CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:
SHIP TO WRECK

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RACKED BY GUILT AND grief, Mel refused to sleep until she knew for sure that Leo was alive or dead. From sunset until sunrise, she paced the deck like the Argo II's very own woeful ghost, just waiting for some sort of sign, something -- anything -- that would put her mind at ease. She even found herself worrying about Hazel and Frank, but nothing pained her more than wondering if her last few weeks with Leo were spent riddled by so much tension. No one knew what to say. Even Ezra, who normally knew how to navigate Mel's feelings, seemed stumped as she listened to the girl lash out at everyone who got too close. This left Annais to bear the brunt of it, forcing herself to stay awake alongside Mel, the two of them anticipating the first signs of dawn. The others had repaired the ship and Percy had scoured the ocean, but came up with nothing. There was nothing else for them to do but wait.

Some God out there must've taken pity on them. That was the only thing that could explain it. In a matter of seconds -- that is to say, after hours had already dragged by -- Annais let her eyes rest for just one instant then reopened them to witness Mel all but diving over the railing.

"Mel!" she cried and rushed after her.

Hearing her cry from the Dining Room, the others came running. They were shocked to find Annais grinning, a stark contrast to the sound of her terrified shout. It was only when they saw Mel wading through the water below them, doing everything in her power to reach where Leo, Frank and Hazel were floating to the surface in three giant pink bubbles, that similar expressions settled across their own faces.

"Miss me?" Annais heard Leo laugh seconds before Mel threw her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the mouth. "Oh. This is nice."

Mel laughed, kissing him again as Hea whispered what was happening into Ezra's ear and Ezra wolf-whistled teasingly. Mel pulled back to scold her, her face tinted pink. Then, like a wave had suddenly washed over her, she whirled back around to Leo and smacked his shoulders with trembling fists.

"You idiot!" she exclaimed, and hit him again for good measure. "Where the hell were you?"

Leo winced. In a rare display of sweetness, he curled his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. "It's a long story. Forgive me? I'll make it up to you--"

"Okay! I think I've heard enough," Ezra gagged in disgust. 

"I agree," Annais muttered, her nose scrunched-up in shared distaste. "Maybe you should've stayed under the water, Valdez."

"Annais!" Mel gasped, but didn't seem all that bothered when Leo laughed at her sister's remark.

Once the four of them were hoisted back on board the ship, they were given a few minutes' reprieve to change into dry clothes before Annabeth called a meeting on the quarterdeck. She claimed it was a 'celebration' but not even five minutes into their feast containing the brownies Leo, Frank and Hazel had brought back up with them -- a long story, Leo had repeated when Annais confusedly questioned him about it -- the conversation returned to the matter at hand.

"Incredible," Jason declared once the three of them had finished summarising the hectic events of their night. He had a whole plate of brownies to himself that he was slowly working his way through, and he refused to tear his eyes away from them after catching Ezra trying to steal one. "These are really good brownies."

Piper shot him an incredulous look. "That's your only comment?"

Boys. What idiots.

Jason reluctantly looked up at her, his surprised expression making Annais laugh. "What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs, merpeople, letter of intro to the Tiber River God. Got it, but these brownies..."

"I know," Frank said through a mouthful of food. Hea grimaced as crumbs flew in her direction. "You should try them with Esther's peach preserves."

"That is incredibly disgusting."

Jason ignored Hazel's jab as he eagerly held out his hands, "Pass me the jar, man." He caught Annais watching him and offered her a smile. "Want some?"

She shook her head, gently patting his knee when he held the jar out towards her. "I think I'm good."

Across from them, Percy was quizzing Hazel on every detail about the underwater camp. It seemed to amaze him that he hadn't heard of it before -- either that, or his ego couldn't accept that the monster hadn't taken him.

"They didn't want to meet me?" he said, confirming Annais' suspicions.

She snickered as Hazel sighed to herself. "It wasn't that. Just... undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. But the good news is they're taking care of that aquarium back in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."

That should've been enough for Percy. Should've.

"... But they didn't want to meet me?"

Annabeth scowled at him. "Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about."

If Percy was offended by Annabeth's lack of concern, he was downright outraged when Ezra agreed with her. "I think it's a good thing they didn't want to meet you, Percy. Someone has to knock you down a peg every now and then, and it can't always be up to me and Annabeth."

"Hey--"

"What?" she smirked. "Are you gonna try and tell me I'm wrong?"

"Yes!"

"That doesn't matter right now," Hazel cut in, her urgent tone making Annais' brows furrow. She had a feeling she knew what was coming, but nonetheless, she felt the blow of Hazel's words as she added into the sudden silence, "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."

