Tobias

A few hours later it was time to get up, so Tobias woke up both girls and they went through their morning rituals before heading to the mess hall. They stopped outside the door when they heard shouting in the room.

"Never in my life! Against the rules! Irresponsible!" They could hear Coach Hedge shouting and he sounded very angry.

"Wonder what's got that goat all riled up?" Kazehana asked.

"Let's find out." Tobias opened the door. "Good morning everyone. Did we miss something?"

He looked at everyone but the atmosphere wasn't tense, more like...embarrassed? Jason and Piper didn't look that bothered. Leo was grinning nonstop like he found something amusing. Frank was keeping his head down. Hazel was blushing slightly and fanning her face with her hand. Coach Hedge was...well, Coach Hedge plus a bit more anger than normal. Percy and Annabeth were both looking slightly embarrassed and short tempered respectfully.

"Oh, it's really great," Leo started talking like he was doing a movie pitch. "So, we woke up this morning and these two aren't in their rooms." He pointed at Annabeth and Percy. "We search the whole ship, top to bottom, can't find them and we're thinking they've been kidnapped or something, we don't know. Then, Frank finds these two down in the stables asleep and all cuddled up. They spent all night there."

"Awww, that's so cute." Yahan said sweetly as they all sat down on their 'air chairs.'

"And it was completely irresponsible!" Coach Hedge shouted. "They should've stayed in their rooms..."

"Coach," Annabeth snapped. "It was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"What warrants sneaking out of your rooms in the middle of the night to talk?" Tobias asked while snagging a plate for him and the others.

"How about we all eat, then swap stories?" Percy suggested.

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth chase, I thought you had more sense-"

Jason cleared his throat. "So, grab so food everyone. And, let's get started."

After everyone was eating, Percy brought them up to speed. Apparently last night he had had a dream about Nico and their giants. In the dream, the giants were planning a reception for them in a underground parking lot with rocket launchers and Nico was trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying of asphyxiation with five pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico...oh gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

"Your step...oh." Percy said. "You mean Persephone."

"Goddess of springtime, wife of Hades." Tobias explained quickly to the girls and they both nodded.

"The seeds are a last resort food," Hazel explained. Tobias could tell she was nervous because all the silverware on the table was starting to move towards her. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned-"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"

"I don't get something," Yahan leaned forwards. "He apparently has an ability similar to mine, he can travel through shadows. Why doesn't he just get out using that?"

"Magic I'm guessing," Tobias grimaced. "Almost every power can be countered as long as you have the right tools at your disposal. Hazel, how long can Nico hold out with those seeds?"

"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"That doesn't sound pleasant." Yahan commented.

"It keeps him from consuming all his air, like hibernation or a coma." Hazel explained. "One seed can sustain him for one day, barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must've planned it that way, so we have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome..."

"We don't have a lot of time." Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brothers last name, di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angle.'"

"Oh gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico..."

"Don't worry, we'll rescue him." Tobias comforted her. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death, and...he's your brother."

"He's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"He can tell us where the doors are and how to close them." Percy nodded.

Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."

"Uh..." Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel looked at Leo like he had just made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico...he knew about both camps, right?"

Tobias narrowed his eyes, not liking where this conversation was going. "What are you suggesting, Leo?"

Leo shifted uncomfortably under the question and gaze. "Well, he's been going back and forth between the camps, but he didn't tell either side."

Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

Tobias clenched a fist. Hazel shot to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

Frank put a hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's saying that." He then proceeded to glare at Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."

Leo blinked. "Look, guys. All I mean is-"

"Hazel," Jason said. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as...well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."

Hazels arms shook. A silver platter zoomed towards her and hit the wall to her left, splattering scrambled eggs. "You...the great Jason Grace...the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now..." She stomped her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.

"Hazel!" Leo called after her. "Aw, jeez. I should-"

"You've done enough." Frank growled. He got up to follow her, but Hazel gestured for him to wait.

"Give her time," Piper advised. Then she frowned at Leo and Jason. "You guys, that was pretty cold."

Jason looked shocked. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"

"That does not matter." Tobias growled, drawing everyone's attention to him. "It may be a trap, but you do not turn your back on family, and that is what you were suggesting. Whether you meant that or not is irrelevant." He stood up then left the room, leaving everyone blinking.

