SO, IN CONCLUSION, karina is never agreeing to collect tar ever again.

at first, it was fine. her, percy, and annabeth flew into town on frank (who was a dragon) and they went to go find the nearest roofing-supply store, which was only a couple blocks away.

everything was fine, until the tar monsters came.

just as they were about to enter the store, about twenty large, black, sticky tar monsters come barreling from behind the store, tar dripping off the them at all different sizes and shapes.

and just like that, they were sucked into a battle between four demigods and a bunch of gross black blobs of tar.

it was a pretty sticky fight, but after a while, they managed to collect enough tar to supply the argo II, and right as they got what they needed, frank immediately transformed back into a dragon, and flew them back to the ship.

karina could feel the tar in her hair, and there were splotches of it all over her clothes. percy had some smeared across his chest, and annabeth also had a piece of it dried into her hair. this was going to take forever to get out. even with her magical detangler.

once they got on deck, frank landed with a big THUMP, and karina, percy, and annabeth came running down the hall. percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. and karina and annabeth were both trying to get the tar out of each other's hair.

"roofing tar?" piper guessed.

frank stumbled behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods.

"ran into some tar monsters," annabeth said. "hey, jason, glad you're awake. hazel, where's leo?"

she pointed down. "engine room."

karina whipped her head toward piper's room, and saw the fully conscious form of jason grace sitting on the bed.

she stalked over to him, and dragged him into a bone-crushing hug, catching him off guard as he stumbled into her, letting out an umph!, as she closed her arms around him. "you are an idiot, you know that?"

jason groaned slightly, her tight grip on him making it hard for him to breath, and he wrapped his arms around her. "i think you've told me enough times for it to sink in."

"good." she muttered, pulling away from him to examine his forehead, which looked significantly better than it did from before she left.

"it healed really fast," karina pointed out, and jason nodded.

"ambrosia." he informed, and karina nodded.

suddenly, the entire ship listed to port. the demigods stumbled, and jason held karina's arms to steady her. 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." his line of sight drifted to karina, his eyes glancing at jason's hand placement, and he looked at her with a slightly hardened look, saying, "i need your help too, rina. can you use the plants in the water to keep the nymphs off the ship?"

karina hesitated. "i— i mean, i can try. i don't know how much good it'll do, but— "

"you do great." percy interrupted, quickly walking over and grabbing her hand, and she could've sworn she saw him send a glare to jason as he dragged her out of the room and brought her above deck with him.

for a while, it was chaos. her and percy worked together as best as they could, the ship rocking back and forth as nymphs threw themselves and other objects against it. karina tried her best to hold them off by wrapping seaweed around their ankles, dragging them back down into the water every time they attempted to advance up the ship.

after what felt like hours of percy's shouting, and coach hedge yelling at the lake, the engines began to hum. the oars creaked and groaned, and karina finally 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 t-shirt looked like it had been caught in a escalator and chewed to shreds. the TEAM LEO on this chest now read: AM LEO. but he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way.

"meet in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "crazy day, huh?"

"understatement," karina muttered, turning her gladius back into its necklace form, and clasping it around her neck.

she turned to percy, who was leaning against the railing of the ship, staring blankly at the clear skies around them.

she sidled up beside him, mimicking his stance, and staring out into the sky. "what's on your mind, percy?" she asked softly.

he didn't answer for a moment, but instead turned so that his arms were gripping sides of the rails on either side of karina, and she was leaning against it, so that percy was now in front of her body instead of beside it. "nothing." he said simply, but karina knew he was lying.

"you're not a very good liar," she pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at him.

percy sighed and dropped his head down for a moment, before looking back at her again, his eyes glistening as the sun began to set. "have you ever seen jason as more than a friend?" he asked quietly, averting his gaze to the sky behind her.

karina immediately felt her stomach churn in annoyance, and she rolled her eyes. "are you being serious, right now?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

percy pursed his lips and nodded, not saying anything.

karina scoffed and shook her head. "jason is just a friend percy, i don't like him like that."

"that's not what i asked," percy replied. "i asked if you've ever seen him as more than a friend. not just right now."

karina was silent for a moment, her jaw locking slightly as she looked at her boyfriend. she wasn't mad that he was asking about jason. she was mad that he would even think that she would like someone other than him right now. it made her upset that he thought so lowly of her trust.

but, she knew she couldn't lie to him. it wouldn't be fair to either of them if she did. "maybe," she said with complete honesty. "maybe at some point, yeah."

percy nodded and turned his head away from her, and karina knew that he was not happy with her answer.

she sighed and lifted her fingers to his chin, turning his head to face her, and she took his face into her hands, both of them holding his cheeks.

