PERI'S POV

It's really hard to run while carrying a dozen cookies.

What? Aphrodite was offering, and I mean, a bitch gotta eat.

Our feet thundered across the dock, and the sight of the Argo grew as we drew ever nearer. We were almost there. Just a few more feet, and everything would be perfect.

And so, naturally, something had to go wrong.

Two Roman eagles swooped onto the wooden deck before us, depositing two very large, very threatening, very angry purple-clad boys wielding shining gold spathas. They growled ferociously and charged towards us.

"Other way!" I yelped, spinning around just in time to see two more eagles land on the deck with another pair of Romans.

And one of them just so happened to look especially familiar. And especially scrawny. And especially annoying.

"Surrender to Rome!" Octavian shrieked.

"Yeah fucking right," I grumbled, balling my fists.

Piper raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Octavian, what happened at camp was a setup, so how abut we all just calm the fuck down and-"

"Can't hear you!" Octavian yelled. "Wax in our ears- standard procedure when battling evil sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."

"Let me skewer him, "Hazel muttered. "Please."

And for once, I was actually on her side.

The ship was only fifty feet away, but I saw no sign of Coach Hedge on deck. He was probably below watching some stupid martial arts program. Leo and the others weren't due back until sunset. My powers had gone MIA, so there was no way I could control the ship, contact Festus, or call upon the mighty powers within me.

And where the hell was Percy?!

More and more eagles circled overhead, crying out as if to alert their demonic brethren: Hey some tasty Greek demigods over here! I couldn't see the flying chariot anymore, but assumed it was close by. We had to figure something out quick. We were running out of time.

Automatically I turned to Bonnabelle next to me. I stared at the side of her head, trying to establish some sort of mental connection. I doubt that I'm a telepath - hell, I can't even understand my own thoughts sometimes - but there was no harm in trying, right? I scrunched up my face and felt a bead of sweat roll down my forehead from exertion. I managed to come up with one thought:

This is stupid.

Octavian smirked at me, obviously not skilled with the mental arts unlike myself. "Just give up, Storm, there's no hope for you Greeks. Especially not when their precious Omega-blood is weakened by the sea."

My eyes widened. "How'd you know-"

He snorted. "Are you really that dim?" My blank stare made him roll his eyes. "I still have the Sybilline Books." He leaned in close to me, a devilish grin upon his sharp face. "Which means I know more about you than you do yourself, Periwinkle."

Impulsively, I lunged at the coward, but the Roman boy behind me held me fast. His strong hands bent my arms at an awkward angle and a moan of pain escaped my lips.

Octavian looked so pleased I bet even his toes were grinning. "Now, all of you, hand over your weapons!"

I felt one of my assailant's hands travel down my body to my hip. However, when he felt no weapon hilt, his hand continued to roam. I choked and jerked away from him so forcefully that I ran right into Bonnabelle. She was in the middle of handing Octavian her bronze dagger, and instead it went flying out of her hands and into the harbor with a small splash.

"Imbecile!" Octavian shrieked, his face turning that funny purple again.

"I know you are, but what am-"

My witty response was interrupted by the Charleston Harbor exploding.

I'd never been, but I'm pretty sure the ocean erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. When the wall of seawater subsided, all the Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. And there on the dock stood fucking Percy, holding Bonnabelle's dagger.

"You dropped this," he said, totally poker-faced.

"Dude!" I shrieked, awe-struck.

Bonnabelle threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

"Guys, we need to hurry." Hazel interrupted. She had a little smile on her face as if she was imagining her and Leo in their place, and I felt like retching.

Down in the water, Octavian yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"

"Tempting," Percy called down.

"What?" Octavian shouted. He was holding onto one of his guards, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat.

"Nothing!" Percy shouted back. "Let's go, guys."

Hazel frowned. "We can't let them drown, can we?"

I snorted. I might have felt bad for them, but the way Octavian was pushing down the head of the guard who touched me into the water made me want to pull up and watch for hours and hours.

What? Instantly, guilt seeped into me. That's horrible. . That's not me. .

"They won't drown," Percy promised. "I've got the water circling around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."

Piper grinned. "Nice."

And then we headed for the ship.

We climbed aboard the Argo II, and almost immediately I felt better. The huge bronze artifact was like a smack in the face, and my senses clicked back on full force. Without a moment's hesitation, I conjured a sword to my hands and sheathed it. Much better.

"Piper, get below." Bonnabelle said. "Use the sink in the galley for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!"

Piper nodded and ran off.

"Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"

"Right!"

"And me?" I asked.

She smirked. "Feel good to have your powers back?"

I cracked a smile. "Better than good."

She nodded to the giant eagles circling overhead. "Well why don't you put 'em to good use."