CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:
TIME, FATE, KARMA, GOD(S)

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"SO," SAID PIPER, AND Kit's stomach dropped. He knew what was coming, he couldn't avoid it. It was barrelling towards him like a freight train.

Girl Talk.

"Are you and Leo... official?" She struggled to find the right word. "You know... lovers..."

Behind them, Annabeth snorted and Hazel cleared her throat. Kit didn't need to look to see that her face was bright red, an indignant flush of emotion lingering in her timely features. He rounded on Piper instead, eyebrows raised.

"Lovers?"

"Don't play dumb," she nudged her elbow against his ribs, rolling her eyes when he dramatically gasped and keeled over. "Are you boyfriends?"

At that, Kit visibly hesitated.

Piper grinned. "You are, aren't you?"

"How sweet," Annabeth teased, but she was genuine as she leaned forward and ruffled his hair.

"Kit and Leo, sitting in a tree..."

"Stop," he raised a hand in Piper's face. "Please."

"Don't sound so pained, Christopher," Piper nudged him again. Kit scowled. "When else are we going to get to ask?"

"Well, now you know," he said, eagerly glancing around for something, anything, to distract them with.

According to the signs, the seaside park they'd ventured to was called White Point Gardens. It was... a park. Kit wasn't particularly interested but he was forced to stop and admire the view. The ocean breeze swept the muggy heat across the glittering surface of Charleston Harbour. Somewhere deep below was Percy doing his son of Poseidon things. Kit wasn't all that sure what he got up to down there, and in truth he wasn't bothered to ask.

Lining the road beside the bay were old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures. They made the girls grimace in discomfort though he had no doubt Leo would've been in awe of them had he been there. Kit's boyfriend was oddly interested in this kind of stuff.

"Kind of reminds me of New Rome."

Thankfully, the Gods sent him an angel in Hazel, who succeeded in changing the subject. The look on Piper's face told him she hadn't let it go completely, but at least he'd be prepared for round two of Girl Talk. Hopefully.

"All the big mansions and the gardens," continued Hazel. "The columns and arches."

"The palm trees too?" Kit couldn't help but joke.

"No, not really," Hazel seriously thought about it before shaking her head.

Apart from that, the girls didn't say much, and Kit appreciated the silence. Piper kept looking around like she expected an ambush. She claimed to have seen this same park in her knife but wouldn't elaborate on what she saw, which wasn't great, if you asked Kit. Hazel also seemed preoccupied, not that Kit could really understand what was going on in her head. Annabeth, as always, was dwelling on her responsibilities. Always thinking of what waited for them, of what she'd have to do. Much too serious.

"Hey," Piper suddenly threw an arm out in front of Kit, practically knocking the wind out of him. "There."

Across the harbour, a shimmering white figure floated above the water. The glow was bright and Kit wanted to look away, but his eyes seemed glued to that one spot. Bit by bit, it moved towards them, bringing their features into focus.

"The ghost," Annabeth said, but Kit wasn't seeing a woman.

"Are we sure this is a ghost?"

Hazel seemed to share his doubts. "No kind of spirit glows that brightly."

"And I'm not seeing a chick," he frowned.

Dark, curly hair. Warm eyes. Sun-kissed skin. The face wasn't quite right, but the teenage boy gliding across the water looked like he could be Leo's cousin. Freckles dotted his prominent cheekbones like bits of stardust. Slender fingers beckoned them to follow him. No. Not like Leo. Each movement was graceful, calculated. Kit's boyfriend was always on the go. He never truly stopped. Still, Kit could feel the swell of attraction deep in his gut. He knew without a doubt who the Not-A-Ghost was.

"She has to be fucking with me," he groaned.

Piper took off then. Kit had a feeling she'd come to the same horrifying realisation that this was about to be one helluva awkward family reunion.

"Piper?" Annabeth called in confusion.

"We'd better follow her," Hazel decided.

By the time the three of them caught up to her, Piper was only a few yards away from the figure. She had her arms crossed, eyes narrowed as if the sight offended her. Kit stopped beside her and subconsciously mirrored her stance.

"It is her," he heard Piper sigh.

"Is it too late to dip?" Kit asked.

The figure moved again, their features twisting in a blur of colour. Kit blinked, his brain struggling to comprehend what was happening. Dark hair shifted over pale shoulders, extending into sleek blonde curls. Blue eyes glittered beneath fluttering lashes. The figure -- once a teenage boy, now a woman in her twenties -- wore a fitted gown of pink silk with a three-tiered hoop skirt made of intricate white lace. A Southern Belle, just as Jason had described.

