reflection ● jason grace

Michael Kahale is hot (Clara thinks so too)

Daria was so nervous that she choked on her cereal the next morning.

Though, that could partly be Nathan's fault. The dark-haired boy slid onto their table with a jolt, shaking the wooden bench. Daria was so surprised that her Coco Puffs went down the wrong pipe; Clara thumped her back as she coughed and Jason leaned away from her, so she knew where their priorities lied.

Their table consisted of the six of them: Daria, Clara, and Michael on one side and Jason and Nathan on the other. And of course, Dakota, who was miserably hunched over in his wheelchair. True to her word, she had introduced Octavian to the augur, Lucius. She hadn't seen him since.

"Senate meeting today," Nathan whispered excitedly, ignoring Daria's near-death experience. "They've got a new prophecy."

Jason peered at him suspiciously. "How do you know that?"

"I'm the son of Mercury. I hear things. Now, are we going to the meeting or not?"

Daria cleared her throat. "Well, Jason and I have to."

"We get it," Dakota grumbled, obviously in one of his moods. "You're centurions. You're so cool. Oh, look at Dakota! He's in a wheelchair! His favorite Kool-Aid flavor is probably grape."

Michael stopped his fork of scrambled eggs half-way to his mouth like he couldn't quite believe this was a real conversation he was part of. "...okay." Clara rolled her eyes.

"Good morning, delinquents," Mitch appeared at their table grinning, which was never a good thing. "Leila and my boyfriend want you all at the meeting today."

"Daniel's going to kill you for that," Daria mumbled. He hated it when Mitch called him 'his boyfriend'. Mostly because it implied that there was someone he cared about.

Mitch flashed her a grin. "Only if he finds out."

Nathan blinked innocently. "What meeting?"

Mitch obviously didn't buy it, mostly because it was Nathan. Clara took the chance to ignore him. "Why?"

"They didn't say," Mitch replied, turning as someone called his name. "But you know, there's a prophecy going around. And I'll bet that these two," he pointed between Daria and Jason. "Are gonna be in the middle of it. Catch you later."

Daria watched him walk away, lost in thought about what the prophecy might mean. She wondered if she would get to pick the people she took on the quest. Other than Jason, she didn't know who she would choose.

"What did he mean by 'these two'?" Michael asked curiously.

"Well," Clara explained; she was the most likely not to go off on some tangent. "I don't know if anyone told you but Jason's the son of Jupiter and Daria's pretty powerful too. They've been here since they were...?"

"Four," Jason added helpfully, but like Daria, he was barely paying attention, too busy thinking about their last quest, Daria assumed. He hadn't quite gotten over Ryan's death, not that anyone expected him to, but it was the only thing that could dim his idiotic mood.

"Right. And they went on that quest when they were ten. And they're both twelve, some of the youngest centurions ever."

"Wait," Michael looked to his right, at Daria, with sudden interest. "You're only twelve?"

Daria suddenly felt self-conscious. "Yes. Why?"

He stared at her face for a few more moments. Daria didn't know she could blush, but she definitely was. Jason elbowed her sharply; she glared back, but she knew she didn't look very fierce.