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[Jason could say the same about Leo going off on his own.]

'The mountain'? Don't mountains normally come in whole ranges? Not that that'll stop me from going with you.

[He leans down to slide his shoes back on while still talking.]

Should we fly over or is it not that far?

Well, yeah, but Troichean Beinn is mostly confined to one. Supposedly, they're not allowing visitors, but maybe they'll let you in because it's me asking.

[ And if he stays for a while, they can say Jason's technically not visiting, can't they? ]

It's a few days from Caer Glaem, pretty much a straight shot northwest. It won't take us long to get there either way, but if you'd rather fly, that's cool with me. I think there's some pegasi in the stables.

You really think they'd let me check the place out? Wow, that'd be great Leo! You must've really impressed them.

[Not that Jason sounds surprised. This is Leo.]

You mean a pegasi for you to fly, right? I can manage it just fine. I'd offer a piggyback ride too, but... probably not the best idea right now.

[And only because he knows how ominous that sounds does he continue, to not leave his friend hanging.]

I don't know if it's an airborne sort of thing, but apparently I got it.

Not sure, but I've been there for a while now so they might let it slide. Me and the master smith kind of did a huge thing not too long ago so they're still pretty happy about it and I'm gonna ride those waves as long as I can, buddy.

[ He waves a hand dismissively, whether or not Jason can actually see it. ]

Whatever. Details. They're there, either way. Just let me know when you're ready to roll and we'll go!

[ Except... ]

You're not telling me you've got that silver thing, are you?

[ Please, no. He only just got Jason back; Leo can't lose him again this soon. There's no way he's going to stand for that. ]

Well... yes, I've got the silver thing, but it's not that bad yet, and everyone's been researching the cure for it so... I'm not worried.

[Yet.]

Besides, maybe your friend the master smith and I could talk about what all he knows about silver. It could lead to something. We've chased down stranger leads together, haven't we?

[And he's serious about that. He's still trying to keep a clear head about this because as weird as it is, he's still confident that amnesia was worse.]

[ Leo is. Leo's definitely worried. But there is little he can do except try to see if they can find a cure, so he's not going to show it. ]

That's exactly what I was thinking. I figured if anyone would know something about this, it would be him. [ And it gives him another reason to convince them to let Jason in the door, he supposes. ] If he does, he'd be able to show us right then and there, too, and we could spread the word.

[Have a confident grin in response then.]

Alright, glad we're on the same page. I'll see you at the stables soon. I should be fine flying and staying near enough to the pegasus you end up riding.

[Thank goodness there are still people who can help him with directions. It doesn't take long at all to find the stables and land with a soft thud.]

Leo, you here yet?

Dude, I have a ring that lets me teleport wherever I want in Glaschu, [ Leo says, leading a pegasus from the stables with a grin. It's all saddled up already, though he did need some help from the stablehand to figure that part out. ] I've been here. You ready to go, or what?

[Jason gives Leo a look that's completely incredulous. What a riot, this friend of his.]

You didn't think to tell me this before I flew out here? You could have had the decency to pick me up or something!

[Although he's not too mad because he realizes that it could have possibly had an adverse affect on his Silver Sickness - or worse, even infected Leo. So he's not going to put up too much of a fuss.]

I'll just fly alongside your ride if that's okay then.

No, I just wanted you earn it first, [ he replies, rolling his eyes as he mounts. ] I can't bring other people with me, duh. That's the first thing I would've done. Besides, Troichean Beinn is technically outside of Glaschu, so it wouldn't matter even if I could.

[ Because screw this silver stuff. Instant gratification, baby! ]

I don't think it'll mind. It'll just think of you as another giant bird - just a really weird looking one.

[One day all of this geography will make sense to Jason, but not today. He just takes Leo at his word for now.

Without anymore hesitation, Jason lifts up just a few inches off the ground so his toes are pointed down and his hands are balanced in the air near his thighs.]

Alright - let's go.

[And he slowly lifts off, waiting for Leo to follow, then trails alongside him so that Leo can direct them. He watches the scenery change beneath them until he can see hillsides getting craggier and rockier below them.]

So we're getting close?

Yep, [ Leo says, grinning over at his friend for a moment. Looking back ahead, he points. ] See that mountain there? The tallest one? That's Troichean Beinn. It's the city of the dwarves, where all of them come from and where most of their work and their magic is done.

