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"feel the burn"
ARIADNE HAD HAD ENOUGH OF MONSTERS. First off, she was forced to fight them twenty-four-seven. Second, her patience was at its breaking point, especially after those three stupid hags made her lose consciousness, allowing three of their crew members to be taken beneath the water.
As of now, Annabeth, Coach Hedge, and Buford the table rushed around repairing things so that the ship wouldn't sink. Percy, despite being exhausted, searched the ocean for their missing friends. Jason, also exhausted, flew around the rigging like a blond Peter Pan, putting out fires from the second green explosion that had lit up the sky and just above the mainmast. Piper was currently attempting to locate Leo, Hazel, and Frank through her knife Katoptris.
The oldest girl was arguing with Annabeth, who was forcing her to sit down and stop her massive headache that wouldn't go away, but she resisted and wobbled around the deck while helping the repairs.
By the time the sun rose, none of them had slept. Percy had scoured the sea floor and found nothing. The Argo II was no longer in danger of sinking, though without Leo, they couldn't do full repairs. The ship was capable of sailing, but no one suggested leaving the are—not without their missing friends.
Piper and Annabeth had sent a dream vision to Camp Half-Blood, warning Chiron of what had happened with the Romans at Fort Sumter.
Percy had basically held Ariadne back from punching Jason when the boy was fixing her wound, wiping away the dried blood on her skin.
After the Iris-message, the demigods paced the deck in silence, staring at the water and hoping for a miracle.
When it finally came—three giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank, Hazel, and Leo—Piper went a little crazy. She cried out with relief and dove straight into the water.
She paddled over to Leo and kissed him in the cheek, which kind of surprised him.
"Miss me?" Leo laughed.
Piper was suddenly furious. "Where were you! How are you guys alive?"
"Long story," he said. A picnic basket bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"
Once they got on board and changed into dry clothes the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast—except Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull. While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.
"Incredible," Jason said. "These are really good brownies."
