LEO'S POV
I woke up with frost dangling from my nostrils.
If I thought that it was cold yesterday, then today was like sailing through the tundra. I must've passed out sometime while working on the Archimedes sphere last night, but I was rudely awakened by a shard of ice cutting my face. You heard me right. The wind was so frigid that it froze the water in the air and sliced me right underneath my left eye. So yeah, I can't honestly say that I woke up on the right side of the bed, er helm. All in all, it's a miracle that we managed to stay on course with me snoring over the control console.
It was only two days out to sea from Split, and gray storm clouds had swallowed the sky. The waves were choppier than ever. Cold drizzle sprayed across the deck, forming ice on the rails and the ropes.
"We can't talk up here," Jason decided. "Let's postpone the meeting."
After a hot shower (the McShizzle way) and a warm breakfast, I stood shivering on the deck with the others. It was mind boggling to see the whole crew bundled up in layers when we were sweating through the summer heat just a week ago. We'd all gathered on the quarterdeck to discuss strategy as we got closer to Epirus. Now it was clearly not a good place to hang out. Wind swept frost across the deck. The sea churned angrily beneath us.
Though to be fair, I probably wouldn't have paid much attention during the meeting. After all, it was taking most of my brain power to refrain from burning Nico di Angelo to a crisp. Every time I looked at his smug little face I felt compelled to bash his brains in like a deranged caveman. The possession of Diocletian's scepter was probably the only thing stopping me from rushing the guy. Its sinister aura definitely made one think twice before attacking its wielder.
Hazel swayed on her feet, the poor girl turning green with seasickness. "Need to—" The daughter of Pluto gagged and pointed below.
"Yeah, go." Nico kissed her cheek.
"I'll walk you down." Frank put his arm around Hazel's waist and helped her to the stairs.
I watched the two of them leave with a strange ache in my chest that I didn't quite understand. I felt eyes on me and looked up to see Peri staring at me. For a split second, her eyes were soft, forlorn, and full of longing. Then she scowled at me and pulled the hood of her coat down to cover her eyes, heading belowdecks wordlessly.
Nico brushed some ice from his hair and frowned at the scepter of Diocletian. "I should put this thing away. If it's really causing the weather, maybe taking it below deck will help…"
"Sure," Jason said.
Nico glanced at me and Piper, as if wondering what we might say when he's gone. I only pondered if his true intentions were to stop the scepter's affect on the weather, or if he planned on meeting a certain blonde headache in secret.
Whatever. I don't care what they do.
"So much for the big team meeting," I muttered and pulled a screwdriver from my belt. "Looks like its just us again."
I busied myself with the Archimedes sphere, but I mulled over my own words in my head. Jason, Piper, and I have been through so much together since last winter. I've watched my friends change drastically, but we've only grown closer, our bonds only strengthening. I glanced up from my work to examine the two.
Jason looked thinner, taller, and more careworn than before. His hair had gone from close-cropped Roman style to longer and shaggier. His icy blue eyes looked older, somehow—full of worry and responsibility. I knew what my friends whispered about Jason—he was too perfect, too straitlaced. If that had ever been true, it wasn't anymore. He'd been battered on this journey, and not just physically. His hardships hadn't weakened him, but he'd been weathered and softened like leather—as if he were becoming a more comfortable version of himself.
As for Piper, it seemed like she had grown into herself, too. I didn't mean looks— Piper's always been a pretty girl. But her kaleidoscopic eyes finally reflected the self confidence that others assumed she already possessed. Even her posture radiated a sense of assertiveness and strong mettle. Not to mention her hair had finally grown out of those choppy layers she'd done to herself in fits of self deprecation. She truly carried herself like a daughter of Aphrodite, even if she had her own way of doing so.
As I looked at my own likeness in the shiny surface of the Archimedes sphere, curiosity consumed me. What did the two of them think when they saw me? I definitely didn't feel like the same person I was when the three of us ventured out on our first quest.
But then, who am I now?
"Hey, it'll be fine." Jason squeezed Piper's shoulder. "We're close to Epirus now. Another day or so, if Nico's directions are right."
