ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

ii.

Clarisse rolled her eyes but released her grip without another word, knowing better than to cause a scene in the middle of dinner - the two girls had too often been reprimanded and punished by Chiron for their roughhousing.

"Maybe we should put you with your other Aunts and Uncles," Clarisse cast a glance towards the children of Aphrodite, a haughty smile tugging at her lips. The daughter of Phobos made a face at her, sticking out her tongue and scrunching her eyebrows. Once she relaxed her muscles, a slight smirk twitched at her lips, "I've been the unlucky bastard to walk in on you and Chris-"

Clarisse slapped Aza's cheek hard enough to leave a hot, burning red handprint, and she retracted with a wicked smirk, her brown eyes glimmering with smug malice as Aza rubbed her cheek and hissed in pain, her russet eyes narrowing into a harsh glare. Clarisse didn't flinch as she stared down the daughter of Phobos, her smirk unwavering as she stared into the harsh face of her father.

"Exòloio [Drop dead]," the daughter of Phobos hissed, and the daughter of Ares merely gave a haughty laugh in return and took a bite of her barbecue ribs, not bothering to wipe the sauce that dribbled down her chin.

"You'll miss me when you're gone," Clarisse boasted, and she shot the girl a knowing smirk, "Wise-Girl told me you called me your favorite half-aunt."

"Annie is such a snitch," Aza shot a glare in the girl's direction, but it automatically softened when she registered the slight pout pulling at the blonde's lips, and the way her dull grey eyes were half-lidded. She turned back to Clarisse, "You'll miss me more."

"Please," the daughter of Ares scoffed with a dramatic roll of her eyes, "I need some space without little Aza la Rue."

"Don't call me that."

"My little sister," Clarisse's tone took on a mocking croon, "my baby sister, little Aza-Everett la Rue."

"Sherman, hit Clarisse for me," The boy didn't need to be told twice - from his spot beside the girl, he smacked her harshly upside the head and grinned when she scowled and rubbed the spot and sent her half-brother a glare, murmuring under her breath, "You little punk, I'm gonna kill you when we get back."

–

"Wow, Leo," Aza stepped onto the deck of the Argo II, glancing around - it was fashioned as a trireme, with one large sail. The hull was bronze, and Festus' flaming dragon head topped the mast. The daughter of Phobos was instantly attracted to the two large crossbows, and she smoothed her hand across the handle, miming as if to prepare a shot.

"Careful," Annabeth gave a nervous laugh from behind the girl, and her grey eyes flickered nervously between Aza and the crossbow, "those bolts will blast through concrete."

Aza stepped away from the weapons with a grin, "Awesome."

"Aza, chica," Leo cheered, stepping out from a stack of supplies - he wore a grin so large Aza worried it would split his cheeks, and his curly brown hair flopped into his grease-covered forehead, "Now all we need are Beauty Queen and Superman, and then we can jet!"

Aza laughed as Leo danced on his feet, and she questioned, "Is Gleeson here?"

As if on cue, the satyr danced out from below deck with his club resting comfortably on his shoulder, "Aza-Everett, good, you're here," the satyr glanced down at his watch, "That's it, Grace and McLean are doing push-ups when they get here."

Aza grinned, and she leaned against the railing and watched as Annabeth paced the deck, checking and double-checking their ballistics and supplies. The girl's curly blonde hair bounced up and down her shoulders as she shook, and Aza ached to take away the girl's fears, if only for a few moments. She hated seeing her best friend hurt.