chapter twelve!
012. speed friending

percy

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    FRANK ZHANG HAD FACED many things▬cannibal ogres, an unkillable giant, unleashing Thanatos, the god of the dead. But apparently walking into the stables and finding Percy and Claire together, sleeping under a blanket was his final straw. He looked absolutely terrified. His hitched gasp and tense, flustered stance went right over Percy's head as he slowly woke up to the morning light glowing up through the glass floor beneath them. Claire was still fast alseep beside him▬not even the horrified gasps of Frank Zhang could pull her from her slumber. Not when she was curled up right where she wanted to be, next to the person who always made her feel safe. 

    Percy rubbed his eyes, very confused. He wondered what the huge problem was. "What ...?" He stared up at Frank, who swallowed hard. Dressed in running shoes, dark cargo pants and a Vancouver Winter Olympics T-Shirt, he looked like the average teenager, until one noticed the glint of the sun against his Roman centurion badge pinned to the neck of his shirt. Percy didn't know why he still wore it now that they were on the run from the Romans▬deemed as outlaws and renegades. Perhaps Frank was trying to cling to the one moment where he felt as though he hadn't screwed up, and finally belonged in a place that had pushed him to the outside for months. And now, he was pushed away yet again. It could be hopeful, or maybe even a little sad. 

    "We▬we just fell asleep," muttered Percy, moving to sit up and gently waking Claire.

    She grumbled, not wanting to. It took another shove for her to open her eyes with an annoyed, "What?"

    Frank averted his eyes, a flush curling around his neck as if the sight of them together might just burn him. 

    Seeing him, Claire slowly sat up as well. She yawned. "Frank?" She brushed her hair out of her eyes, confused at his reaction. "Morning. You're just ... standing there," her tone was slightly incredulous and blunt. Percy bit back some of his amusement for Frank's sake. 

    "Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped," said Frank. "We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out▬oh, gods, you've been here all night?"

    Percy and Claire both frowned at him. It slowly struck Percy and he let out a soft, oh... while his girlfriend made a face. "Yes," she answered, still waking up. "What's the big deal▬?" her breath hitched as she finally realised. Percy reacted by instinct, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her back before she'd have a go at Frank for insinuating what he was. She was bright red, flustered and shocked. "W▬what? Frank!" Claire shoved Percy's arm away and gawked up at their friend, more embarrassed than anything else. "We just came down here to talk. We fell asleep. That's it."

   "Kissed a couple of times," muttered Percy.

    Claire's glare fixed on him. He just smiled at her. "Not helping, Seaweed Brain!"

    He knew, but he just wanted to stir trouble and make her more flustered. It was cute.

    Frank cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, we'd better..." he pointed to the stable doors, not exactly sure what to do with himself. "Uh▬we're supposed to meet for breakfast. You guys can▬uh▬would you explain what you did▬didn't do, I mean? I mean ... I don't really want that faunt▬I mean satyr▬to kill me."

    And just like that, he ran. 

    Claire gawked after him, unable to believe what had just happened.

    Percy couldn't help it. With one glance at her, he burst into laughter.

    Her gawk turned into a light-hearted scowl, and she shoved him, stifling her own chuckles. 

    Their rare moment spent alone had no choice but to come to an end. Percy sighed, standing up and helping Claire gather up the blanket. He threw it back over the door of one of the stable stalls, realising that once again, he would have to return to the shocking reality of the world they lived in. Monsters, gods, the threat of death hiding around every corner ... it made him cherish the brief respite they had in each other's company since they found each other again deep in his heart. He held onto it, hoping it would give him the strength to face whatever was next. Claire didn't seem to think they could have a happy ending in New Rome. Which meant Percy was determined to fight against all odds, and win, in order to prove to her that they could. 

    After freshening themselves up and getting changed, the two of them finally joined the others in the mess hall. Percy had thrown on a green jacket over his grey-blue shirt to battle the slight chill. Claire had thought to pack his old clothes he had left in his cabin before starting this journey▬and while some of them are a bit too small now, he was grateful for it. She had thrown on a green athletic top and shorts, her necklace with the key to her father's chariot hanging from her neck and her dagger sheathed and strapped to her right calf just above her socks and white joggers▬ready for a fight. He entered the hall holding her hand, not really caring about what Frank or Coach Hedge or anyone else might think. 

    It wasn't too bad▬or at least, not as bad as what Frank had feared. Jason and Savreen were mostly relieved. Piper arched a curious brow, but said nothing. Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." Until Percy shot him a scowl, which surprisingly made him stop. Hazel seemed a little scandalised▬she kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Percy's eyes, but more in the way a younger sister would at the thought of a boy whom she considered like a brother being in such a certain scenario. It was either that or disgust of ew, you're ugly (at least, Percy believed, he never had a younger sister). 

    Coach Hedge went ballistic. But he was barely five feet tall, and having to look down at an angry, red-faced, grumpy satyr waving his baseball bat and threatening him with some aggressive cupcake calling wasn't exactly the most intimidating thing. Percy had a hard time taking anything seriously. "Never in my life!" he bellowed, waving his bat around with fretful, angry gestures. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

    "We were just talking," said Percy, biting back his laughter. "We fell asleep. And besides, you're starting to sound like Terminus."

    Hedge narrowed his eyes up at him. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll▬I'll terminus you, buddy!"

    Percy tried his very best not to grin. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

    Meanwhile, Claire was having a hushed, flustered conversation with Annabeth and Cain. "We didn't do anything," she was saying. "Why does everyone think we're lying?"

    "Well, I mean, you guys are together," offered Cain awkwardly in a murmur, "you haven't seen each other over six months, you went to the stables▬"

    Claire smacked him and he hitched back a painful squeal. "To talk. That's all."

    Annabeth crossed her arms. She leaned in and whispered, "Okay, and you're telling me you've never snuck into Percy's cabin after curfew before?"

    "Annabeth!"

    Like most war councils, the meeting had doughnuts. It reminded Percy of the meetings they had at Camp Half-Blood sitting around the ping-pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz▬and so, he felt right at home. The initial shock and discussion about Percy and Claire's accidental sleepover in the stables fell away pretty quickly after he told them about his dream. He elaborated the dream from beginning to end▬about the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico Di Angelo and his bonze jar prison, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet. Percy hesitated telling the last part with Hazel sitting opposite him, her eyes wide and her breath hitched in terror. He couldn't help but he protective of her. She was capable in her own way, had faced many horrors, only to die and spend so long wasting away in the Fields of Asphodel▬she was technically older than all of them here, but she was still thirteen. No thirteen-year-old should have to face all she did, and then have to go to battle in a war that seemed impossible to win. Percy had to face too much when he was thirteen, too. He supposed he saw something of that thirteen-year-old boy in her.

    She choked back a sob, her hands flying to her mouth once Percy finished. "Nico ... Oh, gods." She then gasped again, a thought hitting her. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced them down. Rubies encrusted her plate where her doughnut sat, uneaten. "The seeds..."

    Cain frowned, curious. He was also on edge about Nico. The two of them were close. Even after Nico went out on his own, the two of them had stayed in touch through Iris Messaging. "You know what they are?"

    Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

    Percy was reaching for his third doughnut. He made a face, confused. "Your step▬oh," he realised and sat back in his chair. "You mean Persephone."

    He had met the wife of Hades once before. She hadn't been exactly the kindest and warmest soul▬though, he had come to learn that kind, warm and sunny weren't exactly words that described any gods' or goddesses' personalities. He had also been to see her Underworld garden▬a creepy place full of crystal trees and flowers that bloomed blood red and ghost white.

    "The seeds are a last-resort food," explained the daughter of Pluto. The silverware on the table began to rattle and shake on the surface, as if dragged towards her by an invisible gravitational force▬she was nervous. "Only children of Pluto▬or Hades▬can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned▬"

    "The giants are trying to lure us," spoke up Annabeth, looking grave. Her curly blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

    Hazel frowned at her choice of words. "Well, they're right!" she stated. But as she glanced around the table, her confidence started to crumble. "Won't we?"

    Nico and Percy had a complicated relationship. It all stemmed from the death of his sister, Bianca, on a quest to save Annabeth and Artemis▬she had died protecting them all, and Percy still held her death heavy on his conscience. Nico had blamed him for it, and from that moment on, they had a rocky back-and-forth with each other. There had been a few times when Nico had helped him, but had also stabbed him in the back. Percy had been locked up in the Underworld because of the son of Hades, but he had also been the one to help him get to the River Styx and save Olympus. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to do all he could to save him.

    "Of course, we will," said Savreen, and it wasn't even a question. 

    "Yes!" Coach Hedge's yell was muffled by a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

    Jason subtly sighed, exasperated by their satyr friend.

