Flight [Peter Parker] - Book Two of Wealth

13

September 30, 2016

Jacqueline groaned lowly, feeling as if her skull was going to split into two pieces with how badly it was pounding. She tried opening her eyes but, she was blinded by the bright light.

"Hey, you're awake."

"Nat?" Jacqueline asked, noting how dry her mouth was

Opening her eyes for the second time, the teenage girl adjusted to the light, the corners of her lips upturning just slightly as she took note of her friend in front of her.

"Hey, beautiful." Natalie smiled fondly, "Had me scared for a second there."

Jacqueline turned to look at her surroundings. She seemed to be under a large tent, outside being littered by greenery. The tent seemed to be a makeshift infirmary, other people with ages ranging from probably 10 or 12 to probably Natalie's age. Out of the probably fifteen or twenty people under the large tent, a grand majority of them wore orange t-shirts with the words 'Camp Half-Blood' on it and black pegasus under it. The others wore a purple shirt that had the letters 'SPQR' on it with a gold laurel surrounding them.

"Where-"

"Drink this first." Natalie interrupted her friend, offering her a bronze goblet, "It'll help you with your thirst."

Jacqueline was skeptical at first but, with a reassuring look from her friend, she accepted the cup. The girl almost wanted to cry. The liquid tasted exactly like the cacao her father adored making when she was a child. Jacqueline felt all the exhaustion and pain she had been feeling just moments ago slip away from her, feeling reinvigorated.

"Did it taste good?"

The teenage girl felt guilt wash over her immediately, "I'm so sorry I didn't offer you some. It was my dad's favorite drink - cacao. It's this Nicaraguan drink."

"Don't worry about it." Natalie smiled softly, "It tastes differently for anyone who drinks it. For me, it tastes like tamarindo con chia. It was my favorite when..." The older girl seemed to be distant for a moment before giving her friend a smile once more, "But, yeah. You feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks. What was that?"

The older girl let out a soft laugh, "That's called golden nectar. It's the drink of the gods. If this was given to a mortal, it'd incinerate them. For us, we can consume it in small amounts so that it could heal us, just like what it's just done to you."

"What do you mean by 'gods' and 'mortals'? Where even are we? Where's Leo?"

"I promise I'll get to all your questions and give you a more thorough explanation of everything but I gotta ask you - do you remember anything?"

Jacqueline sighed softly, leaning her head back against the hammock she was on, "Everything. Those guys... I took Greek Mythology in middle school and high school. Those were Cyclopes, right? I think I even saw helicopters around the Washington Monument? Unless I was hallucinating right before I passed out."

Natalie laughed, shaking her head, "They were Cyclopes and there were helicopters. Those helicopters were completely unrelated to us though."

"Oh, that's some good news," Jacqueline breathed out a sigh of relief, "I wouldn't want to have missed the action just because of an anxiety attack. How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Natalie smiled sympathetically, "If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't just because of your anxiety. What you did? That was crazy."

Jacqueline bit her bottom lip nervously. Natalie, Leo, and a whole group of people had seen her with her powers. This was what the teenage girl didn't want happening. This was what she and Tony had been trying to hide for years from the public. That was why no one knew Phantom's identity. Guess all of that went down the drain.

"My dad is going to kill me." Jacqueline sighed, pinching the top of her nose

"If it makes you feel any better." Natalie smiled sympathetically, "Those bystanders? They don't remember anything."

The teenage girl frowned, moving her head to the side in confusion, "What do you mean they don't remember anything?"

The older girl had a mischievous smile, "I promise I'll answer that later too. For now, I want to go take you to meet some people."

"They're not gonna try and kill us again, will they?"

Natalie laughed as she helped Jacqueline stand up, wrapping an arm around her waist when she stumbled, "No, they won't. They're great friends and mentors. Maybe they'll provide some insight into what happened at the memorial."