/Hey all, sorry I've had a busy couple weeks, but I'll try to get back to posting twice a week. Hope you are all enjoying!

Chapter 21 - Piper's Boyfriend is as Crazy as She is

"Alright." I worked the cramps out of my wrist and checked Jason's vitals. "You want to do another, or?"

He was sweating and shivering, cold and hot at the same time, but nodded determinedly. "Coach Hedge." He decided. "Coach, you found a kid on a bus that wasn't supposed to be there and you were willing to give your life for him. You're the bravest satyr I've ever met. You saved our lives more times than I can count. I know you wouldn't care for a mushy goodbye, so I'll just say this. I know if you're reading this you're probably beating yourself up. You feel you should've been here to protect me, since you're a protector. None of this is your fault, got it Coach? I know the risks. A son of Jupiter was never going to live long. And if I die protecting my friends, well, I can't think of a better way to go. So try not to feel guilty. Uh, Annabeth, do you think it'd be weird to end it with I love you?"

I grinned at the thought. "Maybe, 'I care about you'? Or 'thanks for everything'?"

He nodded, his face paler than Nico's. "Yeah. Something like that."

I finished the letter and got Jason some more water. I helped him take small sips and sat back down.

"Thalia." He said softly. "Thal, I'm so glad you're my sister. I don't remember much of us living together when I was little, but thanks for looking out for me and helping raise me. Thanks for coming to visit Camp while we were building the ship - I liked getting to know you. That story about your Hunters killing that drakon? Legendary. I know you've had a lot of loss and you probably weren't ready to lose me again. I know I'm not ready to leave you. But I am so glad I got to see you again, and know you are my sister. And I know you wouldn't make a different choice - you proved that on Half-Blood Hill. Have a good life, Thalia. Enjoy yourself, and try not to beat yourself up over my death. I'll be waiting for you. And you better believe I'll be the first to hug you when you get to the Underworld. I love you, sis. More than I can ever explain."

I dashed the tears from my eyes and finished the letter.

"Thanks for doing this." Jason said softly, his eyes looking glassy.

I nodded. "Of course. Just, ah, let's take a break, ok?"

I spent the rest of the day and the next as Doctor Annabeth, caring for Jason as best I could. I only left the sick bay twice, when Percy came to drag me up to the deck for fresh air. We'd walk around the railing and talk about anything that wasn't serious. Percy knew I needed the break - he'd try reminding me of our funniest moments, or architecture he thought I'd love in New Rome - anything that wasn't doom and gloom. Whenever Jason was awake and we were alone, Jason would continue dictating letters to me. I tried everything - morphine, ambrosia, nectar, mortal medicine, even Gatorade. Nothing made a difference. Jason's condition didn't get much worse throughout the day, but it didn't get any better either. I was taking a short nap in the cot next to Jason's with Piper on Jason-watch, when I got woken up by the ship lurching to one side.

"Monster?" I asked as I shot out of bed.

"Don't know." Piper said uncertainly. "Haven't left Jason."

I nodded and grabbed my sword, which was laying next to me in the cot. I strapped it on and looked at both Jason and Piper. We might need Piper, if it was a monster. We might need both of them, but Jason was in no state to fight.

I glared at Jason. "Promise not to die before I get back?"

He gave me a tight smile. "I think I can handle that much. You too, Pipes. They might need you on deck."

Piper looked like she wanted to protest, but as the ship lurched forward, throwing us to the ground, she seemed to decide against it. Quickly, Piper and I locked everything up in sick bay so none of the medicines got lost. Jason's IV was out and I wasn't about to start a new one while the ship was moving like this. I gave him another glare. "Promise me on the River Styx you won't die until we get back!" I yelled at him as the ship groaned.

"I swear it on the River Styx, now go! Go!"

I turned and ran up the stairs as Piper gave him one last kiss.

When we reached the deck we saw the problem - a giant storm. A hurricane, but I didn't think the Mediterranean got those. And this one was a bad one. Huge waves kept coming up to the ship, only to be slapped back down with waves from the other direction. The rain was stinging my face, making it hard to see, but I found Percy near the main mast. He was clearly the force pushing all the waves back. Leo was lashing himself to his controls, Frank was desperately trying to save the forward crossbows. I didn't see Hazel but I didn't expect to - that girl would probably get sea sick on the It's a Small World ride at Disneyland, much less here.

Piper and I ran to try to help Frank secure everything. Piper and I had always been a good team, but since Sparta, we were amazing together. We didn't really need to talk to get stuff done, which was good, because there was no way anyone would hear anything right now. Lightning lanced down so close to us I flinched. I heard the wind tear off one of the main sails and saw it fly into the ocean. I noticed Leo being thrown back and then pulled straight into his controls. He must've used a bungee cord to tie himself to the controls rather than a rope, so he became a Leo-paddle-ball with each wave. Not a great idea.

