★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊-𝖉𝖊𝖚𝖝:
BELLE BONDS WITH FRANK
AND PIPER

★ 。／｜＼。★

FINDING DEADLY POISON shouldn't have been as hard as it was. Belle was out on an expedition to find some of Frank's shape-shifting relatives with Frank and Piper to receive an ingredient to the physician's cure which Nike, Goddess of victory, told them could bring someone back to life. The three of them had scoured the port of Pylos all morning. At first, Frank only wanted Piper to come with him so she could maybe use her charmspeak to try and convince Frank's relatives to help them. However, it was decided that Belle should come along too, just to get off the ship. After seeing Percy go off the Argo II to subdue Nike (which was successful, the Goddess was now tied up in the stables, constantly yelling things about being victorious), she thought leaving the ship would be beneficial for her. Therefore, Frank allowed her to come along.

As it turned out, Piper's charmspeak was pushed to the side for now. Piper's sword (which Belle learned she had received from a Boread, how wicked), her cornucopia, Sunflower, Belle's plant powers, and Frank's bow and arrow were more in demand. So far they had slain a Laistrygonian Ogre in a bakery, battled a giant warthog in the middle of the public square, and defeated a flock of Stymphalian birds with some well-aimed vegetables from Piper's cornucopia that had been grown a little larger from Belle.

Belle was glad for the distraction. It kept her mind off of all the thoughts of Tartarus and the nightmares she had been having about Gaea destroying the world. Belle couldn't even remember the last time she had gotten a good night's sleep. It always ended up with her waking up from another horrible vision. Even though he was next to her, Belle never woke Percy up. He needed rest, too. Belle knew that they had to depend on each other, but she kind of liked the peace and quiet in the early hours reading or just growing the plants in her room. She eventually would fall back asleep, but it left her with a staggering sleep schedule.

Not to mention they only had eight more days until the Feast of Spes. Gaea had personally chose to awaken on that day to destroy hope and then destroy the mortal world. Eight days until the Earth would completely take over. The eight Demigods of the Prophecy knew that they had to try and stop it no matter what. They quite literally had the weight of the world on their shoulders.

At around one in the afternoon, Piper had finally used her charmspeak for the first time. She spoke to an Ancient Greek ghost in a Laundromat and managed to get directions to an ancient stronghold where Frank's relatives, the shape-shifting descendants of Pericylmenus, hung out. The three Demigods finally found the cave perched halfway up a beachside cliff after trudging across the island in the humid afternoon heat. Frank insisted that Belle and Piper should wait at the bottom while he went to check it out. It wasn't the most ideal thing, but the two girls stood obediently on the beach in comfortable silence while squinting up at the cave entrance.

Belle absentmindedly fiddled with Sunflower's keychain as she looked around her. A stretch of white sand rimmed the foot of the hills behind her. People sunbathing were sprawled out on blankets. Children splashed in the shallow waves. The blue ocean glittered invitingly under the sun. Belle remembered Piper's promise to her, Annabeth, and Hazel that she would teach them to surf if they ever came to Malibu . . . if Malibu was still in existence after August first.

She looked back up at the cliff's summit. An old castle's ruins clung to the ridge. Nothing moved on it, giving no indication if it was part of the shapeshifters' hideout or not. The entrance of the cave was about seventy feet down the cliff face — a circle of black in the chalky yellow rock. According to the ghost in the Laundromat, it was called Nestor's Cave. Supposedly the ancient king of Pylos had stashed his treasure there in times of crisis and Hermes had once hidden the stolen cattle of Apollo in that cave.

Belle had encountered the cattle of Apollo once back at Geryon's ranch when she had gone on the quest in the Labyrinth. They were red and didn't really bother anyone too much. But regular cows on the other hand . . . those were annoying. Cows were the sacred animal of Belle's least favorite Goddess, Hera. She had even sent a herd of them after Annabeth once. Especially after the story of the Katoblepones in Venice, Belle was just about done with them.

"How are you doing?" Piper suddenly asked, looking down from the cave to Belle.

Belle sighed and stared down at her keychain. "Do you want the fake version or the honest version?"

