They reached the lord of the South Wind's palace by noon, but nothing had happened. By their fifth day of waiting for an audience with the lord, Aza was beginning to grow impatient. She considered leaving and heading towards Sparta, but the thought of leaving any of them - Jason, Piper, Nico - before she absolutely had to made her chest tighten.
She felt like, if she was with them, she could control everything. At least Aza would know everything that was happening, and she would be able to watch out for her friends. The worst part about leaving, about going on her own as she was the uncertainty. She wouldn't know if her friends were in danger, or if they needed her help. She would be blind to everything else - but Percy had asked her to lead their friends to Epirus. She had promised, and now she realized she had to break it.
She leaned against the rails of the deck and examined her arms; her forearms were still their normal terra-cotta; like a lighter, softer, browner color than her eyes, but she had tanned considerably in the sun. Her skin was now sepia, like the dark sandy beach that glittered around the bay. The best they knew, they were on the northern coast of Africa; that was all the wind spirits had told Jason. Aza had always been forgetful about applying Medea's SPF, and so the sun beat harshly against her skin, and she could practically feel it boiling and searing.
Initially the wind spirits had welcomed them. It certainly helped that Notus, the South Wind, hated Boreas; and the classic 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' caused him to embrace the demigods. He even offered to help repair their ship.
But as the days dwindled past, the god's mood seemed to be getting worse and worse. She worried that the longer they stayed, the less likely he would be to help him. But he had yet to approve their request for an audience, and the wind spirits quickly lost interest in helping them repair the Argo.
Aza was taking a break after helping Leo repair the mainsail and the rigging. He had moved on to the oars, whilst Hazel and Frank fiddled with the controls at the help; Piper stood by them and directed Gleeson, who hung over the side of the ship and hammered out dents in the oars.
Aza had yet to tell them about her quest. It didn't seem so imminent anymore, as they waited on the African coast for Notus to speak with them. She almost felt like they would be there forever, but that didn't stop her mind from wandering. She wondered if she would even survive.
She turned when she heard hushed whispers. Nico had approached Jason. It made her happy that he looked better; certainly healthier, and more like the Nico she remembered. He was still gaunt and lithe; he always had been, but he had gained back the weight he had lost, and had rebuilt some of his muscle. His sword and Diocletian's scepter hung on either side of his belt.
She couldn't hear what they were saying, but Aza knew both of them well enough to read their body language. Nico had curled inwards, and his face scrunched into a scowl. She had seen that posture a thousand times; he was hiding, letting his shaggy hair flop over his face and to hide him from the rest of the world. Jason raised his hands in submission, and he poorly concealed pity.
She wanted to know what they were talking about - she wanted to know what happened when the two of them went off. Their dynamic had changed to the extreme, and Nico seemed even jumpier and closed-off than usual.
Their conversation ended when the doors to the throne room blasted open with a gust of scorching air. Jason sucked in a breath, and he glanced at Aza. Nico melted back into the shadows, and Aza watched as her boyfriend marched towards the entryway for his audience with the king.
The South Wind had said something to Jason - something that struck him, and changed him. Aza could sense it the instant he reappeared on the ship; they had gotten permission to leave the harbor, and the wind god had given them a team of anemoi thuellai to pull their ship. But something changed in Jason's posture, and the way he held himself. She could sense it, too - she just felt like something had changed. Aza couldn't put her finger on it.
He lashed the anemoi to the prow of the ship, straddled Festus' figurehead and yelled, "Giddyup!"
Aza ran a hand over her face and rolled her eyes, but the anemoi raced across the waves; fiery, hot desert storm winds that kicked up a trail of steam. The Argo shot out of the bay, and in no time the coast of Africa was merely a speck in the horizon.
After less time than she expected, land appeared in the distance; a large, hilly island dotted with stone buildings. Jason climbed down from the prow and stumbled onto the deck; immediately, Aza made her way towards him. She clicked her tongue and called, "Fuck, Jase - look at your arms."
They were a dark, angry red - almost the same color as Aza's eyes, and were dotted with hot blisters. She pulled out a square of ambrosia from her pocket and unwrapped it, approaching her boyfriend.
When he handed it to him, he muttered a quick thank you and popped it into his mouth. "How long was I–"
"About six hours." Aza couldn't help but to interrupt, and she clucked like a hen as she examined his baked skin.
"And where are the others?"
"They're fine," She waved a hand in the air. "A little cooped up, maybe. Should I tell them it's safe to come above deck?"
