ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

v.

Aza-Everett Malin couldn't focus on the beauty of New Rome. She assumed the architecture would give her curly-haired best friend a heart attack - terraced gardens, magnificently designed fountains and temples and cozy, cobblestone streets lined with white villas.

Instead, Aza could only think about the warmth that radiated off the son of Jupiter as he walked beside her, their elbows brushing occasionally. He pointed out different temples and spots he had memories of, like the fountain a daughter of Venus had pushed him into, and the small tool shed he had his first kiss in. Aza shot him a cheeky smile, "Are you trying to make me jealous?"

Jason shook his head instantly, spluttering out an apology, "N-no, I'm sorry, I just thought of it-"

"I don't care," Aza rolled her russet-colored eyes and she teased, "Although a piece of advice for the next date: talk a little bit less about other girls." A blush crept up the back of Jason's neck, and Aza smelled the sulfurous scent of fear ooze from the boy, like a bad-smelling cologne.

Aza placed a hand on Jason's wrist, and a tendril of fear snaked through his body, intertwining around where their flesh met before seeping into Aza's skin, bolstering the girl with enough confidence to trace her hand down, gently intertwining their fingers. Jason opened his mouth but before he could say anything Aza gave him a teasing grin, "This way you're not a nervous wreck for the next hour, yeah?"

A small smile crept at Jason's lips and he squeezed the girl's hand gently, "You're something special, Aza-Everett."

"Tell me something I don't know, Jason Grace," Aza felt that it was only fair to use his full name, seeing as he insisted on occasionally using her full first name, and her smile widened at the toothy, carefree smile he gave her. For a moment, it felt like they weren't demigods - they were just two teenagers going on a first date.

"How about we get some hot chocolate," Jason suggested, and she could tell the ghost of a memory crossed his mind by the smile that played at his lips, "I know this one café - it's amazing."

"Lead the way," Aza motioned forward and the boy led her by their interconnected hands, causing a light blush to spread across her cheeks. She quickly caught up with him, having to take twice as many steps to catch up with his longer strides, "It's beautiful here - I can't believe there's a whole community of demigods."

"Legacies, too," When Aza furrowed her eyebrows, Jason explained, "Here, demigods live long enough to have children - grandchildren, even. These children are legacies of the gods."

"Old enough to have kids?" Aza echoed, and she shook her head - it didn't make sense to her. Aza assumed she wouldn't live long enough to see her mid-twenties, but New Rome held the promise for life. Life beyond fighting monsters and saving the world, where demigods could finally rest.

"Old enough to greet your grandchildren back from a quest," Jason said, and when he cast a longing glance at the daughter of Phobos, she couldn't help but to imagine what life in New Rome would be like, raising legacies of Phobos - the thought made a gentle smile cross her face, and Jason smiled in turn, "Here we are."

"Jason Grace, as I live and breathe," the woman behind the counter gave the blonde boy a brilliant grin, revealing shiny white teeth - she hurried out and dusted off her apron before giving the boy a tight hug, "I almost thought I would never see my favorite customer again!"

Aza didn't think she had ever seen a woman as beautiful as her - she had warm, toffee colored skin and silky black hair that fell down her back in unnaturally perfect ringlets.

Before Jason could respond, the woman turned to Aza, and the daughter of Phobos' mouth parted at her beauty. She gave Aza a knowing smile and wiggled her eyebrows at Jason, "And finally, you've brought a lovely girl, you know," the woman lowered her voice, as if she were telling Aza a secret, "after that daughter of Venus pushed him into the fountain, I thought he'd given up on love. I'm Dione Martin. What's your name, my dear?"
"Aza-Everett Malin," she gave the woman a small smile, and she clapped in delight, "Am I to guess you're a daughter of Bellona?"