𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ! [jason grace]¹

C H A P T E R ⬩ F O U R T E E N

O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   F O U R T E E N

( the anti-athena )

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

          MALIA WOKE AT a table at a sidewalk cafe.

For a second, she thought she had died. It was a sunny morning. The air was brisk but not unpleasant for sitting outside. At the other tables, a mix of bicyclists, business people, and college kids sat chatting and drinking coffee.

She could smell eucalyptus trees, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottle-brush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.

In other words: she was in California.

Her friends sat in chairs around her—all of them with their hands calmly folded across their chests, dozing pleasantly. And they all had new clothes on. Piper slowly woke up after her, eyes scanning their surroundings before landing on her outfit. "Mother!"

She yelled louder than she meant. Jason flinched, bumping the table with his knees, and then all of them were awake.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "Fight who? Where?"

"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No—not falling. Where are we?"

Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on Malia before looking at Piper and making a choking sound. "What are you wearing?"

Piper looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a turquoise dress with black leggings and black leather boots. She had on a silver charm bracelet and a snowboarding jacket, that amazingly went with the outfit pretty well. She pulled out her dagger and looked into the blade, sighing when she saw that her hair was done as well.

"It's nothing," she said. "It's my—" She paused. "It's nothing."

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen."

"Hey, Leo." Malia tried not to laugh as Jason nudged the boy's arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

"What. . . oh."

All of them had been given a makeover. Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

"God, Leo." Piper looked like she was trying not to laugh. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."

"Hey, shut up!"

"I think he looks good," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."

The satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-toned shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.