Wildfires, Heroes of Olympus ₂

035, attitude now walk off

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
FINLEY               BRIGGS

If Jason's head wound from the brick didn't kill him, Finn sure was.

She was going to kill everyone on the Argo II, every single person who made her stay back to watch Jason while they got to go out and adventure. Save for Annabeth, who was tasked with watching Finn watch Jason.

It was all ridiculous, really.

Luckily, Annabeth was the one who stayed behind. Meaning, the only one Finn thought had a full sense of common sense. Meaning, Annabeth elected to leave Finn and Jason alone in the sick bay so she could be left to her own devices.

Since Jason was unconscious, Finn was technically left to her own devices, too. She could turn the nearest cup of water into wine and start drinking it without worrying about anyone catching her. Not that she cared about what others thought, per se, but they were sort of under the impression that she was going into this quest fully sober and completely serious.

Finn was neither, so she didn't really know how to break that news.

It's not that she had necessarily planned to go behind everyone's backs and resort to her unhealthy drinking habits. It kind of just started out of spite. All she'd been doing for the last multiple hours was stare down at Jason's unconscious frame, feeling that spiteful flame grow in the pit of her stomach.

His face was so pale, he might've been dead. Finn remembered the awful sound of that brick hitting his forehead. Even with the nectar and ambrosia they'd managed to force-feed him, Finn couldn't be sure he would be okay when he woke up.

Not that she cared, or anything. It was just that Piper would probably assume Finn did something worse to Jason in everyone's absence, and she didn't want the blame being put on her. That would be even more annoying than having to babysit a pathetic blond's ass.

Finn heard that Glycerin Hinge thing in his room next door, humming a military song—"Stars and Stripes Forever," maybe? She didn't know, she just knew it was annoying. Since the satellite TV was out, the fawn (satyr? Oops?) had to occupy himself in different ways. Finn could only wish that different way was bashing himself in the head with his club.

She would do it herself, but she was too busy in here, unfortunately. All Finn had been doing in this period of waiting was drink wine, glare at Jason, and sort of wish she was playing a card game right now with someone.

Then she tried forcing that idea away, because—

"You totally cheated!"

Too late.

Finn laughed, half incredulous and half amused. "Cheated, Wonderboy? You're calling me a cheater?"

"Yes!" Jason couldn't contain a laugh of his own. He tried reaching forward to look for hidden cards behind Finn, but she scooted back.

"No one cheats in Go Fish!"

"Then let me see the cards you hid, Briggs."

Jason forced himself forward again, but Finn pressed her hand on his chest to keep him at bay. She tried to look at him in bafflement, but her grin was far too delighted to ignore.