GAMMA | FIGHTS WITH THE CHILDREN OF POSEIDON RESULT IN TSUNAMIS

Disclaimer: I do not own the Heroes of Olympus series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.

THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO Esther77, gia1113,Rose1414, Sakurablossom125, yasminasfeir1, NicoleR85, Butterfly007, Imprisoned Wings, Waverley Grace, DaughterofWar03, Madhatterpotterhead, Nyte, Spunky89, Arianna Le Fay, Agazeamongstthestars AND Guest FOR REVIEWING! I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE SUPPORT I RECEIVED FOR THIS STORY!

gia1113: Thank you for the help! Spoilers: 'Pacalis Necto' will have a very important role in later chapters!

Imprisoned Wings: Riss can FEEL what Percy feels and receives scratches and cuts but she doesn't have the Roman burns. I will explain more why later on, it's going to be a small plot twist.

DaughterofWar03: I really like Leo and Calypso together, I think it's sweet, so Piper may have an OC. Is that what you meant?

Arianna Le Fay: Soon! I am going to enjoy writing that chapter so damn much!

Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. "You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship. You do realize that the ancient lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous?"

"Mary who?" Leo asked.

"Mare Nostrum," Jason explained. "Our sea. It's what the Ancient Romans called the Mediterranean."

Reyna nodded. "The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giants…and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, there it would be ten times worse."

"You said Alaska would be bad," Percy reminded her. "We survived that."

Reyna shook her head. Her fingernails cut little crescents into the apple as she turned it. "Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

"Then we're good!" Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the Argo II is a top-of-the-line warship. She'll get us through."

"We'll have to hurry," Jason added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."

Annabeth shuddered. She'd had her own share of nightmares lately. "Seven half-bloods must answer the call," she said. "It needs to be a mix from both our camps. Riss?"

Riss nodded, eyes glowing slightly, "It's the same as what I predicted before. Jason, Piper, Leo, you, Percy and I. Now, Hazel and Frank as well. That's the seven."

"What?" Octavian shot to his feet. "We're just supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without—" The blonde stopped, "That's also eight."

Riss made a 'no duh' face at Octavian's smug smile, "Oh, wow, really? Percy and I are twins, dumbass, it means we count as one person on a quest."

"We've done it before," Percy agreed. "We also have no idea why it works."

Octavian sat back down as Riss' glowing eyes narrowed menacingly at him and he gulped.

"Percy! Neri!" Tyson the Cyclops bounded toward them with Mrs O'Leary at his heels. On the hellhound's back sat the skinniest harpy Annabeth had ever seen—a sickly-looking girl with stringy red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red-feathered wings. Annabeth didn't know where the harpy had come from, but her heart warmed to see Tyson in his tattered flannel and denim with the backward SPQR banner across his chest. She'd had some pretty bad experiences with Cyclopes, but Tyson was a sweetheart.

"Ty!" Riss was off the seat in a second and was in Tyson's arms, the half-siblings hugging. "I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Neri." Tyson gently placed Riss down and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern. "Ella is scared," he said.

Riss turned to the harpy, who she assumed was Ella and gently looked at her, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"N-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers. "Titanic, Lusitania, Pax…boats are not for harpies."

Leo squinted. He looked at Hazel, who was seated next to him. "Did that chicken girl just compare my ship to the Titanic?"

"Leo," Riss scolded lightly and ran a comforting hand down the harpy's arm. "It's okay. You don't need to go on Leo's big, bad Titanic."

"She's not a chicken." Hazel averted her eyes, as if Leo made her nervous. "Ella's a harpy. She's just a little…high-strung."

"Ella is pretty," Tyson said. "And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."

"No ships," Ella repeated. She looked straight at Annabeth. "Bad luck. There she is. Wisdom's daughter walks alone—"

"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time—"

"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome," Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath / Who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands gold and pale / Won through pain from a woven jail."

The effect was like someone dropping a flash grenade on the table. Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke. Annabeth's heart was pounding. The Mark of Athena… She resisted the urge to check her pocket, but she could feel the silver coin growing warmer—the cursed gift from her mother. Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me.

