O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   F O U R

( a meeting with a god )

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

          WHY DID HIS head hurt so much? Seriously, it felt like someone was smacking a hammer into his temple repeatedly, over and over again with more force in each hit. He could feel something against his hand, his fingers gripping something warm and familiar . . . Malia's hand. It was tightly laced with his own, her thumb running up and down the back of his hand in a soothing manner. Something she only did when worried and trying to distract herself.

The thought of his girlfriend sitting beside him made the pain in his head dim down to a bearable ache. Slowly, he opened his eyes, immediately shutting them again when a bright light seared them. After a moment, he attempted to open his eyes again, this time managing to ignore the bright light and take notice of his cabin's ceiling. He turned his head and spotted Malia sitting beside him on a chair, her eyes closed softly as she let out gentle breaths. He cracked a small smile and squeezed her hand, causing her eyes to snap open in surprise.

"Hey," he croaked, causing her to look down at him with wide eyes.

"You're awake!" she said, sounding surprised.

Jason rolled his eyes jokingly. "Don't sound so surprised." He felt something against the skin of his forehead and reached up, his fingers brushing bandages. He then remembered the battle, and the explosions. His eyes widened slightly. "What . . . what happened? I remember the explosions, and the angry Romans."

Malia had an amused glint in her eyes. "Do you remember getting smacked in the head with a brick?"

Jason frowned. "Nope, don't remember that."

"I've actually come up with a ship name for you and your new girlfriend," Malia teased. "How does 'Brason' sound?"

Jason smirked as he sat up in bed a bit more. "Not as good as Malason or Jalia or whatever ship name Piper and Leo invented for us."

"Good answer." Malia leaned in and kissed him, making the both of them smile even more. When she pulled back, she had a relieved look in her eyes. "You scared me, you know that? Seeing you fall to the ground like that . . . it was terrifying."

Jason squeezed her hand again and gave her a comforting smile. "Hey, you can't get rid of me that easily, Ariel, okay? You're stuck with me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Hercules," Malia said back, her cheeks dusted pink in a small blush.

Malia helped him sit up and passed him some nectar, which he downed as quickly as he could to rid himself of the pain in his head. While he sipped his nectar, Malia caught him up to speed with Leo's plan on fixing the ship and who actually caused the attack on the camp. Jason was a little surprised to hear that it was Leo, and not Octavian, but Malia quickly explained how Leo said it felt as though someone was forcing him to do these things and that she was trying to figure out what, and he was no longer as surprised. It was their group. Something like this was bound to happen.

Near the end of the explanation, he heard horse hooves clomping across the deck over their heads. Moments later, Leo and Hazel stumbled to a stop in the doorway, carrying a large sheet of hammered bronze between them.

"Gods of Olympus, Leo." Malia's eyes were wide as she stared at the son of Hephaestus. "What happened to you?"

His hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a tee shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.

"Long story," he said. "Others back?"

"Not yet," Malia said. "Also, I'll be teasing you relentless about this."

Leo cursed. Then he noticed Jason sitting up and his face brightened. "Hey man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room."

He ran off with the sheet of bronze before Jason could say anything back, leaving Hazel in the doorway.

He raised an eyebrow at Hazel. "Team Leo?"

"We met Narcissus," Hazel said, which didn't really explain much. "Also Nemesis, the revenge-goddess."

Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."

"Don't get hit with a brick, then," Malia countered with a teasing grin.

"Okay. Next time I'll let it hit you."

"Perfect!"

On the deck above, something went THUMP, as if a heavy creature had landed. Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair. Percy's shirt was covered in it.

"Roofing tar?" Malia guessed.

Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face.

"Ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said. "Hey, Jason, glad you're awake. Hazel, where's Leo?"

She pointed down. "Engine room."

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar.

"Uh, what was that?" he demanded.

"Oh . . ." Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like . . . all of them."

"Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can."

"On it!" Frank promised. 

Malia gave her brother a look. "I can help, too, you know."

"Yeah, but you're still recovering from causing an earthquake. Sit this one out, okay?" Percy didn't give her a chance to argue as he ran off toward the deck while Annabeth and Frank took off down the hall toward the engine room. Which left Jason, Malia, and Hazel in Jason's cabin in complete silence.

Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick.

"I'll just . . ." She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.

