Andromeda Jackson

Andy

I don't relax until the glow of Quebec City fades behind us.

"You were amazing," Jason tells Piper.

She answers something in French, which I definitely can't translate in my head. 

"What'd you say?" he asks.

"I said I only talked to Boreas. It wasn't so amazing."

"Hey," I say, "you saved us from joining Khione's subzero hero collection. We owe you one."

She doesn't look reassured. "What did you do to Khione's ice storm?" she asks me. "You just pointed and it fell apart."

"Snow and ice are made of water." I tell her, picking at my thumbnail. "I'm not as powerful as Khione, but one time, Percy and I got in a fight with..." I decide not to mention Thalia. I don't want to bring up more questions, and I swore to Jason I wouldn't tell anyone his secret. "In a fight with this other demigod, and we learned we can make, like, ice storms and stuff."

"The look on her face was pretty great," Jason admits, but I don't feel great. I keep thinking about what she said, about how I'll always live in the shadow of my hero brother. We've always done everything together. I've been by his side during every fight, every prophecy, every conversation. But, he's twelve minutes older than me, meaning if either of us was going to be the demigod from the prophecy, it would be him. So, being that he was the demigod in the Great Prophecy, he got a lot of the spotlight. It's always Percy and Andy Jackson, never Andy and Percy Jackson. 

I've never held that against him, obviously I didn't want to be the demigod in the prophecy. But sometimes, it does feel like I get overlooked. Maybe Khione was right. Maybe I'm just a disappointment with a big mouth. 

Leo passes us some sandwiches from his pack. He's been quiet ever since we told him what happened in the throne room. "I still can't believe Khione," he says. "She looked so nice."

There's that angry feeling again, burning in my stomach like I chugged a hot soup. What is with that? I must really hate Khione. 

"Trust me, man," Jason says. "Snow may be pretty, but up close, it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."

I offer Leo a smile, which he returns, but something is off with him. I can see it in his eyes. He hasn't said much about his time in the palace, or why the Boreads singled him out for smelling like fire. I get the feeling he's hiding something. Whatever it is, his mood seems to be affecting Festus, who grumbles and steams as he tries to keep himself warm in the cold Canadian air. Happy the Dragon isn't so happy, and as far as I'm concerned, that makes flying even worse. 

We eat our sandwiches as we fly. I have no idea how Leo stocked up on supplies, but the sandwiches are great. 

No one talks. Whatever we might find in Chicago, we all know Boreas only let us go because he figures we're already on a suicide mission. 

The moon rises and stars turn overhead, but I can't sleep. The silence gives me time to think, and I don't like it. I can't help but wonder if Percy is out there somewhere, looking at the stars too. There have been times where I can sense Percy's emotions. It's stronger when we're both underwater, but we've shared dreams, thoughts, and feelings before. It's a twin thing, I think. Still, I haven't felt anything since he went missing. I try not to let that bother me, but it does. 

What if I can't feel anything because he's dead? 

The thought nearly sends me tumbling off the dragon. I have to grip Leo's side to steady myself as my vision tunnels and spins.

He turns around with an eyebrow raised, ready to make a joke, but my expression must be pretty bad, because he says nothing and turns back around. A moment later, he puts a hand on mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

It offers me some comfort, but not much. I force myself to take deep, calming breaths, but it doesn't really do anything. I'm already flying through the sky—my worst nightmare—and I'm on a quest to fight giants, and my brother might be dead. I take a sip of water and focus intensely on my breathing. 

I'm not sure how long it takes, because it feels like hours, but I finally start to calm down. I let go of Leo, and manage to unclench my jaw. I'm just sitting back to relax when the dragon jerks, and I get a familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. A feeling that sends me into a panic all over again.

We're falling.