First Person: Zytaveon
The last thing I remembered was a green Chiron. I had grabbed Hazel and Leo, after diving into the water, but they'd sank pretty deep, and being in the water impeded my lance's strength, not because Poseidon and Hades had a feud or anything, but because of science. The water was denser than air, so it had to pull with more force, basically decreasing its carrying capacity to maybe one if you wanted to get anywhere at a decent speed. Leo and Hazel had already been under for too long, and they were on the verge of passing out when I found them, so no way were we going to make it to the surface without them passing out. I could only hope that they didn't have some kind of brain damage from it.
Then, a strange face hovered over to us - a man who looked a lot like Chiron, the trainer back at Camp Half-Blood. He had the same curly hair, shaggy beard, and intelligent eyes - a look somewhere between wild hippie and fatherly professor, except this man's skin was the color of a lima bean. He held up a dagger, his expression grim and reproach, as if to say: "Sorry, bud, but I have to kill you now." At that point, I was running out of air before I could even realize it, and the next thing I knew, I blacked out.
When I woke up, I almost thought I was a ghost in the Underworld, or my father had summoned me to talk again, because I was floating weightlessly. Nope, still in the world of the living, and I was fully awake. The room I was in had very dim light, but a side effect of being a son of Hades was that I could see pretty well in extremely dark light. I turned vertical to realize I was underwater, in a cave about the size of a two-car garage. Phosphorescent moss covered the ceiling, bathing the room in a blue-and-green glow. The floor was a carpet of urchins, and I was glad I was floating since they did not seem like they'd be very comfortable to walk on. The only exit to the cave was blocked by a massive abalone shell - its surface glistening in pearl and rose and turquoise. I didn't see Audrey around, so I didn't understand my breathing with no air.
Frank levitated nearby in a meditation position. With his chubby face and his grumpy expression, he looked like a Buddha who'd achieved enlightenment and wasn't thrilled about it. Zy was laying on her back as she floated in the water with her hands behind her head, as though she was relaxing, or bored. Kaze was swimming around the area, chasing after a little robotic hippocampus, which must've been a transformation of his robotic cat.
"Neko~! Come back!" The little hippocampus just clicked, beeped, and waved its tail mockingly before speeding away, staying just out of Kaze's reach. It was actually a kind of cute scene. Leo groaned before opening his eyes, blinking to adjust to the dim lighting of the room before drifting upright.
"Hey, you're up," Zy said, turning vertical. Her voice had a lot of reverb, like she was speaking through several layers of plastic.
"About time," Frank muttered.
"What the heck happened?" I asked.
"Long story. I jumped into the water when you guys didn't resurface, and Kaze consequently followed me. We found you being kidnapped by a bunch of green Chiron-hippocampi and were taken with you guys here. I don't think they're hostile, at least not yet. Most likely, they're wondering why we were attacked by a giant Shrimpzilla and if we mean them any harm. Audrey and Hazel were with us, but they left about an hour ago." No one looked injured, but I realized that everyone was disarmed. Zy's belt and all its components were gone, Frank didn't have his bow or quiver, I didn't have my lance, sword or shield, and Leo patted his waist to find that his tool belt was gone as well.
"They searched us," Frank explained. "Took anything that could be a weapon."
"They didn't take Kaze's jacket," Zy said. "That's why he's got Neko."
"Neko?" I asked. She pointed.
"His robot hippocampus. I doubt Neko is a very dangerous weapon, and at best he could give you a cigarette burn, but still. Most of the things in Kaze's pockets at the moment are just trinkets, nothing that might get us out of here. Granted, with Kaze's ingenuity and ability to will locks open, he may be enough to get us out of here if he really tried, but we don't want to seem like we want to escape. We should try and lay low, not seem hostile. You follow?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Who did this?" Leo asked. "Green Chiron guys?"
"His relatives that the Nereids told Percy and Audrey about, I believe," Zy said. "Their location is pretty well guarded, so they must be understandably weary around us."
"The shrimp monster," Leo said. "The Argo II - is the ship okay?"
"I don't know," Frank said darkly. "The others might be in trouble or hurt, or…or worse. But I guess you care more about your ship than your friends." Leo looked like he'd been punched in the face.
"What kind of stupid thing…?" He began before cutting himself off. I suppose we haven't had the chance to explain what happened. Hedge had made that stupid comment about Leo and Hazel holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes, when that was actually just the result of the flashback. It probably hadn't helped that Leo was the reason Frank got knocked overboard right afterward.