Jason and Malia stayed below as the ship rocked back and forth. For a hero, Jason felt pretty useless. Waves crashed against the hull as angry voices came from above deck—Percy shouting, Coach Hedge yelling at the lake. Festus the figurehead breathed fire several times. Down the hall, Hazel moaned miserably in her cabin. In the engine room below, it sounded like Leo and the others were doing an Irish line dance with anvils tied to their feet. Malia was glowering at hers and Jason's hands as Jason tried his hardest to keep her distracted. After what seemed like hours, the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned, and Jason felt the ship lift into the air.

The rocking and shaking stopped. The ship became quiet except for the drone of machinery. Finally Leo emerged from the engine room. He was caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His tee shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO. But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way.

"Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "Crazy day, huh?"

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

After everyone had cleaned up, Coach Hedge took the helm and the demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the eight of them. Jason felt as though this should have reassured him, being in the presence of such powerful demigods like himself, but it only reminded him that the Prophecy of Eight was finally starting. No more waiting for Leo to finish the ship. No more easy days at Camp Half-Blood, pretending the future was still a long way off. They were under way, with a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless they succeeded in this quest, the world would be destroyed.

The others must've felt it too. The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Percy's and Jason's powers. Jason reached for the chair at the head of the table, but was stopped when he saw that Percy was doing the same thing. An awkward silence fell over the hall as they watched the two boys stare at each other. Jason felt sparks rise along his hands. After a brief silent standoff, in which Jason was thinking, Seriously, dude?, they ceded the chair to Annabeth and sat on opposite sides of the table. Jason took the seat between Leo and Malia while Percy sat beside Annabeth and Frank.

The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City while Jason was out, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

Percy was eating a piece of pie, which was completely blue—filling, crust, even the whipped cream. Jason chuckled softly when he noticed Malia herself had blue cookies on her plate. She'd told him about her family's obsession with blue food and he found it utterly adorable that despite the cause of it not being there, she still continued to eat blue food.

"We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," Percy said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

That didn't improve the mood around the table. Piper's face twisted in guilt. "I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Malia placed a hand on Piper's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's. Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

Piper gave her a thankful smile, though it was obvious she was still uneasy. "Maybe if we could explain that, though—"

"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."

"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies, and Jason was pretty sure they hadn't been there at the beginning of the meal. "Reyna might listen, but Octavian won't. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hoc."

Piper stared at her dinner for a moment before sighing. "You're right. We have to keep going. Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."

Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"

"I think," Hazel said. "But if so, that's not much time."

"Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"

No one answered. 

"There's more," Piper said quietly. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."

The big kid, Frank, froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as . . . ?"

"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

Annabeth stared at the magical video feed from Camp Half-Blood on the wall. Right now it showed the living room in the Big House: a cozy fire on the hearth and Seymour, the stuffed leopard head, snoring contentedly above the mantel. 

"Twins, like in Ella's prophecy," Annabeth said. "If we could figure out those lines, it might help."

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone," Percy said. "The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Annabeth, that's got to mean you. Juno told me . . . well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it. But I know she's wrong."

Annabeth took a long breath. "Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among the Roman praetors—something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."

Jason stiffened beside Malia, and he felt his fingers grow clammy. Swallowing thickly, he averted his gaze from Annabeth. He knew the exact legend that Reyna was about to tell Annabeth about. He could feel Malia's worried gaze on the side of his face, but he ignored it. 

Leo and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.

"Nemesis mentioned something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled—"

"The one thing that might bring the gods' two natures into harmony," Hazel recalled. "'An old wrong finally avenged.'"

Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "I was only a praetor for about two hours. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?"

Jason swallowed nervously but hid it well. "I . . . uh, I'm not sure. I'll give it some thought."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're not sure?"

"Keep in mind, Barnacle Brain, that he did get his memories magically taken from him and is still recovering them because Hera decided to make all our lives miserable," Malia commented, which Jason was grateful for. He knew she knew he knew something, but she also knew how he was acting right now. He couldn't have asked for a better girlfriend, honestly.

Hazel broke the silence that fell on the demigods. "What about the other lines?" She turned her ruby-encrusted plate. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death."

Annabeth turned to Malia. "You know all about the Roman and Greek histories. Admittedly, probably more than I do. Do you know anything about any twins from either mythologies?"

Malia pulled a face, pursing her lips in thought. It was cute, the way her brows pulled together and her nose scrunched up. "I'll think about it. I think there's a legend in there somewhere about twins, but I'm not sure. I'll get back to you on that."

Annabeth nodded in satisfaction.

"Giants' bane stands gold and pale," Frank added, "Won through pain from a woven jail."

"Giants' bane," Leo said. "Anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right? That's probably what we need to find. If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that's good."

