ENTRAPPED ₂

14

JASON HAD BEEN RIGHT. Ethan really, really hated his preferred form of transportation.

They made their way down to the river first. Leo was already partially melted and back to his regular annoying self. He seemed quite flustered that he was in Jason's arms, but Jason insisted on carrying him until he was sure that Leo was fully back to normal.

Piper, however, was not doing very well. Her skin looked like it was melting. Ethan refused to get into the river because it was cold, so he made Jason dunk Piper into it. He promised to keep an eye on Leo, who would twitch every once in a while in the grass. Nearby, Hedge ate.

"What's it feel like?" Ethan asked, to pass the time.

Leo groaned uncomfortably. "Fucking sucks."

Jason returned with Piper. She was starting to melt, but not nearly as fast as Leo.

"We need to get out of here," Jason said. He grabbed Piper's golden backpack and took a deep breath, then looked at Leo, Ethan, and Gleeson. "Link up."

"I'm sorry?" Ethan asked, but Jason ignored him.

Leo dragged himself over to Jason and grabbed the blonde's hand. Ethan put an arm around Piper so she wouldn't fall and took Leo by the wrist. Gleeson brought up the rear, clinging on to Piper.

"Alright," Jason said. "Everyone hold on."

With a rather aggressive jerk, he yanked the storm spirits out of the backpack. They swirled around him, but Jason clenched his fist and they were whisked into the air.

Ethan had thought flying on Festus was bad. This was much, much worse.

They were shot so high that for a moment, Ethan couldn't breathe. They went fast, so the wind felt like icicles on Ethan's cheeks. It was all he could do to hold on to Piper with one arm and Leo with the other. Sometimes they would slam into the sides of mountains or graze lampposts.

Ethan fucking hated it. His body didn't unknit until they reached Colorado and finally landed.

Ethan let Leo and Piper loose and leaned heavily against the cave's wall, his body trembling. He felt nausea crawling up his throat, threatening to strangle him.

He looked up at Jason. He had returned the storm spirits to the backpack. He looked exhausted, but otherwise unharmed.

"Never," Ethan said, "again."

Jason just smiled wearily. He picked Piper up from the spot where Ethan had unceremoniously dropped her and said, "Leo, can you get a fire going? She's shivering."

"Hypothermia," Gleeson grunted.

"Thank you for your insight," Ethan said. He was feeling mean, especially after his flight. "I really thought after being dunked in a freezing cold river and then forced to go on an hour-long flight in the fucking snow, she would be just fine."

They made camp in a cave around a campfire. Leo started a flame, and Jason pressed Piper to his chest, trying to warm her back up. She wasn't golden anymore, but she was shivering violently.

"Move," Ethan said. He crouched by Piper and dribbled some nectar down her throat until her forehead started to burn. Then he withdrew and let Gleeson apply some nature magic.

"Oh, god," she murmured. Ethan could hear her teeth chattering. "He turned me to gold!"

"You're okay now," Jason promised. He looked at Ethan helplessly.

Ethan sighed. Of course he was the medical expert on this quest. He dug through his pack and finally came up with a blanket, which he tossed to Jason, who wrapped it around Piper.