"Then Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Piper concluded. She reached out to squeeze Hazel's hand, catching Annais' eyes across the circle they'd made. "We'll save him, guys. We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"

"What?" Leo asked, too caught up in murmuring something into Mel's ear to hear Piper. The daughter of Aphrodite rolled her eyes, raising a suspicious brow when Mel repeated her question for him. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome -- or flying, if I can get the stabiliser fixed by then..."

Which didn't leave them much time.

It didn't leave them any time, if they thought about it.

As much as it pained Annais, finding Nico wasn't their only objective. But if Hazel was right and he was essential to their quest, he couldn't be left out either...

Jason grimaced, clearly thinking the same thing. "Which puts us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. We'll have twenty-four hours to find him -- at most..."

"Well, what other option do we have?" Hea retorted.

Jason said nothing, for Hea was right.

They were fresh out of luck -- and choices.

"And that's only part of the problem," Percy said. From her vantage point, Annais could see him anxiously tapping away on Ezra's thighs, the frantic rhythm the only sign of his concern. "There's the Mark of Athena, too."

At the mention of Annabeth's mother's name, all eyes turned to her. Annabeth's expression grew grim under the sudden attention. She opened up her bag and took out a thin, bronze disk that was no bigger than the palm of her hand. "This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's... it's blank?"

Hearing her surprise, Percy took it from her and examined both sides. "It wasn't like this earlier?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "I was looking at it in my cabin and--" Whatever she was about to say died on her tongue as realisation dawned. "It must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other demigods."

"What did it have on it?" Frank asked, his tone a combination of concern and curiosity. "And what even is the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."

"You're not the only one, Frank," Ezra said with a frown in Annabeth's general direction. "Annabeth? Anything you'd like to share?"

Annabeth was silent as she took the disk back from Percy. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome." She pointed at a spot on the disk; stubbornly, it remained blank. "I think that's where my quest starts. The path I've got to take to follow the Mark."

"Maybe that's where you meet the River God Tiberinus," Piper suggested.

"But what is the Mark, Annabeth?" Ezra repeated, this time with a hint of frustration that was only somewhat calmed by Percy grabbing onto her hand.

"The coin."

"What coin?" It was Percy's turn to frown.

Annabeth dug into her pocket and pulled out what looked to be a silver drachma. She handed it to Percy first, watching as it slowly made its way around the group. It was only when it reached Annais that she spoke, watching as the girl traced the silver inlay with interest. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mum at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin."

"An owl," Leo recollected. "Well, that makes sense. And I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's the inscription? AΘE. Area Of Effect, maybe?"

Annabeth corrected him, "It's alpha, theta, epsilon. In Greek, it stands for 'Of The Athenians.' Or you could read it as 'the children of Athena.' It's sort of the Athenian motto."

"Like SPQR for the Romans?"

Annabeth nodded at Piper. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams, then twice at Fort Sumter."

Annais watched with interest as Ezra's face darkened, her hand having suddenly been released by Percy as he reached for Annabeth instead. She knew the relationship between the three of them was new, unexplored territory not just for Ezra, who'd never been in a relationship before, but also for Percy and Annabeth, whose relationship had already been established between just the two of them. Annais didn't doubt their love for Ezra, but there were times where Annais noticed Ezra pause, like she was adrift in an ocean, Percy and Annabeth holding the life buoy but refusing to throw it to her.

"I should have been there for you."

"We both should have," Ezra muttered.

Annabeth leaned into Percy's touch. "But that's the point. No one can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to... to the source..."

Her words hung heavy in the air. They'd already known this was something for Annabeth to do alone. This was about her mother, her legacy, but having it confirmed -- that there was no way around it, was heart-sinking. 

Annais watched as Frank took the coin again, tracing the owl with apprehension in his eyes. "'The giants' bane stands gold and pale, won with pain from a woven jail.' What is it? This thing at the source?"

"A statue," Jason declared, his brownies and peach-preserves long forgotten. "A statue of Athena. At least, that's my guess."

"I thought you said you didn't know anything, Grace," Hea regarded him with evident distrust.

Jason hesitated under the weight of her stare. His gaze flickered to Annais and back again. "I don't," he confirmed. "But the more I think about it... there's only one artefact that could possibly fit the legend. I'm sorry, Annabeth. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true..."

"I know," Annabeth said, her face going pale despite the morning glow. "I figured it out, Jason, and I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together... Don't you see, guys? It could heal the rift."

"Whoa, hold on," Percy interrupted. "What statue?"

"The Athena Parthenos," Annabeth said. "The most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."