"The honest one."

"I'm struggling," Belle admitted, finally looking up at Piper. "It just feels like Percy's readjusting a lot faster than I am, but what happened down there . . . I don't know, Pipes. Everything's just a little hard right now."

Piper put her arm around Belle's shoulder. "It's okay to feel that way, B. You've just experienced one of the worst things a person could possibly go through. Nobody can get over something like that that easily. But we've got your back."

Belle managed to smile. "Thank you, Piper." She then looked back up at the cliff. "Oh, hey, there's Frank."

Sure enough, he appeared at the cave entrance. Frank was standing next to a tall gray-haired main in a white linen suit that was paired with a pale yellow tie. The older man pressed a small shiny object to Frank's hands. Both of them exchanged a few words before Frank nodded gravely. The man then turned into a seagull and flew away from the cave. Frank picked his way down the trail until he reached Belle and Piper.

"I found them," he announced.

"We noticed," Piper replied. "You okay?"

Frank stared at the seagull as it flew towards the horizon. Frank's close-cropped hair pointed forwards like an arrow and made his gaze even more intense. All of his Roman badges (which Belle found kind of sad, considering they were still considered enemies) — Mural Crown, Centurion, Praetor — glittered on his shirt collar in the sun. His SPQR tattoo with the crossed spears of Mars stood out darkly in the bright sun. Even though Belle was now used to the tattoos that him, Percy, Jason, and Hazel shared, she still couldn't believe how they branded Demigods at Camp Jupiter. Back at Camp Half-Blood, campers would receive a bead to put on their leather necklace for each summer they completed. Belle currently had six beads on hers.

He looked good in his new outfit. Back at the public square, his old clothes had been pretty badly slimed from the giant warthog. Belle and Piper had pulled him into a store for some emergency shopping in Pylos. Now, Belle didn't have as much experience with fashion as children of Aphrodite like Piper did, but she managed to help Piper pick out a new outfit for Frank. Now he wore black jeans, soft leather boots, and a dark green Henley shirt that fitted him snugly. He had originally been self-conscious in the shirt because he was so used to hiding his bulk behind baggy clothes, but both Belle and Piper were quick to assure him he didn't have to worry about that anymore. Frank had grown into his bulkiness just fine after his growth spurt.

You haven't changed, Frank, Piper had told him. You're just more you.

She's right, Belle had agreed. You've just grown into your own skin.

It was a good thing Frank was still his sweet and soft-spoken self. He would've been a pretty scary guy otherwise.

"Frank?" Belle questioned softly, trying to snap him out of his trance. "Hey, what happened?"

"Yeah, sorry," Frank responded, focusing back on Belle and Piper. "My, uh . . . cousins, I guess you'd call them . . . they've been living here for generations, all descended from Periclymenus the Argonaut. I told them my story, how the Zhang family had gone from Greece to Rome to China to Canada. I told them about the Legionnaire ghost I saw in the House of Hades, urging me to come to Pylos. They . . . they didn't seem surprised. They said it's happened before, long-lost relatives coming home."

"You were expecting something different," Piper noticed, apparently also detecting the wistfulness in his voice.

He shrugged. "A bigger welcome. Some party balloons. I'm not sure. My grandmother told me I would close the circle — bring our family honor and all that. But my cousins here . . . they acted kind of cold and distant, like they didn't want me around. I don't think they liked that I'm a son of Mars. Honestly, I don't think they liked that I'm Chinese, either."

Belle glared up at the sky. The seagull was long gone now, which probably was a good thing. She probably would've trapped it in some plants for being so prejudiced.

"Your cousins are stupid for feeling that way," Belle voiced. "Unlike us, they don't know how incredible you are."

Frank shuffled from foot to foot. "They got a little more friendly when I told them I was just passing through. They gave me a going-away present."

He opened his hand. Sitting in his palm was a metallic vial no bigger than an eyedropper. Belle tilted her head at the small object.

"Is that the poison?" Piper inquired.

Frank nodded. "They call it Pylosian mint. Apparently the plant sprang from the blood of a Nymph who died on a mountain near here, back in ancient times. I didn't ask for details."