"Give me a second... catch my breath."
Aza leaned against the mast beside him and fiddled with the pocket of her beige cargo pants. Her eyes bounced around the deck, landing on Jason every few seconds; it was hard not to look at him. His presence was so commanding and obvious - and besides, it wasn't unpleasant to study his features. He was almost annoyingly handsome, she decided. Aza asked slowly, "After this - after Malta, we sail for Greece, right?"
Jason nodded. "We'll stop at Sparta. Aza, don't dwell on the future. Try to focus on right now. Your super cool, funny, handsome, smart and undoubtedly amazing boyfriend is standing right next to you."
Aza leaned forward and kissed him softly. When she pulled away, she rolled her eyes and teased, "Don't forget egotistical."
"You're one to talk," Jason kissed the tip of her nose and grinned; she could only assume her cheeks had flushed the same color as his scorched arms when they burned, like she had stuck her head over a brazier. He said, "You're so beautiful."
Aza's cheeks felt hotter, which she didn't know was possible. She rolled her eyes and poked his chest, "Focus, Boltboy, focus. I know I'm absolutely stunning and perfect, but we have to figure out how to dock."
She must have been talking loudly enough for Festus to hear, because it slowly began to churn and the ship lurched forwards, slowly heading towards the shore. The figurehead bent its neck to look over at her, and if robotic dragons could glare, she was certain she was receiving one.
"Leo said Festus doesn't like you," Jason tried to conceal his smile and failed miserably. "And that Leo spent an hour convincing him that he has to listen to you."
"Stupid dragon," Aza muttered. She raised her voice so that Festus could hear, though she didn't know why she was acting pettily towards a bronze head, "He caused a bunch of problems at Camp, before he was our ride. Not to mention, he's dropped us several times and I don't particularly enjoy hurtling towards the pavement from a thousand feet in the air."
"Okay," Jason rolled his eyes. "Give him a chance, Aza. He's a changed man - uh, dragon."
"Robot dragon," Aza corrected, but her mouth froze open when she spotted something on the shore; a hundred yards ahead, tied to the end of the longest dock, was a makeshift raft that had clearly been hastily thrown together, with an odd machine-like rudder. She pointed over, and Jason confirmed her thoughts, "We have to get the others. There's only one demigod who could make that."
They found Leo at the top of the city fortifications, sitting in an open-air cafe, drinking a cup of coffee. Piper nearly knocked him out of his chair with a hug, "Leo! Gods, where have you been?"
When Piper released him, Aza quickly replaced her and embraced him tightly, before pulling away and wrapping her arm around his neck and bringing him into a headlock. He whimpered and fidgeted when she rubbed her knuckles against his scalp, though not particularly harshly, "You scared us! Don't do that again!"
"Valdez!" Gleeson grinned when Aza released him and Leo quickly fixed his hair. The satyr forced a scowl and remembered his reputation, "You ever disappear like that again, you little punk, and I'll have you doing pushups 'til you get married!"
Frank patted Leo on the back so hard it almost made him face-plant into his table, and even Nico shook his head. Hazel kissed him on the cheek, "We thought you were dead!"
Leo's smile was far-away, and his eyes seemed slightly less mischievous. "Hey guys. Nah, nah, I'm good." For once, his hands weren't moving. They were perfectly still on the table, and his eyes didn't bounce around their surroundings. He actually maintained eye contact with each of them, for far longer than he ever had before. All the nervous energy was gone, replaced with longing.
Aza could feel his wistfulness; she could feel the weight of guilt and melancholy in his chest, and the way it weighed him down. She quickly grabbed chairs from nearby tables so all of them could sit, and when they did Jason leaned in and squeezed the boy's shoulder, "Hey, man. What happened?"
Leo's eyes swept around the group, and Aza could feel his reluctant panic. The message was clear; he didn't want to talk about it in front of everyone. Instead, he said quietly, "I got marooned. Long story. How about you guys? What happened with Khione?"
Gleeson snorted. "What happened? Piper happened! I'm telling you, this girl has skills!"
The satyr recounted the story, but in his version Piper seemed to know martial arts, and the number of Boreads increased exponentially as it went on. Aza glanced at the surroundings; the cafe, which rested on a high hill, had a clear view of the harbor - that meant Leo must have seen them come.