"Aphrodite," both Kit and Annabeth said, one in disappointment and one in disgust, though the two could have easily been confused for the other.

"Venus?" Hazel gasped, her face slackening.

"Mom," Piper said with no enthusiasm.

"Girls," Aphrodite spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. Kit made a point of clearing his throat. "And Kit Dempsey!"

"'Sup," he waved.

The others were frozen.

"I'm so glad you're here," Aphrodite continued, shielding her face with a pink fan. As the feathers concealed her from view, her features continued to shift back and forth -- back to what their hearts were attracted to, forth to the appearance Aphrodite had chosen for herself. It made Kit feel queasy. "War is coming. Bloodshed is inevitable. So there's really only one thing to do."

"Uh... and that is?" Annabeth was brave enough to ask.

"Why, have tea and chat, obviously."

"Obviously," Kit scoffed. Piper's shoulders were nearly bunched up to her ears from how uncomfortable she looked. "If only Gaea agreed to a truce over tea and biscuits. Would make things so much easier."

"Oh, it would," Aphrodite fanned herself again. Kit peeled his eyes away, unable to take the constant flicker of Leo's face. "Now come with me!"

At least Aphrodite knew how to make a good cup of tea. She had lead them to the central pavilion in the gardens where a white-pillared gazebo provided shade for a gilded table covered in fine silverware, china cups and a steaming pot of tea. There were plates of scones, cookies and muffins, fresh butter and jam. Kit's mouth was watering by the time Aphrodite had designated them seats.

Kit sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Piper and Annabeth while Hazel sat to Annabeth's right. The four of them were lined up opposite Aphrodite, who held court in a grand wicker chair made of peacock feathers. She elegantly poured their tea and served cakes without getting a speck on her dress. Her posture remained perfect, her smile dazzling.

This would be the scene of Kit's next nightmare.

"Oh, I do love Charleston," Aphrodite said. "The weddings! The weddings I've attended in this gazebo -- they bring tears to my eyes. And the elegant balls in the days of the Old South -- oh, they were lovely!"

Hazel's brows furrowed. The days of the Old South... Kit somehow doubted they were as lovely as Aphrodite remembered them to be through her rose-coloured glasses.

"Many of these mansions still have statues of me in their gardens, though they called me Venus."

"Which are you?" Annabeth asked. "Venus or Aphrodite?"

The Goddess, sipping her tea, peered at Annabeth appraisingly. "Annabeth Chase, you've grown into quite a beautiful young lady. You really should do something with your hair, though. And Hazel Levesque... your clothes..."

Startled, Hazel looked down at her baggy jeans. "My clothes?"

"Mother," Piper buried her face in her hands. "You're embarrassing me."

"Well, I don't see why," Aphrodite scoffed, twirling a bouncy blonde curl around her manicured index finger. "Just because you don't appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn't mean the others won't. I could do a quick makeover for Annabeth and Hazel, perhaps silk ball gowns like mine. And Kit, my dear, we really should think about retiring that old army jacket. Like your haircut, it's seen better days."

"Mother," Piper snapped as Kit jolted back in his seat like he'd been stabbed, demanding, "What's wrong with my haircut?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just that the mullet really should be left in the 80s."

Mullet? Self-conscious, Kit ran his fingers through the hair at the base of his skull. It was getting longer, sure, but Kit would rather go bald than willingly grow a mullet. Maybe it was time for a haircut, but not because Aphrodite said so! Kit had to resist the urge to grow it even longer out of spite.

"Fine," Aphrodite sighed in momentary defeat. "To answer your question, Annabeth, I am both Aphrodite and Venus. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I changed hardly at all from one age to the other. In fact, I like to think I haven't changed a bit. Love is love, after all, whether you're Greek or Roman. This civil war won't affect me as much as it will the others."

Wonderful, Kit thought. Of all the Gods, the only ones not reduced to madness were Aphrodite, Nemesis and Dionysus. Love, revenge and wine. Wisdom? Who needed it, really. Warfare? For once, Kit would've tolerated (appreciated was taking it too far) his old man's presence. But no, they were stuck with the scraps.

Hazel, nibbling on a sugar cookie, said, "We're not in a war yet, my lady."

Aphrodite laughed. "Dear Hazel, such optimism! Yet you have heartrending days ahead of you."

