Jɪɴx ➪ 𝙡. 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯

Bubble Wrap

"A mental or physical weakness that's especially fatal to demigods."

"What's yours?"

He sighed, he was well tangled with his. "Holding grudges. I hold grudges for a long time and it led me on to the wrong path once."

Nico thought back to the time when he was working against Percy and Annabeth. He cringed at his younger self's motives.

"Don't let your flaw control you."

Jinx felt embarrassed by the lecture he was giving her. He sounded like his real age.

"-And you shouldn't feel scared or unsure about where or how we're going to get there. Everyone on this ship was handpicked by Hera. They know what they're doing."

Jinx thought back to the time when Hazel told her she didn't have a clue on what to do, or how Jason was pushing through with the will of getting Percy and Annabeth back. She knew everyone had their doubts about what they were doing, but for the prophecy's sake, they all went with it.

Except, Jinx wasn't in the prophecy. She was a tag-along. She had one dream and decided that Nico's fate was in her hands, she had to save him. Even then, Jinx was no help in his rescue.

"I shouldn't be here, Nico."

Nico slipped his hands into his pockets. "Why not? You fit in just right."

"Why are you able to move in my time loop?" Jinx switched topics, frowning.

"Ghost king."

He immediately wished he hadn't said that out loud.

Jinx laughed. "Right. I forgot you deal with the dead." She shivered.

"The dead move through all barriers." He said in his mysterious, gloomy voice.

She took a deep breath in and out once. Then she did it again. Finally, she stood.

Time was slowly going back to its moving self and Jinx was feeling more sure of herself. It didn't matter if she wasn't supposed to be there or not. She had a place there. They needed her, and if they came out and told her that they didn't need her, she'd take her leave. Jinx was never going to stay somewhere people didn't want her.

"This is a trap," Hazel's voice broke the silence.

Nico looked at Jinx and gave her the tiniest of smiles.

The others looked at Hazel.

"Nah, it's fine," Leo said. "Worse that happens, we make repairs. Might take overnight, but I can get the ship flying again."

"Overnight?" Jinx grimaced. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

At the mouth of the inlet, the turtle roared. It didn't appear interested in leaving.

Just great, Jinx rolled her eyes.

"Well..." Piper shrugged. "At least the turtle can't get us. We're safe here."

"Please don't jinx it." She said.

That was something no demigod should ever say. The words had barely left Piper's mouth when an arrow sank into the mainmast, six inches from her face.

The crew scattered for cover, except for Piper, who stood frozen in place, gaping at the arrow that had almost pierced her nose the hard way.

"Piper, duck!" Jason whispered harshly

Jinx cried in surprise when Leo pulled her down, covering her body with his.

"Are you okay?" He moved the hair out of her face, scanning her wide eyes with his own.