"but that doesn't change anything now," she said. "i've liked you since the moment you carried me to caelius during the war games when i got shot. and that hasn't changed or wavered ever since then. having jason here will not make a difference in anything that is going on between us, percy. i love jason, but not in the way you think. i love him as a brother, and as a best friend. not as a romantic partner."

percy stared at her, his lips parted slightly and eyes directly looking into her's, and he didn't say a word, he just merely took in all of his girlfriend's features. her vibrant green eyes, and the way they glowed in the setting sun, and the way her hair blew in the wind across her face. he loved the way her freckles that danced across her nose and cheek bones became more prominent in the light, and how her lips always had a small lift to them, as if they couldn't stop themselves from smiling.

"i'm sorry," he said quietly. "i'm sorry for ever doubting you."

karina's smile grew. "i know, mon chéri, it's okay. i just don't want you to not trust me."

percy immediately shook his head, bringing her closer to him by the hips. "i trust you with my life, αγάπη μου."

karina chuckled softly. "i have no idea what that means, kelp face."

his smile turned into a wide grin. "i have no idea what you said either, rina."

"good." she replied, and brought his head down to her's, connecting their lips in a deep kiss, wide smiled present on both of their faces as their lips moved against each other's with passion, and emotion.

the two demigods were both in the place that they always wanted to be. together, wrapped in each other's arms, in a place where no harm can come to them. they were safe, and they were with each other.

after a while of the couple spending time together, and exploring the ship, and 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. maybe their presence should've reassured karina, but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the prophecy of eight was unfolding at last. no more easy days at camp jupiter, or meaningless war games. they were under way, with a bunch of angry romans behind the 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. in an awkward moment, the two boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. sparks literally flew from jason's hands. after a brief silent standoff, karina finally rolled her eyes and said: "if you two don't pick another chair, i'm going to wrap vines around your feet and glue you two to the floor."

that worked. and they ceded the chair to annabeth and sat at opposite sides of the table, percy beside karina, and jason directly across from her.

the crew compared notes on what had happened in salt lake city, but even leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group. though, karina did crack a smile a few times.

"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 for some reason was completely blue— filling, crust, even whipped cream. "we need to put some distance between us and camp jupiter," he said. "frank spotted some eagles over salt lake city. we figure the romans aren't far behind us."

karina took her finger and scooped a small amount of whipped cream off percy's pie, and licked it off her finger, letting out a small hum of delight at the sweet taste. as karina turned back to the conversation, she failed to notice the flustered look at percy had gotten on his face as he watched her eat the whipped cream off her finger, and how his spit got caught in his throat, making him clear it a few times to play off the feeling he got from his girlfriend's actions.

"i don't suppose we should go back and try to remain with the romans?" piper asked. "maybe— maybe i didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

jason took her hand. "it wasn't your fault, pipes. or leo's." he asked quickly. "whatever happened, it was gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

piper still looked uneasy. "maybe if we could explain that, though— "

"with no proof?" karina asked. "and no idea what really happened? i appreciate what you're saying, piper. but i know how the romans are, i am one. going back is suicide. i don't want the romans on our bad side, but until we understand what gaea's up to, we can't go back."

"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 karina 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."

karina stared at her own dinner. the magical plates could conjure up a great selection of vegetation stuff. she especially enjoyed the avocado and pepper quesadilla, but only managed to eat about half of it before ultimately losing her appetite for the night.

"you're right," piper decided. "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."

karina felt her stomach drop, and percy moved his hand to her thigh, squeezing it softly. he knew even before hazel finished the sentence that karina was going to get nervous from hearing about nico.

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. "i've been seeing some things in my knife."

frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti half-way 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 a living room, with a cozy fire on a hearth, and a stuffed leopard head, snoring contentedly above the mantle.

"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 you 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."

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 god's two natures into harmony," hazel recalled. "an old wrong finally avenged."

percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "i was only praetor for about two hours. jason, karina, you ever heard a legend like that?"

jason and karina made nervous eye contact, and karina shook her head. "no, i— i haven't."

"i . . . uh, i'm not sure," he said. "i'll give it some thought."

percy narrowed his eyes. "you're not sure?"

jason didn't respond, and percy just moved his hand slightly up karina's leg, rubbing his thumb across the inside of it subconsciously, making her heart skip a beat.

hazel broke the silence. "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."

