"𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐘, 𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐘, 𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐘."

i groaned as theo's voice made it through the door. i hadn't gotten much sleep last night because the hull's creaking and groaning only reminded me of extremis and when pepper and i were held captive and the president almost died by oil.

i had wanted to go sneak into percy's room, but i swear, hedge was up all night banging on the doors. theo was smarter than me, sneaking into leo's room before hedge called lights out.

"go away!" i yelled.

"let's go!" theo repeated, louder this time. "chop chop. we're in beautiful kansas, and i need you to get your ass out here and smell the—"

i opened the door to glare at theo.

he grinned, all washed and dressed already.

"good morning, sweetheart," he smiled. "i've set aside some pop-tarts and chocolate milk for you. better hurry, because if someone else steals it, that's not on me."

i shut the door and trudged towards the washroom.

"hurry!" theo called again.

i got ready pretty quickly. after letting my curls loose to allow them to completely dry, i chugged a red bull and made my way upstairs.

i looked around the mess hall, seeing the pop-tart and chocolate milk theo had set aside for me. i ate quickly, before running outside to see the landing.

"hey," percy muttered, coming up behind me and pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

"hi," i grinned.

"ugh, pda," theo muttered.

"oh shut up," i told him. "not all of us spent the night with our boyfriend."

leo choked on his bagel. 

"woah, how did you get past coach hedge?" percy sounded shocked, and a little impressed.

"he didn't," i glared at my brother. "snuck into leo's room before coach came up to chaperone us."

"that's not fair," percy muttered.

"you're telling me."

"okay," leo muttered, red creeping up his neck, "look, everyone else is arriving. let's turn our attention to them and away from theo and i."

piper, annabeth, jason, hazel, and frank all walked towards us together, chatting animatedly about something.

"so?" i said to my sister as they stopped talking, "we're in kansas. what's the plan?"

"i want to check out the highway," piper said. "find this sign that says topeka 32."

"we shouldn't be far," leo spun his wii remote, lowering the sails. "we calculated the landing as best we could. what do you want to find there?"

piper gave a short explanation of a man wearing vines and handing them a goblet.

"purple shirt?" jason repeated. "vines on his hat? sounds like bacchus."

percy, annabeth, theo and i visibly deflated.

"you're kidding me," percy muttered. "if we came all the way here to see mr. d, i'm gonna—"

"bacchus isn't so bad," jason said. "his followers are worse, but the god himself is okay. i did a favor for him once in wine country."

"we've done about a bajillion favors for mr. d," i told jason. "yet, he can barely remember our names."

jason shrugged.

"maybe he's not as bad on the roman side," percy said hopefully. "but why would he be in kansas? didn't zeus order the gods to cease contact with mortals?"

"the gods haven't been very good at following that order," frank noted. "besides, if the gods have gone schizophrenic like hazel said—" 

"and leo said," added leo. 

frank scowled at him. "then who knows what's going on with the olympians? could be some pretty bad stuff out there." 

"sounds dangerous!" leo agreed cheerfully. "well... you guys have fun. i've got to finish repairs on the hull. coach hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. and, uh, annabeth, riles — i could really use your help. you guys are the only other people who even sort of understand engineering." 

"excuse me, fledgling," i muttered. "i have a masters degree in mechanical engineering from m.i.t."

"right," leo agreed. "all the more reason i need your help."

i looked up at percy, apologetically, "he's right. we should stay and help." 

"i'll come back to you." he kissed my cheek. "promise."

frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. "i think i should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for roman eagles." 

"why a crow?" leo asked. "man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? that's the coolest." 

frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "that's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. because it's hard, and you'd hurt yourself. turning into a dragon isn't easy." 

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

"yeah. well, maybe you should consider it, mr.—" 

hazel stepped between them."i'll help you, frank," she said, shooting leo an evil look. "i can summon arion and scout around below." 

