This is the chapter I had to fix! Hopefully it's OK :P
To Isaac- (Chapter 1) Lou swears more when she's angry, part of her deal
To RandomFanAuthor- He was! And yes, yes it is. I've tried to add in new things though ^_^
To someone- (Chapter 1) Oh, you will love him! My boy is getting what he deserves! XD And yes, reviews. I love reviews ^_^
To JASONGRACEISDEAD- HE'S NOT DEAD IN THIS ONE, MWHAHAHAHA!
To Thals13- Yes, yes, no, maybe and can't tell you :P
Piper had walked out with Jason and Louisa, before their departure, and had remained on the beach. She sat, hugging her knees to her chest, listening to the crash and pull of the surf, watching the night sky as she gathered her thoughts. A lot had happened in the last few hours. She needed five minutes peace to compute it all.
Meg and Apollo had taken their leave, still a quest to complete. Crest had been left behind, for his safety. He had not liked that idea, but upon hearing Piper could sing, he agreed to stay to advance his music lessons.
Piper hadn't felt like singing, excusing herself to deal with the bickering cousins. She had to intervene before Louisa kicked Jason in the crotch while cussing him out in Latin or before Tristan came down to see what the ruckus was.
She awoke, not having realised she had drifted off, a while later. She moved stiffly- the beach wasn't the most comfortable place in the world for a nap- and looked for the noise that had pulled her from sleep.
Against the dark of the sky, it was rather difficult to discern Storm- just a darker shape momentarily blotting out the stars. Piper rose, dusting herself down, squinting as she tried to follow that shape.
Then the pegasus landed, whinnying in greeting. Piper smiled as the mare settled, tucking her legs neatly under her. Her rider was tipped off at the movement, landing at an awkward angle in the sand, one leg still stuck over Storm's back, snoring softly and still drooling in her sleep.
The mare greeted Piper with a friendly huff, allowing a quick pet on her snout.
"Did Jason get back OK?" She asked. Storm nodded, delighting when Piper scratched her under the chin. "What about that one?" Piper nodded at Louisa. "She didn't kill him?" Storm snorted, as if laughing, tossing her mane. Louisa stirred but did not wake, rolling onto her side and muttering to herself.
Piper moved around the pegasus, scratching her behind the ears before leaning down to tuck her hands under Louisa's arms. "Ooh, you're heavy." Piper groaned. The pegasus had to help her, standing slowly. Between them, they got Louisa to her feet, her arm looped around Piper's shoulders. "Could you co-operate?" She asked the girl now drooling on her shoulder. "Just a little?" Storm huffed- she's never co-operated with anything in her life.
Piper had to say goodbye to Storm there- explaining a pegasus in what was essentially their front yard to her father would take some clever work she did not have the energy for- half-stumbling, half-dragging Louisa along. She continued to snore, head lolling, unaware of her friend worriedly glancing at her every few feet. She seemed quite content to sleep right through Piper almost dropping her numerous times.
Crest was waiting for them. He had found a stash of blankets, bedding down in the living room. He had set up enough spots for the three of them. Piper haphazardly placed Louisa on the nearest one. "Honestly," she wheezed, wiping at Louisa's face with the blanket, "what are you like?"
"Your friend. She sleeps a lot." Crest remarked.
"She's just overexerted herself." Piper assured. "Would you watch over her for me? I… I have to go. I have to help the others."
"And I will get music lessons later?" He inquired, tipping his head curiously. Piper nodded in a non-committing way- she would worry about music lessons after all this business. "I will watch her." Crest promised, looking down as Louisa shifted and mumbled 'bastard'.
"Thank you."
Louisa was still asleep when Piper came back. Crest was dutifully sat beside her, like a guard dog, humming to himself.
Piper kicked Louisa in the leg. "Wish I could sleep like that." She grumbled. "Get up." Of course, Louisa didn't wake, although she did swat at Piper, muttering vulgarities. Piper sighed, turning to Crest. "I've got a car waiting outside. We need to get this idiot back to Camp Jupiter. Can you help me move her?"
The car was a 'borrowed' Mercedes. There was a knack to bundling Louisa into the car, lying her across the backseat- a knack neither Piper nor Crest had- bumping her head on the doorframe and then nearly closing her arm in the door. Crest sat shotgun, playing with the radio. Piper drove. She had set up a ride home for the questers and Louisa, one last use of her father's private jet.
