CHAPTER NINE

The Woodpecker Pecks The Sail

Was that a-?" began Leo, glancing out of the window toward the front of the ship.

"Bird," confirmed Annabeth.

The four of them raced to the front of the ship, toward the beautiful mass head of Festus. They looked around and didn't see anything.

"Look!" cried Piper, pointing toward Festus's maw. A chestnut brown bird was caught in its mouth and it was screeching and squawking at the top of its lungs. "Oh no. Poor thing!"

"I can get it," said Jason, reaching forward. He climbed over the side of the ship and onto a ledge that ran the length of the Argo II. He reached out and scooped the bird up in his hand and came back aboard. "Well, that was easy. Just a bird caught in the jaws of a dragon."

But suddenly, the bird broke free and began to pick at the wood of a nearby sail.

A woodpecker.

"Hey!" yelled Leo. "Stop that before I turn you into barbeque and serve you for dinner!"

"I'm sorry, my good sir," said the woodpecker in a light male voice, "but it has been a long time since I have feasted on wood made from an Osiris tree!"

"It just talked," said Piper, staring at the bird with astonishment. She had never once in her life seen a thing, but being in the mythological world for six months, she should've been prepared for anything.

Annabeth raised her bronze knife.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The woodpecker ceased its pecking and hopped over to them.

"You all should be bowing to me!" he said. "I am a king, you know."

"No, I don't know," said Annabeth.

"No way," said a voice from a cross the mass.

Dakota had arrived and was looking at the bird that was talking. She ran forward and instantly got on her hands and knees, lowering her head like in prayer.

"Now," eyed the woodpecker, "this a girl with respect!"

"I still don't know who you are," said Annabeth.

Dakota looked up and anger etched across her face at the bronze. She got to her feet and whipped out her bow and arrow, aiming it directly at Annabeth's forehead.

"Lower your knife or I will fire," she said, ferociously.

"Dakota stop!" said Piper. Her voice rang out sharp and clear.

Dakota shifted a little, as though taken aback by the sudden command.

"We are NOT fighting each other," Piper continued. "We have to work together. Now, both of you lower your weapons."

Annabeth and Dakota obliged, without hesitation.

"Your charmspeaking is strong for a Greek," snipped Dakota. "But I won't have you disrespecting a king of Rome."

"King of Rome," repeated Jason, looking down at the little woodpecker. And a story began to form in his mind. "King…King Picus?"

"Ah," said King Picus, "you have respect to child of Rome and a son of Jupiter, no less."

"This bird is a king?" said Leo, with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah right! And I'm the king of Sparta."

"Foolish son of Hephaestus," growled the woodpecker. Could woodpeckers growl, this one sure did. "If this were Latium, I would have you thrown to the lions and eaten for breakfast."

"Hey man," said Leo, raising both hands, "no need to get hostile."

"Please," said Piper, moving forward and putting as much power into her words, "excuse my friend, King Picus. He isn't use to seeing someone like you where we come from."

The woodpecker glanced up at Piper and gave a curt nod.

"Another with respect," said the King. "And yet, you aren't a child of Rome. A daughter of Aphrodite. A beautiful one at that."

"Thank-you, Your Majesty," said Piper, with a slight courtesy. "Please, tell us what happened to you? How did you become a woodpecker?"

"A most thrilling tale!" said the woodpecker. "I was once a righteous king in Latium and had beautiful wife. I was a faithful king and husband and praised by the goddess Juno for being such to my wife. Well, a beautiful woman passed through my kingdom and because I spurred her advances to cheat, she cursed me to look like this."

"That's awful," said Piper, saddened.

"Yeah," said Leo, blinking back tears. "Hey! Piper, stop with the charmspeak already!"

"I'm sorry," said Piper.

"Yes," said Picus. "I was turned into a woodpecker by this witch and could no longer rule my kingdom. I aided Lupa in the care of the great founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, and made sure they were fed. They became great warriors, if I do say so myself."

"Are you immortal?" asked Annabeth.

"I became so thanks to Lupa," said Picus. "She vouched for my honor by the god of war, Mars, himself who made him his sacred bird! Such a befitting honor."

"Can't imagine Ares doing a nice thing like that," said Annabeth.

"Well, he was different in Rome," said Piper. "In Rome, as Mars, Ares' was said to have been worshiped above all the gods, only second to Jupiter because of his valor and strategic and disciplined approach to war."

"Wow," said Annabeth.

"Yes, Lord Mars is indeed a great aspect of Rome," said Picus. "But anywho, what are Greeks and Romans doing traveling together? And without a bloodshed? This is a unique sight indeed."

"We're on a quest," said Piper. "We're going to the Legion Camp."

If a bird could look fearful, it did. He looked from Jason to Dakota.

"And you two allow this abomination?" he said, outraged.

Jason didn't say anything, which kind of worried Piper. Why didn't he defend what they were doing?

"We have one of their own," said Dakota. "A son of Neptune-I mean, Poseidon."

"Well, bind him and throw him to Lupa," said Picus.

"Tried and failed," said Dakota.

"What?" yelled Annabeth, outraged. She pulled out her knife and ran toward Dakota like a cheetah and had her pinned against a post, her knife an inch from her throat. "What did you do to Percy?"

Dakota's eyes got oddly bright and Annabeth stumbled backward. And her bow and arrow were back in hand, prepared to shot.

"STOP!" yelled Piper, forcefully. "Don't do this!"

"I knew it!" spat Dakota. "This was a mistake!"

"No, Dakota," said Jason.

"How dare you attack me?" she said to Annabeth. And then she looked up at Jason. "And how could you let her try?"

"You tried to feed my boyfriend to a wolf," said Annabeth, unafraid. "Enough said."

"That is our way," said Dakota. "Only the strong survive and if you don't like it, then you can join the other souls in the Underworld!"

"Drop your bow and arrow," said Piper, calmly. And Dakota followed her command. "Dakota, listen to me. We're all friends. We have to work together or the giants will beat us. Is that what you want? If we tear each other apart, they will be able to destroy the gods…Roman or Greek…whatever! The gods…our parents civilization…will fall."

Dakota stared blankly at Piper, like she was just seeing her clearly for the first time. She took in a breath and her bow and arrow magically disappeared from her hands. She straightened up, folding her arms.

"Remember, your our seeing eye we need you to guide, just as much as we need the Argo II," Piper continued. "No more fighting. And that goes for all of us. Don't prove the gods right…that we should've been separated. We can work together."

"Fine," said Dakota, stubbornly.

Annabeth still eyed Dakota, but walked back over to stand next to Piper.

"Amazing," said Picus, looking at Piper, with newfound respect. "I have never seen such a powerful charmspeaker."

"Yeah," said Leo. "Piper is one of a kind."

"You make me sound like a machine," she said.

"Well," he said, "a beauty machine." He started to crack up. "Get it, beauty machine." When he realized no one was laughing with him, he shrugged and said, "I thought it was funny."

"You five might be able to save the world from the giants' wrath after all," said Picus.

"We're having good luck so far," said Jason.

"Yeah," said Piper. "So far, no bad luck!"

Suddenly, there was a loud grinding noise and the Argo II gave a violent shudder as it began to fall from the sky.