CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
SUPERMAN 2.0

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KIT WAS ASHAMED TO admit he was beginning to feel like Jason -- or, at least, the shitty 2.0 version of Superman. When he came to, he was slumped against the mast with Leo's shoulder pressed to his. The other boy looked miserable, his brows furrowed in concern as he watched Kit's dazed eyes come to a focus on the dark purple bruise scarring his jaw. Slowly, Kit reached for him, tracing the mark as something clenched in his chest.

"Leo," he breathed his name, searching for the part of him Kit knew, not the robot that had taken over him before. Leo tensed, his eyes averting his, and Kit knew he was back. "You're okay."

"I am," he mumbled. "But you're not."

Kit frowned. Almost like Leo had spoken his pain into existence, a sense of agony flared and twisted his features into a grimace. The whole right side of his face stung, and for a second, he thought he heard a hazy ringing in his ear. The last time Kit felt like this was when Clarisse socked him in the face after the Battle of Manhattan. Percy, you fucking prick. What a way to greet an old friend.

It took Kit a second to realise why Leo looked so sad. He thought he had done this to Kit. Part of Kit wanted to laugh and kiss away his worry. Another part, the part already hungry to give Percy a piece of his mind, longed to return the favour with a fist to the throat.

"Oh, this thing?" Kit huffed out a laugh and struggled to hide his wince when he moved his mouth. "It's nothing. All in a day's work." Still, Leo hesitated. "Trust me, Leo. I'm all good if you are."

"As touching as this is," interrupted Annabeth's pointed cough. "We have some things to clear up."

"You're right," Kit clenched his jaw. "Where's your boyfriend, Annabeth? He owes me a free kick to his crotch."

"First, how about you explain why you fired on the Romans?"

Kit's stomach dropped. For a second, he stared at her, wondering when on earth Annabeth Chase decided to develop a sense of humour. Leo sat forward nervously, opening his mouth to protest, but he was interrupted by Kit waving a hand at him.

"No matter what I say, you won't believe me, will you?"

A piece of Annabeth's stern expression fractured. Her arms dropped to her sides, lower lip caught between her teeth. "You don't make it easy."

Kit sat back. The silence was heavy all of a sudden, and the new boy -- Frank, if Kit remembered his name right -- looked between each of them with unfounded curiosity. Kit hadn't even noticed his brother at first, hanging back in the shadows with Coach Hedge awake at his side.

"Then why bother?"

"Kit," Leo cut in then, slotting their hands together in the shallow space between them. Kit's shoulders slumped at the touch. He wanted to keep Leo from it for just a bit longer, the judgemental looks and the whispers of doubt. People didn't look at you the same when they realised what you were capable of. He didn't want that for Leo. If he had to shoulder the blame, he would. A thousand times over and then some. "Don't take the fall for me, please? I won't let you do that."

"What's he talking about?" Annabeth asked, voice taut. She was beginning to lose her patience with them. "Just tell me exactly what happened. No bullshit."

"I fired on the Romans," Leo blurted, quickly, before Kit could intervene like he knew he would. "Not Kit. He was trying to stop me." Annabeth froze, eyes wide, jaw slack. That look, Kit thought. The moment before betrayal. "But I didn't do it on purpose, I -- I don't know. It's fuzzy."

"You mean... you don't remember?"

"No, I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."

"Isn't it obvious? He was possessed," Kit sighed. Leo sounded heartbroken, like he couldn't believe the bloody, ruinous things his own hands were capable of. "I went downstairs to get Coach and when I came back... everything he did was robotic. His voice didn't even sound like him."

Slowly, Annabeth nodded, and Kit couldn't tell if she believed them or not. Her arms crossed again. In the returning silence, Coach tapped one of his hooves on the deck and eyed the two boys like he was contemplating marching them off a plank. "Look, kid," he said to Leo at last. "You blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans, gave your little boyfriend a nice black eye... so what? But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match when Dempsey rudely interrupted me--"

"Don't worry, Coach," Kit said through gritted teeth. "Next time, if there's an emergency, I'll be sure to leave you behind."

"Coach, why don't you make sure all the fires are out?" Annabeth let out a sigh as she looked between them.

"I already did that."

"Then do it again."

With one last glare in Kit's direction, he shoved past Frank and stomped below deck like a petulant child. Kit watched him go until his line of sight was blocked by Annabeth kneeling next to Leo. She glanced down at their hands, at Leo's bone-white grip on Kit's fingers, and took a long, calm breath.

