CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:
SIX FEET APART

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KIT'S HEAD FUCKING KILLED. Someone or something must've attempted to blow his brains out and it definitely wasn't in a good way. For a long moment, he laid wherever he'd ended up with his eyes clenched firmly shut. The slightest flicker of light on the other side of his eyelids had him writhing around in agony, cursing whatever asshole decided that whacking the back of his head was a good idea.

He bet it was Percy, that prick. It was slowly coming back to him now. The loss of control, the shouting, the violent lurch of his gut warring with feelings that weren't his own. The flashes of Jason lying on the ground, his chest soaked in blood...

Kit sat up with a start, hissing as the contents of his stomach threatened to spill past his lips. He held a hand to his mouth and leaned over, trying and failing to steady his breathing. He was back on the Argo II; from the looks of it, he was in his cabin, the curtains pulled across the window in a weak attempt to block out any light. There was someone sitting beside him who murmured his name in surprise as he sat up, but Kit couldn't bring himself to breathe let alone to focus on who it was. He had an inkling, for they had a tight grip on his free hand and they smelled like sour diesel, and that could only mean one person.

"Leo," he said.

"Hey, Christopher," Leo's voice was gentle but Kit's ears still rang from the force of it. Leo squeezed his hand. "How're you feeling?"

Kit hesitated for a second before drawing in a breath. "Like Blackjack played soccer with the back of my head."

Leo's lips quirked the slightest bit. "Close. Percy KO'd you."

"Of course he did," he would've rolled his eyes if he had the strength. Slowly, he let his head fall onto Leo's shoulder, sighing once the other boy rested his cheek against his hair. The pressure admittedly hurt like a bitch but for once Kit wanted comfort and he wasn't about to turn him away. "I don't remember anything. How'd I get back here?"

"I think I should let you see everyone else first," Leo said. "Piper can explain it better than I can. She's the only one who wasn't affected."

This time, Kit's sigh was one of relief. It was a selfish feeling, but it was nice to know that he really hadn't been acting on his own accord and that he wasn't alone. Percy and Jason were also possessed. He wasn't weak. He wasn't the villain. His mind was still his own.

"Actually, nevermind," he said, burying his face into Leo's neck. "I'd rather just stay here."

"I'd love to but we need to get moving," Leo chuckled. When Kit merely groaned and ignored him, he gently nudged him to sit up properly. "You had me worried, Kit. Don't do that again."

Kit mustered a smirk, even though his heart panged at the look on Leo's face. "Yes, boss. Won't happen again."

"Good. Now, come on," Leo stood up and held out his hand. "Don't worry. I'll catch you if you fall over."

"Oh, my hero."

Five minutes later, Kit found himself sitting in the Mess Hall with a darkly tinted pair of sunglasses pushed up the bridge of his nose. Even after chewing on a bit of ambrosia (as much as he could have given that Leo and Annabeth had already force fed him some earlier) his head didn't feel quite right. The sunglasses didn't stop his headache, but they cut down the intensity of the light from downright fucking torturous to somewhat agonising but bearable. He had no doubt he looked ridiculous, though. Leo had taken one look at him and burst into laughter. Even Percy did a double take when Kit sat down opposite him.

Once everyone was settled, Piper explained what happened at Topeka 32. Kit already knew the beginning; their infuriating conversation with Bacchus (Mr B really was as useless as Mr D) followed by the trap sprung by Gaea. It was here that Kit's memory got a bit fuzzy. According to Piper, Gaea needed the blood of one boy and one girl from their group in order to rise again. That was all it would take. Two lives sacrificed and, sooner or later, the rest would surely follow.

This scared Kit more than he cared to admit. In that instant, with the grim silence smothering him from every angle, he looked around and wondered what the odds were of two of them ending up dead. Quests were nefarious things. Sometimes, there was just no way of stopping it, of walking away without ghosts following you.

"What then?" Kit asked when Piper hesitated. "I don't know about Percy and Jason, but I can't remember anything after Gaea first started talking."