"sure," frank said, still glaring at leo. "yeah, thanks."

theo looked between the three of them, and i saw a quick expression of hurt flash across his face before he hid it. piper sensed the change in his emotions as well, because she turned to me.

i shrugged, motioning to the three of them.

piper shrugged back.

"i'm going to go to medbay," theo said, dropping leo's hand. "i'm not feeling too well."

hazel seemed to understand what had happened immediately, calling for him. "theo, wait—"

but theo was gone.

leo stared in confusion. "he was fine a few minutes ago."

"probably a bug," annabeth suggested. "or because we just landed after flying for so long. you know theo. he's sensitive."

"mhmm," leo muttered, but he didn't seem to be paying too close attention.

hazel looked down, guilty. 

frank turned to percy, "just be careful when you go out there. lots of fields, lots of crops. could be karpoi on the loose." 

"karpoi?" piper asked. 

"grain spirits," hazel put in. "you don't want to meet them." 

"that leaves three of us to check on the mile marker," percy said. "me, jason, piper. i'm not psyched about seeing mr. d again. that guy is a pain. but, jason, if you're on better terms with him—" 

"yeah," jason said. "if we find him, i'll talk to him. piper, it's your vision. you should take the lead." 

"wait," i said, interrupting them and pulling piper away for a second.

"please," i begged her, "do not let percy be turned into a dolphin. mr. d has threatened to do it about a million times, and percy doesn't make it any better."

piper smiled, "you can count on me."

i watched the three of them leave, followed by hazel and frank.

"so," leo started, "pick a piece of the hull to work on, and lets get started."

it felt like hours.

i'd managed to fix a reasonable portion of the hull with J.A.R.V.I.S.'s help. it wasn't easy, but it was done.

i ate a chocolate chip muffin as annabeth and leo also ate something to gain their energy back. theo still hadn't come up.

leo seemed to notice the same thing because he got up, "i'm gonna go check on theo. he's been down a while."

"leo, wait," i interrupted.

"hmm?" he turned around.

"i think i should go," i suggested. "i mean, no offense or anything, but you know how theo is at times. if he's been down for so long, i think he might be sick. i'm better trained as a medic."

leo thought about it before agreeing reluctantly. "yeah okay. i'd probably make things worse."

i felt bad as i left leo and annabeth to go downstairs, but i had my reasons. if theo was hurt about leo and hazel and frank (or whatever the hell was happening between them), then he wouldn't want to see leo right now.

i knocked on theo's door.

"go away," he grumbled from the other side.

"it's me, riley," i said.

i heard shuffling before theo opened the door. his hair was disheveled and he looked tired.

"come in."

i entered his room, sitting on a bean bag chair.

"tay," i started. "are you really sick?"

"don't feel well," he grunted.

"is it because of leo?" i asked softly.

he sighed, flopping back onto the bed. "i mean, kinda, i don't know."

"talk to me, bubba."

"i like him, riles. i really really like him. and i think he likes me too. we're pretty happy together, well i feel happy when we're together. but i don't know. every time hazel and leo and frank get into one of their arguments, i can't help but think leo isn't as happy as i am in this relationship."

"oh my baby," i muttered, getting up and pulling theo close to me. "you should've seen him upstairs. leo wanted to come down and check up on you, but i stopped him. the entire time while we were working, he kept an eye on the door, hoping you'd show up. literally whenever you speak, he gets this little smile on his face as he listens to you. it's adorable."

i brushed theo's hair back, "leo cares about you a lot. there's nothing romantic going on between him and hazel, but something else is. i don't even think leo knows exactly what it is. believe me when i tell you, leo is trying. he's trying his best to be good to you, to be good for you. and the truth is, you guys are perfect for each other. sometimes, in a relationship, you just gotta go along and see where it leads."

theo was silent for a moment, "like pepper does with your dad?"

i laughed, "like pepper does with dad."

