I forgot my disclaimer:
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO.
XXVII
Piper
July 16th
She had to roll her shoulder every once and a while to keep the circulation going, but other than that she was as good as new. And hoping there wouldn't be another fight today. Sea monsters seemed to pop out of the sea every now and then, and sometimes these massive birds and pterodactyl like creatures just dropped from the clouds, in fights she didn't even try to catalogue and remember, and that nobody really did anymore. Except Quinn. After a fight she'd run below deck to find the records she kept, like some sick score card.
She just sat down and kicked back on the deck. Everyone was trying to get her take it easy. She liked to think that she was fine, but Annabeth was giving her the stink eye whenever she offered to help someone, Jason was refusing her the chance to make any effort, and Frank had tried to tie her down by force a few hours ago. Then she'd told him that he'd injure her worst, and with another stink eye (Piper was getting used to these) he left her alone.
Really though; her shoulder hurt. She knew the poison wouldn't kill her, and maybe that helped a little, but still; physical pain was physical pain. She hadn't been sure if she'd be able to handle it or not a few months ago.
It was a quiet day (so far) and everybody was doing okay (for now).
Quinn was trying to teach Percy how to play chess, and Jason and Frank were exchanging flying tips. Hazel and Leo were playing this dice game someone in one of Leo's foster homes had invented, and Frank kept turning back to make sure she was okay (even if as far as Piper knew -which was a lot as far as relationships and friendships went on the Argo II- Leo and Frank seemed to have woken up one morning without mistrusting each other). Tyson was tinkering, and Ella was perched on the railing behind him, reading a book on the Spanish revolution and giving Tyson tips on it.
It was the sweetest thing how he remembered them all and could now be quizzed on the invention of the computer, the Cold War, Eastern Canadian history (which Quinn quizzed her about), White Fang by Jack London, and how to take care of pines.
They'd passed the Balearic Islands, which were Spanish territory, earlier in the afternoon.
Piper's mind was still wrapped around her latest dream, and as some point, she got up and found Ella.
"Ella?" Piper asked.
« Aella, Latin, Harpy, English. Yes? » The harpy muttered. Tyson looked up to Piper too.
"Yes," Piper nodded. "Can I ask you a tiny favor?"
"Yes, oui, si…" Ella said.
« Can you translate something for me? » Piper asked. Ella nodded.
"Ella can translate, » she nodded. "What, who, when, what Ella translate? Google translate."
"Ich finde dein Meister." Piper said, recalling the exact words she'd heard from Mysterious Wonder Boys' lips. Ella paused for a minute and counted her feathers for a few seconds and was really jittery until she replied.
"Je vais trouver ton maître," she said. « French. Yup, yup, yup. I will find your master. English.»
"Thanks Ella," Piper said. "What about the first phrase."
"German. Official language of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In 1975…"
Piper thanked Ella and turned back confused. She was sure that Ella had the right answer, she just didn't understand it. The ring had a master? What kind of ring had a master? And if it wasn't the boy she saw, why did he have it in the first place?
Maybe she was just losing it. Maybe Ella had said something like 'I love my father's ring' and the Monopod venom was making her hear cryptic messages: so basically a repeat of her life's story for the last six months.
She decided against it, figuring that that was entirely wishful thinking. That ring had a story, and a master; and that boy had a part to play, Piper was nearly sure. What were the odds that the seven supposedly greatest demigods of their time were on one ship, one of (supposedly) them got a dream about him, and it wasn't involved tightly?
Piper had caught up with at least that in the demigod world.
No chances. No coincidences. And absolutely no random dreams.
She rolled her shoulder.
"Piper do you need something?" Jason offered, noticing that she played with it. "Ice, nectar, I think someone found Tylenol in some cabinet earlier..?"
"Yeah man!" Said finder called out.
"No, I'm good." She answered. What she needed was a psychic. Or a mad genius.
Her eyes landed on Annabeth. Close enough.
Piper sat down next to her friend, who was scribbling in a notebook.
"Hey, what are you up to?" Piper asked.
"Quinn and I are working on something." Annabeth said.
"On what?" Piper asked.
"The cycle of monsters that attack the ship are… Odd. Unregular. We're trying to establish something." Annabeth said. She sounded worried, and immediately that feeling sank into Piper's gut, like a transfer. If Annabeth was worried about something, odds were they were screwed.
"Okay, umm, I've got a question."
