𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 | 𝐏𝐉 𝟐

𝟎𝟏𝟕.𝟑

Piper had a new entry in her top-ten list of Times Piper Felt Useless.

Fighting Shrimpzilla with a dagger and a pretty voice? Not so effective. Then the monster had sunk into the deep and disappeared along with three of her friends, and she'd been powerless to help them.

Afterward, Annabeth, Juliet, Coach Hedge, and Buford the table rushed around repairing things so that the ship wouldn't sink.

Percy, despite being exhausted, searched the ocean for their missing friends. Jason, also exhausted, flew around with Augustus the rigging like a blond Peter Pan, putting out fires from the second green explosion that had lit up the sky just above the mainmast.

Even Daphne was busy, she'd strapped herself up with her vines and was up on the Argo helping Annabeth assess the damage outside.

As for Piper, all she could do was stare at her knife Katoptris, trying to locate Leo, Hazel, and Frank.

The only images that came to her were ones she didn't want to see: three black SUVs driving north from Charleston, packed with Roman demigods, Reyna sitting at the wheel of the lead car. Giant eagles escorted them from above.

Every sooften, glowing purple spirits in ghostly chariots appeared out of the countryside and fell in behind them, thundering up I-95 toward New York and Camp Half-Blood.Piper concentrated harder.

By the time the sun rose, none of them had slept. Percy had scoured the seafloor and found nothing. The Argo II was no longer in danger of sinking, though without Leo, they couldn't do full repairs.

The ship was capable of sailing, but no one suggested leaving the area—not without their missing friends.

Augustus and Annabeth sent a dream vision to Camp Half-Blood, warning Chiron of what had happened with the Romans at Fort Sumter. Annabeth explained her exchange of words with Reyna. The kindly centaur's face seemed to age thirty years during the course of their conversation, but he assured them he would see to the defenses of the camp.

Tyson, Mrs. O'Leary, and Ella had arrived safely. If necessary, Tyson could summon an army of Cyclopes to the camp's defense, and Ella and Rachel Dare were already comparing prophecies, trying to learn more about what the future held.

The job of the ten demigods aboard the Argo II, Chiron reminded them, was to finish the quest and come back safely. After the Iris-message, the demigods paced the deck in silence, Percy pulled Juliet away mumbling about rest, the rest were left staring at the water and hoping for a miracle.

When it finally came—three giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank,Hazel, and Leo—Piper went a little crazy.

"Miss me?" Leo laughed, while Augustus pulled him up and gave a strained grin, "Watch it fire boy,  you gave me grey hairs,"

Percy and Juliet came running out of their cabin, Juliet beyond furious. "Where were you? How are you guys alive?"

"Long story," Leo said.

A picnic basket bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"

Once they got on board and changed into dry clothes (poor Frank had to borrow a pair of too-small pants from Jason) the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast—except for Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull.

While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.

"Incredible," Jason said. "These are really good brownies."