Nothing Happens for a few days. I mean that quite literally. I guess I didn't realize how much shenanigans Bundi got up to. It really spiced up the place. They were mainly resting, fading in and out on consciousness. I was painfully aware this was uncommon for an injury as minor as theirs. I suspected Apophis had done something else to them, something to do with magic and whatever dark power she possessed, but it was also the same as mine. My hands started to sweat profusely whenever I thought about the look on their face when I tried to heal them, I don't think I would be able to do it again, not anytime soon.

It had gotten to the point where even Nole had picked up on my stress.

"Go relax, take Jason and Persephone with you, there's a quiet little beach down by the harbor. We're searching the island, everything's fine," he promised, pushing me along a little beaten dirt path.

"O-okay?" I stammered.

He pushed a satchel into my hands, shaking Peri from his perch on my shoulder. He flew back around and landed clumsily in my hair. I couldn't really see. This was fine. Nole ushered me off, waving his hands like the busy father he was.

I stood there, like a deer caught in the glow of a Scobi bus, before eventually unwinding the tightly coiled springs in my joints. I clenched onto the satchel, discovering it was filled with a few snacks. How thoughtful.

"The beach?" Jason blinked when I told him, "okay."

"That does sound nice, it's been a little crazy here," Percy agreed.

"Alright, wonderful," I sighed.

I had never actually been to a beach. I had seen them, traveled over them, but I had never really spent time there. It was wetter than I thought and... coniferous. The tree line was only a dozen or so meters away from the sand. I pulled off my shoes and waded into the partially rocky surf. It smelled like salt and my eyes watered slightly. I made quick work of rolling up my trousers and leaving my poncho on a rock. The waves weren't very big, I found stepping over them with ease to be very entertaining. Peri watched me from another rock that jutted out of the sand.

"Hey, don't look now," he smirked, glancing back towards the beach.

I looked over and saw Jason was tugging off his shirt, revealing he was just as fit as I might have imagined on more than one occasion. I whipped back towards Peri, my face was burning, and stammered angrily at him.

"I warned you," He cackled, puffing out his cape feathers in amused pride.

"Sh-shut up!" I gasped, considering dunking my whole face under water, or maybe Peri's, familiars couldn't drown, right?

He shrieked in delight as I splashed water on him anyway. His flew out of reach and I watched him go. Percy was walking along the waterline, it looked like she had a handful of shells. Jason kept walking until he was waist deep and dived underwater. He came and flipped his hair back, I was watching the whole scene in slow motion until he realized I was staring and... and then he winked at me.

I blushed, and blinked up at the sky. How in Kosmos name was I supposed to interpret that. Wait... there a shape in the sky. It was vaguely boomerang shaped, and as it descended towards us, Jason instinctively glanced up. I recognized Lafayette soon enough.

The most ridiculous smile spread across his face when he saw Lafayette again, any doctor might have thought Jason's teeth were trying to escape his mouth. I realized I was probably assumed to be the doctor. I also had a massive crush on this boy and this beach vacation had given me two consecutive heart attacks so far. Four out of ten, would not beach again.

Jason skipped up onto the beach and yanked on one of his gloves, Lafayette let out a screech and dropped down onto him. He landed precisely onto Jason's arm and pushed his head up against Jason's face and the human boy laughed. He laughed like he was a kid, I don't think I had ever heard him laugh like that before.

"He found them!" Jason exclaimed, pulling a little piece of paper wrapped around Lafayette's ankle loose and unraveling it.

That instantly cleared my mind of Hot Boy™ and I scrambled forward to read over his arm, because trying to read over his shoulder would prove too difficult for someone of my height. My heart sped up as I recognized Ryan's handwriting! Her letters were very curly and she tended to end her messages with a heart. It was something that always stuck with me those first few weeks in Agríos.

"Hello Craig! And Jason, and hopefully the Queen. I hope you are doing okay, we're on our way, Eddie got back to us safely, we're safe. Lafayette found us right before we set sail. Hoping to see you soon, love Ryan, and there's a little heart at the end," Jason read aloud.

"Oh wonderful, I'm looking forward to going back home. I have an emergency government for such instances but I'm sure everything's in some level of chaos." Percy sigh, sounding satisfied.

"Are they going to let you go?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to agrees to their terms?"

Percy bit her lip, "I'm going to give it a heavy consideration."

"We have to write back!" I interrupted, feeling giddy. I couldn't wait to se my sister again!

"I'll run back to camp and find us some pen and paper, or at least an animal skin," Percy offered, already pulling on her shoes.

"Thank you!" I smiled as she went, then read the letter again a few times.