"What's his problem?" Leo asked Yahan and Kazehana. They both glared at him, which made him sink into his chair.

"Let's just say Tobias is touchy when it comes to abandoning family members." Yahan said in a cold tone. That put a rather awkward pause in their conversation until a whirring sound like a large drill came from above.

"Um, that's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there...uh, assuming we know where to land."

Tobias walked along the deck, taking some deep breaths to calm himself. He knew he shouldn't have done that talking to the others like that, but...he was sensitive when it came to abandoning family members to die.

He closed his eyes and put both hands on the banister. He then let his senses expand, feeling the flow and presence of air around the ship. He couldn't get over how much power he could feel in the surrounding atmosphere, like a low level electric buzz. He guessed that was from the godly power in the States, but still...he was used to feeling air flowing like water, calm and serene. Here it was like feeling a ocean of power dispersed in the air, plus he wasn't the only one controlling the substance. Here there were beings with power that could override his own.

He felt the ship start descending slightly and opened his eyes to see a city he assumed was Atlanta. It was a cluster of brown and silver downtown, an endless flat sprawl of highways, little lines that he thought were railroad tracks, houses, and green swathes of forest.

"Hey." He looked behind him to see Yahan lifting out of his shadow. She looked and 'felt' slightly worried. "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tobias took a breath. "Sorry, but I had to get some air."

"I know." She leaned against the banister next to him and looked out at the city. "The others are coming up. Percy, Frank, and Hedge are going to find this...what was his name?"

"Phorcys."

"Right, him. They're going to go look for him while the rest of us stay here." She looked at him. "You want to go with them?"

He smirked and put an arm around her shoulder. Just having his girlfriends close cheered him up most of the time. "Nah. I was thinking maybe once we set down, we could find a quiet place and do some sparring. We haven't done that in a while."

Yahan smiled and put her head on his shoulder. "I'd like that. And Leo was told to land us in a park with some woods anyways, so that'll be easy enough."

"Speak of the devil, here he comes." Tobias noted as Leo came from below decks and ran up to the wheel, taking it. In a few minutes they were landing on the summit of a forested hill. A complex of white buildings, maybe a museum or university, nestled in a grove of pines to the left. Below was the city of Atlanta.

Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge had joined them on deck. The satyr took a deep breath of the morning air.

"Ah, lovely spot. Good choice, Valdez."

Leo shrugged. "I just picked a tall hill. That's a presidential library or something over there. At least that's what Festus says."

"I don't care about that!" Hedge barked. "But do you realize what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!"

Frank flinched. "I should?"

"A son of Ares stood here!" Hedge cried indignantly.

"I'm Roman...so Mars actually."

"Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!

"I'm Canadian."

"Coach, stop shouting before you give yourself a heart attack." Tobias sighed, which made the satyr sputter in shock and Leo snort. "The event Coach is talking about is when General Sherman, a Union leader, stood on this spot. He watched the city of Atlanta burn from here. Cut a path of destruction from here all the way to the sea." He took a breath, looking out at the view. He could almost see it now.

"I see someone knows his history! Now that was a demigod." Coach Hedge nodded.

Frank inched away from the satyr. "Uh, okay."

"Anyway," Percy said. "Let's not burn the city down this time."

The coach looked disappointed. "All right. But where to?"

Percy pointed downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."

The group left the ship and started walking towards the city.

"Good luck!" Tobias called after them and watched until they were out of sight. He took a breath. "Ok then. Hey, Leo."

The mechanic flinched slightly. "Yeah?"

"Does Festus know of any small clearings that are close?"

Leo blinked before Festus clicked and clacked to him. "Uh, he says there's one a few hundred yards that way." He pointed into the wooded areas opposite of the library "Why?"

"Well, me and my girlfriend are going to go do some light sparring," Tobias explained while pulling Yahan closer. "We just needed an area we can use. See ya." They both walked down the plank.

"Wait, you can just go off alone!" Leo protested as they started walking towards the woods.

"Then tell the others to come with, it's not like there's anything else to do!" Tobias called back before pushing aside a branch and bowing at the waist to Yahan. "After you."

Yahan grinned. "Why, thank you." She took the lead and they both walked into the woods.

A few minutes of brushing aside branches and walking and they came to a small clearing, just like Festus had said. It was about thirty yards in diameter and was overgrown with tall grass up to their knees.