"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."

"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.

"well," annabeth ventured. "how do you guys feel about kansas?"

everyone agreed, and all of them made their way to their separate cabins. percy was reluctant to leave karina's side, but she knew that if coach hedge saw the two of them in the same bed together, she'd be thrown off the ship immediately.

so, she just gave him a long kiss— or two— goodnight, and went into her room.

her room was absolutely amazing.

it was cozy, and had regular metal walls, but in her room was filled with all kinds of plants and succulents. there were some hanging from the wall, sitting beside her bed, on her desk, and there were even vines cascading around the roof of her cabin. her bed had a regular sage green comforter, with a fluffy brown throw blanket on the corner. on her bed-side table sat a collection of her own crystals and incense, that she had been keeping with her for years. she had no idea how leo managed to get these, but she knew she'd have to thank him at some point.

across the room was what was producing the soft orange glow in her room. there was a salt lamp on a small desk, along with a book of her writings and drawings, and her book of spells and potions she had been learning about.

karina felt more at home than she had felt in a very long time, and it didn't take her long before she was fast asleep in her bed, with more dreams and nightmares than she could never escape.

not getting much sleep was never an issue for karina, mostly because she'd just gotten used to it over the years, and she knew she'd function normally either way, so she just didn't give it much thought. people could never tell if karina had gotten two hours of sleep or ten, just because her actions and mannerisms never change. there's only one thing that gives it away, and it's the dark creases underneath her eyes. they were prominent, but karina just chose to ignore them, because if she acted as if they weren't there, everyone else would too.

karina was up with the sun this morning, dressed in a pair of cream colored carpenter pants, and a brown short-sleeved shirt, that was tucked into the pants. she had two strands of hair tied in the back of her head, with a few strands of hair gracing the sides of her face. she wore her usual brown converse, and had on the same rings that she wore everyday, and walked out of the cabin, going above deck to watch the sunrise.

she made herself a cup of hot green tea, and sat on the top deck, watching as the sun rose above the horizon in a multi-color mantra of reds, oranges, and yellows. something about watching the sunrise while in the sky just made it ten times more scenic and beautiful, and she felt at peace.

she stayed like that for awhile, before slowly, everyone began waking up and coming up to the deck, and when leo announced they had landed, everyone got ready and waited for the plan.

the morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. it was a bittersweet smell. it reminded karina of her old home, and how her farm used to smell every morning.

percy smiled at her as he walked up to her side, wrapping his arm around her. he was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange camp half-blood t-shirt, as if he'd never been away from the greek side. karina didn't know if she should feel happy for him, or feel upset. but, the new clothes had probably helped his mood— and considering the fact that he was now standing with karina at the rail with his arm around her.

karina looked up and gave him a soft kiss, smiling at him. "sleep good?"

percy nodded. "watch the sunrise this morning?"

karina nodded this time, and percy smiled at her. "you should've woken me up, i would've watched it with you."

she shook her head. "i wanted to let you sleep. you needed it."

percy just sighed and gave her a kiss on her forehead, just as annabeth began to speak.

"so!" annabeth plucked the bagel out of piper's hand and took a bite, but it didn't seem to bother piper. "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. we do you except to find at the mike 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— "

"bacchus isn't so bad," jason said. "i don't like his followers much . . . "

"hey, dakota is pretty cool." karina offered, and jason scoffed out a laugh.

"yeah, especially when he's throwing up red kool-aid every night." he replied sarcastically, and karina laughed, giving him a fist bump.

"anyways," jason continued. "the gods himself is okay. i did him a favor once up in the wine country."

"was i there?" karina asked.

"yes, rina," jason said flatly. "how do you not remember your own quests?"

"how do you not remember your own camp for a year?" karina replied with sass in her tone.

jason gaped at her. "that wasn't even my fault— "

"whatever, man," percy interrupted the two. "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 crossbow. and, uh, annabeth— i could really use your help. you're the only other person who even sort of understands engineering."

annabeth nodded in agreement, and frank slipped 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 and 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 isnt easy."

"oh." leo nodded. "i wouldn't know. i don't lift weights."

"i can bench one-hundred-and-fifty pounds." karina added with a smile, and percy looked at her impressively.

"that's kinda hot," he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing against it, and she felt her face grow hot.

frank stepped forward toward leo. "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."

karina found the situation between the three quite amusing. the boys showing off for hazel and razzing each other— that she understood. but they were making it it look as if hazel and leo have a history together. she 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. and karina will be there to help you guys, but still, there could be karpoi on the loose."