The vial was so tiny that Belle was worried there wouldn't be enough. Normally, she wouldn't wish for more deadly poison, but if Nike was really right about the physician's cure allowing someone to cheat death . . . Belle wanted each of her friends to have one so they could all survive.

Frank rolled the vial around in his palm. "I wish Vitellius Reticulus were here."

Belle blinked. "I'm sorry, ridiculous who?"

He gave her a small smile. "Gaius Vitellius Reticulus, although we did call him Ridiculous sometimes. He was one of the Lares of the Fifth Cohort. Kind of a goofball, but he was the son of Aesculapius, the healing God. If anybody knew about this physician's cure . . . he might."

"A healing God would be nice," Piper stated. "Better than having a screaming, tied-up victory Goddess on board."

"Hey, you're lucky. My cabin is closest to the stables. I can hear her yelling all night: FIRST PLACE OR DEATH! AN A-MINUS IS A FAILING GRADE! Leo really needs to design a gag that's better than my old sock."

Subduing the Goddess was one thing. Bringing her on board was another. Getting rid of Nike as soon as possible was preferable.

"So your cousins . . . did they have any advice about what comes next?" Piper asked. "This chained God we're supposed to find in Sparta?"

Another part of the physician's cure. Apparently they had to get the heartbeat of a chained God . . . however that was possible.

Frank's expression darkened. "Yeah. I'm afraid they had some thoughts on that. Let's get back to theship and I'll tell you about it."

Belle bit back a sigh. They had been walking for a really long time and her feet were killing her. She was just about to ask Frank if he could somehow fly them back before footsteps in the sand were heard behind them. All of them turned to see a scraggly fisherman in a white captain's hat and a mouth full of gold teeth beaming at them.

"Hello, nice tourists!" he greeted. "Boat ride? Very cheap!"

He gestured to the shore. Belle looked over to see a skiff with an outboard motor waiting there. Belle and Piper locked eyes. The two of them seemed to say why not?

Piper smiled charmingly at him. "Yes, please. And we'd like you to take us somewhere special."

After a quick boat ride, the fisherman dropped them off at the Argo II which was anchored about a quarter mile out to sea. Piper handed a wad of euros off to the fisherman.

"Thank you," Piper said in charmspeak."If anyone asks, you took us around the island and showed us the sights. You dropped us at the docks in Pylos. You never saw any giant warship."

"No warship," the fisherman agreed. "Thank you, nice American tourists!"

They all climbed aboard the Argo II. Frank smiled at Belle and Piper awkwardly.

"Well . . . nice killing giant warthogs with you," Frank voiced.

Piper laughed slightly. "You too, Mr. Zhang."

"Right back at you," Belle replied. "And thanks for letting me come along. I think some time off of the ship was really beneficial." She squeezed both of her friends' shoulders. "Now, come on. I think we need to have a meeting."

They found all of the others at the foredeck. Annabeth was leaning against the wall, engaging in a conversation with Hazel while Jason and Leo were bickering off to the side. Meanwhile, Percy was leaning his forearms against the rail and staring intently out at the sea.

"Hey," Belle announced, gaining all of their attention as she stopped walking. "We got the poison. What are all of you doing out here?"

Annabeth nodded her head over to Percy. "Seaweed Brain's keeping an eye on a giant red sea serpent that's swimming off of the port side."

"That thing is really red," Percy muttered. "I wonder if it's cherry-flavored."

Belle raised an eyebrow while leaning her back against the rail next to Percy and resting her elbows on it. "Why don't you jump overboard and find out?"

"Yeah, no."

"Anyway, according to my Pylos cousins, the chained God we're looking for in Sparta is my dad . . . uh, I mean Ares, not Mars," Frank admitted. "Apparently the Spartans kept a statue of him chained up in their city so the spirit of war would never leave them."

"Oo-kay," Leo responded. "The Spartans were freaks. Of course, we've got Victory tied up downstairs, so I guess we can't talk."

Jason leaned against the forward ballista. "On to Sparta, then. But how does a chained God's heartbeat help us find a cure for dying?"

