Okay, so, like I said, I got a bunch of chapters done. And since I've kept you all waiting, I figured I should go ahead and post two chapters today to make up for it. But don't get used to it. I'm not that good.

I like this chapter. It's just a tad mysterious, but I think you guys will like it too.

Chapter VII

Leo

Leo felt sorry for Percy. He was still a little mad at the guy for abandoning Calypso, but he was going to be in sooo much trouble when he got back. Annabeth was going to kill him.

Annabeth was scary when she was mad. This time was no exception. At first, when Percy fell, she looked really fragile, as if she might break down and just start sobbing. But then she got this steely look in her eyes, and she straightened and then addressed the entire crew, who were all looking at her warily, as if afraid that she might blame them.

"When he gets back, I'm going to kill him." She said. Leo wanted to ask how she knew he would come back, but the look on her face scared him so much that he decided he better not. She looked around at each of them in turn, as if daring someone to contradict her, but no one would meet her gaze. Then she took charge of clean-up duty.

Normally, that was when Leo would have disappeared with some excuse about fixing something or other in the engine room. Anything really to avoid chores. He wanted his ship to be clean, but he didn't particularly like being the one to keep it that way. But with Annabeth in scary-angry mode, he figured it would be safer not to argue. So he helped mop up the nasty sea serpent juice all over the deck, and to put some of the boxes that had gotten knocked around back in their place. Then he headed back to the engine room, mostly as a way to avoid Annabeth.

It didn't work for long. She came down a few minutes after him, and now he feels all jittery and weird because she's standing in the doorway staring at him. With her arms crossed. Standing really still.

It's creeping him out.

Finally, she moves, even if it is only to lean against the door frame and cross her ankles.

"Anything I can help with?" She asks him. Leo is a bit surprised. He figured she blamed him for Percy getting tossed overboard, since he hadn't made the monster explode.

"Uh, not really." He answers awkwardly. Her face falls slightly, and Leo sees something in her eyes, a kind of brokenness, and realizes that she asked because she needs something to take her mind off of Percy. He's not sure how he knows, but once he realizes it, he knows he's right.

"Right now I'm working on a new upgrade for the ship." He gestures to the table in front of him, which is covered in blueprints. Annabeth walks over and studies his drawings intently. "I wanted to add something like the crane Archimedes designed to pluck enemy ships out of the water, along with a few new weapons."

Annabeth's eyes pore across the papers as if she's reading her favorite book. "These are good ideas, Leo. They could help a lot when we get to Athens."

"That's why I've been working so hard on them. I was hoping they could help us kick some serious giant booty." A smile plays at the corners of her lips, but then a shadow sweeps across her face and wipes away any sign of amusement. Leo's heart goes out to her. He knows how it feels to be apart from someone you care about.

She quickly hides her emotions behind a mask of calm, and sits down next to Leo, picking up an extra pencil.

"Could we add barbed tips to the jaws of the crane?" She asks, still looking at the blueprints. Once again, Leo is a little surprised.

"Yeah, I guess we could. But why would we want to?" He questions. She doesn't even look up.

"Because I have some vague idea that we're not really going to end up using this on enemy ships. But we could use it on other enemies, like the giants, and barbed tips would cause a bit more damage while at the same time making it harder for them to escape." She explains.

Leo nods, tapping his pencil against his chin thoughtfully. "Seems like a pretty good idea." He adds barbed tips to his drawing of the crane. Then he watches Annabeth, wondering if she'll come up with anything else. She wears a look of such intense concentration that Leo is a little afraid his drawings will catch fire. She flips to the next page.

"What is that?" She asks breathlessly, her eyes lit up in wonder. Leo is a bit embarassed. He didn't mean for anyone to see that until he'd had a chance to work on it more. Still, he's proud of the fact that he's managed to impress Annabeth.

"That," he answers, "is a little side project of mine. I was hoping it would make Queen Dirt Face take a step back."

"You just might manage to do that, Leo. This plan is insane." He hopes she means insane in a good way. But he shouldn't be worried. When Annabeth looks up, her eyes are shining with excitement. "We could really do it, Leo. We could really beat the giants." She looks back down at his blueprints. "I mean before I thought, maybe. Maybe we could win. But now." Leo grins at her enthusiasm. But she isn't finished quite yet. "This...this is amazing. It's perfect. With this, we can destroy the giants so thoroughly they'll never be able to form again."

"I haven't really worked out all the kinks yet." Leo admits. It doesn't diminish Annabeth's excitement in the least. "And some of the things I'll be using are a little unpredictable. That's why I haven't really actually started on it."

"I'll help you." Annabeth offers. Leo hesitates. He's not really used to working closely with others on any of his side projects. But he knows that Annabeth's help could be invaluable.

"Okay." He agrees.

It's kind of funny watching Annabeth get excited. She starts bouncing her leg up and down, tapping her pencil on the table, acting totally ADHD for once. Usually Annabeth doesn't actually act ADHD. But looking at her now, as jittery and hyper as Leo usually is, you'd never know that. It isn't long before she starts to slow down again, though. Reading seems to have that sort of calming effect on her. She blows her blonde hair out of her face and leans closer over the table.

"Are you sure you want to use that?" She blurts suddenly. "You could blow the whole ship up." She doesn't really seem overly concerned about that fact, but Leo knows she wouldn't ask unless she was curious.

"I know. That's why I'm also adding that." He points to another part of the page. She studies it for a few seconds, then slowly nods.

"I suppose they would work pretty well on balancing each other out." She's quiet for a whole five seconds, and then she bursts out with another flood of questions. "Are you sure this is going to work? What if we accidentally cause the ship to explode? A lot of these materials are really delicate." She sounds a little nervous now.

"I'm never entirely sure my plans are going to work. And 'delicate' is an understatement. But I'm reasonable confident that we won't blow ourselves up. And if this works even to the smallest degree, defeating the giants will be a piece of cake." He reassures her. The room is completely silent except for the hum of the engine while she thinks this over. Then she sighs, looks back down at the blueprints, and scribbles something down.

"Then why don't we try this?" She says, sliding the paper over to Leo. He looks down at it, and adrenaline starts to course through his veins. A manic grin spreads slowly across his face.

"Now we're talking. Annabeth, that's genius." He's a little miffed that he didn't think of it himself, but nobody's perfect.

For the rest of the morning, Leo and Annabeth sit with their heads bent over the papers, occasionally scribbling something down or discussing new ideas in low tones. When it's time for lunch, Leo sends Annabeth on ahead. He wants a few minutes alone. Annabeth understands that, so she doesn't ask him any nosy questions. Leo appreciates that.

He stretches his arms over his head, groaning as his cramped muscles stretch. When he's finished stretching, he sits and stares into space for a few beats. Then he starts talking in low, dangerous tones to the empty room.

"You hear that, Dirt Face? We're gonna blast your giants all the way back to Tartarus. And there's nothing you can do to stop us."

After that, he stands and heads up the stairs to the mess hall. He's famished.

What do you guys think Leo's little project is? Review, and tell me your guesses. SERIOUSLY. I wanna see if anyone gets it right. Probably not. Even I'm a little surprised at the scary things my mind can come up with.