O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   T W E L V E

( girl talk )

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          FOR A MINUTE, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushed forward and hugged him.

"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Malia held a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, but it didn't exactly work. Soon she was a mess of giggles, but so was Piper. The two girls couldn't believe what they were hearing. Malia knew that she had been right to give Jason the nickname of Hercules. He was a son of Zeus, a leader, a hero, and had a death wish when it came to eating dangerous objects (Jason a stapler and Hercules a lightning bolt).

Leo laughed. "Seriously?"

Malia was finding it hard to breathe. "A stapler? Man, I hit the jackpot with your nickname, Hercules."

Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers—excellent source of iron."

"W-wait," Jason stammered, cheeks red as he watched Malia laugh. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."

Piper and Malia did better than that. They collapsed. One from hypothermia, the other from blood loss. They would have cracked their heads on the cave floor if not for Hedge catching them.

Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with them? Ah—never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle. Dragon bite." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"

Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think Piper looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

Thalia looked down at Malia and shook her head. "What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?"

"I know I'm not your long lost younger brother, but I'd expect a warmer welcome from you, Goth Princess." Malia sent a playful glare at her friend, smiling despite feeling like her head was about to explode.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Ariel. I'll try better next time."

Malia tensed, her eyes going wide. Thalia's did too as the realization fell down on both of them. Malia sat up slowly, not meeting any of her friends' gazes. "Thalia Grace, did you just—?"

"I did. Oh, gods. Oh, that was an accident." Thalia looked like she was trying to decide if she should laugh or worry. "Sorry, it just slipped.

Leo perked a brow. "Ariel?"

Malia grumbled to herself and sighed, finally looking up. Might as well let them know. "My real name is Ariel Malia Jackson. I just go by my middle name." She then turned to Thalia. "This one here and Annabeth are the only ones who know outside of my family! And she just had to tell you three, didn't you?"

Thalia held her hands up in defense. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. Anyway, you and Piper need help." She then fixed her gaze on Leo. "You and the satyr, take them to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."

Malia sent Hedge a look. Leo sighed. "Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."

"Humph. Fine," the satyr mumbled. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."

Hedge helped Piper to her feet and Thalia aided Malia, the girl moving over to the daughter of Aphrodite to help her walk. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?"

Malia looked back and saw Leo smile. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Leo walked back to the fire, and before Malia left the cave, she met Jason's gaze. She gave him a soft smile and a nod of the head to let him know she would be fine before walking out into the storm, the three of them quickly slipping into the silver tent that held Phoebe the Hunter. As soon as they were inside, Malia felt warmth spread through her body, a sigh leaving her lips.

Phoebe stood by a kerosene heater with throw pillows surrounding her and a few cots set up here and there, her parka wrapped snugly around her. When she noticed the three walking into the tent, she immediately took Malia and Piper from Hedge and ordered them to lie down on the cots. She then told Hedge to sit down somewhere where he won't cause any issues for her (which made Malia and Piper burst into a fit of giggles)

"Hey, Phoebe. How's life?" Malia asked, taking the cot beside Piper's. She and Phoebe had had a very short conversation the last time they'd seen each other since Malia had been kidnapped while the Hunters were at camp, but the small conversations had been nice. "Met any new potential Hunters?"

Phoebe nodded as she took Piper's boot off to get a better look at her ankle. The splint had done its job and so had Malia's healing powers, but the amount of walking on it had worsened the injury after it'd been healed up a bit. Same went for Malia. What with her injury being magical, it would take longer to heal. Even though Jason had wrapped it and fed her ambrosia and nectar, the wound was going to take longer to heal. They'd only fixed it on a surface level.

"It's been good. We have a few girls that are interested but they are pretty young so they wanted to wait a year before making their final decision." Malia nodded in understanding, watching as Phoebe worked on Piper's ankle and hypothermia. "How are you holding up? I know losing Percy has been hard, even if it's only been a week."

Malia shrugged. Honestly, not having Percy by her side all the time hurt. She never realized how much she needed him until now, and that scared her. He was her calm in the shit storm that was her life. He was always there to comfort her and take care of her when she was sick, just like how she was for him. Not having him there to joke with or make fun of crappy movies with left a gaping hole in her heart that she never wanted to experience ever again.

"Pretty good, if I do say so myself. I haven't cried since leaving camp and I have some pretty great company to distract me." She sent Piper a smile, the daughter of Aphrodite returning it. "Sure, it sucks that he's gone, but. . ."

She wondered if she should tell them about her dream. The one where Percy was at the burned-out house asleep and stuck with no memories because of a bitch named Hera.

Piper perked a brow. "But. . . ?"

"Well, I had a dream about him. My dad said that I knew where he was even if I didn't actually know, if that makes any sense." It didn't. Not at all. Nowhere near sense, actually. "When I saw him, he was in that house that Jason had dreamed of. The one with Lupa. He was asleep, and my dad said that he was there right now, sleeping until Hera decided it was time to wake him. And the only reason my dad knew where to go was because I already knew. Which, again, makes no sense."

Phoebe hummed, pouring something on Piper's ankle that made the bruising and swelling go down. Malia watched Piper's face relax as the pain vanished from her eyes, her ankle no longer sprained. Phoebe moved to take care of her hypothermia next, her hands moving quickly.

"Sounds like something a god would tell their child." Phoebe sighed as she felt Piper's forehead and passed the girl a vial of something. Probably something to cure her of her hypothermia. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. With that brain of yours, I'm surprised you aren't a child of Athena sometimes."

Malia rolled her eyes. "Just 'cause I'm smarter than Percy doesn't mean I'm that smart."

Phoebe and Piper laughed along with Malia. Phoebe pressed her hand to Piper's forehead again and nodded. "There, all fixed." She then picked up a pile of clothes for Piper. "Put these on to help you stay warm. There's hot chocolate by the heater if you want some."

Piper nodded and took the clothes, moving over to where Hedge sat by the heater, a Styrofoam cup in hand as he drank (well, ate) his hot chocolate. Phoebe then moved over to Malia, pulling the hem of her shirt up to reveal the blood-stained bandages. The girl unwrapped them, wincing when she caught sight of the bite.

"What the Hades gave you this?"

Malia winced as Phoebe touched the bite mark. "A Sun Dragon. This is what I get for helping a goddess."

The wound wasn't as bad as last time she'd seen it, but it was pretty nasty. The skin was  punctured in a crescent formation that would be identical on her back. Blood—both dried and wet—surrounded the puncture marks, some of her skin burned from where the dragon's hot skin touched hers. It was a pretty bad injury, but she'd seen worse on herself. Especially after the war.

"Sun Dragon? My gods, what do you get yourself into, Malia?" Phoebe shook her head and got to work, removing the bandages fully and pouring nectar on the wound. She also covered it in a paste that immediately started to heal the skin and tissue, the blood being cleaned. Once the paste was gone, Phoebe wrapped her side in new bandages and smiled. "There you go. All better. Be careful, though. It should heal fully in a few minutes, but I'd still be careful."

"Thanks, Pheebs." Malia took the pile of clothes by her cot and joined Piper and Hedge by the heater, the daughter of Aphrodite passing her a cup of hot cocoa. She sighed in content as she sipped from it, warmth spreading through her body. She looked down at the new clothes, which consisted of a parka, gloves, and camo Hunter pants, and smiled. She would be warm for the rest of the trip, that's for sure.

"Hey, Coach, could you step outside for a sec so we can change?" Hedge nodded and stood, taking another cup with him as he walked out of the tent. Piper stood and walked to one corner of the tent while Malia moved to the other, the two girls changing quickly.

As Malia pulled her old coat off, something fell out of the pocket. She zipped up her new parka and put the gloves on, buttoning her pants before bending over and picking it up. Two pieces of paper laid on the ground, one new and one crumpled a bit. She frowned, only to remember that Annabeth had placed something in her pocket before she left.

She'd been too busy to look at them while flying on Festus, but now she had time. Malia sat down by the heater again and folded her legs, Piper and Phoebe sitting beside her. She unfolded the new piece of paper first, smiling when she saw Annabeth's messy yet neat handwriting (she had no clue how the blonde pulled that off).

Malia,

Be safe on this quest, please. I know it's been difficult, what with Percy being gone and me losing my mind, but I need you to not die. I don't know what I would do without you and Percy by my side, helping me through everything. I know you've been acting strong for me and I'm thankful for that, but when you return from this quest, we are in desperate need of a girls night with your mom's blue cookies. Please don't worry too much and know that you will do great out there.

