Well, I managed to get it up by Friday, success- Friday is the day, from now on. So, we continue, and- if you have anything to say, please share through a review; it really does make a difference. This is a pretty good length chapter, which is definitely better, I know how particularly short chapters are aggravating sometimes. So thankyou all those who read, especially those who follow, and please enjoy!

Frank

Frank woke in the early hours of the morning, and got up to have breakfast, alone for once. It wasn't that he was finding Hazel problematic, far from it, but it was nice to relax for a moment- Hazel made his head feel all fuzzy when she was around, and he appreciated the opportunity to think clearly.

Chewing on a mouthful of battered fish, he tried to make up his mind about Leo. His opinion of him was mixed, not for reasons of personality, rather more the feeling Hazel was sometimes making eyes at him. The thing was, he knew her well enough to know she was doing it unconsciously- she did it without intent.
But obviously the problem was, the problem Frank wasn't particularly happy with, was that it was happening at all. There was obviously something Hazel wasn't making clear, with the fainting and the squealing when he spoke for the first few times, but he wasn't going to pry.

Aside from that, Leo didn't seem to be doing anything to warrant Hazel's unsual behaviour. He was clearly a pretty nice guy, funny, easygoing and all that, friendly- he got the feeling they would have been great friends if Hazel hadn't just started to, unaware of it, shove herself in the way.

Shaking his head, he finished off the last morsel of food on his plate, and then stood up. It was usually during his lunchtime that he went and did some exercise, however now he decided to get it out of the way early. After returning to his bed, and changing into suitable gear, he jogged all the way down to the Temple of Pluto. Minute and considered bad luck as it was, it was rarely disturbed by anyone else save for Nico or Hazel. Hazel knew where he did his workout, but was usually off doing her own thing.

After the run down the road, past the pomerian line, over to the area just outside the temple, Frank slid to the floor quickly and began a cycle of press ups and sit ups that would allow him to mantain a constant rhythm, 10 each, 10 each, 10 each, 10 each, and so forth, abosrbing him into the realm of the purely physical.

In fact, past the time when had done 6 of those cycles, he was so absorbed he did not notice another pair of running feet stop and grind its upper body to a halt in the gravel, until he spun over on the one practiced hand to begin his sit ups, and saw Percy.

"Ha. Looks like you had the same idea," Percy grinned.

"Yeah, I woke up early for some reason," Frank said, giving his exercise a pause.

"Couldn't sleep, or...?"

"No, I wasn't tired when I woke up or anything, I just...got up early. Nice to forget everything for a little bit, you know?" He replied, arms knotted around knees as he sat.

"You're telling me," He said with a grimace. "Still. We all do what we have to, you know?"

He settled down beside Frank and began to perform similar exercise, though not the same- while Frank continued, after a moment's pause, his press ups and sit ups, working his upper body, Percy broke his way into a series of exercises that had him constantly moving, stretching, pulling, testing boundaries of all his muscles, actively moving around a great area of space than Frank used himself.

Either way, exercise was exercise, and the pair of them lost themselves in the invisible, heady rhythm that it pounded into their skulls.
It could have been days, or moments later when he finished his exercise. The only way to really get fitter, was to push, push and push again. AFter every single bout, he was left exhausted, but he became tronger, yet every bout he pushed himself beyond the new limit he had set from last time. Sometimes, he thought wryly, you've got to run before you can walk. Time was not one of the few luxuries he had. Sitting up, he eased himself from the groaned, and gave a start at seeing two figures perched on the steps leading into the small temple that they had been exercising in front of.

He walked over to Hazel and Annabeth's sitting forms, wanting to talk, yet they seemed absorbed in talking to each other. Apparently they found each other too fascinating, though Frank had no doubts where their eyes had been moments ago. Looking back as they continued their talk, he saw Percy hadn't stopped. Forget running, he thought as he saw him continuing, he's thinking more along the lines of flying. Turning back, he saw Annabeth had lost interest in Hazel, and was staring back at Percy. He was amused, until he saw Hazel was looking, save in less of an adoring light. Clearing his throat, albeit quietly, he said, "How long have you two been out here?"

