Waves of Fire || Leo Valdez

III - We Get a Visit From Aunt Rosa

I woke up in a very soft bed with Percy looming over me.

"Thank the gods!" He said when I opened my eyes. "When we found you we were worried you were dead!"

"I'm fine," I said. "My head kinda hurts, that's all. What happened?"

"Leo fired on New Rome, though he said something about a cold feeling and Annabeth says he didn't do it on purpose."

I remembered. "Yeah, something was definitely wrong with him."

"Did Octavian do something, or...?"

"Octavian did a lot of things," I said, rolling my eyes. "Almost barged in on Coach Hedge watching his boxing stuff, tried to break into the fuse box, caused an avalanche of plates. But I don't think he did anything to Leo."

"You think you can get up?" Percy asked.

"Yeah." I swung my legs over the side of my bed and stood up. I got a spell of vertigo and I had to try not to stumble.

"You okay?" Percy asked, concerned.

"I'm fine!" I frowned at him. "I'm not a baby, Percy."

"Okay," He held up his hands in mock surrender. "We're meeting in the lounge if you're up for it."

"I'm up for it."

When we got to the lounge, I collapsed into one of the recliners, trying not to show signs of my splitting headache. According to Annabeth, Jason had been knocked out, and he and Piper were currently in his cabin. As for Hazel, she and Arion were due to arrive any minute.

Percy gazed at a sunset view of Half-Blood Hill. Trying to ignore my vertigo, I stumbled over to him and leaned against him.

"I miss it so much," Percy said.

"Me too," I said. "As soon as we get back, we'll go to the beach or something. Have a picnic."

"With blue popsicles."

I smiled. "And blue cookies."

Just then, Leo entered. I tried not to flinch at the sight of him. After all, it wasn't his fault he'd almost choked me to death.

"So we've landed," Percy said, frowning at Leo. "What now?"

Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy? I mean...that was a prophecy Ella spoke, right? From the Sibylline Books?"

"The what?" Leo asked.

Frank explained how Ella was good at memorizing books. At some point in the past, she'd inhaled a collection of ancient prophecies that had supposedly been destroyed around the fall of Rome.

"That's why you didn't tell the Romans," Leo guessed. "You didn't want them to get hold of her. "

"Ella's sensitive," I said, looking at my feet. "She was a captive when we found her. I just didn't want..." I sighed.

Percy placed a hand on my shoulder. "It doesn't matter now. I sent Tyson an Iris-message, told him to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood. They'll be safe there."

I doubted that any of us would be safe, now that the Romans were probably on our tail and we had a bunch of giants and Gaea to deal with.

Annabeth laced her fingers. "Let me think about the prophecy—but right now we have more immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"

"The easiest thing is tar." Leo seemed glad to change the subject. "We can get that in the city, at a roofing-supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake, just west of here."