Catching Lightning | Jason Grace

ii

☀️☀️☀️

Usually, Aurora was the loudest person in the room. She couldn't help it, her voice naturally carried across whatever space she was in. But even with the wind and her drumming on the side of the chariot, Leo's chattering was the only thing to be heard.

"This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood?" Piper sounded as if she wanted to toss Annabeth overboard. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half-god, half-mortal."

"You're picking this up fast," Aurora pointed out. "Took me, like, three days."

"You do seem to know a lot, Jason." Annabeth agreed. "But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Rory is the daughter of Apollo-"

"God of being overdramatic." Aurora cut her off.

"More commonly known as god of the sun, right?" Jason cracked a smile.

"Among other things," Annabeth nodded. "Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

Leo chocked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"

Butch looked at Leo from the corner of his eye. "Got a problem with that?"

"No, no. Rainbows. Very macho."

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.

"Hey!" Aurora slapped his shoulder. "Off my chariot."

"It's the Apollo cabin's."

"I'm in the Apollo cabin."

"I'm convinced," Jason said. Aurora gestured at him dramatically while Butch grumbled under his breath.

"Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're... you think we're-"

She was cut off as lighting flashed through the sky. Aurora never considered that her chariot might have been sentient, but when it started to shutter she figured it must have been as shocked as her.

"Left wheel's on fire!" Jason said.

Aurora grabbed onto the side of the chariot and looked down at the burning wheel. "Not my chariot!"

"It's not your chariot!" Butch yelled at her, urging the pegasi forward.

"Shut up and save it!"

The wind roared and dark clouds formed behind them, storm spirits took the shapes of horses and spiraled towards the chariot.

"Why are they-" Piper started to ask.

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth explained. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are."

"Hold on." Aurora's hand went to her necklace and Piper leaned back in shock when a bow appeared in her hand and she grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back. "This isn't gonna be pretty."

Butch flicked the reigns. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Aurora knocked an arrow and aimed toward the storm spirits.

"You mind flying straight?"

"Quit backseat driving!"

"Start driving good then." Aurora let the arrow loose and it flew through the vapor mane of the storm spirit.