"Frank," Zy said. "The crew was implied as well. Besides, if the ship is damaged too much then the others would be in trouble by default. And if the ship is beyond repair, then that means we couldn't continue the quest." Kaze said something, having caught his little hippocampus. Really, it looked more like Neko had given up, because he was swimming at Kaze's side rather than in Kaze's hands held hostage or something. "Ah, well Neko says he can sense a signal sent out from Festus. That means the ship is intact." Neko clicked some things and Kaze relayed a translation. "The ship's in bad shape, but still afloat, and the crew seems to be all right, if a bit battered and worried."
"Look, man…I'm sorry I got us into this mess," Leo said. "I totally jacked things up." He took a deep breath. "Me and Hazel holding hands…it's not what you think. She was showing me this flashback from her past, trying to figure out my connection with Sammy." Frank's angry expression started to unknot, replaced by curiosity.
"Did she…did you figure it out?"
"Yeah. Well, sort of. We didn't get a chance to talk about it afterward because of Shrimpzilla, but Sammy was my great-grandfather." He and I told Frank what we'd seen. Leo began to make connections, realizing that the truth may have been clear if they'd just thought about it a little more. His grandfather had been referred to as Sam Junior, meaning Sam Senior was Sammy Valdez. His aunt that turned out to be Hera, Tía Callida, had to have been that Doña Callida woman that told Sammy Hazel's great danger wasn't within his lifetime, consoling him and giving him a glimpse of the future. That meant Hera had been shaping Leo's life generations before he was even born. It also made us realize that if Hazel had stayed in the 1940s, if she'd married Sammy, Leo might've been her great-grandson.
"Oh man," Leo said when we'd finished the story. "I don't feel so good. But I swear on the Styx, that's what we saw." Frank had the same expression as the monster catfish head - wide glassy eyes and an open mouth.
"Hazel…Hazel liked your great-grandfather? That's why she likes you?"
"Frank, I know this is weird. Believe me. But I don't like Hazel - not that way. I'm not moving in on your girl." Frank knit his eyebrows.
"No?"
"I see them more as brother and sister," I said.
Leo seemed to be lost in thought probably thinking about the others on the ship. What Frank said about Leo caring only for the ship and not his friends wasn't true, and I know Frank was just angry and didn't mean it. Leo was a Hephaestus kid, so he got along with machines more than people (or any organic life forms, really), and Hephaestus was the same way. Still, Leo cared for the others, and his friends, even Frank, were his family. He just wasn't used to having a family. The kids at Camp Half-Blood were what you may expect; they were great, and they knew him best, but were they family? Sure, they shared a godly parent, but they didn't have that special bond, the kind of thing where you knew them really well, talked over things lightheartedly, had lots of special memories to think and talk about.
Zy and Kaze didn't share a parent, but they were a brother and sister if I'd ever seen one, and it was because of all the time they'd shared together, admitting their feelings, bonding over things, making memories that they could look back on, and that belonged to them and them alone. Going on a quest with all the members of the Argo II made them feel like family to me, and fulfilled those requirements for the bond we had. Even just these past few days of getting close, the seven of the prophecy had fulfilled those requirements as well. Maybe if we'd spent more time at camp and didn't have an Argo II to build, Leo might've made that connection to his siblings as well, but all in all, Leo was perfectly capable of caring for his friends. He just had an easier time with machines.
"Right, so…" Leo looked around. "What's the plan here? How are we breathing? If we're under the ocean, shouldn't we be crushed by the water pressure?" Frank shrugged.
"Fish-horse magic, I guess. I remember the green guy touching my head with the point of a dagger, and then I could breathe."
"Fish-horse-man go tap, and gasp!" Kaze said, floating upside down and tapping his head before throwing his arms out dramatically. "I can breathe, just like that!" Neko was floating upside down beside him, and made a rapid clicking noise like a gasp while throwing his little horse legs out in awe. He ended up falling to be upright again and shook his head from the sudden spin, making a mechanical horse whinny.
"Yeah, that's basically what happened," Zy agreed. Leo studied the abalone door.
"Can't someone bust us out? Turn into a hammerhead shark, or super-strength the door off, or blast it open, or get some Kako to help us?" Frank shook his head glumly.
"My shape-shifting doesn't work. I don't know why. Maybe they cursed me, or maybe I'm too messed up to focus."
