↳ chapter five ₊˚.༄
[# a happy dragon]

ALTHOUGH MARCO GREETED HER WITH A GOOD MORNING, IANA'S HEART would beg to differ. She remembered finding Piper last night with a blanket wrapped around her shoulder. She looked distraught but tried to hide it from Iana, plastering her face with a smile. Unsuccessfully, of course.

"Pipes!" Iana called as she rushed over to the glammed girl.

Far away from the warmth of the campfire, the night was cold. The wind pierced her skin, causing goosebumps to form on her exposed arm. Piper smiled tiredly at her as the short haired girl slipped an arm around her shoulder, rubbing up and down once she noticed how cold her skin was. "Hey, Iana. You're not going to your cabin yet?"

Iana looked around as a couple of stray campers chatted outside of their cabins, lingering outside of their doors. "I am, but I had to see you." Because I miss you. "Are you going on the quest?"

Piper nodded and Iana almost felt herself leaning in before realizing their current state. Iana's expression fell and her hand dropped from her shoulder, turning her head away. It was still hard for her to accept that Piper had forgotten all about them, only remembering the fact they shared a strong platonic love for each other. But it was never just platonic.

"Hey, what's the frown for?" Piper asked, her brows furrowed as she leaned closer to the girl, softly pushing her chin up. "Not sad about me going on the quest are you? Would you have preferred Drew?"

A dry chuckle left Iana's lips at her teasing, her expression lightening. "No of course not, I'm just..." Worried I might not be able to keep this heartbreak to myself. "Scared you might get hurt."

"Says the Illusionist who's destined for great power or death." Piper's tone was light, but her face was full of worry. She let her head rest on Iana's shoulder. "What you did back there was..."

"Weird? Sudden? Too much?"

"I'll admit, it wasn't something I expected. But I never knew you could do that."

The short haired girl let out a sigh, scratching the back of her neck. "Me neither. Oh, we've reached your cabin."

Piper jerked her head up and groaned, her shoulders slouching. "Save me,"

"Hey, I'm sure the rest of your siblings are nice." Iana tried to look at the bright side, her eyes avoiding the intensely pink cabin. "Besides, not everyone can be as shitty as Drew."

"Yeah..."

That night, she fell asleep later than she would have, the shadow lingering in the small corner of the room made it difficult to feel safe in her own cabin. By sunrise, she had already woken up, her head far too much a mess for her to fall back to sleep.

After cleaning herself and mentally preparing for the day ahead, Iana came back to her bed to find a pair of clothes sitting atop of it. An orange shirt with the camp's logo on it, a white, short sleeved top (if she wanted something less flashy), a periwinkle blue cardigan, black cargos, and a pair of running shoes. She chose to wear everything provided except for the camp shirt.

As far as weapons go, all she had was a dagger Lou Ellen had given the night before. It had a snake engraved in the handle, painting a picture so that it looked like the serpent was slithering up. The rest of the blade was normal, as far as sharp objects go. There was no story for the weapon, no legend, no superstition. So it would be Iana's to start.

When she got to the main level of the cabin, Leila and Jules surprised her by preparing a 'quest starter kit', which directly translates to a backpack filled with food, water, extra clothes, and ambrosia. They also left a few notes on how to perform simple spells that would help her, ranging from healing spells to more practical levitation spells.

Iana gave them a small bow as she stared at the bag. "Wow, thank you."

"No problem, we're family now." Leila told her brightly.

Making their way to the right exit of the cabin, a loud commotion could be heard outside, a mixture of satyr's screaming and the blaring camp alarm, along with the clatter of armor and heavy footsteps. The three girl's shared a look with each other, daring each other to open the door. An abrupt gasp left Jules lips as she caught a glimpse of something through the window.

"Shit," she hastily opened the window. "Dragon's back."

Ignoring Jules's call to stay in the cabin, Iana made her way outside and ran in search of her quest buddies, who, by her deduction, should also be going outside. She made her way through the crowd that was circling the large figure and felt her heart stop.

"Leo?" Piper, who Iana didn't notice was standing beside her, yelled.

Sure enough, there he was, sitting atop a giant bronze death machine and grinning like the lunatic he was. Worry crept through and all Iana could think about were the million different ways Leo could've gotten injured. Half the camp had already ran outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor. The dragon set down right in the middle of the green, and Leo yelled, "It's cool! Don't shoot!"

Hesitantly, the archers lowered their bows. The warriors backed away, keeping their spears and swords ready. They made a loose wide ring around the metal monster. Other demigods hid behind their cabin doors or peeped out the windows. Nobody seemed anxious to get close.

Iana couldn't blame them. The dragon was huge. It glistened in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture— different shades of copper and bronze— a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth and glowing ruby eyes. It had bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped.

"It's beautiful," Piper muttered, receiving looks from the other campers surrounding them.

"It's terrifying," Iana stated blankly.

