The smell of smoke and fire permeated the cool night air and the shouting of Roman soldiers stifled the silence and stillness. Percy ran as fast as he could, tearing off his toga to move more freely. It may have been wiser to leave it on, but Percy knew there were still people who didn't trust him and if Octavian were in the lead right now, he was sure that a hunt for his head had been issued. Those that believed in him would recognize him regardless, but it was extra fabric that could get him caught should he stumble into the wrong people. He felt bad abandoning it after everything he had just told Reyna, but he knew his priorities and right now, that was getting to the warship as fast as possible and away from Camp Jupiter.
Sure enough, a group of kids from the First Cohort caught up to him just seconds away from the ship ropes. He cursed his luck and readied Riptide for battle. The soldiers were equipped with armor and spear that Percy had literally just returned to them from Alaska and he felt a bit indignant about that. They encroached in half-circle formation around their target and Percy bolted in the opposite direction. He knew a doomed battle when he saw one, but he also knew how to create his own advantages. The Fates must have been on his side as not only did he manage to reach the fountain he was aiming for but Frank and Hazel were nearby as well. Percy willed the water at the group, breaking their formation and blasting them onto their rears.
"Hazel, Frank, we need to go! Are you with us," Percy shouted, stepping back into the fountain. He could feel the water giving him a boost in vitality as his two companions rallied with him.
"We're with you Percy, but how are we even going to make it," Hazel replied, fending off her own attacker.
She was right; his retreat to the fountain had taken him further away from the Argo II, but he had a plan. "Frank, turn into something heavy and sturdy and cover Hazel!"
With no hesitation, Frank shifted to become a large silverback gorilla, grabbing Hazel under one arm and plowing his way through the Roman force with the other. The daughter of Pluto collapsed tunnels under their enemies, clearing away any stragglers Frank couldn't swipe at as they ran. Percy meanwhile sent his thoughts through that water searching for its source. He didn't have to search long before he hit the intricate plumbing system that ran below the campgrounds. Willing the water to rise, the ground began to shake as crack in the earth popped up all over the battlefield shooting high pressure jets of water several feet in the air. The pressure wouldn't last long though and Percy dashed nimbly through the panic he had caused.
A few kids collected themselves quickly, but it was already too late. Percy had turned the battlefield into his domain. Anyone who got back up was quickly put down by a blast of water and a mouthful of lawn. It was a straight path to the ropes now, but of course things would never be that easy. Jason was still trying to reason with the troops, his Imperial Gold blade acting as nothing more than a thin shield as he parried and dodged his way around the enemy attacks. Piper was next to him trying to channel her charmspeak to varying degrees of success but against such a large force, it was hard to control.
'FOR GODS—," Percy exclaimed. He didn't have time to deal with this and especially not from Jason of all people. Willing a wall of water to peel Jason and Piper away from his would-be attackers, he made his way over, about to drag the blonde onto the ship.
Percy wanted to be mad at the son of Jupiter but the look of desperation in his eyes made him reconsider as he ran over. The kid was losing his family right before his eyes. He was being given an ultimatum of abandon or die by the people who raised him; the family he grew up with. Suddenly Percy understood as he grabbed Jason by the shoulder. The two met eyes, sea-green to electric blue and Jason knew it was over. He looked at Percy and his face relaxed, defeated. It was clear to them both: If I was you, I would do the same thing. Percy just shook his head and Jason closed his eyes for a moment as if trying to shut out the world.
"Go," Percy said softly and the two took off, Piper leading Jason away by his hand and he soon followed suit.
The wall of water dropped once they were safely away, and Percy felt like dropping dead right there. He had expended a lot of energy with the back-to-back stunts he just pulled. His legs felt wobbly as he stumbled his way over to the ropes. Salvation was just a few feet away until he stumbled over his own feet, rolling into the mud flat on his face. Though there were no eyes on the back of his head, the rumble of the ground indicated that things were not looking good behind him. As he began to resign himself to trial by spearhead, he felt a hand grab hold of his arm tightly and lift him to his feet.
Jason had turned back for the son of Poseidon and lifted him up literally single-handedly. Percy would have been shocked if he weren't so exhausted. The son of Jupiter handed him off to Piper who carried him on her back up the rope, a feat that made him feel like he was slacking on his training. He shivered as he wondered if things back at Camp Half-Blood had gotten more draconian. These thoughts didn't last long as the smell of ozone hit his nose and a primal fear sent chills through his body. Below him, Jason had called down a bolt of lightning that he channeled through the soaked ground instantly immobilizing then majority of their pursuers.