"Leo, did Octavian trick you somehow?" She glanced at Kit again. Or Kit? was implied. "Did he frame you, or...?"

"No," Leo shook his head. Personally, Kit would've just blamed him and called it a day. Who knew whether Annabeth would believe them. "The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the Camp. And neither did Kit, so stop looking at him like that." Kit's heart skipped a beat as he squeezed his hand in silent appreciation. "I did it."

Frank scowled, stepping forward. "On purpose?"

"Have you not been listening?" Kit snapped.

So much for brotherly love.

"I didn't want to do it," Leo insisted in one last desperate attempt. "But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to. Something was... making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me, and--"

Kit and Annabeth frowned then, both for entirely different reasons. A cold feeling? Why hadn't Leo told him that before? He could've helped him... Annabeth repeated the words in a foreign tone. Kit almost thought it was fear for a second, but it couldn't have been. Annabeth Chase rarely ever got scared and showed it in front of anyone.

"Yeah," Leo said. "Why?"

Before she had a chance to reply, a familiar voice called from below, "Annabeth, we need you." Kit's eyes darkened. Percy.

Annabeth stood, though she hesitated, catching something in the way Leo's shoulders tensed. Kit noticed it too, pressed so close to him. He knew every single way Leo's body moved; how he buzzed with energy most of the time but became boneless at the mere touch of Kit's mouth. He struggled to identify this; the festering of fear, and something akin to terror.

"He'll be fine," Annabeth's expression softened. At Kit's confused look, she reluctantly added, "Jason. He was knocked out by the Romans." Typical Superman. "Frank, I'll be back, okay? Just... watch Leo, please. And Kit."

Kit bared his teeth grimly at his brother. "Babysitting the bro already?"

"Are we really brothers?" Frank blinked at him, suddenly thoughtful. "I mean, you're Greek and I'm Roman. . ."

Kit shrugged. "Same dad as far as I'm concerned."

Frank didn't reply, and the silence was quick to become painfully awkward as Frank and Leo stared at each other, and Kit sat there wondering if Leo had noticed how sweaty his hand was.

"So," Frank stammered. "Your name, uh... isn't Sammy?"

Leo scoffed. "What kind of question is that?"

"Who's Sammy?" Kit asked.

"No one," Frank shook his head. Gods, talking to him was like watching paint dry. Kit almost preferred Annabeth's frostiness to this. "I just -- nothing. And about the firing on the camp... Octavian could be behind it, like, magically or something."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Kit rolled his eyes at the thought of Octavian and his punchable face. "What I would do to make him choke on one of his stupid bears."

"He gets that reaction from most people," Frank grunted, chuffed that he and Kit weren't having to drag words out of each other. "He didn't want the Romans getting along with you guys."

Kit grinned. "Now you're not Roman?"

Frank shrugged. All of a sudden, Leo released Kit's hand. He looked a little pale, but he pushed himself to his feet under Frank's sudden, watchful stare. "I should talk to Festus and get a damage report," Leo eyed him warily. "You mind...?"

"Who is Festus?" Frank asked, surprisingly holding out a hand to Kit and helping him to his feet, too.

"Our friend--"

"His friend--"

Leo's lips twitched into a faint smirk. "His name isn't Sammy either, in case you were wondering." Frank's face flushed but he didn't say anything. "Come on. We'll introduce you."

Then, much to Frank's bemusement, Kit and Leo crossed the deck to where a giant bronze dragon head loomed at the front of the ship. As they drew closer, the bronze creaked, and Festus' head spun a hundred and eighty degrees to watch them. Frank yelped and stepped on Kit's foot.

"Dude," Kit groaned. "I can't take much more of this shit. Next, someone'll try and break my neck."

"Don't jinx it," Leo mumbled.

"Guys," Frank shouted, shocked they weren't more concerned.

"Yes?" Kit raised an impatient eyebrow.

"It's alive," he pointed at Festus.

"Thank you for stating the obvious."

Leo nudged Kit's side with his elbow, smothering a smirk as he gestured from Frank to the dragon -- aka Kit's mortal enemy, and the only other competitor for Leo's affections. "Frank, this is Festus. He used to be a full bronze dragon, but we had an accident."

"You have a lot of accidents," Frank noted.

