Book 1: Sparks Fly (Leo Valdez x OC)

Chapter 3: I Believe I Can Touch the Lake

After a morning of waking up with amnesia, discovering I can fly, and almost accidentally kissing a boy I met thirty minutes beforehand (while flying!), I should be losing my mind. Instead, all I feel is déjà vu.

Seeing the blond girl, Annabeth, gives me a weird feeling. I feel like I know her, but I don't remember her at all. There should be memories there. I should know things about her. Her last name. Her favorite color. Her godly parent.

Wait. Her what?

Why did that come to my mind as an important piece of information about someone?

I'm standing in the front of the chariot next to...Buck? No. Butch. I watch him handle the pegasi and wish that I could study them closer.

From the back of the chariot, Leo says, "This is so cool!" He spits a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

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

As she says the name of the camp, I get a warm, happy feeling in my chest, the kind that should come with good memories, except the memories don't come.

"Half-blood?" Piper sounds suddenly on edge. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

"She means we're demigods," I tell her quickly, diffusing the tension in her body and voice.

Jason clarifies, "Half-god, half-mortal."

Annabeth looks between us. "You both seem to remember a lot. Jason, I don't know how you remember anything, but Jackie's lived at Camp Half-Blood since she was four."

I've what?

"But, yes," Annabeth continues, "we're demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

Leo and I both suppress laughs. I do a better job of it, and all the attention swivels to him. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"

"Got a problem with that?" Butch says, not taking his eyes off the pegasi in the front.

"No, no," Leo says, schooling his face into as neutral an expression as he can. "Rainbows. Very macho."

This sends me into another fit of silent wheezes.

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

"Rainbows, ponies." Leo mutters. I shoot him a look meant to convey the message, are you trying to make me fall off this chariot?

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

Lightning flashes. The chariot shudders, and the left wheel catches on fire. Jason yells, "Left wheel's on fire!" as if we can't all tell already. I'm standing directly next to it, so I stumble backwards, straight into Leo. He makes an oof noise as we both slam into the side of the chariot. His arms shoot out and accidentally grab my hips. I awkwardly stand up and move as far away as I can, my face burning.

I glance behind us and see dark shapes forming in the clouds, storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot—but these ones look more like horses than wannabe football player angels.

Piper starts to say, "What are they—"

"They come in different shapes," I say. "Human, horse, vapor. Depends on their individual level of chaotic-ness."

What is happening? How do I know this? I'm saying it on instinct, not even thinking.

Annabeth studies me again, and I shift uncomfortably.