KINGDOM COME
━━ chapter four

━━ EVERYTHING HURT. HORRIBLY. All Leo wanted to do was cry. He wanted to sit down, put his head between his knees, and just cry. His body didn't feel like his own ( there was still this feeling of coldness washing over him like he had dunked himself in a lake of ice water ), and he could hardly bring himself to breathe—he had to stop, his hand resting on the bottom of his ribs, and take the deepest breath he could muster before he choked up again. It didn't help that five pairs of eyes watched him like he might start firing away again.

               He could make anything he wanted—nearly, at least. But the one thing he wished he could invent now was a time machine. Leo wanted nothing more than a way to go back in time to stop this from happening—to stop himself from firing on Camp Jupiter. He wished he had a way to even stop himself from stepping foot on the Argo II this morning. A way to plead with Jason, Elisa, and Annabeth that they needed—or at least that he needed—to stay back at Camp Half-Blood. He wished he had a way to warn them that he would've messed it all up—as Leo Valdez always did. He would've done anything—anything to not have to wither away as both Elisa and Annabeth stared him down with their freaky eyes.

               Elisa hadn't said a word since detangling her limbs from Piper and an unconscious Jason. She didn't even say a word to Frank; however, she did eye him as if he had done something to personally offend her. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she paced the length of the deck, careful to avoid debris that lay around, smoking slightly.

               Annabeth was standing in front of Leo, her expression practically boiling. Her grey eyes always stood out from her dark skin, but now, it was like thunderstorms were swirling in her eyes. She was trying to be calm and understanding, but Leo could hear the anger she was trying to reel in—her words were clipping and cold, and every breath was sharp as she inhaled and exhaled through her nose. If her body language didn't give it away enough, Leo could hear the anger, disappointment, and distrust she felt. He was used to hearing it; however, his skin still crawled, and his eyes burned. He was used to it, but it doesn't make him any less angry with himself.

               "One more time," she said carefully, pursing her lips. "Exactly what happened?"

               Leo slumped against the mast. His head throbbed like someone had knocked him upside the head with an extra-heavy hammer. He laid his head back as his arms lay in his lap. His heart pounded in his chest painfully, and his eyes stung as he rapidly blinked tears away. His ears burned hotly, and he pulled at one to make sure it wasn't on fire nor that it was smoking. His head was hot with shame and frustration—it felt as if his head was filled with hot air.

               All around him, his beautiful new ship—the ship he had spent months working on—was in shambles. The ship he found a purpose in, had felt like he belonged because of, was barely keeping aloft—the aft crossbows were piles of kindling, the foresail was tattered, the satellite array that powered the onboard Internet and TV was blown to bits ( which had really made Coach Hedge mad ). Their bronze dragon figurehead, Festus, was coughing up smoke like he had a hairball. Leo could tell from the groaning sounds on the port side that some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely, which explained why the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew. His heart ached as he listened to the engine he had nearly blown up for wheeze like an asthmatic steam train.

               ( This cold, seething voice hissed at him, And it's all your fault. He didn't know if that was his mind, or if it was his imagination. Elisa would probably have an answer for him, but Leo didn't exactly want to tell her that he was hearing voices that didn't sound like his in his mind. )

               He choked back a sob. He laid his head back against the hull, squeezing his eyes shut, hating how Annabeth was seeing him like this—no, hating how everyone who stood around was seeing him like this; weak, guilty, crying. "I don't know," he admitted miserably. "You have ... you've got to believe him. I don't know." He cracked open his eyes, looking between Annabeth and Elisa; the two exchanged a shared look they often did. He hated when they would do that. It was just another reminder that he was no one's first. "It's fuzzy."

               There were too many people looking at him. Annabeth with her steely grey eyes ( Leo hated to make her angry; she terrified him ), Coach Hedge with his furry goat legs, his orange polo shirt, and his baseball bat ( did he have to carry that everywhere? ); the satyr looked more upset about the loss of Internet and TV rather than the chaos they left behind at Camp Jupiter. Elisa stood slightly behind Annabeth, her arms crossed over her chest. Half of her hair had fallen out of her ponytail, hanging on the nape of her neck, curling around her ears and face. There were small cuts and scrapes on her cheeks and arms from the pebbles and plates that had been pelted at her; there were areas of her shirt that were clawed and ripped as Romans had tried to grab her. But considering a mob of angry Roman demigods had nearly trampled her, she looked okay. Leo's heart lurched. He was the reason Elisa—one of his best friends—had almost been trampled by angry Romans.

               Worst of all, the newcomers—Frank and Abilene. They stood side by side, exchanging glances as Annabeth grilled Leo for answers. Leo wasn't sure what to make of Frank. At first glance, Frank had a kind face, sweet eyes, and a shy stance as he shifted from foot to foot; he kept glancing at Leo too, but unable to meet his eyes whenever Leo glanced back at him. He'll admit that his memory was hazy, but he vividly recalled this terrifying dragon landed on his ship—and then the dragon morphed into Frank.