Hazel's polite smile dropped. She carefully placed her half-eaten cookie on the plate in front of her, no longer hungry. Aphrodite's words were an omen, a glimpse into the secrets Hazel kept in her heart. The air thrummed with unease.

"Of course war is coming. Love and war always go together," she spared a smirk for Kit, leaning forward as if the two of them were a part of an inside joke. "They are the peaks of human emotion, don't you agree, Kit? Evil and good, beauty and ugliness."

Kit had once said he didn't understand how the Gods were separated in two. He wasn't sure when or why -- he said a lot of things that were typically questionable -- but his stance on this hadn't changed. Love and war were universal. Sometimes, they even went hand-in-hand. Love was the root of some of the bloodiest battles. On rare occasions, it was love that overcame the violence.

"What do you mean heartrending days?" Hazel asked.

Aphrodite held a hand to her smiling mouth, tracing a finger of her cherry red lips as she contemplated Hazel. "Well, Annabeth could give you some ideas. I once promised to make her love life interesting, and didn't I?"

Annabeth's jaw clenched. Her hand shook with the urge to snap the handle off her teacup. Kit leaned closer to Piper, not wanting to be in the firing line if her drink went flying.

"Interesting," Annabeth said at last. "Is a mild way of putting it."

"Well, I can't take credit for all your troubles," Aphrodite conceded. "But I do love twists and turns in a love story. Oh, all of you have such excellent stories. I mean, girls--"

Kit coughed.

"--And Kit, how could I forget about you? New love is so sweet, but is it everlasting?"

"Let me guess," he muttered. "I'm in for some heartrending days, too?"

Aphrodite's eyes shifted from her ocean blue to Leo's warm brown, an unspoken promise that she had everything under control. "Everlasting love is so much more profound when you know the other is willing to lay down their life for you. When you'd face Hell or high water for the one who's stolen your heart. You caused quite the commotion, my dear, laying in your lover's arms after looking upon Hera as you did. You are quite the main character."

Kit blinked at her. "Okay."

"Oh, you all do me so proud," Aphrodite applauded them.

Piper, who'd so far managed to escape the prophecies of her own love life, started tapping her fingers in an impatient tune against the tabletop. Just looking at them made Kit think of Aphrodite's French tips, immaculate as if they had only just been done. Everything about her was made to make mortal women feel inferior. Without thinking about it, Piper rubbed at the picked skin around her nail beds. "Mother, is there a reason you're here?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides the tea? I often come here. I love the view, the food, the atmosphere -- you can just smell the romance and the heartbreak in the air, can't you? Centuries of it."

All Kit could smell was ocean water and garden manure, but sure.

"Do you see that rooftop balcony? We had a party there the night before the Civil War began," Aphrodite dreamily recalled. "The shelling of Fort Sumter."

"That's right," said Annabeth. "The island in the harbour. That's where the first fighting of the Civil War happened. The Confederates shelled the Union troops and took the fort."

"Oh, such a party," Aphrodite exclaimed. "A string quartet, and all the men in their elegant new officers' uniforms. The women's dresses -- you should've seen them! I danced with your father, Kit. Ares. Or was he Mars? I'm afraid I was a little giddy. Why, Kit your father does know how to appreciate a woman---"

Kit grimaced, feeling bile in his throat. "Don't make me vomit."

But Aphrodite was too wrapped up in her memories to notice. "And the beautiful bursts of light across the harbour, the roar of the cannons giving the men an excuse to put their arms around their frightened sweethearts..."

Annabeth stared at her, slack-jawed. "You're talking about the beginning of the bloodiest war in U.S history. Over six hundred thousand people died. More Americans than in World War One and World War Two combined."

"And the refreshments," Aphrodite continued, making Kit shake his head. "Ah, they were divine. General Beauregard himself made an appearance. He was such a scoundrel. He was on his second wife, then, but you should have seen the way he looked at Lisbeth Cooper--"

"Mother," Piper tossed her scone to the pigeons, clearly pretending it was her mother's face as it bounced roughly through the dirt.

"Yes, sorry," Aphrodite sighed. "To make the story short--"

"Thank you," Kit remarked.

"I'm here to help you. I doubt you'll be seeing Hera much. Your little quest has hardly made her welcome in the throne room. And the other Gods are rather indisposed, as you know, torn between their Roman and Greek sides. Some more than others..." She fixed her gaze on Annabeth, contemplating her stormy eyes, her messy blonde ponytail. "I suppose you've told your friends about your falling-out with your mother?"

