I hope you liked the last chapter. The fact that only the most powerful demigods have dreams of special importance is something I don't think riordan explored that much in his previous books.

Chapter 7 – Frank

Stifling a yawn from his lack of sleep, Frank brushed the tiredness from his eyes as he followed the action below. After the tumult of bad weather last night, no one had caught much sleep after they had been woken up, but you would never have guessed it judging by Percy and Jason's performance below.

The two most powerful demigods of their generation were sparring with fearsome intensity in the arena below, exchanging blows almost too quick to follow. Though they fought with differing styles, their swordplay had evolved a lot even over the last hour. Drenched in sweat and starting to fall prey to exhaustion, they both managed to deliver a handful of skin-deep blows and scratches to the other. Since the beginning of the match, they had learnt how different their styles were and Frank could see the change from their initial engagements, almost as if they were learning a new style that bridged their taught manoeuvres.

As Frank watched, Percy and Jason exchanged a handful of blows, their swords dancing amidst sparks flying off every time their blades met. With Riptide in his right hand, Percy delivered a pair of blows at Jason's left side and then his right, forcing his sword hand, also right, downwards. He then stepped into Jason and delivered the first disarming move he had apparently been taught, but with a twist, as he slapped the blade out of Jason's hand, he twisted his hips and his left elbow came round to catch Jason in the jaw. Rather than scramble for his weapon, Jason used the motion of turning to lessen the blow and pirouette on his toes and replied with a leg sweep of his own, taking out Percy's legs from beneath him. As they started to wrestle on the ground weapon-less, they suddenly became still as Thalia and Annabeth approached, calling an end to the fight.

Admiration for the spectacle still in his mind, Frank hopped down from the stands where he'd sat and, holding hands with Hazel, went to see what was up. By the time they arrived at the arena, Percy and Jason were receiving slaps on the backs from their fellow demigods as they shook hands with each other, exhausted smiles on their faces.

Thalia and her companions Phoebe and Annabeth stood to one side as she said loudly, "Percy, Jason, it's time for us to load the ship, let's go!"

Percy and Jason instantly went to retrieve their swords from the arena floor and made to follow; gazing around to find Frank and hazel and making sure they came as well. They approached the warship in relative silence, the nature of their quest keeping them melancholy. It was massive; 100 feet long easy and protected by steel on its hull, as they approached, Frank was astonished to see celestial bronze glistening from projections in the hull from above where the waterline would be.

As they took in these details and more besides, the guy called Leo appeared. The grime-covered latino kid still managed an impish grin when he saw them, as he motioned them aboard.

"Welcome to the Argo II people, we will be departing in ten minutes according to the Lady Artemis. To fill in the time, let the supreme commander of this fine vessel give you the tour." He said, as he made a futile attempt to wipe his face with a dirty rag.

The warships layout on the deck was relatively simple, three masts of varying heights with a captain's wheel and a number of provisions strapped down out of the way. Below deck, they came upon an officer's room for meetings, a dozen or so small rooms where officers would sleep and a large room for the rest of the "crew" to sleep, hammocks and sleeping bags laid out wherever there was space. Frank didn't fail to note that in every room there were weapons, most notably swords and shields, secured to the walls and in easy reach of anyone who needed them. The last room, however was different; as they stepped inside, the heat hit them like a blast wave, they had arrived in engineering.

The group emerged into a small boiler room lined with lightweight metal instead of wood like the other rooms, it was so hot that everyone except Leo and Percy broke out in sweats. Franks hand automatically went to his pocket to feel the stub of tinder of what remained of his lifeline. In the last few days, he didn't feel so threatened by the possibility of it spontaneously catching fire if the wrong thought entered his head but his feelings of paranoia could not be helped.

It was a relief then, when they emerged back on deck after the tour and the stifling heat of the boiler room. Tyson and Ella awaited them next to the main mast as did all the Greeks, all of them eager to go back home.

It was a few minutes after that Lady Artemis appeared into the languid silence that had settled onto the deck. As she approached, it was Leo surprisingly who took the initiative and bellowed orders for people to get below deck and secure anything that wasn't already until only a handful remained. Artemis shared a glance with Percy, who nodded perceptively as he closed he eyes in concentration and, with a snap of his fingers shouted "Mizzenmast!"

The boat suddenly felt like it had come alive; the masts unfurled, tacks were adjusted and the thrum of the boats power came to the fore ready to obey any command. It was Jason who stepped up next, directing the winds about the ship until they filled the sails and the boat lurched forward and upwards steadily, Camp Jupiter's residents cheering as they grew smaller and smaller, the ship gaining altitude until it disappeared into the clouds.