𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐔𝐌 • Heroes of Olympus

III

𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 trouble falling asleep.

Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty, walking up and down the passageway yelling, “Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I’ll smack you back to Long Island!”

He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep, which made it impossible for anyone to go to sleep.

Andy had so many things on her mind, she thought she’d never sleep. She already missed Will, and it didn't help that half of her wall was covered in photos of her siblings. But there was something peaceful about the rocking of the boat and the drone of the aerial oars as they scooped through the sky.

Finally her eyelids got heavy, and she drifted off.

It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before she woke to the breakfast bell.

“Hey you!” Leo knocked on her door. “We’re landing!”

“Hey you?” She sat up groggily. "Yeah, I'm really feeling the love, alright."

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!”

“Sorry.” He grinned. “Hey, nice Power Ranger jammies.”

"They're not Power Rangers! It's Big Hero 6!"

“Yeah, sure. Anyway, we’re setting down a few miles outside Topeka, as requested. And, um…” He glanced out in the passageway, then leaned inside again. "I heard Percy say something about talking to you."

Andy folded her arms. "I don't want to talk to him."

Leo sighed. "Listen, you guys really shouldn't be fighting with each other. Talk it out."

"Talk it out?" Andy raised an eyebrow. "Leo, did you not hear the shit he said about you? And you want me to talk it out?"

"I thought you were friends." Leo walked into the cabin, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, I thought so too," Andy mumbled.

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but, from above, Coach Hedge yelled, “Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!”

“Holy Hephaestus,” Leo muttered. “He really needs to work on his shipspeak. I’d better get above deck.”

***

By the time Andy 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 II 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. It reminded her of the strawberry fields back at Long Island. Gods, she missed camp.

Percy was the first to notice her. He smiled, as though yesterday had never happened. If it hadn't been for Leo talking to her that morning, Andy would've believed it too.

She sneered at the son of Poseidon.

He was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, as if he’d never been away from the Greek side. The new clothes had probably helped his mood—and of course the fact that he was standing at the rail with his arm around Annabeth. 

Andy was happy to see Annabeth with a sparkle in her eyes, but she just couldn't return Percy's smile.

She didn't have to bother, either. The moment she took her place beside Leo and Jason, Percy's smile fell.