Jɪɴx ➪ 𝙡. 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯

the bluff

chapter twelve; the bluff

*enjoy a whole chapter of jinx's normally mental remarks being said out loud*

PIPER PRAYED that Jinx would magically defrost or just frost all the way. Her remarks weren't making the feeling in her stomach any better. In fact, it was making it worse.

Jinx was of no help. She'd entered the stages of grief and the first step in her book was acting like a snarky bitch.

Piper gripped her dagger and looked around.

A box of Greek fire vials was secured by the forward ballista, but that was too far away. Even if Piper made it without getting frozen, Greek fire would burn everything, including the ship and all their friends. Piper made gestures to it with her eyes and Jinx shook her head frantically.

She knew what the consequences were, but putting Jinx on edge made her feel like she had the upper hand.

Festus the figurehead could blow some serious flames. Unfortunately, Leo had switched him off and neither of them could understand Leo's rambling.

Piper had a feeling that he was the key to their problems. If only she knew how to put him back online.

"Well!" Khione interrupted her thoughts. "I fear our time together is at a close. Zethes, if you would—"

Jinx stuttered out a protest but she didn't bat an eye.

"Wait!" Piper said.

A simple command, and it worked. The Boreads and Khione frowned at her, waiting.

Piper was fairly sure she could control the brothers with charmspeak, but Khione was a problem. Charmspeak worked poorly if the person wasn't attracted to you. It worked poorly on a powerful being like a god. And it worked poorly when your victim knew about charmspeak and was actively on guard against it. All of the above applied to Khione.

In other words, Piper was in some deep shit.

What would Annabeth do?

Delay, Piper thought. When in doubt, talk some more.

"You're afraid of my friends," she said. "So why not just kill them?"

Jinx deadpanned, "you've got to be shitting me."

Piper had never particularly been fond of Jinx. She thought she could befriend her at some point, but in her eyes, Jinx had no interest in making friends.

Khione laughed. "You are not a god, or you would understand. Death is so short, so...unsatisfying. Your puny mortal souls flit off to the Underworld, and what happens then? The best I can hope for is that you go to the Fields of Punishment or Asphodel, but you demigods are insufferably noble. More likely you will go to Elysium—or get reborn in a new life. Why would I want to reward your friends that way? Why...when I can punish them eternally?"

"And me?" Piper hated to ask. "Why am I still alive and unfrozen?"

Khione glanced at her brothers with annoyance. "Zethes has claimed you, for one thing."

"I kiss magnificently," Zethes promised. "You will see, beautiful one."

The idea made Piper's stomach churn.

"What did he say?"

"You don't want to know."

"But that is not the only reason," Khione interjected. "It is because I hate you, Piper. Deeply and truly. Without you, Jason would have stayed with me in Quebec."