CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
SILVIANA               DUVALL

If not for the horses, Sylvie and Finley would've died.

Percy and Jason charged at each other, but Blackjack and Tempest balked long enough for Sylvie and Finley to leap out of the way.

Sylvie rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and frightened, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew. Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Sylvie couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his winds.

"What are they doing?" Sylvie asked, horrified.

"I don't know," Finley said, "but I'm rooting for Percy. GO SKIPPER!"

Jason's golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so the flat of it hit Jason's chest; but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount.

Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor.

Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

Sylvie brought up her hands, thick grass blades wrapping around Blackjack's hooves—sorry, Blackjack. It kept Percy in place. Desperately, wishing Piper was here, Sylvie yelled, "Percy, stop! Drop your weapon!"

Percy's sword arm dipped, but unfortunately, Jason got to his feet.

Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his gladius and blasted Percy off his horse.

Blackjack whinnied. He fought off the grass and fled into the wheat fields. Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast.

"What the hell is going on?!" Finley screamed. "Stop!"

Jason froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face.

He turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "I cannot stop. One must die."

Something about that voice... it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. It gave Sylvie the urge to walk further towards it. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.

"Who are you?" Sylvie demanded.

Jason's mouth twisted in a gruesome smile. "We are the eidolons. We will live again. It is so nice to meet you, Silviana Duvall."

"Sylvie, they fucking know you!" Finley panicked.

"Eidolons...?" Sylvie's mind raced. She'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but that term wasn't familiar. "You're—You're some sort of ghost?"

"He must die," Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than any of them realized. He swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet.

Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating conk.

Percy rose.

"Stop it!" Finley screamed again, but there was nothing she could really do. Only Piper was blessed with charmspeak, and Piper wasn't here right now. Finley was just shouting in pure desperation.

Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest.

"That's enough!" Sylvie begged, panic clawing at her throat.

Suddenly the wheat fields were moving at Sylvie's will, not Gaea's. They latched onto Percy's wrists, outstretching his arms and keeping him away from Jason. He snarled incredulously, trying to break free, but Sylvie did the same with his ankles. The earth could be Sylvie's territory too.

"Finley, try talking to them," she asked quietly.

"Wh—Me?" Finley questioned. "Why?"

"I think they're some kind of dead spirits," Sylvie started. "And Bacchus mentioned that you're half-dead, right now. I—I know it's a stretch, but I don't know what else to do. They're acting insane, so... so control them from not doing that!"

Percy let out a shout of frustration, struggling against the weight of his chains. Sylvie had to focus harder, keeping her grip firm. Not only was she fighting against Percy's strength, but Gaea's as well.

When she glanced at Finley, the girl was only gaping helplessly.

"Finley!" Sylvie pleaded.

"I—" Finley shut her mouth. She screwed her eyes shut, breathing deeply to console herself. When Finley opened her eyes again, they were more purple than before. "Eidolon, stop."

Percy froze.

Finley blinked in surprise, but there wasn't time to react much to the advancements of her powers. The son of the sea god turned. His eyes were gold instead of green, his face pale and cruel, not at all like Percy's. It made Sylvie's heart hurt a little.

"You have not chosen," he said. "So this one will die."

"You're a spirit from the Underworld," Finley guessed. "You're possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?"

Percy sneered. "I will live again. Just like you, but in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control whom I wish."

A wave of cold washed over Sylvie. "Leo... that's what happened to Leo. He was being controlled by an eidolon."

The thing in Percy's form laughed without humor. "Too late you realize. You can trust no one. You know no one, Silviana."

And that... that made Sylvie's legs buckle. She didn't know why. She felt like she was hit by the force of a hundred tons. Finley caught Sylvie before she went down, but the effects of the eidolon's words still lingered. Her brain felt like it was battling herself. Her hands moved up to hold her forehead with a wince, causing her to lose focus on her powers and let go of Percy.

You know no one.

Behind Percy, something rustled in the wheat. Sylvie saw the tip of a black wing, and Percy began to turn toward the sound now that he could move.

"Ignore it!" Finley yelped. "Uh—look at us."

Percy obeyed. "You cannot stop me. I will kill Jason Grace."

Behind him, Blackjack emerged from the wheat field, moving with surprising stealth for such a large animal.

"You won't kill him," Finley ordered. But she wasn't looking at Percy. "You will knock him out."

Percy shifted his weight indecisively. "I... will knock him out?"

"Oh, sorry." Finley smiled a crazy grin. "I wasn't talking to you."

Blackjack reared and brought his hood down on Percy's head.

Percy crumpled to the pavement next to Jason.

"Oh, fuck!" Finley ran to the boys, but Sylvie was still frozen. "Blackjack, you didn't kill him, did you?"

The pegasus snorted, as if to say Please. I know my own strength.

Tempest was nowhere to be seen. The lightning steed had apparently returned to wherever storm spirits live on clear days.

"Sylvie?" Finley asked. "You good?"

