CHAPTER THIRTY:
HEAD ON FIRE

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ANNAIS TOLD NO ONE about what happened between her and Jason. To be honest, she wasn't sure if there was even anything to tell. They only discussed taking things slow then seeing how everything progressed from there. Really, it wasn't like she was lying, just omitting parts of the truth. When Melanie eagerly tracked her down after the meeting, Annais remained tight-lipped, merely shrugging and changing the subject when she asked why Jason had been in her room. Fortunately for her, Mel wasn't one to pry; the real one to worry about was Ezra.

But as Annais discovered the next morning, Ezra had gotten into some relationship trouble of her own.

Everyone panicked when they woke up to find Ezra, Percy and Annabeth missing from their beds. They scoured the ship from top to bottom, convinced that someone had snuck on board and kidnapped them. Annais tried not to freak out too much, smothering down her anxieties as the group split off to search each section. It wasn't long, then, before Frank called out that he'd found them, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Crisis averted.

Well, until they -- specifically Coach Hedge -- realised they snuck off to the stables together. Then, shit hit the roof again. Hazel kept on fanning her face, refusing to meet Percy's eyes and glowering when she thought none of them were looking. It amused Annais, how scandalised she truly was just at the three of them kissing each other. Until then, she hadn't really noticed any differences in her sister (was it appropriate to call her that?) but Hazel was born and bled in the 1940s. Sneaking away to kiss your partner -- or in this case, partners -- was not something you'd catch Hazel Levesque even thinking of doing.

As for the others... well, Jason and Leo found it amusing, as did Annais to a certain degree, while Piper and Melanie shook their heads like they were disappointed but not surprised. It was Gleeson who was the most vocal about his opinion. The seven and the Mins sat in the dining room for what felt like an eternity while he paced in front of them and screamed.

"Never in my life," Annais recalled him saying before he turned on an innocent bowl of apples and sent them scattering with his bat. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach, it was an accident," Annabeth sighed in frustration. Annais was keenly aware of her hand in Ezra's, how she refused to let go even with Coach glowering at them. "We were just talking and we fell asleep."

"Besides," Percy snickered, unable to hold back his cheeky grin. In response, Ezra grumbled like she knew exactly what he was about to say. "You're starting to sound like Terminus."

Even Annais winced at that.

Hedge's eyes narrowed dangerously. He held his club like he was considering whacking Percy over the head with it. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll... I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Percy tried unsuccessfully to hide his laughter. "It won't happen again, Coach, I promise." Annais knew it definitely would, but Coach didn't seem to realise that. "Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

"Fine," the satyr huffed. "But I'm watching you, Jackson. As for you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense. And you, Ezra... well, I'm not surprised--"

"Okay," Jason cut in as Ezra's brows furrowed. "Let's grab some food and get started."

The first to speak was Percy, who told them a grim dream he had about Nico while digging into a plate of blue pancakes. Annais was prompt in shoving her food away the second Nico's name slipped past the other boy's lips. How could she think of eating while her brother was trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation while two giants taunted him day in and day out? The news seemed to affect Hazel just the same. Like Annais, her eyes were glassy as she pushed her meal around her plate.

"Oh, Gods..." she whimpered. "The seeds."

"Do you know what they are?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded, reaching over the table to squeeze Annais' hand. She hadn't realised it, but she'd reached out to grip her knife and fork, knuckles white from bone pressing against skin. She released the cutlery at Hazel's touch, shoulders sinking with a sigh.

"He showed them to me once," the daughter of Pluto admitted. "They're from our step-mother's garden."

Annais scowled at the mention of Persephone. The Goddess had come to Annais a few times in her dreams. Despite being a daughter of Demeter, she was harsh, with blood-red lips pulled back into a sneer and eyes as sharp as the edge of a sword. Annais didn't blame her; having to live most of her days in the Underworld with no company but Annais' deadbeat father would've been a shitty way to live, but that didn't mean Annais had to like her and her icy exterior.