"Hhmm," Yahan hummed as she crossed her arms. "A bit overgrown, don't you think?"

"Yep. Hang on a minute." Tobias clapped his palms together then knelt, slamming them into the ground. There was a sharp whoosh, then all the grass collapsed to make a inch high bedding. The bottom of all the grass stalks were cleanly cut. "There we go." He brushed off his hands.

"You never run out of tricks do you?" Yahan asked with a chuckle as they walked to the center of the clearing.

"Oh, Yahan, you know me." Tobias wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear. "I always have more tricks."

He felt her shiver slightly and some arousal snuck through their mental bond. Now that he thought about, this was the first time they had truly been alone since they had arrived on the Argo II. He really needed to give her and Kazehana a bit more attention than he had in the past few days. Or maybe a lot more attention.

"And now we start." The train of thought was cut short as Yahan grabbed his right arm and ducked, throwing him over her shoulder with more strength than her frame would suggest. Tobias rightened himself in mid-air and skidded back, the cut grass making it hard to get his footing before he stopped. He looked up and blocked a right kick with his forearm.

"Oh, you are in trouble now, Yahan." He said with a evil smirk as he pushed her away. She stopped herself and they both took a stance with ten yards of space between them. "But before we really start, we need some ground rules. No weapons, no powers, and no fighting dirty."

"Done." Yahan quipped.

"Then get ready...get set..."

"What are you two doing?"

They both blinked and looked back where they had come from to see Annabeth with her hands on her hips, eyes stormy. Kazehana, Leo, and Jason were behind her.

"Having a spar." Tobias said, straightening.

"Why?" She asked shortly.

Tobias shrugged. "Me and Yahan do a spar here and there, haven't done one for a while and I thought she'd like that."

"Hey Tobias," Yahan spoke up, getting his attention. "This isn't fighting dirty." She then charged and attempted a right hook which he dodged quickly. She kept pushing her advantage as he backed up and dodged.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Jason asked nobody in particular.

"No, don't bother," Kazehana crossed her arms and smiled as Tobias grabbed Yahan's arm and used her momentum to throw her past him. "This is a pastime of theirs. They keep each other's skills sharp and they get to enjoy the other's company."

Leo winced as Tobias drove a fist into Yahan's right side then kicked her legs out from under her. She rolled to the side and got to her feet before blocking a haymaker. "If this is how they enjoy each other's company, I'd hate to see them fighting."

"Don't be, we're all tougher then we look and heal fast. Any bruises they have will be gone in an hour at most, anything else in a day. Broken bones heal naturally in a week for us." Kazehana explained. After that, the small group just watched Tobias and Yahan spar.

Yahan tried a high kick but her leg was blocked and then grabbed. Tobias pushed it to put Yahan off balance and then tackled her around the waist. They wrestled for a few minutes before Tobias finally managed to pin her to the ground. He was straddling her while holding both arms above her head.

Yahan blew some hair out of her face. "Cheater," she said calmly.

Tobias lifted an eyebrow. "How did I cheat? You made the first move and took me by surprise when the others came."

"Simple. You had to be you."

Tobias opened his mouth then closed it. "Failing to see the logic there."

"Well you being you means that I'm distracted every time you throw a punch or kick because of how fit you are, then that leads to other thoughts, and then... Well you get the idea."

Tobias stared at her for a few seconds. "You're messing with my head aren't you?" He finally asked.

His response was a smirk before Yahan sank into her shadow and left Tobias on the ground. He was then tackled from behind and his right arm twisted behind his back.

"Yes I am." Was whispered into his ear.

"I thought we agreed no powers." Tobias grunted.

"I lied."

Tobias clicked his tongue. "You've have been spending too much time around River. But if that's the way you want to play it..."

Yahan was blasted off his back as what felt like a fist hit her in the chest with the force of a truck. Tobias heard her hit the ground and got up, shaking out his arm as he turned.

"Then let's play."

"Is this still normal?" Annabeth asked Kazehana as the two fighters started using their powers. Yahan had gotten up from the ground and started charging before being thrown backwards and skidding across the ground.

"It's rare, but they do sometimes do spars like this. It never ends well for Yahan though."

Tobias watched as Yahan picked herself up and brush some cut grass out of her hair. She then turned and ran into the woods.

"Evil little thing aren't you." Tobias muttered under his breath as he watched her go, but didn't make a move to stop her. She never won this spars, but she did get some creative ideas.