[ It's clear that he's excited to be going back, itching to get back to work on his apprenticeship. But now, Jason will be there, too! It's all he could have asked for. ]

[Jason mouths the name of the mountain-city in response. It really is awe-inspiring, that view.]

A lot friendlier than the last dwarves we met, then.

[He smiles over at Leo. Leave it to Vulcan-Hephaestus's son to befriend people that live inside a mountain.]

I'm happy for you, man. Sounds like an awesome place and I can't wait to have you as a guide through there. What kind of magic do they do there?

[ Leo beams over at him. ]

A lot friendlier. These guys didn’t even try to steal my tool belt! They were mostly curious about the Blessing of Hephaestus and being the son of a god. They got over it pretty quick, though.

[ The dwarves don’t treat him any better or worse than they do any of their own numbers. That’s the reason he feels so comfortable there, though sometimes they ask him some weird questions about his shard that he never really knows how to answer. It’s a small thing, though; most of the time, he can just focus on the apprenticeship and no one is bothered by it. ]

It’s mostly basic stuff, [ he explains with a shrug. ] The most common is fire magic to keep the forges going, but they teach all kinds of basic stuff, so you learn a little of everything. It’s part of how they enchant the metal when they’re forging something.

Their specialty is this cog and gear sort of stuff, though, and they’ve been teaching me. It’s about the closest I can get to actual working mechanics outside of the Station.

So, here's the big question then:

[Jason is still in good spirits as they touch down.]

Have you figured out how to make a video game console yet?

[He bumps Leo on the shoulder with a grin.]

I get it though, enchanted weapons and armor being more important, of course I do. Do you have a favorite place you want to show me while we're in there? First, last, I don't care.

[He's picturing large cavernous rooms like the one that - filled with water - nearly drowned him along with Percy and Piper. Instead of filled with water, would they be filled with the smoke of forges and sparks of magic? Would they each be multi-leveled on the sides or just one grand room at a time?]

I wish, [ he says with a laugh as he dismounts, leading the way up to the gates. ] I’m still figuring it out. But don’t you worry, dude, I’ll have our own personal X-Box before the year’s up.

Kaio’s shrine is first, [ Leo replies firmly. ] Man, I wish you could meet him. He’s the new god of fire - a puppy, if you can believe that.

[A new god of fire means that something happened to the old one, which Jason still only has vague knowledge of. He can only imagine it's something that's been important to Leo.]

I can believe in a fire pup, sure - I care more about how you're holding up if the fire god's that young. He can't have much control over fire yet.

[And thus make Leo's life kind of crappy, maybe.]

But hey if you two are friends, I'll definitely pay my respects at the shrine.

He’s got plenty of control, he just isn’t that strong yet, [ Leo explains, pausing to kick the gates and call for the dwarves to open up. When they don’t answer immediately, he shrugs and continues, ] It just means we can’t use fire magic unless he’s nearby.

[ He grins up at Jason, eyes sparkling. ] And no, we’re totally not friends! I only helped create him.

[That comment earns a literal jaw-drop from Jason. He mouths 'create' with a very awestruck expression on his face. Of all the people to appreciate what it means to influence the 'lives' of the gods and have them affect your lives in return, Jason and his fellow demigod friends are definitely high on the list to understand the weight of so simple a sentence.

Basically, a lack of dwarven gatekeepers is the farthest thing from his mind.]

W...hen did this happen, Leo?

[ That wild grin of his doesn’t move an inch. He’d been counting on getting a good reaction out of that, and Jason definitely delivered. ]

About a month or so ago, [ he says casually, as if they were talking about the weather. ] We lost fire magic for a while, so even I couldn’t do anything. Then the master of the forge here asked me to help him with something, I did, and next thing I know, there’s a new god running around the forge. Probably the cutest god you’ll ever see, too, [ Leo adds cheerfully. ]

[It's not hard to get a reaction like that for Leo. He knows how to play Jason because Jason's so predictable, but he doesn't do it on purpose at least.]

Schmoozing with the master of the forge, new fire god...

[Jason just shakes his head in clear amazement, then gets more serious again.]

I'm not surprised, Leo, it's just... I feel like people here must have finally given you these opportunities you always deserved. And I'm bummed it took you being here to get that.

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Yep works for me!

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Oh the irony of this in retrospect

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