Argo II: After Tartarus

Frank XV

Chapter 15

"Well, I think good riddance!"

Frank cringed for the umpteenth time since leaving those damned caves. Leo...really had a way with words, that's for sure.

The group had already made their way back to the Argo II which had been bobbing in the ocean like a rubber duck in a bathtub. Never before had he been so happy to see the ship - at least for now.

After Percy had done what he did, it was no surprise to anyone that he had collapsed. Frank was honestly surprised that Percy managed to stay awake for as long as he did. Since Tartarus, he and Annabeth had gotten little to no sleep anyways and so the fact that they couldn't get 5-minute naps to at least function meant they had even little time to recover. Frank wasn't faring too well either but he had options.

Time seemed to have slowed down when Percy had fallen. Epiales's chest was pinned to the cave wall, leaking with golden blood that dripped down like divine rivers before he vanished in a burst of black light. But Percy was left wobbling in place. If Annabeth hadn't rushed forwards, Percy would've hit the floor like a sack of rocks. Both he and Annabeth lost a lot of weight and yet Percy seemed to be too heavy for Annabeth, who nearly buckled under her boyfriend's weight.

If someone were to have told Frank that Epiales was killed right then and there, he would've believed it. But it seems Epiales was okay. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Frank didn't know. Jason stepped forward to help Annabeth with the dead weight that was Percy before a golden door sloughed out from one of the cave walls. This time, there was no symbol.

Perhaps it was a good thing that Percy had fainted because as the group left through the door and down a path made out of the side of cliffs, the tension was thick. Nobody missed the growing anger inside the demigod throughout the days. Percy would need to see a dentist to check if he cracked a tooth from all that grinding.

The day outside the cave had changed to a painting of reds, oranges, and yellows. The sun in the distance displayed all of Apollo's glory, bathing everyone in a golden light. The orange-gold stretched far and wide, the colour of fire hearths and tangerines. Light bounced across the endless sea. It seemed to Frank like the end of a film. Just minus the triumph and replace it with a bunch of sleepy, bitter teenagers. Nobody made any sounds aside from the shuffling of feet and rolling of waves against the cliff underneath them. The path, sloughed from the sides of the cliff like putty, continued all the way to the Argo II. At least it eliminated the need for Jason to fly them over one by one.

Frank's legs ached as he walked. He could feel Hazel's breath hitting the side of his neck where she was tucked under his arm. Tense muscles were part of Frank's life at this point. From running across the plain of Mars at camp to escaping monsters, it seemed all his body did was ache. Today, he did so much physical work and that took a toll on his body. He might look more strong thanks to his Dad's blessing but he likes a car in need of service. That maintenance is important. Demigods all know what happens to engines that don't get cared for right and the body is the same. Knees bumping and buckling, he and Hazel climbed aboard the ship and didn't look back.

"Well, I think good riddance!"

"Leo. Right now?" Piper wiped a grubby hand across her face.

Leo smirked as if he didn't have all of his anxieties and fears held out in the open, "yes, right now. We should celebrate! Good riddance to that annoying son of a--"

"I should take Percy to his room."

Annabeth didn't even wait for an answer before making her way towards the cabins below deck. She did however throw a wave goodbye behind her back.

Frank took that as a good sign.

"They'll be alright, right?"

Hazel shifted in her spot like she almost regretted asking.

Frank tried to smile at her; he didn't know how reassuring he looked. "They'll be fine. They're Percy and Annabeth - if they can recover from Tartarus then they can recover from this!"

Lifting an arm to rub at his neck, Jason sighed, "but they haven't recovered from Tartarus. It's obvious now that Percy hasn't been talking to her, or us, or anyone. You don't do that to friends. How can we be so sure that they'll talk it out now? How do we even make them talk to us after that?"

"I don't think Percy needs to tell us every bad thing about his life." Piper's eyes gleamed in defiance. "Yes, I think the...blood thing was a bit freaky but did it not help us in the end? Those monsters didn't kill us. We're alive and that's all that's important."

"But don't you think what Percy did was a little, I don't know, overboard? He'll always be my friend, no doubt, but things might get more complicated if Gaia hears about his new powers. Or what if Epiales comes back for revenge?"

"Jason, I think we need to consider the fact that none of us have had any sleep, that Annabeth and Percy have come back from literal hell, and that we're on a suicide mission to stop the goddess of the earth from killing every single one of us in some revenge fuelled rage. Percy and Annabeth can talk this out when he's conscious and we can all follow in his footsteps and collapse into our beds."

"Hear, hear!" Leo cheered. Despite his wide smile, his eyes were drooping dangerously.

Piper's plan for sleep did seem like a good idea.

"I agree with Piper. Let's all sleep for the next week or so before the world ends and then we can have a talk." Hazel nuzzled closer towards Frank before stepping back. "I'll see you all at breakfast tomorrow!"

Without another word, she linked her hand with his and dragged him down to the cabins.

The hallways were dark, the pipes in the walls making small creaks every few seconds. Without any feuding couples or angry gods, Frank felt content. Hazel was radiating a soft warmth that enveloped his body. Her palm in his own, leading him towards her cabin, felt like a rope that tied him to his sanity. Their footsteps were a soft pitter-patter compared to the stomping he heard from the others upstairs.

It was comforting in a way that never occurred to Frank before.

"Do you really think they'll be okay?" Frank asked, biting his lip in worry.

"I can say, honestly, that they'll be fine. Percy is one of the most passionate people I've ever met and I don't think he'd ever hurt us. Annabeth is kind and clever and she knows Percy better than all of us. They'll be okay. We just have to leave it to them now. Have faith that they'll work through their problems before the world ends."

"Gosh, it doesn't feel like an apocalypse. Too much teen drama."

"I don't think regular teens would have arguments about controlling blood and killing monsters."

Frank shrugged, "eh, you never know. Could be a new video game or something."

Hazel grinned and raised her eyebrow, "I'm not really sure if I'm qualified to talk about video games." She paused, "or normal teens."

"When we get back, we can have an entire day dedicated to playing only the best video games. And we can go on a proper date too."

"I'd like that. Both the games and the date things too." She cupped his face in her palms, going up on her tiptoes to do so, "everything will work out."

He felt the stirrings of a smile on his face, "I don't know how you can be so...positive."

"That's all we can be." Hazel stepped back, letting her arms drop, before coming to a stop at her cabin door. "That's what got me through camp at the beginning and that's what will get us through now."

"You're amazing," Frank said.

Hazel laughed as he stepped forward to kiss her. He could feel her smile on his lips.

"Goodnight, Frank. Sleep well."

"Goodnight."

She shut the door and Frank left for his room, smiling.