𝟬𝟬𝟰. dude, you just got robbed by aera

JASON CONSIDERED JUMPING OFF the railing of the Grand Canyon Skywalk to save Aera the craziest thing he'd done in his life until he separated the fight between her and that scary blonde. He never expected so much as a "thank you" from Aera for risking his life to save hers, but he thought it would at least exempt him from being at the other end of her violent tendencies. Of course, he was wrong, as he was about a multitude of things that morning.

"Reinforcements," Jason informed them, watching the chariot lap around the dwindling storm clouds. For some inexplicable reason, the sight of flying horses was vaguely familiar to him. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us."

"Extraction squad?" Leo reiterated. "That sounds painful."

Piper nodded in agreement, rubbing her arms. "And exactly where are they extracting us to—"

It all happened so fast, Jason had no time to react. One minute, the four of them were standing idly on the cracking skywalk, waiting for the chariot in the sky to land. The next, Aera had snatched the gold coin out of Jason's hand with blinding speed and was marching toward the chariot at a mile a minute.

"Hey!" he protested, "what are you—"

"Annabeth Chase." Aera seethed the name with so much hatred, her voice dropped a few octaves.

Jason tried to get his coin back, but Aera flipped it into the air. Before gravity could do its work, she shot her hand up and caught the coin in her palm at its highest point. Unfaithfully, the gilded ridge of Jason's sword materialized in her grip. Aera shoved her fan into Jason's chest and stomped toward the landing chariot with unbreakable fervor, his sword swinging at her side.

"Do you know them?" Piper asked, tailing her. "Who is that? Aera, wait!"

Left behind by the girls, Jason and Leo exchanged bewildered looks.

"Dude!" Leo shook his head in disbelief. "You just got robbed by Aera."

They hurried over to the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass as if they sensed how fragile it was. Two teenagers operated the chariot—a tall blond girl maybe the same age as Aera, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and a rough face like a pile of bricks. Both were wearing jeans and orange T-shirts, with shields tossed over their backs like they were ready to ride into battle after their first period pegasi-riding class.

The girl leaped off the chariot before it could even finish moving. She pulled a knife and ran towards them while the bulky dude reined in the horses.

Aera met her halfway.

"Annabeth Chase," she snarled again, leveling the golden blade at the other girl's chest. "What did you do to me?"

Annabeth didn't even flinch. In fact, she closed in on Aera, despite the difference in the length and girth of their blades.

"You first!" the blonde girl shot back at Aera with just as much ferocity, if not more. "Where's Percy?"

She readied her dagger like she was preparing for a knife fight. Jason surged forward to stop them, but Piper caught his arm.

"No, don't," she discouraged. "Aera doesn't like it when we fight her battles."

You don't know her, Jason almost said out loud. You don't know how dangerous she is.

Apart from her strange heart-controlling abilities, Jason could still picture Aera's murderous look and the blood dripping from her hands in his fragmented memory. Piper's voice was so calm and soothing, it was hard not to listen to her.

Leo snickered. "Five bucks on blondie."

"You kidding?" Piper said dubiously under her breath so they wouldn't hear. Jason thought she was going to shut him down. Instead, Piper added, "Aera has a black belt in Taekwondo."

"Be real, Piper," Leo urged, with a teasing grin. "That blonde chick has lasers coming out of her eyes. "

"Aera took out those storm creeps with a fan. I bet she can take this blonde chick on with her eyes closed."

"We'll see about that."

Piper and Leo shook on their bets.

Jason's left eyebrow twitched. Was he the only one missing something here?

Visible confusion flashed across Aera's face before it was swiftly replaced with anger. The other guy from the chariot came over. He stood at Annabeth's side, rationing his glare between each of them, arms crossed. He had a colorful tattoo of a rainbow on his bicep, which seemed a little unusual.

"Who cares about your fish boyfriend?" Aera exasperated. "I wake up on a school bus full of people I don't know, wearing clothes I would never wear, and the worst part is I can't remember my last facial appointment or anything that's happened this past week. So, if this is another one of your stupid ploys to ruin my life, I swear to all the gods, Annabeth Chase, your sushi cravings will be the least of your problems."

"Fish boyfriend?" Piper muttered.

Leo scratched his head. "Sushi cravings?"

Jason let out a breath of relief. So, he wasn't the only one missing something here.

"Whoa," the bald guy interjected, putting a hand up. "Slow down. What did you say? You don't remember anything that's happened this week?"

"She's tricking us, Butch," Annabeth warned. "Percy went missing three days ago. It checks out." She transfixed her intense grey eyes on Aera in the most malicious glower Jason had ever seen. ("See what I mean, Piper? Laser eyes." "Shut up, Leo.") "She must have been scheming this for months."

"That idiot fish went missing?" Aera let out an unfeeling laugh. "I mean, can you really blame him for running away? Anyone who spends three minutes alone with you knows how you suck all the life away."

Aera halfheartedly lifted Jason's sword, spinning it around in the same exact trick he'd done earlier. Jason had a feeling that little trick must have taken him, or anyone, a long time to perfect, but Aera was flawless in its execution, even without her full concentration, which only fastened Jason's apprehension. Who was she?

