★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖘𝖎𝖝:
THE EIDOLONS

★ 。／｜＼。★

TO SAY THE others were surprised when Belle and Piper came back on a Pegasus with two unconscious Demigods would be an understatement. While Frank and Hazel went to tend to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped Belle, Piper, and the boys get to the sickbay.

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

Belle sat next to Percy. She felt completely fine after some nectar and a little water, but she was still a little worried about the boys. They had both gotten knocked in the head pretty hard.

"Leo, are we ready to sail?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, but—" Leo began.

"Can you set a course for Atlanta?" Belle cut in, glancing up at him. "Piper and I will explain later. Promise."

"But . . . okay."

Leo hurried off. Annabeth then walked into the room, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe while Belle studied the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head.

"What hit him, B?" Annabeth questioned.

Belle looked up at her and sighed. "Blackjack."

"What?"

Both her and Piper tried to explain what had happened while on the highway while Coach Hedge applied some healing paste on the boys' heads. He must have done something right, because they both groaned and opened their eyes.

Within the span of a few minutes, Percy and Jason were sitting up in their berths and talking in complete sentences (the only world Percy was able to get out in that time was Belle or Beauty, which didn't really help.) Both of them had fuzzy memories of what had happened. When Belle and Piper described their duel on the highway, Jason winced.

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

Percy's orange Camp Half-Blood shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was disheveled (more than normal). Despite all of that, he managed a weak laugh.

"Not the first time," Percy reassured him. "Your big sister got me good once at Camp."

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

"Or I could have killed you."

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

"I don't need an ocean—" Percy began.

"Boys," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other. But right now, you need some rest."

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

"Bacchus?" Annabeth repeated.

"We definitely need to talk," Belle voiced. "Meeting at the mess hall in ten minutes. Annabeth, tell the others. And Percy and Jason . . . please change your clothes. We don't need the smell of an electric horse anymore, thank you very much."

Once everyone had gotten settled, they were ready for the meeting. While the eight Demigods gathered around the dining table, Coach Hedge was at the helm with a promise that he would not take them to the nearest military base for fun. Belle and Piper then began to take turns of what had happened at Topeka 32 exit — their conversation with Bacchus, the trap Gaea had set for them, and the Eidolons that had possessed the boys.

"Of course!" Hazel exclaimed. She slapped the table so hard it startled Frank, making him drop his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."

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

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

"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us." He then turned to Piper with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."

Belle blinked in surprise. She reached over and smacked Jason's shoulder.

"Ow, Belle!" Jason yelped, clutching his shoulder. "What was that for?"

She scoffed. "Gods, you really are dense."

Belle looked to Piper while shaking her head. Annaabeth looked at her sympathetically, basically saying boys are so clueless. Even Hazel winced.

"I could try," Piper replied 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."

Jason's expression darkened while Frank and Hazel nodded in agreement.

"She's right," Frank stated. "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," Jason responded. "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."

Leo drummed his fingers against the table. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that next time."

"I hope there isn't a next time," Belle muttered to herself.

Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"

"Oh, man . . ." Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"

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

"You're right," Jason agreed, leaning forwards. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe — at least from the Legion."

Belle couldn't help notice he sounded very depressed. It probably stung that his old Camp was coming after him and his friends.

"How do you know that they won't follow us?" Belle inquired gently.

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 his burrito. "So, if we go there . . ."

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors. Any Roman Demigod 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 slice of pizza at Jason. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine."

Belle rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms. Jason didn't argue with him. The rest of the Demigods stared at their plates, not touching their food. Well, except for Percy. He continued to enjoy his pizza. If there was one thing Belle learned about Percy while dating him, it was that he could eat like there was no tomorrow. She had no idea how he could eat so much. It was like it disappeared.

"So let's plan ahead and make sure we don't die," Percy suggested. "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?"

"Ephialtes," Jason said.

"Twin Giants, like Piper saw in her blade . . ." Annabeth trailed off, running 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 just about 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?"

"Something like that," Percy responded. "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."

The table was encaptured in silence again. Nobody spoke except Coach Hedge above deck, who was singing Blow the Man Down, but since he didn't know the lyrics, he mostly sang Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum.

Belle had dealt with Mr. D her entire life. The God was lazy, there was no doubt about it. He only helped if he really wanted to. However, she couldn't help but think that Mr. D — Bacchus — or whoever he was was meant to help them on this quest. Those twin Giants were keeping something in that jar. Without a God's help, none of them could destroy the Giants. That meant they wouldn't be able to save Rome in five days.

Gaea's voice then echoed in her head again. The blood of a female Demigod and the blood of a male. Piper and Belle, my dears, you can choose which one of you will die and which hero will die with you.

"Blood of a female and blood of a male," Belle muttered to herself before looking up at the rest of them. "Gaea wants two of us."

Everyone turned to look at her. Belle suddenly had a strange feeling that more than seven eyes were watching her.

"Gaea told Piper and I on the highway that she needed the blood of both a female and male Demigod," Belle explained further. "She said we had to choose which one of us would die and choose which one of the boys would die along with us."

Percy took her hand in hers. "Yeah, but you're smart enough not to listen to Gaea. You and Piper saved us."

"I mean, yeah, but I'm just confused as to why she would want that."

Leo softly whistled. "Guys, 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 began, setting down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at absolutely nothing. "Oh, bad. Bad. Bad." He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

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

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

Belle suddenly felt very cold. And, for some reason, holding Percy's hand wasn't giving her the same comfort it usually brought.