Needless of say Percy was thoroughly impressed once he had made it safely aboard the Argo II and collapsed unceremoniously on its deck. He breathed a sigh of relief as Jason came flying aboard the ship soon after. "Show off," He muttered, cracking a huge smile.
"Only thanks to you," Jason acknowledged. "That never would have worked if you didn't blow the plumbing."
"Great, I always wanted to be the warm-up act," He joked back and the two of them shared a laugh before Jason picked him back up and slung him over his shoulder.
"Alright, come on warm-up act, let's get you some rest."
Percy slept like a baby pumped full of horse tranquilizer. Honestly, he couldn't even recall his head hitting the pillow before he had slipped off into the realm of unconsciousness. With the day he had just had, it was surprising that no dreams plagued his rest, but perhaps he was just so deeply asleep that not even Gaea could make him notice her.
He awoke to the sun beaming through the window above his bed. Groggily, he wiped the drool from the side of his face and began to gather up the sheets that he had made a mess of sprawling out in his sleep. As he sat up in bed, he winced as a few bruises and aches made themselves known. Looking around, someone had left some ambrosia and nectar on the nightstand which he thankfully consumed, feeling the strength return and the pain evaporate like morning dew.
Standing and stretching out, he got up to start cleaning himself of all of the mud and grass that clung to his body from the night before. Moving into the adjacent bathroom, Percy turned on the water in the sink and began to wash his face off first. He stared at the man in the mirror that looked back at him and examined himself first for any damages. Nothing immediate stuck out at him as his eyes wandered to other parts of his garb.
Looking down at his purple Camp Jupiter shirt, there were tears and holes everywhere. He had managed to avoid any serious injury but the slash marks in the shirt reminded him of the small wounds the ambrosia and nectar had healed. Thinking back on it, he had arrived at the Roman camp in a worn and torn orange Camp Half-Blood shirt from his time running from the gorgons. Percy pulled at the shirt and a twang of guilt reverberated in his gut. Unconsciously, his hands moved to his mouth and his fingers traced the outline of his lips.
Percy caught himself and breathed in sharply. He shook his head as he began to undress, putting toothpaste on the brush prepared for him and moving into the shower. Efficiency in hygiene. The water was warm as it rolled over his face, and he briefly wondered how the plumbing of this ship even worked. Again, he thought back to Camp Jupiter and how amazing the Roman baths were. Gods he would kill for one of those right about now. Soon enough, he was out and dry—being a son of Poseidon made getting ready very convenient. As he opened the drawer of the nightstand, he found a pile of orange shirts prepared and neatly folded. He picked one up, nostalgia rolling over him even though it had been only a few months. He looked back at the torn purple shirt in his hands and shut his eyes tightly before folding it carefully and putting on the Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. Percy gingerly placed the older shirt on the nightstand and ran his fingers over the SPQR tattoos on his forearm before heading out.
"BUHFGH," Percy spluttered, reeling back and clutching his nose as the door had slammed into his face.
"Oh gods, I'm so sorry," Piper exclaimed, running forward to check on the wounded son of Poseidon, fumbling around her pockets. "Are you okay? Here's some ambrosia. Oh no…"
"It's ok, I'm alright," Percy said, sniffling and righting himself. He chuckled and dusted himself off. "That's some power you got. I think you just hurt me worse than any of the Romans last night."
Piper blushed as she moved a lock of hair behind her ear. He took the ambrosia from her and took in her looks momentarily as he ate, feeling the godly snack fix his nose. Unfortunately, it couldn't fix broken pride The girl was clearly beautiful, breathtaking even and yet she was trying to downplay it. Yup, definitely one of Aphrodite's kids he thought, reminiscing back to his first few days at camp.
Piper sighed as she collected herself. "Thanks. I assumed you were still asleep, and Annabeth asked me to replace the nectar and ambrosia. Since you are awake though, I'm sure the others would like to see you on the deck. Again, really sorry about the nose."
"Piper, right? Don't worry about it, I've taken worse. I'll be right up and thanks for the concern," Percy patted her shoulder as he moved past her towards the stairs.
She eyed his back and thought about how similar he and Jason were. Not her type but very clearly a strong leader that knew the cost of what came with that title. She noticed his hand move up to his face and something began to click in her head. Probably due to her heritage from Aphrodite, she could tell something was bugging him in the romantic department. Better keep an eye on that she thought to herself before following him up outside.