"Well, some of us can't turn into dragons, so we have to build our own," Leo retorted, to which Kit made a confused noise. "What? You didn't see the giant dragon, Christopher?"

Kit rolled his eyes. "I was a bit busy eating Percy's fist to admire the scenery. And please, for the love of Ares' asshole, don't bring Christopher back."

"Ares' asshole," Leo snickered. "That's a good one."

Frank cleared his throat, perhaps wondering if it was best to leave the two alone. He wasn't sure what was going on between his... brother and this dude who was Sammy but also wasn't, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Leo glowered at him then, like he was silently cursing him for interrupting.

"Anyway," he sighed, turning back to Festus. "I revived him as a figurehead. He's kind of the ship's main interface now. How are things looking, Festus?"

In response, Festus breathed smoke into Kit's face -- it was almost like he did shit on purpose to piss him off, or maybe Leo just coded him that way because he relished in annoying Kit -- and made a series of squeaking noises that only Leo understood. He nodded along, sighing and grumbling at all the right moments.

"Ugh -- well, 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..."

"What do you need limes for?" Frank asked cluelessly.

"Dude, lime," Leo emphasised as if this should be obvious.

"Yeah, Frank," Kit scoffed. "How do you not know the difference?"

Leo shot him a look, as if to say you totally didn't know either, Dingus, before turning back to Frank and rattling off, "Calcium carbonate, used in cement and a bunch of other..." He trailed off at Frank's unrelentingly confused expression. "You know what? Never mind. The point is, this ship isn't going far unless we can fix it."

"And you can do that?" Kit asked, though he had no doubt Leo would find a way.

Before he could reply, Festus -- the annoying shit, always cutting Kit off -- made another noise, this one like a creak that Leo seemingly didn't recognise. "Oh..." he blinked. "You mean Hazel. That's the girl with the curly hair, right?"

Yikes. Kit hadn't even noticed she was missing.

Frank let out a shaky breath. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, yeah, she's fine," Leo shrugged. "According to Festus, her horse is racing along below. She's following us."

"Don't tell me she has a horse like Jason," Kit groaned.

Leo nodded, eyes lighting up at the mention of Tempest (dude, your horse has AC outlets!) all the while Frank was pacing the deck frantically. "We've got to land, then."

Leo watched him curiously, sharing an amused grin with Kit. "She's your girlfriend?"

"...Yes."

"You don't sound sure."

"Yes," Frank nodded, more firmly this time. "Yes, definitely. I'm sure."

"And she knows she's your girlfriend, does she?" Kit asked dubiously. Frank glared and took a warning step towards him. Enough said. "Nevermind..." Then, he hissed in Leo's ear, "Say something to distract him before he crushes my head with one hand."

"Okay, look," Leo took on a surprisingly realistic serious tone. "The problem is, Frank, 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."

"Well, where do you get Celestial Bronze?" Frank shot Kit one last look before rounding on Leo. "You can't just stock up at Home Depot."

Leo grinned and clapped his hands like a mad scientist. He even had the hair to match, his usual curls sticking up at odd angles. Kit chuckled and smoothed one back from his face. "Festus, do a scan."

"He can scan for magic bronze?" Frank's eyes widened. "Is there anything he can't do?"

"Fly," Kit said before he could think of taking it back. It was Leo's turn to glare now, sharply smacking Kit in the ribs. Kit pouted. "Ow!"

"Take it back."

"Not now, I won't."

"Kit."

Serious Leo was about as scary as a fly, but Kit relented anyway. "Fine. I'll lie if it makes you feel better."

Behind them, the stairs creaked as Percy and Annabeth resurfaced. The former already had his sights set on Kit, while Annabeth's lips were set in a grim line. Leo surged forward on shaky feet. "Is Jason...?"

"He's resting," Annabeth answered, which didn't sound all that serious to Kit, so he shrugged it aside. Besides, Jason should've been used to getting knocked out. He was starting to gain a bit of a reputation for it. "Piper's keeping an eye on him, but he should be fine."

Point in case.

"Annabeth says you did fire the ballista?" Percy spoke then. He was watching Kit, but he directed his words at Leo, whose face dropped in defeat.

"Man, I-- I don't understand how it happened. I'm so sorry--"

"Sorry?" Percy scowled.

