she also be your mom's grandma?"

Jason frowned. "What?"

"Mom's adopted," he grumbled. He stopped, jutting his head to the next street. There was a small shop that read, ANGEL TATTOOS AND ANTIQUES. "That's it."

"We can't spend more than an hour here," Jason warned them. "We have to be back by sundown."

Clara huffed. "Thank you, Captain Obvious." She marched across the street leaving Jason gaping at her in disbelief.

"Did she just...?"

Nathan patted Jason's shoulder, his lip twitching. "Yeah man, one of these days she's going to kill you."

Jason raised his eyebrows, pushing Nathan's hand off him. "If she's killing me, you're going down too."

Daria tapped her foot impatiently. "Can we just go inside?"

Nathan's expression faltered again. "Yeah," he mumbled, pushing the door open. Daria and Jason exchanged another glance and followed.

The store definitely looked antiquated. The floor was covered with a green carpet that had a bunch of stains on it, and the walls had posters that were bright and flashy.

The bell on the door rang as they entered, but it didn't matter, Clara was already animatedly talking to the guy over the counter. He was bald and several feet taller than her, wearing an ugly orange shirt and a chain with a crystal hanging right above his sternum. The guy looked like a total hippie.

Daria put her elbows on the counter, cutting Clara off from what was probably a very polite conversation. "We're looking for a special die," she looked behind him at the back shelves. "Do you have it?"

He glanced up from Clara. "Demigods...always so impatient." He stuck his hand out to her. "The name's Carl."

She shook it hastily. "Nice to meet you. Now, the die."

"Woah, hold on a second, Dars." Jason looked the man over with a wolfish gaze. "How did you know we were demigods?"

"Oh, I've got a wee bit of godly blood in myself," Carl hummed to himself, apparently ignoring Jason as a threat. Not smart. "My dad's a faerie, you see. A nymph. And my mum's the daughter of Mars."