★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊 𝖊𝖙 𝖚𝖓:
PANCAKES CANNOT DROWN,
AND NEITHER CAN PERCY

★ 。／｜＼。★

A COUPLE OF weeks ago, all eight Demigods of the Prophecy eating breakfast at the same time would've been a rare sight to see. At least one of them would have to be down at the helm (since Coach Hedge was gone on his trip with Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona, and Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, to transport the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood), but ever since charmspeak had somehow woken up their bronze dragon figurehead Festus, Festus was more than capable of running the Argo II by himself. They also had Buford the Wonder Table, which now had a hologram of Coach Hedge that would yell at them. Buford was the one manning the helm today. If Festus' flames wouldn't scare away monsters, a miniature Coach Hedge yelling at them to put some clothes on definitely would.

Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, was standing in the doorway of the mess hall, probably taking in the sight of everyone. Frank Zhang, son of Mars, and Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, were using their cereal bowls to flatten out a map of Greece. They were looking over it with their heads close together, and every so often Frank would cover his hand over Hazel's like the sweet couple they were. Hazel didn't even look flustered, which was a step-up for a girl from the 1940's. However, if somebody said gosh darn, she would still nearly faint.

Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, was sitting uncomfortably at the head of the table with his shirt rolled up while his girlfriend Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, was changing his bandages and encouraging to stay still. After a trip to Ithaca, he had been stabbed by an Imperial Gold gladius all the way through from Michael Varus, an old Camp Jupiter Praetor. Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze were fatal to Demigods. The entrance wound on Jason's back was purple and steaming. Definitely not a good sign. Ambrosia and nectar could only do so much for a wound that could dissolve the essence of a Demigod.

Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, was sitting down while studying a book on Giants, possibly looking for something to aid them in their upcoming war. She kept muttering underneath her breath to try and memorize things better. Next to her sat Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, who was eating a huge stack of blue pancakes (naturally.)

And finally, Belle Adair, daughter of Demeter, was sitting at the other head of the table. She rested her feet comfortably on the table while her book, Catching Fire, sat in her lap. Her hair had grown longer, just a little bit past her shoulders, and her skin wasn't as pale and she wasn't as skinny as she was when her and Percy got out of Tartarus. Physically, they were doing okay. Little by little they were learning to breathe normal air again after being in Tartarus for weeks. On the other hand, emotionally . . . both of them were extremely dependent on each other. Nightmares and trauma plagued their minds. Nobody questioned it when they began to stay in each other's rooms at night. It was hard to be apart after going through literal hell together.

Belle suddenly looked up from her book. The sight she was met with was Percy pouring pretty much half of the bottle of syrup onto his pancakes. Belle rolled her eyes at it and flipped to the next page of her book.

Percy raised an eyebrow at her. "You got something to say to me, Beauty?"

"Yeah, you want some pancakes with your syrup?" Belle asked.

He reached over and pinched her cheek, making her look at him weirdly. "Silly Belle. There's nothing wrong with my pancakes."

Belle shut her book, swung her legs off of the table, and pointed at his plate for emphasis. "You're literally drowning them."

"Aw, come on. I'm a Poseidon kid. My pancakes can't drown, and neither can I."

"I don't think that's how it works," Annabeth cut in, looking up from her book and raising an eyebrow at Percy. "Are pancakes suddenly your siblings?"

Percy's eyes narrowed. "Okay, Wise Girl, we didn't have to get technical."

"What's up, guys?" Leo announced, strolling into the mess hall from his place in the doorway. "Aw, yes to brownies!"

He grabbed the last one from the basket. Back when they were sailing over the Atlantic, Leo, Frank, and Hazel had gone underwater and met some fish-Centaurs, Chiron's brothers. They had sent them back up to the surface with a special sea salt brownie recipe.

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" Buford's mini Coach Hedge then yelled loudly over the speaker.

Everyone jumped. Belle dropped her book onto the ground. Annabeth flinched. Percy spilled some syrup into his orange juice. Hazel managed to end up five feet away from Frank. Jason awkwardly wriggled back into his t-shirt. Piper let out a small yell. Frank even turned into a bulldog.

Piper glared at Leo once she recovered. "I thought you were getting rid of that stupid hologram."

"Hey, Buford's just saying good morning," Leo argued. "He loves his hologram! Besides, we all miss the coach. And Frank makes a cute bulldog."

Frank morphed back into his regular self. "Just sit down, Leo. We've got stuff to talk about."

That was true. They only had ten days until the Feast of Spes, which was when the Giants were planning to wake Gaea. But first, Juno (or Hera, she's equally as annoying in both forms), had informed some news to Jason, Piper, and Annabeth back at Ithaca. She had told them to go to Olympia for some reason. Even though she wasn't the best Goddess, Juno could give them helpful information . . . sometimes.

