The Curse of Oenone (Daughter of Olympus II) - [Leo Valdez xF!Oc]

You're Not Just Wrong, You're Stupid

Ephialtes bursts into Greek fire flames the moment she gets out of reach. Ara crawls out from her hiding spot to see what Percy and Jason did to the other giant: They trapped him in the lake, unable to reform.

Ara walks up to the boys and checks to see if they're injured. "Well done, you two."

"Same," Jason nods. "You look tired."

"Oh, I'm extremely nauseous," Ara smiles.

Hedge's cheerful screaming makes them look up at the ship and Ara's happy to see Leo, Hazel, and Frank are all on board. Percy looks back at Baccus. "Well? Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little—"

"No need for that." The god shows up at their side making Ara jump. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."

"Partners?" Jason scowls. "You did nothing!"

Bacchus ignores them and walks up to Otis first, hitting his head with the pinecone of his staff and dissolving the giant into gold dust. Then he walks over to Ephialtes, who is too disoriented and hurt to fight back.

Baccus raises his staff and the ghosts around the arena incite him to kill the giant, to which he pleasantly complies by lightly touching Ephialtes's nose with the tip of the pinecone.

"Amazing," Ara says dryly.

"That, my friends, is a show!" The god states proudly. "And of course I did something. I killed two giants!"

"We're so thankful," Ara continues with the sarcasm. "Overcome with glee."

"Well," Bacchus smiles. "That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage."

"Your permission?" Percy scowls.

"Yes. Although your voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune."

"Poseidon," Percy replies out of habit. "What do you mean about my voyage?"

"You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building," the god smirks. "Best place to break through. Now, good-bye, my friends. And, ah, good luck with that other little matter."

He glances at Ara before disappearing in a grape-smelling purple cloud. Jason rushes over to Piper and Nico, who are making their way to them.

"Was that Dionysus?" Hedge asks them. "I love that guy!"

Ara wants to say a few things that are very unlovable about the guy, but Leo tackles her in a bear hug before she can. "Oh gods, I thought I would never see you again!"

"What?"

"You're alive!" Percy exclaims when Hazel and Frank approach. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"

"What?" Ara asks again, looking at her boyfriend.

"Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez," he says. "You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."

"I was the weasel," Frank sighs.

"What?" Ara repeats a third time. "I'm sorry—what?"

"Basically," Leo keeps his arm around her. "I activated a hydraulic screw with the Archimedes device—which is going to be awesome once I install it in the ship, by the way. Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface. We made a tunnel big enough for a weasel, and Frank climbed up with a simple transmitter that I slapped together. After that, it was just a matter of hacking into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channels and telling him to bring the ship around to rescue us. After he got us, finding you was easy, thanks to that godly light show at the Colosseum."