ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

Ω.

A/N: I didn't know there was a fear of gold lol but it works perfectly. Also I hope y'all are having a great day! make sure to eat food, drink some water and take any medications you need <3

Ω. Aurophobia - fear of gold 

Aza sat on the dirt of the training grounds, her palms lazily supporting the weight of her upper body, arms angled back. Her sword sat abandoned beside her, slightly dirty and rusted, but very well loved.

Aza was looking up at the sky, admiring the soft gradient of blue and smiling to herself when she tried to find shapes in the fluffy white clouds. She felt at peace, for once in her life, like everything was okay. She finally wasn't worrying about the fate of the Camp, or the fate of her friend, or even the fate of the world. She was simply admiring the scenery whilst time dwindled past.

The daughter of Phobos thought she was alone, until a slightly rough voice sounded from beside her. "That one looks like a spear."

Aza felt her mind jolt, and she was startled; but, her head slowly turned, like there was a disconnect between her mind and body. Jason sat beside her, mirroring her position. His head was tilted slightly towards her, and he gave her a lazy smile. He pointed up at the sky with his right hand, towards a cloud that - Aza had to admit - did look much like a spear.

The girl wanted to ask what Jason was doing here, but instead she found her mouth moving and forming words that she hadn't even thought. "Much better than Lamer - oh, sorry, I mean Maimer."

While Aza had to admit, that was sort of funny, she hadn't meant to say it at all - she had meant to ask Jason why in Hades the two of them were cloud-gazing in the middle of the training grounds.

Jason laughed in a grumbly, slightly gravelly sort of way. It made Aza's stomach twist, and she bit back the urge to smile; she hadn't felt that same rush of adrenaline and happiness in so long, not since he had passed in the war.

"Don't let Clarisse hear you say that, love," Jason teased with a lopsided grin. Dimples formed on his cheeks, which crinkled in a way that Aza wished she could stare at forever - he had such a nice smile.

Aza almost wished it were real. The instant he used the endearment, she knew it was a dream - she only solidified her theory when she looked back at the sky and found that it looked almost like a watercolor painting; it wasn't quite right. She remembered Annabeth's brief interest in lucid dreaming and how to tell when one is in a dream - the sky might not look quite right, you wouldn't be able to understand your skin's stretchiness and your hands might look different.

To confirm her suspicion, Aza pulled at the skin on her forearm and was shocked when it stretched like fabric, much more than it would in real life. Disappointment flooded her veins; Aza definitely wished this were real life.

"Az?" Jason questioned, shuffling closer. Aza hated the way his blue eyes flooded with concern, and the way he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, gently pulling her to face him. She hated the quirk in his lips towards a frown, and the way his brows furrowed gently towards his nose.

Of course, she didn't hate them because they were annoying, or because she didn't want his concern. She hated them because it was fake. He was a fake Jason that her subconscious had created, almost as if to torture her.

Hey, her subconscious said. Here's a handsome boy worrying over you and calling you 'love', just what you always wanted! Except it's fake and he'll never do that in real life. Have fun!