Sylvie blinked out of her daze, but she still felt sick with something. "You didn't feel that?"

"What?"

"When the eidolon was talking to me... Nothing?"

Finley's eyes darted away from Sylvie unsurely, as if she was contemplating who was really the crazy one between the two, but she didn't want to voice that aloud. "Look, I just randomly controlled some ghost spirits because apparently I'm half-dead, and my insanity control got affected by that. A lot just happened. I know this sounds weird coming from me, but maybe we just need to take a breather. Talk about it later."

"Right. A breather," Sylvie agreed. She didn't exactly know how to do that, though.

Sylvie moved forward and examined Percy's head. She didn't see any blood, but a large knot was forming where the horse had kicked him. Then she checked on Jason. He was breathing steadily, but two knocks on the skull in two days couldn't have been good for him.

"We have to get them both back to the ship," she told Finley and Blackjack.

The pegasus bobbed his head in agreement. He kneeled to the ground, so that Sylvie and Finley could drape Percy and Jason over his back. After a lot of hard work (unconscious boys were heavy), they got them reasonably secured, climbed onto Blackjack's back themselves, and took off for the ship.

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The others were a little surprised when Sylvie and Finley came back on a pegasus with two unconscious demigods.

Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Sylvie telling them to give Blackjack as many donuts as requested. Annabeth, Leo, and Piper helped get Sylvie, Finley, and the boys to the sickbay. Leo voted that Percy and Jason both tried "duking it out to protect their girls." Piper was convinced Finley was somehow behind it. Annabeth shut them up.

"At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he tended to their wounds. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"

Sylvie sat at Percy's side. Not even she herself felt fine after a swig of nectar and water, so to say she was worried about the boys was an understatement.

"Leo," Sylvie said, "are we ready to sail?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Set course for Atlanta. We'll explain later."

"But," Leo analyzed Sylvie's demeanor and words, noting how she never really got like this unless it was necessary, "okay."

He hurried off.

Annabeth and Piper didn't argue with Sylvie either. Sylvie went back to examining the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head. She ran her fingers through his hair, hoping it eased his pain, even if he was unconscious and oblivious.

"What hit him?" Annabeth demanded.

"Blackjack," Finley said.

"What?" asked Piper.

Sylvie and Finley tried to explain while Coach Hedge applied some healing paste to the boys' heads. Sylvie had never been impressed with Hedge's nursing abilities before, but he must have done something right. Either that, or the spirits that possessed the boys had also made them extra resilient. They both groaned and opened their eyes.

Within a few minutes, Percy and Jason were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences. Both had fuzzy memories of what had happened. When Sylvie described their duel on the highway, Jason winced.

"Knocked out twice in two days," he muttered. "Some demigod." He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you."

Percy's shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was even more disheveled than normal. Despite that, he managed a weak laugh. "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp."

Sylvie definitely remembered that little spat. At the time, it had been terrifying, but now it seemed kind of hilarious.

"Yeah, but... I could have killed you."

"Or I could have killed you," Percy said.

Jason shrugged. "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas, maybe."

"I don't need an ocean—"

"Boys." Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other."

Sylvie smiled amusedly. "For sure. But right now, you two need some rest."

"Food first," Percy said. "Please? And we really need to talk. Remember, Bacchus said some things that don't—"

"Bacchus?" Piper interrupted curiously. She shared a look with Annabeth, and their expressions made Sylvie sigh.

"Okay, fine," she caved. "I guess we do need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Perce... change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."

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Leo gave the helm to Coach Hedge again, after making the satyr promise he would not steer them to the nearest military base "for fun."

They gathered around the dining table, and Sylvie and Finley explained what had happened at TOPEKA 32—their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed the boys.

"Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."

"So it wasn't my fault." Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War III. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"

"But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"

"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us."

Finley scowled. "Reyna wouldn't believe us even if we told her that her shoes were untied. There's no way."

"That's because her shoes are never untied," Frank added unhelpfully.

"Maybe she wouldn't believe us if you were there," Jason told Finley. Sylvie's eyebrows rose at his snark. "But Piper could probably convince her with charmspeak."

"I could try," Piper said halfheartedly. "But Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."

Leo looked from Finley to Piper, almost in fear. "They're agreeing. Something just shifted in the air."

Piper kicked Leo's shin under the table, which Sylvie knew, because she heard his pained and dramatic yelp.

"They are right, though," Frank said. Hazel nodded. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."

Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles... It's like they could smell us."

"They can," Finley and Jason said in unison. Then they looked at each other after the fact. Sylvie tensed in her seat, waiting for the aforementioned World War III to actually begin, starting with the two of them.

But Finley just grimaced further and slumped back in her chair. It was her way of giving Jason the floor without verbally abusing him. Maybe this was progress.

"Uh..." Jason started back up. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely—not from them."

Sylvie drummed her fingers. "That's great. Leo, why didn't I remind you to invent a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like cereal?"

"Probably because that's a stupid idea," Leo told her.

"You're stupid."