Percy nodded. "We can't kill the giants without the help of the gods."

Jason turned to Frank and Hazel. "I thought you guys killed that one giant in Alaska without a god's help, just the two of you."

"Alcyoneus was a special case," Frank said. "He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn—Alaska. But not in Canada. I wish I could kill all the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but . . ." He shrugged. "Percy's right, we'll need the gods."

Jason sighed. He thought hard on the last two lines of the prophecy. While he couldn't exactly come out and say what this legend was, for fear that it would cause every Greek on the ship to hate him and his Roman friends, he could help out with the prophecy in other ways. So, what was a woven jail? How could twins snuff out an angel's breath? The key to endless death didn't sound very cheerful, either.

"So . . ." Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First things first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."

"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

No one spoke. Jason racked his brain for somewhere, but he was coming up blank.

"Well," Piper suddenly said, giving them all a nervous smile, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

The next morning, Jason woke from a dreamless sleep and immediately got ready, soon finding himself on the deck of the ship as they landed in Kansas. The others, aside from Piper and Malia, were already on deck as the ship settled down in the middle of a field of sunflowers. The oars retracted. The gangplank lowered itself.

The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. Not a bad smell. It reminded Jason a bit of the gardens back at Camp Jupiter. He used to have to work in the greenhouses when he was new to the camp, and it brought back that bit of nostalgia he didn't realize he needed at the moment. 

Percy and Annabeth smiled at Jason in greeting. Percy was back in a Camp Half-Blood shirt, as though he'd never been away from the Greek side. He seemed happier than he had been the day before, but that may have had something to do with the fact that he was not only reunited with his girlfriend, but also his younger sister. 

Annabeth seemed happy as well, a new sparkle in her eyes as she stared up at Percy. For months, Annabeth had been tormenting herself, her every waking moment consumed with the search for Percy. Now, despite the dangerous quest they were facing, at least she had her boyfriend back and Malia had her brother back. 

Piper and Malia joined them not too long after, the two chatting up a storm as they walked onto the deck in new clothes looking fresh and awake. Jason smiled brightly as Malia grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to his cheek in greeting, her sea-green eyes sparkling in the morning light. 

"Hey," she greeted softly. "Ready to traipse through the flowers?"

Jason chuckled. "Oh yeah. That's been the highest thing on my bucket list."

"Mmm, I'm sure." Jason rolled his eyes playfully and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side and taking her hand once more. 

"So!" Annabeth plucked Piper's bagel from her hand and took a bite, causing Piper to laugh and shake her head. "Here we are. What's the plan?"

"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife—the man in purple with a goblet.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus."

"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr. D—"

"Awe, didn't you miss your banter with the god of wine," Malia teased.

Percy shot her a look, though it was obvious he was biting back a grin. Jason laughed softly. "Bacchus isn't so bad. I don't like his followers much . . ."

Malia and Piper shuddered. Jason, Leo, Piper, and Malia had an encounter with the maenads a few months ago and almost gotten torn to pieces.

"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in the wine country."

Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"

Frank grunted. The big guy was wearing a blue tracksuit this morning, like he was ready to go for a jog in the sunflowers.

"The gods haven't been very good at following that order," he noted. "Besides, if the gods have gone schizophrenic like Hazel said—"

"And Leo said," added Leo.

Frank scowled at him. "Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."

"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well . . . you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth—I could really use your help. You're the only other person who even sort of understand engineering."

Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy. "He's right. I should stay and help."

"I'll come back to you." He kissed her on the cheek. Malia made a gagging expression that made the others laugh. "Promise."

"Don't worry, Annie. I'll keep my idiot of a brother out of trouble," Malia reassured. "He'll come back. I'm not saying he won't be a dolphin when he does, but he'll come back."

Annabeth laughed and Percy shot Malia another look, Malia giving him a bright smile in return.

Frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."

"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."

Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."

"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."

"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.—"

Hazel stepped between them.

"I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."

"Sure," Frank said, still glaring at Leo. "Yeah, thanks."

Jason frowned. What was going on with those three? The boys showing off for Hazel and razzing each other—that he could somewhat understand. But it almost seemed like Hazel and Leo had a history. So far as he knew, they'd met for the first time just yesterday. He wondered if something else had happened on their trip to the Great Salt Lake—something they hadn't mentioned.

Hazel turned to Percy. "Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Could be karpoi on the loose."

"Karpoi?" Piper asked.

"Grain spirits," Hazel said. "You don't want to meet them."