"Fire away," Annabeth said, tucking her pencil behind her ear.
"Okay, I am looking for a ring in Greco-Roman -heck; throw in your Egyptian- mythology." Piper said.
"A ring?" Annabeth said. "Or rings."
"Both," Piper lied, figuring it wouldn't hurt. Annabeth thought for a second.
"The Greek and Romans were the first to observe rings on planets," Annabeth said. "I've heard of a lot of rings, but most of them are much newer than the Bronze Age. Made by demigods and graced by a god, or given their powers from a child of Hecate or Hephaestus mostly. There's one artefact, but it's secured at Camp when I asked Chiron about it. Why, Piper?"
The 'why'. That was the hardest part to come up with, and it was the part that Annabeth most often saw right through, Piper knew.
"No reason, just… Heard about a magic belt and I was wondering if there were other magical accessories," Piper said, piling on some charmspeak.
"Look," Annabeth said in a way that let Piper know that she wasn't getting away with it. "Dreams can destroy demigods. Look at Hazel who's on the very verge of cardiac arrest now, or Quinn who can barely sleep. Jason worries about Thalia all the time, and I won't even tell you the worst cases I've seen over the last ten years at camp. Just be careful, and talk about it. When a group of demigods get together, dreams melt away. I'm not going to jump into your head, because your dreams are yours and yours for a reason; but I don't want you to get hurt."
Annabeth was Piper's best girl friend at camp- or actually ever, because Piper had somehow never understood the female brain that was technically also hers. She was cool to hang out with, smart, a good listener, and really honest even if you didn't want to hear it- part of being wise. But lately, Piper felt like Annabeth was slipping off. That she didn't know where her head was anymore- or her heart. Breaking up with Percy had been step one, but all these little details came to surface and confused the life out of Piper. Annabeth suddenly spilling her emotions easier, which she hadn't at Camp Half-Blood even under all the stress and anxiety and pressure…
"Don't worry Annabeth, everything's going to be okay." Piper said, not sure what 'everything' was right now. "So what exactly are you and Quinn working on?"
"It's too quick to say," Annabeth said. "Quite frankly, it'll only worry you."
Yeah; because when Annabeth Chase said something like that it wasn't worrying at all.
Crept out right now, and quite bummed out by the zero hits on the ring, she decided to let it go (maybe) for now (even if she'd be thinking about it in about twelve seconds) and went to find out if Percy's figured out how to play chess yet.
Frank
He walked down the stairs quietly, and he paused mid step when he heard the humming. He looked and she saw Josie dancing to her hum. For a second Frank had to make sure it was really Josie and not some crazy goddess or resurrected dancer of doom because the dancing was good. It was smooth, skilled, intricate, flowing… That girl knew how to dance. She could be in a music video or movie or something.He just watched until Josie finished her song with something he vaguely remembered being called a corkscrew from this torturous hip-hop workshop in seventh grade, and then a pancake split, basically a split except she was flattened to the ground completely, leaning forth.
"You're good," he said since there didn't seem to be a way to tell Josie that without startling her. She spun towards him pushing herself to her feet, and she shot him a look.
"Oh Dios, don't scare me like that." Josie said, getting up. "How long were you watching?"
"Not too long," Frank said walking down the rest of the stairs. "But long enough to know that you're a good dancer."
"Yeah, well," Josie said dusting off her shoulders. "Had to stay alive somehow. On a good day enough coins can land in a little hat I lost while running to buy something from somewhere fast-food and cheap, or help that family of seven that was on the verge of sharing my alley. And it's my ticket into clubs. I used to think a music director would see me dance and walk up to me. Like in the movies, you know?"
"Yeah," he said, remembering some more movies in torturous seventh grade dance classes.
"Of course it didn't happen. Usually I ended up stealing something and running for mi vida."
"It would've happened eventually. Not everyone moves like that." Frank said.
"Gracias a Dio. Then I wouldn't be special." Josie said. "Just another homeless kid with issues. Although the flying boat boosts the whole 'special' concept I've got going."
"I think you are special," Frank said.
"What, the yesterday weird moment of psychic?" Josie said. She blew her bangs out of her face. "You guys are sure you didn't tell me?"
"A hundred percent," Frank said. "I don't tell people about my Mom much."
"Ah," Josie said. "How did she die?"
"How did you know she was dead?" Frank asked coldly. He tried to push that feeling of hardness away, it wasn't Josie's fault, and she was allowed to ask. He'd told Piper when she'd asked anyways; and Percy too.