"We don't want to seem hostile," Zy said. "Making peace with these guys seems better than making war."
"But if they are hostile, Hazel and Audrey could be out there and in trouble and we wouldn't be able to help."
"Well…I guess you have a point. But…" Leo swam to the door and ran his fingers along the abalone. There didn't seem to be any latches or otherwise.
"I've tried everything," Kaze said, and Zy translated to Leo. "The door most likely can only be opened my magic or sheer force, the latter of which I've tried as well."
"Even if we were to get out, we don't have any weapons except for a little laser-hippocampus," I pointed out. "I'm not sure my Kako will be of much use in the water, unless we wanted to barricade ourselves in some kind of tar fort, Zy's powers must still be weakened, and Kaze's speed may be impeded while in the water."
"Hm…" Leo held up his hand. "I wonder…" He concentrated, and fire flickered over his fingers.
"Uh…Leo?" Zy began. "You might not want to-" The fire began racing up his arm and over his body until he was completely shrouded in a thin veil of flame. He tried to breathe, but he was just inhaling pure heat.
"Leo!" Frank shouted, flailing backward like he was falling off a bar stool. Instead of racing to Leo's aid, he hugged the wall to get as far away as possible. Zy rushed over and batted the flames with her hands, and most likely the only thing that prevented her from being burnt was her immunity to electricity and to an extension, extreme heat.
"Leo, Leo listen to me. You have to stay calm. Calm your thoughts. I'd say take a deep breath but…yeah. The fire won't hurt you. Stop summoning fire. Think of water. You're surrounded by it. A cool breeze. Ice. Cold stuff." Kaze aimed his arms at Leo before spinning them in a circular motion at speed, creating a funnel of water and bubbles that engulfed Leo and Zy.
"Kaze!" Zy called. He stopped and we saw that the flames had died. Well, that's one way to do it. After a count of five, Leo took a shallow breath. He had oxygen again. Frank stopped trying to merge with the cave wall and relaxed slightly.
"You're…you're okay?"
"Yeah," Leo grumbled. "Thanks for the assist."
"I…I'm sorry." Frank looked so horrified and ashamed, it was hard to be mad at him, especially considering his condition. "I just…what happened?"
"Clever magic," Zy said. "There's a thin layer of oxygen around us, like an extra skin. It's self-regenerating. That's how we're breathing and staying dry. Audrey has the ability to create and sustain these things if she focuses. The oxygen gave the fire fuel, except the fire also suffocated you, Leo. The layer of oxygen is extremely thin, and so to sustain a fire, it had to spread across the entire oxygen layer around you."
"I really don't…" Frank gulped. "I don't like that fire summoning you do." He started getting comfortable with the wall again.
"Frank…?" I asked. "You know…I mean…do you…?" I didn't want to push Frank beyond his limits, and I didn't want to influence him into something he didn't actually want, but Leo wasn't going to hurt him, he wasn't gonna laugh, and he'd be more careful with his fire if he knew. Leo let out a laugh.
"Man, I'm not going to attack you."
"Fire," Frank repeated. Leo seemed to realize that Frank must've had some bad experience with fire, and having had his own bad memory with fire…well, he could understand. His mom had died in a fire that was started by him, even if it was Gaea that manipulated it. Leo had been blamed for it and ostracized by his family thanks to his Aunt Rosa. He'd grown up being called a freak, an arsonist, because whenever he got angry, things burned.
"Sorry I laughed," Leo said, and I knew he meant it. "My mom died in a fire. I understand being afraid of it. Did, uh…did something like that happen to you?" Frank seemed to be weighing whether or not to confess.
"My house…my grandmother's place. It burned down. But it's more than that…" He stared at the urchins on the floor. "Annabeth said I could trust the crew. Even you."
"We trust all of you," Zy said. "All of you should be able to trust each other if you want to be a team. You should…all and be a bit more open, you know? We need to know things in case of an emergency. Kaze's a bit of a troublemaker, so it's hard to trust him, but he's trying. It's not his fault he was born the son of a troublemaker and became one himself. You can trust the entire crew, Frank."
"Even me, huh?" Leo asked. "Wow, high praise."
"My weakness…" Frank started, like the words cut his mouth. "There's this piece of firewood-" He was interrupted as the abalone door rolled open. Kaze's little robotic hippocampus instantly bolted into his owner's inner jacket pocket, slightly peaking its head out to see.
