Where there's smoke // L.Valdez

Chapter four

Persephone hadn't realised she'd passed out from the pain until she woke to find Piper and Jason stood over her and Leo. Her eyes widened as she realised what had happened, and she tried to sit up quickly, only to cry out as pain spiked across her back.

"Coach-"

"Gone. Leo said he never came down." Piper explained, making sure Persephone would remain on her back. Jason moved onto another topic.

"Coach Hedge said he had to protect four people." He remembered. "I think he meant us."

"And that thing Dylan turned into." Piper shuddered. "God, I can't believe it was hitting on me. He called us... What, demigods?"

Leo lay next to Persephone, staring at the sky. He didn't seem anxious to get up and to be completely honest, nor was she. "Don't know what demi means," He said. "But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?" Persephone shook her head.

There was a sudden brittle sound, like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the sidewalk began to widen.

"We need to get off this thing," Jason told them. "Maybe if we-" He was cut off by the still slightly dazed Leo.

"Ohhh-kay, look up there and tell me those are flying horses." Persephone would love to say that, yes, Leo had just hit his head hard, but no. There actually were two horses with wings, pulling a brightly painted chariot.

"Reinforcements." Jason explained. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us."

"Extraction squad?" Leo struggled to his feet, Piper and he slowly bringing Persephone up too, letting her hang off their shoulders. "That sounds painful."

"And where are they extracting us to?" Piper asked. Persephone was hit by a wave of nausea, causing her to double over; flashes of orange, greens and blues flashes across her mind, she could almost smell strawberries and forest trees. "Whoa, Persephone-"

"They have the same t-shirts." Jason whispered to himself.

"Where is he?" Persephone heard faintly, sending her into another wave of nausea, Leo freaked out, not knowing how to help her, Piper just kept stroking her back, mindful of the bruise there.

"Where's who?" Jason countered. The girl frowned like he'd answered wrong, before her eyes moved to the others, watching Leo, Piper and a dark haired girl hunched over in pain. She studied her a second more before her eyes widened.

"Persephone!" She exclaimed, rushing over and pulling the girl out of the other's arms, holding her close. "You're here!" The nausea faded, and Persephone could finally take in the situation. She winced when the girl pressed against her back. "You're hurt." The girl seemed to scold.

"Who-" Leo began, stepping forward, but Piper put her arm out in front of him, blocking his path to help. She shook her head.

"Why are you here?" The blonde girl asked Persephone, holding her at arm's length, checking her over for injuries, of which there were a few. Persephone was stunned. "Well, say something. What's wrong Persephone?"

"I- Who are you." The blonde seemed to freeze for a second, before her face fell.

"You're joking."

"No really, what's going on, I-"

"Where is Gleeson? Where is your protector Gleeson Hedge?" She demanded from the rest of them. Leo decided to answer her, clearing his throat.

"He got taken by some... tornado things."

"Venti."

"Anemoi thuellai."

Persephone and Jason turned to the other, not familiar with the words the other used.

"Storm spirits." Jason concluded, returning his gaze back to the blonde girl, who raised a brow.

"Anemoi thuellai is the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened? And what have you done to Persephone?"

Persephone's amnesiac friend stuttered, and explained everything he could, with Persephone chipping in her own knowledge every so often, to help. Halfway through their story, a buff, bald dude came over, crossing his arms, glaring at them. Persephone caught a glimpse of a rainbow tattoo on one of his biceps, which she thought definitely looked out of place. When the two of them had finished their story, the blonde girl looked as though they didn't answer how she'd expected.

"No, no, no! She told me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer and the missing piece." The bald guy seemed to notice something.

"Annabeth." That name alone felt like a slap in the face for Persephone. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet.

Persephone hadn't realised that he only had one shoe, left foot charred and black. No presence of a sock, she noted, glancing at her own bright green ones peeking out over her high tops, pulled over her fishnets. The guy needed serious accessory assistance.

"The guy with one shoe," The bald guy continued. "He's the answer."

"No, Butch." Annabeth insisted, though Persephone saw how desperate she looked. "He can't be. I was tricked." Persephone stepped back as the girl looked up, glaring at the sky, like it had wronged her. "What do you want from me?" She screamed. Jason looked at Persephone, who looked confused and upset. Like she was heartbroken to see this girl so distraught but had no idea why she should be.

"What have you done with him?" With her final distressed question, the skywalk shuddered again, the horses starting to panic, seemingly trying to warn the six demigods. Something told Persephone that the new two were demigods, didn't even need to think about it. She just knew.

"Annabeth," Butch warned. "We gotta leave. Let's get these four to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back." Persephone could feel the anger and frustration radiating from Annabeth, though she saw her shoulders fall slightly.

"Fine." She agreed, shooting Jason a glare, like the situation was his fault entirely. "We'll settle this later." and then she turned on her heel, and marched off to the chariot. Persephone wanted to go after her, but that would be a weird thing to do, seeing as she didn't know the girl. But after that introduction, she wasn't so sure. She had amnesia after all, what if she did know the girl?

"What's her problem? What's going on?" Piper questioned aloud. Persephone could understand her confusion, but she wished the girl was a bit more understanding of Annabeth.

"Seriously." Leo added.

"She's upset, Piper, and confused." Persephone defended, staring towards Annabeth.

"We have to get you out of here," Butch dismissed their questions. "I'll explain on the way."

"I'm not going anywhere with her." Jason gestured towards the girl stood in the chariot. "She looks like she wants to kill me." The big guy thought for a moment on how to answer. Persephone shot Jason a slight disapproving look.

"Annabeth's okay. You gotta cut her some slack. She had a vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe." Butch gestured to Jason's left foot. "That was supposed to be the answer to her problem."

"What problem?" Piper asked, gently.

"She's been looking for two of our campers, who've been missing for three days." He explained. "She's going out of her mind with worry. She hoped they'd be here." His gaze lingered on Persephone, making her shift uncomfortably. Leo stepping closer behind her, hand rubbing the bruise on her arm, which he felt insanely guilty for, even if it wasn't entirely his fault.

"Who?"

"Her boyfriend, and their best friend." He said. "A guy named Percy Jackson, and a girl named Persephone Rose."