sky blue ● jason grace

not

"I don't know, Dars, that one might be targeting."

"Might be?" Jason said incredulously, putting a finger down. "Percy, bro, are you for real?"

Piper laughed at the two boys' antics beside Daria. Kansas was unbearably humid, they kept getting whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers and bitten by mosquitos, except Percy. It seemed like the insects didn't like the taste of sea salt, lucky bastard.

Daria had, truthfully, been baiting Jason for the entire walk; trying to get him to respond with their usual bickering. So far he had just smiled and gone along with it.

Adoration. That was the word she was looking for. And she hated it. She bumped into his shoulder as they continued anyway; there were worse things, she supposed.

They walked for what seemed like a half hour. Leo dropped them down saying that they were close. His idea of "close" needed some work, they had just passed a sign stating they were forty miles from the first Topeka exit. "Correct my math," Percy said, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"

Jason peered both ways down the deserted road. He looked better today, his color was back to normal, and the scar on his forehead had almost vanished. A new gladius that Daria didn't recognize hung at his belt, making him look ridiculous.

"No cars..." he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."

"No," Piper agreed, gazing nervously down the highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."

"Hmm..." Jason snapped his fingers. "I can call a friend for a ride."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."

Jason whistled. Daria had no idea what was going on. She had met neither of their so-called "friends". She looked at Piper, "do you...?"

She nodded as Percy closed his eyes and concentrated. "Yeah there's this spirit, horse thing that Jason met when we were at the Wolf House. You'll see." She didn't sound thrilled.

Thunder crackled in the clear sky.

Jason smiled. "Soon."

"Too late." Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward them. At first, Daria thought it might be some sort of large crow. Then she realized it was much too big to be a bird.

"A black pegasus?" she said. "Never seen one like that."

The winged stallion came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face, then turned his head inquisitively toward Daria, Piper, and Jason.

"Blackjack," Percy said, "this is Piper and Jason. They're friends. And Daria, my cousin"

The horse nickered.

"Uh, maybe later," Percy answered.

"What does he want?" Daria asked, unfazed about Percy speaking to an animal. She couldn't say the same for Piper.

"Donuts," Percy said. "Always donuts. I don't know that he can carry all four of us but—"

Suddenly the air turned cold. Daria's ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from The Wizard of Oz. It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse. Since when had he been able to control venti?

"Tempest," Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."

The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.