"Drop the act, Aera," Annabeth growled, gritting her teeth. "I know you had something to do with it. She told me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer, and here you are."

"Hold on," Butch grunted, diverting his attention over to Jason. "Annabeth, check it out."

He pointed at Jason's feet. Jason hadn't had the time to think much about it, but he was still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. His foot felt fine, albeit a bit cold from the wind and rain, but it looked like a giant lump of charcoal.

Aera wrinkled her nose and grimaced. "You need a serious pedicure, Johnny Bravo."

"Ooh." Leo stifled a laugh. "Burn."

"The guy with one shoe," continued the bald dude. "Aera might not be lying. He might be the answer."

"No," Annabeth insisted, but she didn't sound so sure herself. "No! He can't be!" She turned on Aera, almost desperately. "Where did you take him? What do you want from me?"

"Aren't you supposed to be wise?" Aera taunted. "I don't care about that idiot fish or you. Why would I want anything to do with a backstabbing liar?"

Above their heads, thunder rumbled. Annabeth's eyes flared dangerously like lightning. The skywalk shuddered, vibrating against their feet, and the horses whinnied urgently.

"Hey," Jason finally intervened, unable to watch any further. "We need to leave."

"He's right," Butch agreed, albeit grudgingly.

Annabeth frowned like this solution was unacceptable. She panned to Leo and Piper. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"

"Coach's first name is Gleeson?" Leo snorted. Piper elbowed him in the ribs. He cleared his throat. "Uh, he got taken by some...tornado things."

"Venti," Jason corrected for the second time. "Storm spirits."

Annabeth arched an eyebrow at him. "You mean anemoi thuellai? That's the Greek term." She moved her startling gaze back to Aera. "Who is he?"

"How should I know?" Aera snapped. "Isn't he one of your do-good accomplices? He certainly has the lack of fashion sense for it."

Jason didn't think it was possible, but Annabeth's glare sharpened, though he had a feeling it wasn't in his defense of being a fashionista. "I'm here to find Percy, not America's Next Top Model."

"Good," Aera said, "because none of these vomiting, one-shoe-d buffoons would even pass the first screening."

Leo gaped at her, clearly offended. "We were attacked!"

"Brush it off, bud," Piper said, patting his shoulder. "Just brush it off."

Annabeth's glare never yielded. "You're bluffing," Aera rolled her eyes, but Annabeth continued pressing her. "You do know him. What are you planning?"

"Annabeth," Butch cut in, "we gotta leave. Let's get these four to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."

"Wait," Aera said, immediately on edge. "Who said I was going anywhere with you?"

"Aera—"

"No." Aera shook her head angrily, her voice hard, but shaky, too. "Not gonna happen. I am not going back there. You can't make me."

"In case you haven't noticed," Annabeth snarled, her voice rising with each syllable, "this skywalk is one shake away from collapsing. As much as I prefer not to suffer in your presence, the wisest thing you can do right now is follow us and shut up."

"Why?" Aera demanded. "So, you can use me again for another one of your stupid plans to impress your mom?"

"Aera." Jason tried to mediate. He didn't want to try imagining the kind of place that would have warranted such a strained reaction from Aera, but he was also aware that any place was better than this unstable platform. As much as he distrusted Aera, staying here and arguing was suicide. "Maybe you should just—"

"Percy is missing," Annabeth reminded, stalking closer. "If what you're saying about your amnesia is true—which I highly doubt it is—it has to be connected to him!"

"Why do I have to care what happens to The Little Mermaid?" Aera challenged, raising Jason's sword again. "Maybe he swam off and decided to be part of somebody else's world."

"He saved your life, Aera!" Annabeth exclaimed, waving her knife dangerously close to Aera's face. "You owe him! Or have you already forgotten what you did last summer—"

In a burst of fury, Aera lashed out, knocking Annabeth's dagger away with the hilt of Jason's sword. To Jason's ultimate astonishment, Aera then dropped his sword to the floor. Using both hands, she seized the front of Annabeth's orange t-shirt, yanking her forward so that their faces were inches apart.

"I don't owe him a thing," Aera said darkly, her high-pitched voice unusually hoarse and low. "So, if holding it against me was your big, fat Athena plan all along, then you should've told him to let the gods kill me last summer, just like you wanted to."

For a moment, no one moved. A heavy silence filled the wet air, freezing them all in a standstill. No one seemed to know what to do. Piper was chewing her nails, nervous eyes flickering between Aera and Annabeth. Leo fidgeted with the zipper of his jacket. For the first time since Jason met him, he had no sarcastic comment to contribute.

Even the bald guy, Butch, seemed apprehensive, shrinking back a little when Aera grabbed Annabeth. Annabeth herself only scowled, staring deeply into Aera's eyes, as if looking away was just as deadly as letting Aera stab her.

Jason studied the sky. They were wasting too much time. Any second now and they would be at a disadvantage again.

"Aera," Jason said carefully, keeping his voice calm. He set his hand lightly on Aera's forearm—the one that kept Annabeth captive. "You've been wanting to leave since that bus dropped us off. I know it's not ideal, but they're our only ride. Whatever unfinished business you girls have, you can take care of it as soon as we're out of here."

