SAFE . . . reyna ramirez-arellano

83 - yassified picnic

BRIAR STARED AT the Athena Parthenos as she ate.

Leo's new mechanical hoist system had lowered the statue onto the hillside with surprising ease. Now the forty-foot-tall goddess gazed serenely over the River Acheron, her gold dress like molten metal in the sun.

"Incredible," Piper admitted.

She was still red-eyed from crying. Soon after she'd landed on the Argo II, her pegasus Scipio had collapsed, overwhelmed by poisoned claw marks from a gryphon attack the night before. Piper had put the horse out of his misery with her golden knife, turning the pegasus into dust that scattered in the sweet-smelling Greek air. Maybe not a bad end for a flying horse, but Piper had lost a loyal friend. Briar knew that Piper given up too much in her life already.

Briar's sister circled the Athena Parthenos warily. "It looks newly made."

"Yeah," Leo said. "We brushed off the cobwebs, used a little Windex. It wasn't hard."

The Argo II hovered just overhead. With Festus keeping watch for threats on the radar, the entire crew had decided to eat lunch on the hillside while they discussed what to do. After the last few weeks, Briar figured they'd earned a good meal together.

But together meant everyone. Just like Ohana means family.

"Pipes," Briar called. "Eat. Join us."

Piper glanced over, raising her eyebrows, as if join us didn't quite compute. She wore a pair of jeans and a purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt and looked almost like a normal teenager — except for the sword at her belt and her guarded expression, like she was ready for an attack from any direction.

"Come on, I know the fun you's still in there somewhere," Briar's lips pulled into a smirk. "Unless you want me to tell them about the Arizona shenanigans—"

"I'd skewer you before you told anyone about what happened there." But Piper joined them anyway, sitting next to Briar and picking up a sandwich with a shit ton of avocados in it, nibbling at the edge.

"So," Piper said. "Frank Zhang . . . praetor."

Frank shifted, wiping crumbs from his chin. "Well, yeah. Field promotion."

"To lead a different legion," Piper noted. "A legion of ghosts."

Hazel put her arm protectively through Frank's. After an hour in sick bay, they both looked a lot better; but Briar could tell they weren't sure what to think about their old boss from Camp Jupiter dropping in for lunch. She didn't know why. Piper wasn't that intimidating.

"Pipes," Jason said, "you should've seen him."

"He was amazing," Reyna agreed.

"Frank is a leader," Hazel insisted. "He makes a great praetor."

Piper's eyes stayed on Frank, like she was trying to guess his weight. "I believe you," she said. "I approve."

Frank blinked. "You do?"

Piper wiped a smidge of avocado from her mouth. "A son of Mars, the hero who helped to bring back the eagle of the legion . . . I can work with a demigod like that. I'm just wondering how to convince the Twelfth Fulminata."

Frank scowled. "Yeah. I've been wondering the same thing."

"The legion will listen to you," Reyna said. "You made it here alone, across the ancient lands."

Piper devoured her sandwich, an act she did when she was nervous. "In doing so, I broke the laws of the legion."

"Caesar broke the law when he crossed the Rubicon," Frank said. "Great leaders have to think outside the box sometimes."