Percy met and greeted with everyone new and old again. He met with Hazel and Frank first who both hugged him tight upon seeing he was awake. Frank's weight nearly toppling the two over as they shared a laugh over the ridiculousness. He moved on to Leo who had way too much to say when Percy had asked about the water system on the ship. He could tell that talking about the ship had made Leo feel better, though he wasn't sure what could bring down a kid like this. Glancing back at Hazel, she was still clearly uncomfortable around the son of Hephaestus who looked exactly like her first love. Percy gave her a knowing look as he gave Leo his regards before walking towards Jason.
"Thanks again for the last minute save," Percy said, coming up beside the son of Jupiter who was staring off the side of the ship.
Jason shrugged. "I was just repaying the favor. I should have just cut my losses, but those guys, the Fifth Cohort, Dakota and Gwen…I just couldn't bring myself to…"
"Hey, from one Fifth Cohort guy to another, those guys still respect and look up to you. Even with Octavian in charge I'm sure they'll find some way to undermine him when they can. Also, can you imagine that guy trying to deal with Dakota on one of his sugar rushes?"
"Yeah, you're right," Jason said chuckling, his blue eyes shining a bit brighter. "Still, I worry about Reyna. Speaking of which, didn't you come from where she lives? Do you know if she's okay?"
That twinge of guilt in Percy's gut returned along with a swell of anger. He took a deep breath, trying to let it go. "She's fine for now. Reyna's strong. She'll find a way, I know it."
And we still have a promise. Percy thought to himself, once again absently tracing the tattoos on his arm.
"Yeah, you're right," Jason said, eyeing his reaction. He turned to face Percy and extended his hand. "Thank you again. For everything."
Percy took it and looked him in the eyes. Honest blue and green met once more. He smiled at the blonde and moved towards the last person he needed to speak with. Breathing deeply again, taking in the cool pristine air so high up, he readied himself. He couldn't stop fidgeting though and while he initially figured it was his ADHD acting up again, he realized that he hadn't had this issue around Annabeth for a while. Not since… of course. He brushed the thought away, no time for confusion.
"Hey," He said, walking up behind Annabeth who was standing at the bow of the ship. She turned towards him, clipboard and notes in hand.
"Hey," She replied, moving to meet him. "I was just finishing up checking on Festus."
The dragon head creaked happily at mention of his name. Gears turning as he nodded in appreciation and approval of his acknowledgement. Wisps of fire licked the corners of his bronze mouth. Percy could guess why Leo loved the thing so much. The two suited each other like bees and flowers. Or rather fire breathing dragon and non-combustible boy.
"Sleep well? You were out for a while," Annabeth asked.
"Yeah, thanks for getting Piper to refill my stuff," He joked back.
"Ugh, sorry. She told me about what happened. You look alright though for a Seaweed Brain. You look good back in orange."
Percy winced on the inside. That endearing term she had always called him did not feel great right about now and the fact that he had left Reyna continued to sink in deeper. Still, he was back with his old friend only they were on their way to almost certain death. It made Percy almost wish he hadn't freed Thanatos back in Alaska.
"Thanks. Are you tired? I can take over from here," Percy offered, sticking out his arm to take the clipboard from her. He realized his mistake too late.
"Those… Are those," Annabeth asked, freezing for a second.
Percy cursed his stupidity. He had let her see the SPQR right in the open. Making her upset was the last thing he wanted to do on most good days. This was not a good day, and he most certainly did not want to rock the boat with Annabeth now, so to speak.
"It was after we got back from Alaska," He admitted.
She looked him up and down, his posture had changed to hide the tattoos from her and his guilt for it was showing. "Just take care, okay? We have a lot ahead of us, but it is good to have you back. We all missed you."
Annabeth hugged him before handing him the clipboard and walking back to the rest of the crew. Percy watched as she left. The way she had said those words was almost like she was saying goodbye. It was like the weight of the world was on her shoulders again. He scanned the clipboard for what he needed to note down before setting it beside the dragon's head. He folded his arms on the rails and rested his chin on them, looking over the clouds to the ocean below.
"Why does everything have to be so difficult," Percy bemoaned. He glanced at Festus who turned to him and angrily spit small flames from his mouth. "Yeah, okay, right, at least I'm not a disembodied head."
He sighed and gave Festus a few pats and looked out to the open sea. Reyna, please be okay. I'm coming back no matter what.
Note*
Hey guys, thanks for reading! All of the reviews and follows mean a lot. This is my first time posting so I'm ecstatic that you're enjoying what I've written so far. This may be the last update for a while due to school and I have to re-read the last few books to make sure I have everything plotted out the way I want. I may have another chapter out sooner rather than later going back to Reyna for a bit, but time will tell. Hope you're having a good time and if not, I hope that you feel a little better reading this.