Eleutheromania

5)

ANNABETH WAS GIVING LEO A LOOK I have never even got before.
      "One more time," she said. "Exactly what happened?"
      Leo slumped against the mast.
      The ship was in shambles. The aft crossbows were piles of kindling. The foresail was tattered.       The satellite array that powered the onboard Internet and TV was blown to bits, which had really made Coach Hedge mad. Our bronze dragon figurehead, Festus, was coughing up smoke like he had a hairball, and I could tell from the groaning sounds on the port side that some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely, which explained why the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew, the engine wheezing like an asthmatic steam train.
      He choked back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy."
      Annabeth, Coach Hedge, Frank and I were around him. He couldn't even look me in the eye, but I already knew he felt guilty.
      Annabeth crossed her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"
      "I..." Leo swallowed. "I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."
      Coach Hedge tapped his bat against the deck. In his gym clothes, with his cap pulled over his horns.
       "Look, kid," Hedge said, "you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome! Excellent! But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match."
      "Coach," Annabeth said, "why don't you make sure all the fires are out?"
      "But I already did that."
      "Do it again."
      The satyr trudged off, muttering under his breath. Even Hedge wasn't crazy enough to defy Annabeth.
       She knelt next to Leo. Her gray eyes were as steely as ball bearings. Her blond hair fell loose around her shoulders.
      "Leo," she said calmly, "did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or—"
      "No." Leo shook his head. "The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I did."
      The new kid, Frank, scowled. "On purpose?"
      "Leo?" My eyebrows were pushed together.
      "No!" Leo squeezed his eyes shut. "Well, yes...I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me—"
      "A cold feeling." Annabeth's tone changed. She sounded almost...scared. Annabeth and I looked at each other. We both knew that feeling well.
      "Yeah," Leo said. "Why?"
      From belowdecks, Percy called up, "Annabeth, we need you."
      As soon as we'd gotten on board, Piper had taken Jason below. The cut on his head had looked pretty bad. The look on Leo's face on thinking about Jason broke my heart.
      "He'll be fine." Annabeth's expression softened clearly seeing the same thing as me. "Frank, I'll be back. Just...watch Leo. Please."
      Frank nodded.
      Annabeth gave me a look wanting me to go after her. I nodded facing Leo.
      I ruffed his hair and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back, alright."
Leo nodded finally looking up at me. He had the same look on his face when Festus didn't make it the last time. His eyes were glossy. I pecked his lips and walked away following Annabeth.
      I went into Jason's room seeing all of them together. Piper was sitting next to Jason holding his hand, Annabeth was standing next to piper and Percy was watching Jason. I stood next to Percy. Jason did not look back. Heck, this isn't his first rodeo when it comes to being hit in the head. It's like his head attracts things.
      Percy leaned over to me. "We need to talk."
      I nodded and moved my head to point out of the room. We looked at Annabeth and she nodded at us. We walked out walking in the halls.
      "You have to tell me everything," Percy muttered walking close to me. Our arms touching once in a while.
      I looked around and grabbed the handle to my bedroom. "Come, its best in here."
      Percy sat on the bed and I sat on the chair of the desk. I brought my mason jar that Annabeth gave me as a present.
      "What do you want to know?" I asked leaning on the chair.
      "Everything, Alister," he shook his head. "Everything you told Annabeth, I need to know."
      Need was a big word, but so far, in this warship, only Annabeth knew about everything. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone else. I almost told Leo once, but I felt like throwing up and I couldn't anymore.
      I told Percy everything. From the start of the quest to the end. From going to my fathers grave to finding out my mother took the necklace. Find that I have powers from my mother that isn't just giving rage, but summoning weapons. I finished with telling him about Gaea and how she wants me on her side so she kept her powers in me in hopes I want to join her.
      Percy frowned. "So, she's messing with you."
      I raised my eyebrows. "Gaea's messing with everyone."
      Percy shook his head. "You're mother."
      I shrug. "I guess. Haven't figured that out yet."
      "Have you told them, the rest about this?"
      "I can't," I played with my fingers. "It's too much right now."
      "Well, Thanatos told me that your father didn't go to Elysium, he went to be rebirth."
      "What? But I thought—my mother said—what?" I was confused. I couldn't wrap my head around that. My mother always talked about being able to bring my father back from the dead, but he is being rebirth.
      Percy nodded. "That's what he said."
      "But—"
      Someone knocked on the door. Percy and I looked at each other then I walked and opened the door. Annabeth stood there. I moved out of the way. She sat next to Percy and we continue talking about it. What I have in store, who knows? What do we all have in store? That's another unanswered question.