SANITY; heroes of olympus

03.6

[act three; chapter six     -     you're not ready!]

Percy had seen Frank surrounded by cannibal ogres, facing down an unkillable giant, and even unleashing Thanatos, the god of death. But he'd never seen Frank look as terrified as he did now, finding the two of them passed out in the stables.

"What...?" Percy rubbed his eyes. "Oh, we just fell asleep."

Frank swallowed. He was dressed in running shoes, dark cargo pants, and a Vancouver Winter Olympics T-shirt with his Roman centurion badge pinned to the neck (which seemed either sad or hopeful to Percy, now that they were renegades). Frank averted his eyes as if the sight of them together might burn him.

"Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped," he said. "We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out—oh, gods, you've been here all night?"

Andy shrugged, still curled around Percy like a sloth or baby koala (take your pick). She grinned, hiding her face in his shoulder, no doubt shielding her red skin. "I mean, yes. We just came to talk though and be alone—honestly, nothing really happened."

"Kissed a couple of times," Percy murmured.

She pulled away from him and pinched his arm. "Shh, Perc, it's personal information. Not to be shared with anyone."

"We'd better..." Frank pointed to the stable doors. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast. Would you explain what you did—I mean didn't do? I mean...I really don't want that faun—I mean satyr—to kill me."

Frank ran.

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't quite as bad as Frank had feared. Annabeth, Jason, and Piper were mostly relieved. Zara and Donnie kept making, um, noises, under their breaths. Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." Only Hazel seemed scandalised, maybe because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Percy or Andy's eyes.