20 Leo

I was ridiculously tired, so when Alexix offered to take first watch, I didn't complain. I drifted into a dream before I had finished lying down.

The place I found myself in was pretty sweet. There was a huge arching ceiling and the floors were like polished marble, which always made me want to skate around in a pair of socks. I didn't though because the people in the room looked like they would try to incinerate me if I did. They didn't notice me though, so I crept closer to the crowd to hear what they were saying.

As I neared them, I could make out some of their faces. There was that Notos guy, the one who had tried to broil Alexix into submission. Next to him were three little laughing girls who looked like they were just there for whatever party came afterwards. Next to them, I saw Aeolus who I recognized from my first quest and three other guys who looked sort of like him. All three of them were huge, and they all had beards. One beard was dripping icicles, another was riddled with fresh green leaves, and the third was the standard scruffy brown fur. I saw a guy who looked like cupid, bow and all, and a kid who looked about six.

"They're getting closer." Icicle beard boomed.

"It's not my fault they got away. The Owl child tricked me." Notos complained.

"Ah, and whose fault is that?" a short fat guy asked. He was balding, and had shifty eyes that immediately told me he was probably lying.

"Oh don't start, Momus. You'll only get them riled up." Aeolus said, glaring at Notos and Icicle beard.

"It could just be luck." A girl suggested, with an evil twinkle in her eye.

"Don't tell us you've been meddling again!" a group of girls cried simultaneously, "we're supposed to kill them, not let them slip through loopholes!"

"Yes." An old man with oily skin hissed, "Death is good. Very final. A bad end for all."

"We could just kill them off painlessly. Three of them are asleep. How difficult would it be for someone to cut them off?"

"No!" the group of girls screamed. As I watched, their nails grew longer and their teeth became sharper. "They must die painfully. Their blood will quench our thirst, their pain…"

"Wait!" a guy about my age was staring at me. "He is here. The son of Hephaestus sent to spy upon us in his sleep. Quick, Phobos, give me a fear that I can give him instead."

A man with deep wrinkles around his mouth frowned, which he must have done often. "And what makes you so high up that you can order me around Phantasos? As far as I know, it's your father that does all the dirty work. How can we trust that you can handle a job this big?"

"Ah brother," I couldn't see a face to pin to the voice, but the sound sent chills down my spine and made me long for something sharp. "Just give it to him why don't you? Here, it's not his fear, but it will do."

Suddenly, I was spiraling into darkness. I shut my eyes tight, and when I opened them again, I was lying in mud. I sat up and heard screams and laughter coming from the huge white mansion behind me. There was music blasting from amplifiers somewhere, but I could have designed them better. These ones were too static-y on the high notes.

A blonde guy raced past me, pulling someone else along. A girl with raven black hair that had neon pink streaks running through it laughed and waved at me to join them. "Come on Alexix, trust me, this will be fun."

For whatever reason, I knew that she meant me. So I ran along after them and entered the mob of screaming gyrating bodies alongside them. The girl grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd. Eventually we found a clearing, the crowd stayed a few feet away from the massive bonfire that was in the center, which is what I would have preferred to do.

"Guys, I don't want to…" but they just laughed. The guy, I recognized him as Nick, turned to the other girl.

"Yo, Jenna, you wanna grab some drinks?"

The girl nodded in time with the music, "Sure thing, I'll be back in half a mo' don't do anything too fun without me." she winked in my direction then disappeared back into the crowd.

"Come one Nick, you know I don't like fire." I said, moving back towards the crowd. The smell of smoke was almost suffocating. My mind was going fuzzy, but I couldn't tell if it was from the heat or from the fear.

Before I could reach the crowd, Nick grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug. "Hey," he said, his voice rumbling in my ear. "Would I ever let anything hurt you? Don't worry, you're totally safe. Besides, coach says the best way to get over your fears is to face them."

The words made my heart skip a beat, and then it stopped completely as Nick's hands, so reassuring a moment ago shoved me into the bonfire. My eyes went wide with terror and I caught a glimpse of the raven haired girl coming back with a few red plastic cups before the smoke burned my eyes and the flames licked at my skin and…

I woke up gasping. Frank and Piper were still asleep, but Alexix was on her feet, looking at me concerned. "Leo, are you all right?" her voice, my voice just moments ago, was full of concern.

Play it cool, Leo. But I was still shaking. My fear, her fear, was so real, all encompassing. "Oh, yeah. Just one of those prophetic dreams demigods have." Oh and by the way, did your boyfriend often push you into roaring flames?

Alexix sat back down again, hesitantly, "Annabeth told me about those. What did yours say?"