"well then," theo got up and shooed me out of the room, "i call being the billionaire."

i laughed a little as i left his room, making my way upstairs. i bumped into leo, who was practically bouncing up and down.

"is he okay?" leo asked. "sick? stomach bug? fever?"

"he's fine!" i grabbed leo's shoulders. "he was feeling a little under the weather, so he took a nap. he should be up soon."

leo practically breathed a sigh of relief, "that's good."

before i could even get another word out, a loud thud sounded on the decks and we all rushed out to check it.

i furrowed my brows at the scene in front of me.

blackjack whinnied nervously as piper began unloading percy and jason from his back.

"what happened?" i asked, coming forward and helping her. 

leo and annabeth came ahead also, frank and hazel taking care of blackjack. i gave him a quick scratch and promised donuts before taking percy and jason down to medbay.

"long story," piper huffed. "i'll explain once we get down."

coach tended to jason's wounds while i tended to percy's.

"how come i never get invited to these violent trips?" he grumbled. "at this rate, we'll run out of ambrosia."

i peeked over at our stash and realized he was right.

"i'll call someone to drop off more," i waved it off. 

"leo, are we ready to sail?" piper asked.

"yeah, but—"

"set course for atlanta," piper told him. "i'll explain later."

"but... okay," he said, running out of the room.

i rubbed the knot forming at the back of percy's head. it looked suspiciously like a horseshoe.

"what hit him?" i muttered.

"blackjack," piper merely answered.

"what?"

piper did her best to explain their meeting with bacchus. she was getting to the part where gaea's face appeared in the dirt when the two boys woke. their memories were fuzzy, like leo after he fired on new rome.

piper described the duel on the highway as jason winced.

"knocked out twice in two days," he muttered. "some demigod."

"don't be hard on yourself," i told him. "but, at the same time, that couldn't have been good for your health. i'll get J to do a quick scan — of both of you."

the boys nodded.

jason glanced sheepishly at percy, "sorry, man. didn't mean to blast you."

"not the first time," percy managed a weak laugh. "your sister got me good one time at camp."

i winced, remembering their fight at the lake. that had been terrifying.

"yeah, but... i could have killed you," jason said.

"or i could have killed you," percy shrugged.

"if there had been an ocean in kansas, maybe," jason muttered.

"i don't need an ocean—"

"okay, you two," i interrupted them. "while i'm sure you would have done a great job at killing each other, how bout you guys rest, huh?"

"food first," percy said. "please? and we really need to talk about some of the things bacchus—"

"okay fine," i told him. "meeting in the mess hall in ten minutes. oh, and percy, change your clothes. you smell like you've been run over by electric horse."

piper explained everything in more detail at the dining table.

"that's what must've happened to leo," theo muttered. 

"so it wasn't my fault," leo exhaled. "i didn't start world war iii. i was only possessed. that's a relief."

"what are you now?" i asked, unable to help it.

"um... better," annabeth finished at leo's confused look.

the two of us began cracking up and even theo shook his head at our antics.

"hold up," frank began. "you guys watched teen wolf too?"

"yup," i nodded. "oh my gods! you watched it! who's your favorite character?"

percy coughed, "um, tink. back to the possessing spirits."

"oh, right," i muttered. "anyways, leo. the romans don't know that. they think you fired on purpose. and i doubt they'd take our word for it."

"would reyna listen?" piper asked jason.

jason pondered for a second, "maybe not immediately. but if we get a message to her, asking to listen, then she should. i know she will."

i felt bad for jason. he'd done all he could to get back to reyna, and now they were forced on opposite sides of a war.

"but octavian's the one we have to be careful of," i reminded them. "he's hellbent on destroying us, and i don't think reyna can say anything against him."

frank nodded, "this afternoon, we saw some eagles while we were scouting. it's like they can smell us."

