Just as Annabeth predicted the storm blew over within the space of two hours. I felt ready to fall over and Percy and Jason didn't look much better but according to Festus the ship was still practically undamaged. The moon came out over head and the waves were still rough but eventually I could release my strong grip.

"Great job..." I said, smiling tiredly. "That should keep us alive."

Percy nodded. He still seemed strong enough, but I knew that was the strong sea air. Once he got to a quiet corner he'd pass out. Jason just looked beat. He smiled.

"You know you can relax now," he said.

I looked down at my still locked knees and my fingers, blue on the wooden spokes. "Oh yea..." I relaxed, my mind finally relaxing and I collapsed.

For a moment I was confused. I felt normal, apart from my exhaustion. My head felt clearer than it had in days.

"Leo?" Jason's voice was somewhere in between choking and yelling.

Then I looked down. My legs had– once again– vanished. "Ah," I managed looking at the scaled tail. "I can explain?"

"Try," Percy crossed his arms. "I thought you said there hadn't been any change."

"And I didn't lie." I closed my eyes and begged my legs to come back. When I opened them, I watched the scales vanish and my legs separate.

Percy's jaw dropped and Jason blinked several times to make sure he was seeing it. "What... How...?"

"Happened earlier today," I struggled to my feet, making sure they could hold my weight. "I don't know how but I think I can control it, push it down or something."

Percy shook his head. "Dude! Why didn't you say anything?"

"It was right after I told Annabeth no more fussing." I looked down. "Sorry for the scare."

Jason put his arm around my shoulders. "You are stupid," he laughed. "We just want to know you're ok."

I smiled.

I stood on deck, thinking over what had happened. It couldn't have been later than ten at night when Jason, Percy and I headed down stairs to see the others. They had all looked a little shaken but alright.

I had avoided telling them Festus's damage report. It had been alright except for the dent in the bottom of the ship. That was some thing I could've fixed if I had an underwater blow torch. Able to breath under water or not it would take hours and I wasn't sure if I could last that long or what might happen to my curse if I tried.

I had refused point blank to let any once else take the night shift. I couldn't have slept if I tried. Despite being exhausted physically my mind buzzed with thoughts.

Percy and Jason had sent me backward glances but they hadn't said anything.

The night air was freezing and the waves were still stronger than normal. But it felt calm. Festus had taken on a stoic silence after I told him off. He was worried for me and sometimes I would hear him. It was taking more and more effort to think along the lines of tech as well.

This curse wasn't just messing with my body it was messing with my head. 'Your body will betray you...' The air seemed to sing. 'You will know the pain of flames, the water your only comfort.'

I needed another voice in my head. Running to the end of the ship I jumped over the railing, stratling Festus's neck.

"Hey buddy..." I waited for the reply. Only a snort, smoke curling over my head. "Come on..." I whined. "I know I wasn't very nice earlier. But–"

"Fix me." He clicked.

"I can't..." I glanced at the water. I was SO tempted to jump right in. But I held myself back.

"Fix me!" He was more insistent this time, wiggling his neck making me hold on tighter.

"I can't!" I waved my hands in the air. "Even if I can breathe underwater I'm not sure what to much exposure could do to me! I could never come up!"

He huffed, a large black cloud flying into my face.

"You, my friend, are annoying." I blew a strand of hair out of my face. The pony tail had fallen out sometime during the storm. Standing on Festus's nose I held my hands above my head and with a deep breath took an almost perfect dive into the ocean.

I have never felt more alive than right then. I watched the scales wrap from the back around the front, latching onto the other and pulling tight, creating one strong limb. My feet vanished, elongating into webbed fins. My shirt floated around my waist, revealing the scales slowly fading into skin. I rolled up my sleeves and looked at my hands, the golden scales sticking out on the backs of my hands, extending to the elbow. The thin floating skin on my lower arms wafted in the ocean currents. The same thing was happening on my legs- no my tail. The word was so strange in my head that I had to laugh. The sound was strange under water, echoing across the bottom of the ship.

Resurfacing, Festus looked down at me. He creaked questioningly. "I'm fine buddy..." the air was cold and I dove under the water. I shot back up like speeding bullet, completely jumping out of the water and falling right back in.

It was perfect.

Festus creaked again. "I get it, I get it," I shook my head, water splashing from my hair. "I'll go fix you now."

The dents were easy. My tool belt supplied me with a hammer and I could use my fire as some kind of welding tool and the dents and small abrasions in the hull were invisible within an hour. Even with my job done I didnt want to leave the water. I was comfortable, my neck didn't throb with pain for the first time that day and I felt wide awake. Continuing to put off my resurfacing I kept finding things on the hull to fix and soon it looked like the day I had made it.

Before I knew it I saw light above the surface. Morning had come early. But I didn't feel tired or worn from an entire night of swimming. Pulling myself to the surface I heard a voice.

"Leo!" Hazel's voice called. "Leo!" she sounded panicked.

I heard the door to the lower decks. "Hazel what's wrong?" Jason yawned.

"I can't find Leo!" I could almsot hear her terrifed gasps. "I think he must have fallen over deck or soemthing."

"He probably just fell asleep in the crows nest," Frank's voice comforted.

"I checked there!" her feet began to pace across deck. "I can't find him!"

Diving below the surface I flicked my tail, turning me around. WIth a quick thrust I shot into the open air, latching onto the railing, my tail slapping the hull, hard. "Ow!" I complained as the limb began to sting.

"Leo!" Hazel gasped. Her eyes were swollen and I wondered how long she had been looking for me. "you're ok!"

"Dude," Jason raised an eyebrow. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Fixing the bottom of the boat," I tilted my head. "What do you think?"

"How long have you been down there?" Frank came closer.

"Few hours," I shrugged, running a hand through my soaking hair. Hazel had been walking slowly toward me, confusion etched in her face. I didn't even notice until she was leaning on the railing. "Wait!" I called.

"Leo Valdez what the..." she swore. I was so surprised I almost let go. Frank's hands flew over his mouth and Jason looked on the verge of laughter. But Hazel seemed unfazed. "What happened to you?"

Then I realized what she was talking about. Blushing furiously I glanced down at my tail. Closing my eyes I concentrated, praying my legs to return. But the heavy weight didn't vanish and the throbbing pain on my neck began to return. When I looked down it wasn't gone.

Looking up I saw Hazel's motherly fury. "Well?"

"I... um..."

sorry this one took a little longer than normal. It has been a busy week. Promise I won't do it again :'(

anyway :) reviews make updates faster!