Around them, the sounds of the feast continued, but muted and distant, as if their little cluster of couches had slipped into a quieter dimension. Riss was standing still, spine dead-straight and a blank look on her face. Her head was pounding, cold rushing through her body. The message she'd taken for Athena…Percy was the first to recover. He stood, gently pushed Riss back to Jason, who sat her down and wrapped her in his arms, and took Tyson's arm.

"I know!" he said with feigned enthusiasm. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs O'Leary—"

"Hold on." Octavian gripped one of his teddy bears, strangling it with shaking hands. His eyes fixed on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"

"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."

"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."

"Books," Ella muttered helpfully. "Ella likes books."

Now that she'd said her piece, the harpy seemed more relaxed. She sat cross-legged on Mrs O'Leary's back, preening her wings. Annabeth gave Percy a curious glance. Obviously, he and Frank and Hazel were hiding something. Riss already looked like she was piecing thinks together. Percy's expression said, Help.

"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."

No one answered, so Riss did, snapping out of her frozen state, "Yes and 'Octavian,' sounds like 'idiot who doesn't know what in the Underworld he's talking about.' See? Lots of things sound similar."

Annabeth didn't need to force a laugh, laughing genuinely at Riss' words, "Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?"

Her words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted. The idea of a chicken lady issuing prophecies was apparently just as ridiculous to Romans as it was to Greeks. Riss and Annabeth shared a look, a grateful one that made them breathe out in unison.

"I, uh…" Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but—"

"She's just spouting lines from some book," Annabeth said, "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a real prophecy to worry about." She turned to Tyson. "Percy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while? Is Ella okay with that?"

"'Large dogs are good,'" Ella said. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

Annabeth wasn't sure how to take that answer but Percy smiled like the problem was solved.

"Great!" Percy said. "We'll Iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. Annabeth held her breath. Reyna had an excellent poker face. She studied Ella.

"Fine," the praetor said at last. "Go."

"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug—even Octavian, who didn't look happy about it.

Riss hugged her brother, "Be careful, darling and look after your girl." The Jackson girl winked and the Cyclops glanced between his sister and the harpy, blushing. The daughter of Poseidon reached out to pat Mrs O'Leary's nose, "We'll go shadow-traveling later, girl. I promise."

Tyson nodded after a moment and then he climbed on Mrs O'Leary's back with Ella, and the hellhound bounded out of the forum. They dove straight into a shadow on the Senate House wall and disappeared.

"Well." Reyna set down her uneaten apple. "Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest—especially one as dangerous as you're suggesting."

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"

Riss curled her lip up at the augur and seriously questioned how Percy had avoided stabbing the little shit in the face.

"Come aboard, man," Leo offered. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really good I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."

Riss smiled innocently, "There's one in my room. I made it for you, Leo."

"So nice of you," Leo placed a hand over his heart, acting like he was touched by the gift. "You're just so nice to me, Riss. But I think Octavian deserves this hat a little more."

"I agree. He's just so…precious."

Octavian's nostrils flared. "How dare you—"

"It's a good idea," Reyna said. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."

"But…" Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reyna's expression that further arguing would not be good for his health. "Fine."

Leo got up. He turned to Annabeth, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, Annabeth thought she'd imagined it; but just for a moment someone else seemed to be standing in Leo's place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes. Then Annabeth blinked, and Leo was just regular old Leo again, with his usual impish grin.

"Back soon," he promised. "This is gonna be epic."

The Jackson girl met Annabeth's eyes, "Did you see that?"

Annabeth nodded, feeling a chill run down her spine.

"Uh, Reyna," Jason said, "if you don't mind, I'd like to show Riss around before the senate meeting. She's never seen New Rome."

Reyna's expression hardened. Annabeth wondered how Jason could be so dense. Was it possible he really didn't understand how much Reyna liked him? It was obvious enough to Annabeth. Asking to show his new almost-girlfriend around Reyna's city was rubbing salt in a wound. Riss saw it and tried to shake her head, to say no but Reyna was already answering.