He then felt something hit him, hard, in the back of his head.

"Ow!" He rubbed the spot and looked to see what had hit him. He didn't see anything from the woods, but when he looked down he spotted a rock the size of a golf ball. "Rocks? That's a new low for her." He said, not as quietly as somebody who was insulting their girlfriend should.

"Hey, I heard that! Wait...oh crap."

Tobias sent two Air Hands where he heard the indignant shout and ended up grabbing Yahan. He dragged her out and had her held a inch off the ground so she couldn't use the shadows to get away.

"Yield?" He asked.

Yahan sighed in frustration. "Yield."

Tobias set her down on the ground. He grabbed the rock she had thrown at him and tossed it up and down. "Rocks? Seriously?"

"I didn't have anything better on me," Yahan defended herself with a slight blush. "And you know most of my other tricks."

"True. I guess this was creative and unexpected." He tossed the rock over his shoulder. "Want to head back?"

"Sure. This wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. Still nice though." She added as an afterthought.

"Good to hear that. Shall we?" He offered her his hand.

"Of course." She smiled before taking the hand. They walked towards the group, ignoring the contemplative looks they were getting from Jason and Annabeth,and a awed one from Leo. Kazehana silently took his other hand and left with them.

Once they were out of earshot of the others, Kazehana spoke up.

"That was very smooth."

Tobias looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

She smirked. "Don't play innocent Tobias, it doesn't suit you. You invited the others along so they could see more of your skills and let them get a hint of just how strong you are."

Tobias stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging.

"It's good to show they can trust us. Plus I did want a spar with Yahan anyways, this just hit me as we were walking down the plank."

"Well, look at you. Before you didn't come up with ideas like that," Yahan bumped shoulders with him playfully.

"I've learned to think on my feet." Tobias responded as they walked out of the woods. "And you missed some grass."

"Hmm?" Yahan brushed her free hand through her hair and picked out a small handful from the back of it. "Oh, Thanks. So, how long we were doing that anyways?"

"I'd say..." Kazehana took a look at the suns position. "Ten minutes at most."

"And Percy and the others have a city to look through until they find Phorcys." Tobias sighed. "Either of you have any ideas to pass the time?"

"I have one." Kazehana spoke up.

"You really have improved since I first met you." Tobias complimented while tossing another rock into the air only for it to stop in mid-air.

"Thanks to you. If I didn't meet you, I never would've thought to try and get this kind of control."

Kazehana's suggestion to pass time was to do some training of her own. What her training entitled was using her own powers to float several rocks around her. Including the one Tobias had just thrown, she was currently hovering thirteen and moving them in a circle around her while sitting on the deck of the Argo II. So far they had been doing this for about an hour, just talking while Kazehana didn't her training. The reason she only had a few rocks now was because whenever she missed one she insisted on starting all over again.

"Still, you're the one who's doing this. You should be proud." Tobias complimented her. "I was a bit surprised when you suggested this though."

"What do you mean?" Yahan was leaning against the railings and reading a book that she had brought with them. The other crew members did wonder where she had gotten it.

"Knowing Kazehana, I figured the idea she had was something besides this." Tobias tossed another rock in the air. It joined its brethren and started moving slowly in a circle.

"Oh really? Like what?" Kazehana asked innocently but the effect was ruined by the smile on her face.

"Three guesses." Tobias was not going to play her game.

"Three guesses," Yahan closed her book but kept her thumb in to mark her place. "Let's see...were you thinking she meant reading?"

"No."

"Ok. How about... No, training wouldn't work, you already said you weren't expecting this," Yahan made a face as she said that. "So, not reading, training, so that leaves..."

"Yep." Kazehana smirked.

"You know, we could do that." Yahan said thoughtfully while grinning at Tobias. "We just need someplace private..."

"I'm going to stop you two right there." Tobias threw another rock into the air. "We are not doing that on this ship with the others here."

"Well, didn't you bring those sound proofing discs with you?" Kazehana asked innocently.

"No I did not." Tobias lied through his teeth. He knew exactly what act these two were suggesting and he was not going to do it. Even if they were making it sound very tempting and starting to leak arousal through their bonds to influence him.

"Liar." Yahan smirked.