"Watch it," Kit snapped as he took a step closer. Talk about a crappy start to their quest. Not even an hour in and half the group already hated each other. Kit had better luck with Leo, Piper and Jason and they were total strangers on their quest to save Hera. "If anyone should be apologising here, buddy, it's you to me."

"Kit," Annabeth sighed.

"I'm not kidding for once," Kit grumbled, glaring at a stubbornly tight-lipped Percy. "That's the last time I save your ass, Jackson."

"Oh, because you're such a hero, Kit. A real stand-up guy--"

"How would you know? Shit's happened while you've been off frolicking with the Romans, Jackson. So why don't you keep your fucking mouth shut--"

"Enough," Annabeth snapped, shoving Percy's chest back.

In the sudden tension, they had moved until they were standing face-to-face; Percy with his wired eyes full of suspicion, Kit's fists shaking with anger and an urge to release it. He'd forgotten how easily Percy could get under his skin, how much it would hurt to feel like he was back at square one. So much had changed in Percy Jackson's absence. Even Annabeth had softened -- albeit not by much. Seeing Percy reminded him that he'd never quite change how certain people wanted him to. That part of Kit would always be considered rotten to the bone.

He could die for Percy and he had a sinking feeling Percy would find a way to deny it.

"This is what Gaea wants," Annabeth looked between them as Kit backed up into Leo. Like there was suddenly a lack of air on the deck, his lungs withering at their proximity. "Right now, we have to regroup and make a plan, so suck it up and let bygones be bygones." With that, she turned back to Leo. "What's the situation with the ship?"

Leo hesitated, sending Kit one last unreadable look before listing off the damages Festus had relayed. He finished with an explanation of the supplies they needed, finding comfort in what he knew to be familiar. Suddenly, Festus let out another squeak and Leo sighed in relief.

"Perfect."

"What's perfect?" Annabeth asked, running a hand down her tired face. "I could use some perfect about now."

"Everything we need is in one place," answered Leo, reverting back to Mad Scientist. "Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or something? Fly down and tell your girlfriend to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."

"Just don't crash and burn like Festus," Kit smiled and waved.

They weren't too far from the lake Leo mentioned. Not long after Annabeth dragged a silently brooding Percy back below deck, Leo warned Kit to hold on tight. He rolled his eyes as Kit made a face, yanking him closer lest Kit somehow manage to fall overboard. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the deck, Coach Hedge had reappeared grumbling about Annabeth's useless spotfire checks only for his face to brighten with glee as he saw the fastly approaching lake.

"Yeah!" he screeched as he ran for a closer look. "Bring it on, lake!"

"If he falls overboard, I'll pay you ten dollars to leave him behind," Kit muttered to Leo.

The son of Hephaestus, caught between listening to Festus' warning grunts and making sure Kit didn't wander into trouble, mumbled a 'that's nice, babe' and shook his hand in agreement. A patch of skin across Kit's nose went bright red. His stomach coiled in what he was certain was disgust.

"Never call me that again."

Leo blinked at him in confusion. "What?"

Kit rolled his eyes and shook his head.

All of a sudden, the control system started beeping and Festus' screeching was almost as loud as Hedge's erratic laughter. Kit's stomach dipped with the boat as he sat down in the chair Leo had abandoned in favour of looming over his controls like a lunatic. He was mumbling to himself when all of a sudden he braced himself and called out, "Hang on, Coach! This is going to hurt."

Hedge scoffed. "I was born for hurt!"

In response, the salt water of the infamous Great Salt Lake swelled over the bow and slammed into him. Once again, the satyr was knocked hooves over horns, still somehow maintaining his delighted laughter that bordered on delirium. In the calm that followed, the Argo II bobbed in the waves their landing had created, eventually coming to a stop with a few fading groans from Festus. Leo listened to them attentively, nodding along before wandering over to pat his bronze head.

"Good job, Festus," he said. "Now take us toward the South shore."

"Yeah!" Hedge screeched and pumped his fists in the air. "Do it again!"

"Insane," Kit muttered to himself as he ventured out from behind the control board. Almost immediately, he nearly slipped in the puddle Hedge was creating, nearly choking the satyr as he latched onto Hedge's drenched collar and pulled.

"Help!" Hedge roared as he began to fight furiously against Kit. Once again, the Ares boy almost lost his footing, his leather boots squeaking against the floorboards as he scowled and tightened his hold deliberately. "Dempsey's trying to kill me! Jackson!"

