𝟬𝟭𝟳. the best you can

AERA WAS LOOKING FORWARD to meeting this deadly mistress who commanded the storm spirits, especially when it looked like they were going to go shopping in the process. It was the least she deserved after that horrific frozen but not FrozenTM dress fiasco. She was looking for something chic yet breathable enough to slay a couple more storm spirits while looking super cute and winter ready doing it. Maybe some pale pink Uggs earmuffs? Or a white fur hat to cover the giant welting bruise those stupid one-eyed barbarians gave her by braining her at the back of her head? Aera was thrilled that it was finally the appropriate season to do a "I'm cold" makeup look; she already had puffiness from being unconscious as a base.

But unfortunately being tired was a thing and Piper was very tired. On the way to that deadly mistress, Piper took one step in that crusty but somehow not-so-crusty sewer tunnel they tailed the storm spirits into (Aera trusted Leo's judgment of sewers), and stumbled, wincing on her foot. Aera had to put her arm around her shoulders to steady 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?"

"Ooh, I want sushi!" Aera requested, perking at the thought of Japanese food.

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

Aera, Piper, and Jason sat on a brick ledge while Leo shuffled through his pack. Aera was glad to sit down. Her head still hurt and she wasn't over what happened with Khione's dress. It was so humiliating. Aera wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

Then she thought back to what happened at the warehouse and felt even more like an eliminated America's Next Top Model contestant. Aera had stormed away from Jason only to get hit in the back of the head by some stupid barbaric Cyclopes. Total rookie move. Then Aera had to rely on the two complete newbies, Piper and Leo, to get them out of that ugly situation. Aera felt totally useless and out of her element in Piper's baggy sweatpants and sneakers.

And then there was that memory she dreamt about while she was out, to remind her just what a failure she was.

Aera was wearing pearls when Annabeth broke her heart. It was a luminous string of 15" princess length pearls resting on her chest—a small reward for renouncing the gods and swearing fealty to Kronos. She was waiting at the edge of the woods for Annabeth, eager to tell her best friend all of the astounding events that had happened to her. First, there were the dreams, then the messages relayed by black crows, the gifts for doing as the Titan King said, and finally, Luke's irresistible proposal...

Since Percy Jackson proved his innocence and that lightning stick thing was returned, Annabeth and Aera rarely had time to see each other. Under Luke's careful instruction, Aera was secretly making preparations under the table and Annabeth was always hanging out with Percy or something. July passed in the blink of an eye. Now Aera was ready to leave this miserable camp behind for good. She had packed all her essentials in a pink suitcase and left behind all outfits that wouldn't make her look hot and dangerous.

Aera wanted to see Annabeth before she left...and possibly take her with them. Luke advised her to slip away quietly after his treachery was outed by Percy, but Aera knew she could trust Annabeth. If anyone would understand their cause, Annabeth would.

Since they were little, the two had always talked about creating a new world together, one where they could build freely and love freely. For years, Camp Half-Blood had been doing nothing but holding them back. They never let either girl prove themselves. Their accomplishments, no matter how big or small, were always stolen by the boys.

Kronos promised to recognize their skills, to truly allow them to shine with their natural gifts. Aera could finally train properly enough to one day defeat Jolina and defend her siblings. She was going to save her siblings and set them free from Jolina's tyranny. What kind of camp turned a blind eye to that kind of abuse anyway?

Plus, Annabeth was Aera's best friend. If there was anyone Aera wanted by her side during a revolution, it was her.

Aera had snuck into the Athena Cabin while they were all out at combat practice. She left Annabeth a note on her bed instructing to meet her here alone. The last twenty four hours, an air of anxiety blanketed the camp. Word got out fast that Luke had stolen Zeus' bolt, framed Percy, and eventually poisoned him. Summer campers were supposed to be going home since it was the last day of the session, but now everyone was too scared to leave, terrified of what dangers were going to be out there waiting for them.

Aera was so excited. She couldn't wait to leave and be on her own. She had been a year-round camper since she was 7. She hated going back home to her dad's cold, empty mansion in Beverly Hills. At least at this run-down camp, there were breathing people and some sense of living creatures...