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel explained, though Annais knew that already. So did Ezra and Mel, for they were grim in their silence. "Only the children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere, but if he's really imprisoned..."

Then his days were numbered.

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth murmured, sharing a pointed glance with Percy. "They're assuming that we'll try to rescue him."

Annais didn't like how she said it. Like the giants' assumption were just that; an assumption. Hazel didn't seem pleased, either, but her confidence was slowly beginning to waver. "Well, they're right... won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge exclaimed from where he'd taken up watch in the doorway. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

At the same time, Annais stabbed her fork into her eggs on toast, daring anyone to challenge her as she said, "There's no assuming to be done. I don't care if it's a trap, I'll go on my own if I have to."

"Hazel, Annais, of course we're going to help him," Frank said, his voice catching beneath the weight of Annais' stare. Upon hearing his genuine tone, she relaxed, but the challenge remained in her eyes as she scanned the rest of the table, waiting for someone to disagree. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel frowned. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

Annais winced in sympathy for Nico, heart aching from the harsh sting of failure. She'd failed to protect him, her little brother, time and time again. What if she didn't find him in time? He'd die, and she'd be the one to blame. Not the giants, not Gaea, Annais Min and her role as his self-absorbent sister.

"A death trance," Annabeth repeated with a wary glance at Annais. "That doesn't sound fun."

"It's not," Annais grunted at the same time as Hazel said, "It keeps him from consuming all his air. Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, but barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy informed them, running a hand over the exhausted lines of his face. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome..."

"That's not much time," Piper finished. Annais was prepared to argue, her instinct resorting to the offence, but Piper was quick to reach out and take the hand Hazel wasn't holding, saying to both of Nico's sisters, "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name is Di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for angel..."

This time, Annais was unable to hold back the tears from falling. They trailed down her face, obvious to everyone at the table, but no one mentioned it as she hastily wiped them away, sniffling into the palm of her hand.

Her fault, her fault, her fault--

I'm coming for you, Nico, she thought, fighting the urge to push away from the table and hide away in her room. I won't fail you again.

"We'll rescue him," Percy insisted, like he was trying to reassure himself and not just Annais and Hazel. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."

"That's right," Piper said before turning to Annais and Hazel again. "Guys, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"He can tell us where the doors are," Percy added, meeting Annais' stare and nodding at her. "And how to close them."

For a moment, everything seemed set in stone. They'd travel to Rome, find Nico, and do what they had to do to save him. Even if that meant knowingly walking into danger...

Or so Annais thought.

"Uh, just one thing," Leo piped up. Annais was keenly aware of how he refused to meet her eyes. "The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel was quick to release Annais' hand, clenching hers into a fist like she was contemplating socking Leo in the face. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico... he knew about both camps, right?"

Something hot and bitter formed in Annais' chest. She had to fight to keep her voice even as she spat, "What's your point, Valdez?"

Leo hesitated. He didn't want to upset her. But he was too far gone to turn back, and the both of them knew it. Annais tried not to let the hurt show on her face when he said, "So he's been going back and forth, and he didn't tell either side."

Much to Annais' surprise, Jason was quick to agree with him. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

"Hey!" she shouted, shoving her chair back from the table. It landed on the ground with a clatter, the sharp sound almost violent as it echoed off the walls. "Nico isn't just some random guy. He's my brother. My family. I said it once and I'll say it again. You don't have to help him, I can do it myself. But if he dies, you can live with that on your conscience. And I'll never forgive you."

Jason stared at her for a long moment, the words hanging between them, acidic, burning everything in their wake. "Annais..." There was nothing he could say or do that would erase that betrayed hurt from her eyes. Like she'd expected it from the others but not from him.

"He brought me back from the Underworld," Hazel added, voice small and full of disbelief. "And you don't want to help him?"