"Falling out?" Hazel and Piper echoed, confused. Kit merely raised an eyebrow, only mildly interested in the flush of red that rose in Annabeth's cheeks.

"An argument," she muttered. "It's nothing."

"If you say so," Kit shrugged, but Aphrodite wasn't as ready to let it go.

"Nothing. Well, I don't know about that. Athena was the most Greek of all Goddesses. The patron of Athens, after all. When the Romans took over... oh, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the Goddess of crafts and cleverness, but the Romans had other war Gods who were more to their taste, most reliably Roman, like Bellona."

A shadow crossed Piper's face. "Reyna's mum."

"Yes, indeed," Aphrodite nodded. "I had a lovely talk with Reyna a while back, right here in the park."

As if Piper needed reminding.

"And the Romans had Mars, of course. And later, there was Mithras -- not even properly Greek or Roman, but the legionnaires were crazy about his cult. I always found him crass and terribly nouveau dieu, personally."

"Of course," said Kit.

He had no idea what she meant.

"At any rate, the Romans quite sidelined poor Athena," Aphrodite pursed her lips. "They took away most of her military importance. The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did Athena."

"The Mark of Athena," Annabeth whispered. "It leads to a statue, doesn't it? It leads to... to the statue."

"You are clever, like your mother. Understand, though, that your siblings, the children of Athena, have been searching for centuries. None has succeeded in recovering the statue."

"Must be a big statue," Kit commented.

Aphrodite merely giggled, like he'd said something charmingly cute. "In the meantime, Annabeth, they've been keeping alive the Greek feud with the Romans. Every civil war... so much bloodshed and heartbreak... has been orchestrated largely by Athena's children."

"That's...." Annabeth's face contorted. She wanted to deny it, but Kit knew that she couldn't when she dropped her eyes.

"Huh," he said. "That's interesting, isn't it, Annabeth?"

She popped her shoulders, careful not to respond, but Kit didn't need her to.

"Romantic, too," Aphrodite added.

"But the Mark of Athena," Annabeth moved the subject along. "How does it work? Is it a series of clues or a trail set by Athena--?"

"I couldn't say," Aphrodite waved dismissively. "I don't believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where her statue was, she'd simply tell you where to find it."

"Here's a thought," Kit said, dramatically gasping. "A bit crazy, I know, but she could just get the statue herself?"

"Oh, Kit," Aphrodite smiled. "I like you. Get it herself. What a funny thing to say. No, if I were to guess, the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of breadcrumbs. It's a connection between the statue and the children of the Goddess. The statue wants to be found, you see, but it can only be freed by the most worthy."

Which wasn't its namesake? A literal Goddess? Yeah, that made so much sense.

"And for thousands of years, no one has managed," Annabeth sighed.

"Hold on," Piper shook her head, gaining the attention of her mother.

Kit lingered on Aphrodite's face, searching for the familiar warmth he once knew from his own mother, but there was nothing that tied Aphrodite to Piper beyond the claim she'd laid to her all those months ago. Aphrodite was the Goddess of love, but she only knew how to love one person unconditionally and that was herself. Piper was a blip in the universe, a pitstop on a road trip, a passing face in a crowd of many. Aphrodite did not love her, but Piper certainly wasn't hurt by it.

"I'm sure Annabeth can fill you in," Aphrodite said. "At any rate, the clue you need is close by. A map of sorts, left by the children of Athena in 1861 — a remembrance that will start you on your path once you reach Rome. But as you said, Annabeth Chase, no one has ever succeeded in following the Mark of Athena to its end. There you will face your worst fear. The fear of every child of Athena. And even if you survive, how will you use your reward? For war or for peace?"

Annabeth's fingers dug into the tablecloth, threatening to tear slices out of the delicate white lace. The first flicker of alarm crossed Aphrodite's face; of course, it was at the risk of her beloved table setting. "This map. Where is it?"

But Aphrodite was still staring at her tablecloth, oblivious to the sudden gasp Hazel released as she stared over the blonde Goddess' head. "Guys!"

Kit craned his neck to follow her pointing finger. Circling above the palmetto trees were two large eagles. Right behind them was a rapidly descending chariot.

"Shit," Kit groaned, sliding a hand down the side of his face. "Thanks for nothing, Buford."

"Mother," Piper prompted.

