PERI'S POV

Leo and I separated instantly, and he scratched the back of his head with nervous embarrassment.

Coach Hedge tapped his hoof on the deck agitatedly, giving me a raving case of deja vu.

"Why in the name of Pan's pipes is it that whenever I come around, you two got your arms wrapped around each other?!"

"It wasn't even like that!" I exclaimed. "See, there were these ghosts-"

"Save it." Coach Hedge cut me off. "You'd think with the end of the world being around the corner, you'd tone it down with all of that."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "All of what?"

Coach Hedge spat on the ground. "Hormones," he said it like it was the worst possible thing in the ever. He began plodding off towards the horse stables to turn in for the night. "Why can't any of you be like Percy and Annabeth? Public displays of affection aren't their thing."

"What?!" I shrieked after him. "Last night they were-"

Leo clamped his hand over my mouth. "Shh!" he hissed. "Just smile and nod and make it seem like he's won."

I laughed and nodded. "Gods, that was the most awkward conversation ever."

"I'm saying," Leo agreed. He grabbed my arm and began towing me towards the helm. "Come on, let's go talk to Festus."

"Woohoo! Festus!" I cheered.

Leo and I stood at the helm, the Argo II racing east. Clouds whizzed by as we cruised several hundred feet above the ground. Below us small towns passed by like lit-up islands in a dark sea of prairie.

The full moon hung dormant in the sky, and it was then that I realized just how late it was. Leo's eyes glittered happily in the moonlight as he keyed in some instructions to Festus. A bittersweet feeling washed over me. This beautiful night only meant that we had one less day to save Hazel's brother.

I shook the thought from my mind, replacing it with one of confidence and reassurance. We were definitely going to save Nico, and we were gonna trump Gaea - hardcore. Yeah!

Leo raised an eyebrow. "What are you grinnnin' about?"

"Huh?" My once glazed eyes focused on him. "Oh! Nothing. I just. . . thought about a dirty joke."

He snickered and rolled his eyes playfully. "And you say I'm the gross one!"

I batted him on the head lightly. "Because you are!"

Suddenly, Festus blew a column of white-hot fire into the night, illuminating the otherwise dark skies with its flaming glow. He whirred and creaked out a status report.

"Hmmm," Leo murmured and punched a few more buttons.

I hiked myself onto the railing and sat on it gingerly, watching the bronze figurehead with copious curiosity. His greatness was directly below me on the ship, and I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to.

I smiled and patted his neck affectionately. "Festus, you're the best dragon ever."

He snorted out a puff of steam. Why, thank you. It's all in the wiring.

I laughed at his response. Festus was a total gent. He was like a butler-y dragon who did butler-y things. Except he had no body. . .

"Hey, Leo," I called, "what exactly did happened to Festus, then?"

Leo looked up at me and chewed the inside of his cheek. "Well. . . I guess I should start at the beginning then with our first quest."

"Oooh! Story time!" I squealed in my best toddler voice. Scrambling off the railing, I grabbed two dining chairs and plopped into one.

Leo followed suit, facing me. "Well, it all started back at Wilderness School. See, we were on a field trip to the Grand Canyon. . ."

My eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as Leo told of his adventure. He, Jason, and Piper had been through a lot. His story was filled with danger, suspense, and daring escapes. I saw a bit of sadness flicker over Leo's face as he told of Festus's destruction, but it quickly passed. He knew Festus was safe now, and that's all that mattered.

He described his encounter with Lycaon and his chilling retreat, adding in how he "so boldly" used his fire powers to attack the Wolf King.

"What happened next?" I squeaked. "Did the wolves try and kill you, too?"

Leo's face twisted into a perverted grin. "Oh yeah, lemme tell you what happened next."

I sat on the edge of my seat, awaiting his tale eagerly.

"A bunch of fine ass girls came outta nowhere and helped us. And the hottest one was Thalia, Jason's sister. She and Jason hadn't seen each other for a long time, and back then Jason didn't really remember her. But damn, I bet he remembers her now - I know I'll never forget her!"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, my upper lip twitched. My fists clenched so tightly, my fingernails left a crescent shaped imprint on my palms. I don't even know why, but my whole body succumbed to blind anger.

"What?" I managed.

"I was putting that Leo charm on her, too." he continued, grinning. "I know she digs me."

Wordlessly, I rose up from my chair and headed towards the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?" Leo called after me.

My nostrils flared, but I was able to keep my voice steady. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"But I'm not even done with my story-"

"I don't wanna hear your story!" I ran down the stairs, heading towards the cabins.

Festus's creaks rang out over the intercom. Oh, smooth move Leo. Smooth move.