    "We will help him, Hazel," confirmed Frank, and she gave him a weak but grateful smile. "But how long do we have before ... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

    Her smile fell, and she sighed. "One seed a day," she murmured miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

    Claire picked at her doughnut. She didn't have much of an appetite either. "A death trance?" she muttered, as if she wasn't exactly sure whether she wanted to know the answer. Percy glanced over to where she sat beside him. He could tell she was troubled by all of this, and he reached out underneath the table to rest his hand on her knee. He squeezed to try and offer her some comfort. 

    "It keeps him from consuming all his air. It's▬it's like hibernation or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day▬but barely."

    "And he has five seeds left," sighed Cain, a determined frown set on his brow. "So, five days including today," he glanced at the others sitting around the table. "That would fall on July first▬pretty convenient."

    "The giants must have planned it that way," agreed Percy. "So, assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome▬"

    "That's not much time," finished Piper with a sigh. She pursed her lips and placed her hand kindly on Hazel's shoulder. The young daughter of Pluto met her gaze, taken aback. "We'll find him," promised the daughter of Aphrodite. She turned to the rest of them again. "At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: Di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel'."

    Hazel's shoulders slumped. She stared down at her plate. "Oh, gods..." she whispered, her voice cracking. "Nico..."

    Percy shared a glance with Claire. He knew she was thinking the same thing as him▬the key to endless death. Nico had the answer they needed about finding a permanent solution to keep monsters from returning straight away from the Underworld. He had been searching for the Doors of Death. What the prophecy said▬it meant he must have found them. 

    "We'll rescue him," he echoed, firm and making a decision. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."

    "He must have found the Doors of Death in the Underworld," continued Claire, resting her elbows on the table. "He'll tell us where the doors are▬"

    "▬And how to close them," finished Percy. 

    Hazel took a deep breath. She nodded. "Okay. Yes. Good."

    Leo shifted in his chair. "Uh ... wait," it was the first time he had spoken up since the meeting started▬it was so uncharacteristic of him to be quiet, and without him making out-of-place commentaries and jokes, Percy had forgotten he was even there with them. That thought made him feel terrible. Leo seemed like a good kid. But there was something about him that just rubbed Percy the wrong way▬they clashed, and he didn't know why. Because, in many ways, Leo reminded Percy a lot of when he was younger▬the jokes, the sarcasm, the carefree attitude in the face of danger. They were similar. And yet, they couldn't be more different. They had a rough start, and it felt like it was only heading on a rougher path. Percy got along with many people▬unless they were gods and goddesses▬but he just couldn't find a middle ground with Leo. Perhaps it was because he knew he was using those jokes and commentaries as a facade▬and he wouldn't show who he was behind all of his sarcasm and silly behaviour. Percy couldn't trust someone without knowing them, without them being genuine. Leo didn't seem genuine, and so, no matter what▬no matter how much he wanted to▬Percy couldn't find himself able to trust Leo Valdez. 

    "Just ... one thing," the son of Hephaestus began carefully, eyeing Hazel with a cautious breath. "The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So ... we're walking into a trap?"

    Hazel scoffed. She stammered, so shocked that her anger was washed away by her disbelief. But it returned quickly▬and it burned with a hot white flame. "We have no choice!"

    Leo held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, hey▬don't get me wrong! I'm just ... look, it's just that your brother ... he knew about both camps, right?"

    "Well, yes. And?"

    "Well, he's been going back and forth ... and he didn't tell either side."

    Percy pursed his lips. He couldn't help but admit he had some locked-up anger about the fact that Nico knew who he was. He had stared him right in the eye, shook his hand, and yet when Percy had told him he seemed familiar, had said told him without blinking that they had never met once in their lives. He knew why he had done it, though. Despite everything, Nico was always on the right side. 

    Jason sat forward. He had been silent for most of the meeting, too. A troubled, grim frown set on his brow. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

    Hazel leapt to her feet in a sudden breath of fury. She stared at them all as if they had suddenly twisted a knife into her back. "I▬I don't believe this," she let out, horrified. "He's my brother! He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

    Frank immediately stood up with her, his hand hovering by her shoulder. "Hey, hey, nobody's saying that," he quickly reassured her. Then, a dark scowl settled onto Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."

    Leo frowned at the hostility. "Hey▬" he held out his hands. "Look, guys. All I mean is▬"

    "He doesn't mean we'll give up on Nico," Savreen tried to defend her friend. 

    "Oh, really, then what does he mean?"