"I remember pieces," Jason said, subconsciously rubbing his hand over his new purple shirt. He seemed completely fine now, but Kit caught the unmistakable edge of discomfort in his eyes. "Piper?"

She sighed, beginning to reveal the rest -- how spirits who called themselves Eidolons possessed all three boys. One took over Kit first, who would've run himself through with his own sword was it not for Jason tackling him. The second possessed-Kit heard that Gaea needed a sacrifice, he was willing to volunteer himself. Piper said he was almost urgent, like his only purpose was to please Gaea, to bleed just because she wanted him to.

That was when Jason and Percy also lost control of themselves. Kit and Jason fought while Percy went for Piper. She subdued him with her charmspeak long enough to turn around and find Kit standing over Jason with blood everywhere. He'd cut the son of Zeus on the chest -- it was nothing fatal, but it was enough to disarm him as Kit bashed his head against the ground.

Kit couldn't decide what was worse. Remembering this or being told the details like he was a spectator to his own life.

"I'm sorry, man," he said to Jason, unable to keep his voice from shaking. "I didn't..."

"It's okay," Jason waved a hand at him. "I'd like to think you tolerate me enough that you don't want me dead on any normal day."

Kit managed a laugh, though it sounded hollow and fake even to his own ears. "Only every other day."

"Understandable."

"After that, Percy attacked Kit and then I got Blackjack to knock him out before they could get into it," Piper finished. Kit didn't feel any better knowing the full story. Part of him wished he'd argued to stay in his cabin with Leo. At least then, he could've remained oblivious for just a little bit longer.

"Of course!" Hazel murmured. "That's what happened to Leo too."

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

"But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth pointed out. She seemed relatively composed sitting beside Percy but more than once Kit caught her glance at the lump on the back of Percy's head with worried eyes. "And why would they take our word for it?"

"We could contact Reyna," Jason said, voice tinged with hope. "She would believe us. If not, then you can convince her, Pipes. I know you could."

Piper's face dropped and Kit scoffed to himself. Oblivious idiot, he thought, rolling his eyes at Jason. It was obvious Piper didn't exactly feel secure in her current relationship with the blonde boy. Reyna was in a period of his past that hadn't yet come to a conclusion. Kit wasn't sure what he'd feel if he was in the same position but with Leo. Annabeth looked at Piper sympathetically, and even Hazel winced and shook her head.

Boys. They're clueless creatures.

"I could try," Piper shrugged, suddenly refusing to catch his eye. "But Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."

"She's right," said Frank, who was still in his matching tracksuit. "This afternoon, when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."

"This is exactly the sort of opportunity he's always wanted," Hazel let out a strained sigh. "He'll try to seize power now. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles... it's like they could smell us."

"Sounds creepy," Kit commented.

"They can," said Jason, answering Hazel. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely. Not from them."

Leo huffed at that. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget." He clicked his fingers at Kit. "Remind me to invent that next time, won't you, Christopher?"

Kit sighed. "Sure."

Hazel frowned and tilted her head at them. "What is a chicken nugget?"

"Oh, man, that's right," Leo gasped in amazement. "You've missed the last, like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget..."

"Doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted him with a stern glare. "The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us--"

"Which they won't," Kit rolled his eyes.

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

Piper frowned at him. "How can you be sure? Why wouldn't they follow us?"

"You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."

Lovely, just what they wanted to hear after the day they'd had.

Hazel's eyes withered like a dead rose. Frank swallowed a bite of his burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. The sight of the steaming food in his hand had Kit remembering the burrito Leo had placed on his own plate. He couldn't bring himself to pick it up yet, let alone take a bite.

"So, if we go there..."

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed what Frank already feared. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean — the Mare Nostrum."

His words hung in the air for a long moment, sinking in and cutting deep, especially for the Romans in the group.