Sadly the bonds were a two way street and they had mastered the art of telling when he was lying with it. And the smirks on both their faces was not encouraging for this conversation. Thankfully it was interrupted when they heard feet thundering the plank. They all looked to see Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge running up. The two demigods looked like they had gone for a swim since their hair was wet, but their clothes were also damp and stiff. Hedge was also missing his shoes.

"What the heck happened to you?" Tobias asked while a clatter told him Kazehana had dropped the stones.

He didn't get an answer but Frank kept running and headed below decks while Percy and Coach Hedge both collapsed and lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Now that he looked closer, Percy was covered in nicks and scratches like he had jumped through a window. Coach was just grinning at the sky while muttering, "Awesome, Awesome."

Tobias was met by the same confused looks from Yahan and Kazehana when he looked at them.

Ten minutes later, they were sailing through the sky as fast as they could while Percy and the others filled them in on their little adventure on the quarterdeck. It turned out Phorcys had been hiding in a aquarium and had been awfully helpful for a while, telling them about a map in Charleston, where they were heading now. After that, he had predictably trapped them inside a giant goldfish bowl of seawater, where they would've been forced to fight each other for shows. Coach Hedge, who had been getting a tour of dangerous sea monsters by the goddess of sea monsters Keto, had found them and helped them break out before they ran all the way back to the ship.

Percy also explained that they had been holding several sea creatures captive and drugged for entertainment, which explained why he looked so upset.

"That's terrible," Annabeth said. "We need to help them."

"We will," Percy promised. "In time. But I have to figure out how. I wish..." He shook his head. "Never mind. First, we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."

That was another thing. Apparently Gaea had put a bounty on each and everyone of their heads, so monsters would be gunning for them for that as well. Coach had lost interest in the conversation at some point and was now wandering towards the bow of the ship, practicing his roundhouse kick and complimenting himself on his technique.

Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger while making a sour face. "A bounty on our heads...as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"Do we get wanted posters?" Leo asked from the control panel, since he was navigating them. "And do the have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

Tobias sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Leo, what is with you and coming up with absurd ideas?"

"Hey, I can't help it they just pop into my head," Leo said. "Besides, I'm curious how much I'm going for these days. I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe...but am I worth, like, two Franks or three Franks?"

"Hey!" Frank complained.

"Knock it off." Annabeth order. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston and find this map."

Piper leaned against the control panel. She'd done her braid with white feathers today, which contrasted nicely with her dark hair. Guess Tobias knew what she done waiting for the others to get back.

"A map," Piper said. "But a map to what?"

"The Mark of Athena." Percy looked cautiously at Annabeth, and Tobias didn't blame him. Her eyes were stormy and she was suddenly put out a strong vibe that said: I don't want to talk about it.

"What ever it is," he kept going. "We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and the Greeks."

"The giants' bane,"Hazel added.

"Um..." Frank rolled some Chinese handcuffs that he had gotten from the aquariums gift shop between his fingers. "According to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try and find it. But what is it?"

Tobias studied Annabeth as everyone turned to her. It looked like he mind was going a mile a minute, but she also looked uneasy. The Mark of Athena was something of importance to her, but it seemed to have a double meaning.

"I-I'm close to an answer," she said. "I'll know more if we can find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name Charleston... Have you been there before?"

Jason glanced uneasily at Piper, and Tobias had a feeling this story involved Renya.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Renya and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons for the C.S.S. Hunley."

"That was the first successful military submarine from the Civil War. I've seen that before, on a trip with my mother." Tobias spoke up. Technically it was true, but he had seen it when it was...newer.

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason said. It held a secret stash of imperial gold torpedoes- until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

Hazel crossed her arms. "So the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just said...not cool?"

Jason held his hands up. "I personally wasn't alive then. And it wasn't all Greeks on one side and all Romans on the other. But yes. Not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices." He looked sheepishly at Hazel. "Like sometimes we're too suspicious. And we speak without thinking."

Hazel stared at him. Slowly it dawned on her that he was apologizing. Jason then elbowed Leo

"Ow!" He yelped. "I mean, yeah...bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers who, you know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking."

"Do you have any ideas on where this map might be in Charleston Jason?" Tobias spoke up, wanting to hurry things along.

Jason shrugged. "Well...I can think of two places we can check. The museum where they kept the Hunley- that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War, maybe a map is hidden in one of them. I can lead a team inside, I know the layout."

"I'll go," Leo volunteered. "Sounds cool."