               The girl, Abilene, wasn't so shifty—her feet practically stayed rooted to the ground as she watched Leo with her weirdly vibrant royal blue eyes. He squirmed, feeling as if she was looking right through him. Her wavy light brown hair fell down her back as she kept tucking it behind her ears. She had a kind face, with freckles dotted across her cheeks and nose. She looked like the kind to wear her heart on her sleeve—except she had a gold, slightly curved sword hanging on her hip; the sword looked to be made out of the same metal Jason's gladius was made of.

               Annabeth's frown deepened. She crossed her arms, shifting from her left foot to her right. "You mean you ... don't remember?"

               "I ..." Leo felt like he was trying to swallow a marble. He didn't know what happened. Really, he didn't. He felt like he was just watching as everything went down. He was unable to stop himself from firing the ballistics and destroying everything they had worked for. Everything he worked for. "I remember," he admitted, his voice wobbly. "But ... but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."

               Coach Hedge tapped his bat against the deck. At least there was one thing that hadn't changed—the satyr wore the same gym clothes and cap pulled over his horns the way he had back at Wilderness School. The way the old satyr was glowering, Leo worried he was about to be ordered to do fifty push-ups.

               "Look, kid," the satyr begin, tilting his head in an irritating You silly boy manner, "you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome! Excellent, even! But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match."

               "Coach." Elisa turned to the satyr, her tone somehow more clipping than Annabeth's. "Go see if all the fire are put out."

               "But I already did that."

               "And I'm telling you—check again."

               It was clear that Hedge wasn't happy to be taking orders from anyone, let alone Elisa. The two have notoriously butted heads since ... forever, from what Leo can remember. It wasn't that they didn't trust each other; they were just too similar in certain ways, making them constantly bicker back and forth. The satyr shot her a begrudging look, but she only raised her eyebrows in an expectant Go-on manner. He grumbled under his breath—something incoherent Leo couldn't decipher. But Hedge didn't argue with Elisa, trudging off with a clip-clop of his hooves and his bat resting on his shoulders.

               Annabeth watched the satyr trot away until she couldn't see him any longer. Then, she took a calming breath and carefully knelt next to Leo, her hands on her knees. The daughter of Athena scared him, he'll admit—she was intimidating, analytical, and seemingly knew everything about you without you saying a word to her. Part of him wondered if she could read minds. She was pointed, steely, and carved—like some carefully crafted piece of machinery ( of course, Leo would never say that; he had a strong feeling Annabeth wouldn't like being compared to machines, even though that was an A-okay comparison to him ). Part of him knew what made Annabeth so intimidating beyond her muscles and Celestial bronze knife was her eyes—steely grey that stood out against her dark skin. Her braided blonde hair only added to the layer, too.

               "Leo," she said, this time in a much softer tone, "did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or—?"

               Leo glanced at Elisa. She hadn't said anything except to tell Coach Hedge to get lost, and he knew she was trying not to speak. He could see the anger boiling in her eyes like two vats of boiling purple wine. Her pointed finger tapped against her crossed arms, and her jaw jutted out almost painfully. Leo had never met Dionysus, but he got the message that the god and Elisa were a lot alike—if that was the case, he really hated to see Dionysus upset. He had a feeling they would all be talking with madness if he was. Leo had that feeling after meeting some Maenads back in March, especially. Elisa didn't nod at him, she didn't raise her eyebrows expectantly, she only looked at him with this steely, frozen-in-anger look.

               For a moment, he thought about lying. He thought about blaming that stupid Roman boy—but he couldn't. Leo had let Elisa down on what had to be one of the most nerve-wracking days of her life since they fought giants back in December. He had seen just how nervous she was to find Percy in Camp Jupiter, and Leo blew it up—literally. "No." His voice was croaky, and he shook his head. "The guy—Octavian, right? He was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp ... I did."

               Frank's hesitant, almost gentle expression curled into a deep scowl. That expression helped Leo see any resemblance between the hazy memories of the large dragon and this Frank boy—angry, daring, and deadly. "On purpose?"

               "No!" Leo choked out quickly. Then, he squeezed his eyes shut. "Well, yes ... I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me—"

               Elisa straightened, her arms dropping by her side. "Cold feeling?" It was the first thing she had said to them since they got off the Argo II to speak with some Romans, and that was all she had to say to him. But there was something in her voice—recognition, maybe? She sounded like she might recognize what Leo was talking about. And it looked like it scared her.

               Leo frowned at her, this heavy dread settling in his stomach. Whatever could freak out a daughter of Dionysus—who was well-versed in madness—didn't make him feel any better. "Yes. Why?"

               Elisa pulled out her dagger, Scion, and started twirling it between her fingers. She never used it in battle, and when Leo asked why she kept it around, she only told him, From someone close to me. I keep it with me to keep them with me. From her tone, he could tell that was the only answer he was going to get—even if the answer left him with more questions instead of answers. She wiped the flat of the blade against her shorts, her mind looking like it was racing against itself.

               From belowdecks, Percy called up, "Elisa, Annabeth—we need you."

               Leo's stomach lurched, and he clamped his arm over it. Oh, gods, he thought, his breath getting caught in his throat painfully. Please let Jason be okay.

