The Curse of Oenone (Daughter of Olympus II) - [Leo Valdez xF!Oc]

Turn Down the Gospel Music, the Demons Are Still Here

The ceiling starts to collapse so Nico and Hazel have no choice but to transport them to the hillside near the River Acheron. It's a fresh morning, and the crew is safe and alive.

Leo stumbles, pale and shaky from shadow-traveling. "You know... I think I'll sit down."

They all sit to catch their breath, then Frank tells them what happened after they split.

"Frank is being modest," Jason intervenes after a moment. "He controlled the entire legion. You should've seen him. Oh, by the way..." He looks at Percy. "I resigned my office, gave Frank a field promotion to praetor. Unless you want to contest that ruling."

"No argument here," Percy smiles.

"Praetor?" Hazel beams at the boy.

"Well... yeah. I know it seems weird."

Hazel pecks his lips. "It seems perfect."

"Fitting," Ara agrees. "Having you as one of my right-hand leaders will be an honor."

The boy blushes and Leo pats his back effusively. "Way to go, Zhang. Now you can order Octavian to fall on his sword."

"Tempting," Frank smiles a little, then turns to Percy. "But, you guys... Tartarus has to be the real story. What happened down there? How did you...?"

Percy winces, reaching for Annabeth's hand. "We'll tell you the story. But not yet, okay? I'm not ready to remember that place."

Ara looks down and shakes her head. "It's my fault. There'll never be a way to make up for what I—"

"We're not blaming you," Annabeth cuts her off. "Closing the Doors of Death was something that had to be done. You thought it was your job but the fates had different plans..." The girl's eyes shine as she takes in Ara's appearance. "Your time here wasn't wasted."

Leo pulls her closer and smiles. "She's been nothing short of an atomic bomb with every bad guy we've encountered—she's all 'Hasta la vista, baby', and BOOM! Monster dust rains."

"That's a stretch," Ara blushes.

"I believe it," Percy smiles a bit.

"Look, our ride," Annabeth points at the ship approaching.

"That's my boy!" Leo says proudly, watching as the Argo II approaches them.

"About time!" Hedge shouts. "What took you so long, cupcakes? You kept your visitor waiting!"

"Visitor?" Hazel struggles to her feet.

"Oh, gods," Ara's mouth dries. "Reyna."

***

Ara didn't visit the Athena Parthenos during its time at the Argo II, she was too ashamed to look at it, thinking it would start berating her as soon as she got close. Now that it's standing on the hill, she looks at it in awe of its power and beauty.

"Incredible," Reyna mutters. "It looks newly made."

Ara thinks Reyna is just as impressive as the statue. She traveled alone with nothing but her pegasus and a sword, and still made it in one piece. If someone had told her Reyna was a goddess in disguise, Ara would've believed it.

"Yeah," Leo hums appreciatively from his spot on the grass. "We brushed off the cobwebs, used a little Windex. It wasn't hard."

"Hey, girls," Annabeth calls over to them. "Have some food. Join us."

The group is having a picnic under the shadow of the Argo II. Ara wants to nap more than she wants to eat, but she encourages Reyna to join. "C'mon, Praetor, you've had a long journey."