"Nobody's saying that," Frank said, then shot a pointed glare at Leo. At least someone was on their side. Not even Ezra or Melanie had spoken in defence of Nico, and he was their cousin, their blood. "Nobody better be saying that."

"Thank you, Frank," Annais hissed. "For being a better friend than some people I've known far longer than you."

"Come on, that's not fair," Leo disputed. "All I mean is--"

"No, it's totally fair," she snapped. "I put my life on the line trying to save Piper's dad, something I would've done for any of you if you asked me to. And you can't even look me in my fucking eyes when I beg you to save my brother. I've already lost one sister, I won't lose another sibling because my friends think they can play God."

"But Leo is raising a fair point," Jason exclaimed, rising from his chair to match Annais in height. Her shoulders hunched like a startled cat, sneer feral like a lion baring its teeth. "I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter, and now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as... well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."

"Oh, shut the fuck up," Annais shouted, shoving a finger against his chest. "You know, I said the same thing when you showed up to Camp Half-Blood. How convenient it was that you had no memories, that you just appeared out of thin fucking air. But I gave you a chance, and now look at us." I've given half my heart to you. Why are you trying to break it so soon, Jason? "What has Nico done wrong apart from keeping the two camps a secret? He's clearly never told either side about the other. He played his part, something everyone has to do from time to time, Mr I-think-I'm-so-heroic-because-I-can-fly."

"Annais, you're being irrational--"

Jason barely got the words out before Hazel's silver-encrusted platter of scrambled eggs exploded into bits of yolk and toast. "You... the great Jason Grace, the praetor I looked up to," she sobbed. "You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you..."

Her words were barely comprehensible by the time she decided to flee the room. Annais was eager to follow her, but Jason was reaching for her hand like she'd ever consider touching him again after what he'd just done.

"I mean it, Jason," she hissed. "I'll never forgive you."

Ignoring his call of her name, Annais turned and marched out of the room, shoulders visibly shaking with sobs.

Much to her surprise, she found Hazel curled up in the armchair stuffed in the corner of Annais' cabin. Her eyes were red-rimmed, bottom lip trembling. The second Annais opened her door in the same state, she pushed to her feet and rushed towards her, shocking her by throwing her arms around Annais' neck.

"He's so horrible," she spluttered, tears soaking into Annais' shirt. "I can't believe I used to look up to someone so... so... so selfish and cruel--"

She cut herself off, seeming almost nervous as she backed away from Annais, like she expected the Min girl to lash out for insulting the boy she was clearly besotted with. But Hazel was stunned to find that Annais seemed unbothered. If anything, she agreed with her, jaw locking in disgust at the mention of the boy she'd kissed only a few hours before.

"Can I tell you something, Hazel?" she asked, inching further into the room to close the door behind her. "Something that I haven't even told Ezra and Melanie?"

"Of course," Hazel breathed out, slowly sinking down onto the edge of the bed.

She watched with wide eyes as Annais came to sit beside her, unusually vulnerable as she kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs beneath her, sitting criss-crossed with a pillow on her lap. It was the first time Hazel had ever seen Annais Min so trusting, and it struck her then that this was what it would be like to have Annais as her sister. A lot of distant moments dotted with the fragile ones, the heart-felt ones, in between.

"Last night, Jason kissed me," she stated, so blunt that Hazel gasped and raised a hand to her mouth. "I was so happy. We spoke about going slow, seeing how things went. Now, I feel... I can't believe that I trusted him for even a second. I hate him."

Both of them knew that Annais Min could never hate Jason Grace, but she could definitely come close with the memory of his dubious stare imprinted in her mind.

"I thought they'd help us," Hazel murmured, head bowed low. "I didn't think it was even a question with someone's life on the line."

"Neither did I," Annais admitted, and was consequently stunned by the truth behind it.

