I don't own PJO. Thank you, Don'tJudgeMyImagination1234, for another nice review. I appreciate it (not just saying that, I love reviews so much). If you haven't reviewed, please do!
Charles and Cassie sat on the railing of the Argo II, listening to the swearing in Spanish that was floating up the stairs from the engine room. Esperanza and Leo were having technical difficulties.
"This whole thing is so weird." Cassie said, glancing at her brother. He nodded, their gray-green eyes meeting for a moment. "I mean, this is history. We know what's happened. But we can't tell them."
Charles shrugged.
"I know, I know, they can't know. It's for the best. But we know what happens! We could prevent all the death and pain! Why shouldn't we? What's wrong with that?"
Charles raised an eyebrow at his sister.
"Where do we draw the line, is all I want to know. Like, if we see one of our parents about to die, could we use our powers to save them? Would that be wrong?"
Charles reached over and squeezed her hand.
"You're right again, Charlie. Cross that bridge when we come to it."
Charles motioned towards the door to the underbelly of the ship, where a sound like someone banging metal with a wrench could be heard. "They'll help, of course. I'm not doubting them, it's just…." Cassie sighed. "I get it. I know why, as well. We have to play it this way. Thanks, Charlie. It's always good to talk to you."
Charles smirked a little, but nodded. Then suddenly his eyes fixed on something in the sky, heading towards them. He shook Cassie's shoulder, pointing at it. It looked like a pegasus with something on it's back.
"What is that?" Cassie demanded. "Charles, get the others!"
They both scrambled off the railing, Charles heading for the stairs and Cassie drawing her sword. The black pegasus was shooting towards them, aiming for the deck. Then Cassie recognized it; Blackjack, her father's horse.
She lowered her sword, hurrying forward as Blackjack landed. Jason and Percy were unconscious on the horse's back, and Piper and Raiden were each holding one of them on, though they were slipping.
"What happened?" Cassie asked, tugging Percy out of Raiden's arms and setting him down on the deck (he was heavy).
The others emerged from below decks, holding swords. Frank, Hazel, and Teddy were still on recon, but everyone else was gathered on the deck.
"Is that a hoofprint on his head?" Annabeth asked, crouching next to Percy. "Someone help me carry him to the sick bay."
Hazel, Frank, and Teddy soon got back and tended to Blackjack. Jamie knew a lot about medicine from her adopted dad, Will Solace, so she tended to Jason and Percy (once they had been carried below, of course, and that was a miracle all on it's own). Leo returned to his engines, Annabeth launched the ship, and the Jackson twins went on guard, standing up in the rigging.
Esperanza cornered Raiden.
"What happened?" She demanded, grabbing his shoulder so he couldn't run. "How were Percy and Jason injured? Are you okay?"
Esperanza had spent the day working on the engines, so she was tired and dirty. The murky green mechanics overalls she wore had the top half pulled down, leaving her in a fitted black tank top (something that seemed to bother Hazel). Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail, a few loose curls escaping and falling in her eyes, which flashed in the sun. She had engine grease and dirt smudged on her cheeks, and the work gloves she wore on her hands were filthy and singed.
Gods of Olympus, she's beautiful. Raiden thought. But quickly stopped thinking. She was his best friend, not his anything else.
"Are you even listening?" Esperanza waved her hand in front of his face. "What went down out there? What happened in Kansas isn't staying in Kansas."
"Gaea… and eidolons." Raiden told his best friend everything that had happened.
Annabeth poked her head above the deck. "Raiden, Zane! We're gathering in the mess hall. Can you get Cassie and Charles?" Cassie and Charles were already climbing down from the rigging, and the four of them followed Annabeth to the mess hall.
The mess hall was crowded with everyone there-the seven plus Jamie, Raiden, Esperanza, Cassie, Charles, and Teddy was thirteen of them, and it was packed. Raiden tried not to think about how thirteen was an unlucky number.
Piper told everyone what had happened at Topeka 32, how Jason and Percy had been possessed.
"Why wasn't Raiden possessed as well?" Annabeth asked.
"Gaea said he's a legacy, not a demigod. She said his parents were great heroes." Piper turned to Raiden. "Did you know your parents are demigods?"
"No," Raiden lied. "I never met them. I grew up in an orphanage."
"So Gaea needs a demigod, not a legacy." Annabeth nodded like she had seen this coming.
"Of course!" Hazel said suddenly, making everyone stare at her. "That's what happened to Leo, too. It must be."
"So it wasn't my fault," Leo breathed a sigh of relief. Raiden wasn't sure being possessed was much better, but he didn't say anything. "I didn't start World War III. I just got possessed by an evil spirit."
"But the Romans wouldn't believe that." Annabeth shook her head.
"Of course they wouldn't. Who would? That's the best excuse ever. Next time I forget my homework, I'm definitely using that one." Esperanza snorted and took a huge bite out of her burrito.
"You're right, they wouldn't take our word for it." Jason said, looking dejected. "But Reyna would. We should contact her. You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."
Raiden didn't know much about girl's. He had never had a girlfriend. He just wasn't that interested in girl's-but he wasn't interested in guys either. He had never had a crush. The only feeling he could compare it too was how happy and nervous he was when he was with Esperanza, but she was his best friend. Even with his lack of knowledge, he knew that what Jason had just said wasn't good. Around the table, every girl had either rolled their eyes (Jamie), winced (Hazel), shook their head (Annabeth), or raised an eyebrow (Cassie). Esperanza set her burrito down and rested her elbows on the table, looking up to the ceiling, like, gods of Olympus Aphrodite he needs help.