"they can," jason confirmed. "they can hunt demigods by scent even better than monsters. while the ship is better, it won't completely conceal us from them."

leo drummed his fingers against the table, cursing under his breath. "great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. remind me to invent that, next time."

hazel frowned. "what is a chicken nugget?"

"oh, man..." leo shook his head in amazement. "that's right. you've missed the last like, seventy years. well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"

"is this!" i held one up from my plate, grinning.

"that's actually a dino nugget," theo corrected.

"it's not made out of dinosaurs," i told him. "just shaped like one. so technically, it can still be called a chicken nugget."

"who cares what it's called?" annabeth interrupted. "the point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the romans. even if they believe us—"

"you're right." jason leaned forward. "we should just keep going. once we're over the atlantic, we'll be safe — at least from the legion."

he sounded so depressed i wanted to give him a hug.

"how can you be sure?" piper asked. "why wouldn't they follow us?"

he shook his head. "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."

frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "so, if we go there..."

"we'll be outlaws as well as traitors," jason confirmed. "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."

percy pointed his pizza slice at jason. "you, sir, are a ray of sunshine."

i stared down at my dino nuggets, not finding them as appetizing as before. i wished thor or clint were here so i could give it to them instead.

"so let's plan ahead," percy suggested, "and make sure we don't die. mr. d — bacchus — ugh, do i have to call him mr. b now? anyway, he mentioned the twins in ella's prophecy. two giants. otis and, uh, something that started with an f?" 

"ephialtes," jason said. "twin giants, like piper saw in her blade..." 

annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "i remember a story about twin giants. they tried to reach mount olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains." 

theo froze, "giants... who can use mountains like building blocks? and you say mr. d killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?" 

"something like that," percy said. "i don't think we should count on his help this time. he wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle." 

silence fell around the table. 

above us, coach hedge was singing, blow the man down, but he didn't know the lyrics, so he was just making a lot of it up.

i shook my head, slumping in my chair. i hadn't gotten much sleep, and it seemed to be finally catching up to me.

"she wants two of us," piper's voice sounded.

"hmm?" i asked, sitting up.

"i just remembered something gaea had said," piper told us. "she said she needed the blood of two demigods — one male and one female. then she told me to pick which boy would — would die."

"why would she want that?" annabeth asked. "i means, besides the fact that we're all her enemies."

leo whistled softly. "guys, remember at the wolf house? our favorite ice princess, khione?"

"the one you had a crush on?" theo asked in a bland tone.

"that was before i realized she was bad!" leo defended himself. "but, she talked about spilling jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. maybe demigod blood has some kind of power." 

"oh..." percy set down his third pizza slice. he leaned back and stared at nothing, as if the horse kick to his head had just now registered. 

"percy?" i flicked his arm lightly.

"oh, bad," he muttered. "bad. bad." he looked across the table at frank and hazel. "you guys remember polybotes?" 

"the giant who invaded camp jupiter," hazel said. "the anti-poseidon you whacked in the head with a terminus statue. yes, i think i remember." 

"i had a dream," percy said, "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 earth mother!'" 

the temperature in the room seemed to drop, as if a warning were playing out.

"it's got to be a part of the ritual to wake her," i said. "i mean, demigod blood does have certain powers. it's why demigods and their offspring are more resilient. it's no wonder gaea would want to use our blood."

percy sighed, "until we figure it out, i suggest we all try to avoid getting captured." 

jason grunted. "that i agree with." 

"but how do we figure it out?" hazel asked. "the mark of athena, the twins, ella's prophecy... how does it all fit together?" 

annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "piper, you told leo to set our course for atlanta." 

"right," piper said. 

"bacchus told us we should seek out... what was his name?" 

"phorcys," percy said. 

annabeth and i furrowed our brows as we stared at him. even theo seemed surprised.

"you know him?" annabeth asked. 

percy shrugged. "i didn't recognize the name at first. 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." 

leo snorted. "what's a wine god doing in kansas? gods are weird. anyway, we should reach atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong." 