The glare Aera sent him was even worse than the one imprinted in his memory. Sparks lit up Jason's chest like Dylan had stricken him with another lightning bolt.

"Fine," Aera said at last. "But I'm driving." She pushed Annabeth away and stomped over to the flying horses.

Jason scooped up his sword before Aera could do anything else with it. Like stab him. Or Annabeth. It was hard to tell who she wanted to kill more as Jason tucked the coin back into his pocket.

Annabeth even fumed at Jason for a moment, though he was certain he had just done her a favor. "We'll settle this later." After picking up her dagger and sheathing it, she turned on her heel and sauntered toward the chariot.

"Uh, are you sure it's a good idea for them to be together?" Piper asked Butch. "I mean...those two look like they're about to kill each other."

"And then me," Jason added.

"For real," Leo agreed.

"Nah," Butch assured, though he didn't sound very sure. "That's just how they communicate. They argue tooth and nail, but they grew up together. If they've gone this long without murdering each other, they probably never will."

At that moment, Aera yelled shrilly from afar, "Go to Tartarus!" and tackled Annabeth headfirst into the chariot. Kicking and screaming, the two girls began wrestling each other's hair. The pegasi yelped and flapped their wings uneasily, trying to stay out of the crossfire.

"I think," Butch said.

After a morning of storm spirits, goat men, and Aera, Jason should've been exhausted. Instead, his mind was more active than before, running laps inside his skull. He had so many unanswered questions.

Aera's impulse made her unreliable, but could Annabeth be trusted? What about that bald guy, Butch? He had no clue of the history between Aera and Annabeth that made them so hostile with one another. Investigating either seemed like a death sentence. And what about this camp they were headed towards? Why was Aera so adamant on not going back?

Head marathoning, Jason kept watch at the back of the chariot with Piper and Leo, just in case someone fell. At the front, Aera handled the reins, Annabeth adjusted a bronze navigation device, and Butch stood between them, in case they got into another fight again.

They rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind rippling Jason's windbreaker. Behind them, more storm clouds were gathering at an alarming rate. All he could hope for was that they made it to someplace before they had another run-in with monsters.

Meanwhile, Leo was as carefree as ever. "This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth answered. Jason didn't miss the way Aera rolled her eyes at the front. If he was keeping count, that would've been the eighth time that day. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" Piper spat the word out like it was poison. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

After witnessing those clowns Aera pressured for information torment Piper for her indigenous background, Jason could understand why she was sensitive about the terminology.

"She means we're demigods," he explained patiently. "Half god, half mortal."

"You seem to know a lot, Jason." Annabeth glanced back at him. There was a section of her hair still sticking out from where Aera had grappled with her, but Jason didn't want to be the one to point it out. He averted his eyes the other way.

"But, yes," Annabeth continued, not having noticed, "demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

Leo produced a choking sound. "Your mom is the rainbow goddess?"

"Got a problem with that?" Butch threatened.

"No, no," Leo denied weakly. "Rainbows. Very...macho."

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth asserted. "He gets along great with the pegasi. He's traveled a great deal with them."

"Have you tried traveling, Annie?" Aera asked with a falsely sweet tone. "Preferably somewhere very far away?"

"There isn't enough distance on this planet to get far enough away from you," Annabeth muttered.

"Why? Because your big, fat head is taking up too much room?"

"Says the girl with an ego twice the size of planet Jupiter."

When Annabeth and Aera started arguing again, Leo was still mumbling, "Rainbows, ponies..."

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned him.

Piper must have been as uncomfortable with all the rising tension in the chariot as Jason was because she quickly changed the subject, "Demigods? You mean you think you're...you think we're—"

All of a sudden, the hairs on Jason's stood straight up. A shot of lightning struck somewhere to the left of his feet. The chariot shuddered, and he checked the side of the chariot. "Left wheel's on fire!"

Piper stepped back, eyes widening at something behind them. Jason looked around and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot—except these looked more like horses than rabid angels.

Piper started to ask, "Why are they—"

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth stated. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are."

"Can you stop being an eyesore and a know-it-all for, like, five seconds?" Aera snapped, still facing forward. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Must be hard for you."

"Oh, shut up."

Without warning, Aera flicked the reins. The pegasi raced in a burst of speed, and Jason almost fell out the back. The chariot blurred. Jason's stomach crawled into his throat. His vision went black, and when he could see again, they were in a completely different location.

A glittering gray ocean stretched out to his left. Snow-covered fields, dirt roads, and lush forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Jason spotted a cluster of old-fashioned buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire.

The sight from above was breathtaking, but not because of the awe. Jason couldn't shake the feeling he shouldn't be here, that he was heading straight into danger.

Before he could discern the instincts telling him to turn the other way, their wheels popped off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.

Aera tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of six people was too much to handle.

"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Aera shouted back.

"Aera!" Butch hollered. "Just do it!"

Thankfully, Aera listened and aimed for the lake. Jason remembered thinking it felt like dejavu dropping out of the sky for the second time that morning until—BOOM. They hit the water.