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︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶
they gathered around the dining table, Piper and Katherine explained what had happened at TOPEKA 32—their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed the boys.
"Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."
"So it wasn't my fault." Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"
"But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"
"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us." Hearing the way Jason said her name, like it was a lifeline to his past, made Katherine's heart sink. Jason turned to Piper with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."
Katherine roll her eyes and Annabeth looked at her sympathetically, as if to say: Boys are so clueless. Even Hazel winced.
"I could try," she said halfheartedly. "But Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."
Jason's expression darkened , the other Romans—Hazel and Frank—nodded in agreement.
"She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."
Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles...It's like they could smell us."
"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely—not from them."
Leo drummed his fingers. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time." Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"
"Oh, man..." Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"
"Doesn't matter," Katherine interrupted. "The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us—"
"You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe—at least from the legion."
"How can you be sure?" Piper asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"