"This doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted. "The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us—"

"You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe—at least from the legion."

He sounded so depressed that Sylvie felt sorry for him.

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"

Jason shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."

Frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So, if we go there..."

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed. "Any Roman demigods would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum."

Percy pointed his pizza slice at Jason. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine."

Jason didn't argue. The other demigods stared at their plates, except for Percy, who continued to enjoy his pizza, and Finley, who stared at him judgingly. Sylvie didn't blame her. Where he put all that food, Sylvie never knew. Her boyfriend could eat like a satyr.

"So let's plan ahead," Percy suggested, "and make sure we don't die. Mr. D—Bacchus—Ugh, do I have to call him Mr. B now? Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and, uh, something that started with an F?"

"Feltes?" Finley tried.

"Feelies?" Sylvie attempted.

"Ephialtes," Jason corrected.

"Twin giants, like Finley and Piper saw in their visions..." Annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."

Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?"

"A thyrsus," Finley said. "It's a symbol associated with my dad and his followers. They say that the point of my dad's thyrsus incites madness."

"Of course it does," Percy said. "I don't think we should count on his help this time. He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle."

"Even with Finley?" Hazel asked. "I mean, she is his daughter."

Finley sighed. "Tried that. All he did was offer me a new gun. Didn't even fall for the puppy-dog eyes."

Silence fell around the table. Sylvie could hear Coach Hedge above the deck singing "Blow the Man Down," except he didn't know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, "Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum."

Sylvie couldn't shake the feeling that something was direly wrong. It felt like the eidolons flipped her entire world upside down, and she didn't know why. Finley still didn't think Sylvie should worry about it, but Sylvie wasn't too sure. She worried about everything.

The blood of a female demigod and the blood of a male, Gaea had said. Silviana, your blood will already be wasted elsewhere, as I already have plans for your dooming fate.

The eidolons had said something equally as alarming:

It is so nice to meet you, Silviana Duvall, they'd told her. You know no one.

Sylvie accidentally squeezed her hand into a fist so hard that her dagger, Halcyon, appeared in place of the fabric. She cursed silently, but she didn't transform it back. She just spun it anxiously, occasionally staring at her own reflection. Then that became too much, and Sylvie had to look away.

"She wants two of you," Sylvie muttered, irritably scratching the scar on her face.

Everyone turned to look at her. Sylvie had to try hard not to crumble under everyone's attention. It wasn't easy, because she had a strange feeling that the cold chill was seeping far into her bones and taking hold. 

"Sylvie's right," Finley backed her up. "Today on the highway, Gaea told us that she needed the blood of only two demigods—one female, one male. She said something about... having a plan for, uh, Sylvie's death already. Then she—she asked me to choose which boy would die with me."

Jason looked like he wanted to say something to her, before he was reminded of something. So he just opted on: "Neither of us died, though. We're okay."

"I don't care that you're okay," Finley said easily. "It's just... Why would Gaea want that?"

Leo whistled softly. "Jason, Piper, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."

"Oh..." Percy set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing, as if the horse kick to his head had just now registered.

"Percy?" Sylvie gripped his arm.

"Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad." He looked at Finley, Hazel, and Frank. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think we remember."

"I had a dream," Percy said, "when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, he said—he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my fight, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother.'"

Sylvie wondered if the room's temperature controls were broken, because suddenly she couldn't stop shaking. It was the same way she'd felt on the highway outside Topeka.

Finley frowned. "You think the giants would use our blood... the blood of two of us—"

"I don't know," Percy said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured." Then he found Sylvie's hand. "And you need to be extra careful. I don't like that Gaea said she has special plans for you."

"Really?" Sylvie asked sarcastically. "Because I loved it."

Percy sent her an unamused look, but the corners of his mouth turned up. She could tell he was trying not to smile at her.

"How do we figure this all out?" Hazel asked. "The Echo of Demeter, the twins, Ella's prophecy... how does it all fit together?"

Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "Sylvie, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."

"Right," Sylvie said. "Bacchus told us we should seek out... I can't remember his name."

"Phorcys," Percy helped.

Annabeth looked surprised by Percy's knowledge. "You know him?"

Percy shrugged. "I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."

Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."

"Don't even say that," Sylvie muttered. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Wait," Finley said.

Everyone looked at her.

"There's one last thing," she said. "The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."

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BAILEY YAPS...

"Right," Sylvie said. "Bacchus told us we should seek out... I can't remember his name."

Anyways I'm falling in love with too many duos like there's Sylvie and Finley but there's Finley and Percy but there's Sylvie and Leo but there's Sylvie and Jason but there's Sylvie and Annabeth but there's Finley and Annabeth but there's Finley and Frank but there's

Sylvie's conflict and struggle with taking on a role of leadership is something I could go on about for so long and it is such an important part of her character and she kind of breaks my heart every time I think about her 

Pretty sure I haven't given her an entire chapter of peace and there's like 102 chapters I'm so sorry girl I really do love you