True Blue ✷ Leo Valdez.

32 / Went looking for a creation myth, ended up with a pair of cracked lips.

Blaire Sullivan hated Leo Valdez. Though she'd grown to consider him a friend and had some grand realization just the night prior about how much he truly meant to her, Blaire swore to the gods she would actually inflict physical harm upon the boy when (if) they made it back to the ship.

She, Percy, Piper, and Jason had been trudging through scratchy sunflower feilds for what felt like hours, being eaten alive by mosquitoes and whacked in the face by especially long weeds. Leo had told them that he'd set down close to their designated location. After not long, it became increasingly obvious that his definition of close needed some serious work.

Finally, when they'd reached the road, they stumbled across an old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub that indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.

"Correct my math," Percy whined like an irritated toddler, "but doesn't that mean we still have eight miles to walk?"

Blaire squinted up at the sign, wiping away the sweat that had beaded on the crown of her skull. "Seriously, fuck Leo."

"Yeah. I bet you'd like that, Ms. Magic," Percy teased with a menacing raise of his eyebrows. At least, she figured his eyebrow raise was intended to come across as menacing, but it was impossible to take it seriously when his face was beat red from the heat.

"Shut up, Sea-Prawn," Blaire retorted, nudging him.

Jason shared a look with Piper, one of both confusion and whatever the opposite of amusement might be. Then he said, to the entire group, "No cars...But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike anyways."

"No," Piper agreed, gazing nervously down the desolate highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."

"Hmm..." Jason snapped his fingers after a second of apparent pondering. "I can call a friend for a ride."

As if accepting a challenge of sorts, Percy raised his eyebrows again, this time at Jason. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."

Jason whistled. Blaire knew what he was doing, but he'd succeeded in summoning Tempest only three times since they'd met the storm spirit at the Wolf House last winter. Today, the sky was so blue, Blaire didn't see how it could possibly work.

Percy simply closed his eyes and concentrated.

Thunder crackled in the clear sky.

Jason smiled. "Soon."

"Too late." Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward them. At first, Blaire thought it might be Frank in crow form. Then she realized it was much too big to be a bird.

"A black pegasus?" Piper guessed. "Never seen one like that."

The winged stallion came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face, then turned his head inquisitively toward the other three demigods.

"Blackjack," Percy began, nodding in the direction of his horse, "this is Blaire, Piper, and Jason. They're friends."

The horse nickered.

"Uh, maybe later," Percy answered.

"What does your horse want?" Blaire asked.

"Donuts," Percy said. "Always donuts. He can maybe carry all four of us if—"

Suddenly the air turned cold. Blaire's ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from The Wizard of Oz. It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse—a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body.