plague bringer - a heroes of olympus insert

𝗑𝗑𝗂𝗏. 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝖽 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗍 𝖺 𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗇𝗂𝖼

Aria tried to make the best of the situation.

Once she, Piper, and Jason had gotten tired of pacing the deck, listening to Coach Hedge sing "Old MacDonald" (with weapons instead of animals), they decided to have a picnic in the park.

Hedge grudgingly agreed. "Stay where I can see you."

"What are we, kids?" Jason asked.

Hedge snorted. "Kids are baby goats. They're cute, and they have redeeming social value. You are definitely not kids."

They spread their blanket under a willow tree next to a pond and Aria couldn't help but reminisce about how familiar this scene was. She, Piper, Jason, and Leo would always try to have a picnic each week (in part to force Leo to take a break from his work). It was always a highlight of her week and Aria couldn't help but wish that Leo was there with them now. 

Piper turned over her cornucopia and spilled out an entire meal—neatly wrapped sandwiches, canned drinks, fresh fruit, and (for some reason) a birthday cake with purple icing and candles already lit.

Piper frowned. "Is it someone's birthday?"

Jason winced. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"Jason!"

"Oh my gosh, you didn't tell us!" Aria gasped, shooting him an offended look.

"There's too much going on," he said. "And honestly...before last month, I didn't even know when my birthday was. Thalia told me the last time she was at camp."

Aria wondered what that would be like—not even knowing the day you were born. Jason had been given to Lupa the wolf when he was only two years old. He'd never really known his mortal mom. He'd only been reunited with his sister last winter.

"July First," Piper said. "The Kalends of July."

"Yeah." Jason smirked. "The Romans would find that auspicious—the first day of the month named for Julius Caesar. Juno's sacred day. Yippee."

Aria didn't want to push it, or make a celebration if he didn't feel like celebrating. "Sixteen?" she asked.

He nodded. "Oh, boy. I can get my driver's license."

Aria and Piper laughed. Jason had killed so many monsters and saved the world so many times that the idea of him sweating a driving test seemed ridiculous. She pictured him behind the wheel of some old Lincoln with a STUDENT DRIVER sign on top and a grumpy teacher in the passenger seat with an emergency brake pedal.

"Well?" Piper urged. "Blow out the candles."

Jason did. Aria wondered if he'd made a wish.

An awkward silence descended over the group as it felt like she was third wheeling. Her two friends kept awkwardly looking at each other and Aria almost wanted Gaea to have the earth eat her now and spare her.

Luckily, Jason beat her to the punch and plucked an extinguished candle from his cake. "I've been thinking."

That snapped Aria back to the present. She felt like she needed to leave this conversation instantly. Witnessing a potential break up was not on her to do list.

"About?" Piper asked, looking at him with concern.

"Camp Jupiter," he said. "All the years I trained there. We were always pushing teamwork, working as a unit. I thought I understood what that meant. But honestly? I was always the leader. Even when I was younger—"

"The son of Jupiter," Piper said. "Most powerful kid in the legion. You were the star."

Jason looked uncomfortable, but he didn't deny it. "Being in this crew of eight...I'm not sure what to do. I'm not used to being one of so many, well, equals. I feel like I'm failing."