Leo turned and found himself face-to-face with the lima bean Chiron hippocampus that Zy mentioned. From the waist up, he was more or less human - a thin, bare-chested dude with a dagger in his belt and a band of seashells strapped across his chest like a bandolier. His skin was green, his beard scraggly brown, and his longish hair was tied back in a seaweed bandana. A pair of lobster claws stuck up from his head like horns, turning and snapping at random. From the waist down, he was a bit more complicated. He had the forelegs of a blue-green horse, sort of like a centaur, but toward the back, his horse body morphed into a long fishy tail about ten feet long, with a rainbow-colored, V-shaped tailfin. He did look like a hippocampus-man, or a water version of a centaur.
"I am Bythos," The green man said. "I will interrogate Frank Zhang." His voice was calm and firm, leaving no room for debate. I'd had to practice that voice for a while when I was working in the Underworld to get people to obey and respect me.
"Why did you capture us?" Leo demanded. "Where's Hazel?" Bythos narrowed his eyes. His expression seemed to say, "Did this tiny creature just talk to me?"
"Leo, don't challenge them," Zy said.
"You, Leo Valdez, will go with my brother."
"Your brother?" Leo repeated. Leo seemed to just realize that a much larger figure was looming behind Bythos, with a shadow so wide, it filled the entire cave entrance.
"Yes," Bythos said with a dry smile. "Try not to make Aphros mad." Aphros looked like his brother, except he was blue and much, much bigger. He had Arnold-as-Terminator abs and arms, and a square, brutish head. A huge Conan-approved sword was strapped across his back. Even his hair was bigger - a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to swim their way to the surface.
"Don't aggravate him, please," Zy said, before pushing Leo forward.
"Where's he going?" Kaze asked. "Are they evil? Do we attack?"
"Who can understand him?" Bythos asked. Zy and I both raised our hands. "Perfect. You will be escorted by these three."
We were taken by another group of hippocampi-men, who I was just going to refer to as Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, since they didn't offer their actual names, and it stayed on theme with Bythos and Aphros. They weren't much different from the first two, varying shades of green and blue (grue, if you want) and armed with weapons. Leo was taken by Aphros along with us until we reached a massive forest of kelp, where he was taken in another direction and we lost him.
Zy convinced Kaze that we weren't escaping, and that he shouldn't try and dash out into the kelp. Kaze may be fast, but he's out of his element, and the three hippocampi-men would be much faster than him and skilled. They know this kelp forest too, and Kaze would easily get lost and cornered. Plus, it would be best not to aggravate these guys as we were all split up. We drifted between rows of kelp as tall as apartment buildings, the green-and-yellow plants swaying weightlessly, like columns of helium balloons.
High above, I saw a smudge of white that might have been the sun. That meant we'd have to have been here overnight. That meant the crew had either left without us, or worse, they'd wasted all these hours that could've been used to go and save Nico to search for us. Based on the fact that plants were able to grow here, that meant we couldn't be too far underwater, right? Bolting for the surface wasn't an option, both because it's best to go along with things, but also because I'd heard about people who ascended too quickly and developed nitrogen bubbles in their blood. A cool thing in theory, but not something that I want happening to me or anyone else. I, personally, do not want carbonated blood if I can avoid it.
"So, what exactly are you guys?" I asked.
"Ichthyocentaurs," Logos said, like it was a question he was tired of answering.
"Cool word," I muttered.
"We are fish centaurs," Ethos elaborated. "We are the half brothers of Chiron."
"I thought so," Zy said. "He's a friend of ours, and these Nereids told us to seek you out for help."
"That's what the ones called Hazel and Audrey have told us, but we shall determine the truth," Pathos said. "Come."
We swam for maybe half a mile, and Kaze was getting bored, fiddling with Neko in sphere-mode while he swam, while also making sure Ethos, Pathos, and Logos couldn't see him doing so. When the kelp forest finally opened up, he shoved Neko into his pocket once more. We were swimming at the summit of a high underwater hill, and below us stretched an entire town of Greek-style buildings on the sea floor. The roofs were tiled with mother-of-pearl, the gardens were filled with coral and sea anemones. Hippocampi grazed in a field of seaweed, a team of Cyclopes was placing the domed roof on a new temple, using a blue whale as a crane, and swimming through the streets, hanging out in the courtyards practicing combat with tridents and swords in the arena, were dozens of mermen and mermaids - honest-to-goodness fish-people.