That your boyfriend was a psychopath. But I knew that wasn't the answer she wanted. Shoving the nightmare aside, I tried to think back to the first dream. "Um, it was a bunch of people gathered, gods and goddesses it think, but I didn't recognize a lot of them. Aeolus was there. I guess he's your grandfather. I saw Notos too."

"Why were they meeting?" she asked, clearly bothered at the mention of Notos. "Did you know anyone else?"

"Uh, they mentioned a few names. Monos? And Phobus. And… I think it was Phantomus? I'm not really sure. And it sounded like they were trying to decide whether or not to kill someone."

Alexix's eyes widened, "who?"

I thought about that, "Notos was mad after being tricked by the Owl girl… Annabeth. They're planning out our deaths." I said it like I was commenting on the weather, and Alexix took it just as coolly.

"Right. I'll wake up the others. You put out the fire and check the truck for anything salvageable. It's time to move."

I did, and in minutes, we were doing our best not to trip over roots and stones in the dark as we walked over the fields that Piper and I had explored yesterday.

"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Piper asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"A road, a train station, a bus stop, anything to get us away from here. Apparently the gods are coming to kill us."

"Excuse me?" Frank asked, perking up.

I explained my dream to them, and it was pretty much agreed that nothing good was coming from it.

Suddenly, Alexix threw out her arm to stop me. "Hold up guys, there's a building here. Can anyone read what it says? I can't make it out."

Of course, everyone but Alexix was dyslexic. Piper told her as much in terms that were a bit cruder.

Alexix raised her hands defensively. "Chill, I was just asking. Leo, can you hold up a tiny flame so I can see the sign?"

I lit a small spark in my palm. The dim light it cast off revealed a dainty white house with books for sale and signs offering dance lessons and stained glass hearts in the windows.

"A hippie house." Frank declared, "These are good."

We all looked at him as though he was nuts, but he just shrugged. "We found one on my first quest. It was the home of Iris. A safe haven for demigods."

The lights flicked on inside the house, so I dampened my flame.

"The Graces' Dance?" Alexix read. I noticed that her voice was measured, like she might not be as great of a reader as she let everyone think. "That definitely sounds like a hippie house."

"Hippie houses are good, guys." Frank insisted.

The door to the small house swung open and a tiny girl that looked weirdly familiar popped out. "Hey there, half-bloods. Welcome to The Grace's Dance. Come in come in. We just opened. You'll be our first customers."

She sounded so excited that I almost laughed. Fortunately, Piper elbowed me in the ribs, so I swallowed my grin.

"I think that'd be just fine." Alexix said, shooting Frank a look that said, if you're wrong, bad things are going to happen. "So… do you always open this early?"

The little girl giggled, "You mean at 3:27 in the morning? Of course we do, silly!"

"Oh, right. Silly us." I said, snickering myself. Alexix shot me a 'shut up' glare.

"So what's your name?" she asked, continuing to talk to the woman without going in.

"It's good that you're on guard my dear, but I promise you can trust us. My name's Thalia."

I jumped as though she had electrocuted me. She smiled my way, "yes, you know a girl named Thalia, don't you. She's a smidge different than me though. My sisters and I have been running this shop for eons, long before that meddlesome half-blood came along. Now come in, come in. you'll catch your death of pneumonia before you ever cross the threshold!"

Alexix cast one more uncertain look around the group then we followed the woman inside. The inside of the shop was filled with knick knacks, most of which seemed completely pointless. There were loads of shelves full of those fake potions that claim to make you happy, or beautiful, or charming, or force others to love you. The floors was made of smooth, polished wood, and in a space that had been cleared out, two more women were dancing so fluidly I would have sworn they were made of water.

"Hmm, and what do you know of etiquette, my dears?"

"You mean like pinky up, use the forks from the outside first, that sort of thing?" Piper offered.

The woman nodded, "that's not a bad start I suppose. Here, why don't you start reading through these while I mix you up a special brew?" She winked at me then handed Frank a few books and walked away.

Frank looked through the books and snorted. "Here, I think Alexix could use Morpheus learns Manners, Leo, Etiquette for Echidna: if she can do it, so can you! is definitely for you."

I laughed and gave him a good natured shove. Piper was examining the shelves. "Guys she has more potions than Medea did."

Frank blinked. "Medea? I thought she was dead."

Piper nodded distracted. "She was, and then she wasn't, so we killed her again. Look at the prices on these, fifty dollars for natural beauty."

One of the dancing women walked over. "Useful, no? Oh, but I see that you're already a beautiful girl. Perhaps for you then? Something to calm that frizzy mess?"