"Of course," Reyna said coldly.

Percy took Annabeth's hand. "Yeah, me too. I'd like to show Annabeth—"

"No," Reyna snapped.

Percy knit his eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"I'd like a few words with Annabeth," Reyna said. "Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow praetor."

Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking permission. The chill spread down Annabeth's back. She wondered what Reyna was up to. Maybe the praetor didn't like the idea of two guys who had rejected her giving their girlfriends tours of her city. Or maybe there was something she wanted to say in private. Either way, Annabeth was reluctant to be alone and unarmed with the Roman leader.

Riss straightened her spine, "I'm sorry, Jase but I can't see New Rome right now either. Uh, take Piper." She met her twin's eyes, "I need to speak to Percy. Alone."

Jason looked thrown for a minute, almost like he wanted to beg Riss not to leave his side but he finally nodded. He took her hand as she stood and pulled her down to peck her lips. Riss kissed him back and pulled away, placing her hand on his cheek, "I'll be back soon. Go, reacquaint yourself."

Percy's mouth dropped open. Jason stared up at Riss with a dreamy smile, nodding softly. Riss smiled back before fixing her sea-green eyes on her brother's matching ones. Piper stared at Riss for a long moment, confused, before she nodded too. Obviously this was something important or she wouldn't have turned down the chance to be with Jason.

"Uh, okay," Percy agreed and he smiled at Annabeth, who still looked nervous.

"Come, daughter of Athena." Reyna rose from her couch. "Walk with me."

XXXXX

"You're not going."

"Excuse me?" Percy asked, brows nearly reaching his hairline.

Riss folded her arms, looking remarkably like Sally Jackson in that moment. "You heard me."

The twins had exited the forum and were currently engaged in a very heated argument. Riss was scared – terrified, really – at the possibility of losing her brother and to protect him, she was trying to get him to stay at Camp Jupiter. If he was at the Roman camp, there would be a lesser chance of him disappearing or getting hurt.

Percy narrowed his eyes, the ones that matched his sister's perfectly. "I'm older, Neri. You can't order me around."

"Oh, yeah? Try me."

The Jackson boy lowered his gaze and scuffed at the ground. Riss' glare was always more intimidating then his. And she looked so much like their mom it was unnerving. Percy always was a momma's boy.

"Fine but," he tried a different tactic, "what about the prophecy? It says seven."

Riss lifted a brow. Percy had never cared about that before. "Yes and there are eight. Besides, I have a plan."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They were silent for a few moments. Riss was determined to keep her brother and Annabeth safe, even it meant being separated from each other.

"Tell me."

"Fine," Riss huffed out a breath. "You and Annabeth will stay here. To make the seven, I'm going to ask Reyna to come with us. Clearly she can hold her own. You stay here with Annie and take over as praetor until we get back."

Percy narrowed his eyes, "If you get back." He wasn't trying to be negative but he was upset. "I'm coming with you and you can't stop me. I felt you die."

Riss closed her eyes and licked her cracked lips. She feared that he would but that he wouldn't remember why he felt like the other half of him was dying. Riss had also been ignoring Poseidon's 'calls,' trying to avoid getting yelled at for saving Zeus' son and putting her own life on the line.

The black-haired girl scowled, "What? You think I planned to die?"

Percy called her bluff. "Yeah. I know you planned to die. Four people on a quest. I saw how you were after Bianca. But you've always been like that, Neri, sacrificing yourself for the good of others. I love that about you but I can't lose you."

"And I can't lose Jason, just like you can't lose Annie," Riss admitted, shrugging slightly. "Hera's always called me 'the connection.'" She waved her hand around, gesturing to New Rome, "This is what I'm connecting. Think about it Perce, what's the one thing you have in common with Jason aside from the two camps?"

The son of Poseidon set his jaw, annoyed. "You."

"Exactly." Riss grabbed her twin's hands, "I died, yeah, but something happened to me. I can't…I can't even begin to explain it. It was like I saw everyone."

