Love & Chaos 2: A New Pharaoh for Egypt

Chapter 9

Across the Atlantic (Nothing New)

Zia.

Zia was finding it hard to fall asleep in her room on the Argo II. She had a feeling they'd landed in the ocean, and it was anything but a smooth start. Sea monster after sea monster rocked their boat, and Zia had pretty much given up hope. This was why she used portals to travel places. Much smoother and more reliable.

Sadie was asleep with headphones on and Carter was on duty, so that basically left her alone to figure out something to do. If there was nothing else, she figured that she might as well explore the lower two decks.

She and Sadie had a room on the back half of the ship, just a couple rooms away from the Mess Hall. Zia had been in there about a million times, so se turned to the other side of the hall. The sign on the door said "Gallery", but she didn't know what might be inside. While curiosity tried to urge her onwards, she wasn't nosy enough to do it. She turned around and headed back down the hall, where at the end, there was a bathroom she'd never ventured into. Rumors were thick among the crew members that it was an awesome bathroom, and one look inside showed they were all true. Bathroom? Try spa resort.

There was no way that Leo Valdez had invented this on his own - Liz and Annabeth must have had some say in the way this bathroom was designed. A fountain sparkled in the center of the room, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian words and designs carved into the walls. There was a full bath and shower as opposed to the half showers they all had in their rooms, comfy chairs and a couch (she didn't know why, but hey, why not), and a hot tub, as if the full bath wasn't already enough. There were also little cubicles where the toilets probably were, and it all was so quaint.

A noise of creaking hinges came from behind her, and she jumped, turning around. "Oh, Leo. Gods. You frightened me."

"Haha, sorry. I couldn't help but notice a light shining from this direction - literally couldn't help it, my room is right next door - and wanted to see who finally decided to investigate the master bath. So, what do you think?" He smiled grandly, gesturing around them. "Did I do well?"

"There's no way you created this of your own thought," Zia laughed. "Why did you make a spa in your warship?"

"Because, Miss Rashid, it's not always going to be a warship, first of all. My baby has a future as much as the rest of us do. And second of all, because I know that half of our crew is composed of women. I thought you all might like this," he told her.

"Liz or Miss Chase didn't advise this?"

"Nope. Don't even think they've looked yet, to be totally honest. It's a secret until they open the doors. What are you doing awake at this hour?" he asked suddenly.

The boat swayed roughly once more, and Zia caught her balance on the sink, feeling pale and sick. "This is what."

He nodded. "Yeah, Hazel gets seasick too. I'm pretty confident that Liz has us taken care of, though," he assured her.

Steadying herself, she started making her way to the door. "To distract myself, I have been exploring," she explained. "I haven't really seen it all, you know?"

"Yeah. Well, I know that Carter's shift is up in a couple minutes, if you want to spend some time with him," he informed her.

"Okay, I'll look out for him. Wait," she stopped him, seeing he was going to Liz and Annabeth's room. "What are you doing?"

"Well, Annabeth and Percy are talking in my room, and I would like some sleep before my shift, so if she takes my bed, then I'm taking hers."

"Don't you think that might freak Liz out a little?" Zia pointed out. "When she walks into her room and sees you asleep in there, that is."