Now, there were a lot of things in this world that I'd learned to believe in, creatures of all kinds, so this was only half shocking to me. Like many other things that I've come to realize existed in real life, these didn't look exactly like what Disney has us to believe. Even from a distance, they looked fierce and not at all human. Their eyes glowed yellow, they had shark-like teeth, and their skin was leathery in colors ranging from coral red to ink black.
"A training camp?" I realized. "You train heroes, the same way Chiron does?" Pathos looked at me, a glint of pride in his eyes.
"We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a mer-hero, and we have trained him or her!"
"Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, and Bill!" Logos added. I read up a bit on mer-heroes, but as Poseidon wasn't my father, I didn't know anyone except Triton. I bet Audrey might recognize the names, granted there had to be a lot of Bills in the world, that is, people named Bill, not bills. Although there are probably a lot of those in the world too. Moving on.
"Uh, you trained Bill? Impressive."
"Indeed," Ethos said. "Aphros trained Bill himself. A great merman. Everyone believes that Aphros trains combat, but really he teaches music and poetry."
"My kinda guy," Zy said.
"Bythos is the one that teaches combat, but Aphros teaches things like life skills," Logos added. "Homemaking. These are very important for heroes."
"Sewing? Baking?"
"He would be happy to know someone understands," Pathos said. "Perhaps if you survive, Aphros would share his brownie recipe."
"Ooo, we are totally surviving for brownies," Zy said. "We get brownies if we survive, Kaze-kun."
"Yea!"
"He loves brownies," She explained. "Or really any sweets. He prefers soft things though, so soft cookies over hard ones, for example."
"What's this camp called?" I asked Logos.
"This is Camp-" He made a sound that was a series of sonar pings and hisses.
"Oh. Silly me."
"When do we get brownies?" Kaze asked.
"So when are we deemed brownie worthy?" Zy translated.
"The two of you turn in opposite directions, and let this one tell me your story," Ethos ordered. "Translate what he says at the same time, so I know you're not making things up." Zy relayed the instruction to Kaze before she and I turned to opposite directions away from Kaze. He began to explain growing up as an orphan since he was little, meeting Zy in the orphanage, and then living with her on their own. He explained dying, and then coming back with the intention of seeing his sister again, before joining the group on the Argo II.
They asked for our stories next, and so I told them my story about being a son of Hades and learning about my powers and such, learning my friends were demigods too (though they knew about me and each other before I knew about them; still don't know why they didn't tell me) and then going on the two quests, along with working for my father in the Underworld. Zy explained growing up an orphan, running away with Kaze before he died and a goddess came to her, and how she had this big weight of keeping the goddess alive and safe while searching for her husband. She explained how she was trying to make up for losing her brother, especially now that he'd been given a second chance. They seemed pretty interested in both of our stories, as they'd never met descendents of Zeus and Hades like us, especially Hades.
We explained the Prophecy of Seven and our group's goal to reach Greece and defeat the giants before Gaea woke. We explained the eidolons, the problem with the Romans, and all the troubles the Argo II had encountered crossing the United States. I explained how we were under a time limit to find my brother Nico, and how we needed to find some Mark of Athena. Zy explained that she needed to go to Rome in search of the goddess's husband, as she'd been informed that there'd be a way to find him there. I hadn't heard of that before, but I guess it made sense. She and I would try and pass some trials there and we'd find Zyanya's husband, I figured. Once we finished our fight in Charleston, the three Ichthyocentaurs seemed satisfied. They looked to each other for only a moment before nodding in unison. They were like the underwater version of the trio of judges back in the Underworld, though they seemed a lot nicer, and greener.
"Very well," Pathos said. "We believe you."
"Really? Just like that?" I asked.
"We are quite good at discerning lies," Logos explained. "We hear none from any of you. Your story also fits with what Hazel Levesque and Audrey Mavepo have told us."
"Where are they?"
"They are fine," Ethos assured us. He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, which sounded strange underwater - like a dolphin screaming. "Our people will bring them here shortly. You must understand…our location us a carefully guarded secret. You and your friends showed up in a warship, pursued by one of Keto's sea monsters. We did not know whose side you were on." Zy nodded in approval and understanding.
"Yeah, I figured. We understand."
"How's the ship?" I asked.
"Damaged, but not terribly," Logos said. "The skolopendra withdrew after it got a mouthful of Greek fire. Nice touch."