               As soon as they'd gotten on board, Piper had taken Jason below. Even from just a glimpse, Leo could tell that the cut on Jason's forehead looked pretty bad. That his first memories of Jason were only a figment of his imagination and Hera fooling him with the Mist, that didn't change the fact that he and Leo were friends. Besides, after spending six months with the guy at Camp Half-Blood, Leo practically considered those fake memories real, despite knowing how little sense that made. When they first "met," they met each other in their shared dorm at Wilderness, and Leo was terrified that the joke that was meant to be pragmatic only made him look like a total fool—but Jason laughed at him, and Leo felt his muscles relax in the very moment. Of course, that memory wasn't real, but Leo didn't let it bother him—now, he was getting to know the real Jason Grace. And Jason was plenty different, but alike in so many ways to Leo's Mist memories. He still laughed at Leo's jokes, he often sat in silence as Piper or Leo rambled on about something, he would find ways to make Delaney ( the ever so "pragmatic;" swap pragmatic for blunt, truthfully ) flustered, and he even brought a calming influence to Elisa. He managed to balance them out—them all; Leo, Piper, Elisa, and Delaney. Leo didn't even want to run away from Jason; instead, he would've followed the son of Jupiter wherever. And if Jason didn't make it ...

               Well, disappointing Elisa and blowing up Camp Jupiter would be child's play.

               Elisa noticed Leo's worry; maybe he turned extra green in the face. "He'll be fine, Leo." Her frown lifted as she turned to the two Romans watching. "Frank and Abilene, right?" She pointed to the two, looking between them. "Annabeth and I will be back. Keep an eye on Leo for me." Then, she hastily added, "Please."

               Maybe she didn't mean it like that—or maybe she did. Either way, Leo felt like someone had crudely carved his heart out with rusty carving tools. Elisa barely even knew their names, yet trusted Abilene and Frank enough to watch Leo ( whom she clearly didn't trust anymore ).

               Once Elisa and Annabeth were gone, Leo could feel Frank's beating stare. Abilene tried to not make it obvious she was staring, carefully looking out to the passing scenery of rolling hills and pretending to observe everything around them; however, Leo could feel her quick glances as he hung his head down slightly. He just wanted the two to go away—maybe find somewhere secluded and kiss since they clearly liked each other.

               They didn't. Instead, Abilene rested her hands on her hips and sighed. Her head ducked as she looked to be preparing herself to ask the most important question of her life. "So ... you're name isn't Sammy? The others called you ... Leo?"

               He scowled at her. "What kind of stupid question is that?" he snapped.

               "Hey!" Frank frowned, holding his hand out in front of Abilene. He had changed out of his bedsheet toga, wearing a grey pullover hoodie and some jeans. At some point while Leo was unconscious, he found a bow and quiver from the ship's armory; he had quickly claimed the weapon, slinging both over his shoulder. He kept one hand clutched around the strap of the quiver, as if the arrows brought him some sort of comfort.

               "Frank, it's fine," Abilene insisted, shoving his hand out of her way. "It was a stupid question anyway." She had shed her bedsheet toga, too; now she wore a purple T-shirt that read SPQR and some blue jean shorts. On her inner forearm was a tattoo—in bold, black ink was SPQR and three lines underneath it, along with a sickle with a straight line in the curved blade; that was an emblem. Jason had something similar, only Leo hadn't known what Jason's tattoo meant back in December—it was Camp Jupiter's way of saying, Here, you belong to us. However, Leo much preferred Camp Half-Blood's way of celebrating surviving another year—giving specially designed clay beads to represent the summer survived ( granted, Leo had no beads since he arrived during the winter ).

               "So, Leo," Abilene made a clear emphasis on his name, telling him, Okay, you're not Sammy; you're Leo. "But I ... I have to ask—Are you sure Octavian isn't behind this? He's always been very clear he doesn't want Greeks and Romans working together."

               "Yeah." Frank nodded, thumbing the edge of the quiver's strap. "Octavian could be behind it, like, magically or something. Maybe he controlled your mind—"

               With her chin tilting downwards, Abilene gave him a hard look. "Frank, don't joke around. This is serious."

               "I am serious!" he insisted. "You know how Octavian is! I wouldn't put anything past him."

               Leo really wanted to believe these two ( despite feeling like he was third-wheeling with them already ). And he was grateful for them—that they didn't immediately hate him and toss him overboard the Argo II for everything he had done. But he knew it hadn't been Octavian. Leo had walked to a ballista and started firing. Part of him had known it was wrong. He remembered asking himself: What the hell are you doing, Valdez? But he'd done it anyway.

               Part of him thought he was going crazy. Perhaps all the months and months of work he had spent stressing and building the Argo II had done him in—but Leo quickly remembered he had made best friends with a girl who could control madness. If she hadn't noticed a few screws loose in Leo's head, maybe he wasn't crazy yet.

               ( But he also wondered how well Elisa's Madness Detection skills were—what if they were both crazy, and neither noticed because they both thought it was normal? ) He didn't need to think like that. He needed to do something—something productive, something that would keep his hands moving. That was how he stayed somewhat sane ( at least, he thinks he was sane ); by always moving, not focusing on the past.

