ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

ii.

The air around camp was tense, almost thick with the campers nerves and the thrum of anxiety that filled each of them. Aza could feel each of their anxieties swirling together in the air, creating steady waves of fear that washes over her like a metronome, hitting the girl so powerfully it almost hurt.

At first, it had felt overwhelming, and Aza felt like all the progress she had made had suddenly vanished, and she was still that same scared little girl, who was forced to carry the burden of others' fears.

But as the days went on, and Leo grew closer to completing the finishing touches on the Argo II, the warship they would take to the Bay Area to find Percy, it began to feel normal to the girl, and she no longer worried the tide of fear would sweep her off her feet.

And by the night before, Aza felt strengthened by the heavy, swirling fear in the air - as the rest of the campers sat in a thick, dreadful silence, the girl began to feel her mind clear, and the fears that had threatened to sludge up from the depths of her mind's Tartarus no longer felt like a burden; they felt like a resource.

Aza felt a pair of eyes burning into hers, and when she looked across the pavilion her deep, russet-eyes met with stormy grey. Even from the distance, Aza could see her blonde-haired best friend's anxiety subtly slipping through the cracks in the facade the daughter of Athena tried so desperately to maintain.

Her princess curls lightly bounced up and down on her collarbones from the force with which Annabeth's leg shook under the table, and Aza saw her break eye contact thrice to check her watch.

The daughter of Phobos sent her best friend what she hoped was a reassuring smile, an action which Annabeth returned half-heartedly. Aza could see the storm swirling in her eyes, and she ached to go over and comfort her friend. Annabeth glanced away, looking down at her plate through half-lidded eyes and taking a reluctant bite of her pizza.

Aza sighed, and as she turned back to face Clarisse, who sat across from her, Jason caught her gaze. His lips twitched into a smile, and his cheeks reddened slightly - though Aza couldn't tell if it was from the burning sunset, which painted the boy in a soft, warm light. She did her best to fight the blush that streaked across her cheeks, giving him a small smile in return.

He tilted his head and quirked a brow slightly, and though he didn't use any words, Aza understood what he meant immediately - are you okay? She nodded, the left corner of her lip twitching upwards, and she tilted her head towards him, raising her brows - are you?

Jason shrugged lightly, and his lips pursed slightly - I'm kind of nervous. Aza nodded, and she reciprocated the motions, but then added a soft smile and nodded her head towards him - it'll be okay; I'm here for you. Jason's lips twitched, and small dimples formed on his cheeks - Aza thought they were adorable, and the thought only made her blush burn brighter. She looked back down at her plate, trying to suppress the wide smile that threatened to tug at her lips.

"Stop with the love-sick puppy faces," Clarisse let out a groan, and she snapped her fingers in front of Aza's face, making the girl jump slightly. "It's nauseating."

Aza's brows sewed together, and a sneer pulled at her lips as she reached forward and flicked the tip of Clarisse's nose, causing the girl's face to redden and her face scrunch together, a dangerous gleam in her earthen brown eyes. A low snarl came from her lips, "Do that again."

Aza always wondered why Clarisse would say that each time the slightly younger girl hit her - they both knew full well the daughter of Phobos wouldn't back down, unlike most of the other campers Clarisse was able to frighten.

The left corner of her lip twitched upwards, and Aza leaned forward again to flick the girl's nose. With reflexes faster than Aza often gave the girl credit for, Clarisse reached up and grasped Aza's wrist tightly before she could reach fully. A hiss of aggravation slipped past Aza's lips, and her voice came out in a low, threatening growl, "Let go of me."