For a while, they sat in tentative silence, Hazel with her head on Annais' shoulder while the Min girl played with the ring on her finger. Both of them flinched when a sudden knock sounded on the door, closely followed by Annabeth and Melanie entering the room.

"Can we come in?" Mel asked, sharing a nervous look with Annabeth.

Hazel sat up properly at their presence, waiting for Annais to make a decision. "That depends," the daughter of Hades said after a second's contemplation. "Are you going to say that we should let our brother die?"

"Annais, you know that neither of us want that," Annabeth frowned. "I understand that you're upset with Jason and Leo, and you have every right to be, they're idiots. But don't be angry at us."

Annais sighed, too exhausted to argue that sitting there and saying nothing was just as bad. Instead, she laid back and rested her head on Hazel's shoulder this time, muttering a 'do whatever you want' that prompted Annabeth to close the door and Mel to bound over and sit at their feet. Annabeth quickly joined her, the silence uncomfortable at first.

"I really am sorry, Annais," Mel blurted, nudging the girl's foot with her own. "You're right, I should've said something."

Annais sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to assume that you weren't going to help him."

"No, you had every right to be defensive of your brother," she argued, Annabeth nodding in agreement. "What Jason and Leo were suggesting..."

"Even if he wasn't our brother," Hazel said. "Annais had a point. We don't get to choose who lives and who dies. If there's anything we can do to save Nico, we have to do it."

"And we're going to," Annabeth promised them, beseeching eyes meeting Annais' glassy ones. "If you want, I can beat up Jason."

Annais laughed, though the sound was hollow and numb. "Jason means nothing to me."

Mel scoffed. "Well, that's a lie."

"It's not," Annais sneered. "It doesn't matter what I feel for him. It doesn't matter that we kissed. If he's prepared to risk my brother's life just because of some bullshit moral compass, then he's not someone I want in my life. Not like that."

Everyone knew she had a point, but Mel and Annabeth were more focused on the fact she'd just spilled a pretty big secret than they were on how right or wrong she was.

"You kissed Jason?" Annabeth echoed at the same time as Mel screeched with delight, "I knew something happened between you two. He couldn't take his eyes off you."

"Well, now he's going to have to," Annais grumbled. "I'm done."

"Oh, come on, at least hear him out," she sighed. She knew how stubborn Annais was firsthand, and it was both a blessing and a curse at the best of times. "Annais, it's so obvious he likes you. I don't think he'd want to hurt you on purpose."

Annais, vehement, went to retort but fell silent as the door slammed open once more. Four pairs of eyes snapped to where Frank stumbled into the room, panting from a lack of air and shouting, "Where's Leo? We need to take off now!"

"Where's Percy? Where's Ezra?" Annabeth demanded, beginning to panic when neither of them followed behind him. "And the goat?"

It took Frank a second to get the words out, but he eventually stammered, "They're on deck. T-They're fine. We're being f-followed."

Annais was confused at first, but realised that Frank, Percy and Ezra must've gone on a quest with Hedge while she and Hazel were hiding away in her cabin. The girls were quick to push past him, sprinting up the stairs with Frank stumbling along behind them. Annais squinted at the sudden change of light, the shadows of her cabin long gone beneath the hot afternoon sun. They found Percy and Gleeson sprawled out on the deck, covered in scratches and drenched to the bone from water. Ezra was kneeling beside Percy, patting his shoulder with her own clothes soaked through. She seemed unharmed, unlike the last time she got caught up in a quest with Percy Jackson.

Hearing the commotion, Leo raced out of the dining room with Jason and Piper at his heels. "What?" he cried, struggling to balance the half-eaten grilled cheese and the milkshake he'd brought out with him. "Can't a guy even catch a lunch break? What's wrong?"

"We're being followed," Frank shouted again, his patience wearing thin now that Leo was involved.

"Followed by what?" Jason asked, dubious. He tried to catch Annais' eyes but she was already turning away from him.

"I don't know," Frank moaned miserably. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky?"

