𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄, PJ2

𝟎𝟎𝟗.𝟑

Daphne listened to what Piper explained about the eidolons, with bated breath. Maybe it was the fact that her abilities as a daughter of bacchus never manifested in the form of alcoholism and pleasure but rather with the dealings of the mind, the extent of her powers sometimes scared her.

The mind was a fragile thing, one thing wrong and you could break it apart for forever.

When Piper was done explaining, the others looked at her uncomfortably, only Daphne looked like she accepted it. Despite Piper unreasonably hating on her, Daphne couldn't really return the sentiment.

Sometimes it felt as if Jason wasn't hers to begin with. He had such strong sense of duty that he put everything above himself. He put everything above them, the way he spoke sometimes, made her feel as if she was a background character in the grand scheme of his life. Just there with no purpose.

She understood he was a leader, but wasn't Percy too? Juliet didn't look even minutely dissatisfied in her relationship.

Daphne exhaled, trying to push her thoughts away. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"I've met eidolons," Hazel spoke then. "In the Underworld, when I was...you know."

Dead.

Daphne had forgotten that Hazel was a second-timer. In her own way, Hazel too was a ghost reborn, much like Juliet.

"So..." Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper said. "We don't know."

"Jesus Christ," Juliet mumbled huddling closer into Percy.

Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"

"We have to take steps," Piper said. "I think I can do this. Daphne, do you mind helping?"

Daphne looked surprised but readily agreed. This was a way of Piper extending an olive branch.

"Do what?" Augustus asked.

"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen. Daphne?"

Daphne's eyes glowed violet as she tried to trespass the walls of minds to look through them. Her gaze stopped on Augustus and Frank and she scrunched her nose, "Dude, Seriously? Tacos?"

The guys did a high five at thinking about the same thing, Daphne skipped Juliet, her eyes shutting in pain at the grotesque images going on in that head.

"What is it?" Juliet asked, Daphne winced, "You're- You're too much for me,"

Piper motioned for Daphne to continue, soon it was pretty easy to find which ones clearly had their minds tampered.

"Leo, Jason," she paused staring  at her boyfriend  in concern  for a second, before meeting Percy's eyes, "And Percy,"

Piper nodded and met their eyes, one person at a time."Eidolons," she said, using her charmspeak, "raise your hands."

There was tense silence.Leo laughed nervously. But then his face went slack. He raised his hand. Jason and Percy did the same. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold.

Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank  scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall."Oh, gods."

Augustus looked as if he wanted to smash Percy's head to fix him, meanwhile Juliet was clutching onto Percy's hands, as if she let him go, he'd kill all if them, knowing his track record he probably will.