"Don't you dare," Kit hissed, just knowing how this would look to Percy despite Leo's cackling laughter. "He'll actually believe you, idiot."

Somehow, with Hedge still bucking around like a wild bull, Kit managed to make his way over to Leo without face planting. Together, they stood at the bow for a moment, watching as the warm sun glittered across the surface of the lake. In the distance, rolling hills collided with the horizon, tree branches scraping for the Heavens. It was beautiful, almost peaceful. Above all, Kit thought it dangerous. He didn't like being this close to land so soon into their journey. He could practically hear Gaea calling for him, taunting him in whispers that would soon become shouts.

"We should join the others," Kit sighed, nudging his shoulder to Leo's before moving away. "Hedge, you think you can handle keeping watch on your own?"

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "What do you take me for, Dempsey?"

"... You want me to answer seriously?"

"Just," Leo cut in with a sigh. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he began to usher Kit towards the stairs as he addressed the satyr, "Stay above deck, okay? You know, in case the lake decides to attack us or something."

Saluting him, Hedge said, "I'm on it."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Leo rounded on Kit. "You've been abnormally mouthy today."

Kit shrugged, glancing around before pressing a kiss to Leo's jaw. The son of Hephaestus paused, his feet faltering mid step, allowing Kit to back him into the wall beneath the stairs. Now out of sight too, he crushed his mouth to Leo's and swallowed whatever else Leo had to say, his heart beating up a storm.

The scent of him -- gunpowder and something metallic, warm and familiar to Kit's senses -- would've rendered him breathless if Kit wasn't determined to kiss him until his heart stopped beating. The residual anger of his interaction with Percy; the storminess of Annabeth's eyes as she first regarded him; the way even Frank looked at him and hesitated. Every aching morsel in Kit's chest was fit into the way Leo's lips chased his. Brought to the surface and laid to rest with every brush of clothed hips, of curly hair between fingers, of twin pulses echoing each other's emotion.

I am yours, Kit's mind promised, childish in the way that it accepted Leo's kisses as a promise of devotion. He and Kit hadn't spoken about this, hadn't given words to thoughts, metaphorical as they were. He only knew how Leo's body reacted to every scalding touch, how every wall between them seemed to shatter into oblivion as Leo rested his head on Kit's collarbone, fingers pulling his shirt down to expose skin, bruising him with every whisper of his name. I will never leave him. It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.

When they resurfaced for air again, Leo smiled and traced the marks on Kit's skin, committing them to memory before covering them with his shirt. "Let's go," he said, and Kit followed him beneath the stern, to where Leo had mapped out a large Mess Hall for meetings such as this one. Leading them down the hallway were several cabins, one for each of the Eight plus two spare, one of which was inhabited by Coach Hedge and his noisy television.

The rooms were empty now, save for Jason's. Through the cracked open door, Kit spied Piper sitting beside his bed, soothing back his hair as she placed an icepack on his head. Leo paused, eyes sad, and Kit had to drag him away before he could let his mind spiral. Waiting in the Mess Hall were Percy, Annabeth and Frank. As they reached the door, they heard footsteps chasing after them, and Kit turned back in time to see Hazel, red-faced and out of breath.

"Where's the fire?" he commented, to which Hazel managed a small smile.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "Your... chaperone? Hedge? Was suspicious of Arion-- my horse--" she explained at Kit's confused look. Leo was hanging back to watch them, brows raised, but he continued over to the table when Kit and Hazel followed after him. "He had a stare down with him before deeming him safe to board."

"Sounds like Coach," Kit grimaced. "Did you find the stables okay? Leo's made this ship a bit of a maze."

"Hey!" at Leo's interjection, Hazel dragged her eyes over him slowly. She seemed... put-off, like Leo's presence reminded her of something. Quickly, after noticing Kit's stare, she averted her gaze, mumbling about Arion being a free spirit not needing a stable as they sat down in the remaining seats at the table.

Just his luck, Kit ended up sitting opposite Percy. The son of Poseidon refused to look at him as he stared longingly over his head. Painted on the wall was the sun setting over Camp Half-Blood, the warm glow catching on the Golden Fleece that glittered in the branches of Tahlia's pine tree. Something in Percy's expression made Kit pause. He looked... sad, in a way that was familiar. There was something just out of reach, what he wanted so desperately and couldn't have. For Percy, that was home, and a bunch of memories resurfacing of a place that had made him feel welcome.