"Oh, the map is at Fort Sumter, of course," said Aphrodite, reaching for a fresh muffin. Using her butter knife, she pointed toward the island that sat across the harbour. In truth, Kit hadn't spared it a second glance and he didn't now. He was more focused on the pegasi slowly coming into focus. "It looks like the Romans have arrived to cut you off. I'd get back to your ship in a hurry if I were you. Would you care for some tea cakes to go?"

Kit's stomach grumbled at the thought. "Well, if you're offering..." He reached for a cake off the plate Aphrodite held out but was yanked away by Annabeth, whose grip was firm on the back of his collar. "Okay, jeez, nevermind."

They didn't make it to the ship.

As they were sprinting across the dock like four headless chickens, their two eagle friends were joined by a third, all of which descended down from the Heavens in their path. Each deposited a Roman commando dressed in purple denim with glittering gold armour and swords to match. Their shields boasted the same symbol tattooed on Jason's wrist.

Unfortunately, Kit recognised the one in the middle.

"You," he hissed, recalling the last time he'd seen his pal Octavian's infuriatingly punchable face.

"Surrender to Rome!" the blonde augur shrieked.

Hazel, drawing her cavalry sword, grumbled, "Fat chance, Octavian."

"I say we just kill him now," Kit suggested, wielding his own sword with piercing eyes.

"Not yet," Annabeth muttered a curse under her breath.

By himself, Octavian was no trouble. Kit could just hold his sword in the scrawny boy's face and he had a feeling Octavian would piss himself out of fear. But the two brawny guys on either side of him? They looked to be seasoned warriors -- not as seasoned as Kit, of course, but he'd give credit where credit was due. Their biceps alone would crush Octavian's twiggy neck in half, proving to be a nuisance for them.

Piper raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Octavian, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain."

"Can't hear you!" Kit half-expected him to plug his ears and stick out his tongue, like a child throwing a tantrum. "We've got wax in our ears. Standard procedure when battling evil sirens."

Kit snorted. Piper's face burned. "Got a new nickname for you, Pipes."

"Don't you dare," she muttered under her breath.

Octavian continued to babble obliviously. "Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands!"

"Nobody's binding my hands but my boyfriend," Kit hefted his sword in refusal.

"Let me skewer him," Hazel said. "Please."

"Who, Kit?" Annabeth was still grimacing from his previous statement. "Go for it."

"Hey!"

The ship was only fifty feet away but there was no sign of Coach Hedge on deck (Kit would be sure to give him a stern talking-to for that once they were settled again. Why put him on watch if he was just going to flake on them?) Meanwhile, Leo's group wasn't due back until sunset and Percy would be bobbing around underwater, unaware of the invasion. The eagles continued to circle overhead, crying out as if to alert their brethren of the tasty Greek demigod meal taunting them below.

"Well?" Octavian demanded, crossing his arms and nearly knocking his helmet off with his sword. Kit prayed he'd save them the job and skewer himself on his own weapon, but alas he wasn't that stupid.

Very slowly, only using two fingers, Annabeth drew her dagger. Kit gaped at her head, but it wasn't until she tossed it as far as she could into the water that he realised.

"Oh, you genius daughter of wisdom," he grinned.

Octavian made a high-pitched squawking sound. Maybe he was imitating his eagle pets? Kit couldn't be sure. "What was that for? I didn't say toss it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!"

All around the Romans, Charleston Harbour erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on one helluva show. The water artfully dodged Kit and the girls, sweeping the three enemies into the bay where they spluttered and frantically tried to stay afloat in their bulky armour. As the wall of blue resided, Percy stood bemused on the dock. He held out his dagger to Annabeth.

"You dropped this."

Annabeth threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

"Is Aphrodite nearby?" Kit craned his neck around, but there was no sign of the blonde Goddess.

"Aphrodite?" Percy frowned.

"Long story. Bit of a waste of time, really."

"Guys," Hazel interrupted. Her eyes lingered warily on the three struggling Romans, but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "We need to hurry."

They began to move, only for Octavian to wail in outrage. "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"

"Please try it," Kit begged.

"I agree," Percy said. "It's tempting."

"What?" Octavian swiped at his ears but failed to remove the wax. As a particularly choppy wave slapped him in the face, he yelped and pitched himself onto one of his guard's backs. They immediately began to sink from the added weight.

"Nothing," Percy waved a hand at him. "Come on. Let's go, guys."

"We won't let them drown, will we?" Hazel confirmed.

"I won't," Percy promised. Kit's lower lip jutted out from a rush of disappointment. "I've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."