"I could try." Piper said unenthusiastically. "But in my dagger, I saw Octavian taking control of the roman crowd. I'm not sure there's anything Reyna can do." Hazel and Frank nodded.
Hazel grimaced. "This is just the opportunity he's wanted. A chance to take over rome for himself, and convince the romans to force out Reyna. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the greeks.
"And the eagles we saw can smell demigods." Jason sighed. "They'll be tracking us."
Leo groaned. "I need to invent a smokescreen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that."
"What is a chicken nugget?" Hazel asked, confused.
Esperanza and Leo both looked like they'd been slapped. Leo started explaining a chicken nugget. Esperanza looked down at her plate and said, "Chicken nuggets." Then she handed the plate of nuggets to Hazel. "Happy Kwanzaa."
"Why are they-"
"Wait." Esperanza tapped her plate again, and ketchup and barbeque sauce appeared. "Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas."
"Moving on," Jamie interrupted before Esperanza could start on thanksgiving and Halloween. "How the heck are we supposed to convince the romans already? Focusing, please?"
"If we just keep going across the Atlantic, they won't follow." Jason said.
"Wouldn't they follow us?" Piper asked.
"It's illegal for romans to go to the mediterranean." Esperanza said, covering her burrito in hot sauce. "We're officially outlaws and traitors. We should start a support group."
"Any roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight-" Jason continued.
"Harsh." Cassie said, raising her eyebrows. Charles moved his hands around, and she nodded. "Charles says they'll probably just assume us dead anyway, so we don't have to worry about them once we're across the Atlantic. Thanks for the happy thought of the day, bro."
"Wait," Percy said, confused. "How did you know what he meant?"
"They just do that." Raiden told him. "I think it's because they're twins, they're connected." Cassie and Charles high-fived.
"Which brings us back around to the twin giants, Otis and Ephialtes." Annabeth steered the conversation back to the topic at hand. "I remember a story about them. They stacked up mountains so they could reach Olympus."
Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains as building blocks."
"We can do this." Esperanza said confidently. It was easy for her to be confident-she was from a future where everything turned out well. "Well, you guys can. We'll help. The engines repaired, we're going to the mediterranean which is nice this time of year, we're gonna see some cool stuff, things could be worse."
"Yeah," Jamie grumbled. "We could be on a broken ship heading to forbidden lands to face impossible giants and save the world, and none of us even have a driver's license."
"Jamie?" Teddy asked, raising his eyebrows. "That doesn't help."
"Just being honest." Jamie shrugged. She was sitting in a chair with her arms crossed, tilting the chair back on two legs. "But I suppose we could be in worse shape. We could be dead."
"See? Always a silver lining." Cassie snickered. Charles rolled his eyes and stuffed pizza into his mouth at the same time, which had to be difficult.
Suddenly Annabeth asked, "How long have you guys known each other?" They all stared at her, pretty surprised the question. The real answer was, since the day we were born. But they hadn't actually discussed their story.
"Well, like I said, I was raised in an orphanage." Raiden said, praying one of them would help him out. "We met…"
"About three years ago, now, right?" Cassie said, glancing at Raiden like she was double-checking with him, but really to receive his grateful look. "Charlie and I got attacked by a monster, and Raiden helped us out. So then we met Esper-Zane later on, in the same way. Jamie and Teddy already knew each other, and we met them by chance as well." Cassie concluded. But she had slipped, and almost said Esperanza instead of Zane.
"Esper? Why did you call Zane Esper?" Piper asked, glancing back and forth between Cassie and Esperanza.
"It's the beginning of an old nickname." Jamie cut in. "A really awful old nickname we're not allowed to use anymore after we lost a bet, got attacked by three hydras in one day, and nearly fell of a cliff. Seriously, don't even ask."
Thank the gods for Jamie. Raiden thought. Best way to lie; come up with something weird-but-plausible enough they won't want details.
Leo snickered. "Knew I liked you guys."
"We try." Esperanza smirked.
"She wants two of us." Piper said suddenly, frowning. At everyone's confused look, she went a little pink, as if she hadn't meant to talk out loud. "Today on the highway, Gaea told me she wants the blood of a male and female demigod. Why would she want that?"
Leo whistled softly. "Khione said something like that as well. She said she would spill our blood and it would taint the place… maybe demigod blood has some sort of power?"
"Oh…" Percy said suddenly. "I had this dream when we were flying to Alaska. I saw Polybotes, and he said… he said he didn't want me dead, just imprisoned. 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'."
Hazel shivered, looking disturbed. "You think that she would use… the blood of two of us…."
"That's messed up." Esperanza muttered. "This lady seriously needs some sense smacked into her."
"Gee, you think?" Jamie raised an eyebrow, tilting back on two chair legs again.
"So? No biggie. Just don't get captured." Cassie said. Charles glanced at her. "What? It's solid advice." He shrugged. "Shut up already. Like you would know." They both turned back to their pizza.
"Oh-kay…." Percy said, looking like he wanted to laugh but wasn't sure yet. "So we go to Atlanta and visit Phorcys."
"We should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow." Leo reported.
Everyone started to stand up and stretch and make their way to the door. But suddenly Piper said, "Wait. There's something else." She looked nervous. "The eidolons, the possessing spirits. They're still here. In this room."