DIVINE » l. valdez

xxii

❝you keep hoping ❞

The fighting didn't last long. 

Jason and Percy had crossed their swords working together to combine the sky and the sea to ward off incoming Romans. Coach Hedge manned a crossbow, shooting at nearby eagles. Hina stood at the helm pushing Romans away with walls of bright light. 

Far below the ship she could hear Octavian shrieking, "Kill them! Kill them all!"

Hina had gone into autopilot mode. She couldn't think about what was happening, every time the image of the Romans screaming for their death in New Rome appeared in her mind, her defense would crumble.

There was no time for emotions or fear to get in their way. Octavian was bloodthirsty and he would never yield.

Jason, Frank and Leo had made it safely back to the ship, but Annabeth was nowhere in sight. Leo was at the helm, frantically shaking his Wii remote, turning the Argo II away from the dock and the approaching soldiers. 

"There!" Piper yelled, pointing to Annabeth as she effortlessly ran through the winds Jason had summoned. Piper hung over the rails of the ship, extending a hand to Annabeth. 

Once the daughter of Athena tumbled onto the deck, the Argo II shot off. Jason changed the wind's direction to help push the ship, and Percy summoned a massive tidal wave to propel the Argo to sea. By the time they had reached the top speed, the fort was a tiny dot in the distance. 

Hina sunk to the floor, resting her back against the wooden frame of the ship. She watched Leo wrestle with the controls as the wind from Jason and Percy's storm rocked the boat wildly. His brow was creased in concentration and his hair flew in the wind.

At one point, Annabeth had appeared, yelling to them over the wind. "Percy says he talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor!"

"Good for him!" Leo yelled back.

"The Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers."

"What does that mean? The Party Ponies?"

Hina had never met Chrion's crazed brothers, but she'd heard the rumors. Explosive Nerf gun fights, root beer chugging contests, and pressurized whip cream bottles.

"Not sure," Annabeth said. "But I've got coordinates. Can you input latitude and longitude in this thing?"

"I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want. Of course I can do latitude and longitude!"

Leo motioned Hina to stand, and she followed his directions, inputting the coordinates while Leo steered. A red dot appeared on the bronze screen blinking.

"That location is in the middle of the Atlantic," he said. "Do the Party Ponies have a yacht?"

Annabeth shrugged helplessly. "Just hold the ship together until we get farther from Charleston. Jason and Percy will keep up the winds!"

"Happy fun time!"

Hina had no clue how long it had been, but she stood behind Leo, watching the waves splash around the boat. Finally, the storm had calmed down, the seas soothing, and the skies clear.

"Valdez," said Coach Hedge, with surprising gentleness. "Let me take the wheel. You've been steering for two hours."

"Two hours?"

"Yeah. Give me the wheel."

"Coach?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I can't unclench my hands."

Hina bit back a laugh, watching Hedge pry Leo's fingers from the wheel. Festus whirred, and Leo tilted his head to listen. His eyes were unfocused and his entire body was shaking.

"Just watch for monsters," he told the coach. "And be careful with the damaged stabilizer. And—"

"I've got it covered," Coach Hedge promised. "Now, go away!"