The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

nineteen

LEO GETS SLAPPED

The campers had to take numbers.

Nico commandeered a ticket dispenser from the snack bar and carried it around, yelling, "The line starts to the left! Orderly queue, guys!"

"Is this really necessary?" Leo asked.

Ariana stood next to Percy, glaring at his ridiculous face with his stupid grin.

"Yes." said Miranda Gardiner, who had drawn the first number. She punched Leo in the arm.

"Ow." said Leo.

"You're a jerk, and we all hate you." said Miranda. Then she hugged him and kissed his cheek. "If you ever disappear like that again, we'll line up to kill you."

"Okay, okay!"

Miranda had to move on, because the queue was getting pretty long behind her. Apollo, Percy and Ariana sat at the picnic table with Leo and his companion - none other than the immortal sorceress Calypso.

When they first saw each other, Percy and Calypso had hugged awkwardly. Ariana simply glared at her, she had cursed Annabeth in Tartarus and now she had effectively knicked Leo off of her.

Calypso had ignored both Ariana and Apollo, making Ariana scoff.

Percy hugged Leo and didn't even punch him. Still, the son of Poseidon looked disgruntled.

"I can't believe it." he said. "Six months -"

"I told you." Leo said. "We tried sending more holographic scrolls. We tried Iris messages, dream visions, phone calls. Nothing worked - Ow! Hey, Alice, how you doing? - Anyway, we ran into one crisis after another."

Calypso nodded. "Albania was particularly difficult."

Ariana rolled her eyes at Calypso, wishing she would shut up.

From down the queue, Nico di Angelo yelled, "Please do not mention Albania! Okay, who's next, folks? One line!"

Damien White punched Leos arm and walked away grinning. Ariana wasnt sure Damien even knew Leo. He simply couldn't turn down a chance to punch someone.

Leo rubbed his bicep. "Hey, no fair. That guy's getting back in the line. So, like I was saying, if Festus hadnt picked up on that homing beacon yesterday, wed still be flying around, looking for a way out of the Sea of Monsters."

"Oh, I hate that place." Percy said. "Ariana. There's this big Cyclops, Polyphemus-"

"Yeah. I remember it." Ariana said bitterly, thought it wasn't aimed at Percy.

"I know, right?" Leo agreed. "What is up with that guy's breath?"

"Boys," Calypso said, "perhaps we should focus on the present?"

She did not look at Apollo, but Ariana got the impression she meant this silly former god and his problems.

"Yeah." Percy said. "So the communication issues ... Rachel Dare thinks it's got something to do with this company, Triumvirate."

Rachel herself had gone to the Big House to fetch Chiron, but Percy did a reasonable job summarizing what she had found out about the emperors and their evil corporation.

Of course, they didn't know very much. By the time six more people had punched Leo in the arm, Percy had brought Leo and Calypso up to speed.

Leo rubbed his new bruises. "Man, why does it not surprise me that modern corporations are run by Zombie Roman emperors?"

"They are not zombies." Ariana said with bitterness. "And I'm not sure they run all corporations -"

Leo waved away her explanation, which only angered her further. "But they're trying to take over the Oracles."