Hi readers!

Just typing to tell you how grateful I am that you like this fan fiction! :D I'm so glad! *Jumping around the room and squealing like a fangirl* I'll try to post as fast as I can, but I'm kinda busy nowadays. If you review, please tell me whether I should start writing a fan fiction in which the demigods are pirates! I know that most readers have brains that are programmed to ignore author's notes, but I hope that at least you can notice. PLEASE.

Oh, yeah, if I suddenly stop posting after I post Chapter 11, it's because I've got no gusto anymore. :(

On that happy note, let's begin.

Cheers,

Your appreciative budding fan fiction writer,

LeaCarlo9

Piper looked expectantly at the son of Hephaestus. The latter gulped and back away like she was an arai or something. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stuttered.

The daughter of Aphrodite shook her head and sighed. "You know what I'm talking about. Since when did Leo Valdez stutter?"

Piper heard Leo curse in Ancient Greek before he replied, "Fine. I know what you're talking about. So what about it? It's just that I'm madly in love with some girl, that's all. Nothing much."

"Well, I heard someone say something about 'daughter of Aphrodite'. Hmm?"

"ARGH!" Leo threw his hand up in the air. "Fine, fine, I give up! Seriously, you Aphrodite kids have extraordinary ears. I bet that you can hear what the Stoll twins are talking about over there."

Piper cupped her ear and pretended to listen, then said, "Nah. Nothing worthy of gossip."

She saw Leo's eyebrow shoot up and under his messy fringe. Suddenly, he jumped up from his seat, abandoning his sandwich, and pulled Piper away from the Hephaestus table. Then, he motioned for Jason, who had been enjoying his meal, to follow them. They strode quickly towards the Hephaestus Cabin and entered.

"Uh, Leo, are we even allowed to be here?" Jason asked, looking around the cabin.

"Well, kids, if you want to listen to Uncle Leo's story, you'd better stay put," Leo answered simply, then plopped down on his bed. "And I trust that none of you will tell anyone else about the following."

He went on to explain what happened from the moment he got hurled of the Argo II to when the rest of the crew found him drinking coffee. When he finished his story with a tinge of longing in his voice, Jason spoke up, "I knew that there was something wrong with you drinking coffee. You never liked coffee."

Piper had also noticed that Leo wasn't acting ADHD when they had found him, which was extremely rare. So far, the only moment (besides that) when he had acted like this was after he had been rooted to the ground in fear when Coach Hedge tried to run him over with a lawn mower (don't ask Piper where the old goat got it). Leo had been saved when he caught fire and melted the whole lawn mower into a puddle of goo. There was still a spot on the strawberry fields that smelt of burnt plastic. All just because Leo accidentally stepped on a butterfly.

"So…Piper will be following Percy to Circe's Island, and I'll be going to Ogygia with Festus," Leo summed up. Then, he turned to Jason, "Sorry, man. But we have to go. Says the prophecy."

Jason smiled, but Piper could tell that the smile was strained. He nodded sadly. Piper felt so bad for Jason that she wanted to throw her arms around him and comfort him. He didn't deserve to be left alone while his best friends went on their quests. Leo patted Jason on the back and Piper hugged him. She felt like they were saying their final goodbyes and were never going to see each other again. Hopefully, it won't be like that.

"Try not to provoke Octavian," Piper told Percy while he mounted Blackjack. The pegasus snorted, like it was saying that his 'boss' would definitely piss Octavian off, one way or another. Percy smiled weakly in response. "I promise nothing. That guy deserves it. I never knew that teddy bears could be so violent."

Piper tried to grin, but couldn't when she was reminded of the main reason why they were risking their lives to go on the quest. Annabeth was still in a coma. It seemed that Percy understood her, for he sighed and stroked Blackjack's mane thoughtfully. "I-I wish she were here."

The daughter of Aphrodite whispered, "Me too."

