"Let's revisit this," Jason says as Naruto takes the driver seat and Clarisse hops into shotgun. The implications have started hitting, and Jason does not trust Naruto behind the wheel at all, especially getting out of parallel parking.

He'd mentioned earlier that he thought Argus was a concerning pick for driver because he's a mythological figure. From that statement from Sally (Jason had said he wasn't going to think about it, but— really, can you blame him?) it seems Naruto is even worse.

"Trust me," Naruto says and then nearly rear ends the car in front of them. "It's all under control!"

Clarisse sighs. "I'll drive," she says and she gets out.

"Why don't I drive?" Jason asks.

"What brought this on?" Clarisse asks. She's daring him to say that he thinks she would be shitty at driving.

"Nothing."

Clarisse narrows her eyes at him. "Okay. Whatever" she relents.

Jason hops out of the backseat and opens the front one. Naruto grumbles and Jason nearly has to drag him out before he gets behind the wheel.

"You better speed on the highway. I wanna feel the wind pull my skin back," Naruto says.

Jason non-committedly grunts.

"You better! Otherwise I'll gut you in your sleep."

Jason's heart hammers as he grips the wheel like a lifeline. All he can think of is the likelihood of him spinning out and falling all of them to their doom.

Jason moves forward then harshly brakes. The car jerks. He does that again and he hears an exasperated groan from the backseat.

He's on the wheel for about three seconds in total, stuttering the car forward and back, before Clarisse points her thumb to the backseat. He shakes his head then Clarisse draws a line across her neck with that same thumb.

Frightened, he listens and shuffles back.

He's reminded of tired single mothers as Clarisse denies Naruto's request to sit in shotgun. Like they're toddlers too young to be anywhere near something like a stick shift and all the fancy buttons.

He whispers all this to Naruto and he snorts loudly.

"You wanna go?" Clarisse asks, heatedly.

"A security guard!" Jason calls. A pale guy in a huge security jacket approaches them, looking concerned and sleep deprived.

Naruto finds that funny too. "Must because of your driving, Jason."

Jason frowns. "Mine?"

Clarisse steps on it. They rev off the parking area, tackling the sharp turn like a champ.

"Okay, captain," Naruto says, looking behind the backseat. "We have liftoff."

You know the craziest thing?

Clarisse is pretty decent at driving.

Jason expected something like reckless turns, a healthy amount of road rage or an abysmal speed as she tackles bumps.

She is a bit faster than he'd like, and perhaps she could check her mirrors more, but… well, she's decent.

You know what's crazier?

No monsters.

Jason sees a couple as they pass a stretch of a flat expanse in Pennsylvania, but they only stare at them as they pass. They don't even twitch.

Naruto calls it a gift-horse but Jason is thinking more along the lines of Trojan horse. Something meant to disarm.

Nonetheless, they cruise.

Clarisse leans on the door window, sun-glasses she'd bought in Jersey lazily strung on. Naruto whines at her to speed up but she flips him off.

Then when it's evening, Clarisse stops at a motel. They are just shy of Chicago. A bit off the main road.

It's an old motel. The type you see in horror movies. The neon lights flicker off and on. It's pretty empty except for a few cars and the company of trees.

The forest is a scary forest. A slight sheen of mist pours out of it. The trees are long and the shrubs as untamed as centaurs. Jason gets out and a naiad snarls at him.

He picks their bags as Naruto and Clarisse go and get rooms. As he does that his mind races. He wonders about the end of the quest. He worries about it too.

The whole situation— his memories, the monsters, the missing Jackson— it all reeks of something big. Jason doesn't know what it is and he doesn't know if at the end of the quest he will.

Does he want to?

They're back before he knows it. Clarisse chucks him his room keycard, locks the door of the car and walks off to her room.

"How are you holding up?" Jason asks Naruto.

He gets a weirded look back. "Fine?"

"Just checking up on my teammates. It's important."

Naruto hefts one of the backpacks from him. He's observing Jason from the corner of his eye. "Another one of your stupid rules from your other camp?"

"They're not stupid. And plus, I'm not sure it's from Camp Jupiter. It could be from somewhere else."

"I'm just going to take that as a yes."

Jason's head twinges. A stuffiness clamps on his nose.

A few minutes later, just after they've moved everything to the room, it all sparks into a fever. Jason feels his body give way, thankfully on his bed.

Naruto comes in and shuts the door, with too much energy for Jason's tastes. He asks Jason if he wants to play cards and Jason makes a funny noise.

"How are you holding up?" Naruto asks.