Before long, Aera detected the sound of a heartbeat. It was too fast-paced to be one of the dryads'. Annabeth was here.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, though she wasn't very unhappy about it. "I thought you got lost or something."

Aera turned around and her smile vanished off the face of the earth.

Standing before her wasn't Annabeth. It was five other campers, each armed with their weapon of choice. They were dressed in full battle armor, blocking every opening of exit.

Aera had been ambushed.

Aera had made the mistake of packing all her weapons away. The saltwater pearl hair pin she always wore that could turn into a sword on command was tucked neatly away at the bottom of her suitcase. She wouldn't have time to dig through it. Aera was unarmed and outnumbered.

"Where's Annabeth?" she demanded.

She did a mental head count. Three Apollo kids and two Athena ones. All boys, all taller than her, larger than her, and definitely with more combat experience. These were the boys who never took her seriously in spars, the ones who laughed at her when she wanted to learn how to fight. Now, they surrounded her like ringleaders.

"We know you're with Luke," said an Athena kid. His sword was leveled at her chest. It was Annabeth's second-in-command, Malcolm Pace. "Tell us where he is."

Before she could lose her courage, Aera curled her fists and said, "I want to talk to Annabeth."

Lee Fletcher of the Apollo Cabin stepped forward and slapped her across the face. Aera was so taken aback, she crumpled to the ground, clutching her cheek in pain.

"We're not playing games, Aera," he said in a dark tone that didn't match his sunny disposition. He drew an arrow. "Where is he?"

Blinking back tears, Aera stared up at him, stunned. Lee Fletcher had once asked Silena out on a date. He used to grin brightly and say good morning to them every time they bumped into each other at breakfast. Now he was glaring at Aera with a violent fire in his eyes. The arrow nocked in his bow was aimed to kill.

Aera hated it, but she was scared. There was five of them and only one of her.

"I...I don't know," Aera answered, despising how her voice trembled. Her jaw ached when she spoke.

"You're lying." Seething, Lee hefted his bow and came forward as if he wanted to hit her again.

"Lee," Malcolm crooned, clapping his shoulder before he could get too close. "Take it easy, man. She's just a girl."

"Just a girl?" Lee Fletcher scoffed. "She betrayed us. She conspired with Luke to steal Zeus' master bolt. Who knows what kind of information she's going to pass on to our enemies if we let her off easy?"

Aera swallowed the hard lump in throat and got back to her feet unsteadily. "Like how you have no game?"

"Oh, you wanna go—"

"That's enough," a girl's voice said through the trees, stopping Lee Fletcher from slamming the brunt of his bow against Aera's temple. Annabeth appeared, her knife sheathed in her belt. "We can't interrogate her if she's unconscious."

Lee Fletcher might as well have shot an arrow through Aera's heart. That would have hurt less.

Of course, Annabeth had planned this. Of course, she knew what was going on. Annabeth knew everything.

"She won't talk." Michael Yew, Lee Fletcher's younger brother, shook his head. "I know she won't. She admires Luke too much."

"She's always had a weird thing for that guy," Lee Fletcher agreed. "They're both freaks."

A steely look from Annabeth was all it took for him to shut up.

Aera wasn't even paying attention to either of them. She was staring at Annabeth, who seemed to refuse to meet her gaze. Aera's brain felt fuzzy from how hard Lee Fletcher had hit her. She wanted to cry, but the shock was too gripping. It resonated in waves like echoes in her head.

She betrayed you. She betrayed you. She betrayed you.

You were betrayed.

"Why are doing this?" Aera asked. Her voice came out as a mere whisper.

Annabeth peered at her intently with those intense grey eyes that had a million possibilities swirling inside. "He hurt him, Aera."

"Who?" Aera asked numbly, but she already knew the answer.

"Percy," Annabeth said, a protective glower falling on her face. She squeezed the hilt of her dagger. "Luke tried to kill Percy. He's not who you think he is."

"And you think Percy Jackson is a hero?"

Annabeth heaved a sigh, as if Aera were a tricky math problem she was having trouble solving. She turned to the boys. "Give us some space."

Lee Fletcher frowned. "But—"

"Come on, sunshine." Malcolm took Lee Fletcher by the shoulders and steered him away. The other Athena kid turned Michael Yew and the last Apollo kid in the other direction.