Jason didn't see how a grain spirit could be so bad, but Hazel's tone convinced him not to ask.

"That leaves four of us to check on the mile marker," Percy said. "Me, Jason, Piper, and Lia. I'm not psyched about seeing Mr. D again. That guy is a pain. But, Jason, if you're on better terms with him—"

"Yeah," Jason said. "If we find him, I'll talk to him."

"Piper, it's your vision," Malia said. "You should take the lead."

Piper gave them a tight-lipped smile. "Of course," she said, forcing an upbeat attitude. "Let's find the highway."

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

"I'm gonna kill Leo Valdez," Malia muttered.

Jason was pretty sure that everyone else agreed with her and wouldn't hesitate to help her out.

After trudging half a mile through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, they finally reached the road. An old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.

"Correct my math," Percy said, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"

Jason peered both ways down the deserted road. He felt much better today, his color having returned after getting some rest and having some more ambrosia and nectar. The scar on his forehead had almost vanished, which he was happy about. He fiddled with the coin in his pocket that Hera had given to Malia to give to him a few months ago as he thought of how they were going to safely reach the Topeka exit they needed.

"No cars . . ." he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."

"No," Malia agreed, gazing anxiously down the highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."

"Hmm . . ." Jason snapped his fingers. "I can call a friend for a ride."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Malia and Piper rolling their eyes in sync. Jason whistled. He was calling on Tempest, the storm spirit he'd managed to befriend while fighting at the Wolf House last winter. Despite the clear blue skies, he was trying. Anything to one-up Percy, who seemed to agree to a small competition between the two of them.

Percy just simply closed his eyes and concentrated. 

Jason glanced over at the son of Poseidon and took a good look at him. It was then he realized how much Percy and Malia had in common when it came to looks—dark hair that always had the appearance of being wind-swept, tan skin, sea-green eyes, sarcastic smiles that only ever left their faces when it was time to be serious. There was no doubt in Jason's mind that these two were siblings, especially after seeing them joke around with one another and poke fun with each other. Oh, and let's not forget about Percy trying to be the intimidating older brother. That proved it as well.

A moment later, thunder cracked in the clear sky.

Jason smiled. "Soon."

"Too late. Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward them. At first, Jason thought it might be Frank in crow form. Then he realized it was much too big to be a bird.

"A black pegasus?" Piper said. "Never seen one like that."

The winged stallion came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face, then moved to Malia and nearly knocked her over by resting his head on her shoulder, which made her laugh. Then, he turned his head inquisitively toward Piper and Jason.

"Blackjack," Percy said, "this is Piper and Jason. They're friends."

The horse nickered.

"Uh, maybe later," Percy answered.

Jason had seen Malia speak with horses before, and he knew that she could do it since she was the daughter of the horse lord Poseidon, but it was still a little weird.

"What does Blackjack want?" Piper asked.

"Donuts," Malia said, rolling her eyes. "Always donuts."

"He can carry all of us if—"

Suddenly the air turned cold. Jason's ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from The Wizard of Oz. It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse—a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body.

"Tempest," Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."

The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.

"Easy, boy," Percy said. "He's a friend, too." He gave Jason an impressed look. "Nice ride, Grace."

Jason shrugged. "I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf House. He's a free spirit, literally, but once in a while he agrees to help me."

Percy and Jason climbed on their respective horses. Jason turned and watched as the girls had a silent discussion before Malia took Jason's hand and got on Tempest while Piper, who never liked the storm spirit, got behind Percy on Blackjack. Malia wrapped her arms around Jason's waist and held on tightly as Tempest took off.

The storm spirit raced down the road with Blackjack soaring overhead. Fortunately, they didn't pass any cars, or they might have caused a wreck. In no time, they arrived at the thirty-two-mile marker, which looked pretty normal to Jason.

Blackjack landed. Both horses pawed the asphalt. Neither looked pleased to have stopped so suddenly, just when they'd found their stride.

Blackjack whinnied.

"You're right," Percy said. "No sign on the wine dude."

"I beg your pardon?" said a  voice from the fields.

Tempest turned so quickly, Jason had to keep Malia from falling off.

The wheat parted, and the man from Piper's vision stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't yet realized college was over.

"Did someone just call me the wine dude?" he asked in a lazy drawl. "It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus."

"You know, I like that last one," Malia said with a shrug of her shoulders. "It has a nice ring to it."

Percy urged Blackjack forward, though the pegasus didn't seem happy about it. Piper looked like she was beginning to regret getting on the same horse as Percy.