P.S. - I think Jason may have a crush on you. He kept asking questions about you when we were talking in his cabin before you burst in like the blue version of the Kool-Aid man.

P.P.S. - I say go for it!

Malia's cheeks flamed and she pocketed the letter, making a mental note to call her mom when she got back to camp and get some blue cookies for her and Annabeth. And maybe Piper could come along too, since the girl was pretty cool.

Malia had to take a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Never would she think someone like Jason would be interested in her. He'd asked about her? To Annabeth? What kind of things was he wanting to know? Gods, she was a wreck of emotions when it came to that boy. She either wanted to kiss him or punch him and there was no in between. It both annoyed and delighted her, honestly.

She moved to the second piece of paper, the one that was crumpled. When she opened it, she nearly burst into tears. It was a line of photos that you'd get from a Do-It-Yourself photo booth. In the photos were her, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, and Percy. She remembered the day they'd taken these. It was a month after Thalia woke up and the group decided to do something normal, which included funny pictures in a booth.

Malia had been thirteen, Percy fourteen, and yet they looked similar and different to these picture forms of them. Malia's eyes were bright as she hugged her brother, the others crammed in with them, making funny faces and being all sweet. They looked like kids. Real kids without the weight of the world on their shoulders. A few months after this, Malia had been taken by Dr. Thorne and forced to hold up the sky for days until Artemis saved her. She cherished the small moments like these because that's what they were: small moments.

"Is that Percy?" Piper asked, pointing to the boy that looked like Malia. The only difference aside from gender was their eye color—Malia had blue eyes with a hint of green and Percy had green eyes with a hint of blue. Malia also had freckles, which made her cuter. "He's kinda cute."

Malia rolled her eyes. "Don't tell him that. His head's big enough as it is." She smiled at the memory of Percy calling himself the more attractive Jackson child. "He gets his looks from dad. I look more like my mom."

"You two look like twins, if I'm being honest." Malia laughed softly. They got told that a lot. "Who's the other guy in the photo?"

"That's my satyr friend, Grover Underwood. He helped guide me and Percy to Camp Half-Blood and went on quests with us." Malia made another mental note to call Grover, wherever he may be. She hadn't talked with him in a while. "He's a goofball, just like my brother. That's why they were friends."

Malia pocketed the pictures after smiling down at them one last time, her eyes moving to the heater. What would she do when she saw Percy again? Punch him? Hug him? Both? She honestly didn't know. It'd only been a few days and she was already losing it without him (not that she'd let him know that).

The girls sat in silence for a moment, Coach Hedge joining them after a few minutes. Then, Piper spoke up, "So, you and Jason seem to be pretty close. What's going on there?"

Malia's cheeks flamed and Piper laughed, nudging the girl. She didn't seem pissed that her false boyfriend had feelings for another girl, which was good. Malia liked Piper. She was a cool girl and she liked hanging out with her, even if they'd only hung out while on a deadly quest.

"There's nothing going on. At least, I don't think there is." Malia sighed, shrugging. "Jason's handsome and he makes my heart leap and my stomach fill with butterflies and just thinking about him makes me smile. I just— I don't know. We hold hands and call each other nicknames. Is that something?"

Piper nodded rapidly. "Oh, yeah. That's a lot of somethings. It's obvious that he has feelings for you. I mean, that boy is whipped when it comes to you. The way he looks at you when you aren't paying attention and holds you while you sleep is so adorable."

Malia smiled softly. "You really think he likes me?"

Piper nodded. Even Phoebe nodded. "Take it from a daughter of Aphrodite. That boy is mad about you."

Malia grinned. She wanted to say something back, but the tent flap opened to reveal Leo, Jason, and Thalia. The sight of the blond made Malia's cheeks burn red, her eyes moving down to the cup of hot chocolate in her hands as Phoebe and Piper giggled. Jason looked confused (which was adorable, honestly) and Malia tried her hardest to push her blush away.

"Oh, no way," Leo said. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get a luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Malia and Piper laughed while Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said, like it was the worst insult out there.

"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia said. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some hot chocolate."

Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes that were incredibly light-weight and warm. Malia made a joke about how they should join the Hunters, which made Piper and Thalia laugh while Phoebe scoffed out a 'they wish' that only made the girls laugh harder.

Thalia patted Piper and Malia on the shoulders. "You two up for moving?"

Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles."

Thalia smirked. "You're pretty tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like you." She turned to Malia. "What about you, Ariel?"

