The Second Jackson- Piper McLean book 1

Ella the Harpy

Lani

"We'll need some of your food" my brother shouldered his way around the old man and snatched stuff off the picnic table- a covered bowl of Thai noodles in mac-and-cheese sauce, and a tubular pastry that looked like a combination burrito and cinnamon roll.

I thought about what the old man had said about Zoe. I made a mental note to ask Percy about it later when we discussed the other things Phineas said.

"Come on guys" Percy led us out of the parking lot. We stopped across the street and I noticed my brother take a deep breath to calm down. The rain had slowed to a halfhearted drizzle. The cold mist felt good on my face, calming me down enough that I could make sure my twin didn't do anything stupid.

"That man..." Hazel smacked the side of a bus-stop bench. "He needs to die. Again."

It was hard to tell in the rain, but she seemed to be blinking back tears. Her long curly hair was plastered down the sides of her face. In the gray light, her gold eyes looked more like tin.

I remembered how confident she'd acted when we first met- taking control of the situation with the gorgons and ushering us to safety. She'd comforted Percy at the shrine of Neptune and made us feel welcome at camp.

Now I wanted to return the favor, but I wasn't sure how. She looked lost, bedraggled, and thoroughly depressed.

I wasn't surprised that she came back from the Underworld. I'd suspected that for a while- the way she avoided talking about her past, the way Nico di Angelo had been so secretive and cautious.

But that didn't change how I saw her. She seemed... well, alive, like a regular kid with a good heart, who deserved to grow up and have a future. She wasn't a ghoul like Phineas.

"We'll get him" Percy promised.

"He's nothing like you, Hazel. I don't care what he says" I added.

She shook her head. "You don't know the whole story. I should have been sent to Punishment. I-I'm just as bad-"

"No you're not!" Frank balled his fists. He looked around like he was searching for anybody who might disagree with him— enemies he could hit for Hazel's sake. "She's a good person!" he yelled across the street. A few harpies squawked in the trees, but no one else paid us any attention.

I smiled at the gesture. It was obvious that he cared deeply for Hazel.

Hazel stared at Frank. She reached out tentatively, as if she wanted to take his hand but was afraid he might evaporate.

"Frank..." she stammered. "I- I don't..."

Unfortunately, Frank seemed wrapped up in his own thoughts. A knowing look spread across my face as I realized they both liked each other, whether they realized it or not.

He slung his spear off his back and gripped it uneasily. "I could intimidate that old man" he offered, "maybe scare him-"

"Frank it's okay" I said. "Let's keep that as a backup plan, but I don't think Phineas can be scared into cooperating. Besides, you've only got two more uses out of the spear, right?"

Frank scowled at the dragon's-tooth point, which had grown back completely overnight. "Yeah. I guess..."

I wasn't sure what the old seer meant about Frank's family history- his great-grandfather destroying camp, his Argonaut ancestor, and the bit about a burned stick controlling Frank's life. But it had clearly shaken Frank up. I decided not to ask for explanations. I didn't want to see the big guy reduced to tears, especially in front of Hazel.