"Well, I have to go," Percy said, and Blackjack rose into the air. With a final wave of goodbye, the son of Poseidon disappeared into the clouds along with his pegasus. Piper hoped that he wouldn't be too focused on insulting Octavian and would remember to borrow Reyna's ring. Of course, if Reyna had received the video scroll, she would cut to the chase and bring up the main subject. Which was not calling Octavian a serial murderer of stuffed toys (yes, Piper had heard about the murder of Percy's teddy panda).

Piper turned around and headed for the Aphrodite Cabin, hoping to get some rest. She hadn't slept well last night as her ears had rung with the horrible shrieks of the Apollo camper that sung during sing-along the previous night.

Seriously? was all that Piper thought when she found herself in an expensively furnished room. A beautiful woman with long, charcoal-black hair which was braided in gold threads sat on a throne-like chair in front of her. The hem of her dress, as dark and silky as her hair, was swathed around her ankles. Her piercing green eyes seemed to penetrate Piper's soul, even when the latter was dreaming.

"Well, you're our little heroine, aren't you?" the woman spoke in a smooth, melodious voice. However, her tone held scorn and bitterness. She laughed mirthlessly and said, "I shall be kind and give you a head start, but once you reach my island, things will not be so easy anymore."

Circe, you heartless witch, Piper wanted to yell, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out. Circe laughed again, and her painted lips twisted into a smirk. "You should be glad that I am helping you, you ungrateful demigod. I should be killing you as a revenge for what that Percy Jackson did to my spa!"

Spa? Okay, that wasn't expected. Piper had no idea that Circe owned a spa. Wasn't it a hotel of some sort, where the witch would lure men and turn them into pigs? Oh, right, guinea pigs, according to Percy. He had said that he had had first-hand experience, which Piper assumed wasn't really exciting.

Whatever that Percy had done to her precious little spa, it seemed to infuriate Circe. Her green eyes were filled with hate and anger. "Oh, I will kill him for that!"

Suddenly, she stood up, turning her attention back on Piper. Uh-oh. There was a maniacal look in her eyes, one that resembled Coach Hedge's when he was about to swing his club at someone. Could you kill someone in a dream?

"Oh, no, fellow charmspeaker, I will let you live. You may be useful to me. You see, I am a powerful witch." To emphasize her point, Circe reached out her hand, and green flames flickered across her palm. "I have many powers. You can become my apprentice and learn magic. I will teach you all that I know. Rid your life of those useless, selfish men who use you for their own good."

Piper's mind was whirring like gears in a machine. She could feel her brain struggling to say 'yes'. Circe was using charmspeak. Charmspeak controlled the brain, making the person's mind go blank so that he or she would follow the charmspeaker's orders. The only thing which could be stronger that one's mind was one's feelings. Piper would have to let her heart take control.

Circe read her thoughts, and her expression changed to one of anger. "Do you know any famous female demigods?"

"Atlanta? And, erm…" Piper tried to think of more. At that point of time, she wished that she had scoured the Athena Cabin's library. Circe clapped her hands triumphantly. "Ha! See? Hardly any! I aim to let the world know that females are not the weaker gender! Join me, Piper McLean!"

"Nope, not working," Piper forced out through gritted teeth, concentrating on her emotions. "There are more kind-hearted men than the useless, selfish men whom you speak of. And according to scientific research, men are stronger than women on the average."

Sure, she was spouting rubbish, but at least it worked. It got Circe mad and she stopped using her charmspeak. "How dare you! You are unfaithful to your own gender!"

The witch was shaking with fury, jabbing a finger at Piper. She let out a wail of outrage and the room went pitch-black. For a moment, Piper panicked and thought that Circe had cast some spell and blinded her, but when she blinked, she found herself staring up at the ceiling of the Aphrodite Cabin.

PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT ME TO WRITE A FAN FICTION IN WHICH THE DEMIGODS ARE PIRATES. Thanks!

(Sorry about the caps, but I had to do that to get your attention.)