"Who are Kate and Porky?" Mel scoffed just as Annabeth folded her arms and hissed, "That makes absolutely no sense! Leo, you'd better get us out of here."

Saluting her, he stuck his sandwich between his teeth, passed his drink to Piper, and whirled around to race across the deck. Not even a minute later, the Argo II rose safely into the air, leaving the water and land beneath them. Frank slowly began to catch his breath now that the crisis was seemingly averted. He dropped to his knees beside Annais, catching Percy's stare with a meaningful nod.

"Charleston," the son of Poseidon called with a croaky voice. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Jason frowned. He tapped Ezra's shoulder, hoping for an explanation out of her, but the Min girl remained tight-lipped as Annabeth helped her to her feet. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"

The question sparked a reminder in Frank, for he reached for the backpack hanging off his shoulders and held it upside down. A plethora of souvenirs rained down on the deck, scattering across the floorboards from how much he'd stuffed into the small bag. "Some peach preserves. A couple of t-shirts. A snow globe. Oh, and... uh, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."

"Frank, I don't think he meant the bag," Ezra sighed, squeezing Annabeth's hand when she released a breath like a dragon roaring fire.

"How about you start from the top?" the blonde girl suggested, struggling to keep her voice even when Frank frowned in confusion. "Of the story, not the bag."

"Oh. Okay."

If Annais wasn't too busy avoiding Jason like the plague, she would've laughed.

The seven and the Mins gathered on the quarterdeck so that Leo was able to participate in the conversation. Much like Jason, he tried and failed to catch Annais' eye, sighing and turning to Mel for help when Annais vacated her spot beside the navigation panel to stand at the back rather than near him. Mel merely shrugged, her beseeching stare screaming apologise, idiot!

But Percy and Frank were busy taking turns explaining what had happened at the Georgia Aquarium, leaving no room for apologies or reconciled friendships. Then, of course, Percy explained the captive sea creatures in the aquarium, and Annais' mood worsened when Annabeth gasped, "That's terrible. We need to help them."

But of course, fuck Nico, right?

"We will," Percy promised, the nail in the coffin. "But I have to figure out how. I wish..." He shook his head and squeezed Ezra's hand in a desperate search for comfort. "Never mind. First, we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."

"A bounty on our heads," Annabeth repeated with a grim sigh. "As if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"Do we get 'wanted' posters?" Leo asked with an eager grin. Annais rolled her eyes, unamused. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

"What are you talking about?" Hazel frowned, too confused to remember she was supposed to be angry with him.

"I'm just curious how much I'm going for these days. I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason... or maybe the Mins, they're at the top of the list for sure, but am I worth, like, two Franks or three Franks?"

"Hey!" Frank whined, yet another argument already brewing between them.

Annabeth scowled, snapping as she stepped between them with a warning glare. Both of them were quick to back down, allowing her to divert the topic back on track. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map."

"A map," Piper echoed, tapping a questioning finger to her lips. "But a map to what?"

Percy hesitated, glancing at Annabeth once before murmuring, "The Mark of Athena. Whatever it is, we know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and the Greeks."

"The giant's bane," Hazel recalled from the prophecy.

"And in my dream," continued Percy. "The twin giants said something about a statue."

"Well, according to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try and find it," Frank reminded him. "But what is it?"

All eyes, even Annais', admittedly drifted towards Annabeth. She was quick to notice, gnawing on her lower lip while debating what to respond with. "I... I'm close to an answer," she said at last. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name Charleston, have you been there before?"

Jason tried to catch Annais' eyes again, but went ignored for the second time. He sighed, hesitating before admitting, "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago." He winced when Annais scowled. "We were salvaging imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S Hunley."

"The what?" Piper failed to recognise the name.

For once, it was Leo with the answers, his eyes widening in delight. "That's the first successful military submarine," he said with evident awe in his voice. "From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that."