When they left, Annabeth's composition softened. Her shoulders relaxed. Her jaw unscrewed. She reached for Aera's bruised cheek. "Aera—"

Aera cowered into a tree. She really hoped this wasn't one of the dryads who had a crush on her.

Annabeth lowered her hand. She shook her head as though Aera had done something wrong. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Me?" Aera said in disbelief. "You sent them after me. You know how much Lee Fletcher worships Apollo. You know what he would do if he got his hands on me."

"I had to make sure you weren't dangerous first."

Aera let out a cold laugh. "What happened to 'some people just aren't meant for the battlefield'?"

"I still stand by what I said," Annabeth said calmly. Her face was so stony, so nonchalant, Aera wanted to shatter her stoic expression with her fist. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Luke is going to destroy the world, destroy the gods. He's going to ruin everything."

"There you go again." Aera exasperated. "Pretending you know everything."

A deep scowl traveled across Annabeth's mouth. Aera could tell she had hit her weak point. "No? Then enlighten me."

"The Olympians are poison," Aera declared. "The West is rotten to the core. The only way to cure it is to start over."

"What does that even mean?"

"Luke and I are going to start a new golden age. A new family."

"I'm your family, Aera!" Annabeth exclaimed, her composure cracking. "Gods, do you even understand how insane you sound right now? With this... this new age stuff." Annabeth took a step back, throwing her hands in the air. "I mean, I know you're upset because I got a quest before you did, but you're going too far."

"Annabeth, ever since I met you, everything has always been about you! How smart you are, how talented you are, how beautiful your storm grey eyes are... Excuse me for wanting to do something on my own!"

Annabeth crossed her arms. "And Percy?"

Aera wanted to throw something. She could not believe Annabeth was still hung up about him in the middle of all this. "What about him?"

"He almost died yesterday," Annabeth said, her eyes glistening the way Silena's did whenever she talked about Beckendorf. "Was that your idea, too? Did you envy him so much you had to do something that horrible?"

"You're the insane one!" Aera retaliated, fury rushing to her brain. "I lived in your shadow for five years. I supported you in every Capture the Flag game. I showed Mr. D your blueprints when you were too scared he wouldn't like your plans to renovate the rec room. When you got in that huge fight with your dad and stepmom, I let you crash at my place in California for four months. And you're just... you're just going to throw me away for some boy you met a week ago?"

"I didn't throw you away!" Annabeth shot back. "You betrayed us first!"

Aera could have told Annabeth about Jolina. She could have told Annabeth how much it killed her to be ridiculed for who she was. She could have told her Percy was originally supposed to be hers. But she didn't. Aera blamed Percy to her heart's content, but Annabeth stole everything from her and Aera just let her do it every time. Something about Annabeth always rendered Aera defenseless.

Aera had heard about something called a fatal flaw: a weakness possessed by a hero that ultimately led to their downfall. Aera wondered if Annabeth was hers.

"I don't know who you are anymore," Annabeth said, wringing her wrists. "You're standing right in front of me and you're a million miles away. You put this distance between us, Aera. Don't come back crying to me when you regret it."

Mustering what was left of her courage, Aera raised her chin. "I won't. You're dead to me."

Annabeth gave her one last glower before turning on her heel and storming away, her curly blonde hair flying wildly behind her. Taking a deep breath, Aera put her hand over her heart to ease her nerves.

She had to get out of camp before Annabeth realized how much her emotions were getting to her head. She didn't want to be here when Lee Fletcher and his siblings came back around. Aera grabbed the handle of her suitcase and was about to make her getaway when one of the wheels of the suitcase got tangled in something in the dirt.

Aera bent over and picked it up.

It was Annabeth's half of their friendship bracelet.

"Hey." Piper nudged Aera's arm, bringing her back to the present. "It wasn't your fault." She pitched a glance at Jason, who had also been staring at the floor. "Either of you."

He blinked at her blankly. Clearly he had been lost in space. "What?"

"Getting jumped by the Cyclopes," she explained. "It wasn't either of your guys' fault."

Aera said nothing. She rubbed her bare wrist.

Jason looked down at the coin in his palm. "I was stupid. I walked into a trap. I should've known..."

