𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒༄ • Jᴀsᴏɴ Gʀᴀᴄᴇ

Chapter 22

She'd imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but Phoebe had set up this silver tent pavilion thing right outside the cave. How she'd done it so fast, she had no idea, but inside was a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper looked back to normal, decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter. She and Hedge and Phoebe were kicking back, drinking hot chocolate.

"Oh, no way," Leo said. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of.

Freya stifled her laughter, and Leo gave her a look.

"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia said. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate. "

Phoebe grumbled, but soon Freya, Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes that were incredibly lightweight and warm. The hot chocolate was first-rate.

"Cheers!" said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup.

"That cannot be good for your intestines," Leo said.

"I don't think he really cares," Snorted Freya.

Thalia patted Piper on the back. "You up for moving?"

Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles. "

Thalia smiled and turned to Freya. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one. "

"Oh yeah, she's a lion," Freya winked at her, and Piper stuck her tongue out.

"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteered. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it. "

Naturally, Thalia ignored him. Piper however, was looking between the two of them, her face scrunched up in confusion. Freya looked away and prayed that this wouldn't cause any more drama, because they already had enough.

It took Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which Freya found quite impressive. The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, Jason and the rest coming after her.

Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on with a tone that made Freya want to scratch his eyes out. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo—"

"Let's not," Thalia snapped.

"For the sake of my sanity," Agreed Freya.

They ran in silence.

Freya fell next to Jason at the back of the group. She scanned the look on his face, and just as she had expected, it was not good.

"Are you alright?" She asked cautiously.

Jason sighs. "I don't know what I was expecting. But...it wasn't this."

Freya frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Thalia takes it so calmly," He said. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but ... she's not like me. She seems so much more together. "

"Yeah," Freya smiled fondly. "That's Thalia alright."

"And that's another thing." Added Jason. "It's still not registered into my brain that you guys knew each other."

At that, she had no answer. Finally, after a while, she cast a small glance at him, to find him already looking at her.

She sighed. Look Jason, maybe it may seem like Thalia's more put together, but that's because she's had more time to get used to this whole demigod thing. And you can't just ignore the fact that she's like, twenty something."