The dragon reared its head and shot a column of fire into the sky. Campers scrambled away and hefted their weapons, but Leo slid calmly off the dragon's back. He held up his hands like he was surrendering, except he still had that crazy grin on his face.

"People of Earth, I come in peace!" he shouted. He looked like he'd been rolling around in the campfire. His army coat and his face were smeared with soot. His hands were grease-stained, and he wore a new tool belt around his waist. His eyes were bloodshot. His curly hair was so oily it stuck up in porcupine quills, and he smelled strangely of Tabasco sauce. But he looked absolutely delighted. "Festus is just saying hello!"

"That thing is dangerous!" an Ares girl shouted, brandishing her spear. "Kill it now!"

"Stand down!" someone ordered.

Iana was surprised to realise it was Jason's voice. He pushed through the crowd, flanked by Annabeth and Nyssa. Jason gazed up at the dragon and shook his head in amazement. "Leo, what have you done?"

"Found a ride!" Leo beamed. "You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"

"It—has wings," Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might dislocate off her face.

"Yeah!" Leo said. "I found them and reattached them."

"But it never had wings. Where did you find them?"

Leo hesitated, a telltale sign that he was hiding something. "In... the woods," he said. "Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire."

"Mostly?" Nyssa asked.

The dragon's head twitched. It tilted to one side and a stream of black liquid— maybe oil, Iana prayed it was just oil— poured out of its ear and showered all over Leo.

"Just a few kinks to work out," Leo said.

"But how did you survive... ?" Nyssa was still staring at the creature in awe. "I mean, the fire breath..."

"I'm quick," Leo said. "And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?"

Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, 'festus' means 'happy'? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"

The dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings.

"That's a yes, bro!" Leo said. "Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous."

Jason frowned. "But we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just—"

"Go," Annabeth said. She was the only one who didn't look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, like this reminded her of better times. "Jason, you've only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!"

Piper nudged Iana's shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Stop worrying, you've already signed yourself up for this. And besides," the brunette shrugged. "I'm with you."

The daughter of Hecate chuckled as she looked up at the bronze dragon, its wings glistening against the sky. Taking a steady breath in, she met Piper's gaze and nodded. "Alrighty, partner."

Flying on the dragon was the worst experience ever, Iana concluded. Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generated so much heat, it was like they were flying in a protective bubble. The grooves in the dragon's back were designed like high-tech saddles, so they weren't uncomfortable at all. Leo showed them how to hook their feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the exterior plating.

Even with all of the advanced tech the dragon had, it didn't do much to reduce Iana's ever growing fear of heights. They sat single file: Leo in front, Iana right behind him, then Piper, and Jason at the back. Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he'd been doing it all his life. The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind them. They shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.

Leo grinned back at them. "Cool, right?"

Iana shook her head as her face hid in her palms. "Not cool, at all."

"What if we get spotted?" Piper asked.

"The Mist," Jason said. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."

Piper glanced over her shoulder. "You sure about that?"

"No," he admitted.

"I am," Iana voiced, her tone certain. "My siblings told me about how we have control over the Mist, meaning we can make mostly anyone see whatever we want them to. Mines just so happens to be stronger than theirs."

Leo's mouth made an O. "Is that how you were able to do that trick last night? It was pretty sick."

"We're making good time, guys." Jason's statement reminded them of their current goal. "Probably get there by tonight."

"Remind me, where are we heading again?" Iana questioned as her head was kept facing the sky.

"To find the god of the North Wind," Jason said. "And chase some storm spirits."

• ────── ✾ ────── •

THE SILENCE WAS A NICE CHANGE OF PACE FROM THE CONSTANT UNVEILINGS the world had thrown at her face for the last 48 hours. They were far away from Long Island now, Iana's fear of heights declining ever so slightly as she got used to the view of the sky so close to her.

"Shut up, me," Leo suddenly spoke.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Long night. I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool."

Silence soon came over them and a look of worry was plastered over each and every one of their faces.

"Just joking." Leo assured them (but Iana always knew better when it came to him) and decided to change the subject. "So what's the plan, bro? You said something about catching wind, or breaking wind, or something?"

As they flew over New England, Jason laid out the game plan: First, find the god Boreas and persuade him to give them some information regarding their quest—

"His name is Boreas?" Leo asked. "What is he, the God of Boring?"

Second, Jason continued, they had to find the venti that had attacked them back at the Grand Canyon—

"Can we just call them storm spirits?" Leo interrupted once again. "Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks."

And third, Jason finished, they had to find out who the storm spirits worked for in order to find Hera and free her.

"So you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, on purpose," Leo recited, his face puzzled. "The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds."

"That's about it," Jason confirmed. "Well... there may be a wolf involved, too. But I think she's friendly. She probably won't eat us, unless we show weakness."

Jason told them about his dream— a big mother wolf and a burned-out house with stone spires growing out of the swimming pool being the main points.