Jason conveyed Aera's thoughts perfectly, but she had no desire to vocalize it. That would mean Aera was the problem and she'd rather swallow an entire contour brush than admit Annabeth was right about her.

There were many things Aera should have known. Aera was the general of Kronos. She was arguably one of the strongest demigods in the world. She had years of fighting under her belt. She wasn't that same stupid girl who was easy to betray. She had learned her lessons the hard way. And yet...and yet...

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Piper encouraged, as if reading her mind. "You're doing the best you can."

But what if it's not good enough?

Aera wrote a mental note to herself to not to let her emotions slip too much when Piper was around. That would truly be humiliating.

A few feet away, Leo lit a small cooking fire. He hummed as he pulled supplies out of his pack and his tool belt. In the firelight, Piper's eyes seemed to dance. Aera could find all a person's flaws just by looking at them once, but she still couldn't decide what color Piper's eyes were.

"This must suck for you," Aera said. "Being thrown into this quest after finding out everything about us was a lie. I don't know how you do it. If I were you, I would've shoved my Louboutin so far up Hera's royal butt by now."

Piper dropped her gaze, her confidence fading the slightest. Aera remembered Piper's countenance doing the same drooping thing at the campfire when they asked her why she wanted to go on this quest so bad. Closest family lost by one dove, the other shall lose their greatest love.

Piper was in more trouble than she let on.

"Yeah, well," Piper said, hugging her knees. "I don't own Louboutins. And none of us asked for this. It's not your fault."

Aera squinted her eyes at her, studying her. She observed that Piper tended to get nervous when forced to confront her own intentions. "You already said that."

"Aera," Jason broke in. "Why don't you see if Leo needs any help over there?"

"No thanks." Aera brushed her hair behind her shoulders. "I'm fine sitting here being pretty."

"Well, I'm not fine. Go check up on Leo."

"Ugh!" she exasperated, shooting to her feet because she had a feeling Jason would not stop being Jason if she didn't. "What is it, 'annoy the most beautiful demigod in the world' day?"

Aera stomped all the way over to Leo. Over at the fire, Leo was stir-frying some sizzling bell peppers and meat in one pan. In another, he was deep-frying something that looked like tempura. "Yeah, baby! Almost there."

Aera did a quick once-over, unimpressed. "Jason told me to check up on you."

Leo nodded, doing one of those flashy pan flips with the bell peppers and meat. "Consider me checked."

"Cool."

Ten minutes later, Leo was balancing four plates of food on his arms toward Jason and Piper like a waiter. Aera could tell they were at the end of some fake-deep conversation because they were both staring at the floor and the energy was uncomfortable. Maybe it was about the secret Piper was hiding...

"Leo," Piper said in amazement as soon as she saw him. "How did you—?"

"I helped, too!" Aera chimed in.

"How?"

"By telling him to add more salt and checking my fingernails, duh."

"Oh, yeah," Leo said, nodding along, "joint effort."

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

Aera didn't really have an appetite—after the Titan War, she never really did—but the sushi Leo put together looked amazing: shrimp tempura rolls with cucumber and avocado slices. Something about eating in front of a campfire brought her comfort. Aera made herself eat as much as she could. The more she ate, the hungrier she got. Her stomach disconnected from her brain for the first time in awhile. Aera managed to finish the whole serving and still have a master bedroom for dessert, which was a new personal best.

She snuck a look at Leo's plate. The food he made for the three of them also looked delicious: pepper and beef tacos with chips and salsa. Her stomach seemed to expand just by looking at it...

"Here." Jason placed his last taco on Aera's cleared out plate. "Eat this one, too."

"I'm not a trash can," Aera protested sourly. "Why give me your leftovers?"

"Try it," Jason said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "It's really good."

"Come on, hot stuff," Leo teased before Aera could really tell Jason what was good, "don't you want a taste of my super hot tacos?"

"Super hot," Piper said helpfully.

Aera caved. The smell seduced her.

"Fine."

She ate Jason's last taco. They tasted as good as they smelled. While they ate, Leo tried to lighten the mood and joke around. Leo was really annoying. Some of his jokes were so stupid, it was weird. Piper's laugh was the funniest part. Her laugh resembled the noise of someone wiping glass with Windex. Then Leo started a competition of who could laugh the most like Windex (that Aera obviously did not participate in because she made no unattractive noises, obviously). Things got more interesting when Leo got Jason to join in because he sounded more like a dying bird than Windex wipers. Aera cracked a smile at that.