Malia rolled her eyes, groaning. Of course Thalia would continue to use her real first name. "I feel great. Though, I'm gonna have one hell of a badass battle scar. That's one more than Percy, so I'm currently in the lead. Take that, Aqua Boy!"

Thalia laughed. "You and Percy with your competing. I swear, when you two meet up again it'll be chaos."

"Yeah, yeah. At least I didn't shoot him with electricity by accident after losing a game of capture the flag." Thalia blushed softly. "I may not have been there for it, but Annabeth talks a lot."

Thalia hummed in though. "Of course she'd tell you about that. You still have gray in your hair, I see."

Malia nodded, looking at the mark in her hair from holding up the sky. "The sky's a hormonal bitch. At first, I'd felt bad for Atlas, but he was the one who trapped me under the sky so then I didn't feel too bad."

Jason blinked in surprise. "You held up the sky?"

Malia nodded. "I already told you about this, Hercules."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Well sorry for not remembering. I'm having trouble with that, if you've forgotten."

"Nope. That's your job." Piper and Leo snickered. "Anyway, yeah, I held up the sky. I was thirteen. Thalia saved my life along with Annabeth and Percy. I got to fight a Titan. It was pretty cool."

Jason just looked at Malia in admiration, which made her cheeks flare again. After a moment of Thalia looking between the two of them, she smirked. "Well, we should get moving."

It took Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which was something Malia wouldn't believe if she hadn't seen it herself. The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum.

Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny path on the side of the mountain. Leo, trying to impress the Huntress, ran fast but soon looked like he was regretting it because both Hunters left him in the dust.

Coach Hedge was the only one who looked like he was happy, leaping around like a happy mountain goat and coaxing them on. "Come on Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've git a girl in Kalamazoo—"

"Let's not," Thalia snapped.

So they ran in silence.

Malia and Jason walked beside each other, the girl sending him a small smile. "How are you doing? After talking with Thalia, I mean?"

Jason's expression gave away the answer Not good.

"Thalia takes this all so calmly," he sighed. "Like it's no big deal that I just appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but. . . she's not like me. She seems so much more together."

Malia understood where he was coming from. Percy seemed to adapt better to being a demigod than she did. Sure, she'd taken the initial shock pretty well, but the years of stress and pain had taken a toll on her.

"Hey, she's not the one fighting amnesia," Malia reminded him. "Plus, she's had more time to get used to all of this. After fighting monsters for years and having conversations with gods, the prospect of being a demigod becomes easy to accept. And surprises come by far less shocking. Also, if it makes you feel any better, she was a mess after coming back to life. Just like you, actually."

"Really?" Malia nodded. Jason pursed his lips. "I just wish I understood what happened to me. Apparently, when I was two, my mom got rid of me. Gave me to Hera. I want to know why. Thalia ran away because of me."

"Hey, whatever's happened, it wasn't your fault. And Thalia didn't run away just because of you. You going missing was just the last straw. She never had a good relationship with her mother and with you gone, she had no reason to stay." Malia grinned. "Plus, you'r sister is pretty cool. And she's a lot like you."

Jason smiled in thanks. Then, he smirked. "Are you saying I'm cool, Ariel?"

Malia scowled playfully. "You weren't supposed to find out my real name. I'm gonna kill your sister when she's sleeping."

Jason nudged her shoulder gently. "Hey, that's a pretty sweet name. Why do you go by your middle name?"

Malia shrugged. "Ariel is such a princess-y name, I guess. In school people used to make fun of me for having that name, so I switched to using my middle name as my first name. Only a few people know my actual name."

"Ariel Malia Jackson? That's actually a really pretty name." Malia's cheeks flared at the compliment. Jason's hand brushed against her own, and she felt her heart race. "Hey, I think I know what to call you now."

Malia perked a brow. "Oh really? What?"

Jason grinned. "Little Mermaid."

Malia groaned, tossing her head back while Jason laughed. "Fine, but only you can call me that, Hercules. No one else."

"Wouldn't want it any other way."

They continued in soft silence, their hands brushing together until Jason grabbed hers and held it tightly. Malia's heart raced in her chest, remembering the words Piper had said to her while she was in the tent. Jason liked her. She liked Jason. Too bad they were on a deadly quest that they may not survive.