I missed them so much.

Jason stared at me blankly and without emotion, kind of per usual. I wondered if he would put on a shirt, or who would say something first, or how much longer this awkward silence could go on before one of us (probably me) spontaneously combusted.

"Sounds like we'll be off here soon, or at least see the others again," Jason finally said.

"Yeah, thank Kosmos," I laughed nervously. "I can't wait to see Ryan again, she's like, ninety percent of my calm-headed decision making."

Jason laughed, "definitely."

Like a snake had grabbed my tongue, I continued to speak, much to my wild disapproval, "how about you? Who are looking forward to seeing the most?" Wow that was subtle.

Jason shrugged, "I don't know."

That seemed to be all he planned on saying, so I blinked at the ground for a few uncomfortable seconds before suddenly, I spotted movement in the woods. Peri perked up and hopped back onto my shoulder. A figure appeared, it was Bundi. They were carefully walking towards the two of us, one of their arms was in a sling.

"Bundi!" I called out, meeting them halfway, "how are you doing?"

I hoped things weren't awkward now, and they didn't see to be. They smiled and sighed deeply.

"I'm doing okay, I wanted to come out here and apologize for making a scene earlier. I'm incredibly grateful that you healed me Craig, I don't think I would have made it otherwise," they explained, patting me on the shoulder.

"Aw shucks," I leaned back on my heels, "it really wasn't that crazy, anyone could have sewn you up."

"Ah, but it was you," they insisted. "There's got to be some way I can thank you."

I felt Peri's feather puff up against my neck, "it's fine, I'm just glad you're okay."

"Where's Moriah?" Peri hissed, his voice launching through the air like sparks. "Moriah?"

"I think I have an idea," Bundi continued, oblivious to Peri's distress.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw a metallic glint from behind Bundi's back as they pulled out a knife. Peri squawked loudly, and Bundi's eyes glinted with blind, aimed, rage. They shot toward me, and I cried out as I felt eh blade nick my arm before I fell to the ground. Peri was shrieking, like he was filled with demons as he clawed madly at Bundi's face.

Then all of a sudden Jason was there. He knocked the knife out of Bundi's hand and the chief finally managed to rip my bird off their face. Bundi caught Jason's fist in their own when the teen tried to throw one at them. They let out a soft hiss of annoyance. I could have sworn their eyes were slits. Jason let out a choked grunt as he tried to overcome Bundi with pure force but they were slowly forcing him to the ground. Jason sunk to his knees, and Bundi looked like they wanted to devour him. Their sickening scowl burned bright from behind the maroon scratches on their face that grew darker with the mood.

Then there was a flash of light from where their hands touched. Bundi cried out in pain, and frantically slapped Jason's hands away. Jason took advantage of that and shoved them aside with all his might. Bundi slammed down onto the sand, breathing heavily and clutching their hands.

"You burned me?" Bundi spat, looking down at their red, raw, and sooty palms. "You... you burned me!"

Jason didn't say anything, he simply stood up, wheezing. When Bundi leapt to his feet too and Jason swung in one last punch. Bundi blocked it weakly with their burned hands and the two grappled again, like eagles who had locked talons. From above Lafayette shrieked, the call of the falcon echoed off of every rock and blade of grass for miles. It was a scream of distress.

Fire danced upon Bundi's shoulders and crawled onto their forearms, I was vaguely aware I yelled something, trying to warm Jason, trying to get his to let go before he was burned, but then all of a sudden it clicked. Jason was the one who burned Bundi.

Jason grimaced right back at them and he let out a groan, like he was straining. And then just before Bundi's fire reached his vulnerable skin a dimmer fire blazed upon Jason's hands and met Bundi's headfirst. They were both on fire. They were both fighting with pure force and pure chemical power. Jason was fighting fire with fire.

Jason was on fire, and he wasn't burning.

Bundi glanced up at Lafayette once, and Jason gripped their burned palms, causing them to cry and he shoved to the ground. Bundi's head bashed against one of the rocks, and they were out cold. I lay there for a moment, staring at them, watching their chest rise up and down with alarmed confusion.

Then I stared at Jason. He glanced up at me nervously and wiped his handed against his still-damp leggings. The fire extinguished itself. His pale, freckly skin was completely unharmed. He looked anxious, finally a feeling I could recognize.

"Jason..." I started, I didn't know what to say.

He was still wheezing from the effort. "I'm... sorry—"

There was a noise from the forest. The two of us glanced over, and saw it was Percy. There was a hawk feather, a broken inkwell, and papers scattered all over the ground at her feet.

She was staring at Jason, completely shocked.