"I don't know, just did." Josie said, sitting on the counter.
"Josie, how do you know any of those things? Is it, like, instinct or a memory you have or..?"
"It's a voice in my mind, soft and melodious like a bird. It whispers to me." Josie said. Frank's eyes sprawled.
"Really?" He said thinking of Quinn's voices -or gods forbid, Gaia- immediately.
"No, idiot, I don't know any more than you do." Josie said hopping off the counter. "And if you tell anyone I can dance, I'll show you something called a death dance."
And with that she marched back upstairs.
Jason
"Josie," he said, looking up from his book. "Are you doing anything?"
"Yes, I'm incredibly busy doing my summer algebra homework and finishing this 3D puzzle of Caesar's bust." She said.
Josie didn't particularly like the habit of standing around the ship doing nothing, but her sarcasm was so thick Jason had yet to find anything she particularly liked.
"Well come here," Jason said getting to his feet. Percy crossed his gaze and Jason nodded to him. His cousin wandered off as Josie walked up to him and looked him in the eyes.
"What can I do for you, Caesar?"
"You can stop calling me Caesar, because I'm not an emperor," he started off. "And two, it's time you learn how to defend yourself."
Annabeth shut her book.
"Jason, she's only been here two days…"
"Still, we're lucky we haven't been attacked in those two days' time." Jason said. "Really lucky, actually."
"Not really, it's l-logical." Quinn said. "The monopod scent must've hung on us, and Tyson says that it's strong."
"Stinky," the later nodded.
"It's covering us up." Quinn said.
"Still, that won't last forever." Jason said.
Percy wandered back up with a sword and he handed it to Josie. She took it by the hilt and her arm immediately sunk.
"Dio, what is this made of, bricks with identity crises who want to be elephants?" She complained, lifting it.
"Celestial bronze. It's even less heavy than Imperial Gold, which is what a Roman sword is made of. But now we'll start with this, because it's more complicated to manoeuvre, weight aside."
"How does that mean it's a good idea to start me off with this? I wasn't raised by a she-wolf whose main mothering instincts are furnishing one with swords, by the way."
Jason didn't even ask how (and if) she knew that he'd been raised by Lupa. He didn't know if it was something she was conscient she knew, or an instinct of some sort.
"Because if you master this and end up to be Greeks; you'll be fine at Camp. And if you master this and end up being Roman, the gladus will come easy for you at the fort. Trust me." Jason said.
"Trust the boy with the sword, of course, I've done stupider things," Josie muttered. Jason got the feeling she didn't like this. Well that was her problem; he rather make her learn fight than have her die under his watch.
"Josie, there are three children of the three elder gods on this ship and the five others here are powerful as well. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the odds are against you too. You don't want a monster to come here without your knowing how to fight. I don't care if you'll hate me for it, but you're going to have to learn." Jason said. Josie shot him a look meaning she did hate him for it. Jason wasn't used to dealing with this kind of soldier. When he used to be centurion with Gwen, before he was elected praetor, any legionnaire who didn't listen was punished, simple as that. Most of them were smarter than that too, but Josie's heavy attitude wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He starred her down showing that he wouldn't budge. And when he didn't budge, he didn't budge Reyna called him the most stubborn legionnaire in the world.
"Okay, how do I hold this thing?" She finally said.
For most of the afternoon Jason was showing her how to hold a sword, and the basic swings, and how to use it. Percy helped as well since he knew the Xiphos- Greek sword- better, but he wasn't as strict of a teacher. Jason had to be. In the legion, you moved fast or got trampled, and this quest was even harsher on that subject.
Josie obviously hated using a sword, which made Jason think of a child of Apollo even more. But you could run out of ammo, and the only bow around was Frank's, and he doubted that the later would be too fond of sharing. Especially with Josie because she seemed to scare him. Jason honestly did not blame the guy.
"Dude, I am mucho tired right now." Josie said.
"You're going to be tired in a fight," Jason said.
"Dude," Percy said. "She's not 100% in the first place; sleep and food and stuff. Give it a rest; it's her first time with any weapon."
"And the sword isn't it," Annabeth peeped. "I agree, it was practical, and it was the best base to give her; but it's just not her weapon."
"Yeah, even the smart person says so," Josie said. Jason was going to protest that in a fight a monster or –gods forbid (not that they could) - Gaia wouldn't give her a break. But he left it alone.