"You look different," Percy told the god. "Skinnier. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn't so loud."

The wine god squinted up at him. "What in the blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?"

"Uh . . . what series?"

"He means Ceres, dumbass," Malia said from behind Jason. "The goddess of agriculture. We call her Demeter."

Jason ignored the siblings' banter and nodded respectfully toward Bacchus. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma."

Malia muffled a laugh into Jason's back. "Jason Grace."

"Whatever," the god said. "Did Ceres send you, then?"

"No, Lord Bacchus," Jason said. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"

The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to party, my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The karpoi are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united from in the plan war."

"The plan war?" Percy said. "You're going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?"

"Oh my gods, Percy," Malia muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Jason to hear. "I'm going to have to drag his dolphin ass back to Annabeth."

The god narrowed his eyes at Percy. "Do I know you?"

"At Camp Half-Blood," Percy said, "I know you as Mr. D—Dionysus."

"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered. Jason saw a different person—fatter, dumpier, in a much louder, leopard-patterned shirt. Then Bacchus returned to being Bacchus. "Stop that!" he demanded. "Stop thinking of me in Greek!"

Percy blinked. "Uh, but—"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy!"

"That sounds pretty normal for you," Percy said, causing Malia to muffle another laugh in the back of Jason's shirt.

Jason could see Piper regretting her decisions more and more as she scooted further away from Percy. And she had the right idea. Looking back at Bacchus, Jason's eyes widened when he saw the god's nostrils flaring. One of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flames. "If we know each other from that other camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin."

"It was discussed," Malia commented, sounding much more polite than her brother.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, but I think you were just too lazy to do it."

Jason had been watching with horrified fascination, the way he might watch a car wreck in progress. Jason knew that Percy was not making things better, and he'd probably have to step in soon to keep Percy from getting turned into a sea mammal. Malia would probably find it hilarious for a small amount of time, but he was sure that Annabeth would not and they'd all be in serious trouble.

"Lord Bacchus!" Piper interrupted, slipping off Blackjack's back.

"Piper, be careful," Malia said.

She shot her a warning glance: I've got this.

"Sorry to trouble you, my lord," she told the god, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom."

Piper was using her most agreeable tone, pouring respect into her charmspeak. Jason didn't know if it would work on a god, but he hoped for their sake that it did.

The god frowned, but the purple glow faded in his eyes. "You're well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and—"

"Not about parties," Malia interrupted politely. "Although that's incredibly useful advice and I completely agree with you, Lord Bacchus. We were hoping you'd help us on our quest."

Piper and Malia took to explaining about the Argo II and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. They told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. Piper then described the vision reflected in her knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet. The entire time, Jason studied the god's face to see if their story was shifting anything. It didn't appear so.

"Silver goblet?" The god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can.

"You drink Diet Coke," Percy sad.

Malia reached over and whacked her brother's arm, giving him a look. Jason assumed that their old camp director, Dionysus, drank Diet Coke instead of Diet Pepsi. Another thing that differed the Greek version from the Roman version.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bacchus snapped. "As to this vision of a goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want Pepsi. Jupiter had put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know."

"You can fight?" Percy asked.

Again, Malia reached over and hit her brother's arm, shooting an apologetic smile toward the god who was snarling at her brother. Jason wished that Percy could have sounded much less incredulous when asking that, but then again, this was Malia's brother they were talking about. And if Percy was anything like how Malia described, they were in for a ride.

Bacchus was glaring at Percy. His Diet Pepsi transformed into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.

"A thyrsus!" Malia said, probably hoping to distract the god before he whacked her brother on the head. Jason knew what the weapon was before she said anything, but it still amazed him how she knew so much about both Roman and Greek mythology. She truly was amazing. "Oh, what a mighty weapon!"

"Indeed," Bacchus agreed. "I'm glad someone in your group is smart. The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction! I was a demigod myself in the first Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter!"

Jason flinched. He didn't like to be reminded that this crazy god in front of him was his big brother. 

Bacchus swung his staff through the air, though his potbelly almost threw him off balance. "Of course that was before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod . . . Harry Cleese, I think."

"Heracles?" Malia suggested politely.

"Whatever," Bacchus said. "Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible bores, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!"

Jason's mind raced with the thought of the two giants that Bacchus had named. He turned to see Malia's eyes wide and a look of realization dawn upon her face. There was also a flicker of annoyance, like she was mad that she hadn't thought of them sooner. Jason sent her a comforting smile, squeezing her hand softly.

