𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

147

The crew gathered for a hurried meeting on the foredeck the next day— mostly because Percy was keeping an eye on a giant red sea serpent swimming off the port side.

"That thing is really red," Percy muttered. "I wonder if it's cherry-flavored."

"Why don't you swim over and find out?" Annabeth asked.

"How about no."

Frank and Annabeth had just gotten back from their excursion, whatever new info they got, all the demigods were desperate to piece it all together.

"Anyway," Frank said, "according to my Pylos cousins, the chained god we're looking for in Sparta is my dad... uh, I mean Ares, not Mars. Apparently the Spartans kept a statue of him chained up in their city so the spirit of war would never leave them."

"Oo-kay," Leo said. "The Spartans were freaks. Of course, we've got Victory tied up downstairs, so I guess we can't talk."

Jason leaned against the forward ballista. "On to Sparta, then. But how does a chained god's heartbeat help us find a cure for dying?"

Ever since they had found out about something known as the physician's cure, that had been their main focus. Hadrian still didn't see why Nike would actually help them especially considering how hard she had tried to have his friends hurt and killed.

He couldn't focus, even with the serious mood on board. All he could think about was last night— jumping into the cold water, having Percy jump in after him, kissing Percy underwater, the way Percy kissed his neck-

"Hadrian?" Hazel asked.

He stirred. "Sorry, what?"

Percy snickered, Hadrian flipped him off. The little shit was going to be unbearable now, Hadrian could tell.

"I was asking you about the visions and dreams." Hazel prompted. "You told me you'd seen some stuff this morning?"

Technically, that was a lie.

He had just heard a sharp knock on his door and fearing it was Jason again, Hadrian had cracked the door a few inches and told her he was having dreams— a few messages and stuff. All the while, the only thing on his mind was how good Percy looked in the morning sun.

"Uh... right." He remembered a few repeating dreams— eagles swirling over Camp Half-Blood, a wave of earth destroying New York. He'd seen scenes from the past: His mom's ghost or mania or whatever, Jason and Percy fighting giants in the Roman Colosseum, Gaea asking him to sabotage the quest.

"I, um.." Hadrian swallowed, Percy was barely two feet away from him, his fingers drumming on the rail. He remembered how Percy's hand felt, cupping his face. "Well, not many important dreams last night, but uh— I keep having this recurring vision. Annabeth and I are exploring some ruins—"

"Ruins!" Leo rubbed his hands. "Now we're talking. How many ruins can there be in Greece?"

"Quiet, Leo," Annabeth scolded. "Hads, do you think it was Sparta?"

"Maybe," Hadrian said. "Anyway... suddenly we're in this dark place like a cave. We're staring at this bronze warrior statue. In the vision I touch the statue's face and flames start swirling around us. That's all I saw."

"Flames." Frank scowled. "I don't like that vision."

"Me neither." Percy kept one eye on the red sea serpent, which was still slithering through the waves about a hundred yards to port. Hadrian couldn't help but think what kind of trouble they would have been in if the serpent had appeared last night while they were in the water. "If the statue engulfs people in fire, we should send Leo."

"I love you too, man."

Hadrian may have furrowed his eyebrows.

"You know what I mean. You're immune. Or, heck, give me some of those nice water grenades and I'll go. Ares and I have tangled before."

Annabeth stared at the coastline of Pylos, now retreating in the distance. "If Hads saw the two of us going after the statue, then that's who should go. We'll be all right. There's always a way to survive."

"Not always," Hazel warned.

Since she was the only one in the group who had actually died and come back to life, her observation sort of killed the mood.

Frank held out a vial of Pylosian mint. "What about this stuff? After the House of Hades, I kind of hoped we were done drinking poison."

"Store it securely in the hold," Annabeth said. "For now, that's all we can do. Once we figure out this chained god situation, we'll head to the island of Delos."

"The curse of Delos," Hazel remembered. "That sounds fun."

"Hopefully Apollo will be there," Annabeth said. "Delos was his home island. He's the god of medicine. He should be able to advise us."

Hadrian tried not to think too much about Apollo, about what might be waiting for them at Delos. Would Apollo even remember Kira? Would he remember Hadrian? What were two measly mortal lives to a god?

Still, Hadrian had always had a soft spot for the sun god. He traced the Sun in the sky. Find me in the sunrises and sunsets. Kira's grave said. Not one single sunrise or sunset went by when Hadrian wasn't thinking of her.

Off the port bow, the cherry-flavored sea serpent spewed steam.

"Yeah, it's definitely checking us out," Percy decided. "Maybe we should take to the air for a while."

"Airborne it is!" Leo said. "Festus, do the honors!"

The bronze dragon figurehead creaked and clacked. The ship's engine hummed. The oars lifted, expanding into aerial blades with a sound like ninety umbrellas opening at once, and the Argo II rose into the sky.

"We should reach Sparta by morning," Leo announced. "And remember to come by the mess hall tonight, folks, 'cause Chef Leo is making his famous three-alarm tofu tacos!"