ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

ix.

"How are you feeling," Aza sat in Piper's old spot, pulling the chair closer towards Jason's bed. The back of her neck began to feel hot when the blonde gave her a crooked smile, and he rubbed his temple - his wound had almost completely sealed; it had become a discolored bruise that she was sure must've hurt to even brush his fingertips against.

He hissed lightly and pulled his hand away, instead reaching forward to grasp Aza's, and she was almost disappointed that she didn't receive the same familiar shock, "I've felt better," a slight chuckle escaped his lips, and he rolled his eyes, "Though I feel like I miss all the fun. I get a brick to the face, and you get Leo's signature?"

"I didn't expect him to," Aza raised a subconscious hand to her forehead as she muttered, "I was joking." The ship once more jolted, and Aza yelped slightly - several thuds sounded from above deck, and she heard Percy curse loudly in rapid-fire Ancient Greek; he was quickly drowned out by Coach Hedge screaming simply at the lake.

"And, does that sound fun to you," Aza waved a hand in the air, wincing at the hellacious crash that sounded immediately afterwards.

"I mean-" Jason started, but he was quickly drowned out by Annabeth's sharp voice, "You do it, then, if you're so good!" A door slammed, and Aza immediately recognized her best friend's heavy thuds. The curly-haired blonde hovered in the doorway of the infirmary for a moment, only enough time for her to make eye contact with Aza and growl, "He said I was 'tightening a screw' the wrong way? What in Hades does that even mean?"

When Annabeth stomped off just as suddenly as she had come, Jason raised an eyebrow at the daughter of Phobos and laughed lightly. A silence fell over the two - it wasn't particularly awkward. Aza thought it was slightly pleasant, but she had absolutely no idea what to say to Jason as she studied the muscles in the back of his hand, flexing slightly as he rubbed small circles on her palm.

Finally, the engine began to hum once more, and Aza felt the ship lift into the air. The rocking and shaking stopped, and the ship became quiet once more aside from the familiar drone of machinery. Several pairs of footsteps sounded down the hall, and Leo gave the two a triumphant grin as he leaned against the open doorway, "Meeting in the mess hall, one hour. Crazy day, huh?"

"Aye aye, Captain," Aza rolled her eyes, giving the boy a mock salute. Leo's grin widened, and his eyes glimmered, "You want a signature from Captain Leo, too?" As Aza throttled the air, Leo giggled and left.

She dismissed herself from Jason to clean up before the meeting, awkwardly bending down to peck his cheek before scurrying out of the room. She scrubbed her forehead as best she could in the shower and in the sink, but Leo's handwriting still faintly remained.

The daughter of Phobos arrived in the mess hall just in time to see both Percy and Jason try to pull out the same chair at the head of the table. She hesitated in the doorway, watching as Jason's hands sparked slightly, crackling with electricity, and Percy's eyes darkened, his jaw twitching minutely. She quickly slipped into the room, and before either could say a word she sat in the chair, kicking her feet up on the table, "You can sit now."

When she flexed her neck and cracked her knuckles, the two instantly sat on opposite sides of the table. She caught Annabeth's eye as her best friend sat beside her boyfriend, examining him with a narrow-eyed glare. The two girls made eye contact, and they both shrugged, rolling their eyes. After they compared stories as to what happened in Salt Lake City, Leo asked through a mouthful of pizza, "So, where to now? 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."

"No more crashing," Aza agreed, and she blanched slightly, gripping her glass just a little bit tighter. Percy looked up from his blue pie, and Aza had to contain a smile when she saw that his teeth were completely stained, "We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter. Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans can't be far behind."