𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ! [jason grace]¹

C H A P T E R ⬩ T E N

O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   T E N

( the golden king )

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

          JASON KNEW SOMETHING was up when Malia leaned back against him, her complexion much paler than it had been throughout the entire quest. There was the distinct sheen of sweat along her forehead, like she was burning up, and she looked like she was in pain. His eyes trailed from her face to her side, growing wide when he spotted the large bloodstain on her shirt.

"Oh my, gods!" How had he not noticed this while fighting alongside her. The dragon must have gotten to her, biting into her side. There was a crescent shaped dotted line along her side, like teeth marks, and he had a feeling they would be matching on the other side. "Guys, look at this."

Piper turned, her mouth falling open when she saw what Jason was looking at. "How did we not see this? Why didn't she tell us?"

"Probably didn't want us to worry about her while dealing with dragons and Medea," Leo said.

Jason knew that was probably the right idea. But still, they needed to get somewhere where they could wrap the wound and take care of it. He tapped her shoulder to try and wake her up, but all he got in return was a groan as she readjusted herself, leaning further into his chest. If this were any other time, he was sure his cheeks would be a brilliant shade of red. But this was terrifying, and he didn't have time to think about his feelings for the girl.

"We're going to have to put down soon," Leo warned his friends. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that. And Malia needs medical attention."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is—where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," Leo guessed. "Didn't Medea say something about Oakland?"

Piper didn't say anything, but Jason remembered hearing it loud and clear.

"Piper's dad," Jason said. "Something's happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper let out a shaky breath. "Look, Medea said you would both die in the Bay Area. And besides. . . even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."

Leo grunted. "So how do we find Aeolus?"

Jason leaned forward, careful not to move Malia too much and cause her pain. "You mean you don't see it?" He pointed ahead of them, where a faint purple trail of light was floating in the air.