GOLDEN DAYS |JASON GRACE| {1}

XXV

[KYRA]

KYRA WATCHED AS PIPER AND THE OTHERS walked away. She remembered Will saying that they could heal, but needed to sing a special hymn in Ancient Greek in order to do so. Maybe if they stopped, she could figure it out to help the Daughter of Aphrodite out.

According to the plaque, it was called Crown Fountain. All the water had emptied out except for a few patches that were starting to freeze. It didn't seem right to Kyra that the fountain would have water in it in the winter anyway. Then again, those big monitors had flashed the face of their mysterious enemy Dirt Woman. Nothing about this place was right.

They stepped to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop them. The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.

Jason went first, then Kyra, Leo, and Piper. As she climbed, she braced himself for horrible sewer smells, but it wasn't that bad. The ladder dropped into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.

"Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wondered.

"No," Leo answered, "Trust me."

Jason frowned at him, "How do you know—"

"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?"

Jason tilted his head, as if he was listening, then pointed south. "That way."

"How can you be sure?" Kyra asked.

"There's a draft blowing south," Jason replied, "Maybe the venti went with the flow."

It wasn't much of a lead, but nobody offered anything better, Kyra thought. Unfortunately, as soon as they started walking, Piper stumbled. Jason had to catch her, "Stupid ankle," she cursed.

"Let's rest," Jason decided. "We could all use it. We've been going nonstop for over a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Chef Leo is on it!"

Piper, Jason, and Kyra sat on a brick ledge while Leo shuffled through his pack. Kyra dug through her bag, grabbing more nectar and ambrosia for Piper when she spotted a parchment of paper. It was the hymn that Will told her about.

She grinned, grateful that it was in Ancient Greek so she could actually read it. The blonde quickly memorized it before kneeling before Piper, "Do you trust me?"

Piper's eyebrows furrowed, "Of course, what are you-"

"Children of Apollo can heal." Jason answered for Kyra, "Do you think you can heal her ankle?"

Kyra held up the parchment, "Thanks to Will, I think I can." She placed her hands on Piper's ankle, causing the brunette to wince, and Kyra began to sing the hymn under her breath. Her hands began to glow and her breath was squeezed from her lungs.

In the back of her mind, she saw something. It was a man, chained to the wall of a cave. And in front of him was a giant. But who was he?

Once she finished the hymn, Kyra fell backward as she filled her lungs once again. Jason grabbed onto her and kept her steady as Piper stared down at her ankle in awe, "Did... did it work?" Kyra asked,

"Yeah." Piper smiled up at her, "It did."

Kyra moved away from Jason. giving him a nod in thanks before looking back at Piper, "Is it your dad?" She asked and Piper's smile faded,

"What?"

"I saw something when I healed you. There was a man and a giant.  Is he connected to you?" Kyra questioned the daughter of Aphrodite.

Piper looked on the verge of tears. "Kyra ... I can't talk about it."

Jason stepped in, "We're your friends. Let us help."

That seemed to make her feel worse. She took a shaky breath. "I wish I could, but—"

"And bingo!" Leo announced.

He came over with three plates stacked on his arms like a waiter. Kyra had no idea where he'd gotten all the food, or how he'd put it together so fast, but it looked amazing: pepper and beef tacos with chips and salsa.

"Leo," Piper said in amazement. "How did you—?"

"Chef Leo's Taco Garage is fixing you up!" he said proudly. "And by the way, it's tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don't freak. Just dig in!"

Kyra wasn't sure about tofu, but the tacos tasted as good as they smelled. While they ate, Leo tried to lighten the mood and joke around. She was grateful Leo was with them. It made being with Jason a little less intense and uncomfortable. At the same time, she kind of wished she was alone with him; but she chided himself for feeling that way.

After Piper ate, Kyra encouraged her to get some sleep. Without another word, she curled up with a blanket that Leo conjured up from his tool belt. In two seconds she was snoring. Leo was sleeping soon after.

The blonde looked over at Jason. If she could heal Piper's injury, is it possible for her to give Jason his memories back?

"What are you thinking about?" Jason asked, staring at Kyra.

She met his blue eyes with her own, "I can heal." Kyra stated, "Physical injuries, anyway. I was wondering if I can heal injuries beneath the surface."

Jason furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "What?"

"Maybe... just maybe, don't get your hopes up, but... maybe I can get your memories back." Kyra explained,

His eyes widened, "Kyra, maybe you shouldn't. It could be dangerous."

"Look, Jason, if I can't do it, I can't do it. But if it turns out I had to ability to give you your memories back this whole time, I'd feel bad. At least let me try." Kyra begged,

Jason didn't look convinced, "Fine. But if anything feels odd, you stop."

Kyra nodded, excited, before moving closer to him. Her cheeks turned red when she realized they were face to face, their noses almost touching. Kyra cleared her throat and raised her hands so that her fingertips touched Jason's temples before singing the hymn.

The first thing she saw was the Golden Gate Bridge. then she saw a girl with black hair and deep, black eyes. She had the same tattoo and shirt as Jason.

Suddenly, there was a burning sensation behind Kyra's eyes. She stopped singing and gasped in pain. The burning heightened and she could faintly hear Jason's voice in the background before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed onto the ground of the sewer.