The Hunters came to a stop, Leo slamming into Thalia and nearly sending them down the side of the mountain. Luckily Thalia was quick, the girl steadying them before pointing up. Malia followed her finger, eyes going wide.

"That," Leo choked, "is a really large rock."

They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, Malia could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were out. Malia caught sight of a constellation of a girl—a huntress—running with her bow drawn. She smiled faintly up at Zoë, her heart lurching for the girl. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands—or teeth.

But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but Malia figured it was at least as wide as a football stadium and just as tall. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls rings some kind of fortress.

The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.

Then, to Malia's horror, she realized the bridge wasn't exactly ice, because it wasn't solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around—blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane.

"We're not seriously crossing that," Malia said. "Please tell me we aren't crossing that."

Thalia shrugged, sharing a knowing look with Malia. Both girls were scared shitless when it came to heights. "I'm not a big fan of heights, you know that. But if you want to get to Aeolus fortress, this is the only way."

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace reflecting off the mountain face."

Malia snapped her fingers. "Speaking of the Mist. You still have to teach me how to control it like you promised."

Thalia rolled her eyes and nodded. "I will. Don't worry."

"It's enormous," Jason said, still looking at the palace.

Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious? You've been there?"

Thalia and Malia shared another look, the two grimacing at the memory. Malia had been to Olympus three times in her life. The first time was when she and Percy returned the Master Bolt to Zeus and met their father. The second time was after Percy and the others had saved Malia and they partied with the gods. The third time was during the Battle of Manhattan, where Luke killed himself to save them all and the demigods held base on Mount Olympus.

"We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile," Thalia said, making Malia's heart drop. Gods, the Fates hated her.

"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait. . . Jason, you can fly?"

Malia nodded with a grin. "Hell yeah, he can fly. Looks like blond Superman, but he saved our lives a few times. Gotta admit, Thals, your younger brother is beginning to seem like the more impressive child of Zeus."

Thalia sent Malia a playful glare while Jason's cheeks flamed red at the compliment, his eyes moving to the fortress. "Well, I can sort of fly. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean. . . you can't fly?"

For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control. "Truthfully," she said, "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. Amazingly, it held his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, Malia, come on girls. I'll give you two a hand."

"No, that's okay," Piper tried.

"Nope, I'm good. I might just stay here for a while. The scenery is really nice up he—AH!" Malia yelped as Hedge grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bridge, causing her to nearly knock into Piper and send the three of them tumbling into the sky.

Malia and Piper shared nervous looks before following the coach, the bridge holding their weight as if it were a normal bridge. The daughter of Poseidon tried to picture herself walking the docks of the lake back at camp and not an ice vapor bridge that could disappear beneath her feet at any second.

By the time they were halfway across, Malia was sure her heart couldn't race any faster. The others began to walk the bridge, following after them. Malia shot looks back every once in a while to make sure they were okay before concentrating on the bridge once more.

Malia couldn't have been happier when her feet hit the solid ground of the steps that led up to the palace. She sat down on the steps and held her shaking hands tightly, Piper sitting down beside her. Both girls were terrified from both their experience on the ice vapor bridge and for the boys' lives as they crossed the bridge with Thalia.

The group had gotten halfway across the bridge when Leo stopped. Malia couldn't hear what Leo was saying, since the winds were roaring in her ears, but she could see steam coming off of his clothes and read the nervous expressions on the three's faces. After a moment, Malia watched in horror as the bridge turned to nothing, the boys running toward them while Thalia ran back toward the mountain they'd been docked on. The bridge was vanishing beneath their feet and Malia held her breath, not letting it go until both boys were standing safely on the palace with them.

Piper stood with Malia, the daughter of Poseidon instantly wrapping Jason in a hug. She didn't know why she did it (okay, she knew but that didn't mean she wanted to admit why) but she was relieved when he hugged her back.

Pulling back, she shook her head. "What happened?"

Piper nodded. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"

"I got a little heated," he gasped. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't—"

"It's all right," Jason said, but his expression was grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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Here we go. Over halfway through with the first half of this book! The next chapter is Jason's POV and we'll see him deal with Aeolus and all that shit. Then the chapter after that will be the fight with Enceladus, and after that will be the fight at the Wolf House, and then the last chapters will involve the bunker and the meeting to find Percy and Jason and Malia either confirming their relationship or continuing to stay idiots.

Please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.