               "Look," he started, glancing at his two newly appointed watchdogs, Abilene and Frank, "I should talk to Festus and get a damage report. You mind ...?"

               Frank helped him up. "Who is Festus?"

               "My friend," Leo answered. "His name isn't Sammy either, in case you're wondering." He gave a pointed look to the brunette on deck.

               "Well—" Abilene became flustered. Her shoulders squared as she frowned at him. "Well—I figured since you called him Festus and all."

               Leo cracked a small grin. It was easy getting under her skin—he'd have to start doing that more often. "Come on. I'll introduce you two, then."

ˋˏ [ 👑 ] ˎˊ

"So, his name's Festus," started Abilene, following after Leo as he led the way toward the bronze figurehead. "He's named happy in Latin? Odd name."

               "You sure ask a lot of questions," replied Leo breezily, trying to keep his tone light. "You sure you're not, like, the daughter of some Roman God of Questions?"

               Neither Abilene nor Frank found him funny. Poking out from her hair, he saw the tips of Abilene's ears start to turn this nasty blood-red. He winced to himself. Bad joke, he scolded himself. The joke wouldn't be so bad if he had made it to Elisa or Piper, neither of whom were the demigod children of Gaea, the big baddie herself. Sure, Elisa didn't like Dionysus ( from what Leo understood ), but Dionysus wasn't Gaea. That was a step-up at least.

               "Er ... forget it," he added, grimacing. "Bad joke. I ... I forgot."

               Despite the bad jokes, Leo was relieved to see the bronze dragon wasn't too damaged. Well ... if you wanted to forget that Festus used to be a full-sized, full-bodied metal dragon until he crashed last winter—but Leo didn't count that. That was ages ago, and Festus had been put to good use since! When they reached the bow of the ship, the figurehead turned a hundred and eighty degrees to look at them.

               Shocked to see Festus was a dragon head, he yelped and stumbled away. "It's—it's alive!" he exclaimed, looking ready to faint.

               Abilene stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the dragon. "You're friend is a metal dragon head?"

               Leo jabbed a finger at Frank. "And he can turn into a full-blown dragon." He almost cracked a grin at their reactions—except he still felt too cruddy to find it funny. "What's your point?"

               The brunette glanced in Frank's direction, her sheepish expression reading, Well ... he has a point. She swallowed harshly, glancing back at Festus. "Um ... I guess you have a point. But why is he just ... a head?"

               Leo didn't answer immediately, remembering how it happened—he, Elisa, Delaney, Piper, and Jason had been flying cross-country to save Hera. Unfortunately, they flew over Omaha, Nebraska, they unlikely flew over Midas's ( yes, the guy who can turn things—and people, Leo learned quickly—to gold; long story, and it also ties back to Gaea ) stupid security system shot them out of the sky and a bunch of lasers shredded Festus to non-reusable bits. The one thing that survived in a large enough piece of Festus's head—but that had quickly died in Leo's arms. It was a miracle he found another way to reuse the dragon. Beyond the Argo II, Festus was the greatest thing Leo had ever brought to life.

               "Festus, this is Frank and Abilene" —he motioned to the two; Abilene gave the dragon an awkward wave, but Frank slapped her hand down quickly— "Frank, Abilene—this is Festus ... He used to be a full bronze dragon, but we had an accident."

               Frank took some small steps forward, watching Leo from the corner of his eye. It was clear he was hesitant to get close to the bronze figurehead. "You ... have a lot of accidents," he noted.

               Leo frowned, his expression turning from near amusement to clear miffed feelings. He was far more annoyed at Frank's comment than he was willing to let on; he was also far more willing to keep how he was also feeling close to his chest—guilt and hurt. "Well, some of us can't turn into dragons, so we have to build our own." He raised his eyebrows at Frank in an Anything else to say? manner. "Anyway, I revived him as a figurehead for the Argo II. He's kind of the ship's main interface now. How are things looking, Festus?"

               Festus snorted smoke and made a series of squeaking, whirring sounds. Over the last few months, Leo had learned to interpret this machine language. Other demigods could understand Latin and Greek. Leo could speak Creak and Squeak. The others—Jason, Delaney, Piper, and Elisa—did their best to learn, but Leo was the best. But that all made sense. Machines were his thing; everyone else had their things.

               Leo listened closely, tilting his head to the right for better listening. He groaned a bit, but he soon shrugged. "Eh. I guess it ... could be worse, but the hull is compromised in several places. The port aerial oars have to be fixed before we can go full speed again. "We'll need some repair materials: Celestial bronze, tar, lime—"

               "Limes?" Abilene frowned, looking from the creaking Festus and to Leo. "What could you need limes for?"

               Leo muttered some choice words in Spanish. "Lime," he corrected Abilene. "Dude, lime."

               "Don't call her dude." Frank scowled at Leo.

               "Frank, stop it."

               "Anyway," Leo eyed Frank as Abilene rolled her eyes, "calcium carbonate, used in cement and a bunch of other—Ah, never mind. The point is, this ship isn't going far unless we can fix it."