Belle looked over at him. She could tell that he was still in pain from the tightness in his face. Belle frowned. If Jason didn't heal from the Imperial Gold stab wound soon . . . she didn't want to think about it.

"Piper, what about the visions in Katoptris?" Hazel questioned.

The girl didn't answer. She seemed to be lost in thought.

"Piper?" Hazel asked again.

She snapped out of her trance. "Sorry, what?"

"I was asking you about the visions. You told me you'd seen some stuff in your dagger blade?"

Piper's knife, Katoptris, had the ability to show scenes from the future and past. They always used to be horrible, but Piper had revealed that they had gotten a lot colder after she had stabbed the snow Goddess Khione (which Belle didn't fully understand, but hey, anything's possible for a Demigod.)

"Uh . . . right," Piper answered, unsheathing Katoptris reluctantly. "I, um . . . I don't see anything right now. But one vision kept popping up. Belle, Annabeth and I are exploring some ruins—"

"Ruins!" Leo exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "Now we're talking. How many ruins can there be in Greece?"

"Quiet, Leo," Annabeth scolded. "Piper, do you think it was Sparta?"

"Maybe," Piper replied. "Anyway . . . suddenly we're in this dark place like a cave. We're staring at
this bronze warrior statue. In the vision I touch the statue's face and flames start swirling around us. That's all I saw."

"Flames," Frank repeated with a scowl. "I don't like that vision."

"Me neither," Percy agreed, turning to face them fully and putting an arm around Belle. He kept glancing at the red sea serpent every so often, which was still slithering through the waves about a hundred yards to port. "If the statue engulfs people in fire, we should send Leo."

"I love you too, man," Leo responded.

"You know what I mean. You're immune. Or, heck, give me some of those nice water grenades and I'll go. Ares and I have tangled before."

Annabeth stared out at the coastline of Pylos which was now retreating in the distance. "If Piper saw the three of us going after the statue, then that's who should go. We'll be all right. There's always a way to survive."

"Not always," Hazel warned, her observation kind of killing the mood because she was the only one in the group who had actually died and come back to life.

Frank held out the vial of Pylosian mint. "What about this stuff? After the House of Hades, I kind of hoped we were done drinking poison."

"For now we'll store it securely in the hold," Belle stated. "It's all we can do. Then we'll head to the island of Delos once we figure out the whole chained God situation."

"The curse of Delos," Hazel remembered. "That sounds fun."

"Hopefully Apollo will be there," Annabeth voiced. "Delos was his home island. He's the God of medicine. He should be able to advise us."

Suddenly, off of the port bow, the red sea serpent spewed steam into the air.

"Yeah, it's definitely checking us out," Percy decided. "Maybe we should take to the air for a while."

"Airborne it is!" Leo shouted. "Festus, do the honors!"

Festus, their bronze dragon figurehead, creaked and clacked. The ship's engine hummed and the oars lifted, expanding into aerial blades and allowing the Argo II to rise into the sky.

"You sure you don't want to find out if it's cherry-flavored?" Belle asked, elbowing him in the ribs gently.

Percy smirked down at her. "Nah, I'd rather find out if your chapstick is cherry-flavored."

Belle's eyes widened and she looked away from him, her face burning the same bright shade of red as the sea serpent. Her friends all around her let out small chuckles as Belle didn't let herself meet any of their eyes. She buried her head into Percy's chest and felt it rumble as he laughed along with them.

"Okay, okay, I was kidding," Percy told her, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't be so embarrassed, Beauty."

"Well, if that's done and over with, I just want to say we should reach Sparta by morning," Leo continued. "And remember to come by the mess hall tonight, folks, 'cause Chef Leo is making his famous three-alarm tofu tacos!"

— [ ♡ ] —

percy's theme song is now brutal by olivia rodrigo. no you cannot change my mind on that. also just found out that liv wrote songs about percy jackson 🧍🏼‍♀️ she's a pjo fan we won besties

anyways

sometimes I get my books confused bc I have an oc named athena who's playing belle in the musical of beauty and the beast and every time I see the name athena in this book or belle in my other book I'm like omg when did percy jackson cross over with hsmtmts

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !