One of my New Year's resolutions will be to update this story more. Let's see if that holds out.

Another fun idea that stemmed from my reread of PJO. I'm pretty sure this came from reading SoN.

Story #33: Seven Methods to Overcome Motion Sickness on the Argo II

Hazel thought she would've been fine since they're travelling in the air but she thinks that because they're on a boat, her brain still triggers whatever part of the body enables seasickness. Her head spins, brain battering against her skull as her stomach churns. Hazel stands outside, resting her arms over the edge. If she looks over or at the sky, she'll probably puke. Instead, she rests her head on the ledge, concentrating on her breathing.

She isn't sure if it's working but if she has to ask, then she doesn't think so.

"Hazel? Are you okay?"

Hazel turns around, looking up to see Frank walking out to join her. He looked half-asleep, probably just rolled out of bed in his wrinkled pyjamas and hair swooped to one side of his head. She notices fine lines on his face from his pillow and sheets. Hazel can't help but grin at the sight. He must've been sleeping well.

"Just a little nauseous, that's all," Hazel responds. "I tried to sleep but whenever I lied down, everything felt like it was coming up."

Frank pauses, staring at her. Hazel's insides cringe for a new reason after realizing what she said.

"That was gross," Hazel mutters.

"Okay," Frank states, holding his hands up. "Wait right there."

Frank runs back into the Argo II. Hazel's smile grows. It'd be nice to have Frank's company here. They could chat as they travel through the night and she could be distracted by their conversations that she would forget that she was feeling seasick.

Frank scurries back with an assortment of remedies in his arms.

"I have nectar, ambrosia, saltines, ginger-" Frank rambles, dropping some on the ground.

Hazel and Frank both drop to pick them up, bumping heads at the same time. They laugh, muttering apologies until they're sitting close to each other against the ship's wall with different remedies in their laps. Hazel nibbles on some candied ginger as Frank eats a saltine.

"Did something wake you?" Hazel asks.

"Someone was snoring and I want to say it was Coach," Frank responds, "but it could've been Piper for all I know."

Hazel laughs a little. "It was not Piper."

Frank shrugs. "I'm just guessing since her room is next to mine… I think."

"I think it was Coach."

Before Frank could say anything, Hazel and Frank look up and see Coach approaching them. He scratches his head, between his horns as he yawns. Hazel can't help but stare since she doesn't think she's ever seen Coach Hedge without a baseball cap. But even half-asleep, he's carrying a bat and a megaphone.

"What are you Cupcakes doing here?" Coach asks.

Hazel and Frank pause, thinking they'll get grounded for being out here after hours especially together.

"I wasn't feeling well," Hazel tells him.

Coach's expression drops, features etching with sudden concern. "You're sick?"

"Just nauseous."

"I brought her some things to help," Frank says, gesturing to the food he brought.

"I know what to do," Coach says. When he grips his megaphone, Hazel and Frank cover their ears and lean into each other. "Rise and shine, Cupcakes!"

No response from the rest of the Argo II.

"Alright," Coach grits, raising his bat. "I'll do this myself."

Coach rushes back inside the ship. Hazel and Frank uncover their ears just in time to hear someone's door get kicked down. There are some scuffles and bat swinging until Coach comes back, dragging Jason by his pyjama pant leg.

"Go do something," Coach says, dropping Jason's leg.

Jason shakes his head to wake up, looking at Hazel and Frank confused. "What?"

"Boy, don't give me that attitude," Coach waggles his finger. "Go fix the winds or something. Give us some smooth sailing."

Jason, still on the ground, scrunches his brows. "What's wrong with them?"

Coach raises his bat and Jason stands up. He looks up at the night sky following the winds with his eyes. He mutters something to himself as they calm down. Jason looks at Coach, opening his arms to show that he's finished but Coach taps his foot, seeming unconvinced.

Leo steps out, waving at everyone. His pyjama pants jingle with every step because even in sleep, Leo has things in his pockets to play with. Annabeth, Percy, and Piper follow. Annabeth's bedhead is wild while Percy's shirt is backwards and Piper's wrapped in a blanket.

"I could check something in the ship to smoothen the course," Leo suggests, putting out a screwdriver from his pocket.

"What if we lose power while you're fixing something and plummet?" Annabeth asks.

"Jason could-" Leo waves his arms over his head like a turbine. He didn't know the words for whatever Jason could do.

Jason nods. "Yeah, I could try. And if we're above water, Percy could take over."

Percy puts a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Easy."

"There's no wind and we're soaring over a field," Annabeth states.

Jason and Percy say nothing as they look over the edge of the Argo II. They can't even see the ground.

"I sense we might be near water," Percy guesses.

"New plan!" Leo exclaims, changing the screwdriver in his pocket for a wrench.

"How about this?" Piper says. She crouches in front of Hazel, locking eyes with her as her blanket billows around them. "Go away, nausea. Laisse-t-elle tranquille."

Hazel admits that Piper's voice was hypnotic and smooth as nectar, but seasickness is stronger than charm-speaking and French. No offence, Aphrodite.

"Maybe say something else," Jason offers.

"Maybe you should try singing a jingle from an anti-motion sickness commercial," Leo suggests.

Piper turns to face him with a confused face. "What?"

Leo smiles as he taps his foot. "When you've got-"

Percy throws his arm around Leo and joins in. "-nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea."

Everyone stares at them, unable to say anything. Frank's chewing on another saltine breaks the awkward silence.

"I'd rather throw up than sing that," Piper states. "Maybe Coach has sports medicine."

Coach nearly jumps. "McLean, I knew you were smart."

Piper smiles brightly as Coach runs back into the Argo II.

"Sports medicine?" Hazel asks. "Does that work?"

"Back in the Wilderness School, Coach used duct tape as bandaids so it definitely works," Leo adds.

Nobody is comforted.

"I think the logic was that the sports medicine made you sick for a different reason than what you originally had," Piper guesses.

"You know what?" Hazel stands and brushes some crumbs off her. She takes some nectar and ginger in her hands. "All this distracting really helped. You keep thinking and I'll go to sleep before Coach comes back with his sports medicine."

"Yeah, you don't want any."

All Seven of them run back to their rooms before Coach returns with the sports medicine.

We needed more moments of the Seven being dumb, chaotic friends. I said what I said.

See you guys next year!