"Okay," he said. "Your arms will be sore tomorrow."
"I appreciate it." Josie said. Jason bit his tongue, and turned back towards the wheel where Leo hung out, tinkering with wires. He sat down at the foot of the mast and when he did everyone turned back to their own thing.
"She is so on your nerves, man." Leo said.
"It's that easy to tell?" Jason muttered.
"Oh yes," Leo said.
"She's so spitfire when she talks. Sarcastic and rude and she has so much attitude…"
"Dude," Leo said. "Chill it. She's not that bad. Well, okay, she is. But she shouldn't be the end of you. I think that your problem is that you're not used to being talked to that way."
"What do you mean?" Jason asked. "I hang out with you guys."
"Yeah, but you consider us equals. Josie… I think you see Josie as a new recruit. And new recruits are supposed to awe the praetors and whatever."
"I'm not praetor." Jason said.
"Oh come on, man- we all know you're still praetor after all this is over. Percy goes to New York because no way is he staying in New Rome, and la, la, la, BAM, you're praetor."
"That's not-"
"Don't even say that the people are going to have to vote," Leo said. "You're still their praetor. Deep down, at the end of the day, you always were their praetor. Anyways, you just can't handle that from her. Plus you must be getting dream crud like the rest of us, so there goes that."
"I guess," Jason said. "But she confuses me too. We don't know a whole lot about her- we're not even sure if Apollo's her dad…"
"Oh trust me it is," Frank said walking by quickly on his way down.
"Okay, so Apollo is her dad apparently," Jason said. "But…"
"Dude, you don't make sense." Leo said. Jason sighed.
"No, I don't."
"You tired or something? Stupid question, yes you are. Of course you are." Leo said. He spun the wheel with a hand and the boat jerked. "We all are."
"Okay, what's up with you?" Jason said, snapping back to himself. He'd felt out-of-body the whole morning, Leo was right. But that was the thing, Leo was right. He may be one of Jason's best friends in Olympus, but seriously?
"I'm being nostalgic, bro. I don't know if it's the ocean, or the dreams, or…"
"What dreams?" Jason asked. Leo scratched his head and frowned.
"It's complicated," Leo said. Jason thought it must be prettydang complicated for Leo to be nostalgic about it.
"Was it about your mom?" Jason asked. That was the only exception. His mom sent Leo back to dark places of him that shouldn't exist. Places where he was sad and lost in his head, quiet, and –Jason was pretty sure- incredibly, gut-wrenchingly guilty.
"Nah," Leo said. "Those are getting old too, though." He shuffled his feet a bit.
"Leo! I don't get what Josie is saying!" Hazel yelled above deck.
"Why, is she swearing in Spanish again?" Leo called back down.
"I don't know, I guess it depends what these words mean," Hazel said before listing the words in question herself.
"Owe Hazel, my ears." Leo complained. "Watch your language Esposito!" He yelled down.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know horses lived in the ocean and enjoyed window-whipping portholes." Josie said sarcastically.
"Horse?" Percy asked straightening up.
"Yeah, in the… Ocean…" Jason said cocking his head.
"Sweet; hippocampi!" Percy said, bouncing to his feet and leaning over the railing. Jason heard horse sounds. Percy turned back.
"He's trying to say something. Do you guys mind..?"
"Go for it," Jason said. "Enjoy."
"Fish ponies?" Tyson perked up.
"You bet. You coming, big guy?"
And with that two of them jumped over deck- with a quick permission request towards Ella about interrupting a game of cards. Josie and Hazel wandered over deck and it was hard to tell which one was more confused.
"Percy… Tyson… Hippocampi?" Hazel asked.
"Okay well think of it this way," Josie said. "Your friend Zhang over here turns into animals. Tyson in the water has one eye. Ella's got wings and a desktop where her brain should be. Technically, horse ponies are one step closer to normal."
"Point taken," Leo said.
"And you bring that step back," she told Leo. "Do you guys have soda?"
"No," Hazel said.
"Damn, that would've been amazing." Josie said. "I miss soda. And chocolate. Solid land too."
Annabeth walked above deck.
"I've got it!" She said.
"What have you got?" Piper asked.
"I know what's going on with Josie," Annabeth said, kneeling on the deck. She opened a binder and took out slips of paper.
"I appreciate how your conversations always include me being there in person," the Spaniard commentated.