"That was Leo's thoughtfulness. And we all thought he was crazy for bringing Greek fire with him on the ship. I mean, he was, but point stands."
"Skolopendra," Zy muttered. "It rings a bell, though I don't think I have memory of encountering it for a long time."
"They are nasty creatures," Pathos said. "Keto must really hate you. At any rate, we rescued you and the others as the creature retreated into the deep."
"Your friends are still above, searching for you," Logos said. "But we have obscured their vision. We had to be sure you were not a threat. Otherwise, we would have had to…take measures." I had a feeling that "taking measures" didn't mean baking extra brownies. If these guys were powerful enough that they could keep their camp hidden from Percy and his Poseidon powers, they were not fish dudes to be messed with.
"So…are we allowed to go?" I asked.
"Soon," Ethos promised. "We must check with Bythos and Aphros. When they are done talking to your friends Leo and Gank-"
"Frank."
"Frank. When they are done, we will send you back to your ship. And we may have some warnings for you."
"Warnings?"
"Ah." Aphros pointed. Audrey emerged from the kelp forest, escorted by two mermaids. The three of them were singing with melodies voices, and oddly enough it was beginning to get hard to think. And it wasn't even like the song they were singing was enchanting. It was This is Gospel by Panic! At the Disco, for crying out loud. It was catchy, but not as enchanting as they were making it.
"Hey!" Audrey called as she swam over. "Sing along with me!
"If you love me let me go~!
"If you love me let me go~!
"Cause these words are knives that often leave scars,
"The fear of falling apart,
"And truth be told, I never was yours,
"The fear, the fear of falling apart!"
Zy was happy to join in, and it was hard to resist the song.
"This is gospel for the vagabonds,
"Ne'er-do-wells, insufferable bastards,
"Confessing their apostasies,
"Led away by imperfect impostors."
Audrey's new mer-friends sang backup, one handling all of the oh-s and the other handing the "This is the beat of my heart"-s. Once we'd finished the song, her mer-friends left us, and even Ethos, Pathos and Logos left us alone at the ridge, which must've meant they really did trust us. While they went off to fetch the others, Audrey explained that those mermaids had been studying siren singing and had taught Audrey a bit of using her voice through the water.
"I mean it only works with water, so in the air, I'm just a normal singer, but I can use the water like speakers too. Hey, Leo and Hazel!" We swam over to them and found out that Leo had been left by Aphros as well, having gained his Itcthyocentaur's trust as well. Apparently, Aphros had also knitted while he'd told his story. Hazel had had mermaids like Audrey, who'd warmed up to her just as fast. The Itcthyocentaurs had been fascinated by her story, as they had never met a child of Pluto before. On top of that, they had heard many legends about the horse Arion, and they were amazed that Hazel had befriended him. Hazel had promised to visit with Arion, and bring me along with Zoltan. The mermaids had written their phone numbers on the girls' arms in waterproof ink. How they got cell-phone coverage in the middle of the Atlantic? Who knows?
Leo and Hazel had discussed what happened with Frank, about clearing things up with the whole hand-holding-gazing-into-each-other's-eyes thing, along with Leo learning Frank's weakness lies in a small nub of firewood. Frank had chosen Hazel to hold his life in her hands, and it made me realize that Frank didn't hate/fear Leo just because he looked like Hazel's old crush. He could summon fire at will, and he seemed to be moving in on Hazel, the one who held his lifeline - his entire fate. No wonder Frank had been so uneasy and angry. Having your life be connected to a piece of firewood might not seem so bad at first, since all you have to do is hide it somewhere, but in reality, Frank's life was extremely fragile, especially now that his firewood was so small.
No one was able to say it aloud, but the line of the Prophecy of Seven, To storm or fire the world must fall, had to mean Leo was the fire. Percy or Jason had to stand for storm - maybe both of them together. Zy and Audrey didn't count because they weren't a part of the seven, but still, a storm or fire was going to make the fall of the world, and Leo must've been worried that he was going to be the one to screw something up and result in the fall of the world. Being optimistic, the fall of the world could translate to the fall of the earth - Gaea. One never knew when it came to prophecies.
"There you are!" Bythos called. Bythos and Aphros floated over with Frank between them, looking pale but okay. "You are free to go." Bythos opened his saddlebags and returned our confiscated supplies. Leo looked euphoric to have his tool belt back. Zy put on her belt with the bag at her right hip, slipped her guns in their holsters at the back, snapped her quiver on between her bag at the right and her guns, and slung the bow I'd given her (was it just me, or was it a different color?) over her cross-body before snapping the riser on at the left between her guns and her left hip where her sword could be (though it wasn't summoned at the time so it wasn't there). Audrey and I got our cuffs with shields, trident/lance, and our swords back. Kaze got a cylinder that expanded into his shuriken, and Neko swam out of his pocket to wave hello now that he was allowed to be seen.
"Tell Percy Jackson not to worry," Aphros said. "We have understood your story about the imprisoned sea creatures in Atlanta. Keto and Phorcys must be stopped. We will send a quest of mer-heroes to defeat them and free their captives. Perhaps Cyrus?"
"Or Bill," Bythos offered.
"Yes! Bill would be perfect," Aphros agreed. "At any rate, we are grateful that Audrey and Percy brought this to our attention."
"You should talk to Percy in person," Leo suggested. "I mean, son of Poseidon and all." Both fish-centaurs shook their heads solemnly.
"Sometimes, it is best not to interact with too much of Poseidon's brood," Aphros said. "We are friendly with the sea god, of course, but the politics of undersea deities is…complicated. And we value our independence. Nevertheless, tell Percy thank you. We will do what we can to speed you safely across the Atlantic without further interference from Keto's monsters, but be warned: in the ancient sea, the Mare Nostrum, more dangers await." Frank sighed.
"Naturally." Bythos clapped the big guy on the shoulder.
"You will be fine, Frank Zhang. Keep practicing those sea life transformations. The koi fish is good, but try for a Portuguese man-of-war. Remember what I showed you. It's all in the breathing." Frank looked mortally embarrassed.
"Transformations are mostly about concentration," Zy said. "As they say, "keep calm and carry on." You just need to work on keeping your focus. Like Neko." She pointed a thumb at the robot who had transformed his tail into a propeller, spitting bubbles in Kaze's face before fleeing.
"And you, Hazel and Veon," Aphros said. "Come visit again, and bring those horses of yours! I know you are concerned with the time you lost, spending the night in our realm. You are worried about your brother, Nico…" Hazel gripped her cavalry sword.
"Is he…do you know where he is?" Aphros shook his head.
"Not exactly. But when you get closer, you should be able to sense his presence. Never fear! You must reach Rome the day after tomorrow if you are to save him, but there is still time. And you must save him."
"Yes," Bythos agreed. "He will be essential for your journey. I am not sure how, but I sense it is true." Aphros planted his hand on Leo's shoulder.
"As for you, Leo Valdez, stay close to Hazel and Frank when you reach Rome. I sense they will face, ah…mechanical difficulties that only you can overcome."
"Mechanical difficulties?" Leo asked.
"And you three should stay with this lady over here," He said, motioning to me, Audrey and Kaze then Zy. "Don't let her think she's ever alone." Then, Aphros smiled. "And I have gifts for you, the brave navigator and warriors of the Argo II!"
"I like to think of myself as captain," Leo said. "Or supreme commander."
"Brownies!" Aphros said proudly, holding up an old-fashioned picnic basket.
"Burauni!" Kaze said excitedly, which was basically "brownie" said with his heavy Japanese accent. He snatched up the basket, which was surrounded by a bubble of air that protected the brownies from turning into saltwater fudge sludge.
"Kaze! Don't eat them all!" Zy ordered, taking the basket from him. She took out one brownie that stayed in its own small bubble of air and he snatched it up and popped it in his mouth happily.
"In the basket, you will also find the recipe," Aphros said. "Not too much butter! That's the trick."
"Awesome," Zy said.
"And I've given you a letter of introduction to Tiberinus, the god of the Tiber River. Once you reach Rome, your friend, the daughter of Athena, will need this."
"Annabeth…" Audrey said. "Okay, but why?" Bythos laughed.
"She follows the Mark of Athena, doesn't she? Tiberinus can guide her in this quest. He's an ancient, proud god who can be…difficult. But letters of introduction are everything to Roman spirits. This will convince Tiberinus to help her. Hopefully."
"Hopefully," Leo repeated. Bythos produced a handful of small pink pearls from his saddlebags.
"And now, off with you, demigods! Good sailing!" He threw a pearl at each of us in turn, and shimmering pink bubbles of energy formed around us. We began to rise through the water before they gained speed and rocketed toward the distant glow of the sun above.
