HORIZON ⸺ jason grace

vii. choose your god: mr d or mr b

VIOLET AWOKE to Leo and Piper banging on her door. "Yo, Violet !" Leo shouted. "We're landing!"

"Landing?" She sat up groggily, realizing that (for once) Percy had gotten up earlier than her. She supposed he had slept long enough in the past few months.

Leo opened her door and poked his head in. He had his hand over his eyes, which would've been a nice gesture if he hadn't been peeking through his fingers. "You decent?"

"Leo!" Piper popped her head in, slapping him lightly.

"Sorry." He grinned. "Hey, nice hair."

"Shut up, dork," Violet grumbled, trying to tame her frizzy waves with her hands.

Piper rolled her eyes at the boy, "It's not like you can talk," she said, pointing to his messy mop of hair.

Leo ignored her. "Anyway, we're setting down a few miles outside Topeka, as the Beauty Queen herself requested. And, um..." He glanced out in the passageway, then leaned inside again.

"Thanks for not hating me, about blowing up the Romans yesterday." Violet rubbed her eyes. The feast in New Rome had been only yesterday?

"Of course, Leo. You weren't in control of yourself."

"Yeah, but still...you didn't have to stick up for me."

"Are you kidding? You're like the annoying little brother I never had. Of course I'll stick up for you."

"Uh...thanks?"

From above, Coach Hedge yelled, "Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!"

"Holy Hephaestus," Leo muttered as Violet and Piper cringed. "He really needs to work on his shipspeak. I'd better get above deck."

By the time Violet had showered, changed, and grabbed a bagel from the mess hall, she could hear the ship's landing gear extending. She climbed on deck and joined the others as the Argo Il settled in the middle of a field of sunflowers. The oars retracted. The gangplank lowered itself.

The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. Not a bad smell.

Percy was the first to notice her. He smiled in greeting, wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, as if he'd neverbeen away from the Greek side. The new clothes had helped his mood—and of course the fact that he was standing at the rail with his arm around Annabeth.

Violet was happy to see Annabeth with a sparkle in her eyes, because for months, Annabeth had been tormenting herself, her every waking moment consumed with the search for Percy. Now, despite the dangerous quest they were facing, at least she had her boyfriend back.

"So!" Annabeth plucked the bagel out of Violet's hand and took a bite, before passing it to Piper, who did the same. Back at camp, they'd had a running joke about stealing each other's breakfast. "Here we are. What's the plan?"

"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife—the man in purple with a goblet.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus." He stood close to Violet, but he refrained from actually touching the girl, as he refused to give Percy a reason to shout at this early hour.

"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr. D—"

"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much..."