    "Hazel," Jason tried to offer a calm but stern voice over the growing storm that swirled like a churning hurricane between the demigods. Percy set his jaw, growing tense himself. He shared an uneasy look with Cain and then Annabeth, who took a sharp breath through her nose. But they stayed quiet. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now, I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood? That does strike me as ..." he hesitated. "Well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? All we're saying is that we just have to be careful▬"

    Claire jumped at the sudden, loud clang!

    A silver platter had flung itself across the room to the left with a vicious force. It hit the wall and spattered scrambled eggs on the floor. 

    Hazel stood there, heaving with fury, and her gaze a heated swirl of molten gold. They were set on Jason with such anger that Percy never knew her capable of. "You..." her seething voice trembled. She clenched her hands. "The great Jason Grace ..." She spat those words out like they held the same value as dirt under her shoes. "I looked up to you! You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you ..." she couldn't finish. 

    She spun on her heel, and with the movement, her plate flew across the room, too. Savreen gasped and had to duck, her eyes wide as she stared at the uneaten doughnut sitting amongst shattered ceramic shards. Hazel hesitated when she heard it, glancing back with a hitched apologetic breath. But it soon hardened, and she stormed out of the room. Percy caught tears in her eyes. 

    Leo glanced at Savreen, checking whether she was okay, before standing up. He spun towards the doors as they slammed closed, looking pale with guilt. "Hazel!" he called after her. "Hazel▬Ah, jeez! I should▬"

    The legs of Frank's chair scraped the floor as he pushed it back. "You've done enough," he snapped at Leo, and he hunched up, startled. Frank shot him one last withering look before turning on his heels to follow Hazel, but Piper gestured for him to wait. 

    "Give her time," she advised. Then, she frowned at Leo and Jason. "Guys, that was pretty cold."

    Jason stared back at her, his jaw slackening▬shocked that Piper was disagreeing with him. "Cold?" he echoed, trying to hide his annoyance with a stiff grip on the arms of his chair. "I'm just being cautious!"

    "Her brother is dying!"

    "I'll go talk to her," Frank decided. 

    "No," Piper stopped him again. "Let her cool down first. Trust me on this. I'll go check on her in a few minutes."

    Percy ran his hand across his forehead, feeling a headache starting to come on. He took a deep breath, trying to block out the arguing. He wanted to go and check on Hazel himself▬to see whether she was okay and try to explain the reasoning behind Jason and Leo's sentiments more sensitively, and then promise her they would figure out how to save Nico and not let themselves be trapped by Gaea and the giants. But he had to go find this sea god in Atlanta▬and they should be arriving very soon.

    He felt a hand on his arm. He glanced at Claire, resting his forehead against his palm. She rubbed his arm, sighing softly. 

    Cain spoke up, his voice level but his gaze dark. "I know Nico," he said to the group of demigods, but his eyes were fixed on Jason. "He might do what he wants, when he wants▬alone. But he's always on our side in the end. You can trust him."

    Jason pursed his lips, and they watched each other in tense, suffocating air for a very long time. 

    Percy was thankful when he heard a sound from above▬like the whirring of a large drill. It cut through the thick muskeg that had become the room, and he could finally breathe. 

    "That's Festus," said Leo, awkward after everything that just happened, but more than happy to change the subject. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there ... uh, assuming we know where to land."

    Everyone turned to Percy. 

    Jason bit down on the inside of his cheek, still very annoyed. He set his jaw and shifted in his seat, setting that stormy gaze▬the only resemblance he had to his sister, Thalia, onto him. He arched an eyebrow. "Well," he shrugged, and Percy frowned at the slight bitterness on his tongue. "You're Captain Salt Water. Any ideas from the expert?"

    Was that resentment in his voice? 

    Percy narrowed his eyes. He had a sudden wish to walk over there and demand what Jason's problem was with his sword drawn. But then Claire grabbed his hand underneath the table▬a firm grip to remind him to take a breath. 

    He wondered whether Jason was secretly upset about the duel in Kansas. His pride had been hurt▬and so had Percy's. They both had joked about it, but both of them harboured a little grudge▬and it was slowly surging into a ferocious storm. Percy hadn't realised some part of him was itching for a rematch to prove that he was stronger until this moment, and he had a feeling that Jason shared a similar sentiment. 

    "I'm not sure," he muttered. He forced his gaze away from Jason and looked at Leo. "Somewhere central, high up, so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge."

    Leo nodded. "On it." He raced for the stairs▬he was probably eager to get out of here. Percy didn't blame him. 

