Invisible ― Jason Grace

viii. time stops

THE OTHERS WERE a little surprised when Piper and Camilla came back with two pegasi and two unconscious demigods. While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack and Guido, Annabeth and Leo helped the girls get Percy and Jason to the sickbay.

"At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he tended their wounds. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"

Camilla sat between the two cots, wringing her hands in her lap as the satyr tended to her brother and her best friend. She felt fine after a swig of nectar and some water, but she was worried about the boys.

"Leo," Piper said, sitting on the other side of Jason's cot, "are we ready to sail?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Set course for Atlanta. We'll explain later."

"But... okay." He hurried off.

Annabeth didn't argue with Piper either. She was too busy examining the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head.

"What hit him?" she demanded.

"Blackjack," Camilla answered sheepishly.

"What?"

Piper explained as best as she could while Coach Hedge applied some healing paste to the boys' heads. Camilla had never thought of satyrs as the best healers, but he must have known what he was doing. Either that, or the spirits that possessed the boys had also made them extra resilient. They both groaned and opened their eyes.

Within a few minutes, Jason and Percy were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences. Both had fuzzy memories of what had happened. When Piper described their duel on the highway, Jason winced.

"Knocked out twice in two days," he muttered. "Some demigod." He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you."

Percy's shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was even more disheveled than normal. Despite that, he managed a weak laugh. "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good at camp once."

"Yeah, but... I could have killed you."

"Or I could have killed you."

Jason shrugged. "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas, maybe."

"I don't need an ocean—"

"Boys," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other. But right now, you need some rest."

"Food first," Percy said. "Please? And we really need to talk. Bacchus said some things that don't—"

"Bacchus?" Annabeth raised her hand. "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy... change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."

◈

They gathered around the dining table, and Piper explained what had happened at Topeka 32—their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed the boys.

"Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."

"So it wasn't my fault." Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"

"But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"

"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us." Jason looked at Piper. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."