Piper and I reached Frank, who nodded to us, then the rigging, then turned into a giant ape and jumped over the railing to try to work on the oars. Frank's ape feet held onto the railing and I hoped he'd be able to hang on long enough. A wave the size of a skyscraper crashed over the ship, pulling the opposite railing and the foreward crossbows out to sea. Piper and I grabbed what we could and tried to secure it. Festus kept blowing fire into the sky, which didn't really help anything. Honestly, I wasn't sure anything we were doing was helping. We were all trying to get the ship into the sky, but weren't there probably storm spirits up there waiting to destroy us in the sky?

I looked back at Percy to see if he had any more ideas and noticed someone else on deck - Jason. He was talking to Percy in the pouring rain, keeping a hand on his wound. How and why and what was he thinking? I nudged Piper and nodded in their direction. The boys seemed to be talking. Then I saw Percy point over the edge of the ship and then at Jason. No. He wasn't really going to -

Then Percy ran and jumped over the railing and into the ocean. Not a big deal. What was a big deal was that Jason turned, gave us a sheepish grin, flashed us an OK sign, then ran to join him. As far as I knew, Jason could swim as well as your average mortal, had no ability to breathe underwater, and, oh yeah, was most definitely suffering from a fatal stab wound. Piper and I stared at the spot that they had leapt off in horror.

"Your boyfriend is as crazy as you are!" I yelled to Piper, but I don't think she heard over the storm.

Then I heard a scream nearby and realized that Frank was changing back into a human. I grabbed Piper's elbow and ran to Frank. We grabbed him just before his feet finished changing to mortal boy feet. We barely managed to pull him on board. He seemed to have been hit in the head by one of the broken oars. He may have had a concussion. Piper and I dragged him towards the main mast. I managed to weave some kind of harness that lashed him to the main mast so he'd be moderately safe. Once he was decently secured, Piper and I ran around trying our best to keep the ship in one piece. I found a piece of rope and secured Leo better to his console. He seemed dazed after repeatedly being rammed into the consol like a paddle-ball.

I ran to the edge to check on the oars, but I didn't think I should risk fixing them in the waves. Another giant wave crashed over us and I saw Piper sliding towards the side of the ship that used to have a railing. I fought my way to her and grabbed her hands before she slid off the boat. She mouthed "Thanks." as I yanked her towards the center of the ship. I found some more rope - the stuff that had used to be attached to the sails. I tied it around Piper's waist and the other end around the main mast, creating a sort of leash that would keep her on board.

Frank was still sitting there, looking at us dazed. I gave myself the leash treatment as well. I looked and saw Leo still attached to his console. I nodded towards my right, hoping Piper understood. She and I went that way together, hoping our rope leashes would keep us on board as the waves crashed over us. Now that Percy was gone, the ship was at the mercy of the storm. We had just managed to get to the nearest rigging when a giant "BOOM!" sounded behind us. Piper and I turned to see lightning flash into the ocean. Jason, I thought. I wanted to sob. Wouldn't lightning kill everyone down there? But I decided not to break down until we knew for sure. I let the fear wash over me like Piper had said. I accepted it, then got on with the job.

My new-found weaving skills came in handy over and over again. Piper would hold things steady as I tried to tie everything down. We worked as hard and fast as we could, which wasn't very fast. The ship tipped forward, then back. Each huge shift threw Piper, Frank, Leo and I against the floor. We'd struggle to our feet, then get straight back to work. I figured we'd all be bruised once this was over. Suddenly, the storm stopped, as fast as if someone had hit an off button. Everyone looked around.

"Leo?" I yelled to him. "You alive?"

"Yeah, I think so." He said, sounding shaken.

"Frank?"

"I'm ok too, I think. But my head feels -"

"Yeah, probably a concussion, we'll handle it as soon as we can. And Piper?"

"Alive but I think I broke my wrist on that last fall." I looked at her and saw she was right - her wrist was twisted out of shape and her hand was definitely not supposed to point that way. I nodded to her.

"Ok. We need to make sure the ship isn't in danger of sinking, then I can tend to everyone's injuries." Everyone nodded. I walked over to Leo, realizing I was limping on the ankle I had broken in Rome. I slashed my sword across the ropes securing him to the console.

"Check the engine." I ordered him. "We'll look at the oars and hull."

He nodded and ran, well, I guess it was more of a dizzy-stumble, down the stairs. I waved Piper over and we started to check the ship. Hazel came up after a minute to help us. Even though she had been inside, she still had some bruises appearing on her dark skin from being bashed against the walls.

Hazel, Piper and I made our way around the Argo II, trying to figure out how many oars had been destroyed, which ones could be saved, and whether we could even get to Delos in the boat. It wouldn't be a simple replacement - the oars had been crafted from wood the Demeter cabin had specifically grown. They had been enchanted by the Hecate cabin to fly. We didn't have members of either cabin on board.

"Why aren't they back?" Piper said suddenly as we were checking the back of the boat.

"Who?" Hazel said, uncertain.

"Jason and Percy." I explained, picking through a pile of wreckage to see what could be salvaged. "Percy went overboard, on purpose, probably to go stop whatever monster was causing the storm. Jason, for reasons I can not tell you, followed him."