"Get over here if you're such a physical presence." Annabeth said, sitting down on the deck, shuffling paper that looked like the flash cards Jason had learned the Roman emperors with when he was a kid. Josie knelt in front of her.
"Okay, each of these cards has a brand of soda on it since you like it so much. You're going to have to guess whose favourite it is."
"How the flip am I supposed to know that?" Josie asked.
"Same way you know about all our parents," Annabeth said. "Ready?"
"Whatever." Josie said, lowering herself so she was cross-legged. Annabeth picked up a slip of paper with 'Mountain Dew' written on it.
"No idea," Josie said.
"Think for a couple of seconds," Annabeth said. "Really try. I promise I will find you soda if you do."
"You're not above bribery, eh?" Josie said.
"I use any means I have to," Annabeth said. Her lip shook for a second, and Jason thought something else was going on with that sentence.
"I never said I wasn't a fan," she said, lifting her hands. "But I give up. Who is it?"
"Jason," Annabeth said. "Okay, this one." She said holding up a slip with 'Pepsi' written on.
"Frank," Josie said immediately.
"Good," Annabeth said.
"Actually, I had no idea; I just saw his eyes light up like a puppy who wants a treat." Josie said. Frank blushed and walked away, kicking his feet.
"Sorry Annabeth, carry on." Frank said. She picked up 'Sprite' (Hazel), 'Coke' (Percy), 'Dr Pepper' (Quinn), 'Cream soda' (herself), 'Doesn't like Soda' (Piper) and 'Root Beer' (Leo). She got none of them right.
"I don't get this. Is it perhaps a trick question?" Josie asked.
"No, it's a test."
"You do realise that I am nearly totally uneducated." Josie said.
"Not that kind of test." Annabeth said. "Close your eyes."
"False! Wait, is this multiple choice?"
"Josie close 'em!" Annabeth said. Josie listened and Annabeth reshuffled her cards, and threw in a few more.
"Okay, open them." Annabeth said. Josie looked at her, unimpressed. "Look, you're going to name me a food. Then I'll pick a card, and we'll see if I pick what you said."
"That's dumb," Josie said. "I don't even know what you've written there. You can't have all the foods in the world on that."
"Want to bet?" Jason heard Frank mutter.
"Josie, you're going to have to work with me here. Then you can go back to being snotty." Annabeth said.
"As if I need your permission," she answered.
"You don't need my knife at your throat either, so I personally suggest you go along."
"I have a sudden urge of cooperation," Josie said.
"Fantastic." Annabeth said. Jason shook his head. Annabeth had the how-to-deal-with-Josie nailed down. "Okay, start."
"I don't know… Rice?" Annabeth's hand hovered above the slips of paper and she picked one. She flipped it over.
"Fried Rice," she said.
"What the Diablo is fried rice?" Josie frowned.
"It's Chinese food," Leo said.
"Why do they fry their rice? Why does anyone fry their rice? Dang it, that is not okay." Josie said.
"Okay, close enough." Annabeth said moving the card into one pile.
"Do I have to put 'fried' in front of everything else? Is it an American thing?"
Frank and Quinn burst out laughing, and he had to shove his fist in his mouth.
"I'm sorry, you just have no idea what kind of stereotypes my classes in Canada can dig up. Fried food is, like, top ten material." He said. "No offence to you guys, I did say stereotypes. Not legit facts…"
"Eh?" Leo said.
"Leo don't go there," Annabeth said. "And no Josie, I'm pretty sure the rest of them are natural."
"Okay then. Watermelon."
Annabeth picked another one and looked down at it. She didn't look surprised.
"You're right." She said.
"Whoa, lucky guess," Piper said in a hushed tone.
"We'll see," Annabeth said, moving 'watermelon' next to the last card.
"Peanuts," Josie said. The card was right, and so Annabeth placed it above 'watermelon'.
They all watched dumbstruck as card after card piled on with the rest.
"This is dumb." Josie said.
"What do you mean?" Jason said. "This is… This is amazing. If not worrying. You got them all right."
"14 out of 15, and the one seemed to be because you didn't know what fried rice was." Annabeth said. "Josie, Jason's right. This is amazing, and it explains everything. From why you just took that turn when the police was after you, to how you knew about our mortal parents to-"
"Me knowing about you and Percy over there?" Josie said, waving her hand above deck to symbolise.
"-To you knowing about other things," Annabeth said carefully. "Josie, you're psychic."