"Fine," he says and it's very much a lie. He's out like a light before Naruto can question him more.

Jason wakes up to someone peering over him.

For a second he thinks Naruto, the ever overdramatic kid he is, had called some staff over to check on him in worry.

But staff members don't wear tunics and don't glow in the dark. They also wouldn't frown at him like he's a speck of dirt.

He startles up, reaching for his coin somewhere in his pajama bottoms.

Naruto isn't around. His sheets have been tossed madly to the side, either by him or because of a struggle. With Naruto you can never really know. Panic seizes in his chest anyway.

"Calm yourself, Jason Grace."

"Anyone who knows me by my full name without me saying it, requires me to not calm down." He stretches to his left and flips on his nightlight. The being makes no indication to stop him

The room goes bright with a cheap orange color.

The lady purses her lips. Her face is of a woman in her thirties. She's benevolently tall and her fingers are lankly, like sticks.

Her eyes glow green, purple and blue. "You should know better than to speak to your goddess in such a way."

"My what?"

"Such impertinence," The lady says, frowning. "Did your roman camp teach you nothing?"

Jason frowns at the goddess, something he'd never thought he would do till that moment exactly.

"I don't know, my memories have been taken."

"Of course I know that— I'm the one who did it." Then her voice goes sour. "But it is to my knowledge that isn't the case anymore. They are returning, no?"

Jason's bones go wet, then buzz with static. "You're Juno," he says, his breath out of his lungs.

The lady puffs her chest. "Who else would I be?"

Jason's breath comes back with a healthy bit of annoyance. His nails claw into his palm as shock wears off.

This lady steals his life, goes back on that decision then shows up like they are buddies now or something.

And she calls him her champion. Jason's vision goes red.

"What do you want?" He asks, clipped.

"Watch the tone, now," Juno says, "I'm here to elaborate on something. Something you didn't get even as Argus practically shouted it at you."

"You told Argus to tell me something," he says as he remembers that conversation from before.

His next question is why the hell would you ask Argus to tell someone something, even if he's the closest guy around.

"Seems like you can connect dots sometimes. Impressive."

Argus shaking head as Juno popped into his mind, resurfaces.

Then it kind of clicks together before Juno can say anything. Jason feels immeasurably stupid.

Juno looked sour as she had said he was getting back his memories. She had said she had taken his memories but had left it open when she suggested that he'd gained them.

Jason looks up at the goddess, curiously. "Say, Juno? You're not the one who's giving back my memories, are you?"

Juno's face drops. She'd been tip-toeing around the entire thing, now Jason knew why. She was embarrassed.

"Correct," she says.

"Seems like I can connect a few more dots than you think," Jason says.

"Tone, boy."

Juno flashes her power around. Jason is not deterred. "What do you want, Juno?"

Juno's eyes flash gold and honestly if there is a time she would smite him, it would be then, but she doesn't and just looks at him with disdain.

"Perhaps this is good for you. You've spent too long with Greeks, with Uzumaki, you are now picking up their bad habits."

Jason gets up. "Are we done?" He asks, mock politely, "I've still got a quest to do."

"A quest indeed," Juno says.

Jason blinks. "What?"

Juno starts glowing. "Find whoever messed up my plan. That is your new quest," she says.

He furrows his brows. "To thank them?"

Juno looks vengeful. It's truly only a look a goddess that has ruined multiple people's lives can do. "Just find who it is and report it to me. I shall take the pleasure of destroying them."

Jason doesn't get a chance to agree or disagree before Juno's skin shines dangerously. Jason averts his eyes and a layer of heat rolls on his skin.

When Jason looks back, he is all alone in the room.

Jason rushes upstairs like a madman. The morning sun has just peeked out from the horizon and the air is still chilly.

Despite this, he vaults up the stairs, trying to recollect the number on Clarisse's card.

He reaches the door that might be hers. He tries the handle and surprisingly it works. He swings open her door, entering without asking then shutting it behind him.

It's the same exact hotel as his and Naruto's. It's got the same issues, such as the door creaking open, whining and whistling. The carpet has all types of hair on it, and the windows around all open to weird and different heights, making it hard to catch a good breeze.

Ultimately homey, but shoddy.

Clarisse tilts her head up at him, not breaking eye contact on the map she's inspecting. She's in some fleece pajamas, which looks off because Jason has only seen her in battle armor and the Camp Half-Blood t-shirts.

"Have you seen Naruto?" He asks hurriedly.

"He left a bit ago. Came rushing up here at, like, five and wouldn't stop whining about you."

Relief drowns him for a second. Then the rest of the statement plays out in his head. "Me?" he asks.