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason explained, slowly putting the pieces together. "It held a secret stash of imperial gold torpedoes -- that is, until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

Hazel's shoulder brushed against Annais' arm as she tensed, arms crossed firmly across her chest, foot tapping on the ground. "So the Romans fought on the Confederate side?" she shot at Jason, who raised his hands in front of him like a sign of surrender. "As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just say... not cool?"

"I personally was not alive then," the son of Jupiter said. "And it wasn't all Greeks on one side and all Romans on the other. But, yes, definitely not cool. Sometimes, demigods make bad choices."

The air seemed to shift as the rest of the group exchanged knowing glances. Hazel looked at Annais curiously, but she remained coolly indifferent as Jason smiled sheepishly, continuing, "Like, sometimes, we're too suspicious. And we speak without thinking."

"Yeah, bad choices," Leo echoed, not even attempting to be subtle as he added, "Like not trusting people's brothers who, you know, may or may not need saving. Hypothetically speaking, of course."

Hazel was slowly beginning to warm to them, still stand-offish but nowhere near as cold as Annais continued to be. The boys sighed and exchanged a defeated glance, but Annais wasn't about to accept a half-assed apology about something that cut her so deeply. Leo and Jason were meant to be her friends, and they hadn't even considered her feelings. If they wanted her to even think about forgiving them, she wanted a direct apology with reasons why they were wrong.

"Back to Charleston," Hazel mumbled. "Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

"Well, I can think of two places in Charleston we might search," Jason replied, brows furrowed in thought. "The museum where they keep the Hunley -- that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout, so I could lead a team inside."

"I'll go," Leo volunteered. "That sounds cool."

Annais could feel Jason's stare burning against the side of her face. She knew what he hoped she'd do, but Annais refused to go along with him just to make him feel better. She wouldn't cave every time they disagreed, not if she wasn't in the wrong. For all she cared, Mel or Ezra could decide to accompany Leo, Jason and a third member of the seven to the museum.

Jason let out a disappointed sigh and turned to look at Frank. "You should come too, Frank," he suggested, trying his best to sound unbothered by Annais' cold shoulder. "We might need you."

Surprised, Frank tore his gaze away from the pair of not-Chinese handcuffs he'd found on his last quest. He didn't look so sure about Jason's idea. "Why? It's not like I was much good at the aquarium."

"You did fine," Percy dismissed his concerns with a wave of his hand. "It took all four of us to break that glass."

"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said, agreeing with Percy for once. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line."

"Then maybe I should come with you," Mel suggested while looking for approval from Annais. When she nodded, Mel added, "I know a thing or two about ghosts, remember?"

Melanie Min didn't speak about her parentage much, if at all. Annais would even go as far as to say she hated her mother, Melinoe. Not only did the Goddess have affiliations with the Titan Army during their fight against Kronos, but Melinoe was the reason Mel spent most her life feeling haunted in her own body. Like Hades with his skeletons, Melinoe controlled spirits. She had her very own ghost army following her command as she wandered the earth. It was because of this that Melanie Min got used to seeing ghosts everywhere. Sometimes, she even struggled to tell the difference between the living and the dead.

But hey, at least it made her feel useful. If anyone ever needed to conjure a ghost or two from their past, Melanie Min was the one to turn to.

"Uh, guys," Frank cut off whatever Jason was about to say to Mel. He sounded nervous, and it didn't take Annais long to realise why. He'd caught his fingers in the handcuffs and was struggling to figure out the configurations of the trap. "How do you--"

"Man, you've never seen these before?" Leo snickered at the sight of him. "There's a simple trick to getting out."

Frank paid him no attention, too stubborn for his own good, huffing and puffing but otherwise having no luck. In the end, he gave up and just shape-shifted, his body reducing to the size of an iguana that scuttled across the deck to free himself.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," crowed Leo in a freakishly accurate impression of Chiron. This time, the group was unable to hold back their laughter, the sound echoing over Leo as he added, "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Quickly, Frank shifted back to his human form, face red and embarrassed as he shoved the handcuffs out of sight. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, managing a small smile before he changed the subject. Their laughter was quick to fade, leaving a sullen heaviness in the air. "The museum is one place to search, but Jason said there were two?"