"karpoi?" piper asked.

"grain spirits," karina said. "you don't want to meet them."

"that leaves the four of us to check on the mime marker," percy said. "me, karina, jason, piper. 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. karina, too. piper, it's your vision. you should take the lead."

piper shivered. "of course," she said, trying to sound upbeat. "let's find the highway."

her upbeat tone only lasted so long, because leo's idea of "close" needed some work.

karina had no problems. she could easily walk through the fields, manipulating the plants out of her way, but the others struggled. 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 bugga'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 looked better today, thanks to the magical healing of ambrosia and nectar. his color was almost back to normal, and the scar on his forehead had almost vanished. a new gladius hung at his belt. she figured he must've lost his coin. most guys would look pretty awkward walking around with a scabbard strapped to their jeans, but on jason it seemed perfectly natural.

"no cars . . . " he said. "but i guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."

"no," piper agreed gazing nervously down the highway. "we've already spent too much time going overland. the earth is gaea's territory."

"but it's also mine," karina added. "i can teleport us to where we need to go."

percy nodded. "you're right. but you wouldn't know where to stop. you can't see the mile marker from here."

karina rolled her eyes. "i don't have to, idiot. i just have to imagine where i'm going and i'll be there."

jason shook his head. "it's safer to travel overland. you never know, gaea could intercept us mid-travel, and send us somewhere completely different."

karina sighed. "fine, whatever, call your steeds or whoever the hell you're riding."

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."

piper and karina both exchanged deadpanned looks at the two's behavior and rolled their eyes.

jason whistled, and percy simply closed his eyes and concentrated.

karina had began to study the differences between percy and jason. she had never really looked at the smaller details to her boyfriend. percy was more slender that jason, about an inch shorter, with slightly longer, and much darker hair.

karina had never really had a type. but, if percy was considered a type, he was her's. if she'd seen him in a mall somewhere, she probably would've thought he was a skater— really cute, a little on the wild side, definitely a troublemaker, which is true. he was exactly what karina looked for in a person.

thunder crackled in the clear sky.

jason smiled. "soon."

"too late." percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward them.

"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 turned his head inquisitively toward karina, piper, and jason.

"blackjack," percy said. "this is karina, my girlfriend. and this is piper and jason. they're friends."

the pegasus nuzzled its nose into karina's neck, and she giggled softly, petting its black mane as it nickered.

"uh, maybe later," percy answered.

"what does blackjack want?" piper asked.

"donuts," percy said. "always donuts. he can carry all four of us if— "

suddenly the air turned cold. karina'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."

karina stared the horse quizzically. "since when have you had that?" she asked.

"since the wolf house," jason answered, as if that would help at all, and karina pushed her tongue to the side of her mouth, nodding slowly.

the storm spirit reared and whinnied. blackjack blacked 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 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. karina accepted percy's hand and climbed on. he sat her in front of him so he could hold her tighter, placing a kiss occasionally on her shoulder or neck as they soared in the air.

tempest 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.

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 of the wine dude."

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

the wheat parted, and bacchus stepped into view. he wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts, and birkenstock's with white socks. he looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't 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."

percy urged blackjack forward, though the pegasus didn't seem happy about it.

"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," jason said. "karina's mother. the goddess of agriculture. you'd call her demeter." he nodded respectfully to the god. "lord bacchus, do you remember me? and karina? we helped you with that missing leopard in sonoma."

bacchus scratched his stubbly chin. "ah . . . yes. john green, and kaitlyn anderson."

"jason grace."

"karina ashwood."

"whatever," the god said, and he turned to karina. "well good heavens, if you hadn't reminded me of who you were, i would've thought you were ceres grtself! quite a remarkable resemblance between you two, there is. i guess the saying, 'like mother, like daughter' really resonates to you."

"um . . . thanks?" karina said, not knowing how to respond.

"no need," the god waved her off. "did ceres send you two, 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 front in the plant war."

karina nodded. "understandable."

"the plant war," percy said. "you're going to arm all the little grape with tiny assault rifles?"

karina pinched percy's arm, and the god narrowed his eyes. "have we met?"

"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. karina 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 about 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.

"please, shut up." karina hissed at him.

the god's nostrils flared. one of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. "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," percy assured him. "i think you were just too lazy to do it."

karina knew that if percy didn't shut up soon, they would all be leaving this highway with a tail and flippers. but, she couldn't negotiate with a god, it just wasn't in her skill set.

but it was in piper's.

