The Argo II raced east, cruising several hundred feet above the ground. Below them small towns passed by like lit-up islands in a dark sea of prairie.
Drew remembered flying Festus the dragon over the city of Quebec that winter.
The night was warm. The ship sailed along more smoothly than a dragon. Best of all, they were flying away from Camp Jupiter as fast as they possibly could. No matter how dangerous the ancient lands were, Drew couldn't wait to get there. She hoped the others were right that the Romans wouldn't follow them across the Atlantic.
Jason stopped amidships and leaned against the rail. The moonlight turned his blond hair silver.
"Thanks, Drew," he said as she stepped up to his side to hold him up just a bit. "You saved me again."
He put his arm around her waist. She thought about the day they'd fallen into the Grand Canyon—the first time she'd learned that Jason could control the air. Heck, the first time she met him.
He'd held her so tightly, she could feel his heartbeat. Then they'd stopped falling and floated in midair.
"I don't know if Percy will trust me anymore," she said. "Not after I let his horse knock him out."
Jason laughed. "Don't worry about that. Percy's a nice guy, but I think you would have to worry more about Apollo, right?" Drew winced, just thinking of how that conversation would go. But she also knew that it wouldn't be too bad. To save his life, Apollo wouldn't really care about the methods that she used.
"You could have killed him."
Jason's smile faded. "That wasn't me."
Drew nodded, the two of them drifting closer to where Leo stood at the helm, conferring with Festus through the intercom. Lina hovering around him, speaking to him in rapid spanish to make sure that he was really okay. "I know, but it was still a scary sight to see. Gaea had them use your bodies and your skills and..."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Jason said. "You saved us both."
"But if two of our crew really have to die, a boy and a girl—"
"I don't accept that. We're going to stop Gaea. All of us are going to come back alive. I promise you."
"What did I tell you about promises," Drew smirked, lightly. The word only reminded her of the Prophecy of Seven: an oath to keep with a final breath. Across the deck, Percy was speaking with Octavian who Drew pretended not to see watching she and Jason. And speaking of Octavian, Drew could see why Jason was so gone for him. Drew had never seen a mortal that ethereal aside from the grandchildren of Kronos and her own siblings.
"You said not to make promises you can't keep," Leo piped up as they crowded around him. Drew smiled at him, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. Lina had stepped away to play a very strange version of hide and seek with the phantom form of Livia, the girl looked so much like Percy even at such a young age.
"The legend that Annabeth and Octavian mentioned," she said, turning to look at Jason, "about the Mark of Athena...why didn't you want to talk about it?"
He lowered his head like he'd been expecting the question. "I don't know what's true and what's not. That legend...it could be really dangerous."
"For who?"
"All of us," he said grimly. "You heard how the story goes; the Romans stole something important from the Greeks, back in ancient times, when the Romans conquered the Greeks' cities."
"What did they steal?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said. "I'm not sure anyone in the legion has ever known except maybe Octavian and his family." And he sounded a bit hurt by that. He had told the two of them how betrayed he felt to know that there was an entire life that Octavian had been keeping from him when he thought... when he thought that they had something special. "But according to the story, this thing was taken away to Rome and hidden there. The children of Athena, Greek demigods, have hated us ever since. They've always stirred up their brethren against the Romans. Like I said, I don't know how much of that is true—"
"But why not just tell Annabeth?" Leo asked. "She's not going to suddenly hate you."
He seemed to have trouble focusing on them. "I hope not. But the legend says that the children of Athena have been searching for this thing for millennia. Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they're led to Rome by some sign...the Mark of Athena."
"If Annabeth is one of those searchers...we should help her."
Jason hesitated. "Maybe. When we get closer to Rome, I'll tell her what little I know. Honest. But the story, at least the way I heard it—it claims that if the Greeks ever found what was stolen, they'd never forgive us. They'd destroy the legion and Rome, once and for all. After what Nemesis told you, about Rome's being destroyed five days from now..."
"And then there's Octavian whole thing about it too," Leo sighed, turning to look out at the sky in front of them.
Drew studied Jason's face. He was, without a doubt, one of the bravest people she'd ever known, but she realized he was afraid. This legend—the idea that it might tear apart their group and level a city—absolutely terrified him.
Drew wondered what could have been stolen from the Greeks that would be so important. She couldn't imagine anything that would make Annabeth suddenly turn vengeful. The girl had many faults—seriously, had she ever heard of a nail file?—, but her pride wasn't that bad.
"I'm sorry, by the way," Jason said, looking between the two.
"Sorry for what? It was the eidolon who attacked—"
"Not about that." The little scar on Jason's upper lip seemed to glow white in the moonlight.
"I was stupid to ask you to contact Reyna," he said. "I wasn't thinking."
"Oh." Drew shrugged, inwardly grimacing. Please. Why are you talking about another girl? It was already a bit uncomfortable with Octavian, though she and Leo both knew that they couldn't really compete there; not that Drew really wanted to. But Reyna... there was something about her that unnerved Drew. Something that wasn't bright, like her Mother's domains just refused to touch her. And besides, Drew had seen the look in her eyes when she saw the two of them. There had been something dark in them when they settled on Drew, but something hungry at the sight of Jason. "Really, it's okay."
"It's just...I never felt that way toward Reyna," Jason said, "so I didn't think about its making you uncomfortable. You've got nothing to worry about, Drewberry."
"I wanted to hate her," Drew admitted. "I was so afraid you'd go back to Camp Jupiter."
Jason looked surprised. "That would never happen. Not unless you came with me. I promise." And then he turned to look at Leo. "And you have nothing to worry about with Octavian either. I... I still need to talk to him, but I'm here with you too."
Leo smiled, his curls framing his face so delicately. "It's okay. Whatever happens, I'm just glad we have this for as long as we're able." He held his hand out and Jason grasped it tightly, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Drew curled into Jason's embrace, leaning her head on his shoulder as they watched world around them.
It was enough; just enough for her to ignore how much the prairie at night looked like dark water—like the drowning room she'd seen in the blade of her knife.