With the Romans sufficiently held up, they made it to the Argo II in record time. Kit lead the way to the helm, only somewhat listening to Annabeth barking orders at the others as she hurried after him.

"Kit, do you understand... this?" She gestured helplessly at the mess that was Leo's control panels.

"No," he said without missing a beat. "But what choice do we have?"

"We need to get this ship to Fort Sumter," she insisted, pointing from the two of them to Percy, who had also followed Kit.

"Right," Kit said, settling in the heart of the system. "Percy, get the mast ready. Annabeth, start pressing buttons on the right, I'll take the left. Let's hope we don't accidentally save the Romans the job by blowing ourselves up."

Somehow, they survived the initial onslaught of chaos. Percy mastered the ropes and masts with relative ease -- releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor like it was nothing. The sails unfurled and caught the wind. As for Annabeth, she pressed a series of buttons that eventually fired the engine, and Kit found the controls for the various weapons Leo had fitted to the sides of the ship. He heard the distant click of guns loading and grinned.

"Octavian," he cooed, scanning the sky for a sign of a bronze eagle. "Oh, where art thou, Octavian?"

As they set off for the island, the eagles slowly gathered just out of the firing line. There were at least a dozen of them now and each carried a Roman demigod. They were outnumbered, but not out-weaponed by any means. After a few minutes of tense stand-off, Hedge came barrelling up the stairs with Hazel at his hooves.

"Where are they?" He raised his fists. "Who do I kill?"

"No killing," Annabeth said both to him and to Kit, who pretended not to hear her. "Just defend the ship."

"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!"

"Which one?" Kit asked.

"Does it matter?" Annabeth scowled. "Keep pressing buttons, please!"

Piper was the next to emerge from below deck. "I got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be -- oh! There he is!"

Soaring over the sky, heading in their direction, was another eagle. Kit swung the nearest gun in their direction but Piper nearly crash-tackled him back from the control panel. This wasn't a Roman eagle, if Kit's screaming boyfriend stuck in its claws was anything to go by.

"Frank," Hazel cried.

Behind them flew Jason, who rode the wind effortlessly.

"Never seen Jason fly before," Percy appeared, frowning. "He looks like a blonde Superman."

Kit snorted. "That's my nickname for him. Fitting, right?"

"This isn't the time!" Piper smacked him over the head. "Guys, look. They're in trouble."

Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had appeared from behind a cloud and it was heading straight towards them with no intention of slowing down. Jason and Frank were given no choice but to veer out of the way -- Leo's scrambling legs narrowly avoided arrows launched at his feet -- which lead to more screaming and cursing that all of them could hear clearly even from this distance. Jason and Frank had no choice but to overshoot the Argo II and fly toward Fort Sumter instead.

"I'll get them," Hedge offered.

He didn't wait for a response, spinning the port ballista in their direction. It was Kit's turn to crash tackle someone, wrestling his arms around the protesting satyr's middle, but it was too late. He'd fired the ballista and it volleyed at the chariot without remorse, exploding over the heads of the pegasi and throwing them into a panic. Frank, who wasn't yet out of reach, had his eagle wings singed and Leo slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason, who barely managed to lunge for Leo and regain altitude. They disappeared from sight.

"Coach!" Piper screamed.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "That was just a warning shot!"

"Annabeth, pick up the pace," Kit ordered, forcing his fists into his pockets instead of slamming them into Hedge's face. His whole body jittered as the memory of Leo falling repeated over in his head. Had Jason managed to slow them down? Had Leo been burned from the exploding ballista?

Thankfully, Annabeth did just that.

"Percy, we're going to come in hard," she warned. "I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship."

"But Leo," Kit argued.

He wouldn't wait for Annabeth to find him.

"I'll find them all," she tried to promise. "I've got to figure out where the map is! And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do that."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," Percy pointed out, not quite ready to concede. "You'll have to fight your way through, find our friends -- assuming they're okay -- find this map, and get everybody back alive. All on your own?"

"Just an average day," Annabeth pressed a hasty kiss to his lips. "Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship."

Kit grabbed her wrist before she could turn back to the panels. "Annabeth, I swear."

"I know, Kit," she turned her hand around so her palm was pressed to his. Kit flinched but she didn't let go. "It's okay to fear for him, you know. I actually like seeing you scared."

"Sadist," he managed to say between gritted teeth.

She squeezed his hand then released him. "Please watch the ship. Trust me?"

He had no choice. When Annabeth left, Kit listened.