The ship was his baby - when he saw it coming, he should have ran towards the dock and berated them for letting it get so damaged. He should have fixed it instantly, but instead he waited for them to come to him; like the effort of reaching out was too much. She knew something had happened - Aza hated the feeling. That she knew there was something important, but she didn't know what. Like with Jason and Nico.
Piper interrupted Gleeson, "Coach! It didn't happen like that at all. I couldn't have done anything without Festus."
Leo raised his eyebrows. "But Festus was deactivated."
As Piper recounted her version of the story, Leo returned to tapping his fingers on the table. His eyebrows sewed together, and he shook his head slowly, staring at the table. "It shouldn't be possible, unless the upgrades let him respond to voice commands. But if he's permanently activated, that means the navigation system and the crystal..."
"Crystal?" Jason asked.
Leo winced. "Um, nothing. Anyway, what happened after the wind bomb went off?"
After they finished, Leo swept his hair from his face. "I'm just wondering, why Malta? I kind of ended up here on the raft, but that was a random thing, or–"
"Maybe because of this," Frank tapped a brochure Aza didn't notice he had taken during their walk to the cafe. "Says here Malta was where Calypso lived."
Aza understood instantly when the color drained from Leo's face. She had seen a similar expression on Percy's face. He stuttered, "W-what now?"
Frank shrugged, "According to this, her original home was an island called Gozo just north of here. Calypso's a Greek myth thingie, right?"
"A Greek myth thingie!" Gleeson cheered, and he tapped his baseball bat against the stone floor, "Maybe we get to fight her! Do we get to fight her? Cause I'm ready."
"No, Gleeson," Aza pinched the bridge of her nose. "Calypso isn't a threat, she's a peaceful nymph; Percy was marooned on her island for a while. She was punished after the first Titanomachy, banished to live in Ogygia. She..." she glanced at Leo, who had frozen. "She falls in love with heroes who can't stay."
Piper frowned. "Leo, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!" Leo shot to his feet, avoiding Aza's gaze - she didn't think he had ever shied away from her eyes before, "Hey, we should get going. We've got work to do!"
"But... where did you go?" Hazel asked. "Where did you get those clothes? How–"
"Jeez, ladies," Leo blinked. "I appreciate the concern, but I don't need three extra moms."
Piper glanced at Aza, who smiled as comfortingly as she could. The daughter of Phobos tentatively said, "Okay, Leo, but--"
"Ships to fix! Festus to check! Earth goddesses to punch in the face! What are we waiting for? Leo's back!"
"And we're happy you are," Aza said softly, reaching a hand across the table. She tried her hardest to mirror Piper's soothing smile, but comfort had never come particularly easy to Aza, "But, if there was anything that happened, you can tell us."
Leo stayed silent, and it was clear he was done with the conversation. Jason clapped a hand on the boy's back and said, "Leo's right. We should get going."
Suddenly, Hazel gasped. She pointed towards the northeast horizon, "Guys..."
Aza saw nothing. She glanced at her friends, most of which seemed equally as confused, but Nico and Jason seemed to see whatever she saw. Aza took a deep breath, and she closed her eyes; almost instantly, she could feel it. Like a heat signal; a large condensed feeling of hatred, the anticipatory rustle of battle, tugging at her stomach.
When she opened her eyes, Nico muttered, "That can't be. Greece is still hundreds of miles away."
The feeling went away quickly. Jason froze, and his skin crackled briefly with electricity. He hesitantly asked, "You think it's Epirus?"
Nico nodded. "The House of Hades is open for business."
A second later, the feeling returned, and a rumbling sound washed over them like distant artillery. It was hard for Aza not to immediately think about the war; fighting for her life on the streets of Manhattan, slowly pushed back towards the gates of Olympus. Fear gripped at her throat for a moment; she could feel the ghost of a sword slice her shoulder blade.
Hazel said, "It's begun."
"What has?" Leo fiddled with something in his pocket.
Hazel's golden eyes darkened. "The Earth Mother's final push. The Doors of Death are working overtime. Her forces are entering the mortal world en masse."
"We'll never make it," Nico shook his head. "By the time we arrive, there'll be too many monsters to fight."
Aza ground her teeth. Jason looked at her expectantly, and he nodded; it was time. She cleared her throat and attracted her friends' attention, "I guess this would be a good time to tell you: I won't be accompanying you to Epirus. My uncle has given me a quest to search for something that will help us - I have to go to Sparta and find... some dude's shield. So, we'll sail there and drop me off. I'll meet you guys at Epirus."