"Yes," Jason confirmed. "The other place is called the Battery. It's a park right beside the harbour. The last time I was there... with Reyna..." Annais scoffed, and Jason hastily continued, "We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern Belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling that she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. So she went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."

"And?" Annabeth prompted when he said nothing else. "What did it say?"

"Reyna wouldn't tell me," he frowned, like the idea of not knowing something displeased him. "But it must have been important. She seemed... shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."

Well, that wasn't concerning or anything.

"A girl's adventure, then," Annabeth declared, glancing at the four remaining girls not yet committed to a quest. "Piper and Hazel can come with me, and Ezra--"

"Actually, I think I might stay here," Ezra said, and it didn't take a genius to realise she was staying for Percy. "I'm kind of tired after today."

Realisation settling on her face, Annabeth nodded and turned to address the only other Min present. "Annais? You up for it?"

Annais sighed. "Do I have a choice?" She didn't, and the both of them knew it. She sighed again and nodded. "I'll be there."

"So that's settled then," Annabeth finalised before turning to Leo. The boy didn't notice her gaze at first, too caught up in Festus' navigation panel. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he grumbled, suddenly sounding concerned -- well, more than usual. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us; long-range radar, still not in sight."

"Are you sure they're Roman?" Piper asked while trying to catch a glimpse of the console.

Leo scoffed. "No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation -- of course they're Roman!"

"So what do we do?" Mel frowned, inching closer to the boy's side while he poked at some of the buttons.

"I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight--"

"Which would be a very bad idea," Jason cut him off with a shake of his head. "And remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."

"Then what should we do?" Annais glowered. It wasn't like she wanted to fight the eagles, but she wasn't particularly pleased at the thought of agreeing with Jason either.

"I think I have an idea," Leo proposed. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning."

Tomorrow morning. Nico would have four seeds left. Would four days be enough to save him?

"I know, I know," Leo exclaimed upon seeing Annais and Hazel share a grimace. "Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel pointed out. Neither she nor Annais liked the tone he used, like they were worrying over nothing. "After today, he has four more days, then he dies."

"I know!" Leo repeated, struggling to keep his voice even. "But this might throw the Romans off our trail."

"Might?" Annais pressed.

"We still should have enough time to reach Rome."

Oh, she did not like the sound of that.

Neither did Hazel. "When you say we should have enough..."

Chuckling nervously, Leo asked, "How do you feel about barely enough?"

For a second, it looked as though Hazel was considering hitting him again. In the end, though, she merely hung her head in her hands. "Sounds typical for us."

"Alright then," Annabeth said once she was sure neither Hazel or Annais was going to protest the new route. Annais wanted to, she really did, but at least they were trying. And as much as she hated it, Hazel was right. Running on fumes was a common theme for them. "Leo, what kind of decoy are we talking about?"

Leo grinned, eyes lighting up like fireworks. "I'm glad you asked, Annabeth," he said before punching more buttons and calling into the intercom, "Buford? Report for duty, please."

Annais closed her eyes in frustration just as Ezra groaned, "Oh, not Buford. Anyone but Buford."

"There's somebody else on the ship?" Frank frowned. "Who's Buford?"

"Ezra's greatest enemy," Mel said with an amused snicker.

"That's because Buford's a table, Melanie. Your boyfriend made us a table as defence."

Before Frank, Hazel or Percy were able to question what on earth she meant, a hatch opened to the right of them and Buford came running in like a dog called to sit at his master's heel. He was a three-legged thing with a mahogany top and bronze drawers, a set of steam vents blowing smoke into the air as he clattered his way across the deck.

