Jɪɴx ➪ 𝙡. 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯

Worst Nightmare

chapter two; Worst Nightmare

"I SAW THAT."

Nico's voice stopped Jinx in her tracks to follow Leo up the stairs. She wasn't even sure Leo noticed she wasn't by his side.

"More like I sensed it." He amended.

Jinx rolled her eyes, "what's up with you and sensing everything?"

He shrugged, though she could tell it was painful. Nico was ready to have their talk right here, right now. Even with Hazel here. He trusted her and Jinx did too, but she wasn't ready to share her memory loss issues with her friend and then discuss the fact that Nico was able to sense her grasp on time loosen.

No, that was not a conversation she wanted to have at all, much less with two people.

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he said anything.

"Not now, Nico." Jinx stared at him. They stayed like that for a few seconds, but Nico relented, nodding his head.

Jinx turned and ran up the stairs, catching up with the boys. She skittered to a stop, taking in everything at once.

Coach Hedge and Piper were struggling against their duct tape bonds while one of the demon monkey dwarfs danced around the deck, picking up whatever wasn't tied down and sticking it in his bag. He was maybe four feet tall, even shorter than Coach Hedge, with bowed legs and chimp-like feet, and bright clothing. His green-plaid pants were pinned at the cuffs, and held up with bright-red suspenders over a striped pink-and-black woman's blouse. He wore half a dozen gold watches on each arm, and a zebra-patterned cowboy hat with a price tag dangling from the brim. His skin was covered with patches of scraggly red fur, though ninety percent of his body hair seemed to be concentrated in his magnificent eyebrows.

Despite his poor choice of clothing, he looked kind of expensive. At least in Jinx's eyes he did.

"Duck!" Leo shouted, dropping to the ground as the explosion knocked Jinx off of her foot.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Flash-bang grenade." Leo muttered, attempting to push himself up, but a monkey - Or dwarf - tugged his legs, robbing him of his tool belt.

Leo tried to grab him, but the dwarf only wandered away. The dwarf frolicked over to the nearest ballista, which his red-furred friend was priming to launch.

"This is literally my worst nightmare." Jinx whispered to herself, blinking away the shock. She got back up, pushing hair away from her eyes and whipping out her glasses.

She saw the red fur dwarf make his way to Coach. Jinx jutted out her hand, curling her fingers in concentration. "Stop right there!"

The dwarf's movements slowed to that of a sloth.

It wasn't much, but it made Jinx smile. She took a deep breath, focusing on stopping his movements, but instead her hold on him snapped and he jumped forward, slapping Hedge on the cheek.

Then he had the audacity to skip to the rail, bowing towards Leo and giving a small wave to Jinx, and did a backflip over the side.

Leo managed to get up. Jason was already on his feet, stumbling and running into things. Frank had turned into a silverback gorilla, but the flash grenade had hit him hard. He was sprawled on the deck with his tongue hanging out and his gorilla eyes rolled up in his head.

Frank was K.O'ed.

"Piper!" Jason staggered to the helm and carefully pulled the gag out of her mouth.