"don't say that," i pleaded. "otherwise things will always go wrong."

percy grinned as he turned to me, but i shivered. a cold feeling creeped up on me again, and i caught piper's eye. she felt it too.

"alright everyone," annabeth announced. "let's try to get some sleep. tomorrow, we find salt water in atlanta."

"wait," i stopped everyone.

piper looked at me, motioning for me to go ahead.

i took a breath, "i might be losing my shit, but i think there are still eidolons in the room."

"you're not losing your shit," piper assured me. "i got the feeling too."

"the cold thingy on your neck?" annabeth asked.

"yeah," the two of us agreed.

"i just thought the a.c. was malfunctioning," she muttered. "but, yeah. i feel it too."

hazel nodded, "i know what you mean. i met eidolons in the underworld, when i was... you know."

"so..." frank started. "these things are in the ship or—"

"inside some of us," i told him. "i — i don't know how to explain it, but i can sense them."

and it was true. whatever extremis did to me, to my powers, it changed me completely. not just the things i've been through, but my reactions as well. i got strong hunches (which were usually right) and my emotion manipulation worked much better than before. it was weird, but helpful.

"if that's true," jason started.

"we have to get them out," percy said. "it's the only way."

piper looked to me to lead, and i sighed.

my charmspeak worked if i was confident (and i was at the moment) and drew had been helping piper and i over the past few months.

"we have to take steps," i told everyone. "listen to me."

i closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. i imagined myself staring out at the ocean. a desire that i had. it made it easier to control the charmspeak.

allowing it to flow into my voice, i looked at everyone. the voice that spoke sounded older, more demanding, more charming, "eidolons. raise your hands."

there was a pause and leo laughed nervously. "was that suppo—" his face went slack and he raised his hand.

theo made a face, but he didn't jump away.

unlike frank, who squeaked and put his back up against the wall. 

percy and jason raised their hands as well. their eyes had turned glassy and gold. it reminded me of luke, and for a second, i froze up.

i took another deep breath, and steeled my nerves.

i looked between all three of them, before deciding to focus on leo. (looking at percy hurt, and jason was kinda intimidating).

"are there more of you on this ship?" i asked.

"no," leo's voice sounded hollow, and theo made a pained sound at hearing him speak. "the earth mother sent three. the strongest, the best. we will live again."

"oh hell no," i muttered. "all three of you, listen to me carefully. you will leave these bodies."

"no," leo hissed.

"we must live," percy said.

"mars almighty, that's creepy," frank fumbled with his bow. "get out of here spirits! leave our friends alone."

"you cannot command us child of war," leo said. "your own life is fragile. it could burn away at any moment."

frank shook as he stepped forward.

"frank, stop," i told him. i looked back at the eidolons, "you will leave these bodies, once and for all."

jason began to sweat, "we will leave the bodies."

"you will vow on the river styx to leave these bodies," i repeated, "and to never posses a member of this crew or anyone ever again."

there was a moment of hesitation before they spoke in unison, "we swear on the river styx."

"now leave," i commanded.

they all slumped forward. percy went face-first into his pizza.

"percy," i grabbed him, and helped him sit up.

hazel and piper grabbed jason as he slipped out of his chair. leo fell forward, and theo grabbed him, but not before his head banged on the table.

"ow!" leo muttered. he had a piece of spaghetti stuck to his forehead like a 3.

"sorry mom amour," theo muttered, pulling the spaghetti off of him.

"did it work?" leo asked.

i nodded, "yeah. i don't think they'll be possessing us any time soon."

but i couldn't help the chill in my bones.

REY WRITES!

thanks for reading !!

would you look at that, i'm
actually updating on friday!!

what's ur fav moment from the first / second
book so far (mcu/pjo) ??

what moment are you most excited to
see (mcu/pjo) ??

thoughts?

comments?

headcanons?

theories?

bonus chapter ideas??