Alexix touched her hair self-consciously then glared at the sales woman. "I don't think so. I like my messy curls."

The woman waved her away. "Don't be ridiculous. No one likes themselves the way they are. Why even Circe could tell you that."

Piper looked around suspiciously, "Circe? Is that where we are? I thought she was supposed to be on an island?"

The saleswoman scowled, "you demigods are always comparing us to her. She's completely unrelated. You're just so ignorant that we minor gods just slip your attention." She sniffed.

"Oh, no ma'am." Piper said, trying to fix her mistake. "Of course we know who you are. I mean, three sisters who sell love joy and beauty…" she looked to us for help.

"The graces?" Frank guessed, "or, um, charities?"

The woman laughed delighted, "oh yes! Of course as a child of Rome I wouldn't have expected you to remember, but if you did then we must be more important than we imagined. Yes, yes. I am Aglaea you've already met Thalia of course."

Alexix nodded. "Yes, her charm and beauty nearly stunned me; however, I wasn't so sure of your wisdom until now. But surely someone as graceful and joyous as you is wise too, right? Are you caught up in the worldly matters?"

Aglaea nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes. Ask me anything, anything at all."

"Where would you hide the three main gods if you had captured them?"

Aglaea froze. "You little witch." She hissed, "It's not polite to ask personal questions you know. Extremely nosy. I believe we may have to kill you after all."

Alexix took half a step back, grabbing the hilt of her knife nervously. "Kill us?" Frank asked, "Now I don't think that will be necessary, right?"

"Why don't we just talk it out?" Piper suggested.

"Oh no, I know all about your skills. There will be no more talking." She grabbed the nearest bottle and lobbed it at Piper's head. Piper dodged, but more flying love potions were coming fast. I ducked behind the nearest shelf pulling a hammer out of my tool belt. I saw Piper stumble back as she took a hit, and Frank was muttering to himself like he was trying to change form. Alexix was the only one really fighting, but she was doing a pretty good job of it.

She walked, or rather limped, calmly towards the potion tossing grace, dodging the bottles she could, catching the ones she couldn't and hurling them back at the sister. The other dancer had stopped twirling now and was screaming angrily. "Bad form, you're supposed to bring your own weapons when you fight. Fighting when you outnumber someone else is just dirty. And magic should not be allowed in a fight!"

This last bit was in response to Frank who had managed to turn himself into a giant bear and was shoving shelves out of the way to get to the angry witch. When Alexix saw the giant bear, her mouth fell open. I suppose she thought this was another trick of the graces' because she finally pulled out her knife and ran towards Frank.

Before she could stop him, I tackled her from the side, making sure there was cloth in between my hands and her skin. She landed a killer hook into my side, but stopped fighting when she saw it was me.

"Leo, what are you doing?" she asked.

"It's Frank." I gasped out. "Don't fight him."

"Frank can turn into a bear?" she shook her head, "Right. That's normal." She sat up and I offered my hand to help her. She grabbed it, but immediately let go again when the burning sensation shot up her arm. I shook my own hand out in pain.

"Right, never mind." She launched herself to her feet by herself, stumbling a little when her right knee faltered. Whirling, I lifted my hammer over my head to join the fighting, but at that moment Thalia reappeared with our drinks.

When she saw the fight, her jaw fell with a little pop. She quickly covered her mouth with her petite hand. "Ladies!" I hoped she was talking to her sisters, "you couldn't have moved the fight outside?"

She rolled her eyes as though demigod attacks were an everyday occurrence and no more than a minor annoyance. She set our drinks carefully on the counter then snapped her hand and the three graces slowly dissolved into a shimmering blue powder from the bottom up. "Be warned," Thalia's dismembered head said, staring at Piper. "From here on out, you will be lacking grace, love, joy, and beauty. Your walk on this quest shall be cursed. You shall have no grace in battle all because you chose to pick a fight. You should be…"

But we never found out what we should have been because at that moment, her mouth dissolved. Frank the Bear tumbled forward and landed on his butt in human form. Piper slowly stood from her place in the wreckage. Alexix shook her head, looking at Frank disappointedly.

"'A hippie house,'" she quoted, in a poor imitation of his voice, "'these are good.'" She scoffed, disgusted. "Yeah right."

There was silence for a heartbeat then we started laughing. Sometimes there are situations that are inexplicably hilarious. You laugh until your sides ache and you can't breathe and your eyes are watering, but when you try to explain it to someone else, they don't get what was so funny, but it doesn't matter because you understand, and so do the ones who were there. The ones who laughed with you, even if it wasn't funny, and from that point on, all it takes is a certain word from one of the people who were there and you both start dying from laughter.

This was one of those times.