Who's ready for a story?
I kept getting emails regarding this story, so I was like, I'm going to surprise everyone and publish like, five chapters in one day. WOO!
I kept everything on a flashdrive. Yeah, you can see where this is going.
MY F***ING FLASHDRIVE BROKE!
Everything was on there. My favorite school assignments, all my story data, etc, etc.
Right now, I'm writing everything again, so bear with me once again.
Thanks for the support! Love ya! R&R -Sylver
Piper
The next morning Grover, Tony, Clint, and I met at the edge of the woods. Together, Grover and I showed the two mortals the way to bunker nine. Leo had told us to meet him there.
This wasn't just any quest. We had to make it all the way to Greece as fast as possible. The less time it took, the fewer people would be killed. On the Argo 2, it had taken us weeks to reach Athens. This time, we wouldn't have a warship on our side.
We dashed through the woods, careful to make sure Tony and Clint wouldn't get lost. When we reached the bunker, Grover knocked on the cave door.
There was some crashing on the other side before Leo opened the door. There were bags under his eyes, his clothes were grease stained and wrinkled, and some sort of circle contraption was sitting on his head. Solid evidence Leo had just woken up. Despite that, he was grinning and his eyes were sparkling.
He ushered us into the bunker, closing the door behind us. Clint contained his surprise, looking impressed. Tony went full on science geek, gaping while spinning in a circle. He slowly extended his arms, as if he didn't know what he wanted to play with first.
I narrowed my eyes and looked around the bunker. Leo had been busy. Tools were thrown everywhere on his worktable, which was very odd for him. Random contraptions littered the floor. Something that looked like a cat was waddling around the floor.
"Right on time guys!" Leo announced. He tripped his way to his worktable. Buford zipped over to meet him. The magical table had a box like contraption on it. "I'm almost done."
He fiddled with the thing on Buford, putting his complete focus on his work. I sighed and walked over to Festus, who was sitting on his platform. I sat down next to him and scratched under his chin. Grover sat next to me, looking uncomfortable, not used to the environment.
I watched Leo and sighed. I really knew nothing mechanically, so I was totally useless when Leo was in his trance. Tony, on the other hand, seemed to realize what the thing was right away. He gasped in amazement, eyes twinkling. He danced around Buford and Leo, muttering happily under his breath.
Clint seemed as clueless as Grover and I, focusing on the completed obviously amazing inventions. He took in the jumbotron (made by Leo), the intricate train track (by Leo), the prototype cell phones (also by Leo), and the numerous other inventions made by Leo and the rest of the Hephaestus kids.
Leo suddenly jumped up a few minutes later, a triumphant look pasted on his face. Tony hopped up and down behind him. They dashed together towards us. Leo climbed up on Festus' neck and opened his control panel. He took the thing off Buford and looked over at us.
"Okay! Clear the area."
I raised my eyebrows but didn't question him. Tony, Clint, Grover, and I pressed ourselves against the far wall. Leo made sure we were all a safe distance away, pulled a screwdriver from his belt, and began installing the device.
Leo suddenly gave a shout of victory. Festus' eyes turned from red to green and glowed. Leo closed his maintenance hatch and jogged over to us. We all watched in awe as Festus expanded and shifted.
"Oh sweet gods." Tony squeaked next to me when everything was finished moving.
Festus had transformed into a full ship. It was about three quarters the size of Argo 2, and was a shiny gold, most likely made of imperial gold. Festus was the figurehead, but this time instead of sails, an expanded version of his wings were on each side of the ship. "Festus" was painted elegantly in red on the hull.
Leo rubbed his hands together on giggled. He stepped in front of us all. "Say it. Who's a genius?" He wiggled his eyebrows.
"I am." Tony replied automatically, awe still evident in his voice.
"When did you do all this?" Grover asked.
Leo shrugged. "Eh. Been working on it in bits and pieces. Figured it'd be good to use for this quest." He spun on his heel and gestured wildly. "Come on already! Come aboard!"
Tony practically skipped up behind him. The rest of followed eagerly.
We climbed up the ladder to the deck. The design itself was just like a smaller version of the Argo 2. It brought back lots of good memories. "Leo…" I whispered.
He smiled at me. "Yeah, I modeled it after the Argo 2. There aren't any stables, the steering i s different, and there are fewer cabins, but otherwise it's exactly the same."
I blinked at him. "You changed the steering system?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna teach you and Uncle T how to drive. It's way easier now. Just in case."
Tony looked like he was about to die from happiness. He looked as if he wanted to look at the controls at that very moment, but then Leo gestured for us to follow him again.
He led us downstairs to the cabins. A sign with our names were written on each. I opened my door as Leo explained the cabins' magic. Sure enough, my cabin was just like the one on Argo 2.
We continued on past the engine room into the mess hall. It probably was the biggest difference. The kitchen area was the same, but the dining table was circular instead of rectangular, ridding us of the problem of the 'leader chair'. The walls no longer were magical images of Camp Half-Blood, but instead a simple cream color with red trim. Pictures of demigods from both camps, including the seven, hung on the wall.
Clint and Tony stared wide eyed at Leo as he explained the refillable dishes as I admired the new decor. Grover, who had also seen the Argo 2, fingered a picture of him, Annabeth, and Percy. I understood how he felt. There wasn't anything more nostalgic than seeing your original threesome group.
"That's it!" Tony blurted out. "When this is over, you're showing me how to modify the quinjets."
Leo laughed. "You likey?"
"Heck yeah I do!"
"Yo, Leo." Clint interrupted before they could full on geek out. "Is there a weapons system or something I can man."
"I'm so glad you asked." Leo said evilly. "It's time to get this quest moving! The weapon's system is in with the steering. Pipes, you should come too. I'll teach you to drive. We'll take off as soon as I get up there." He spun around and marched out the room shouting, "Look out sky! Supreme Commander Valdez is back!"