   Frank settled back in his chair uneasily. Percy watched him with a troubled purse of his lips. He felt bad for his friend. He had watched Hazel and Frank grow closer on the trip to Alaska▬he knew how protective his friend felt towards her. He noticed the baleful look Frank fixed on Leo's retreating figure. It would probably be a good idea to get Frank off the ship for a while. 

    "When we land, I'll scout around Atlanta," Percy said. He nodded at the son of Mars. "Frank, I could use your help."

    Frank narrowed his eyes. He sighed. "You mean turn into a dragon again? Honestly, Percy, I don't want to spend the whole quest being everyone's flying taxi▬"

    "No," Percy held a hand up, shaking his head. "I want you with me because you've got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find saltwater. Besides, you're good in a fight."

    That seemed to make Frank feel a little better. He blinked and relaxed. "Oh. Sure," he shrugged it off, and Percy bit back a smile. "I guess."

    "Great," he chuckled. He glanced around the table, and he noticed Savreen frowning at her scrambled eggs. Percy didn't really know the daughter of Harmonia well▬or rather, at all. All he knew was that the necklace hidden underneath her shirt was the infamous necklace that belonged to her mother, and that it helped her channel her abilities. But he also knew that whoever wore that necklace would be cursed with tragedy. She was quiet and soft-spoken, but she had helped remove the eildion from its hold over him, and Percy supposed he owed her. Claire trusted her, and so, he wanted to find a reason to trust Savreen Arora, too. 

    He grinned. "Savreen. You should come, too."

    She glanced up, surprised that he was speaking to her. She looked over her shoulder, as if checking there wasn't another Savreen on board with them. Slowly, she turned to him again. "Me?" she pointed an unsure finger at herself.

    Percy hummed, nodding. "If we find Phorcys, we don't know how he'll react▬besides, no god wants to just help a demigod. I could really use your diplomatic talents."

    Savreen frowned, her fingers reaching up to her necklace. Percy watched the way she seemed to hesitate at the thought of using her abilities, curious. But then, she nodded. "Okay."

    "Too easy," he flashed her another grin. "We should take on more▬just to be safe." Percy's gaze drifted to the gorgeous girl beside him. Claire was already watching him, expecting the arch of his brow and the slight smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips. "Well, Sunshine?"

    She scoffed at the old nickname, but it made her smile without fail. 

    But before Claire could answer, there was a loud, furious bleat. 

   "Oh, no!" barked Coach Hedge. Both Percy and Claire spun to him, startled. "Young lady, you are grounded!"

    Claire's incredulous shock dropped into an angry scowl. "Excuse me?"

   "You and Jackson are not going anywhere together!" insisted the cranky satyr. He glared at Percy, daring him to argue. Percy scoffed, still stunned to silence. "I'll go with Frank, Savreen and Mr. Sneaky Jackson▬" Mr Sneaky Jackson? He mouthed to himself dubiously. "The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Claire doesn't break any more rules!"

    Wonderful, thought Percy. What could be better? A day out with Frank and a speed friending date with Savreen, all the while babysitting a bloodthirsty satyr, to find salt water in a landlocked city. 

    Whatever could go wrong?

    (He thought sarcastically▬very sarcastically!)

    Percy sat back in his chair. "Yay ... This is going to be so much fun."

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    PERCY HAD been many places, but Atlanta wasn't one of them. 

    Leo had landed them on the summit of a forest hill where a complex of white buildings, like a museum or a university, sat nestled in a grove of pines to the left. The city itself spread out below them in a cluster of brown and silver skyscrapers downtown, about two miles away, rising from an endless sprawl of highways, railroad tracks, houses and green swathes of forest. For just a brief second, Percy wondered what it would be like to live here▬to just be a normal sixteen-year-old, walking through the hallways of his high school, where his biggest worries would be the biology test he had to study for, or joining the swim team, or his college applications instead of wondering whether he'd survive each day after waking up. Percy never thought much about the future▬about what happened after tomorrow. Being a demigod had taught him to cherish the moments he had now, instead of sacrificing them for the what-ifs that may never happen. There was a chance he might die the moment he stepped off this boat. 

    Until he had a glimpse of a life he could have back at Camp Jupiter. A future where he could finish school, go to college, and settle down and never have to worry about another monster or gods using him ever again. A future he could have with Claire▬one day, maybe. Everything between them still felt so new, even though it wasn't. But Percy had something more to fight for now. It had never been about himself. He always fought for someone else▬his mother, Grover, Annabeth, his friends, and Claire. 

    His mom. 