Percy frowned, "What do you mean? Everyone?"

"Uh…" Riss suddenly pointed to a woman who was walking passed them. She was tall, in her late thirties and her hair was beginning to gray at the sides but she had a kind face and she smiled at the Jackson twins as she moved by them. "Her. She has two daughters and a husband. She's the daughter of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings and she almost lost her twins in childbirth. But Venus, the mother of her husband, convinced Juno to place a blessing on all three of them. She's expecting a son in the spring and he'll be more like his grandmother, he'll even have charmspeak."

"How…how do you know that?" Percy gaped.

Riss' breath stuttered in her chest and her eyes were tinged with fear, "I don't know. And it's scaring me."

XXXXX

"It never takes long, does it!?"

"When does it ever, dweeb!?"

Percy would have preferred to have a normal catch-up with his sister after not seeing her for months but here they were, back-to-back, firing jets of water at angry Roman soldiers after the Argo II had initiated what looked like an attack.

This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the Argo II groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull.

"Shit!" Annabeth heard Riss yell and daggers of water flew out, impaling the sleeves of at least two dozen Roman's to the ground. Riss panted slightly and shook her head, "I should not have done that so soon. Percy, where's Annie?"

"Annabeth!" Percy called, seeing the blonde running towards them. "What—?"

"I don't know!" she yelled.

"I'll tell you what!" cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!"

Annabeth's chest filled with liquid hydrogen. She felt like she might shatter into a million frozen pieces. "You're lying," she said. "Leo would never—"

"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

Riss' eyes widened, "Annie, we saw it just before they left. Leo…something is in Leo, I can feel it."

The Argo II returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters. "You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"

Annabeth growled in frustration. There was no time for anyone to figure out the truth. The crew from Camp Half-Blood was outnumbered a hundred to one, and even if Octavian had managed to stage some sort of trick (which she thought likely), they'd never be able to convince the Romans before they were overrun and killed.

"We have to leave," Annabeth told the Jackson twins. "Now. "

Percy nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank, you've got to make a choice. Are you coming?"

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time."

How?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd been born to ride. Strapped to the horse's saddle was a Roman cavalry sword. Hazel unsheathed her golden blade.

"Send me an Iris-message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous," she said. "Arion, ride!"

The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.

"I want a horse like that." Riss focused back on Annabeth and Percy, "I can flood them. I won't kill them. Just yell when you get onto the Argo and I'll do it."

Annabeth felt a glimmer of hope but tried to argue with Riss. Maybe they could make it out of here alive but she didn't want to leave her best friend.

"Go!" Riss urged, nudging Annabeth into Percy's arms. "I can do this. Now get onto that goddamn ship and stop Leo!"

From halfway across the forum, Annabeth heard Jason shouting. He and Piper were surrounded by a large group of Romans, who were not backing down.

"Romans!" he cried. "Please!"

Jason and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones. Jason tried to shield Piper but a brick caught him above the eye. He crumpled, and the crowd surged forward.

Riss gasped, "Jason!"

"Get back!" Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate, but Annabeth knew the effect wouldn't last. Percy and she couldn't possibly reach them in time to help.

"Frank," Percy said, "it's up to you. Can you help them?"

Annabeth didn't understand how Frank could do that all by himself, but he swallowed nervously. "Oh, gods," he murmured. "Okay, sure. Just get up the ropes. Now."

Percy and Annabeth lunged for the ladder. Octavian was still clinging to the bottom but Percy yanked him off and threw him into the mob. They began to climb as armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past Annabeth's head. An explosion almost knocked her off the ladder.

Halfway up, she heard a roar below and glanced down. Romans screamed and scattered as a full-sized dragon charged through the forum—a beast even scarier than the bronze dragon figurehead on the Argo II.

It had rough gray skin like a Komodo lizard's and leathery bat wings. Arrows and rocks bounced harmlessly off its hide as it lumbered toward Piper and Jason, grabbed them with its front claws, and vaulted into the air.