Annabeth started, and looked at him as if she were not sure he was there, glancing in Percy's direction again, then finally looking at him as if he were real for the first time. "...just about...ten minutes?" the words coming from her mouth coincided with Hazel's "only a couple of minutes, really."

He allowed himself a smile, and they both looked at him, as if they could not understand what in the world he had to laugh about. In some respects, they are right. We don't have much left to laugh about.

Plonking himself down next to Hazel, with Annabeth on her other side, he put an arm around her shoulder. Usually he didn't have the courage to do any more than that outside of when they were really alone, but there was hardly a crowd standing around them. Hazel gave a little look towards Annabeth, but flicked her head back round, looking at Frank, that he might have assumed it had not existed. Still, there wasn't exactly anyone looking at them right now, he thought, laughing inside, as he looked at Annabeth over Hazel's head, observing her head in a hand, tilted as she watched Percy, a strange look in her eyes.

He looked down, and started at Hazel's stare, that, unmistakably, said, look at me, not anyone else.

He smiled down at her and touched his lips to hers momentarily, which she leant up for, also quickly. He whispered into her ear: "How long have you actually been out here?"

"About half an hour," she said back quietly. "I woke and saw you gone, but I had some idea of where to find you. Annabeth came in as i'd just finished getting dressed, looking for Percy. I said he might have come down here, so she decided to come over with me as well."

"Half an hour?" he said.

"What's wrong with that? Something wrong about the fact that we want to see you two? Annabeth hasn't seen Percy in like, eight months, more, you know. That's a long time to go without seeing someone, you know- that's even if you ignore the fact that she obviously feels something just a little bit stronger than simple liking for Percy." She responded, whispering. "Plus, it's not as if you two idiots don't enjoy the the chance to stare at us whenever there is one," she finished.

Frank felt his face flush. When did this supposed staring actually happen? Sure he'd spent a long time being only friends with her, doing pretty much everything with her, but was there really a chance that he'd had to just stare at her? It was't like he watched her sleeping. Although he could always hear her. And Percy had barely been around Annabeth for a day. Maybe it'd happened before, but the two have them couldn't have started disucssing that kind of thing already. He admired her a lot, more than a lot, her loved her warm, soft hair that curled around the top edges of her shoulder and her neck, he loved her gold eyes, and yes, fine, he'd spent more than a fair amount of time looking at her face. But still- she made it sound like i'm trying to stare down her shirts half the time! He thought indignantly, and the thought made him blush.

Looking up at him, she observed the spots of colour in his cheeks, and laughed slightly. Only she could laugh that way and make him feel as if she were siniging his praises.

Percy had finished, at last, and ambled over, obviously trying to recover form the intesnity of his session. "Where did you two come from?" He asked, surprised. "We've just come up to talk to each other," Hazel answered from Frank's shoulder. "Only been here a few minutes."

Given a couple of seconds, it was clear Annabeth couldn't have kept that up. But she shook off her dazed state, and stood

He turned away from them, belatedly not looking. He felt Hazel laughing silently against his chest, but when he looked down, she was as determinedly staring the other way as he was. He almost laughed himself.

For the rest of the day, events passed almost normally, even considering the journey they were surely close to embarking on. Frank and Hazel participated in a game of deathball, almost dying a few times before forcing opponents to defeat- Leo, Piper and Jason prepeared the Argo, that incredible flying ship, Leo checking over the ship's mechanical competence, Jason stocking the craft up on food, water, other supplies, as well as arrows, swords, daggers, Imperial Gold ingots that Leo said he wanted for a little 'project' of his. He'd been present when Leo had asked- well, he made his suggestion sound more like a fact he knew Jason would come around to accepting- for the metals, and that grin he had had on his face told him the result could be utterly disastrous. Or, considering Leo's ability with crafting, spectactular. Percy and Annabeth consulted with Reyna and leaders of cohorts, discussing which Romans were to pass over to camp Half-Blood, and which Greeks, chosen using the Iris-messaging system she had seen displayed before to consult someone called 'Chiron.' Annabeth and Percy had explained about the meeting- there were Romans who were willing to go, and there were some Greeks who were all right with the idea, but who would come as a certainty. It had been arranged, they had said- with a degree of relief and satisfaction.