Leo squeezed in between Jason and Hazel. Belle sighed and leaned down, picking up her book off the floor. She placed it back on the table and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"So . . ." Jason began, wincing as he leaned forward. "We're going to stay airborne and drop anchor as close as we can to Olympia. It's further inland than I'd like — about five miles — but we don't have much choice. According to Juno, we have to find the Goddess of victory and, um . . . subdue her."

Uncomfortable silence clouded over the table. The new drapes on the holographic walls made the mess hall way gloomier than it should've been. Apparently, while Belle and Percy were in Tartarus, some dwarf twins called the Kerkopes had short-circuited the walls. The real-time video feed of Camp Half-Blood that Leo had installed now often fuzzed out and showed an extreme dwarf close up. It definitely didn't help when they were trying to eat or have a serious conversation about how they had to quite literally save the world.

Percy sipped his orange juice with syrup in it, making Belle wrinkle her nose in disgust. "I'm cool with fighting the occasional Goddess, but isn't Nike one of the good ones? I mean, personally, I like victory. I can't get enough of it."

Annabeth began to drum her fingers on the top of her now-shut book. "It does seem strange. I understand why Nike would be in Olympia — home of the Olympics and all that. The contestants sacrificed to her. Greeks and Romans worshipped her there for, like, twelve hundred years, right?"

"Almost to the end of the Roman Empire," Frank agreed. "Romans called her Victoria, but same difference. Everybody loved her. Who doesn't like to win? Not sure why we would have to subdue her."

Jason frowned, a wisp of steam curling out from the wound underneath his shirt. "All I know . . . the ghoul Antinous said, Victory runs rampant in Olympia. Juno warned us that we could never heal the rift between the Greeks and Romans unless we defeated victory."

"How do we defeat victory?" Piper asked. "Sounds like one of those impossible riddles."

"Like making stones fly, or eating only one Fonzie," Leo added, popping a handful of the cheesy corn chips into his mouth.

Hazel stared at him. "That stuff is going to kill you."

"You kidding? So many preservatives in these things, I'll live forever. But, hey, about this victory Goddess being popular and great — don't you guys remember what her kids are like at Camp Half-Blood?"

Everyone, except for Hazel and Frank since they had never been to Camp Half-Blood, nodded gravely.

"Cabin Seventeen is the Nike Cabin," Belle explained to Hazel and Frank, noticing their blank expressions. "There's not many kids in there, but there are a set of twins. Holly and Laurel Victor are extremely competitive and are just as set out for victory as the Ares Cabin when it comes to capture the flag."

"Maybe even worse," Percy voiced. "Uh, no offense, Frank."

Frank shrugged. "You're saying Nike has a dark side?"

"Her kids sure do," Annabeth said. "Belle's right. Holly and Laurel never turn down a challenge. They have to be number one at everything. If their mom is that intense . . ."

"Woah," Piper stated, putting her hands on the table like the ship was rocking. "Guys, all the Gods are split between their Greek and Roman aspects, right? If Nike's that way and she's the Goddess of victory—"

"She'd be really conflicted. She'd want one side or the other to win so she could declare a victor. She'd literally be fighting with herself."

Hazel moved her cereal bowl across the map of Greece on the table. "But we don't want one side or the other to win. We've got to get the Greeks and Romans on the same team."

"Maybe that's the problem," Jason said. "If the Goddess of victory is running rampant, torn between Greek and Roman, she might make it impossible to bring the two Camps together."

"How?" Leo questioned. "Start a flame war on Twitter?"

Percy stabbed at his blue pancakes. "Maybe she's like Ares. That guy can spark a fight just by walking into a crowded room. If Nike radiates competitive vibes or something, she could aggravate the whole Greek-Roman rivalry big-time."

Frank pointed at Percy. "You remember that old sea God in Atlanta — Phorcys? He said that Gaea's plans always have lots of layers. This could be part of the Giants' strategy — keep the two Camps divided; keep the Gods divided. If that's the case, we can't let Nike play us against each other. We should send a landing party of four — two Greeks, two Romans. The balance might help keep her balanced."

Belle still couldn't believe how much Frank had changed. Before Tartarus, she remembered him as a clumsy and slightly shy person who once turned into an iguana to escape Chinese handcuffs. But now, in those weeks where Belle and Percy were trapped down in that place, Frank had grown more into himself. He wasn't just taller and buffer. Frank was more confident now and more willing to take charge. Maybe it was because he was promoted to Praetor, but Belle still had trouble seeing him as the way he used to be.

"I think Frank is right," Annabeth admitted. "A party of four. We'll have to be careful who goes. We don't want to do anything that might make the Goddess, um, more unstable."