"Yep." I tapped and nudged one of the jewels on the sphere's surface. "By tomorrow morning, we'll reach the western coast of Greece. Then another hour inland, and bang—House of Hades! I'ma get me the T-shirt!"
"Yay," Piper muttered.
Jason and I exchanged a knowing look. It was so obvious when something was on Beauty Queen's mind. Both of us knew that there was no point in pressing the subject, so I focused on my work. It was silent on the deck for some time, save for the sound of the freezing waves crashing below.
"Guys," Piper said finally. "I've been thinking a lot about the Prophecy of Seven."
Just hearing those words almost made my heart stop. I put away my screwdriver and turned to Piper to give her my full attention. She looked warm in her cream peacoat and matching beret, but her facial expression was chilling at best.
"What about it?" I asked, moistening my dry lips. "Like…good stuff, I hope?"
Piper readjusted her cornucopia's shoulder strap. "In Katoptris," she started, "I keep seeing that giant Clytius—the guy who's wrapped in shadows. I know his weakness is fire, but in my visions, he snuffs out flames wherever he goes. Any kind of light just gets sucked into his cloud of darkness."
"Sounds like Nico," I said bitterly. "You think they're related?"
Jason scowled. "Hey, man, cut Nico some slack. So, Piper, what about this giant? What are you thinking?"
She and I exchanged a quizzical look, like: Since when does Jason defend Nico di Angelo? I decided not to comment despite my misplaced feelings of betrayal from Jason taking Nico's side.
"I keep thinking about fire," Piper said. "How we expect Leo to beat this giant because he's…"
"Hot?" I suggested with a grin.
"Um, let's go with flammable. Anyway, that line from the prophecy bothers me: To storm or fire the world must fall."
"Yeah, we know all about it," I promised. "You're gonna say I'm fire. And Jason here is storm."
Piper nodded reluctantly. I knew that none of us liked talking about this, but we all must have felt it was the truth.
The ship pitched to starboard. Jason grabbed the icy railing. "So you're worried one of us will endanger the quest, maybe accidentally destroy the world?"
"No," Piper said. "I think we've been reading that line the wrong way. The world… the Earth. In Greek, the word for that would be…"
She hesitated, as if not wanting to say the name aloud, even at sea.
"Gaea." Jason's eyes gleamed with sudden interest. "You mean, to storm or fire Gaea must fall?"
"Oh…" Leo grinned even wider. "You know, I like your version a lot better. 'Cause if Gaea falls to me, Mr. Fire, that is absolutely copacetic."
"Or to me… storm." Jason kissed her. "Piper, that's brilliant! If you're right, this is great news. We just have to figure out which of us destroys Gaea."
"Maybe." She seemed uneasy as she continued. "But, see, it's storm or fire…"
She unsheathed Katoptris and set it on the console. Immediately, the blade flickered, showing the dark shape of the giant Clytius moving through a corridor, snuffing out torches.
"I'm worried about Leo and this fight with Clytius," she said. "That line in the prophecy makes it sound like only one of you can succeed. And if the storm or fire part is connected to the third line, an oath to keep with a final breath…"
She didn't finish the thought, but from Jason's and expression, I could tell that he understood as well as I did. If Piper was reading the prophecy right, either Jason, Percy, Peri, or I would defeat Gaea. One of the others would die.
I stared at the dagger. "Okay… so I don't like your idea as much as I thought. You think one of us defeats Gaea and the other one dies? Or maybe one of us dies while defeating her? Or—"
"Guys," Jason said, "we'll drive ourselves crazy overthinking it. You know how prophecies are. Heroes always get in trouble trying to thwart them."
"Yeah," I muttered. "We'd hate to get in trouble. We've got it so good right now."
"You know what I mean," Jason said. "The final breath line might not be connected to the storm and fire part. For all we know, the two of us aren't even storm and fire. Percy can raise hurricanes."
"And Peri's last name is Storm," I offered darkly. "I know prophecies aren't usually so literal, but it's something that's been on my mind for a while."
"I hope I'm wrong," Piper said cautiously. "But the whole quest started with us finding Hera and waking that giant king Porphyrion. I have a feeling the war will end with us too. For better or worse."
