sky blue ● jason grace

me

Daria grabbed a cup of water as everyone trailed into the Mess Hall. Jason looked considerably better, there was a light in his eyes that hadn't been there before. He grinned at her as they made eye contact; she knew the feeling. She felt giddy with excitement after not seeing him for eight months.

Coach Hedge was at the helm, a war crazy faun was definitely a new concept, and the demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the eight of them. Maybe their presence should've reassured Daria, but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the Prophecy of Eight was unfolding at last. Every day was one day closer to her revelation.

The others must've felt something too. The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Percy's and Jason's powers. Daria would've thought that both of them would fight to sit at the head of the table, but Jason didn't hesitate to sit beside her. He nudged her in greeting, kissing her cheek.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic." He stared at the ceiling. "Apenas hemos comenzado y ya es un desastre."

"It'll get better soon." Daria waved a hand in Leo's general direction.

Percy frowned, "you speak Spanish?"

"And Latin," Jason added. "And like German for some reason."

"Oh, so she's a huge nerd," he teased, earning Daria's furious scowl. "Anyway, we need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

That didn't improve the mood around the table. Piper spoke up with a small, guilty voice."I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Jason shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

Piper still looked uneasy, but at this point there was nothing to be done. Daria had no time for hypotheticals. "Maybe if we could explain that, though—"

"With no proof?" Daria asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I want the Romans' trust more than anyone here, but going back is suicide."

"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies. "Reyna might listen, but Octavian won't. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hoc."

Daria's heart clenched as she thought of Reyna. Maybe this was what the Gods had meant by her betrayal, after all Reyna was, after Jason, her closest friend. There couldn't be anything worse than leaving her by herself. Of course, Reyna wasn't helpless, but she was still a teenager, and she needed her friends.

"You're right," Piper decided, as if she had given up trying to sway the decision. Daria wondered how powerful that charmspeak really was. "We have to keep going. We have to hurry."

Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"

"It's the end of the world," Daria pointed out. "I'm pretty sure she means both."

Hazel grimaced. "Maybe. But whatever it means, that's not much time."