               Festus made another click-creak noise. He stopped, looking back to the dragon to listen better. He didn't recognize that sound; it sounded like AY-zuhl. He stared at Festus for a moment, going over the sound. But, he realized.

               "Oh ... Hazel," he deciphered. "That's the girl with the curly hair, right?"

               Both Abilene and Frank were paying full attention now. "Hazel?" asked Abilene. "Is Festus saying she's okay, or ..." she swallowed nervously, "not okay?"

               "Yeah, she's fine," Leo replied absent-mindedly, translating for the two as he listened to the rest of Festus's creaks. "According to Festus, her horse is racing along below. She's following us."

               "We've got to land, then," Frank said.

               Leo studied the two. "You guys close with her?"

               Abilene shrugged like the answer should be obvious. "Yeah, 'course. We went on a quest with her. Aren't you close with the people you went on a quest with?"

               Leo raised his eyebrows, raising his hands in defeat. "Okay. You have a point. Yeah, I am close with them." He looked back to Festus, his mind flickering through moments of the quest he and his friends on last December. They—all four of them—were his best friends. "Okay, well, we have a problem—we can only manage one landing. The way the hull and the oars are, we won't be able to lift off again until we repair, so we'll have to make sure we land somewhere with all the right supplies."

               Frank scratched his head, his expression turning sheepish. "Uh ... where do you get Celestial bronze? You can't just stock up at Home Depot."

               "Festus, do a scan."

               "He can scan for magic bronze?" Frank marveled, looking over the figurehead with more admiration than shock. "Is there anything he can't do?"

               The reply "You should've seen him when he had a body!" was on the tip of Leo's tongue, but he didn't answer Frank's question. The sadness of what Festus used to be and could be now was back in tenfold. The bronze dragon used to be crazy and uncontrollable, but Leo managed to fix him. All on his own. It was all Leo's hard work, and no one had ever been able to do it before.

               Leo peered over the ship's bow. The Central California valley was passing below them. He didn't hold out much hope that they could find what they needed all in one place, but they had to try. Leo also wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and New Rome. The Argo II could cover vast distances pretty quickly, thanks to its magical engine, but Leo figured the Romans had magic travel methods of their own.

               Behind him, the stairs creaked. Elisa was climbing the stairs, her expression was grim. Her purple eyes were no longer boiling.

               Leo's heart stumbled. "Is Jason—?"

               "He's ... okay," replied Elisa, knowing what Leo was going to ask. "But he's resting right now. Piper and Annabeth are keeping an eye on him."

               Leo was at a loss for words. What could he say? I'm sorry! It's not my fault! I didn't mean for this to happen! It wasn't like Jason was around—or even conscious—to hear Leo. Besides, he knew Elisa wouldn't want to an apology because she wasn't the one for them. Either way, she wouldn't get it as Percy climbed the stairs behind her and Leo's heart got lodged in his throat. He stared at the son of Poseidon, the sudden realization he was meeting Percy Jackson and not just his stories washing over him. It was weird—Percy Jackson to Leo was just stories from Camp Half-Blood and Elisa's long-lost boyfriend. It was like he was one of the heroes from ancient Greek mythology.

               Most people at Camp treated and spoke of him like he was a legend, Annabeth spoke of him with familiar bonds but also with this tone of I've always had to clean his messes, and Elisa rarely ever spoke of him. Leo knew Percy's kidnapping was still a raw wound after six long months, and it wasn't like he couldn't tell that she did care for the son of Poseidon. She had so many photos of the two of them in Cabin Twelve, she would wear his sweatshirts and hoodies when it would get cold at the night campfires, and her expression would turn wistful whenever anyone else would mention him. It was just that Elisa struggled to even say his name, nearly running herself ragged to try and find him.

               Over those months, Leo felt like he started to learn Percy despite never having met the son of Poseidon before in his life. However, now he realizes that's not true at all. Leo had no idea who Percy Jackson was; he was a stranger, only a stranger who was dating one of Leo's best friends. That should come with automatic trust, but it was clear Percy had no trust in Leo. Even weirder, Percy wasn't just telltales of a missing Camp savior anymore—he was in the flesh, breathing, and scowling. No longer was he some sad whisper at the campfire as people looked at Elisa with sadness and pity. He wasn't the rare, vague whisper of his name on Elisa's lips as she frowned and looked off. Percy's absence no longer was a reminder from an empty Cabin Three or table at the dining hall. He was a real demigod.

               And Percy looked pretty pissed, too. He had shed his praetor robes, and now he wore a blue T-shirt and some jeans. He marched past Elisa who stood at the top of the stairs. He held a dark glower that made Leo's spine tingle with nervousness. "Annabeth says you did fire the ballista?"

               "Man, I—I—" Leo stammered, his hands raising in defense. He didn't expect Percy to storm up to him with eyes that looked like green hurricanes. "I—I don't understand how it happened. I'm so sorry—"

               "Sorry?" Percy growled.

               Elisa stepped forward, wrenching Percy back by his arm. "We've already asked Leo everything, Percy."

               "But if he did fire on Camp Jupiter—on New Rome—"

               "Then we'll figure it out later," she snapped back, her tone clipping. She left no room for discussion as she gave the son of Poseidon a sharp look. "Right now, we have to regroup and make a plan—preferably with Annabeth. She's the plan maker here. Leo, what's wrong with the ship?"