Hour by hour, minute by minute, the day dwindled, until night fell. Each fell to sleeping, preoccupied with worries. Would they succeed? The prohecies never tended to say what would happen if the heroes of the prophecy died. Was it possible for them to die, if they were supposed to defeat Gaea? Would any of them die along the way? How many? Would their deaths, all of them, be what actually defeated Gaea? Sealed her into a preferably longer sleep? No-one knew.

After the group had finished breakfast, they walked out of the mess hall. None of them wore camp clothes- on the day of their depature, none of the seven wanted to remind the camp that there were two seperate entities in this war. The Roman camp accompanied them to the ship- families watched from doors, windows, terraces as the seven; Percy, Jason, Hazel and Frank each recieving a cheer and a wish of luck from many people and ascended the rope stairs into the Argo II.

When, finally, the seven reached the top of the ship, the seven together, on board the Argo II, Hazel felt a sense of determination, a sense of purpose. She was sure the other felt it as well- they clenched jaws, straightened backs, rolled shoulders- they knew now, that there was no going back - these seven chosen demigods would venture into the Underworld, to the heart of the earth and back in their quest.

Even though she, of all of them, had been closest to death- she'd died, many years ago- she felt strong, confident, reassured, for the moment. Then she realised that she was on borrowed time- the only reason Thanatos had left her was because she served a purpose. She had to save her brother. She had to help the seven close the Doors of Death, if she even made it that far without dying. She wasn't here to build a relationship with someone like Frank, who was so good to her.

Frank. Even though he was so physically solid, and powerful, as a demigod, his life was utterly synonymous with the well-being of a stick. Once that stick burnt, Frank died, she reminded herself, fingering the package in her jacket pocket.

She was slightly scared of the tall blonde, Annabeth, Percy's girlfriend. While she trusted Percy with her life, his girlfriend was so...in control of herself. It made Hazel feel nervous, scared she was too weak when there was someone that well coordinated and structured. While she seemed like a nice person, Hazel still felt wary, not in an overly terrified way, but nonetheless wary of her.

And Jason. Jason was back! In the short time he'd been back at Camp Jupiter, he seemed just as noble in every action, just as kind; now, however, a little more...lax. A little less keen to enforce order. He reminded her even more now of Percy.

"So where are we going first?" asked Piper.

"Our quest is supposed to take us to Rome first, and then Greece," said Percy, Frank and Hazel nodding in agreement.

"What, so, we just sail right off to Rome now? What about food? Water?" said Jason.

"Stocked up on food and water last night. The legionnaires were ferrying supplies to and fro from the mess hall into the ship," said Annabeth.

"Where, specifically, in Rome?" asked Leo.

"Well," Percy hesitated. "According to Thanatos, only one kind of demigod can read the signs which would lead to what we're looking for." He looked at Annabeth.

"Me?" she looked shocked, composure broken for a moment. "But...how? I don't..." for a second, her face whitened, and Hazel thought she was about to reveal what had scared her, but she didn't. In part, Hazel was glad. Whatever scared Annabeth was sure to terrify the living daylights out of her.

"Okay, well, we know we're supposed to go to Rome. That much we already know- so on the way, Annabeth, why don't you think about what Percy said? Maybe you can find out how you're supposed to lead us there."

Annabeth recovered from her momentary paralysis. "Okay. I guess, then, we'd better set off for Rome."

Frank

Frank, after unpacking his stuff into the circular three-bedded room he, Hazel, and Leo were settling in, went back upstairs.

As soon as he achieved the deck heights, he saw something that he thought could be very interesting.

Jason and Percy were going to do a little swordplay. Both of them had taken off their tops as the Argo II sailed through the air, the sound of a tapping of keyboards, swivelling of a joystick and cursing from Leo coming from the cockpit, the breeze enough for them on this sweltering day.