"Is that…?" Annabeth couldn't even put the thought into words.

"Frank," Percy confirmed, a few feet above her. "He has a few special talents."

"Understatement," Annabeth muttered. "Keep climbing!"

Without the dragon, Hazel's horse and an angry daughter of Poseidon to distract the archers, they never would have made it up the ladder; but finally they climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck. The rigging was on fire. The foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard. There was no sign of Coach Hedge but Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista. Annabeth's gut twisted with horror.

"Leo!" she screamed. "What are you doing?"

"Destroy them…" He faced Annabeth. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's. "Destroy them all."

He turned back to the ballista but Percy tackled him. Leo's head hit the deck hard, and his eyes rolled up so that only the whites showed. The gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Jason and Piper, who both collapsed.

"Neri, now! Go!" Percy yelled. "Get us out of here!"

With a shock, Annabeth realized that the second instruction was for her. She ran for the helm. She made the mistake of glancing over the rail and saw armed legionnaires closing ranks in the forum, preparing flaming arrows. Hazel spurred Arion, and they raced out of the city with a mob chasing after them.

More catapults were being wheeled into range. All along the Pomerian Line, the statues of Terminus were glowing purple, as if building up energy for some kind of attack. Annabeth looked over the controls. She cursed Leo for making them so complicated. No time for fancy maneuvers, but she did know one basic command: up. She grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back.

A tidal wave made from pure power reached up from the River Tiber and Annabeth could just see Riss, standing at the base of it. The Romans stopped running, screaming in terror as the wave came crashing down, wrapping them and keeping them in a tight grip. It didn't drown them, Riss made sure of that as she leapt up and grabbed the very corner of the ladder, dragging herself up just in time to not be left behind. Percy half-climbed down to help his sister up, both collapsing on the deck a few moments later.

The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.

XXXXX

Piper hadn't stayed with Riss and Jason for long. She'd seemed anxious, almost like there was something that she had seen or heard that was making her nervous. Riss didn't want to think about it too much. She was incredibly drained – she'd just lifted the entire river up and used it to not-drown drown hundreds of Romans.

The daughter of Poseidon stretched out her arms, feeling light pinches. Maybe after she healed Jason again, she could heal her arm…whatever. Riss had discovered that the place that ached matched up perfectly with where the Roman tattoos were burnt into the skin after she had awoken in the night, screaming, and Jason had hurried into her Cabin to comfort her. She'd been terrified, feeling the burning sensation in her arm and Riss knew that it was Percy's pain that she was feeling. She rolled her eyes and lay down on the bed.

The cut above Jason's eye was half-closed and wasn't bleeding anymore. The Jackson girl yawned and curled into Jason's side. Nightmares had been plaguing her for a few weeks now and they always sent her close to tears into the Zeus Cabin. Jason had never complained, he'd merely lift his arm and wrap it around Riss, holding her close and speaking quietly to her until she fell asleep.

But her nightmares were always the same and only growing more vivid.

Nerissa had only watched X-Men once (she'd loved it but she was always busy) and all she could say was that her new 'ability' was similar to when Charles Xavier used Cerebro. She saw everyone – all demigods and demigods to be – and she knew their parentage and any extra gifts they had. The dreams always started with seeing the demigods and then being roughly shoved into darkness.

And then the screams started.

The shrouded woman Riss had seen in the Underworld – the one with the half-mummified face – stood in front of her, surrounded by what Riss could only call her army of ghosts. The ghosts of the ones that had died in the Battle of New York.

Riss knew it wasn't real. They had all gone to Elysium, Nico had taken her to check once, but it hurt. They were dead, she reminded herself as they blamed her for their deaths. They were dead, she reminded herself when they surged forward and began to tug at her.

They were dead.

And she had not.

Life was a gift, Riss knew that and as much as she wanted them alive, she knew she could choose to save someone. That would be selfish and cruel – to drag just one demigod back to life because Riss wanted them to but the temptation was there when Bianca di Angelo, Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf appeared in front of her.