    Percy hated how he suddenly choked up at the thought of his mom. The last time he had seen her had been over six months ago. He tried to call her to let her know that he was alive back in Alaska. He was fighting to go home to her, too. 

    She always told him the reason why she named him Perseus was because his namesake was the only hero in the Ancient Greek stories who▬through everything, against all odds▬received a happy ending. But also because the story of Perseus was so much like theirs. He and his mother had been locked in a chest and cast out into the ocean by a very angry king▬and through it all, his mother held him tight and said: Hold fast, Perseus. Brave the storm that was meant to break us, for we are unbreakable as long as we have each other.

    Percy took a deep breath through his nose. Hold fast, he reminded himself. 

    He would get through this. He would find his happy ending. 

    His thoughts were broken by Coach Hedge taking an obnoxious deep breath beside him. "Ah, lovely spot!" he exclaimed heartily as he took in the morning air. "Good voice, Valdez."

    Leo watched him dubiously, but shrugged. "I just picked a tall hill," he said. "There's a presidential library or something over there. At least that's what Festus says."

    "I don't know about that!" barked the satyr. "But do you realise what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!"

    Frank flinched at the loud call of his name. He clutched the strap of his backpack awkwardly. "I▬I should?"

    "A son of Ares stood here!"

    "I'm Roman ... so Mars, actually."

    "Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!"

    "I'm▬I'm Canadian, actually..."

    "Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging▬now there was a demigod!"

    Savreen stood beside Leo, taken aback by Coach Hedge's praise. She was dressed ready for their small quest and expedition in a comfortable black tee shirt, denim jacket and shorts with her long dark hair braided off her face. She fiddled with her ring that could magically turn into her weapon, a chakram, the moment she took it off. She looked very uncomfortable at the idea of a great demigod being one who burned and pillaged homes. 

    Percy didn't know much about history. He usually left that to Annabeth▬she usually told him everything he needed to know with an exasperated sigh and look. But he did wonder whether landing here was a bad omen. He did know that most human civil wars started as fights between Greek and Roman demigods. Now they were standing on the site of one such battle. The entire city below them had been levelled on orders of a child of Ares▬that made Percy feel a little sick to the stomach. 

    He didn't feel like that should be the answer. War always took more lives than it saved. Percy had lost so many friends in the battle against Kronos▬too many to count. The Apollo cabin had gone from one of the biggest cabins to being one of the smallest. That had been partly his fault. He had caused the destruction on the bridge that took so many of their lives. That had taken Claire's siblings from her. Some part of him wondered how she ever forgave him. 

    The gods feared him because he was destined to be a dangerous weapon▬prophesied for destruction. All children of the Big Three were. They were too powerful to live. Some part of Percy worried whether, deep down, he was capable of causing such destruction. He had once erupted a volcano by accident. What horrors could he do on purpose?

    He didn't want to think about it anymore▬he didn't want to give power to a bad omen. That way, it was likely to come true. "Anyway," he spoke up, throwing a windbreaker over his flannel and checking his pockets for Riptide. "Let's try not to burn the city down this time."

    "Good plan," said Savreen. 

    Coach Hedge, however, looked disappointed. He sighed. "All right," he relented. "But where to?"

    Percy pointed downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."

    Claire, who was lingering on deck, crossed her arms and caught Percy's gaze just before he was about to leave. He knew she was waiting▬she had that look on her face that told him not to do anything stupid. Which he always ended up doing anyway. He wished she were going with him. He could always trust Claire to have his back▬if he couldn't trust her, then he couldn't trust anyone. 

    After everything that had happened, they were finally together again. They had found each other. But even now, their time together was a stolen few and between. Spending last night just talking and enjoying each other's company had been all Percy wanted the moment he saw Claire standing across the crowd at Camp Jupiter. And he missed it. He missed those stables already. He wanted more moments like that▬to try and give them back the time Hera had ruthlessly taken away from them. But every time he got the chance to sit and talk, and try and figure out what happened between them now and where to go next, they were pulled apart again. 

    He walked up to her and gave her a small, lopsided grin. "Kiss for good luck?"

    The troubled frown lifted off her face almost immediately. Claire's smile was soft, but it was filled with a nostalgia that tugged at both of their hearts. She stood up on her toes to give him a chaste kiss that made him giddy. "Come back alive, Seaweed Brain."

    His heart was currently doing jumping jacks and somersaults in his chest. "Always."

