The Veiled Legacy | PJO - Book Two

nine

GENIUS HARPY

They were chilling around until Iris told them something was going on; they rushed outside expecting to see Frank dead, their weapons drawn.

Instead what they saw was him killing a bunch of monsters.

"Are you okay?" Hazel asked.

Ariana and Percy turned in a circle, looking for enemies.

"Iris told us you were out here battling the basilisks by yourself, and we were, like, What?
We came as fast as we could. What happened?" Percy rambled.

"I'm not sure." Frank admitted.

Ariana frowned, she felt the presence of death every where.

"Hazel?" She asked. Hazel looked at her, a wary expression. "You feel that?"

She nodded a response; Hazel crouched next to the earth where Grey had disappeared. "I sense death. Either our brother has been here or ... the basilisks are dead?"

Percy stared at him in awe. "You killed them all?"

Frank swallowed. "Thanks a lot, Dad." he grumbled.

"What?" Hazel asked. "Frank, are you okay?"

"I'll explain later." he said. "Right now, there's a blind man in Portland weve got to see."

Percy already felt like the lamest demigod in the history of lame. The bag was the final insult.

They'd left R.O.F.L. in a hurry, so maybe Iris hadn't meant the bag as a criticism. She'd quickly stuffed it with vitamin-enriched pastries, dried fruit leather, macrobiotic beef jerky and a few crystals for good luck.

Then she'd shoved it at Percy: Here, you'll need this. Oh, that looks good.

The handbag - sorry, masculine accessory bag - was rainbow tie-dyed with a peace symbol stitched in wooden beads and the slogan Hug the Whole World.

Percy wished it said Hug the Commode. He said he felt like the bag was a comment on his massive, incredible uselessness.

As they sailed north, Ariana put the man satchel as far away from him as she could, but the boat was small.

Iris's medicinal tea had helped Percy's body feel better, but he still said his mind still hurt. Percy described it as being an amputee who had phantom pains where their missing legs and arms used to be. That's how his mind felt
- like his missing memories were aching.

Worst of all, the further north they went, the more those memories faded. Ariana had started to feel better at Camp Jupiter, remembering random names and faces. But now even
Annabeth's face was getting dimmer, despite having seen her in a dream.

At R.O.F.L., when they'd tried to send an Iris-message to Annabeth, Fleecy had just shaken her head sadly.

It's like you're dialling somebody, she said, but you've forgotten the number. Or someone is jamming the signal. Sorry, dear. I just can't connect you.

Percy was terrified that they'd lose Annabeth's face completely when they got to Alaska.

Still, Ariana had to concentrate on the quest. The sight of that enemy army had shown him what they were up against.

It was early in the morning of 21 June, now. They had to get to Alaska, find Thanatos, locate the legion's standard and make it back to Camp Jupiter by the evening of 24 June.

Four days. Meanwhile, the enemy had only a few hundred miles to march.

Percy guided the boat through the strong currents off the northern California coast. The wind was cold, but it felt good, clearing some of the confusion from her head.