"lord bacchus!" she interrupted, slipping off tempest's back.

"piper, careful," jason said.

she shot him a wanting 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."

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," piper interrupted. "although that's incredibly useful advice, lord bacchus. we were hoping you'd help us on our quest."

she explained about the argo II and their voyage to stop the giants fork awakening gaea. she told him what nemesis had said: that in six days, rome would be destroyed. she described the vision reflected in her knife, where bacchus offered her a silver goblet.

"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 said.

"i don't know what you're talking about," bacchus snapped. "as to this vision of the goblet, young lady, i have nothing for you to drink unless you want a pepsi. jupiter has 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 them in the first giant war, you know."

"you can fight?" percy asked.

karina was about to shove a sunflower down her boyfriend's throat if he didn't shut up.

bacchus snarled. his diet pepsi transformed into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.

"a thyrsus!" piper said, trying to distract the god before he whacked percy over the head. "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, and karina snorted. probably he wasn't thrilled to be reminded that the wine dude was technically his big brother.

bacchus swung his staff through the air, though his potbelly almost threw him off balance. "of course that was long before i invented wine and became an immortal. i fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod . . . harry cleese, i think."

"heracules?" piper suggested politely.

"whatever," bacchus said. "anyway, i killed the giant ephialtes and his brother otis. horrible boors, those two. pinecone in the face for both of them!"

karina held her breath. suddenly everything was becoming more clear. the lines of the prophecy they'd been discussing the night before. it was all adding up.

"lord bacchus," karina said, trying to control her nervousness. "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."

karina turned to piper, who turned to jason. she could tell they were following her thoughts: 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," she 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, and karina knew piper had chosen her words poorly.

"my girl," he 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.

karina couldn't blame him. she didn't like the sound of tribute. she 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.

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 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 . . . " percy said. "in atlanta?"

"yes," bacchus said. "are you hard of hearing? if anyone can give you insight on gaea and the twins,
it's phorcys. just 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 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. despite the dry, hot day, karina shivered. a cold feeling . . . it was back.

"percy," karina said urgently. "i can't— "

all of a sudden she froze, and fell off the side of blackjack, making percy stumbled on his horse in shock. "oh my gods!"

"karina!" jason said in shock, and began to dismount from tempest, but piper stopped him.

"no!" she demanded, shaking her head. "don't go near her. either of you."

when the two boys turned to karina, they were shocked to see her now standing upright, her mouth parted slightly, and her eyes glowing gold. running through her fingers was a green mist of sorts, they looked like vines that were weaving up her arms.

too late, said a sleepy voice through karina's mouth, humming through the fields all around them and resonating in the ground at piper's feet.

percy and jason drew their swords, but they were hesitant. this was karina's body, but it wasn't her voice. piper stood on the road between them, frozen with fear. the power of gaea was suddenly everywhere, and most importantly within karina. the sunflowers turned to look at them. the wheat bent toward them like a million scythes.

welcome to my party, gaea murmured, and karina's lips pulled into a evil smile. her voice reminded them of corn growing— a crackling, hissing, hot and persistent noise.

"get out of my girlfriend, dirt face," percy growled, his grip tightening on his sword.

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. i already have this one wrapped around my finger, so, piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with your friend, karina.

"gaea!" jason yelled. "get the hell out of karina! show yourself!"

such bravado, gaea hissed. but the other one, percy jackson, also has appeal. choose, piper mclean, or i will.

"you're insane!" piper shouted. "i'm not choosing anything for you!"

suddenly jason gasped. he sat up straight in his saddle.

"jason!" piper cried. "what's wrong— "

he looked down at her, his expression deadly calm. his eyes were no longer blue. they glowed solid gold. just like karina's.

"percy, help!" piper stumbled back from tempest.

but percy galloped away from them. he stopped thirty feet down the road and wheeled his pegasus around. he raised his sword and pointed the tip toward jason.

"one will die," percy said, but the voice wasn't his. it was deep and hollow, like someone whispering from inside the barrel of a cannon.

"i will choose," jason answered, in the same hollow voice.

"no!" piper yelled, looking to karina for help, only to see her unconscious on the asphalt, her head bleeding from hitting it on impact.

all around her, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in gaea's voice as percy and jason charged at each other, their weapons ready.

7129 words

very much a long chapter ☝️ but yeah we got jealous percy lol && y'all can probably guess who's been in karina's mind if you haven't already 😊😊