BABY DON'T CUT - jason grace

Chapter Three

     After a morning of storm spirits, goat men, and flying boyfriends, Estella's mind was reeling. She had no idea what the heck was going on, but she hoped she would wake from this nightmare, but even so, she knew this wasn't a dream she could simply wake up from—this was real. She knew it. But she didn't want it to be reality.

     Estella stood in back of the chariot with Piper, Leo and Jason, while Butch, handled the reins, and Annabeth, adjusted a bronze navigation device. They rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind ripping straight through Estella's jacket. She was just surprised her jacket didn't blow off of her already—it was light and not even buttoned. But she was thankful that her jacket still coveted the scars she had given herself.

     Behind them, more storm clouds were gathering.

     The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, so Estella wondered if Jason would catch her again if she fell. That had been the most disturbing part of the morning—not that Jason could fly, but that he'd held her in his arms and yet didn't know who she was. Estella's face heated up the more she thought about what had occurred.

     All semester she had such a huge crush on Jason. They may of had the same friend group, but she had such difficulty talking to him. It was Piper playing matchmaker and before Estella knew it, Jason was kissing her.

     Leo had went into protective mode—but it was golden boy Jason, and he was such a good guy.

     But Estella didn't even have him anymore and it was so hard getting him in the first place. It was like someone had wiped his memory, and she was stuck in the worst "do over" of all time. She wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stared at the horizon, not even noticing her.

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

     "A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood. "

     "Half-Blood?" Piper said, immediately taking offense, of that Estella was sure."Is that some kind of bad joke?"

     "She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal. "

     Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess. "

     Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"

     "Got a problem with that?" Butch said.

     "No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."

     "Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi. "

     "Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.

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

     Estella took a deep breath, not sure if he was joking, but she stepped closer to Leo.

     "Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're ... you think we're—"

     Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered, and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!"

   Estella stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot.

     The wind roared. Estella glanced behind them and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot—except these looked more like horses than angels.