Reconnected [Book 3]

6 - Dinner

Leo and Hazel stumbled to a stop in the doorway, carrying a large sheet of hammered bronze between them.

"Gods of Olympus." Piper stared at Leo. "What happened to you?"

His hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.

"Long story," he said. "Others back?"

"Not yet," Piper said.

Leo cursed. Then he noticed Jason sitting up, and his face brightened. "Hey, man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room."

He ran off with the sheet of bronze, leaving Hazel in the doorway.

Piper raised an eyebrow at her. "Team Leo?"

"We met Narcissus," Hazel said, which didn't really explain much. "Also Nemesis, the revenge goddess."

Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."

On the deck above, something went THUMP, as if a heavy creature had landed. Annabeth, Adelia and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair. Percy's shirt was covered in it, which was due to Adelia being covered in it from head to toe. And she did not look happy.

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face.

"Ran into some tar monsters, well Adelia did" Annabeth said. "Hey, Jason, glad you're awake. Hazel, where's Leo?"

She pointed down. "Engine room."

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar on Adelia who slapped his arm and muttered angrily to him.

"Uh, what was that?" Percy demanded.

"Oh..." Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like...all of them."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Adelia said wiping her neck, trying to get rid of the tar.

Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can. And Adelia, love, maybe get rid of the tar." He added that last part with a cheeky grin and Adelia started chasing after him yelling profanities all the way until he jumped in the water

"On it!" Frank promised although it wasn't heard. Adelia came back muttering something about 'sons of Poseidon, thinking they know best'

Frank, Annabeth and Adelia ran off, leaving Hazel at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick.

"I'll just..." She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.

Adelia had just come out of the shower in her room when the ship soared into the air and she slipped. She partially dried her hair and stuck it into a bun, she slid on a pair of low waisted jeans and a tank top with a crescent moon on. She glanced around the room she'd helped design it had the basics of all the other rooms. They all had the same bed and desk and light that changed colours depending on their wishes but Adelia had spent time decorating hers and Percy's before they left for camp. She had stuck the moons cycle on the wall and had carved some animals into the bedposts. Her jewellery collection was secure on her desk in a box and on the mirror hing some of her favourite things. A conch shell from Percy, her camp necklace and her mother's diadem. She had had it changed into a ring by the Hephaestus kids for ease of use and it could easily be changed between the two. She picked it up, turning it to its ring form and placed it on her finger, she felt some of the power coursing through her flow into the ring, relieving her headache.