"Hey," Jason said, "personally, I like us."
"Agreed," I said. "Us is my favorite people."
"Glad to see at least some of the crew is getting along." Peri's voice cut through the icy air, making the three of us jump.
I stiffened up immediately. The harsh winds and choppy waves must've drowned out the sound of her footsteps. Gods, it's like I really can't escape her. I wondered if she heard me drop her name. Anxiously, I spun around and fiddled with the Archimedes sphere to avoid her harsh gaze.
Don't engage. Don't engage. Don't engage—
"Oi, oi, Valdez."
Fuck.
I didn't bother looking up from my work, doing my best to sound distant and disinterested. "What is it?"
"I want my guns," she said firmly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jason and Piper exchange looks of concern.
"Uh, hey, Peri," Piper's diplomatic smile could be heard in her words. "How are you doing?"
"Hey, girl! I'm good, I just need to train more before we make it to Epirus. So? Valdez. Guns. Make it happen."
"I already told you that it's too dangerous to play around with guns on the ship," I said evenly over my shoulder.
"Well, they're mine," Peri's voice had an edge to it. "So how about you just hand them over, and we can all move on with our lives."
"Actually, they're not yours," I said through gritted teeth. "They belong to the Turtle Bandit—"
"Who is probably a pile of turtle shit by now. Finder's keepers, right? So gimme!"
Frustrated, I rolled my eyes. "If you think I'm giving your crazy ass any guns, then you're delusional."
"They're mine!" She shrilled in the brattiest way possible. "Fine! I'll just take something that belongs to you."
"What could you possibly take from—hey!"
The Archimedes sphere began to spin rapidly like a globe before flying out of my hands. I followed its arc with my eyes as it soared over my head. It landed on Peri's index finger, still spinning there like she was a goddamn Harlem Globetrotter. And curses, that's the first time that I've been able to get a good look at her today, the closest we've been to each other since last night's screaming match.
It wasn't fair how I was still knee-tremblingly attracted to her even when she was covered head to toe. Her golden locks were flowing freely (a truly rare sight) save for the beanie that covered her ears. Who knows how many layers of clothing she wore underneath that fur lined hoodie, but that just made the carnal part of me want to rip the fabric from her body even more.
Whoa there, tigre, remember where you are.
"Look, it really is just a glorified bronze basketball!" Peri laughed to herself as the sphere spun precariously on her fingertip.
"That is a priceless Greek relic more complicated than you could ever hope to understand!" I shouted.
"Who wants to see me dunk this baby?"
With a strangled roar, I lunged for the Archimedes sphere and wrenched it from her hands. Peri snatched it back from me, and then from there we were full on wrestling for the artifact. We were growling and elbowing and cursing at each other, but we were so close that I could smell the sweet scent wafting off of her hair. So close that I could see each hair that formed her brows, each lash that curled around her furious eyes.
"Guys, please!" Piper tried.
"Seriously, stop it you two," Jason demanded.
"She won't let go!" I grimaced, still trying to pry the sphere from her grubby little mitts.
"Give me my guns, and I'll give you the basketball!" She growled.
"It's not a basketball!" I yelled.
"Wait, guys," Piper said urgently.
"Stay out of this, Pipes!" Peri and I cried in unison.
Then the boat listed to port. The temperature dropped so fast, the sails crackled with ice. The bronze shields along the rails popped like over-pressurized soda cans.
"What's happening?" Peri asked.
Jason drew his sword, but it was too late. A wave of ice particles swept over him, coating him like a glazed donut and freezing him in place. Under a layer of ice, his eyes were wide with amazement.
"Leo! Flames! Now!" Piper screamed.
My right hand blazed, but the wind swirled around violently and doused the fire instantly. Peri and I clutched the Archimedes sphere as a funnel cloud of sleet lifted us off of our feet.
"What the—!" Peri yelped.
"Hey!" I yelled defiantly. "Hey! Let us go!"
Piper ran toward us, but a familiar voice in the snow storm said, "Oh, yes, Leo Valdez. I will let you go permanently."
Our combined forms shot skyward, like we'd been launched from a catapult. Peri and I screamed as we disappeared into the clouds.