reflection ● jason grace

Oops.

It was two days later that Clara had enough energy to talk to them.

True to her word, Mrs. Vargas brought in this friend of hers to help Clara get adjusted. Normally, you would have to wait a couple of weeks before you got fitted for these 'prosthetics', and even with the power of ambrosia, Clara still had to wait a week.

The three of them squashed together on the coffee table so they could be close to her. She had a glazed look to her, one that didn't match the girl Daria had known for 5 years. But she was alive, so Daria held her tongue. Almost.

"You should get some rest," Jason said standing. "We need to head out this afternoon."

Clara touched Daria's hand with her own. "Thanks, all of you. For not..."

Nathan interrupted her. He had been trying to come up with a compromise with his mother so that he could come back to camp. It was decided that he would stay with his mother some summers, and stay at camp for the rest of the year. It was so simple that a toddler could have figured it out, but it was a weight lifted off of Nathan's shoulders.

"For what? For not leaving you to die?" Nathan was blunt, as always. "Don't be ridiculous."

Daria patted her hand. She would need her strength, however they chose to get back to Berkeley. "Take care, my heart; you have been through worse than this."

"I really haven't," Clara said with a small, sharp laugh. "But thanks, Dars."

"Come on, Homer," Jason snickered. "Let's get some breakfast."

"I've taken a couple of days off," Mrs. Vargas announced as they walked into the modern kitchen. It had a sleek black backsplash and high tech appliances. Jason poured himself a cup of coffee and joined Daria at the breakfast bar. "To drive you down to camp."

"A couple of days?" Nathan asked, perusing around the kitchen with seemingly no goal in sight. "It takes 6 hours and 2 minutes to get there."

"Showoff," Daria grumbled. She stretched, feeling slightly odd in the clothes she was wearing. Her choices were either young Nathan's basketball shorts or Mrs. Vargas's fancy doctor pants. Daria didn't have a problem with either, but she had worn a purple Camp Jupiter shirt for most of her life.

"Mom," Nathan said seriously. "Please tell me you're not planning on staying in New Rome."

"Give her a break, man," Jason leaned his elbows on the granite. "Six hours is a long drive."

"God, you are such a suck up," Nathan whined, finally deciding on a banana and yogurt. Daria gave him puppy dog eyes until he relented and grabbed two of each.

"Thank you, Jason," Mrs. Vargas said without looking up. She was rapidly typing something on her phone which made Daria jealous that they weren't allowed at camp. "And of course I'm not staying. Mortals aren't allowed inside. You should know that."

"I wouldn't know," Nathan shot back. "Because most mothers don't drive their kids to camp!"

Daria smirked at Jason. "Now, why can't you be this polite in front of the Senate?"

Jason hummed. His normally brushed hair looked weird when it was so out of place; Daria kind of liked it that way. "First of all, Leila loves me-"

Nathan snorted. "No, she doesn't."

"She does, but even if she doesn't, Mitch does."

"Mitch doesn't count," Daria pointed out. "And I think he just finds you funny to laugh at."

Jason frowned. "Does anyone like me?"

"Daria," Nathan offered.

"No."