               Leo's legs trembled. The way Percy had looked at him made him feel the same as when Jason summoned lightning. His skin tingled, and every instinct in his body screamed, Duck! People spoke of Percy with fondness as a hero and as a friend, but no one ever mentioned he was terrifying.

               He did his best to not look at Percy as he reported to Elisa the damages and supplies needed. He felt better talking about something that could be fixed, especially something that he could fix. He was bemoaning the shortage of Celestial bronze when Festus began to whir and squeak. He stopped mid-sentence and whirled around to the figurehead, and then he sighed with relief. "Perfect." He grinned, rushing toward the dragon's head.

               "What?" Percy demanded.

               "Percy, seriously," replied Elisa, giving him another hard look. She looked back to the son of Hephaestus, her expression expecting. "What's perfect, Leo? It better be perfect."

               Leo managed a smile. "Everything we need in one place. Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or something? Fly down and tell Hazel to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."

ˋˏ [ 👑 ] ˎˊ

Once they got there, it wasn't a pretty landing. Leo could hardly manage a controlled descent with oars so damaged and the foresail torn. He fought with the controls to make sure the Argo II didn't drop straight out of the sky. The others strapped themselves in below—except for Coach Hedge, who insisted on clinging to the forward rail, yelling, "Yeah! Bring it on, lake!"

               Leo stood astern, alone at the helm, and aimed as best he could. Festus creaked and whirred warning signals, which were relayed through the intercom to the quarterdeck. He gritted his teeth and kept pressing the Argo II to not fail him. He didn't have much time to take in the scenery. The best he could see was a city to the southeast—nestled in the foothills of a mountain range, blue and purple in the afternoon shadows, and then a flat desert landscape spread out to the south. What he focused on best was directly beneath him—the Great Salt Lake glittered like aluminum foil, the shoreline etched with white salt marshes that reminded Leo of aerial photos of the planet, Mars. ( He doubted the Roman god, Mars, looked like white salt marshes—but Leo could put anything past the gods. They were, well, gods. )

               "Hang on, Coach!" he shouted, hoping the satyr heard him. "This is going to hurt!"

               "I was born for hurt!"

               Leo gritted his teeth so hard that he felt like they were going to crack. He continued to wrestle with the controls, then—WHOOM! A swell of salt water washed over the bow, dousing Coach Hedge from his horns to his goat hooves. The Argo II listed dangerously to starboard, then righted itself and rocked on the surface of the lake. Leo hung on as best as he could as machinery hummed—the aerial blades that were still working changed to nautical form from aerial form. Soon, three banks of robotic oars dipped into the water and began moving them forward.

               "Good job, Festus," Leo said, patting the metal controls. "Take us toward the south shore."

               "Yeah!" Coach Hedge pumped his fists in the air. Despite being drenched, he was grinning like a crazy goat. "Do it again!"

               Leo stared at the satyr, unsure of how to respond. "Uh ... maybe later," he replied. "Just stay above deck, okay? You can keep watch, in case—you know, the lake decides to attack us ... or something."

               Coach Hedge didn't hear the sarcasm dripping from Leo's words. "On it," he promised, setting himself in front of the rails with his hands behind his back and his bat resting against his goat legs. He stared down at the rippling water with surprising anger.

               Leo rang the All clear bell and headed for the stairs. Before he got there, something trotted loud up onto the deck—the clop-clop-clop of horse hooves. He faltered and glanced back, spotting a tan stallion on deck with Hazel Levesque on his back.

               "How—?" Leo's stared in shock, his question dying in his throat. "We're in the middle of a lake! Can that thing fly?"

               The horse whined at him, clearly angry.

               "Arion can't fly," Hazel said. But she stared at Leo as if she was still unsure of what to think of him. "But he can run across just about anything. Water, vertical surfaces, small mountains—none of that bothers him."

               "Oh."

               Hazel was still watching him the same way she had during the feast in the forum—like she was searching for something in his face. He couldn't tell if she was disappointed by what she saw, or if Hazel was puzzled by him. He was tempted to ask if they had met before, but he was sure they hadn't.

               Their stare down was interrupted by Coach Hedge creeping forward with his baseball bat, eyeing the magic horse suspiciously. "Valdez, does this count as an invasion?"

               "No!" Leo said. "Um, Hazel, you'd better come with me. I built a stable belowdecks, if Arion wants to—"

               "He's more of a free spirit," she replied breezily. She slipped out of the saddle, resting her hand on the sword that hung on her hip. Leo winced as Arion reared onto his hind legs and then disappeared into a blur. "He'll graze around the lake until I call him. But I want to see the ship. Lead the way."

               The Argo II was designed like an ancient trireme—only twice as big. The first deck had one central corridor with crew cabins on either side. On a normal trireme, most of the space would have been taken up with three rows of benches where soldiers would sit and grab oars and labor away—but Leo decided on automatic and retractable oars, thank the gods. And since they were retractable, they took up very little room inside the hull. The ship's power came from the engine room on the second and lowest deck, which also housed sickbay, storage, and the stables.