A gleaming white Cessna was parked near the terminal, right next to Coach Hedge's yellow Pinto. He was changing baby Chuck's diaper on the hood, keeping the tot distracted by letting him gnaw on a grenade, which was probably just an empty casing. Probably. Mellie stood next to him, supervising. Apollo and Meg were parked a little way away, sitting on the hood of their car. He was tuning his ukulele and she was talking animatedly, elbowing him every so often to make sure he was paying attention.
When she saw them, Mellie waved, smiling.
"You're late!" The nymph chided good-naturedly.
"Sorry." Piper laughed as she climbed out. Crest popped up on the other side, also waving. Louisa was left on the back seat. "We had to move a body."
"Excuse me?" Coach looked up. "I hope you bleached the area, young lady." Mellie swatted him. Piper laughed.
"Not- no, it's just Lou. She won't wake up."
"Ah. OK." Coach nodded solemnly. "But if you do hide a body, you need to-"
"Gleeson Hedge, I do hope you're not teaching teenagers how to dispose of a body." Mellie smiled tightly.
"No, my dear, I would never."
"That's what I thought."
"Um. Yes." Coach gave a nervous chuckle. "You about ready, Piper? Long road ahead."
"Just about." Piper agreed. "You sure the Pinto is up for such a long trip?"
"Of course!" Hedge puffed out his chest proudly. "Just, uh, you know, keep in sight, in case the SUV your dad's rented breaks down and you need my help." Mellie rolled her eyes.
"Chuck and I are riding in the SUV."
"Fine." Coach huffed. "It'll give me time to play my tunes. I've got Bon Jovi's entire collection on cassette!" Movement beside Piper- Meg and Apollo had come over.
"What are you guys going to do in Oklahoma?" Meg asked.
"Coach, of course!" Hedge grinned. "They've got some great varsity sports teams in Oklahoma! Plus, I hear nature is pretty strong there. Nice place to raise a kid."
"And there's always work for cloud nymphs." Mellie said. "Everybody needs clouds."
"Crest." Apollo turned to the pandos, a thought flooding his brain. "Go with them."
"But… my music lessons."
"Yes, I will teach you those, I promise. But I want you safe before then, OK? Why don't you go with them? You could listen to Bon Jovi on route."
"Yes!" Coach beamed, punching the air. "Come on, kid, I can teach you about real music." Apollo bit back a scoff, but he was glad for the satyr's input.
"I do want to learn music." Crest agreed. He studied Apollo's face. "You will teach me when it is safe?"
"Yes, my young friend. I will teach you all you want to know."
"Then I will go with them. And you will teach me later." Crest nodded. Apollo smiled. "Be safe." Crest bowed his head to them each in turn, even Louisa still snoring and drooling in the back seat. Then he made his way over to the Pinto. Coach let him sit shotgun.
Meg looked up at the sky, thoughts flittering behind her eyes.
"Um, guys?" She pointed north.
A gleaming shape resolved against a line of white clouds. For a moment, Apollo thought it was a small plane making its final approach. Then its wings flapped.
The ground crew scrambled into action as Festus came in for a landing, Leo Valdez on his back. The crew waved their orange flashlight cones, guiding the dragon to a spot next to the Cessna. None of the mortals seemed to find this unusual at all. One of the crew shouted up at Leo, asking if he needed any fuel.
"Nah." Leo grinned. "But if you could give my boy a wash and wax, and maybe find him some Tabasco sauce, that would be great." Festus roared in approval.
Leo climbed down and jogged towards them. Whatever adventures he may have had, he seemed to come through exactly the same, except he had gained a purple T-shirt along the way. The gold Latin inscription read: MY COHORT WENT TO NEW ROME AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT.
He crashed into Piper, hugging her fiercely. "Please don't kill me! I have missed you!"
"Ooooh, you are in so much trouble." Piper growled. She hugged him back; Apollo was sure he heard a few of Leo's ribs click.
"I'm sorry." Leo squeaked, giving her his most angelic smile. "Um, why is Lou dead?"
"She's not dead, she's an idiot."
"Well, yeah, I know that. But why is she dead-not-dead?"
Piper recounted the story, managing to keep her voice mostly level. Upon hearing how close they had come to losing Jason, Leo's smile faded altogether and he paled. His gaze darted between Piper and Louisa, following the story, trying to put the thoughts together in his head. "He's safe now," Piper reassured him, squeezing his hands, "Lou took him back to school."
