HORIZON ⸺ jason grace

xv. piper's mom plays demigod dress-up

VIOLET WOKE TO the smell of home.

For a second, she thought she was dreaming. 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. 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. Violet looked down at herself.

"APHRODITE!"

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 Violet and made a little choking sound. "What are you wearing?"

Violet scowled. Piper's mom did not know how to dress a demigod for battle, that much was certain.

She was wearing a deep turquoise tank top, with a neckline a little too low for comfort—a sheer white long-sleeve went over the tank, pretending to do a job. Her pants were white, flared jeans that hugged her tightly, and her usual blue Reeboks had been exchanged for boots that matched her top. Chunky gold earrings hung from her ears, and she could feel her hair slicked back into a ponytail.

"Why would she do this," Violet groaned.

Piper was wearing a bright pink dress, with black tights and black leather boots. Her snowboarding jacket matched her dress and had a Hello Kitty emblem on one side.

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

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? We're gonna be the best-dressed warriors in town, pals."

"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

"What ... oh."

Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat. His curly hair had been gelled and smoothed down in a manner that was very un-Leo-like, in Violet's opinion.

"God, Leo." Piper smirked. "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-tone 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.

"Wow, Coach," Violet snickered. "If only Mellie could see you now."

Leo snorted and poorly covered it with a cough.

"Well," Jason said, "at least your mom overlooked me."

Violet didn't think that was true. Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt. He had new track shoes on, and his hair was neatly trimmed.

His eyes were the same color as the sky. Aphrodite's message was clear: This one needs no improvement.

Violet remembered her conversation with Will mere days ago—how she'd maintained that she disliked Jason's casual perfection. And though she'd never, ever admit it to Will, she knew now that 'dislike' definitely wasn't how she felt towards him.