               Leo led the way down the hall. He'd built the ship with ten cabins—nine for the demigods of the prophecy, and a room for Coach Hedge ( as he was their "satyr chaperone" and "senior protector" per Chiron's orders—though none of that made sense to Leo considering he had to chaperone Hedge so he didn't eat their furniture ). At the stern was a large mess hall and/or lounge ( or whatever they chose to call it that day ), which was where Leo headed.

               On the way, they passed Jason's room. The door was open. Leo saw Piper sitting at the side of his berth, tugging at the end of her hair as she waited anxiously. If Leo hadn't been there during it, Piper and Jason's switch from December to now would give him whiplash. Of course, those "memories" of them as a couple were not real, but they felt so real—so to see Piper and Jason so platonic and with such strong friendship would be shocking if no one knew those memories of them as a "couple" were all fabricated by Hera ( or Juno? It was still a little confusing to Leo in all honesty. ) However, they made sense as friends; other side, Jason and Delaney made sense as a couple ( despite never announcing they were a couple, it was only that everyone knew ). It was a hundred-and-eighty-degree flip—the false memories of Jason and Piper that Leo had, Piper had practically been head-over-heels for him. Now, she treated him like a best friend—no hand-holding, no exchanging personal smiles between the two, no hugs, no anything that made them look like they were something more than best friends. It had been weird in the beginning for Leo to comprehend, especially when Delaney and Jason started dating, but now it made total sense—Piper and Jason were made to be best friends.

               ( Besides, from what Leo saw, Piper stared far longer at Annabeth. But he never said anything anymore considering Piper nearly gutted him with Katoptris when he tried to tease her. )

               Leo gave a sigh of relief when he saw Jason snoring away with an ice pack balancing on his forehead. Piper glanced up when she heard the footsteps; when she saw it was Leo, she raised her eyebrows and smiled, looking happy to see him and Hazel. He took a breath, gearing up to break the silence; however, Piper put her finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. Leo tried to force down his guilt, and they kept walking. When he and Hazel reached the mess hall, they found the others—Elisa, Percy, Annabeth, Abilene, and Frank—sitting around the dining table.

               However, Elisa was saying something; "He turned into a dragon, right?" She pointed at Frank, who flushed brightly. She leaned across the table, a finger pointed at his nose.

               Both Percy and Abilene shared amused glances. Elisa noticed and frowned. "Okay, I get it—my Dad's God of Madness, but I'm not crazy! He turned into a dragon!"

               Annabeth noticed Leo and Hazel in the doorway. She grabbed Elisa by the arm and pulled her back into her seat. "Another time, Elisa."

               "What do you mean another time?! He turned into a dragon and grabbed me by his teeth!"

               Somehow, Frank turned even more red. "It was Percy's idea, Elisa."

               The son of Poseidon spread his hands. "Guilty."

               Leo had made the lounge as nice as possible, since he figured they'd be spending a lot of time there. The cupboard was lined with magic cups and plates from Camp Half-Blood, which would fill up with whatever food or drink you wanted on command. There was also a magical ice chest with canned drinks, perfect for picnics ashore. The chairs were cushy recliners with thousand-finger massage, built-in headphones, and sword and drink holders for all your demigod kicking-back needs. There were no windows, but the walls were enchanted to show real-time footage from Camp Half-Blood—the beach, the forest, the strawberry fields—although now Leo was wondering if this made people homesick rather than happy.

               Percy was staring longingly at a sunset view of Half-Blood Hill, where the Golden Fleece glittered in the branches of the tall pine tree. He sat next to Elisa, holding her hand tightly and knocking his knee against hers.

               Elisa watched Percy for a second, her expression almost flickering with pity. But she turned her head to face Leo. "We've landed," she said. "So, what now?"

               From where he sat beside Abilene stiffly, Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy? I mean ... that was a prophecy Ella spoke, right? From the Sibylline Books?"

               Leo frowned, looking at him quickly. "The what?" he asked.

               Frank quickly explained how the harpy at Camp Jupiter was one they—he, Abilene, Hazel, and Percy—had befriended on their quest to free Thanatos. Apparently, Ella had this amazing, probably ( Frank didn't make it very clear ) photographic memory, and that she loved to read books. At some point in the past, she must've come across a collection of ancient prophecies that had supposedly been destroyed around the fall of Rome.

               "That's why you didn't tell the Romans," Leo murmured as he slowly sat back down in his seat. "You didn't want them to get hold of her."

               Percy's gaze had drifted back to the image of Half-Blood Hill. "Ella's sensitive," he admitted. "She was a captive when we found her. I just didn't want ..." The hand that wasn't intertwined with Elisa's clenched. "It doesn't matter now. I sent Tyson an Iris Message, told him to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood. They'll be safe there."

               Leo doubted that any of them would be safe, now that he had fired and practically started war with a camp of Romans who had access to what seemed to be all the weapons in the world ( and that wasn't even talking about the wost of their problems—Gaea and the giants ). To not bring the mood down anymore, he didn't say anything.

