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elt around his waist. His eyes were bloodshot. His curly hair was so oily it stuck up in porcupine quills, and he<br />
smelled strangely of Tabasco sauce. But he looked absolutely delighted. ―Festus is just saying hello!‖<br />
―That thing is dangerous!‖ an Ares girl shouted, brandishing her spear. ―Kill it now!‖<br />
―Stand down!‖ someone ordered.<br />
To Piper‘s surprise, it was Jason. He pushed through the crowd, flanked by Annabeth and that girl from<br />
the Hephaestus cabin, Nyssa.<br />
Jason gazed up at the dragon and shook his head in amazement. ―Leo, what have you done?‖<br />
―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<br />
metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!‖<br />
―It—has wings,‖ Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might drop off her face.<br />
―Yeah!‖ Leo said. ―I found them and reattached them.‖<br />
―But it never had wings. Where did you find them?‖<br />
Leo hesitated, and Piper could tell he was hiding something.<br />
―In … the woods,‖ he said. ―Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going<br />
haywire.‖<br />
―Mostly?‖ Nyssa asked.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dragon‘s head twitched. It tilted to one side and a stream of black liquid—maybe oil, hopefully just<br />
oil—poured out of its ear, all over Leo.<br />
―Just a few kinks to work out,‖ Leo said.<br />
―But how did you survive … ?‖ Nyssa was still staring at the creature in awe. ―I mean, the fire breath …‖<br />
―I‘m quick,‖ Leo said. ―And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?‖<br />
Jason scratched his head. ―You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, ‗festus‘ means ‗happy‘? You<br />
want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?‖<br />
<strong>The</strong> dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings.<br />
―That‘s a yes, bro!‖ Leo said. ―Now, um, I‘d really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some<br />
supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous.‖<br />
Jason frowned. ―But we haven‘t planned anything yet. We can‘t just—‖<br />
―Go,‖ Annabeth said. She was the only one who didn‘t look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and<br />
wistful, like this reminded her of better times. ―Jason, you‘ve only got three days until the solstice now, and you<br />
should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!‖<br />
Jason nodded. <strong>The</strong>n he smiled at Piper. ―You ready, partner?‖<br />
Piper looked at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could‘ve shredded<br />
her to pieces.<br />
―You bet,‖ she said.<br />
Flying on the dragon was the most amazing experience ever, Piper thought.<br />
Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon‘s metal hide generated so much heat, it was like they<br />
were flying in a protective bubble. Talk about seat warmers! And the grooves in the dragon‘s back were<br />
designed like high-tech saddles, so they weren‘t uncomfortable at all. Leo showed them how to hook their feet<br />
in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the<br />
exterior plating. <strong>The</strong>y sat single file: Leo in front, then Piper, then Jason, and Piper was very aware of Jason<br />
right behind her. She wished he would hold on to her, maybe wrap his arms around her waist; but sadly, he<br />
didn‘t.<br />
Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he‘d been doing it all his life. <strong>The</strong> metal wings<br />
worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind them. <strong>The</strong>y shot over<br />
Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.<br />
Leo grinned back at them. ―Cool, right?‖<br />
―What if we get spotted?‖ Piper asked.<br />
―<strong>The</strong> Mist,‖ Jason said. ―It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they‘ll probably mistake<br />
us for a small plane or something.‖<br />
Piper glanced over her shoulder. ―You sure about that?‖<br />
―No,‖ he admitted. <strong>The</strong>n Piper saw he was clutching a photo in his hand—a picture of a girl with dark hair.<br />
She gave Jason a quizzical look, but he blushed and put the photo in his pocket. ―We‘re making good<br />
time. Probably get there by tonight.‖<br />
Piper wondered who the girl in the picture was, but she didn‘t want to ask; and if Jason didn‘t volunteer the<br />
information, that wasn‘t a good sign. Had he remembered something about his life before? Was that a photo of<br />
his real girlfriend?
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