𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 had been through already: storm spirits, goat men, and flying friends, Amora should've been losing her mind. Instead, all she felt was dread.
Her head was pounding so hard she felt like it might explode. Her side was aching with every movement in the chariot, which only made her grip the railing tighter and her face pale.
She looked behind her, the skywalk becoming a tiny point very far away. Amora thought about Blake, for a half-second, and hoped he would be okay. She remembered the terror in his eyes as she laid on the ground in pain.
Amora shook her head, ridding herself of such negative thoughts. She stood in the back of the chariot with Leo, Jason, and Piper, while the bald guy, Butch, handled the reins, and the blonde girl, Annabeth, adjusted a bronze navigation device.
They rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind ripping straight through Amora's jacket. Behind them, more storm clouds were gathering.
The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, and Amora wondered if Jason would catch her like he had for Piper if she fell.
"This is so cool!" Leo exclaimed as he spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"
Amora could only shake her head and tremble at the pain coursing through her body.
"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."
"Half-Blood?" Piper was immediately on guard. She hated that word. She'd been called a half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white—and it was never a compliment. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"
"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."
Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."
Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"
"Got a problem with that?" Butch said.
"No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."
"Rainbows are very nice," Amora muttered, giving her best smile to show Butch she was not hating in any way.
Amora might have been hating if she wasn't scared of the dude. He was buff and definitely a lot taller than her and would kill her in an instant. Not someone she would want to mess with, even though the better half of her was wanting to make some kind of joke.