"This is Buford," Leo announced with evident pride, reaching down to pat the table like it was an animal.

"You named your furniture?" Frank questioned incredulously.

"Man, you just wish you had furniture this cool."

"I don't think he does," Ezra grumbled.

"Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"

"If I had a table like Buford, I'd set him on fire."

"Ezra, please, he can hear you," Leo gasped, which prompted the table to whine and hiss more steam into the air.

Before Ezra was able to retort, Buford's mahogany top broke into four sections, the pieces of wood elongating into blades like that of a helicopter. Rising into the air, he was quick to disappear from sight, leaving Leo to stand at the railing sniffing with pride.

"A helicopter table," Percy muttered. He, too, was watching Buford's figure on the horizon. "Gotta admit, that's cool. What's in the bag?"

"Dirty demigod laundry," Leo said, pointing to the white cloth bag clutched between Buford's three legs. "I hope you don't mind, Frank."

Wide-eyed, Frank shouted, "What?" which earned a laugh from Ezra. Now that Buford was gone, she seemed happy again, standing with one arm looped through Percy's and the other tucked around Annabeth's waist.

"It'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"Those were my only extra pants," the son of Mars groaned and glared daggers at Leo.

Leo shrugged carelessly, unphased by his annoyance. "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully, he will." Frank looked ready to throttle him, but was soothed by Hazel laying a hand on his arm. Leo took that as a sign to finish up the meeting. "Well, I call that a good day's work! I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you at dinner."

Somehow, Annais found herself alone up on the deck with him. Mel and Ezra had dragged Jason into the dining room -- for what, Annais wasn't sure -- while Annabeth and Percy disappeared in the direction of the stables. Frank and Hazel returned to their cabins, and Coach -- well, Annais had no idea where he disappeared off to. All she knew was that Leo was staring at her, and she was staring at Leo, and neither of them knew what to say to break the painfully awkward silence.

"Your fly's down."

"I'm sorry. I'm an idiot."

Both of them spoke at the same time, both shooting the other an incredulous stare a second later.

"Really?" Leo exclaimed, frantically yanking up the lowered zipper. Cheeks burning red, he muttered, "Well, that was embarrassing."

Normally, Annais would've laughed and teased him until he got angry, but something about the way he was looking at her made her pause. He looked like a kicked puppy, and Annais hated it.

"Did you mean it?" she murmured, slowly lowering herself into the chair beside the navigation console. Leo's face brightened at the gesture. Annais pretended not to notice.

"What? That I'm sorry? Of course I meant it."

"And that you're an idiot?"

"That's always been obvious," he chuckled. "Look, Annie, I'd do anything you asked me to -- well, mostly anything. If you told me to jump off a bridge or something, we'd have problems. But seriously, even though I doubted him, I never meant that we should leave Nico to die. I get what it's like to lose family, too, and I don't want you to go through that pain again. I just want us to be careful, not to go in blind."

"You know," Annais said. She was smiling now. "I think that's the most you've ever said without cracking a joke somewhere."

"Just give it time," he smirked. "The jokes are coming, trust me."

"I forgive you," she said then, because she knew he meant it and a serious Leo Valdez truly was a rarity. "I'm sorry for losing my shit."

"Already forgiven. Let's hug it out?" he asked, though he was already heading towards Annais with his arms wide open. "Come on, Annie, hug me."

Annais sighed and made a show of protesting as his arms wrapped around her shoulders, but even she couldn't fight the urge to throw her own arms around his middle. Leo was like her little brother, an annoying shit but someone she couldn't live without. She hated fighting with him, just as she hated fighting with Jason, but somehow it was worse with Leo.

Soon enough, he pulled away, ushering her towards the cabins so he could get on with mapping their route. Things seemed brighter now, lighter now that Annais and Leo were okay again.

Now, she just had to hash it out with Jason.

Annais had a feeling it would be a lot harder than reconciling with Leo...