The Veiled Legacy | PJO - Book Two

ten

GOLDEN BOY MAKES AN APPEARANCE

After leaving the Pillars of Hercules - unscathed except for a few coconuts lodged in the hulls bronze plating - the ship travelled by air for a few hundred miles.

Ariana hoped the ancient lands wouldn't be as bad as they'd heard. But it was almost like a commercial: You'll notice the difference immediately!

Several times an hour, something attacked the ship. A flock of flesh-eating Stymphalian birds swooped out of the night sky, and Festus torched them.

Storm spirits swirled around the mast, and Jason blasted them with lightning. While Coach Hedge was having dinner on the foredeck, a wild pegasus appeared from nowhere, stampeded over the coach's enchiladas and flew off again, leaving cheesy hoof prints all across the deck.

"What was that for?" the coach demanded.

The sight of the pegasus made Ariana wish Blackjack were here. They hadn't seen their friend in days.

Tempest and Arion also hadn't shown themselves. Maybe they didn't want to venture into the Mediterranean. If so, Ariana couldn't blame them.

Finally around midnight, after the ninth or tenth aerial attack, Jason turned to her and Percy. "How about you two get some sleep? I'll keep blasting stuff out of the sky as long as I can. Then we can go by sea for a while, and you can take point."

Ariana wasn't sure that shed be able to sleep with the boat rocking through the clouds as it was shaken by angry wind spirits, but Jason's idea made sense.

She belowdecks and crashed on her bunk, though after a while she gave up and began walking around the ship.

Eventually her legs lead her to Leo's cabin, he was still awake working on something.

Though he grinned when he saw her. "Death Girl!"

"Sorry, are you busy?" She asked, ready to leave.

"Not all." Leo shook his head, indicating for her to come in. "I'm never to busy for you."

Ariana smiled, sitting down on his bed, Leo joined her sitting next to her.

"I'm sorry about Percy interrupting us." Ariana laughed quietly.

Leo grinned. "Well he isn't here now, is he?"

Leaning close and brushing the hair from her cheek, Leo looked over with a devilish grin as he pulled Ariana in for a passionate kiss.

Holding her close, he felt her soft skin against his. Slowly, he pulled back, taking deep breaths as he looked into her eyes.

"Wow," he whispered, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Let's never let anyone interrupt this again, eh?"

Ariana laughed harder, pulling him in for one last kiss. "Never again."

The girl placed her head on Leo's, listening to his heartbeat. It was so peaceful that she ended up falling asleep.

Her nightmares, of course, were anything but restful. She dreamed he was in a dark cavern. She could only see a few feet in front of him, but the space must have been vast.

Water dripped from somewhere nearby, and the sound echoed off distant walls.

The way the air moved made Ariana suspect the caves ceiling was far, far above. She heard heavy footsteps, and the twin giants Ephialtes and Otis shuffled out of the gloom.

Ariana could distinguish them only by their hair - Ephialtes had the green locks braided with silver and gold coins; Otis had the purple ponytail braided with .. .. were those firecrackers?