    Finding a ride downtown was easier than Percy originally thought. He, Frank, Savreen and Coach Hedge headed to the presidential library▬the Carter Centre▬and asked the staff if they could call a taxi or give them directions to the nearest bus stop. Percy could have summoned Blackjack▬but his friendly pegasus wouldn't be able to carry all four of them, and he was reluctant to ask him for help so soon after their last disaster without a few apology doughnuts. Frank didn't want to polymorph into anything, either. But Percy didn't mind travelling like a regular mortal for a change▬it gave him brief respite from the crazy world he lived in. 

    However, one of the libarians▬a sweet, middle-aged lady named Esther▬insisted on driving them personally. She was so incredibly nice and helpful that Percy immediately thought she was a monster▬maybe those gorgons finally caught up to him again and suddenly Esther would be offering him bookmarks dipped in gorgon poison▬but Hedge pulled him aside and assured him she wasn't. 

    They just managed to fit into Esther's car, and she drove them downtown. She was so tiny that she could barely see over the steering wheel▬not that it bothered her. She muscled her way through traffic while regaling them with stories about the crazy families of Atlanta▬the old plantation owners, the founders of Coca-Cola, the sports stars and the CNN news people. 

    From the back middle seat, Savreen tilted her head. She had been mostly quiet until this moment, watching on and observing. But after Esther went into her fifth crazy family story, she leaned forward and cut her off with a gentle, "Esther, crazy question."

    "Oh, no question's too crazy, dear!" smiled Esther as she put her foot on the pedal to push them through an orange traffic light just before it changed to red. Percy tensed in the front passenger seat and immediately gripped the handle above the door. 

    "Well," continued Savreen, holding onto the back of Percy's seat as they slowed back down in the traffic again. "You don't happen to know if there's any salt water in Atlanta, do you? A place, a store▬?"

    She chuckled, waving her question off. "Oh, sugar. That's easy. Whale sharks!"

    Percy frowned, perplexed. He glanced back at Frank and Savreen▬they shared very similar looks. 

    "Whale sharks?" murmured Frank nervously. "You have those in Atlanta?"

    "At the aquarium, sugar," said Esther happily before swerving sharply into the next lane to overtake the car in front of them and turn right. "Very famous! Right downtown. Is that where you wanted to go?"

    Percy considered that▬an aquarium. If he were to find salt water in an inland city, that would be the place to look; it made sense. But what struck him as odd was the picture of an ancient sea god spending his everlasting days at a Georgia aquarium. But they had no better ideas. So, he nodded. "Yeah. That's where we're going."

    "Wonderful!" and she swerved them suddenly across the multiple lanes to take the next left. 

    Esther dropped them off at the main entrance. Percy frowned out the car window, seeing a queue already forming. He thanked her before stepping out, and the others followed. She insisted on giving them her cell phone number for emergencies, money for a taxi ride back to the Carter Centre, and a jar of homemade peach preserves that were just sitting there in her trunk. Percy politely declined while Frank awkwardly stuck the jar into his backpack and thanked Esther, who had already switched from calling him sugar to son. 

    Percy wanted Esther to be his grandmother; he soon decided. 

    As she drove away and Savreen shyly waved, Frank said, "Are all people in Atlanta that nice?"

    Hedge grunted. "I hope not. I can't fight them if they're nice. Let's go beat up some whale sharks. They sound dangerous!"

    Savreen closed her eyes with a soft sigh as Hedge already started at an eager march to the queue. "Gods give me strength."

    She, Percy and Frank all turned around to stare at Hedge, who stopped and frowned at the queue as though it had personally offended him. Looking at the elementary schoolers in their colourful shirts from various summer day camps, Percy felt something sad twist in his chest. He should be home▬at Camp Half-Blood▬right now. He should be settling into his cabin for the summer, teaching sword-fighting lessons in the arena, enjoying s'mores at the campfire with his friends, preparing alliances with other cabins for Capture the Flag, playing pranks on other counsellors, and having picnics on the beach with Claire. And yet, he was stuck here▬on another quest for the gods, a pawn in another Great Prophecy. 

    When was he ever going to get a break?

    Then, a thought occurred to Percy. "Huh ... we have to pay to get in, don't we..."

    Savreen frowned up at him, dubious. "You didn't think about that beforehand? How did you expect us to be able to pay for a taxi before? Or a bus?"

    He stammered. "Uh ... well," Percy shrugged, trying to come up with a defence other than: "I mean▬I just didn't think that far... usually Annabeth sorts this stuff out▬" He then turned it back onto her. "Hey, I don't see you offering up any money."