"Lord Bacchus," Piper said, sounding a bit more nervous than before. "Those two giants, Ephialtes and Otis . . . would they happen to be twins?"

"Hmm?" The god seemed distracted by his thyrsus-swinging, but he nodded. "Yes, twins. That's right."

Piper shot the group a look, and Jason knew what she was thinking: Twins snuff out the angel's breath.

"That's why we're here," Piper told the god. "You're part of our quest!"

Bacchus frowned. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't do quests."

"But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," Piper insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think . . . I think they're waiting for us in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision—maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. You have to help us kill the giants!"

Bacchus glared at her. Malia's breath hitched behind Jason. Jason felt his heart stop. Piper had chosen her words poorly.

"My girl," the god said coldly, "I don't have to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries."

Blackjack whinnied uneasily.

Jason couldn't blame him. He didn't like the sound of tribute, especially as a Roman demigod who knew what that word meant to Roman gods. He remembered the maenads, the crazed followers of Bacchus, who would tear up nonbelievers with their bare hands. And that was when they were in a good mood. If that was their form of tribute, Jason didn't want to know what Bacchus's was.

Percy voiced the question they were all too scared to ask. "What kind of tribute?"

Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing you could handle, insolent Greek. But I will give you some free advice, since this girl does have some manners. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He's always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his siblings the twins either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine—Atalanta."

Piper hesitated. "You mean Atlanta?"

"That's the one."

"But this Phorcys," Jason said. "Is he a giant? A Titan?"

Bacchus laughed. "Neither. Seek out the salt water."

"Salt water . . ." Malia said questionably. "In Atlanta?"

"Yes," Bachus said. "Are you hard of hearing? If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it's Phorcys. Jut watch out for him."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed almost to high noon. "It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or . . ."

The god's face suddenly went slack. "Or a trap. Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd do the same!"

"Lord Bacchus, wait!" Jason protested.

The god shimmered and disappeared with a sound like a soda-can top being popped.

The wind rustled through the sunflowers. The horses paced in agitation. Malia dismounted Tempest and moved over to Piper, fiddling with her bracelet nervously as the trident symbol began to glow a vibrant shade of green. Jason knew all too well what that meant. Danger was near.

Despite the dry, hot day, Jason felt a shiver run down his spine. A cold feeling . . . Annabeth and Leo had both described a cold feeling . . .

"Bacchus is right," Malia said, anxiously looking around. "We need to leave—"

Too late, said a sleepy voice, humming through the fields all around them and resonating in the ground at Jason's feet.

Percy and Jason drew their swords. Malia flicked her wrist, her own sword forming while Piper stood beside her, frozen in fear. Jason shot an anxious glance toward his girlfriend, who returned the look with an attempt at a smile, only for it to appear as a grimace. Jason could feel the power of Gaea everywhere. The sunflowers turned to look at them. The wheat bent toward them like a million scythes.

Welcome to my party, Gaea murmured. Her voice reminded Jason of corn growing—a crackling, hissing, hot and persistent noise he used to hear in the field back at Camp Jupiter. 

What did Bacchus say? the goddess mocked. A simple, low-key affair with organic snacks? Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male. Piper, Ariel, my dears, choose which hero will die with one of you.

"Gaea!" Jason yelled. "Stop hiding in the wheat Show yourself!"

Such bravado, Gaea hissed. But the other one, Percy Jackson, also has appeal. And the thought of siblings being sacrificed together has a nice ring to it, don't you think, Ariel? Choose, my dears, or I will.

Jason's heart was racing as he took in the fear on the girls' faces. Hearing Gaea willingly threaten the death of his girlfriend and her brother had him boiling with rage, but there was nothing he could do. The goddess was all around them, and he couldn't kill her. Their best chance was to leave if they could.

"You're insane!" Piper shouted.

"We're not choosing anything for you!" Malia added.

Suddenly, Jason felt the chill grow colder, sinking into his bones and wrapping his muscles in ice. He heard a faint laughter in the back of his mind, like a crazed maniac running toward him. And before he could shout for help, icy fingers wrapped around his brain, his vision going blank and his consciousness slipping until there was nothing left but the laughter and the cold hands of Gaea.

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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I'm sorry that it took so long for this chapter to get out! But it is summer so I am currently working on this book as hard as I can! And I finished up my other book that I was working on at the same time, so now I can be fully devoted to this book! I hope you can all forgive me!

Anyway, the next chapter is the one you all know about. I think Malia is going to be a badass again and stop both boys from killing each other, but you never know. Things could change.

Please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.