ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

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Aza wished that they had somehow gotten the luck to hurtle from the sky above a bouncy-castle store, but their luck was never that good. She got the sudden vision of her body impaled on a barbed-wire fence, and nearly threw up.

They were still so high in the sky that hitting the ground would flatten them when Jason groaned, "I can't--"

All Aza had the time to think was, "Shit." The four dropped like stones, hurtling towards the ground at at speed that made it feel like Aza's face was peeling back. She could only vaguely make out the warehouses coming closer and closer. A scream somehow tore its way through her throat, fighting the air that was rushing towards her and coming out as a nauseatingly strangled sound. She vaguely saw a blonde and purple streak - Jason - grab onto the closest person to him, trying to at least minimize the casualties.

All of Aza's senses blurred together when she crashed into the roof of the largest warehouse, shattering it instantly and creating a crater like an asteroid in the floor. Her senses all blurred together, and Aza's body felt like it was buzzing and vibrating. She could only distantly hear the sounds of other thumps and crashes when her companions landed, and could just barely feel the ache in her spine and the pain in her left arm.

"Aza?" She heard someone call for her, and heard footsteps echoing throughout the warehouse.

Her throat felt painfully dry, and her brain was too scrambled to process anything. She wanted to call out for help, but she couldn't even force her mouth open, let alone make any sounds.

"She fell first," Aza heard Leo call back. She heard the rattling of metal, and heard Jason respond, "You help Piper. I'll find Aza."

"What, do I look like a nurse?" Leo responded, but he must have relented because he soon heard him mutter soothing things.

"Aza-Everett?" Jason called once more. Aza didn't even notice the waver in his voice, nor the way it cracked as he wandered around the dimly-lit warehouse, looking for his body.

Jason could only pray that she was still alive. He felt the guilt eating him alive; if only he had been able to control the winds more, if only he were stronger - if only he had grabbed her instead of the closest person to him. He couldn't imagine if she were dead - he had only known her for two days, and yet he already relied on her so much. He couldn't do this quest without someone who actually knew what they were doing. Honestly, he didn't know if he could carry on without knowing that her russet-colored eyes, swirling with some uncertain mist, were always watching him, keeping on eye on him.

Aza heard his footsteps grow closer and closer. She wanted to call out for him, but all she could manage was a rattled breath. The footsteps suddenly became faster, and Jason called out once more, "Aza? Was that you?"

She whimpered. The footsteps became thuds as Jason ran to her, spotting the faint glow of her neon orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. He sighed in relief, kneeling beside her body. His blue eyes glowed with concern as he assessed her condition.

She was sprawled out on her back, and her left arm was bent awkwardly, beginning to turn a rather unappealing shade of purple-red. Yellow bruises were already forming all over her body, transitioning to a bright green.

"Shit, Aza," Jason breathed, running his hand gently over her arm. He quickly removed it when she let out a pained whimper, giving her an apologetic glance. The way her russet eyes glossed over physically pained him; they were no longer bright and shiny, but instead dull and lifeless. The swirling mist that shone through them was even heavier, as if she could no longer combat it.

"I don't even... I don't know what to do." He cursed, glancing around. He had never felt more useless in his life - or, at least he didn't think he had (not that he would remember) - as he gazed down at the deeply injured daughter of Phobos. He had caused this, he was the reason she was so injured; and now, he couldn't even help heal her.

Aza tried to instruct him, but she only managed to gasp out awkwardly. She felt like she couldn't breath, still recovering from the impact. She managed to twitch her right finger, trying to signal Jason towards her orange Camp Half-Blood backpack that had landed some ten feet beside her.

"What?" Jason asked, looking down at her right hand. Her index finger twitched again, and she again pointed to the bag. He followed the line from her finger, spotting her back and quickly retrieving it.

"What do you need?" Jason asked, forgetting that Aza wouldn't be able to answer. He sighed and opened the bag, pulling out her belongings one-by-one. A small pile of knives, food and deodorant lay on the ground beside him when he finally pulled out her small thermos of nectar.

Aza gave an excited gasp, and Jason's lips twitched, unscrewing the cap and giving it a small sniff. Jason shuffled on his knees closer to Aza's head, gently sliding his hand under it. He cupped his palm around the curve of the back of her head, slowly lifting it up.

Aza opened her mouth, and Jason gently tipped the thermos closer, letting the golden liquid slowly trickle into her mouth. Aza mentally considered how much nectar she was consuming, closing her mouth when she drew the line - she didn't particularly want her insides to burn up. She instantly felt stronger, and her senses grew stronger. The ringing in her ears stopped, and her vision was no longer blurred. Some nectar trickled onto her closed lips and down her chin before Jason straightened it, screwing the cap back on. He grabbed the bottom of his purple shirt and gently wiped her mouth and chin.

"Thanks," Aza managed to say, swallowing heavily. The aftertaste of the ambrosia sweetened her mouth considerably, giving her extra strength - it tasted like chocolate chip cookies, specifically the kind Sally Jackson sent the girl at least six times a year.

Jason nodded, giving her a small smile. "Can I look at your arm?"

Aza had nearly forgotten about her arm, but as she turned her head to examine it she couldn't imagine how she had. Part of her skin had jutted out below her elbow, most definitely from her displaced bone. It was swollen and puffy. Just looking at it made Aza's head swim and her vision blur slightly.

"Um, go for it," she consented weakly, allowing Jason to reach out and lightly cradle her arm, turning his head to look at it from various angles.

"It's definitely broken."

Aza stared at him. "You don't say." Jason inhaled and rolled his eyes, but he was secretly delighted that she was feeling well enough to give him a snarky answer. He stood to his feet, brushing his hands lightly on his pants. "Wait here, I'll be back."

"Wasn't plannin' on going anywhere," Aza said from the ground, rolling her russet eyes.