Umbra

Chapter 30

Percy and Annabeth were missing.

Emilia was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when Leo skidded through the hall, yelling that Percy and Annabeth weren't in their rooms.

She'd barely had a moment to brush her teeth before Coach Hedge called for a search– if Gaea had somehow managed to pluck them out of the ship, they were all in big trouble. She got assigned to search alongside Hazel, the two of them doing a sweep of the level beneath the rooms. Everyone was sure that they'd been kidnapped.

At last, Frank yelled that he'd found them. They met in the mess hall, glad that they were ok. Apparently, they'd fallen asleep in the stables after leaving their cabins to speak with a view of the ground below.

Jason, Piper, and Emilia were relieved, though all were narrowing their eyes playfully at Leo, who was grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." Frank was mildly flustered and Hazel seemed completely scandalized, fanning her face and unable to meet anyone's eyes.

Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic. "Never in my life!" he bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

Why he felt he was managing to intimidate and reprimand them was beyond Emilia's understanding. The Coach was barely five feet tall, screaming up at a six-foot-tall Percy and five-foot-ten Annabeth. Emilia believed them when they said they hadn't done anything– why would they? If they were going to pick somewhere, a stable would not be either of their first choice.

"Coach," said Annabeth, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"Besides," said Percy, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll– I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Percy looked like he was holding back a laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

Hedge fumed, and Emilia coiled her wrist clockwise at him, warning him not to continue. "Fine!" he decided. "But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense–"

Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

Percy started them off with a retelling of a dream he'd had– twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers. Even worse, he'd seen Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico... oh, gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" asked Annabeth.

Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

"Your step... oh–" Percy realized. "You mean Persephone."

"The seeds are a last-resort food," explained Hazel nervously, their silverware drifting toward her hands. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The giants are trying to lure us," said Annabeth. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"

"Of course we will," said Emilia instantly. "We just have to come up with a plan to do it efficiently. How long does he have? Like... what do the seeds help with?"

"He can eat one seed a day," said Hazel miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."