Jason nodded. He turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too Frank. We might need you."

Frank looked surprised. "Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium."

"You did fine," Percy assured him. "It took all three of us to break that glass."

"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line."

Frank gulped. Tobias wondered how a guy that big and strong could be that uncertain of himself. Granted, he looked like a giant teddy bear at times but still, he should have more confidence in himself.

"Okay," Frank relented. "Sure." He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap. "Uh, how do you-?"

Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."

Frank tried again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh. He then grimaced with concentration and disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to a empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said in a old, wise voice. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Everyone burst out laughing except Tobias, but he did find the situation amusing and chuckled quietly. Frank turned back into himself, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them into the backpack next to him. He managed an embarrassed smile.

"So," Tobias gave the demigod a break by changing the subject. "Jason, what's the other place you mentioned?"

Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, Tobias could tell it wasn't pleasant.

"Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery- it's a park right next to the harbor. I was there...with Renya..." He looked at Piper, then rushed on. "We saw something in the park. A ghost, or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, floating along and glowing. We tried to approach it, but whenever we got close it disappeared. Then Renya had this thought, that it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."

Everyone waited, but he didn't speak up. Then Yahan asked, "What did it say?"

"I don't know," Jason admitted. "Renya wouldn't tell me, but it must've been important. She seemed shaken up. Maybe she had gotten a prophecy or bad news, but she never acted the same way around me after that."

Tobias had a sneaking suspicion he knew what that spirit was. If he was right, maybe it could be a interesting experience. While he couldn't meet her, maybe Kazehana and Yahan would like too.

"A girls' adventure then," Annabeth said. "Piper and Hazel can come with me."

Both girls nodded, but Hazel looked nervous. No doubt her time in Underworld had given her enough ghost experience for two life times. Pipers eyes flashed defiantly, like she could do anything Renya could do.

"Can me and Yahan come with?" Kazehana asked, drawing everyone's attention. She shrugged. "We haven't really done anything interesting here last time, so this might be a good outing."

Annabeth hesitated for a second. Tobias guessed despite their actions so far, she was still reluctant to trust them. Despite that, she slowly nodded. Tobias then realized with the girls all gone and Jason leading a group of three, it would be him, Percy, and Coach Hedge guarding the ship. He had better find something to help him tune out that goat's singing.

"So that's settled," Annabeth looked at Leo, who was studying his console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us on the long-range sonar."

Piper leaned over the console. "Are you sure they're Roman?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman! I could turn the ship around and fight-"

"Which would be a very bad idea and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome." Tobias shot that idea out of the sky immediately.

"Or I have another idea-" Leo said. If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But those eagles would over take is and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the then take the ship on a detour and go the long way around to Charleston, getting there tomorrow morning-"

Hazel started to protest, but Leo raised his hand. "I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel said. "Four more days after today, then he dies."

"I know! Hut this might throw the Romans off our trail. We should still have enough time to reach Rome.

Haze scowled. "When you say should have enough..."

Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about barely enough?"

Hazel put her face in her hands for three seconds. "Sounds about typical for us."

Tobias took that a green light. "I'm very scared to ask this question, but what did you have in mind Leo?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" He punched a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly press the A button on his Wii controller really, really fast. Tobias didn't know how even a ADHD demigod could do that. Leo called into the intercom, "Buford? Report for duty please."

"Whose Buford? I didn't sense anybody else on this ship." Tobias asked before a puff of steam shot from the stairwell and...what seemed to be a robotic table climbed on deck. It was three-legged, had a bronze base with several drawers, mahogany top, spinning gears, and a set of steam vents. It was also toting a bag like a mail sack tied to one of its legs. He clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train whistle.

"This is Buford." Leo announced.

"You name your furniture?" Frank asked.

Leo snorted. "Man, you just wish you had furniture this cool. Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"

Buford spewed steam then stepped to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pie slices, which elongated into wood blades. The blades spun, and Buford took off.

"A helicopter table," Percy muttered. "Gotta admit, that's cool. What's in the bag?"

"Dirty demigod laundry," Leo said. "I hope you don't mind Frank."

Frank choked. "What?"

"It'll grow off the eagles."

"Those were my only extra pants!"

Leo shrugged. "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully he will." He rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Well! I call that a good days work. I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!"

A/n: I own nothing but my OC.