DIVINE » l. valdez

xxxvi

❝caught up inside, both happy and lonely
keep telling me lies, they're killing me slowly ❞

After spending the rest of the night fine tuning her plan, Hina was exhausted before they even found the Acropolis. 

Her stomach kept tying itself into knots, the weight of what she had to do crushing down. Hina's kind kept replaying the words she had spoken not long ago: her life was designed to crash and burn so brightly even the gods couldn't ignore it."

That was what Hina Ito had to do. Crash and burn to save the world, she had to be a blaze of light that no one could ignore and she'd do it for Leo.

The crew gathered on the deck, as they docked in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens. In only a few hours their journey would come to an end. Everyone was busy preparing for combat- polishing weapons, loading the ballistae and catapults, checking their armor.

Hina sat on the floor, double checking then triple checking the balance on all her arrows, ensuring the arrowheads were properly aligned. She had already spent half an hour, restringing her bow to ensure it was battle ready. 

"I think it's good, Ina," Leo mused, lowering himself to sit beside her. He placed a hand over Hina's, stopping her movement. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, taking a nervous breath. "Just worried."

"Everything will be okay, I promise."

Hina studied Leo's face closely, trying to figure out how he could lie to her face, trying to ease her mind over the battle. Yet, he knew that everything would not be okay, and so did Hina. 

Their conversation was cut short as Piper called out, gaining everyone's attention. Leo stood, pulling Hina along behind him. The crew gathered behind Piper, watching as three creatures approached the Argo II, their bodies a mix of human and snake features.

The one in the lead held his head high, his bronze skin shining in the morning sun. Muscular arms were beaded with oil and covered in a Greek chlamys- a white robe wrapped around the body and pinned at the shoulder. From the waist down, the snake took over, an emerald tail stretching eight feet behind him. 

In one hand, he carried a staff topped with a shimmering green jewel. The other held a silver cloche, like a main course at a fancy restaurant. 

Behind him, the other two snake-men were dressed like guards, Greek armor covering their torsos, while they gripped emerald spears in their hands. Horsehair helmets rested on their heads, creating the look of a Mohawk. 

They stopped a few feet from the Argo. The leader studied the demigods intensely, his gaze firm but unreadable. Hina couldn't decide if he looked angry or maybe just lost.

"Permission to come aboard," he rasped, the harsh sound making Hina flinch. 

"Who are you?" Piper asked, her expression remaining calm.

He fixed his dark eyes on her. "I am Kekrops, the first and eternal king of Athens. I would welcome you to my city." He held up the covered platter. "Also, I brought a Bundt cake."

Piper glanced at Annabeth. "A trick?"

"Probably," Annabeth said.

"At least he brought dessert." Percy smiled down at the snake guys. "Welcome aboard!"

Before anyone could argue, Percy waved the snake-men aboard. Kekrops agreed to leave his guards above deck with Buford the table, who ordered them to drop and give him twenty. The guards seemed to enjoy the table's company and obliged.