Percy pointed his pizza slice at Jason. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine." Once he'd finished eating, he dusted off his hands and sat to attention. "Okay, so let's plan ahead! And make sure we don't die. Mr D — Bacchus — ugh, do I have to call him Mr B now?"

Kit snorted. "That's what I've been calling him in my head."

"Mr B," Percy repeated with a grimace. "Sounds wrong. Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. The two giants, Otis and, uh... something that started with an F, I think."

"Ephialtes," Jason said.

"That's the one."

Annabeth made a thoughtful humming noise as she ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "Two giants, like Piper saw in her blade... I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."

Frank nearly choked on his burrito. He went red in the face as everyone's attention turned to him. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?"

"Something like that," Kit said. "To be honest, I kind of stopped listening to him."

"I don't blame you," Percy muttered darkly. "I don't think we should count on his help this time, guys. He wanted a tribute and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle."

For a while, they ate their food in silence. Kit finally picked up his burrito, taking a bite much to Leo's relief. He'd been not-so-subtly edging Kit's plate towards him, wanting some of the warmth to return to his eerily pale complexion. He wasn't used to seeing Kit so vulnerable. The last time, he'd been lying on the floor of the Wolf House, having just glimpsed Hera in her true form...

Leo shuddered and grabbed onto Kit's other hand beneath the table. Kit frowned at him but let him intertwine their fingers together.

"She wants two of us," Piper murmured, more to herself than to everyone, though they turned to look at her curiously. "Today on the highway, Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods -- one female, one male, right? She... she asked me to choose which boy would die with me..."

"But none of us died," Jason said, trying his best to reassure her. "You saved us."

"I know, it's just... why would she want that?"

Kit shrugged. "Well, it brings her back, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but she's doing just fine on her own without our help," Piper pointed out with a grim frown.

Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? With our favourite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."

"Oh..."

"Oh?" Kit raised an eyebrow at Percy.

"Oh, bad," the son of Poseidon shook his head, looking across the table at Hazel and Frank. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

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

"I gotta admit, Jackson, that's kind of iconic of you," Kit said with a smirk.

"Thanks. I try," Percy muttered before turning back to the situation at hand. He didn't even think about responding to Kit's banter this time. Slowly, the tension was peeling away from him in layers, kind of like an onion. "But I had a dream when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons and he said -- he said he 'wanted me taken prisoner, not killed.' He said 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake the Earth Mother!'"

Kit's stomach sank like a stone. He pushed his plate away again, his half-eaten burrito growing cold. Even with his leather jacket wrapped around him again and Leo's hand in his, he shivered like he'd just taken a dip in an ice bath. "You think the giants would use our blood, then?"

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

"That, I agree with," Jason muttered.

"But how do we figure it out, guys?" Hazel voiced what Kit had just been thinking. "The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy... how does everything fit together?"

"Is it meant to?" Kit asked. "What if we're just super unlucky?"

Annabeth pursed her lips into a thin line. She turned to Piper, who had stayed quiet, lost in thought. "Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."

"Yes," Piper nodded her head. "Bacchus told us we should seek out.... what was his name again?"

"Phorcys," answered Percy.

Annabeth blinked at him. "You know him?"

"Well, I didn't recognise the name at first, but then Bacchus mentioned salt water and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea God from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea God would be doing in Atlanta, though."

Leo snorted like Percy's words amused him. "What's a wine God doing in Kansas? Gods are weird, man."

"Ain't that the truth," Kit grunted. He was still so cold. The ache of it seemed to sink right down to his bones. He hoped he wasn't getting sick. That was the last thing he needed, to have a head cold while running away from a monster.

"Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."

"Don't even say that," Annabeth groaned, crossing her fingers just in case he'd managed to jinx them. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Sounds good to me," Kit sighed, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Not that they were doing much anymore. His eyes had gotten used to the dim lighting, but his head was pounding like someone was using his brain as a drum. "Come on, Leo, let's go to your cabin--"

"Wait," Piper exclaimed, freezing them in place as she suddenly stood up. "There's one last thing."

"Go on," Kit urged, hoping he didn't sound as impatient and annoyed as he felt. She did technically save his ass (yet again) only a few hours ago. He couldn't be too snippy.

"The Eidolons, the possessing spirits? They're still here, in this room."

For a moment, no one said anything.

Then, "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked Hazel warily.

"I've met eidolons," she said. "In the Underworld, when I was... you know."

"Dead?" Leo offered obliviously.

Hazel pursed her lips but nodded. "Yes."

Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might've invaded his scalp without him noticing. His eyes scanned the room almost frantically as he spoke. "So, you think these things are lurking on the ship, or...?"

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

Kit's heart lurched, threatening to beat right out of his chest. He dropped Leo's hand like it had burned him, slowly standing along with the rest of them. What if he wasn't cold because he was getting sick, but because of something else entirely? Perhaps the shiver in his bones wasn't so unfamiliar, after all...

"If that's true," Jason began, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

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

"Do what?" Percy asked, though to Kit his voice sounded miles away.

"Just listen, okay? Everybody listen."

Her charmspeak washed over them in waves. Kit could feel it fighting against the coldness in him, this soft and unassuming whisper in the back of his head. It was comforting, or perhaps that was just Piper, who met their eyes one at a time before speaking again.

"Eidolons," she said. "Raise your hands."

No one moved at first.

Leo let out a nervous laugh, going to reach for Kit's hand again. "Do you really think that was going to--?"

Kit's mind slipped away from him again. It wasn't for long, and this time he knew it was happening. His consciousness was trapped behind a barrier in his own mind, beating against the defences with relentless fists. The next thing he knew, he woke up with Hazel barely managing to balance him upright. At the table, Percy had slumped forward until he was face-first in his pizza while Jason had slipped out of his chair and Leo had collapsed back onto the floor.

Four out of eight had been possessed and they didn't even realise it.

"Ow!" Leo's indignant cry of pain had Kit snapping out of his thoughts. He pushed himself up, mumbling a thank-you to Hazel before stumbling over to Leo and offering him a hand.

"You okay?" he asked, helping him up.

"Just peachy." He had a piece of spaghetti stuck to his forehead. Kit picked it away with a grimace. "Thanks, baby. So did it work?"

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

Jason blinked and rubbed his temples. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"

Piper laughed and looped her arm through his. "Come on, Lightning Boy. Let's get you some fresh air."

One-by-one, they took this as their cue to leave the Mess Hall. Piper and Jason went first, deciding to take a walk around the deck before retiring to their respective cabins. They were closely followed by Annabeth and Percy, then Hazel and Frank, neither of which wanted to linger with Kit and Leo. Soon enough, it was just the two boys left.

"I think I'll stay in your cabin tonight," Kit said, not wanting to linger in the emptiness. "You coming?"

Leo shook his head, kissing away the pout that appeared on Kit's lips. "I've got to relieve Coach of his guard duties. I'll be down in a few hours, though."

Kit hesitated. All of a sudden, the thought of returning to Leo's cabin, alone, unsettled him. What if Piper was wrong and the Eidolons hadn't left? How would he know? Every time he got a chill now, would he stop and wonder if he was still in charge of his own subconscious?

"You can come with me if you want to," said Leo, raking his eyes across Kit's sullen expression.

"Okay," Kit murmured.

He let Leo take his hand and lead him upstairs, his warm fingers transmitting heat back into his skin. He wasn't sure what to feel; in the past few hours, he'd been possessed not once but twice, he'd brushed shoulders with Death like they were old buddies, and he'd come dangerously close to losing himself to Gaea again. But in that moment, when Leo dismissed Hedge and the satyr disappeared downstairs, once Leo had turned to him and pinned him down to the deck with the heat in his eyes, everything was okay.

He kissed Leo and let his thoughts fade away, if only for a second. 

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A/N: This chapter was a shorter one but I was feeling the Kit inspo and just ran with it. Hope you guys enjoyed the double update! :)