The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

twelve

MEGS ANGER

Alas for them and Mr. Bedrossian, there was no sign of the Cadillac Escalade on the street where they had parked.

"We've been towed," Piper announced casually, as if this was a regular occurrence for her.

She returned to the school's front office. A few minutes later, she emerged from the front gates driving Edgarton's green-and-gold van.

She rolled down the window. "Hey, kids. Want to go on a field trip?"

As they pulled away, Jason glanced nervously in the passenger-side rearview mirror, perhaps worried the security guard would give chase and demand they get signed permission slips before leaving campus to kill a Roman emperor.

But no one followed them.

Jason climbed in the car, Ariana was about to follow him when Apollo gently grabbed her hand.

"Huh?"

"You're not going to die." He sounded so sure of himself, so confident. Ariana couldn't help but notice how much he sounded like his godly self.

Ariana sighed, placing a hand on his cheek. "That's not your decision to make, Apollo."

Apollos eyes glazed over with tears as he frantically shook his head. "No. You're not dying, you can't die."

"Apollo.." Ariana looked at the ground, unable to look at her boyfriend in the eyes. "I can't let Jason or Piper die, you know that."

"We'll figure something out. I'll-"

Ariana stopped him with a sad smile. "Please, I don't want to talk about it just yet."

She kissed his cheek, climbing into the car.

*•*

"Where to?" Piper asked when they reached the highway.

"Santa Barbara." Jason said.

Piper frowned, as if this answer was only slightly more surprising than Uzbekistan. "Okay."

She followed the signs for Highway 101 West.
For once, Ariana hoped traffic would be jammed. She was not in a hurry to see Caligula.

Instead, the roads were nearly empty. It was like the Southern California freeway system had heard her complaining and was now out for revenge.

Next to Ariana in the backseat, Meg drummed her fingers on her knees. "How much farther?"

Ariana was only vaguely familiar with Santa Barbara. She hoped Jason would tell them it was far away-just past the North Pole, maybe.

Not that she wanted to be stuck in a van with Meg that long, but at least then they could stop by Camp Jupiter and pick up a squadron of heavily armed demigods.

"About two hours," Jason said, dashing her hopes. "Northwest, along the coast. We're going to Stearns Wharf."

Piper turned to him. "You've been there?"

"I... Yeah. Just scouting the place with Tempest."

"Tempest?" Apollo asked.

"His horse," Piper said, then to Jason: "You went scouting there alone?"

"Well, Tempest is a ventus," Jason said, ignoring Piper's question.

Meg stopped drumming her knees. "Like those windy things Medea had?"

"Except Tempest is friendly," Jason said. "I kind of... not tamed him, exactly, but we made friends. He'll show up when I call, usually, and let me ride him."