forest green ● jason grace

six

Hazel and Frank looked a little stunned, but the three of them climbed aboard. Hazel seemed especially nervous. When they had settled on the seats, Percy concentrated, and the boat slipped away from the dock.

"So," Percy rubbed his hands together like an evil henchman, except for the fact that he looked like a slightly more intimidated labrador. "Let's see what this rowboat can do."

He turned the boat to the north, and in no time they were speeding along at fifteen knots, heading for the Golden Gate Bridge.

***

Daria loved the feeling of the sea breeze in her hair. Significantly more than Hazel did anyway; the poor girl looked so seasick that she was surprised that Frank was still sitting that close to her. They sped by a pack of sea lions lounging on the docks, and she swore she saw an old homeless guy sitting among them. From across the water, the old man pointed a bony finger at Percy and mouthed something like Don't even think about it.

"Did you see that?" Hazel asked.

Percy's face was red in the sunset. "Yeah. I've been here before. I... I don't know. I think I was looking for my girlfriend."

"Annabeth," Frank said. "You mean, on your way to Camp Jupiter?"

Percy frowned. "No. Before that." He scanned the city like he was still looking for Annabeth until they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge and turned north.

Daria peered around along with him, but she had a different person in mind. Of course, she and Reyna had already scoured the vast majority of California by now looking for Jason, but that tingling feeling of hope would remain with her until he returned.

See, Jason couldn't be dead. He was too smart, too cautious, too hard-wired for something to go wrong. But also, Daria had to remember, her idiot boyfriend was always too kind, too protective, too ready to sacrifice himself at the first sign of danger. He wasn't dead, he wasn't dead, he wasn't dead, she gripped the necklace tighter.

She was aware of Frank and Hazel chatting behind her, and Percy's tense silence. She had always respected Hazel, to be the only child of Pluto at camp, and to be hyper-aware of everyone's whispers couldn't be easy. And with Percy...there was a certain curiosity about him that dragged her and Reyna in, something that strung you along his vision for danger.

Then there was Frank. Daria didn't know what to think of him. Seemingly, he wasn't very complex. He was clumsy, extremely clumsy, but at least he was good with a bow.

As they passed Stinson Beach, Percy pointed inland, where a single mountain rose above the green hills.

"That looks familiar," he said.

"Mount Tam," Frank said. "Kids at camp are always talking about it. Big battle happened on the summit, at the old Titan base."

Percy frowned. "Were any of you there?"

"Hazel and Frank weren't," Daria said, her eyes were trained on the water. "It was back in August, before they got to camp. We stormed the enemy's...fortress, the entire legion. Jason had to battle Krios — hand-to-hand combat with a Titan, if you can imagine."

"I can imagine," Percy muttered. Daria believed him.

"Yeah well," she bit her lip. "We nearly lost half the legion. Sure, it was a huge victory but..." She rubbed her shoulder subconsciously, her old injury from the war. She didn't say that she almost lost her life that day. She and Jason were both dancing around at the time, trying to protect each other from any injury the monsters might inflict. An enemy demigod was about to spear Jason from the back, and well, Daria couldn't let that happen.