The name sparked a sense of recognition in Annais. She turned to face Hea, who scowled like she'd discovered there was a missing piece in her puzzle. Mel said nothing, still attached to Leo's arm, while Ezra's face soured like someone had put salt in her coffee. How were they supposed to help Annabeth -- albeit, from a distance -- when the statue was taller than all of them combined? It sounded impossible. It was impossible.

"Okay, I'll bite," Leo broke the silence with a sigh. "What happened to it?"

"It disappeared."

"...How does a forty-foot-tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just disappear?"

"That's a good question," Annabeth grumbled. "It's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Some people thought the statue was melted down for its gold, or destroyed by invaders." There was only one 'invader' Annais could think of... "Athens was sacked a number of times. Some thought the statue was carried off--"

"By Romans," Jason said grimly. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally stole Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer Goddess."

A male-lead country demeaning a woman's place in the world. How familiar.

"And the children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since," Annabeth said. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the Goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena, a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue, hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."

Percy frowned. "So if we -- I mean... you -- find the statue... what would we do with it? Could we even move it?"

"I'm sorry, do you suddenly have superhuman strength that I don't know about?" Ezra scoffed.

Percy didn't answer, but she made a good point. Even with ten of them on board -- eleven, if you counted Gleeson, and twelve, if you then counted Buford -- Annais doubted they'd even lift the statue's head from the floor.

In the wise words of Ezra Min, they were completely and utterly fucked.

"I'm not sure," Annabeth said, though their prospects remained grim. "But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe, maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."

"This could change everything," Piper said, clinging onto a fool's dream. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might even be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you..."

Her question hung resolute over their heads. It was an age-old question, one Annais had thought more times than she could count.

Was any of this even possible?

"I have to succeed," Annabeth replied, as if it was that simple. "The risk is worth it."

Hazel's expression was pensive as she murmured, "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created..."

"It could kick some serious booty," Leo offered.

Hazel frowned at him, obviously caught off guard. "That wasn't the way I'd put it, but yes."

"Except, No child of Athena has ever found it." Percy turned to Annabeth, demanding an answer Annais wasn't sure Annabeth was prepared to give. "Annabeth, what's down there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders--"

"Won through pain from a woven jail," Frank recalled, a sense of dread washing over them. "Woven, like webs?"

Webs. Spiders. The biggest fear of Athena, and all of Athena's children...

Well, shit.

That certainly complicated some things.

"We'll deal with that when we get to Rome," Piper decided, sending Annabeth a smile, one that was charmed to return some of the colour to her cheeks as her breath went shaky just at the idea of facing her demons -- and alone, too. "It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You'll see."

"Yeah," Percy said with pride. "I learned a long time ago to never bet against Annabeth."

Annais waited for Ezra to add something but nothing came. Just cold, daunting silence. Instead, the group went their separate ways, Annais leaving Jason with a fleeting kiss on the cheek as she followed Ezra to the other side of the deck. Hea and Mel watched them go, but neither made a move to follow them.

For a moment, Annais hesitated. What she wanted to ask, it was the kind of thing that neither her or Ezra were ever good at. Feelings. It was easy with Mel around. Heck, even Hea was easier to approach about emotions that honestly seemed trivial in the grand scheme of things. Coaching out Ezra's heart when she didn't want it to budge was like drawing blood from a stone.

One of the many impossibilities of Annais' life.

Still, Annais -- and Ezra, too -- was nothing if not stubborn.

"Are you just going to stand there looking at me, or..."

Annais sighed, inching closer so that she and Ezra were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their arms hooked over the railing. For a second, she watched the waves as the waves parted beneath the boat's body. It was difficult to imagine that Leo, Frank and Hazel had survived this, that a whole other world was hidden beneath its depths. Part of Annais longed to find out what it was like. The matter of reason prayed that she never would.

"Are you alright, Ez?" Annais asked, feeling strangely small as the question poised between them like a knife.

Suddenly, they were kids again, just girls who didn't know any better. It was them, alone, and the world threatening to swallow them whole. Annais longed for her mother. Not the dream-version of her, that haunted Annais' brain like the ghosts of Melanie's life, but the version of Areum Min whose cheeks were always flushed with life, the woman who had an endless amount of love for her children, even the ones related to her by blood but not by birth. Annais leaned her head on Ezra's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Ezra?"

She felt Ezra tense, already pulling away from her. Everything that she wanted to say was coiled up in waiting, things she knew would destroy the fragile bindings between them. Annais heard Ezra sigh and felt disappointment when she followed through.

"Are you, Annais?"

Annais didn't answer, but Ezra hadn't expected her to.

The two of them stood in silence, the quiet explanation enough.

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A/N: hmmm. . . i wonder what secrets ezra could possibly be keeping. . .