Hazel

Stab... Dodge... Avoid barrel of flames coming towards me. Leave that to Leo. Dive run... Uppercut to chin and stand back and watch the smoldering pile of gold dust running off into the distance. I sheathed my dagger and stepped back to watch the others collapse in exhaustion.

I stepped back to watch the last trail of gold be swept away by the wind. I was glad it wasn't reforming here... Again. I sighed and called to the others."Can we go!"

"Yep, I think stopping here was a waste of time anyway." Jason replied

It was bad enough stopping the Argo II just because I felt connected to this place, and then having giant monsters pounce and still not finding anything. I pulled Piper to her feet and began walking back to the boat. And that's when I felt it. I started walking in the opposite direction crazed with the idea that something here I was meant to find. And there it was.

A mound of orange rock that was just sitting there. Slowly I reached out my hand and brushed my hand across it. I felt its rough surface against my hand. Amber?... no. A form of graphite? This wasn't any normal mortal substance. A deafening crack shot out around the clearing and everyone whipped there heads round to stare at me. In no time they surrounded had surrounded the rock and were gaping at like startled fish. We watched as the rock began to break. Little pieces crumbled off until it was no longer one piece but several but several smaller pieces. And in their places was a girl.

Piper

The girl sat in a crouched position. Her chestnut brown hair fell over her left eye and she wore a strange concoction of armor and leather. I blinked and the girl was gone. I spun round rapidly, almost tripping over one own feet. (Very heroic). The girl had her dagger up to Jason's neck, and he was rapidly trying to retreat, but the girl matched every move he made and kept up easily. She was the hunter and him her prey. "Hey!" I yelled moving my arms. Anything to get her away from Jason. The girl didn't even look at me. "Who the hell are you!" she yelled. "Where the hell am I? What the..." the girl stumbled away from Jason and held herself up against a tree. "Hell is going on?" The girl managed before fainting.

A stunned silence came over us all. No one really wanted to say something but I figured it was my duty as a charm speaker to calm everyone but Leo beat me to it.

"Awkward." He said stringing the word out for effect.

"Shut up Valdez," I said in response. "I'm trying not to be captain obvious here but is anyone else think that what justhappened was slightly weird. I mean she moved like a bullet and uhhh..." I trailed off forgetting what I was going to say. Everyone stared at me and I looked at my feet awkwardly. Nice going Piper, I said to myself.

Jason covered for me. "We should leave before she wakes up."

"No!" Hazel shouted, surprising everyone including me. "We have to bring her with us. This is why I wanted to come here. I just know it."

"You just know it." Replied Jason. "She attacked me almost killed me."

"But she didn't kill you. She wasprobably just confused or something." Hazel retorted.

"Yeah, I can see she didn't kill me thank you very much." Jason snarled.

The rest of us stood back and watched the argument take place. We were all stunned. For people that never talked they certainly had it in for each other.

"Let's vote on it then." Hazel concluded.

"Fine." Jason responded. "I vote we leave her."

"I vote she comes!" Hazel shot back

"I vote she come as well." Frank said

"Me to," Leo said.

"Piper?" Jason asked me

"I'm with you. Leave her."

Everyone stopped and stared at Nico who seemed deep in thought. Slowly he turned and looked at the group.

"I vote she comes," he said. "Nothing on a quest happens by accident and this certainly is not an accident."

Piper

I sat in the cabin with the girl. She was still passed out and I was counting down the seconds for when she would actually wake up. I knew the others were watching from outside.

For my own protection they had said. To contain your curiosity I had retorted. I looked at the girl. She was so young. 13 at the most. The rock girls sword and dagger had been taken from her. And the jars she had tied round her waste were gone to. I played with my fingers absentmindedly, when the girls eyes flickered. I put on a fake smile and got ready to charm speak.

The girls eyes opened and I opened my mouth to speak but her eyes kept me captivated. They were grey, for a second then green, then blue, then they were a mix of gold and red, then they were grey all over again. Slowly I tore my eyes from hers and spoke in what I hoped was a calming voice. "Shhhh it's all right. Nothing's going to hurt you."

"Don't waste your energy," the girl croaked. "Charmspeak, it does not work on me."

I stared at the girl. But charm speak worked on everyone. I felt crushed. My strongest power I could contribute and and it didn't work. I struggled to find words that wouldn't sound stupid or dumb but nothing came to mind.

The girl sat up suddenly. "Hermes?" She said. "Hermes!"