"He said you had a bad fever and wouldn't respond," Clarisse says. His head starts hurting anew. Thanks Clarisse. "He took the car. Left for the nearest clinic."

Jason gapes a bit. "You let him use the car?" Jason asks. "You were there yesterday, right?"

"Of course I didn't. He wrestled me down with his stupid clones— you know how unfair that is!? It was four of them—"

"Clarisse!"

"Sorry," Clarisse says. Jason blinks. "He took the keys; said unless I drove him, I wouldn't get them back. I wasn't going to get up at five to drive to something I don't know the location of."

Jason gets floored by her selfishness. He pulls himself back.

"You know he could be hurt? Or have hurt others?" Jason says, "And that had to happen just because you were feeling lazy? "

Clarisse purses her lips, making her look like she's thinking really then she looks up, confused. "Sorry just wondering when the fuck I asked for your judgement?"

Part of Jason wants to bite back to remind Clarisse his father is also the god of justice but he never gets the chance as Clarisse adds on,

"Remember Jason—" She spits his name with such animosity, "—that I'm not here to help you guys figure out your shit about Prissy. I'm here because a satyr located a powerful demigod that could be in danger. I'm here to save them, not to babysit you guys."

The skin on his neck itches. A burn passes through his lungs.

Juno had said he was getting influenced by the greeks. That he was ruder because of it. Jason feels that course through him.

He doesn't like it. He doesn't like it one bit.

"You think I'm here for Percy Jackson?" he asks icily. Bitter because Jason is just kind of feeling bitter today. "Of course I'm not. I'm here because this is the only trail to my home. Yet, I won't endanger people because they don't align with my goals."

The door opens before any more conversation can be had.

Naruto walks in, holding a bottle of pills. He seems unharmed, and is all smiles the second he sees him.

"Jason!" he says, excitedly. "I panicked when I didn't see you in the room. Thought you'd been kidnapped."

"Same here," Jason says.

Naruto pinches his eyebrows. "Huh?"

"Don't worry about it," Jason says, "How's the car?"

"Untouched. I learn quickly, Especially under the pressure of going above 100 with trees around," Naruto says proudly. Jason will reserve judgment till he sees it himself.

Jason looks back at Clarisse and a petty side tells him to leave her out of this because she's the worst.

What's worse is that Jason almost listens. "You might want to sit down," he tells Naruto.

"Take this first," Naruto says.

Jason grabs the bottle of pills, pours himself a glass of water then gulps it down.

When he's done, he starts telling them about the Juno thing. Naruto interrupts when he gets to the part where Juno calls herself 'his goddess'.

"You own a goddess?" Naruto asks, eyes wide.

Clarisse shakes her head. "Think 'your leader' not 'your dog'."

Naruto smiles coyly. "Dog. God." He raises his hands. "I'm just saying."

Clarisse rolls her eyes.

"We should be leaving soon," Jason says when he's done. He turns to Clarisse and asks, "Are you too lazy to drive? Or are you going to shove that to your comrades again?"

Clarisse does not like that. She stands up.

"Did you not hear a thing I said?" she thunders. Shame that Jason can do that better.

"I did. I disagree. We travel together and so we are a team."

"I'll show you where I'll shove your team shit, Jason."

They both huff a bit. Jason inspects how Clarisse's face just fits together when she's mad. Like it's her natural state. Another person would have blamed her father but Jason had figured from that interaction from earlier that it wasn't just genes.

Clarisse is a person who thrived being bitter and taking frustrations out at the world.

Clarisse ends the silence and Jason realizes it's been a while of them staring at each other heatedly. "Get out of my room," she says and Jason is mighty unimpressed. "I want to change. Get the hell out!"

"Ah."

They both get up. Clarisse stops them. "I'd suggest you do the same. We meet at the car in twenty," she says, then points to Naruto. "You better have gotten good enough to drive on a proper road with traffic and laws cause from here on, no more stops like this. We take turns."

She slams the door for them.

Jason shrivels his nose. Whatever, he decides, It's not worth it. The mission comes first.

"You two were fighting when I came back, weren't you? Was it related to that?" Naruto asks. He's not grieved at all, it seems. Actually— the guy looks stoked.

Jason bites his lip. Mission comes first.. "Don't worry about it."

Naruto looks at him. "What did you doooo?"

Jason walks off, quiet.

Man, backlogs help a lot. I can go back and change the tiniest things because it slightly affects something in the future chapters.

I've had no moment yet that's lasted more than ten seconds where I wanted so badly to go back and change something. It's… freeing.