               Annabeth laced her fingers together. "Let me think about the prophecy, okay? Right now we have more immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"

               "Um, let's start with the easiest thing—tar." Leo was glad to change the subject. "We can get that in the city, at a roofing-supply store or something like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake. It's just west of here."

               "We'll have to hurry," Hazel warned, resting her elbows on the table they sat around. "If I know Octavian, he's searching for us with his auguries. The Romans will send a strike force after us. It's a matter of honor."

               Leo felt everyone's eyes on him. He shifted in his seat, his fingers pulling on the end of his shirt. "Guys ... I—I don't know what happened. Honestly, I—"

               Elisa cut him off; "Annabeth and I have relayed what you said, Leo. We all agree it couldn't have been you. That, uh ..." she shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other, "that cold feeling you mentioned ... I felt it too. I don't know exactly what it is, but Annabeth thinks it is probably magic—maybe by Octavian, Gaea, or one of Gaea's minions. But until we know more—"

               Frank eyed Leo with suspicion. "How can we be sure it won't happen again?" he grunted.

               Leo's ears burned hotly. His fingers heated up like they were about to catch fire. He did his best to discreetly glance down to make sure they hadn't. He could summon fire, but he had to be careful when his emotions started to get too high or too drastic. Fire was unruly, especially on a ship filled with explosives and flammable supplies.

               "I'm fine now," he insisted, though he wished he could be sure. "Maybe we should use the buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We can leave Piper and Coach Hedge on board with Jason. Send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze and the lime."

               "Split up?" Percy repeated, starting to frown. "That sounds like a really bad idea."

               "It'll be quicker," Hazel put in. "Besides, there's a reason a quest is usually limited to three or four demigods, right?"

               Annabeth raised her eyebrows, as if reappraising Hazel's merits. "You're right. The same reason we needed the Argo II ... outside camp, nine demigods in one place will attract way too much monstrous attention. The ship is designed to conceal and protect us. We should be safe enough on board; but if we go on expeditions, we shouldn't travel in groups larger than—let's say—four. No sense alerting more of Gaea's minions than we have to."

               Percy still didn't look happy about it, but he grabbed Elisa's hand again. "As long as you're my buddy, I'm good."

               Her curly hair was tucked behind her ears, letting Leo see that they flushed as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever ..."

               "Okay, then," Abilene leaned forward suddenly, having been quiet the rest of this conversation, "Frank can turn into a dragon or something and fly you guys to somewhere that has tar." She looked at the black-haired boy, saying, "You can do that, right?"

               Frank straightened, looking shocked that Abilene would offer him up for the mission. "I—I guess, but, Abi—"

               "I'll go you, then," decided Annabeth. "That makes four—me, Percy, Elisa, and Frank."

               "Then, me, Abilene, and Sa—Leo can go get the ... lime and Celestial bronze." She looked at Leo, her fingers tapping against the table nervously. "That's what we need to get, right? Lime and Celestial bronze?"

               Abilene nodded. "Sounds good to me. We'll just have to be back on the Argo II by dark."

               Frank scowled to himself, obviously unhappy with him and Abilene being separated. Leo also knew that—even though Frank didn't say it—that he didn't trust Leo, especially for Leo to go with Hazel and certainly Abilene. It annoyed Leo. And for some reason, Frank's disapproval made Leo want to go even more—he had to prove he was trustworthy. He wasn't going to fire any random ballistae again.

               "Leo," said Annabeth, starting to stand up, "if we get the supplies, how long to fix the ship?"

               "With luck, just a few hours."

               "Fine," she decided. "We'll meet you back here as soon as possible, but stay safe. We could use some good luck. That doesn't mean we'll get it."

               "Wow ..." Elisa stood up, rolling her eyes. "Can you get any more depressing, Owl Eyes?"

👑 MAY 7TH, 2024 / the whole reason this chapter was written was for the line "i get it - my dad's god of madness, but i'm not crazy!" it was such a funny line and i knew i couldn't forget it LMAOO

i don't feel so bad about making these chapters a little shorter (though i say that and this chapter is around 24 pages in my google doc lol) than what i've normally written for my heroes of olympus-adjacent fics - this act (i think) will be a little shorter because i plan on skipping a huge chunk of the book (annabeth searching for athena parthenos and then fighting arachne). i don't have any plans on writing that because ,, none of my ocs will be there. and it'll just be a regurgitation of the mark of athena book, and that's not fun!

but right now, we're looking at about twenty-three chapters in this act (that may be shorter, but will probably become longer knowing me lol)

elisa is so older sister core in this *sobs* her trying to help leo when percy's angry at him literally makes me writhe on the floor, screaming and sobbing. she was made to be an older sister i can't lie. someone commented on royal cries (i don't remember who or what act), but they basically said that she was made to have brothers - lowkey, i feel like i've written her as the "not actual older sister but steps up for younger boy" older sister, you know? like, both with nico and leo, she has basically adopted them as her younger brothers and it literally makes me sob

(yes, this chapter slightly became a jason appreaction chapter - what about it?) (and yes, i'm not-so-discreetly pushing the pipabeth agenda - deal with it!)

anyways, thoughts? opinions??

(not edited, nor proofread)