ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

xi.

"Things didn't go exactly as planned," Aza announced when Blackjack landed on the deck of the Argo. She and Piper clambered off, working in tandem to unceremoniously roll the two boys onto the floor. She almost couldn't find it within herself to care when their arms slapped against the wooden deck. Aza glanced up at Annabeth and jerked her head towards the infirmary, and with her and Leo's help they managed to get the boys to the sickbay without accidentally slamming their heads into any walls.

"At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Gleeson grumbled, and he shoved one cube into each boy's mouth and forced them to chew before glancing up at Aza, "How come you never invite me on these violent trips, eh?"

"Next time, I'll keep you in mind," Aza carefully took a sip of nectar, allowing Piper to carefully clean her forearm. She normally would have shaken the girl off like a gnat; it wasn't a particularly bad cut, and Aza had certainly had worse. But she found herself wanting the comfort of a friend caring for her. Within a few minutes, after Piper and Aza explained to a very worried Annabeth what happened, Jason and Percy awoke and managed to recover fairly quickly, though the three girls had to re-explain.

Aza smiled at Jason when he shook his head, reaching over to grasp her hand, "Knocked out twice in two days. Some demigod," he gave Percy a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you." She was electrocuted slightly when Jason rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

She had to conceal her snickers - Percy looked just a little worse for wear. It was a miracle his shirt hadn't been fully singed off; half his torso was clearly exposed. Percy shook his head and laughed slightly, "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp."

"Yeah, but," Jason's hand gripped hers more tightly, "I could have killed you."

"Or I could have killed you," Percy shrugged, "Or Aza could have killed both of us."

"I'm sure everyone is wonderful at killing each other," Annabeth ran a hand through her curly blond hair and shuffled her feet, "But right now, you all need some rest."

"Food first," Percy pleaded, "And we really need to talk. Bacchus said some things that don't -"

"Bacchus?" Annabeth sighed, "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy, change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."

The group gathered at the dining table, and once more Aza and Piper worked in tandem to explain what happened at Topeka 32. It was mostly Piper; Aza chimed in occasionally. Jason held her hand under the table, chewing his lip nervously. When they finished, Hazel slapped the table abruptly, "Of course! That's what happened to Leo, too."

"So it wasn't my fault," Leo nodded, sucking in his teeth, "I didn't start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit - what a relief!""

"We just have to tell the Romans that," Aza scooted her chair back and kicked her feet up on the table, scowling when Annabeth swatted at her ankles, "But if I were them, I wouldn't just take our word for it."

"We could contact Reyna," the way Jason said her name made Aza's mouth turn sour, and her skin crawl slightly - it was almost the same way he said her name, like she was a home, "She would believe me."

Aza's eye twitched, and Annabeth ceased slapping her exposed skin, sitting back in her chair and gritting her teeth at Jason. The daughter of Phobos sighed, "And what about teddy-bear boy? Piper, didn't you see him take control of the Roman crowd in your dagger? Reyna is a praetor, yes, but what if she can't stop him?"

A shadow fell across Jason's statuesque face, and he ceased rubbing circles in the back of Aza's hand. She felt the urge to pull away, for a moment, but she kept her hand in his when Frank agreed, "She's right. This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They are a long way off, but closing in fast. Octavian is on the warpath."