The temptation grew even more when they didn't scream or cry or blame her. They hugged her and Riss always had tears in her eyes until she was ripped away and buried under the earth, screams tugging themselves from her throat as she lost the ability to breathe.

"Hey."

Riss' lips parted as she looked up, Jason's arm moving to wrap around her, "Oh, gods, I was so worried about you."

Jason touched his bandaged head, "Don't worry, Riss. What…what happened? I remember the explosions, and—"

"You remember who I am?"

Jason tried to laugh, but it turned into a painful wince. "Last I checked, you're Nerissa Jackson, the girl I'm crazy about. Unless something has changed since I was out?"

"Nothing's changed," Riss said, stretching out so her face was level with his. Jason swallowed hard at her proximity. "I love being Nerissa Jackson, the girl you're crazy about. I was just so worried."

Jason craned his neck slightly to kiss Riss, tugging her closer to his chest. "Remember what I said? Together."

"Together," Riss repeated before she reached up to continue healing his head. She described what happened quickly and the damage the Argo sustained. She was just explaining how Leo and Hazel had gone to find bronze to fix the ship when she heard horse hooves clomping across the deck over their heads. Moments later, Leo and Hazel stumbled to a stop in the doorway, carrying a large sheet of hammered bronze between them.

Piper stumbled out of her room at the sound of horse hooves and did a double-take at the sight of Leo as Riss desperately tried not to laugh.

"Gods of Olympus." Piper stared at Leo. "What happened to you?"

Riss smirked, teasing playfully, "I don't know, I kinda like it."

Leo's hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.

"Long story," he said after winking and shooting Riss with a finger gun. "Others back?"

"Not yet," Piper said.

Leo cursed. Then he noticed Jason sitting up, and his face brightened. "Hey, man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room." He ran off with the sheet of bronze, leaving Hazel in the doorway.

Piper raised an eyebrow at her. "Team Leo?"

"I was more questioning Bad Boy."

"We met Narcissus," Hazel said, which didn't really explain much. "Also Nemesis, the revenge goddess."

Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."

Riss spun around to him, "Stop talking. You were just unconscious and I was here baby-sitting you because I cared that you were missing out on the fun."

On the deck above, something went THUMP, as if a heavy creature had landed. Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair. Percy's shirt was covered in it.

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

Riss snickered, "I'm so glad I stayed here and baby-sat Jase. You look good, big brother. New fashion?"

Percy mock-scowled. Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face.

"Ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said. "Hey, Jason, glad you're awake. Hazel, where's Leo?"

She pointed down. "Engine room."

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar. Riss stumbled into the doorframe of Jason's room with a yelp, trying not to smash into anyone.

"Uh, what was that?" he demanded.

"Oh…" Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like… all of them."

"Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can. Neri, wanna help?"

Riss shrugged, "Got nothing better to do. Let's kick some nymph ass."

"On it!" Frank promised.

The three of them ran off, leaving Hazel at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick. "I'll just…" She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.

Jason and Piper stayed below as the ship rocked back and forth. For a hero, Piper felt pretty useless. Waves crashed against the hull as angry voices came from above deck—Percy shouting, Coach Hedge yelling at the lake. There was also a lot of Riss screaming insults in Latin and the nymphs yelling something back in Ancient Greek. Jason winced as he heard Riss yell something particularly nasty.

Festus the figurehead breathed fire several times. Down the hall, Hazel moaned miserably in her cabin. In the engine room below, it sounded like Leo and the others were doing an Irish line dance with anvils tied to their feet. After what seemed like hours, the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned, and Piper felt the ship lift into the air.

The rocking and shaking stopped. The ship became quiet except for the drone of machinery. Finally Leo emerged from the engine room. He was caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T-shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO. But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way.

"Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "Crazy day, huh?"

XXXXX

After everyone had cleaned up, Coach Hedge took the helm and the demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the eight of them. Maybe their presence should've reassured Piper but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the Prophecy of Seven was unfolding at last.