"You think the Giants would use our blood . . . the blood of two of us—" Piper stammered.

"I don't know," Percy said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured."

"That I agree with," Jason responded.

"But how do we figure it out?" Hazel asked. "The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's Prophecy . . . how does it all fit together?"

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

Belle nodded. "Bacchus told us we should seek out—"

"Phorcys," Percy finished.

Annabeth blinked in surprise, obviously not used to him having the answers. "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 in amusement. "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," Annabeth scolded. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Wait," Piper interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her, and Belle frowned in concern. "There's one last thing. The Eidolons — the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."

The room went silent. Piper, after a couple of moments, began to explain how in some old Cherokee legends that spirits were always restless. They either lost their way to the Land of the Dead, stayed behind out of stubbornness, or didn't even realize they were dead. She said she had a gut feeling they were still present only because no one had told them to go away.

Once she was finished, the others looked at her uncomfortably. Coach Hedge was singing something that sounded like In the Navy above deck while Blackjack stomped his hooves and whinnied in protest.

Finally Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth questioned.

"I've met Eidolons. In the Underworld, when I was . . . you know."

Dead.

Belle kept forgetting Hazel used to be dead. She always seemed so real, so alive. In her own way, Hazel was a ghost reborn.

"So . . ." Frank trailed off, running his hand across his buzz-cut hair. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper answered. "We don't know."

Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"

"We have to take steps," Piper announced. "I think I can do this."

"Do what?" Percy questioned.

"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen." She met all of their eyes, one at a time, and then began to use her charmspeak. "Eidolons. raise your hands."

The mess hall filled with tense silence.

Leo let out a nervous laugh. "Did you really think that was going to—?"

His voice died. Leo's face went slack and he raised his hand. Jason and Percy did the same. Just like back on the highway, their eyes turned glassy and gold. Hazel's breath hitched in her throat. Frank scrambled out of his chair and pressed his back into the wall from his place next to Leo. Belle did her best to try and keep herself in check, but then she remembered she was holding hands with an Eidolon. Her eyes widening, she quickly let go and stood up from her chair with her heart racing. The Eidolon inside Percy reached out to her, but Belle took multiple steps back to get out of its reach.

"Oh, Gods," Annabeth let out, looking to Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"

Piper's gaze focused on Leo. "Are there more of you on this ship?"

"No," Leo replied in that same hollow voice from earlier. "The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again."

"Not here, you won't. All three of you, listen carefully."

Percy and Jason looked to her. Their gold eyes were utterly unnerving. Belle wondered if Piper was feeling as scared as she was.

"You will leave those bodies," Piper commanded.

"No," Percy refused.

Leo softly hissed. "We must live."

Frank scrambled to get his bow in his hands. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo turned towards him. "You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."

Belle had no idea what that meant, but Frank staggered and drew an arrow with shaking hands. "I — I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"

"Frank, don't," Hazel stated, rising from her chair.

Next to her, Jason drew his sword.

"Stop!" Piper ordered, her voice slightly quavering.

"Listen to Piper," Hazel demanded.

She pointed at Jason's sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand and it fell onto the table. Jason sank back into his chair.

Percy growled in a very un-Percy-like way. "Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead."

Belle gripped Sunflower's keychain tightly. She shook her head at Annabeth, who moved forwards to restrain him.

"Listen, Eidolons, you do not belong here," Hazel voiced sternly. "I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her."

Hazel gave Piper a reassuring expression. That must have given her the encouragement she needed.

"You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated with force.

Jason's face tightened and his forehead beaded with sweat. "We — we will leave these bodies."

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship and never to possess any member of this crew."

Both Leo and Percy hissed in protest.

"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted.

There was a moment of tension, and then all three Eidolons spoke in unison: "We promise on the River Styx."

"You are dead."

"We are dead."

"Now, leave."

Jason, Leo, and Percy all slumped forwards. Percy fell face-first into his slice of pizza. Belle immediately surged forwards and grabbed him. Piper and Hazel caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of chair. Meanwhile, Frank made no attempt to catch Leo as he hit the floor.

"Ow!" Leo groaned.

"Are you all right?" Hazel inquired.

Leo pulled himself up to reveal he had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a number three stuck to his forehead. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Piper answered. "I don't think they'll be back."

Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"

Piper laughed slightly. "Come on, Lightning Boy. Let's get you some fresh air."

While Piper and Jason went up to the deck and the others all went back to their cabins, Belle used a napkin to clean the pizza sauce off of Percy's face.

"Is it gone yet?" Percy complained.

"Almost." Belle then put the napkin down on the table. "All gone. Your face is now sauce free."

Percy looked down at her, noticing her eyes weren't as bright as they normally was. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I was just a little scared, that's all. Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix."

"Well, we definitely both need rest." Percy pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Go get some sleep."

That forehead kiss wasn't sufficient enough for her. Belle rested her hands on his chest and rose up on her toes, pressing her lips to his. Percy kissed back and placed his hands on her waist. Finally, after a couple of moments, the two pulled away from each other.

"Goodnight," Belle told him quietly.

Percy smiled. "Goodnight, Beauty. I love you."

"I love you, too."

As Belle walked back to her cabin with butterflies fluttering throughout her stomach, she suddenly got an idea. All she wanted was a moment alone with Percy, and what was a more perfect time than at night when everybody else was sleeping?

—  [  ♡  ]  —

when your family is planning a trip to disney world for january of 2022 when yours and your sister's college breaks overlap and you're so excited but then you realize in order to get there you actually have to go to college first

I do not want to do that

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !