𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 •| ⊱ Jason Grace¹

•| ⊱ TEN

Jason scratched his head while casting a glance towards Mia. She nodded back to him with a big smile on her face. Jason smiled back at her then he turned back to Leo and said, "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, 'festus' means 'happy'? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"

The dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings. Mia didn't know what that meant, but Leo did apparently.

"That's a yes, bro!" Leo said. "Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the-um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous."

Jason frowned. "But we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just-"

"Go," Annabeth said. Mia noticed she was the only one who didn't look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, like this reminded her of better times. "Jason, you've only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!"

Jason nodded. Then he smiled at Mia and Piper. "You ready, girls."

Mia looked at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could've shredded her to pieces. But for some reason she wasn't scared because she knew there was worse things to come. By now Piper had climbed up on the dragons back and was sitting behind Leo. Both Jason and Mia were still standing on the ground, when Jason noticed how hesitant she was.

"Mia, you okay?" He placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Mia looked back into his sky blue eyes and noticed he was trying to reassure her with a smile. "It's okay to be scared. But you don't have to worry, you have us now."

That sentence alone made her feel ten times worse because Jason sounded like he really meant what he said. He had just meet Mia yesterday and already he seemed to trust her. With a half smile Mia nodded and climbed the dragon. Once Jason climbed up the dragon took off into the sky, leaving behind Mia's only chance of escaping. With Jason behind her and with his arms wrapped around her waist Mia felt like she didn't deserve to have thses people as friends.

° • ° • °

Flying on the dragon was the most amazing experience ever for Mia. She had never got to experience flying back in 1862, but now she couldn't get enough of it. With Piper in front of her and Jason behind her Mia left a since of safety. So she decided to spread her arms out and enjoy the old breeze.

Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generated so much heat, it was like they were flying in a protective bubble. And the grooves in the dragon's back were designed like high-tech saddles, so they weren't uncomfortable at all. Once Mia brought her arms back to her sides Leo showed them how to hook their feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the exterior plating.

They sat single file: Leo in front, then Piper, then Mia and finally Jason. Mia was very aware of Jason right behind her and it didn't help that he hand his arms wrapped around her middle.

Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he'd been doing it all his life. The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind them. They shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.

Leo grinned back at them. "Cool, right?"

"What if we get spotted?" Piper asked.

"I don't think we will." Mia mumbled out.

Jason nodded in agreement while saying, "The Mist. It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."