"Uh-huh," Leo said. "But you don't know where this place is."

"Nope," Jason admitted.

"There's also giants," Piper added. "The prophecy said the giants' revenge."

"Hold on," Leo said. "Giants— like more than one? Why can't it be just one giant who wants revenge?"

"There were armies of giants in the Greek stories," Iana explained. "They all fought the gods and ultimately failed. But now with their supposed uprising..."

"Great," Leo muttered. "Of course, with our luck, it's an army. So you know anything else about these giants? Piper, didn't you do a bunch of myth research for that movie with your dad?"

"Your dad's an actor?" Jason questioned.

Leo laughed. "I keep forgetting about your amnesia. Heh. Forgetting about amnesia. That's funny. But yeah, her dad's Tristan McLean."

"Uh—Sorry, what was he in?"

"It doesn't matter," Piper said quickly, rolling her eyes at how easy Leo could make them go off track. "The giants— well, there were lots of giants in Greek mythology. But if I'm thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. Huge, almost impossible to kill. They could throw mountains and stuff. I think they were related to the Titans. They rose from the earth after Kronos lost the war— I mean the first Titan war, thousands of years ago— and they tried to destroy Olympus. If we're talking about the same giants—"

"Chiron said it was happening again," Jason remembered. "The last chapter. That's what he meant. No wonder he didn't want us to know all the details."

Leo whistled. "So... giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the time to bring up my psycho babysitter."

Iana gave him a side glance. "Tell me you're just joking."

Leo told them about Tía Callida, who was really Hera, and how she'd appeared to him at camp. He also told them about the strange woman in earthen robes who seemed to be asleep, and seemed to know the future. As the short boy told his story, Iana guessed that they had passed the whole state of Massachusetts before anyone voiced their comments.

"That's... disturbing," Piper said.

"'Bout sums it up," Leo agreed. "Thing is, everybody says don't trust Hera. She hates demigods. And the prophecy said we'd cause death if we unleash her rage. So I'm wondering... why are we doing this?"

"She chose us," Jason reminded, his tone certain. "All four of us. We're the first of the nine who have to gather for the Great Prophecy. This quest is the beginning of something much bigger."

Although what he said was true, it didn't entirely lighten up the mood. Something big was starting, something entirely out of any gods control that would undoubtedly lead to tragedy unless the four of them and the rest of the demigods mentioned in the Great Prophecy stopped it. And it sure wouldn't be an easy fight

"Besides," Jason continued, "helping Hera is the only way I can get back my memory. And that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on Hera's energy. If that thing unleashes a king of the giants by destroying Hera—"

"Shit would blow out of control," Iana agreed with him, grimacing at the possible events her mind conjured. "Good thing Hera's probably on our side, if not the rest of the gods would be thrown into chaos by the end of the solstice. Who knows how destructive this war might be."

Jason nodded. "Chiron also talked about worse forces stirring on the solstice, with it being a good time for dark magic, and all— something that could awaken if Hera were sacrificed on that day. And this mistress who's controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods—"

"Might be that weird sleeping lady," Leo finished. "Dirt Woman fully awake? Not something I want to see."

"But who is she?" Jason asked. "And what does she have to do with giants?"

Good questions, but none of them had answers. Iana took a deep breath as she wondered about what awaited them, what awaited her. Unruly souls will haunt the mind surely meant that the shadow-like beings she kept on seeing would turn on her, the aid it gave her during the night of the bonfire a one time thing. Perhaps she shouldn't have gone on the quest if she was a magnet for dark spirits. Although she had only been aware of the power she possessed, magic had always seeped into her life, little by little.

The first instance that started all of the accusations toward Iana was when she was five. A typical day in Boston had begun and little Iana was running around the house trying to catch a butterfly. Her father had invited a few friends from work and they were just chatting as they sipped on the coffee provided by the maid in the house. Iana had circled their table at least five times before two of her fathers co-workers started to notice that the butterfly would change colors and hadn't gone out of the window once.

This, of course, was easily covered up as a 'trick of the light'. But Iana had a feeling her father always knew it was something more, whether he was aware of her parentage or not.

As she zoned out of her thoughts, Iana noticed Leo's head falling every now and again. "You should get some sleep Leo," she patted his shoulders. "You've been up all night."

The brunette could tell Leo wanted to argue, maybe even mock her for mothering him, but she knew the fatigue was starting to catch up on him. "You won't let me fall off?"

The short haired girl gave him a smile. "Never."

"Okay, EJ," he muttered and leaned forward against the warm bronze of the dragon's neck, falling into a deep slumber.

author's note!

someone needs to yell at me so i can edit but i'm just so lazy to

anyways BAE IN THE ROLLER COASTER MV? MY GIRL IS SO PRETTY OMGG

please leave your comments guys! i love reading your thoughts. mwah, have a good day <33