"I'll go," Piper offered. "I can try charmspeaking."

Belle tilted her head in thought. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Pipes. Nike is all about competition, and in her own way, Aphrodite is too. If you go, Nike might see you as a threat."

Piper nodded, not seeming hurt over Belle's words, and scanned the group. "Who should go, then?"

"Jason and Percy shouldn't go together," Annabeth continued. "Jupiter and Poseidon — bad combination. Nike could start you two fighting easily."

Percy gave Annabeth a sideways smile. "Yeah, we can't have another incident like in Kansas. I might kill my bro Jason."

"Or I might kill my bro Percy," Jason replied.

"Which just goes to prove Annabeth's point," Belle stated. "We probably also shouldn't send Percy and I together. Poseidon and Demeter . . . after that whole thing with Arion, it wouldn't be a good mix."

"I still don't know what Arion is to us," Percy responded.

"And as I said before, I'd rather not know. I probably shouldn't go with Hazel, either. Demeter and Pluto, well . . . you know. So that rules me out."

"We also shouldn't send Frank and me together," Annabeth voiced. "Mars and Athena — that would be just as bad."

"Okay," Leo cut in. "So Percy and me for the Greeks. Frank and Hazel for the Romans. Is that the ultimate non-competitive dream team or what?"

Annabeth and Frank, two children of the war Gods, exchanged looks.

"It could work," Frank finally decided. "I mean, no combination is going to be perfect, but Poseidon, Hephaestus, Pluto, Mars . . . I don't see any huge antagonism there."

Hazel traced her finger along the map of Greece. "I still wish we could've gone through the Gulf of Corinth. I was hoping we could visit Delphi, maybe get some advice. Plus it's such a long way around the Peloponnese."

"Yeah," Leo agreed, looking slightly crestfallen at the amount of coastline they still had to navigate. "It's July twenty-second already. Counting today, only ten days until—"

"I know," Jason interrupted. "But Juno was clear. The shorter way would have been suicide."

"And as for Delphi . . ." Piper trailed off. She leaned towards the map, the blue feather from a Harpy in a flock she had single-handedly defeated swinging in her hair. "What's going on there? If Apollo doesn't have his Oracle anymore . . ."

"Probably something to do with that creep Octavian," Percy guessed. "Maybe he was so bad at telling the future that he broke Apollo's powers."

Jason managed to smile, although his eyes were cloudy from pain. "Hopefully we can find Apollo and Artemis. Then you can ask him yourself. Juno said the twins might be willing to help us."

"A lot of unanswered questions," Frank muttered. "A lot of miles to cover before we get to Athens."

"First things first," Annabeth announced. "You guys have to find Nike and figure out how to subdue her . . . whatever Juno meant by that. I still don't understand how you defeat a Goddess who controls victory. Seems impossible."

Leo began to grin and rose to his feet. "We'll see about that. Let me get my collection of grenades and I'll meet you guys on deck!"

He rushed off towards his cabin. Belle chewed the inside of her lip nervously. This was the first time her and Percy would be apart after Tartarus. She really didn't like the idea of him going off without her, especially after that scene in the forest of the Arai when she thought he left, but going with that group would upset the balance. Belle knew Percy could handle himself. Of course he could. She was just worried.

Percy seemed to read her mind from her expression. Their eyes locked and he nodded his head over to a more secluded area of the mess hall. Belle stood up and tucked her book into her chest, following Percy over there. The two of them stood there facing each other.

"I'll be fine, Beauty," Percy told her.

Belle sighed. "I know. It's just . . . be careful, okay? Percy, I mean it."

"I will," Percy promised. He then held out his pinky to her. "Till forever falls apart, right?"

Belle managed a gentle smile and interlocked his pinky with hers. "Till forever falls apart."

Percy leaned down and pressed a soft kiss onto her lips. He pulled away and kissed her forehead once before smiling at her and leaving to wait on the deck with Hazel and Frank. Belle watched after him for a moment before another person appeared by her side.

"It's going to be all right, Belle," Annabeth said, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "Come on. Let's go sit in the sun with Piper and Jason."

Belle nodded, but even the warm sunshine wasn't enough to lift her spirits. They only had ten days until Gaea woke. This would end, one way or another, and Belle had a horrible feeling that one of them wouldn't survive.

—  [  ♡  ]  —

THE LAST ACT???? NO I'M GONNA CRY STOP IT THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HANDLE RN

BYE the way I forgot I was writing this book bc hsmtmts season two came out and I was focused on writing that but DON'T WORRY belle's back baby <3333

anyways, to start of the last act, tell me what your favorite belle and percy moment from any of the three books in the belle trilogy is!!! personally, mine is in something there when belle admits she knows they're soulmates up on mount olympus <333

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !