MELANCHOLY [1]

TWENTY-FOUR

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twenty-four
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VIA WOKE UP TO A SHOUT. She jumped, standing up and summoning her bow on instinct. Via blinked and looked around.

She could smell eucalyptus trees. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottlebrush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept. In other words: she was in California.

Piper was the one who had shouted. Jason flinched, bumping the table with his knees, and then all of them were awake.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "Fight who? Where?"

"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No—not falling. Where are we?"

Via let out a breath and collapsed back into her chair.

Jason blinked, trying to get his bearing. He focused on Piper and choked. "What are you wearing?"

Via looked at Piper and chortled. Piper was wearing a turquoise dress, with black leggings and black leather boots.

"It's nothing," she said. "It's my—" Piper hesitated. "It's nothing."

Via chuckled. "Aphrodite strikes, huh? You look good."

Leo coughed. "Jackson, you looked at yourself yet?"

Via looked down. "What the actual fuck-"

Aphrodite had given her a sleeveless black top, along with a jacket tied around her waist, tattered jeans and a pair of sneakers. She was even wearing the silver ring that Tyson had given her months ago, though she definitely remembered leaving it in her cabin. Her brooch was pinned to her top, and her hair had been tied into a bun, leaving no way for her to cover her back, since the shirt exposed half of it and her arms. Via cursed Aphrodite and quickly wore the jacket, hoping no one had seen the scars lining her body.

A look at Leo's face and her hopes went down the drain.

Leo cleared his throat and looked at his clothes. He was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

"God, Leo." Piper laughed. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."

"Hey, shut up!"

I think he looks good," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."

The satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.