"And he's… he's OK? He's-?"
"He's fine." She smiled. Leo put a hand on his heart.
"Me dying is different. Lou dying is a daily occurrence. But Jason dying…" He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as if he was trying to push the mere idea of it from his mind. "Absurd." He looked to the car again. From his belt, he withdrew a marker. "Moustache or monocle?" He asked.
"No, no, you are not drawing on her face!" Piper laughed.
"She'd do the same to me!"
"Yes, but I can stop you. I can't stop Lou."
"How about a monobrow?"
"No."
"Funsponge, Pipes, funsponge."
"Excuse me, Miss McLean?" The captain interrupted. "We are queued for departure. If we don't want to lose our window-"
"Yes, of course." Piper nodded. She looked over her shoulder at the car. "Leo… I have an idea worthy of you."
"Amazing and inspirational?"
"Stupid and foolhardy."
"We just said the exact same thing. What is it?"
Piper's idea really was Leo-worthy. Between them, they smuggled Louisa onto a plane.
And that is where she woke up.
"I'm on a plane." She said, still half-asleep. She blinked once, twice, looking around the cabin. "I'm on a plane." She repeated, voice getting stronger as her brain caught up. She looked down, touching the arms of her seat with quick bats of her hands, as though they were white-hot and ready to spring down her throat. She laughed, a nervous giggle. Her eyes locked on her fellow flyers- Meg and Apollo- frantic. She smiled a wobbly, about-to-be-sick smile. "Why am I on a plane?"
"Because-" Apollo began. The sound of his voice was the catalyst. She shot from her seat, tripped, arms flailing, and ended up squashed in the footwell.
"WHY AM I ON A PLANE?" She raged, voice cracking."Snakes 'n' planes, people! SNAKES 'N' PLANES! It's just two things, two things, why can't-" She noticed the blue expanse out the window and shrunk further into the footwell. "Ooh, I'm gonna die up here." She wheezed, hugging her knees to her chest. The plane hit turbulence and she whined, covering her head.
"Louisa," Apollo said gently, crouching in the aisle, "did you not travel on the Argo II?" She nodded, glaring at him between her arms. "That flew."
"No." She jabbed a finger at him, almost taking his eye out, knuckles whitening as she gripped the nearest chair. "This," she gestured wildly, nearly clouting him in the face, "is a death trap." She glowered at him. He stared back at her. Angry red splotches formed on her cheekbones and she grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him forward to hiss, "I am not built for flying."
"O-OK, could you-?"
"The Argo? That was a big ass fuckin' boat. I am built for boats! I can sail any boat, any ship, but planes?" She laughed again, looking a little grey now. Another spot of turbulence and she squealed, hiding away again and thankfully letting Apollo go."Noooooogetmeoffthisthingrightfuckin'now." She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her back to the wall. She now held the seat with both hands, muttering to herself, either prayers or swears, they couldn't tell.
Apollo glanced at Meg questioningly. She shoved a handful of the squishy red candy she had found into her mouth, shrugging.
"Louisa." He called again. "We'll be arriving near Camp Jupiter within the hour. It'll-"
"An hour? Hell no, give me a chute, I'll walk, I'm gonna- fuckin'- walk- no!"
"Why don't you try and rest?"
"I CAN'T FUCKIN' REST, I'M IN THE FUCKIN' SKY!" The plane shuddered. "Ooooohhhhh, fuck's sake, fuck's sake, fuck's sake…"
"You're not going to die-"
"Of everyone I've pissed off, Jupiter is top of the list!"
"I sincerely doubt that my father would-"
"Then you're stupid as all shit!"
"Hey!" He protested, voice cracking. "I mean, hey." He repeated far deeper than necessary. She shushed him for as long as her breath allowed, turning the tail end of the 'ssh' into, "Ssssshitbuckets motherfucker, I'm gonna die up here."
"You swear a lot."
"You stupid a lot."
"That doesn't even-"
"Yes it does." Meg cut in. She squashed herself in beside Apollo, offering Louisa some candy. Louisa took one look at it and:
"FUCK! SNAKES! NO! BASTARD! SNAKES 'N' PLANES, SNAKES 'N' FUCKIN' PLANES!"
"This is going to be fun." Meg said, biting the head from her candy snake. Apollo stared at her. She misunderstood, offering him the sweet bag. "Want one?"