SAFE . . . reyna ramirez-arellano

12 - dreaming ( the sequel )

BRIAR DIDN'T RELAX until the glow of Quebec City faded behind them.

"You were amazing," Jason told her.

All she could think about was the trouble ahead. Evil things are stirring, Zethes had warned them. She knew that firsthand. The closer they got to the solstice, the less time Briar had to make her decision.

She told Jason in French: "No."

"No?" he repeated.

"No," Briar agreed.

"Bri—"

"I only talked to Boreas. It wasn't so amazing."

"Hey," he said, "you saved me from joining Khione's subzero hero collection. I owe you one."

That was definitely the easy part, she thought. There was no way Briar would've let that ice witch keep Jason. What bothered Briar more was the way Boreas had changed form, and why he'd let them go. It had something to do with her and Jason's past, the tattoos on their arms. Boreas assumed they were some sort of Roman, and Romans didn't mix with Greeks. She kept waiting for Jason to offer an explanation, but he clearly didn't want to talk about it.

And, honestly? Briar couldn't blame him. She didn't want to talk about it as much as he did.

Leo passed them some sandwiches from his pack. He'd been quiet ever since they'd told him what happened in the throne room. "I still can't believe Khione," he said. "She looked so nice."

"Trust me, Leo," Jason said. "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."

Briar wiggled her eyebrows at Jason and Leo, but the latter didn't look pleased or flustered. He hadn't said much about his time in the palace, or why the Boreads had singled him out for smelling like fire. She got the feeling he was hiding something. Whatever it was, his mood seemed to be affecting Festus, who grumbled and steamed as he tried to keep himself warm in the cold Canadian air. Happy the Dragon was not so happy.

They ate their sandwiches as they flew. Briar had no idea how Leo had stocked up on supplies, but her ham, cheese, and avocado sandwich was fucking awesome.

Nobody talked. Whatever they might find in Chicago, they all knew Boreas had only let them go because he figured they were already on a suicide mission.

The moon rose and stars turned overhead. Briar's eyes started to feel heavy. The encounter with Boreas and his children had scared her more than she wanted to admit. Now that she had a full stomach, her adrenaline was fading.

She tried to stay awake. She has bigger problems than staying awake.

She was a traitor, just like Silena Beauregard. It was only a matter of time before her friends found out.

She looked up at the stars and thought about a night long ago.

Briar shot awake from a nightmare. She shivered and looked around, but she only saw Piper asleep in the bed next to her. She rubbed her eyes and shoved her blankets off of her before stepping quietly out the door and out of the barracks to, naturally, the gardens of Bacchus.

She sat and looked down at the fountain of water, twisting the ring that Reyna had given her around her finger.

"I have a present," Reyna cleared her throat, a week after she'd accepted Briar's proposal to be her girlfriend. Briar had looked over, and the amount of giddiness that had erupted every time she heard Reyna's voice was far too much to fit in her tiny body.

"Haven't you spoiled me enough?" Briar teased, throwing a basketball up and down. It probably was dangerous considering she was lying down, but she's talented. She caught it easily.