For some time, she almost forgot they were on a stupid quest for a stupid goddess.

After they ate, Jason encouraged Piper to get some sleep. Without another word, she curled up on the ledge with her backpack under her head and closed her eyes. In two seconds, she was snoring.

Jason looked up at Aera and Leo, who were obviously trying not to laugh.

Jason and Leo cleaned up a little while Aera played with Piper's hair as the latter slept. They sat in peace for a few minutes, drinking the lemonade Leo had made from canteen water and powdered mix.

"Good, huh?" Leo grinned.

"It's drinkable," Aera said.

"She means she likes it," Jason translated. Aera glared at him but he pretended not to notice, that scoundrel. "You should start a stand. Make some serious coin."

Leo grabbed his own face with two hands. "Aw, don't make me blush, bro—bros."

He settled down on the other ledge opposite them and patted his stomach. "Alright, gang, I'mma catch some zzz's now. Don't do anything bad. Or do." He wriggled his eyebrows at Jason and Aera. Then he fell asleep with his mouth open wider than a crater.

Jason sat next to Aera awkwardly as she continued stroking Piper's hair. As he stared at the embers of the fire, Aera could see something was bothering him. His brows were furrowed. "...about this fire stuff Piper said Leo could do...you think it's true?"

"You can float on air," Aera said. "Piper can convince anyone to do anything by saying please. I can rupture someone's internal organs with a squeeze of my fist. Shooting fire out of your hands is not a weird skill for people like us to have."

"True," Jason agreed. "People with special gifts show up when bad things are happening because that's when they're needed most."

"Or maybe they're the reason bad things are happening..."

Aera hadn't realized she said those words out loud until Jason asked, "You're talking about the war last summer, aren't you? About Jolina Kamarov?"

Aera stopped petting Piper's hair.

"Sorry," Jason said sheepishly. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Why not?" Aera chugged another gulp of lemonade. "It's not like it's a secret."

"Because she hurt you," Jason said, to Aera's surprise. "Back at camp, you were trying to tell Chiron how she abused you and your siblings and he did nothing to stop it. You had to take matters into your own hands."

Aera forced herself to swallow more lemonade. Maybe if she didn't say anything else, Jason would drop it. Of course, he didn't.

"I know it's a sore subject," Jason said and his voice was so gentle, Aera almost caved in telling him the truth, "but maybe talking about it could make you feel better."

"The only thing," Aera said sharply, "that would make me feel better is if they were still alive... All of them."

Jason went silent. The softness of his eyes did a number on her.

"I never wanted anyone to die." Aera licked her lips, unable to stop her words from spilling out like a bottle of foundation. "I gave orders to all the monsters in our army that if they did more than injure a demigod, they would go back to Tartarus. Silena said I was going to lose my control over them if I kept holding them back."

"Silena?" Jason asked. "She dressed up as the head counselor of the Ares cabin to lead them into battle, right? I heard her sacrifice is what allowed Camp Half-Blood to defeat the drakon. You were still in contact with her then?"

Aera's heart skipped a nervous beat in her chest. She had never revealed this much to anyone before. Jason was a tasteless knucklehead but he was undeniably quick when it came to seeing the big picture. If she kept painting it for him, it wouldn't be long before he figured out the whole truth.

Fortunately, Aera didn't have to scourge up a lie. Jason saw her face and said, "It's alright. You don't have to tell me anything else. You did amazing."

Jason covered the hand in her lap with his and then gave it an awkward pat. His warmth gave Aera more comfort than she had expected. Jason smiled at her, though he looked kind of nervous. It was cute. He was cute.

"That girl you said I remind you of..." Aera said, her head starting to throb as she tried to discern if this fondness for him was just her having delusional fantasies from a food coma, "do you want to see her again?"

Jason slipped his hand away. He kicked some more wood into the fire with his foot. He was scowling a little. From the side, the little white scar on his lip almost reminded Aera of Luke's.

"No," he replied after a pause, and that one word was enough fertilizer for the thorny rose vines to grow back around Aera's heart. "I want to forget she existed."