I looked at Piper. "Any idea if he can breathe underwater?"

She shook her head and bit her lip.

I tried to smile reassuringly. "Percy and I's second real kiss was underwater. He made a giant air bubble for the two of us. He can probably do that kind of thing again with Jason. The air bubble, I mean. Not the kissing."

Piper and Hazel both grinned at me and turned to help me pull through the wreckage. We managed to find several pieces that Leo and I might be able to turn into something worthwhile. We had made it around the entire boat and there was still no sign of Percy or Jason. I shoved back my fear and worry for both boys. The clouds had cleared, showing us the sky. I still found it brilliant.

"Bob and Damasen say hello." I whispered. I was far enough away from the others that I felt ok saying that. They wouldn't notice if I wiped a few tears from my eyes while I thought about my lost friends. I took a couple breaths and walked back to the group. Leo was above deck now.

"Any damage to the engine?" I asked him.

"Wheezing like it's got asthma. How's the oars?" Leo said, looking angry at the damage done to his ship.

"Not good." Hazel was the one to say it. "Sorry, I mean, I'm sure there's an engineering term for not good, but yeah. Not good."

Leo muttered something under his breath.

"Alright, for now, we need to eat and I need to check everyone for injuries. Leo, can you grab some plates and cups for everyone? We'll eat on deck so we can be here when Jason and Percy get back." I determinedly decided to think of it as a when and not an if.

He headed off down the stairs. I looked at Hazel, "Since you're the least injured, I need you to go to sick bay. Grab some nectar and ambrosia for now. I'll go get anything else we need after I do an initial check." She nodded and went to do as I'd asked.

I went to Frank, who still looked dizzy and weak on his feet. I sat him down and checked him over. He had a nasty bump and scratch across his forehead where a broken oar had flown off and hit him. "Not much I can do until Hazel gets back." I told him sadly. "Sit tight."

He nodded and sat against the main mast. Piper came and sat next to him gingerly. I held out my hand and she carefully laid her broken one in mine. I looked it over as gently as I could. It was a bad break, and would need time to heal.

"Hold it up while I find something to splint it, ok?" She nodded and looked like she was ready to cry from the pain. I found two pieces of wood from oars that were well beyond repair and brought them over. They were sturdy and straight enough to make for a good splint. I looked Piper in the eyes. "This'll hurt… badly. Have you ever tried charmspeaking on yourself?"

She gritted her teeth. "Doesn't work, I've tried."

Leo showed up with the plates and cups, and quickly served out dinner to everyone. Hazel returned moments later, carrying plenty of ambrosia and nectar. I measured out some nectar for Frank and Hazel helped him sip it. As she did, I helped Piper eat small bites of ambrosia. She started to look better, but her wrist was still twisted and snapped in a way that I didn't like. I looked at Frank. His eyes were focussing fine now.

"Frank, how're you doing?"

"Better."

"Good. I'm going to need you to hold Piper still while I set her wrist, ok?"

He nodded, paleing at the thought. With Frank holding Piper around the shoulders and waist, Hazel holding her other arm to both comfort her and protect me, and Leo holding her arm as I instructed him to, I gripped Piper's broken hand. She looked me in the eyes.

"This'll hurt. Bad." I warned her.

"I trust you." She said, looking scared.

"It helps if you don't watch." I told her. "Try to relax."

She laughed at the suggestion and in that moment I quickly set her wrist. She screamed twice, once as each bone moved into place. Leo looked like he was about to puke. Hazel wasn't much better. I grabbed up my supplies - the broken oar pieces, some smaller pieces of rope, and the sleeve of one of Frank's sweatshirts he had offered to the cause. Within minutes, Piper's arm was in an Annabeth-special cast. She looked sick from the pain and I made her drink a bit more nectar.

I sat next to her, "Sorry, this probably won't make you feel any better -"

"But that might!" Hazel said, grinning and pointing at something. Two figures were bobbing at the surface of the water.

"Percy!" I yelled, running to him. The others were right on my heels, including Piper. We helped the boys board the ship and I noticed they were both grinning like they had won the lottery.

"What happened?" Frank demanded.

Jason began, "Percy's sister was causing the storm, but I stopped her by offering her a bobble-head -"

"Doesn't matter!" Percy said excitedly. "Dude, show them!"

I wasn't sure what he meant, but then Jason took off his shirt. The wound that was threatening his life was totally gone. Not even a scar. Everyone on deck gasped. Then Piper shrieked with joy and threw her arms around him. He caught her up and spun her around. When he set her down he turned in a circle so I could see that the injury was well and truly gone. I could feel tears fill my eyes. Relief, joy, excitement, and every other good emotion flooded me. Jason was ok. He was going to be ok. Jason threw his arms in the air and let out a whoop. Then he ran a victory lap around the ship, the rest of us chasing him and laughing. It felt so good. Even though the ship was broken, even though we had to dodge the debris, we were all ok. And that was well worth celebrating.