Curse Percy Jackson for making Kit feel bad for him.

"So we've landed," Percy began, tearing his gaze away once everyone was situated. "What now?"

"Figure out the prophecy?" Frank offered up when no one else spoke. "I mean... that was a prophecy Ella spoke, right?" Oh. Ella. Kit had forgotten about her already. "From the Sibylline Books?"

"The what?" Leo asked, and Kit was just glad he wasn't the only clueless one. After a quick summary from Frank about how Ella was freakishly good at memorising books -- ancient prophecies destroyed around the fall of Rome included -- Leo spoke again. "That's why you didn't tell the Romans. You didn't want them to get hold of her."

"Ella's... sensitive," Percy replied. "She was a captive when we found her. I just didn't want..." His gaze landed on that blasted image of home again. He caught Kit watching him and scowled. "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."

"For how long?" Kit couldn't help but ask.

Before Percy could retort, as Kit knew he was itching to, Annabeth spoke. "Let me think about the prophecy. Right now, we have more immediate problems." She sent a meaningful look in Percy's direction, prompting him to turn his stare to the table. The immature part of Kit felt triumphant over his stare-down victory. "We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"

"The easiest thing is tar," he said. "We can get that in the city, at a roofing-supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial Bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake, just West of here."

"We'll have to hurry," Hazel mumbled, tracing an absent-minded pattern on the tabletop. "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 honour."

Just the mention of Rome drew eyes to Leo and Kit. The latter half-expected Percy to speak up again, then Leo sat forward. "Guys, look... I seriously don't know what happened. Kit's right. I was--"

Annabeth raised her hand, some of the storminess in her gaze fading. "We've been talking." Of course they had been. "And we agree it couldn't have been you, Leo. Or you, Kit." Another look at Percy. This victory was bittersweet. "That cold feeling you mentioned, Leo... I felt it too. It must have been some sort of magic, either Octavian or Gaea or one of her minions. But until we understand what happened—"

"How can we be sure it won't happen again?" Frank asked.

"I'm fine now," Leo insisted, but Kit swore he heard his voice catch. He knew how Leo breathed, every inhale, every exhale. Leo was doubting himself, his own state of mind. "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 frowned. "That sounds like a really bad idea."

"It'll be quicker," Hazel pointed out. "Besides, there's a reason a quest is usually limited to three demigods, right?"

"You're right," Annabeth tried not to show her surprise, but Kit caught her eyebrows raising and smirked. "The same reason we needed the Argo II... outside camp, eight 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 three. No sense alerting more of Gaea's minions than we have to."

Once she'd finished speaking, Percy took her hand in his, his face tinted pink as Annabeth appraised their slotted fingers. "As long as you're my buddy, I'm good."

"Gag me with a spoon," Kit grumbled, to which Annabeth kicked his shin beneath the table.

"Well, this is easy, then," Hazel clapped her hands together. "Frank, you were amazing, turning into a dragon! Could you do it again to fly Annabeth and Percy into town for the tar?"

Kit didn't know what he expected out of Frank. He seemed like the type to turn into a blushing, stammering mess if Hazel so much as sneezed in his direction, but he looked... unhappy at her praise. Wary, almost. "I... I suppose. But what about you?"

"I'll ride Arion with Sa-- with Leo, here."

Kit coughed.

"And Kit. Leo and Kit."

Nice save.

Kit wondered what Hazel's deal was with Leo. The Hephaestus boy just looked confused, not to mention oblivious, but Kit was no fool. Hazel had a thing for Leo; whether or not it was platonic, he'd soon see. He hoped it was. Talk about awkward if it wasn't.

"Leo," said Annabeth. "If we get the supplies, how long will it take to fix the ship?"

"With luck," Leo weighed it up in his head before answering. "Just a few hours."

"Fine," she decided, rising to her feet. "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."

How right she was. And how easily shit could hit the fan in just a few hours... 

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A/N: Please no one comment that I cut out the scene between Hazel and Leo on the deck. Like, the whole Sammy saga happens in this book but any potential feelings on Leo's end? Gone. He has a man and Kit's made it clear lmao. On that note, Frank is gonna be the biggest Kit & Leo supporter out there apart from Piper. We love a supportive brother!! Percy... well, he just distrusts Kit lol, and I'm thriving in the awkward tension. What did you guys think? Let me know!