Where You Go ― Jason Grace

xviii. a dagger with a track record

AS JASON AND PIPER disappeared further onto the island after a tense-looking talk with Hercules, the rest of the crew slowly dispersed back belowdecks. Annabeth headed down to her cabin to keep studying her map, Frank and Hazel went down to the mess hall to get some breakfast, and Leo disappeared into the engine room to do a little bit of maintenance, leaving Ophelia and Percy alone on the deck. 

Definitely not a recipe for an awkward encounter. 

Realistically, it shouldn't have been that awkward. They'd worked well enough together on their quest in Atlanta. Then again, Hedge and Frank had been there, too, and they'd been a little busy trying not to die to worry about any potential awkwardness.

Now, there was just dead air between them. 

"So..." Percy said after a few minutes. "Annabeth mentioned you went on a quest with Zoë Nightshade."

Ophelia nodded. "Yeah, I did," she said. "It was, uh..." She almost said fun, but that quest the least fun quest she'd ever been on, so she stopped herself. "It was... interesting," she settled on. 

Percy nodded. "Cool."

Another, somehow more awkward silence settled over them. 

This time, Ophelia tried to make conversation. "Your dad's..." She wracked her brain, instantly regretting bringing up his dad's Roman aspect to make small talk. "... scary." 

Percy cracked a small smile. "His Greek form's pretty chill," he said. After a second, he added, "I met your dad. I mean, his Greek form, Hermes. He was pretty cool. Teleported me and Annabeth to Paris for our anniversary."

"Wow," Ophelia said. "I've never actually met him. But he gave me a magic compass, so I guess that means he cares, right?" 

"Yeah," Percy agreed, "I'd said it does." 

Another awkward silence. 

"So," Percy spoke up again after a few minutes. "Maren's back. That's... that's gotta be rough." 

His face pinched as if he regretted his choice of small talk instantly. 

"Yeah, it's... not fun," Ophelia agreed. 

"Reyna told me a little bit about her," Percy said quietly. "She said children of Neptune have always been... y'know, bad news, at Camp Jupiter." 

Ophelia fought a scowl. "Romans are superstitious," she said. "Children of Neptune have never really had a great history, at camp. Even before Maren did what she did." 

"Everyone treated her like a bad guy when she got there," Percy guessed. "So that's what she became." 

Ophelia bit her lip. "It's not that simple, but... yeah. If the camp wasn't as superstitious... maybe things would have turned out differently. I... I can't say for sure." 

"Did... did something else happen?" Percy asked, sounding a bit hesitant. Ophelia wondered if he was waiting for her to blow up and yell at him for asking so many questions about her dead ex-girlfriend. 

Well, her alive ex-girlfriend now...

Gods, when did her life get so complicated?

Ophelia fixed her gaze on the horizon. "Her mother drowned at sea when she was fourteen," she murmured. "Maren blamed Neptune for not saving her." 

Percy frowned, visibly disturbed. "My dad... He wouldn't have let that happen." 

"There was nothing Neptune could do except make it so she didn't suffer," Ophelia said quietly, remembering the grief on the god's face when he recounted the story himself. "Fate's a tricky thing to get around—even for gods."