Reconnected [Book 3]

12 - God Politics

Adelia had gotten changed into some flexible gym wear and immediately gone to the training room after Percy, Frank and Coach left. She took a deep breath before punching the boxing bag that was installed there. She felt some of her anger dissipate, punch by punch, but it was still there prowling under her skin like some sort of beast. Soon, she decided punching just wasn't doing it and moved one of the wooden dummies into the centre. She grabbed a spear off the wall and started training with it, her thoughts slipping back to when she first arrived at the camp. Her first friend had been Clarisse LaRue, a daughter of Are who had taken time to train her in as many different ways as possible, including spears. They had drifted away slightly but she was okay with that since she knew Clarisse would be there if she needed her to be. Adelia felt the sweat dripping down her neck and welcomed its coolness compared to the hot rage inside.

She didn't know what to do about it, some days were better than others and she could squash it down, but it was building and she had no clue how to stop it. She'd tried fighting, meditation, once very angrily kissing Percy who claimed it was 'hot'. Nothing worked. She was stuck trying to harness it, put it on a leash. Lately, it's had been coming out more and more and she knew that as much as she didn't want to she would have to apologise to Coach Hedge when he got back after he was the latest target for it.

She heard someone enter behind her so she turned, quicker than a bullet, and threw a dagger into the wall next to the door. It was only Jason and he held up his hands, walking in slowly. Adelia stopped what she was doing and hauling in deep breaths, calming her erratic heart rate.

"Don't shoot," the blonde joked with no laugh from the girl opposite him, "Right. I just came to apologise, I know I've been a bit of a dick with a lot of people here, um, but especially you. I don't know I've felt like it was your fault that Percy and I got switched-"

"Holy Hephaestus, my fault?!" Adelia exclaimed. Jason winced.

"No, I didn't say it right," he muttered, "Look, it's just you seem to have a handle on this whole quest and I dunno I've just kind of assumed you were the one controlling everything. So I blamed you for a while."

Adelia sighed, pushing her hair back of her face. She assessed the younger demigod in front of her, "My boyfriend was gone for six months, who the hell would choose that. I knew blondes were dumb but I didn't realise you were this dumb."

"Uncalled for," Jason muttered and Adelia raised an eyebrow.

She wrenched her dagger out of the wall and told him, "Apology accepted, now go away."

"Okay," Jason said. Walking up the stairs. Adelia watched him go and put her head against the wall. She'd lost her focus now and she could definitely not go back to training so she walked up the stairs and had a quick shower, changing into some denim shorts and red tank top.

She walked into a room where Annabeth was trying to cheer up Hazel, regaling her with Percy's greatest Seaweed Brain moments, and details of their past quests, when Frank stumbled down the hall and burst into her cabin.

"Where's Leo?" he gasped. "Take off! Take off!"

Both girls shot to their feet. Adelia already standing, she stepped forward.

"Where's Percy?" She demanded. "And the goat?"

Frank grabbed his knees, trying to breathe. His clothes were stiff and damp, like they'd been washed in pure starch. "On deck. They're fine. We're being followed!"

Adelia pushed past him and took the stairs three at a time, Hazel and Annabeth right behind her and Frank trailing, still gasping for air. Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome." Percy was covered with nicks and scratches, like he'd jumped through a window. He didn't say anything, but he grasped Adelia's hand weakly as if to say, Be right with you, as soon as the world stops spinning. She kissed it gently and smoothed his hair out of his face.