"Wait," Frank held up his hands in a 'time-out' position. "What's so important about this shield? And why can't we come with you?"
"It was a gift from my father to his son, who founded the city. My best understanding is that it's like the apple of discord; it causes chaos on the battlefield. My uncle believed we need it to defeat Mother Earth's forces at the Doors of Death."
"Okay," Leo nodded. "I'm sold on the shield part. Super cool - but why can't we come with you?"
"We've already wasted too much time waiting for Nostus. We're on a tight schedule, so you guys need to reach Epirus as soon as possible. And - apparently - I need to do this alone. It's a quest for the children of Phobos who reach adulthood. They're tested in the search."
"Okay," Hazel nodded slowly. "But if every child of Phobos has searched for it..."
"None of them have returned." Aza nodded grimly, and she watched as her friend's expressions changed. Frank's eyebrows rose almost to his hairline, and his mouth opened slightly. Piper blinked rapidly and looked at Aza as if she were an injured baby animal - with pity, care and worry. Jason's mouth tightened, and Leo's fingers momentarily stopped tapping on the table. She continued, "But my uncle made this shield sound important. Worth the danger."
Jason said, "Aza can do it. We'll sail for Sparta and drop her off."
Nico nodded. "If anyone can do it, Aza can."
Hours later, she sat on her bed, staring at her wall of weapons. Aza loved the new sword Leo had created for her; she really did. She hadn't even known she wanted a double-sided sword until he had presented it for her, and it suited her well. But she missed Mind-Cleaver more than anything; she felt incomplete without the cuff on her wrist.
She didn't know if she could do it. Death had always been imminent for Aza, and more often than not her life was in danger - but she had never been alone. She always had people to watch her back, and to bolster her. And she didn't want to leave her friends; what if, without her, they were killed by Gaea's forces? What if she didn't make it to them in time? What if they never saw her again?
Her outfit had been picked out, and her bag had been packed. She had never done it without Clarisse or Annabeth breathing down the back of her neck; were the green cargo pants and black tank-top the right choice? Should she have packed extra rations? Was she carrying enough weapons?
She knew the answer to the last question - of course she was. Clarisse had always told her it was better to have and not need; and that two is one and one is none, so she had grown up packing more weapons than she had hands to use them. Three knives, in case two were knocked from her hands. Her necklace bounced on her sternum whenever she walked, and her extra sword and scabbard lay beside her outfit.
Someone knocked on her door. She called, "Come in," and was unsurprised when Jason slipped inside, shutting the door quietly. He crossed the room and settled in beside her. He, too, stared at the wall of weapons, though she could feel his gaze land on the side of her face every few seconds.
"We'll reach Sparta by early morning. You're going to need to get some sleep."
Aza chewed on her lip. "I don't know if I can fall asleep."
"You have to try," he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. Aza rested her head on his shoulder, and he rested his on hers. "I know how terrifying this is; I'm terrified. But I have to believe that you're going to be okay. I believe in you - I'm your biggest fan. And I know you can do this."
"I'm sure that's what every other child of Phobos heard," Aza said grimly. She had convinced herself she was going to die; there was almost no way she would survive. If everyone else had died in the process, why should she think she was any different? "But that doesn't change the fact that they all have died."
"Don't think about that," Jason pulled her so they were lying down, and she turned to curl beside him, resting her cheek on his collarbone. With the arm that was wrapped around her back, holding her to him, he began to run his fingers through her hair. "Focus on right now. The feeling of my body heat and me playing with your hair. I love you, Aza. I won't let anything bad happen to you."
"I love you, too." She said, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingers smoothing down her hair. "And I appreciate it, but you won't be there. This is up to me, Jase."
"I'll be with you until you tell me to leave."
She hadn't even realized she was tired until she closed her eyes and hummed, nestling her face closer to the crook of his neck to get comfortable. "You're so warm."
Jason's laugh vibrated through his chest, and her eyelids grew heavier. His voice was faint, as if she were under water, "So are you," his arm tightened around her back, and she slung her arm over his chest, her head lolling slightly.
She didn't know she had fallen asleep until Jason's voice woke her, vibrating through his chest. "Oh, shit," she barely even processed that she had never heard him curse before, and she made a small noise and nestled closer to the warmth. His voice continued, "I - I can explain."
"Oh, yeah," Aza shot awake at Gleeson's voice, and she suddenly sat up, rubbing her eyes. Jason rolled from the movement, and he banged his head on the headboard with a hiss. "I don't know if you'll be able to explain while you do a MILLION PUSH UPS! Right here, right now - get on the floor, Grace."