Annabeth, Piper and Hazel leaned with their backs to the edge of the boat, eyes flickering between the two heroes.

Frank had seen Percy fight. He knew he was incredibly quick and skilful, but from what he'd heard of Jason, he was just as good, if not better.

Jason, more heavily muscled but shorter than Percy, took his gladius from the side of the boat, at Piper's feet, where he'd left his shirt. Though not made of Imperial gold, the blade seemed...sturdy.

Percy's taller, lithe figure relaxed as he uncapped Riptide. He dropped the pen cap onto the floor and walked forward into the middle of the deck.

This should be...different, Frank thought.

Percy was first to strike, a sideways cut threatening to end the fight before it had barely begun. Jason was at a disadvantage without the golden pilum he'd apprently used, as well as the fact that he was shorter than Percy. But, nontheless, he blocked the attack, sword relfecting Percy's blow.

Percy whipped around in a circle, and his sword lashed round. Jason blocked the swipe again, and the two began an incomprehensible dance, swords flickering at an incredible pace, Percy's Celestial bronze sword swiping energetically into Jason's gladius, spinning and circling, demonically slashing at Jason's defense, probing for weaknesses. Jason blocked and blocked and countered, then blocked, countered again, the sparks of sword on sword littering the deck as Jason's impenetrable guard moved to block Percy's move while it was halfway in motion. This was a real clash of differences- Percy's blur of aggressive slashes and cuts in the Greek style countered by Jason's rock-solid Roman legion training. The unstoppable force meets the immovable object.

Percy slowed his attacks slightly, gently weaving his blade all over Jason, point of his sword placed in multiple locations at once, it seems, but Jason would not release his hold, it seemed, until suddenly Percy made an overly long lunge - was that deliberate?- and Jason spun athletically sideways, bringing his sword over and round and down to rest- Percy rolled forward, using the over-the-top movement of his attack as momentum, twisted, and placed his sword to the back of Jason's neck.

Frank, Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth let out simultaneous held-in breaths.

"Fucking hell. Playing with knives from an early age I see." came another voice. They all turned, Percy dropping his sword from Jason's neck, Jason relaxing. Leo stood on the deck behind them.

"Leo!" Annabeth yelled. "The ship! What the hell are you doing up here?"

"Calm the fuck down-" Leo stopped as soon as he saw Annabeth's face. "No, wait! I just stopped for a minute because I got something on the radar."

"Leo, the radar's up here, dumbass," Piper smirked.

"Yeah, not fucking helping here Piper. Look! Annabeth! Go check the freakin' radar already!"

"Wait. Seriously?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah! Of course!" Leo said enthusiastically.

Annabeth pulled her eyebrows down in an expression of scepticism. Then she turned away and walked over into the hut containing the instruments. As soon as she turned around, Leo also turned and sprinted away frantically, arms flailing, into the other hut.

Annabeth came out through the spiralling door. "Leo, seriously? Why didn't you tell us sooner?" she said, annoyed.

Leo's head popped out of the other cabin. "Huh? Say whaaat?"

"The 'something' you saw, Leo? Remember?" said Jason, trying not to laugh.

"Hold on. Annabeth, are you kidding?" said Percy.

"Er...no."

There was a sudden flurry of movement involving mad dashes for various things- Percy and Jason ran into the cabin Annabeth was in to see the object, Piper went over to drag Leo out of the other cabin by the scruff of his neck, and Frank and Hazel scrambled downstairs to grab Frank's bow and quiver and Hazel's spatha.

"How big is it?"

"Always so bloody useless-"

"Pretty big. Unless..."

"Ah! Damnit! Get the hell off me Piper!"

"Unless what?"

"It could be a group of smaller creatures."

"Where is it? Do I need to shoot anything yet?"

"I'll take a look with a projection."

"Get up Leo! We need you down below on the weapons."

"It's a huge storm. Lightning and everything...usually weather wouldn't come up, but..."

"Is it normal weather, Jason?"

"One minute you're goddamn well dragging me along the floor, the next it's 'oh, Leo, get up! You're so lazy!'"

"I don't think so. Usually i can tell, and this...this isn't natural."

