Leo's POV

Shit! Shit! SHIT! I thought, sweat dripping down my brow. Frantically, I twisted bolts, tightened screws, pushed buttons, and turned clamps. I brushed my curly hair from in front of my face.

There was good news and bad news.

The good news was that Camp Jupiter was right below us.

The bad news was that we would be crash landing on it; and if the fall didn't kill us, then the Romans probably would.

I mean, the Argo II isn't exactly something you just bring around to welcome the neighbors. Two hundred feet long with a bronze hull, flaming metal dragon for a mast head, mounted repeating crossbows that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete. Yeah, I wouldn't want anybody just popping up at my place with thins thing either.

"Do something, Leo!" Piper shrieked hysterically.

"I'm trying!" I said through gritted teeth. "You running around me screaming isn't helping nothing!"

I turned to Annabeth. She was pacing the room, muttering strategies under her breath. Her blonde ponytail whipped around as she turned corners, going nowhere in particular.

I sighed. She was supposed to be the smart one!

At least Coach Hedge was in his cabin watching reruns of a mixed martial arts championship.

"Jason!" Piper called over to him. He was staring out the window being all emo again. Annabeth had advised him to stand by the edge in a purple toga so the Romans might hold off on attacking us. He turned to face her, and his face looked grim.

"Jason, can't you control the winds or something?" Piper asked.

"I-" He had begun to answer, but I cut him off; I was agitated with her stupidity.

"No, beauty queen! He can't do that! We'd be like," I brought my hands out in front of me, bringing them closer together with every word, "boopity, boopity, boopity, SPLAT!" I finished, clapping my hands together loudly.

Thatshut her up.

"What do we do?" Jason asked, still gripping his sword tightly. We only had about a minute until the Argo II would smash into the Roman camp. If only I had more time...

"That's it!" I exclaimed. I turned to the controls.

Most helmsmen would have been satisfied with a rudder or steering wheel.

Not me.

The Argo II controls were a keyboard monitor aviation from a leer jet, dubstep soundboard, and the motion control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. I could fire the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire the weapons by sampling an album, or raise the sails by shaking the Wii controllers really fast.

Annabeth popped up behind me. "What's it?"

I smirked. "Just trust me." I pushed several buttons on the keyboard, and the warship went into a nosedive. Our steady descent turned into a speedy plummet headfirst into Roman ground.

Annabeth grabbed onto my shoulder tightly and screeched, "What the hellhound, Leo?!"

Everyone screamed, as we went so fast the world outside blurred. I just grinned. It was only a few seconds before we would crash into the ground.

Now!I thought to myself.

My fingers went a mile a minute as I typed in frantic instructions. Slowly, the Argo pulled out of its nosedive.

But slowly wasn't going to cut it.

I needed more power.

"Jason!" I called. "Need...winds!" I struggled to say.

Going parallel to the ground now, Jason commanded the winds. We glided for a few yards then came to a stop on the ground. (logic?)

Shaking, I let go of the steering wheel slowly.

Shaking, but most definitely alive, I thought.

I grinned. "Oh, hell yeah!" I fist pumped and did a little happy dance. "Your supreme commander has just the landed the Argo II! Like a boss!"

Everyone laughed at that, which was good.

I mean, the Romans are probably about to kill us anyway, so we might as well laugh it up.

The laughter died down, and there was an awkward tension in the air. We all knew what had to be done.

Finally, Annabeth sighed and rose to her feet. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I want to see this bootleg Camp Half-Blood." She opened the door leading to the outside, and a blinding white light shone. Piper stepped out behind her and I heard her gasp. I rushed out after her, expecting an attack.

What I saw made me want to turn tail and run back into the warship.

Over a hundred Romans in purple shirts with the emblem "SPQR" stood in an intimidating crowd. A few, who I guess were their leaders, stood out in front wearing fancy togas. I glanced down at my own clothes. My previously orange CHB shirt was now singed, holey, and had more oil stains than I could count. I sighed. I could count pretty darn high. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud uproar from the Romans.

Jason had just stepped out.

The crowd had burst into fitful whispers and pointing.

"ERMAHGAWD! IT'S JASON!"

"OUR PRAETOR HAS RETURNED!"

"JASON, I LOVE YOU!"

You get the picture.

I nudged Jason in the arm, grinning. "Whoa, dude, you're popular!" Piper just grumbled something intelligibly under her breath. She was probably just mad about that one last fangirl. Jason tried to ignore his star treatment as best as he could. Instead, he turned to Annabeth. "Well, do you see him, Annabeth?"

She scanned the crowd, her gray eyes searching for the face she wanted to see more than anything else. "I don't..." She started, but then gasped. "Percy?!" She called to a guy in a toga. He had black hair and green eyes. He seemed to be chatting with some other girl in a toga, but then his head snapped up when Annabeth called his name.

Annabeth started running forwards.

"Annabeth! No!" Jason called to her. "We have to wait for the praetors!"

The guy who I guess is Percy exclaimed, "Annabeth!" He sprinted up.

"Wait, what's that praetor doing?" Jason asked, confused.

Percy and Annabeth embraced closely. He picked her up and spun her around a few times, before setting her back down on the ground. Laughing, she said, "So, I guess you remember then?"

He looked her in her eyes and held her close. "Are you kidding? I never forgot you." They kissed deeply.

I puffed out my cheeks and made gagging motions. Piper stifled a laugh, but Jason just shook his head disapprovingly at us.

The two finally pulled apart from their make-out session, to the relief of... well, everyone.

Suddenly, a Roman girl with long, dark hair in a toga stepped forward. She spoke with an air of confidence and leadership that automatically told me she was in charge. "I am Reyna, daughter of Bellona. I am praetor of Camp Jupiter."

I smiled and waved. "Hi there! I'm Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus!" I stuck my thumb out in Piper's direction. "This is Piper, and her mom is Aphrodite! Lover girl over there is Annabeth, daughter of Athena. And you guys already know-"

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter." She cut me off rudely. "Our praetor has returned." She knelt down on one knee, and the rest of the Romans followed suit.

Jason shifted his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. "Okay...?"

I facepalmed. The moment it really counts to say something Jason-like, and he chokes. We'll have to work on that.

Percy stepped forward. "Maybe we should all do some introducing?"

Annabeth nodded. "That would probably be for the best."