The Moon and the Stars || Heroes of Olympus

Chapter 62

Warmth flooded my body from head to toe like a tidal wave, practically knocking me over as I regained my ability to move, my brain struggling to assess the situation before I was unceremoniously flung back to the deck and the floor heaved beneath my body.

My ribs smacked painfully against something solid, the ship swaying around me.

When the floor finally stopped moving, I sat up unsteadily. "What .... " My eyes slid over the deck to find supplies, Piper, and Jason strewn across the floor. There was no sign of the rest of the crew and I couldn't recall how we'd managed to end up in such a mess. "happened?"

Piper helped pull me to my feet, brushing messy hair from her face. Her fingers were ice cold, and a new jagged blade hung from her hips. "Long story. Do you know where we are?"

I blinked, barely even aware that I was on the ship. "No? Piper, what's going on?"

Footsteps thudded up the stairs and the rest of the crew stumbled onto the deck, looking thoroughly worse for wear. Alessa was dizzily swaying on her paws and Nico was leaning on Hazel for help while Coach Hedge pulled stray feathers from Frank's shirt. Everyone was accounted for. Well, everyone except a certain flame-throwing mechanic. My heart stuttered.

"Where's Leo?"

Festus perked his head at the sound of his friend's name. I could've sworn he was deactivated?

Finally Piper gave something close to a straight answer. "I don't know."

What's going on?

"He can't just have disappeared." Jason said, worry knotting his brows together.

She shook her head. "She - Khione threw him off the ship. She said that we wouldn't be able to find him. I don't know where he is."

Khione? My body suddenly felt so light a breeze could send me over the railing. We'd already lost Percy and Annabeth, I couldn't handle losing Leo too. "We'll find him. We have to." I tried to ignore the shaking in my words.

Soft hands grabbed my arms gently. Piper gently lifted my chin to meet her eyes, dark and full of worry. "Breathe, Neo. Relax."

Calm seeped from her lips through my bones like syrup. At least for now, my panic subsided.

Frank stepped forward hesitantly, brushing the coach aside. "Before we start tidying this mess up, what exactly happened?"

Piper let out a tired breath. "We had a visit from an old enemy."

She kept a hold of my arm as she explained her encounter with the Boreads - how they planned on helping Gaea, how she reactivated Festus through the literal power of love, and how she stabbed Khione and prevented us from being blown completely off course by a wind bomb.

"You did all that while the rest of us were statues?" Jason asked, staring at her in awe. "Pipes, have I ever told you you're incredible?"

"Don't get too hasty. We still got blown miles off course, and we have no clue where they sent Leo." Piper gently detached herself from me. Her confidence had certainly improved since December, but she still couldn't seem to take a compliment. Though I was frantically worrying about Leo, I couldn't deny that Piper had saved us.

Hazel shook her head. "Jason's right. That could've been a lot worse if you weren't there to save our asses."

She shrugged hesitantly. "I guess."

"I know." Hazel smiled.

"C'mon." Frank said, heading towards the control panel, which looked empty without Leo there to manage it. "Let's figure out where we are."