Percy looked at Jason. "We've got a fight. What could it be?"

He looked at Annabeth. "Storm spirits," they said simultaneously.

Percy, Annabeth, and Jason rushed out onto the deck. Sure enough, a huge mass of dark grey clouds were approaching with speed, even though the Argo II was stationary. Rain pored down underneath the clouds and lightning flickered.

Leo vanished below deck- Percy and Jason held their swords at the ready, sticking close. Frank had an Imperial gold arrow nocked into his bow, Hazel hefted her spatha, Annabeth her knife, and Piper Katoptris. The thunderstorm passed them overhead, and then settled, as if deciding it was going to stay for a while.
"Jason!" Annabeth shouted over the dripping rain, howling wind and roaring thunder. "Keep the lightning away from the ship!"

"I'll try," He yelled back, "but i'll need someone to keep them off me!"

Him and Annabeth looked at Percy.

"Yeah, i got him." he said, grinning. Although the rain pattered all around him, Percy wasn't getting wet- he stayed dry, his hair, unlike the rest of theirs, still composed.

Percy

Despite the fact that Percy had never seen these storm spirits Jason and Annabeth seemed certain were their enemies, he was feeling optimistic. Whenever he used to feel that way, he knew something was going to go wrong- but for know, with friends, those who trusted him and loved him around him, he was confident. He could feel the rain pattering, dripping down his chest, still bare, but he wasn't wet- each raindrop felt like the first on dry skin. He held Riptide in one hand, giving it a little spin every now and then to feel its reassuringly comfortable weight. Jason held his sword in one hand and raised the other to the skies. Percy had never felt comfortable in the air- the Argo II was different, being a boat as well, and now, as the son of Zeus channeled lightning away from the boat, he was starting to feel that unease again. Blue arcs of electricity sparked and flashed all around as the rain and wind screeched, lightning hurtling dead on towards the ship before suddenly veering away to dissapte harmlessly into the skies pre-impact.

He saw, distantly, shapes flickering through the sky, humanoid figures with wings sweeping through the sky, horses galloping towards them swiftly, figures composed of relentlessly shifting, gray matter, electricity crackling and sparking, miniature thunderstorms themselves.

"Planning ahead, that's what this is all about," Leo's amplified boomed from hidden speakers. "You ready, people?" Everyone shifted one last time, Percy rolling his shoulders, Jason cracking his neck, Piper moving her legs, Frank adjusting his arrow, Hazel blinking her golden eyes.
"Let's do it. Get ready to eat crossbow!" Leo howled in glee from the speakers.

The crossbows mounted on the sides and the deck of the Argo II began to swivel, tracking the anemoi theullai as they darted towards them. Bolts flashed like lightning towards their targets, celestial bronze arrowheads piercing non-existent flesh and disspating the storm spirits. Human-shaped figures clutched their injured area and tumbled from the sky, disintegrating as they did so, horses neighing as they were struck down.

At the same time, the dubstep album Leo had apparently played began to come through the speakers, the electronic build-up raising goosebumps, so loud as to send a quiet vibration through the deck, sound shivering and whispering through the ship.

Then the storm spirits landed, human figures leaping on top of horses as they neared, the horses contructing their own flashing armour, the other storm spirits unsheathing swords of gaseous matter.

The storm spirits and their mounts crashed onto the deck, prancing about, charging towards the half-bloods.

One made staight for Jason, and Percy barrelled for it at the same time.

Rain splattering the deck as he ran in his shorts and trainers, he built up speed until they reached each other. He ducked down and sliced through the horse's vaporous legs, feeling momentary resistance in Riptide as he cut through airy manifestations of the equine anatomy.

The human spirit dropped from his dying mount and turned to face Percy, who, to it, was now the major threat. Dimly, around him, Percy was aware of the others fighting, but for now it was him and his enemy.