    Savreen went to argue, then she stopped. She flushed and shrugged. "I▬I didn't think that far..." she mumbled, looking away from him. "Usually, Jason has it all▬like▬sorted."

    Frank checked his pockets and sighed. "Three denarii from Camp Jupiter. Five dollars Canadian."

    Hedge patted his gym shorts and pulled out what he found. "Three quarters, two dimes, a rubber band and▬score! A piece of celery!" He took a big bite of it and munched happily. He eyed the change and rubber band like it might be next. 

    Percy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He missed Grover. "Great," he muttered. He narrowed his eyes at the queue, the aquarium workers at the entrance and wondered whether there was a way they could sneak in somehow. "Right, I guess we'll have to sneak in."

    Frank immediately gasped as if Percy had said something horrible. "What? No."

    Percy spun to his friend. He hunched up, dubious at the horrified look on his face. "What do you mean no?"

    "What if they have▬have like an aquarium jail or something? I don't want to be stuck in aquarium jail!"

    "I know how to pick a lock," offered Savreen softly.

    Percy and Frank slowly turned to stare at her. She blinked. "What?" she let out, suddenly shy at the looks on their faces. "I went to a Wilderness School for delinquent teenagers. I know how to pick a lock."

    "You got into that school for picking a lock?" Percy tried to imagine Savreen picking a lock▬he couldn't. She was the least suspicious-looking person he had ever met in his life. 

    She flushed again. "Uh▬no, I got expelled from my school before then for blowing up my science lab."

    "Wait, what?!"

    "It▬it was an accident!"

     Coach Hedge cut Savreen's flustered explanation and Percy's incredulous shock with a sudden idea. "I say, we force our way in and attack!" 

    "No!" all three demigods snapped at him.

    Percy was still reeling over Savreen's crazy lore drop when a woman in a blue-and-green Georgia Aquarium shirt suddenly walked up to them, smiling brightly. He didn't even notice her until she was standing right in front of them with an ecstatic exclamation of, "Ah! VIP visitors!"

    They all jumped, not expecting it. Frank stared, his mouth falling slightly agape▬with a light elbow from Savreen, he quickly clamped his jaw shut.

    The stranger had perky, dimpled cheeks, thick-framed glasses and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails. She seemed to be in her mid to late twenties, but she looked younger▬like a stereotypical schoolgirl nerd from a coming-of-age film. Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt, she wore dark slacks and black trainers. She bounced on the balls of her feet▬completely full of energy and unable to contain any of it. Her name tag read: KATE. 

    "You have your payment, I see," she grinned. "Excellent!"

    Percy blinked. "What?"

    She scooped up the three denarii out of Frank's hand. "Yes, that's fine. Right this way!"

    Kate spun around on her toes and nearly started skipping towards the main entrance. 

    Percy, Savreen, Frank and Coach Hedge were too stunned to speak or move for a good few seconds. 

    Then, at last, Sav murmured. "That ... was unusual."

    "A trap?" asked Percy. 

    Frank's palm was still outstretched, empty of his money. "Probably."

    "Maybe she's just a really ... really nice water spirit?" suggested the daughter of Harmonia. 

    Hedge sniffed at the air. "That's no water spirit. She's not mortal, though. Probably some sort of goat-eating, demigod-destroying fiend from Tartarus."

    "No doubt," agreed Percy. 

     "Awesome," grinned Coach Hedge. "Let's go!"

    Savreen slumped. "Why can't it ever just be a nice water spirit?"

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    a/n: high guys ... i'm alive. i'm so, so, so sorry. 

    i don't know who's still reading this book, but i am really sorry, and i really appreciate how patient everyone's been. i lost inspo for a while, but i'm starting to get it back and i really do want to finish this series. 

   sorry that this is a bit of a filler chapter after so long not posting, but yeah. 

    but we do get to see this fun little team. i was so excited to write the dynamic between percy, sav and frank - especially percy and sav haha they're so different but they're also quite similar. sibling coded for real. 

    percy is so chaotic and then there's sav who is secretly just as chaotic underneath her introverted, quiet self. but they also just have this shared understanding and loneliness - both demigod children who are mostly alone at camp, who struggled to fit in at first, and had these destinies and fates of tragedy thrust upon them - expected to take on this responsibility even though they know it could end up killing them. i know it doesn't seem like it, but i just see a lot of similarities and parallels between them, and their stories.

    also, don't worry, we'll get more into my own characters plots, see cain and savreen interact and learn more about claire and timmy very soon! 

    (limited editing).