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I 018. I
𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒓𝒆
❝ king ❞
HE FIGURED HE HAD THE WORST LUCK. A thousand years from now, when this quest was being told around a campfire, he figured people would talk about brave Jason, beautiful Piper, powerful Ariadne, and their sidekick Flaming Valdez, who accompanied them with a bag of magic screwdrivers and occasionally fixed tofu burgers.
Ariadne has to jump back before she was trampled by the excited Huntress. For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushed forward and hugged him.
"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"
Leo laughed. "Seriously?"
Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers—excellent source of iron."
"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"
At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."
Piper did better than that. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor of Hedge hadn't caught her.
Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah—never mind. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"
Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good? Cant you smell the Gatorade?"
Thalia looked at Leo for the first time, and of course it was an accusatory glare. As if it was Leo's fault.
"You and the satyr," Thalia ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Hailee's an excellent healer."
"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."
But Leo knew when they weren't wanted. "Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."
"Humph. Fine," the satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."
Hedge carried Piper toward the entrance. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, my, stuck around?"
Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."
Ariadne glanced between the three. "I'll go help Hedge, make sure he doesn't try to flirt with Hailee, that'll end badly." Thalia looked a bit miffed, but the brunette smiled. "You need to catch up."