The storm spirit roared, and charged Percy. Rain fizzled around it as its grey sword of solid air clashed with Celestial bronze to the heavy sounds of dubstep bass. Catching the strike on his hilt, Percy gritted his teeth and shoved, testing the monster's srength. Neither of them refused to budge, straining and grunting as they heaved against one another. Percy stepped back and let the monster push past him- he brought Riptide round and cut into its wrist, momentarily in perfect time with the pulsing wub-wub of the deep sounds the ship was playing, causing it to screech and drop its sword. He kicked it with the underneath of his foot in the stomach, but his blow passed right through it- the monster leapt through Percy, who gave a shudder as it did so, and turned to face him again. It tried to punch him, and Percy countered its attack, ducking under, spinning and brutally cutting the blade into the storm spirit's neck, the slice hurling it off its feet, dissapearing into Tartarus in midair as the throbbing electronics came to a temporary pause.

He turned, relaxed momentarily, and realised his mistake. In fighting the lone anemoi thuellai, he'd become drawn a little too far from Jason, still concentrating. Another monster bore down on him, raising its sword for a cut. In desperation, Percy hurled his sword, which passed through the creature's mount, causing it to collapse to the deck prematurely. He charged at it, tackling it to the ground. They rolled over and over, and in between spins, percy could see a sea eagle, webbed in white lightning, clawing a storm spirit to shreds, Annabeth shoving her knife through the back of one closing in on Piper, a crossbow bolt impaling one to a cabin with a gurgle. They came to rest suddenly, the apparition on top of percy. As it roared in rage, Percy replied with a punch, snapping its head to the side. He used his arms and legs to lever the storm spirit off him, throwing it behind him.

Percy couldn't see a weapon, and he knew he was at a serious disadvantage when the monster withdrew another sword and ran at him, bellowing.

Water. It was all around him. He channeled the rain into shield- a solid aqua copy of the shield his brother, Tyson, had made for him. The creature smashed its sword against the shield as percy held it up, for its sword to rebound off. Thrusting out his hand, rain funneled itself, shaping itself to his will, an orb of water surrounding the monster and crushing it.

Checking his pocket, he found his lethal ballpoint pen again. Uncapping the pen with his teeth, it expanded once again into Anaklusmos.

Jason seemed to stop his task, relaxing and lowering his hand, blinking at the piles of gold dust around him.
"What's wrong?" Percy yelled over the storm.

"They've stopped- I don't think they've got the energy to do it any more." He shouted back.

Jason ran over to Percy, and as three more mounted thuellai leapt onto the deck, they stood almost back to back, swords out.

Jason leapt into the air, ten feet high, the air hurling him up as he commanded. He used his own manouvre to bring his feet against the chest of one of the storm rider, sending it flying from the back of its horse; he zipped away from the pounding hooves of the horse, somersaulting over Percy's head to block a sweeping cut at Percy. Percy spun around Jason, sword spinning in the imitation of a whirlwind to split open the horse's flanks. Light tinkling dubstep flowed into the air as the two wove their fighting styles together in a perfect style, unrelentingly powerful and utterly impenetrable. Behind them, a crossbow bolt whizzed in between their heads to join two spirits together with a wail and the creation of a doubly large pile of dust.

Seconds- or was it minutes- later, the last of the demonical entites surrounding Jason and Percy were reduced to ash. They turned to see a colossal bear smashing both fists down on a helpless monster on the deck, putting paid to the last of their enemies. The bear shifted to Frank, with his bows and arrows on his back.

The music cut off. The crossbows ceased all movement. Piper sheathed Katoptris, holding up in the rain for a moment to clean it of monster muck, and then went over to the railings. "Well," she said. About to continue, Percy felt time slow as a single storm spirit popped up with a demonical energy like a jack in the box in front of Piper, who began to stumble backwards, face contorting in terror. He saw Jason throwing his gladius to one side, and running forwards, leaping towards the thing raising a sword of smoke to smite Piper where she stood, from twenty feet away, literally flying through the air as his mind-over-air control pushed him forward even more. Jason tackled the storm spirit back into the stormy air, away from the Argo II.

"JASON!" Piper screamed.

"Frank!" Percy yelled. "Go with him!"

Frank understood, and without further delay, leapt over the side, plummeting downwards in human form after Jason and the storm spirit.