The Veiled Legacy | PJO - Book Two

six

ARIANA BECOMES A PROTECTIVE SISTER

Ariana had seen Frank by cannibal ogres, facing down an unkillable giant, and even unleashing Thanatos, the god of death.

But she'd never seen Frank look as terrified as he did now, finding the two of them passed out in the stables.

"What ...?" Percy rubbed his eyes. "Oh, we just fell asleep."

Frank swallowed. He was dressed in running shoes, dark cargo pants and a Vancouver Winter Olympics T-shirt with his Roman centurion badge pinned to the neck (which seemed either sad or hopeful to Ariana, now that they were renegades).

Frank averted his eyes as if the sight of them together might burn him.

"Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped." he said. "We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out - oh, gods, you've been here all night?"

"Frank!" Annabeth's ears were as red as strawberries. "We just came down here to talk. We fell asleep. Accidentally. That's it."

"Kissed a couple of times." Percy said.

Annabeth glared at him. "Not helping!"

"We'd better.." Frank pointed to the stable doors. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast. Would you explain what you did - I mean didn't do? I mean ... I really don't want that faun - I mean satyr - to kill me."

Frank ran.

"You dirty dirty dogs." Ariana laughed. "In the stables? That's foul, something Hades and Persephone would do."

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't quite as bad as Frank had feared. Jason and Piper were mostly relieved.

Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic."

Only Hazel seemed scandalized, maybe because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Percy's or Annabeth's eyes.

Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic, but Ariana found it hard to take the satyr seriously since he was barely five feet tall.

"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible !"

"Irresponsible!" Ariana repeated, laughing at the couple.

"Coach," Annabeth spoke, glaring at Ariana, "it was an accident. We were talking and we fell asleep."

"Besides." Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll - I' terminus you, buddy!"

Ariana tried not to laugh.

"It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?" Percy said.

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense."

Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

Ariana sat besides Leo, the pair still teasing Annabeth and Percy.

The meeting was like a war council with
doughnuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood they used to have their most serious discussions around the ping-pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz, so Ariana felt right at home.

Percy told them about his dream - the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers: Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.