LEO'S POV

"Peri, wait up!" I called after her helplessly.

Her cheeks had become tinted with a pink glow then she dashed belowdecks before I could stop her. Glittery gold ichor pooled on the ship's wooden floorboards at my feet. Despite my instinct to run after her, I couldn't move a muscle. Everything had happened so fast, it was like my brain was still buffering.

Percy was the one to break me from my trance.

"Holy— we got demigods incoming!" Percy shouted, pointing towards the clouds. I followed his finger and spotted Jason rocketing through the deep blue sky carrying Piper in his arms.

I cursed and ran to the control deck, firing off instructions to Festus to get the ship airborne as soon as possible. The Argo roared to life and seconds later Jason and Piper were landing on the deck.

Piper was trembling with fear and adrenaline, clutching a horn shaped cornucopia like it was the most valuable treasure she'd ever had. "Get us out of here quick, Leo!"

I switched the ship's oars to aerial mode. "Already on it, Beauty Queen."

Jason summoned a gale so strong, it pushed us into the sky, while Percy sent a ten-foot-tall wave against the shore, knocking Hercules down in a cascade of seawater and pineapples.

Festus blew glowing flames into the air and the ship took off towards the Mediterranean before the great demigod of lore could even get back up.

After leaving the Pillars of Hercules—unscathed except for a few coconuts lodged in the hull's bronze plating—the ship traveled by air for a few hundred miles.

I really hoped the ancient lands wouldn't be as bad as we'd heard. But it was almost like a commercial: You'll notice the difference immediately!

Several times an hour, something attacked the ship. A flock of flesh-eating Stymphalian birds swooped out of the night sky, and Festus torched them. Storm spirits swirled around the mast, and Jason blasted them with lightning.

While Coach Hedge was having dinner on the foredeck, a wild pegasus appeared from nowhere, stampeded over the coach's enchiladas, and flew off again, leaving cheesy hoof prints all across the deck.

"What was that for?!" the coach demanded.

I tried to stifle my laughter at his misfortune, but the satyr had ears like a, well, like a satyr. He narrowed his eyes at me and clomped his hooves in my direction, and I just knew I was about to get an earful.

"You think this is funny, Valdez?" He growled.

"Well, I don't think it's not funny," I started, but words left me as my eyes shifted focus past him.

Peri had emerged from belowdecks, and she looked like a damn snack. My mouth was watering just watching her glide around the ship.

Her golden tresses were down and still wet from what I assumed was a well deserved shower. She wore a grey and white striped halter top and tight jeans with a pair of all white sk8 hi's.

I shook my head. This shit was just not fair.

Oh and Piper was there too, talking to Peri about something or other while the blonde twirled a Celestial Bronze dagger idly in her hands.

"Valdez!" Coach Hedge's pissed off voice reluctantly pulled my attention back to him for a moment. "You'd better learn some respect or so help me-"

"Uh, yea, yea, yea," I pushed past the old goat and made my way towards Peri. I didn't even really mean to, I just sort of gravitated to her.

Piper smirked when she saw me approaching and nudged Peri in the side. Her honey brown eyes met my own, and all of a sudden I didn't know what to say.

I cleared my throat, suddenly painfully aware of how good she smelled and how bad I did. "H-hey."

Her lips stretched into a smile. "Hey."

Piper grinned wickedly like she was enjoying this far too much. "Wow good chat, guys."

"Shut it, Pipes!" Peri and I said in unison.

Piper laughed like an evil scientist. "Okay, okay I'll just be... over there." She practically skipped to the dining hall and disappeared inside.

I looked back at Peri and noticed her cheeks were flushed again. She fiddled with the curved Bronze dagger in her hands and wouldn't meet my gaze.

I wondered vaguely if she was thinking about earlier when she saved my life from those storm spirits by encasing me in an impenetrable golden sphere. When her hair was wet like this it reminded me of the golden ichor pooling and dripping on the floorboards.

She looked so pretty.

Peri's eyes snapped up and the shocked look on her face made my heart skip a beat.

Her full lips parted, and her cheeks were a rosy pink. "You think I look pretty?"

Wait, I said that out loud?!

My throat went dry. When I tried to swallow it was like I had taken a big gulp of sand. I couldn't speak. Instead, I nodded then looked away, scratching my head for something— anything to say next.

Then Peri shoved me with a playful grin. "Thanks, dork."

I snorted and shoved her back, her smile infectious. "You're the dork. Blushing and shit."

"Shut up!" She pouted in the cutest way. "I was coming up to let you take a break buuuut since you wanna be a jerk..." She spun on her heel and acted like she was about to leave.

Being the quick thinker that I am, I hooked my fingers into the belt loops of her jeans and tugged her back towards me. Peri made a small sound of surprise as she came crashing back against my chest.

"Now, now, now, no need to be so hasty," I said. "Would you be willing to do me a favor?"

She squirmed against me, but I held her tight. Peri stopped struggling and raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "What kind of favor?"

I couldn't help the perverted grin spreading across my face. There were definitely a few things I could think of that I'd just love for Peri to do for me.

The blonde must've guessed what I was thinking because she scowled, twisted my arm, and broke free from my hold. "Oh, Leo, you're sick!"

I laughed lightheartedly. "I'm kidding! I swear! Just steer the ship for me while I eat and take a shower." I lifted my arm up and took a whiff. "Trust me, I need it."

Peri laughed and nodded. "Yea sure, I got you covered, Funkmaster Flex."

I scoffed. "Hey, the ladies love my natural mustiness."

She rolled her eyes and waved me off, moving towards the control deck. "Yea, yea, yea. Just hurry back you goofy pyrotechnic."

"Yes ma'am!"