"Gleeson, it's not–"
The satyr held up a hand and briefly turned to her, "Oh, I'll deal with you in a moment, young lady. I thought you knew better. Just wait till I tell Clarisse."
"You don't have to do that," Aza pleaded, and she held her hands in the air.
"If you weren't going on your quest, you would be grounded so hard! Grace, why aren't you doing push-ups? On the ground. Now."
When Jason moved, Aza snapped her fingers and shook her head, "Jason, don't do that."
He froze, his gaze flickering between his girlfriend and the satyr. Aza stared at Gleeson with raised eyebrows; his face had gone scarlet with rage, and his pupils had turned into slits. She wouldn't be surprised if he took his baseball bat and started smashing things in her room. Aza said slowly, "We fell asleep talking. It's as simple as that. There's no need to overreact."
"Overreact? I told Chiron there would be absolutely no funny business, and I meant it! Grace, go to your room - Aza-Everett, get ready. We're close to Sparta."
She didn't say anything as Jason slowly got up and crossed the room. He just had enough time to glance at her over his shoulder before the satyr pushed him out of the room and followed, shutting the door behind them.
Aza sighed, and she rubbed a hand over her face. "Stupid satyr." She quickly rose and moved towards her desk, where she had laid her outfit and her fully-stocked backpack. She felt like she was heading from the guillotine, as she took off her oversized Green Day t-shirt and slipped on the clothes she would wear on her journey. There was no Annabeth to braid her hair, and she knew Gleeson would most definitely begin to throw things if she approached Jason and asked him to, so she simply tied her hair in a ponytail and joined the crew above deck.
Her friends watched her silently. They had all gathered to see her off, and the Argo hovered in the air above a large park. She was reminded of the park Jason, Piper and she had a picnic in, before Percy came running and told them they had to leave to find the twin giants.
Aza stared out at the city; already, her gut tugged, and she looked past the small scrawl of neighborhoods and the bustling city center, nestled amongst the vibrant trees; swirling shades of emerald, sage and juniper. Ruins dotted the city and the landscape around it; marble columns that still stood, though at half the height they must have originally been; just enough left for her to guess the shape of the ruins.
Leo said, "We're here. Sparta."
Aza nodded, and she cracked her neck; her hands touched her necklace, then her scabbard, then her boots, making sure she still had her weapons. She checked her backpack again, and made sure she still had all the contents. Jason put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll be back soon. I'm going to escort Aza through the city, until she gets a feel for where this shield may be."
"After that, I'll meet you guys in Epirus." Aza said, but she could tell by the looks her friends were giving her that they were preparing for her death. Piper could barely meet her eyes. As she and Jason approached the gangplank, which lowered towards a stretch of open field in the park, her friends said their goodbyes.
Piper, first, charged her and wrapped her into an uncomfortably tight hug; she squeezed even tighter and mumbled, "I believe in you, Aza." She pulled away with teary eyes and did her best to subtly wipe them as Leo pulled Aza away. He ruffled her hair and said, "Go raise some hell. Show the Spartans what a real warrior looks like." She rolled her eyes and smoothed her ponytail.
Frank clapped her on the shoulder, and if she wasn't a descendant of Ares she was sure it would have caused her to face-plant onto the deck. "You got this, little niece."
"Oh, not you too, Uncle Frankie," Aza groaned - he sounded too much like Sherman. Frank chuckled, but it was empty. Hazel squeezed her into a hug, and Nico solemnly approached. Her friends gave them some space, but the son of Hades spoke so quietly even Aza, who was right in front of him, could barely hear.
"I can't lose you, Azzie." He sounded broken, and he glanced up at her with the same puppy-dog eyes that used to kill her when he was nine. "Please, come back," he sucked in a deep breath and rushed through the words, "But, Aza, in case the worst happens, I want you to know the real me. I - I can't tell anyone, but... I'm gay, Aza."
She nodded slowly and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. She honestly didn't know the right words to say, and she could tell that her momentary silence only terrified him even further. "Neeks, I love you - and I love you for who you are, in all of your entirety, and I plan on meeting you guys in Epirus and still loving you for who you are. You're my little baby Neeks, no matter what. Who you love is a part of you, and I know it's terrifying to share, so thank you. Thank you for trusting me."
"You did promise you'd stop calling me your little baby Neeks."
"What can I say? I lied."