No more waiting for Leo to finish the ship.

No more easy days at Camp Half-Blood, pretending the future was still a long way off.

They were under way, with a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless they succeeded in this quest, the world would be destroyed. The others must've felt it too.

The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Percy, Riss and Jason's powers. In an awkward moment, the two boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands. After a brief silent standoff, like they were both thinking, seriously dude, they ceded the chair to Annabeth and sat at opposite sides of the table.

Riss shot them both looks, from her spot beside Jason, "I'm choking to death on testosterone and it's not coming from the guy who had 'hot stuff' written on him."

The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

Percy was eating a piece of pie, which for some reason was completely blue—filling, crust, even the whipped cream. Riss smiled fondly at it and popped a blue tortilla chip into her mouth.

"We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

"I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Jason placed a hand on Piper's arm. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

Piper was grateful for his support, but she still felt uneasy. "Maybe if we could explain that, though—"

"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."

"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies, and Piper was pretty sure they hadn't been there at the beginning of the meal. "Reyna might listen, but Octavian won't. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hac."

"We have to hurry, no matter what," Riss piped in. She shook her head and parted her lips, "I can feel him dying. Nico."

Hazel bit her lip. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"

"Yes, darling," Riss confirmed before Hazel could say anything.

"Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"

No one answered. Piper didn't want to add further bad news, but she felt she had to. "There's more," she said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."

Frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as…?"

"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

Annabeth stared at the magical video feed from Camp Half-Blood on the wall. Right now it showed the living room in the Big House: a cozy fire on the hearth and Seymour, the stuffed leopard head, snoring contentedly above the mantel.

"Twins, like in Ella's prophecy," Annabeth said. "If we could figure out those lines, it might help."

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone," Percy said. "The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Annabeth, that's got to mean you. Juno told me…well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it. But I know she's wrong."

Annabeth took a long breath. "Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among the Roman praetors—something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."

Leo and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.

"Nemesis mentioned something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled—"

"The one thing that might bring the gods' two natures into harmony," Hazel recalled.

"'An old wrong finally avenged.'" Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "I was only a praetor for about two hours. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?"

Jason was still holding Riss' hand under the table, hidden from view in case Percy wanted to kill him for being so close to his sister. His fingers had turned clammy. "I…uh, I'm not sure," he said. "I'll give it some thought."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're not sure?"

Jason didn't respond and Riss didn't voice the fact that she thought he was lying. She squeezed his hand.

Hazel broke the silence. "What about the other lines?" She turned her ruby-encrusted plate. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath / who holds the key to endless death."

"Giant's bane stands gold and pale," Frank added, "Won through pain from a woven jail."

"Giants' bane," Leo said. "Anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right? That's probably what we need to find. If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that's good."

Percy nodded. "We can't kill the giants without the help of the gods."

Riss frowned, "Do you think I could help with that? I mean, the gods speak through me. Maybe they could channel their powers through me."

"No. It's too dangerous to channel the power of a god." Riss raised her brows – if she was going to do it, she'd do it, permission from Jason or not. Jason turned to Frank and Hazel. "I thought you guys killed that one giant in Alaska without a god's help, just the two of you."

"Alcyoneus was a special case," Frank said. "He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn—Alaska. But not in Canada. I wish I could kill all the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but…" He shrugged. "Percy's right, we'll need the gods."

"That's pretty cool, dude," Riss smiled lightly at Frank. He beamed back at her.

"So…" Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First things first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."

"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

Riss scrunched up her nose before she turned to Piper. Piper could see a lot in her knife, particularly about the future. "Pipes?"

Piper remembered her vision in the knife: the strange man in purple, holding out a goblet and beckoning to her. He'd been standing in front of a sign that read TOPEKA 32. "Well," she ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"

Riss tilted her head, "I'd say I feel terrified and in need of a pair of ruby slippers. That being said…when do we leave?"

XXXXX

THREE EXAMS DOWN, THREE TO GO. THAT MEANS ANOTHER CHAPTER NEXT WEEKEND!

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~ Raven