Bloodshed ✷ Heroes of Olympus. ²

4. theo learns how to fly a warship

"Theo!" Percy called. "What—?"

"I don't know!" she yelled. "Something's gone wrong!"

"I'll tell you what!" cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!"

Theo's chest filled with ice. She felt like she might shatter into a million frozen pieces. "You're lying," she yelled up to Octavian. "Leo would never—"

"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

The Argo II returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters.

"You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"

"No!" Theo tried to protest, but it was useless. Trying to calm an angry Roman mob clearly would not be the way to get out of this mess. There was no time for anyone to figure out the truth. The crew from Camp Half-Blood was outnumbered a hundred to one, and even if Octavian had managed to stage some sort of trick (which she thought likely), they'd never be able to convince the Romans.

She looked again to Percy. "We have to go. Now."

He nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank, you've got to make a choice. Are you coming?"

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship unless you have some sort of distraction."

"Leave that to me," Theo assured her. Hazel nodded once, and she and Frank headed off for the rope ladder. The Roman crowd turned their full weight on Theo and Percy. They stood back to back, wielding off attackers as best as possible.

"I hope you have a plan," he told her over his shoulder, still blasting people away.

She nodded and shrugged at the same time. "I hope so too."

"Reassuring!"

"Shut up," she told him. "Just let me think."

She had no weapons. All she was relying on now was Percy's protection. Of course she'd have to use her powers, but how? Then, from halfway across the forum, she heard Jason shouting.

"Romans!" he cried. "Please!"

He and May were being pelted with plates and stones. Jason tried to shield May, but a brick caught him above the eye. He crumpled, and the crowd surged forward.

"Get back!" May screamed. She might not have had any charmspeak like the children of Aphrodite, but the fury in her voice drove the Roman mob back in the slightest.

"Frank!" Percy shouted up the rope ladder. He gestured over to May and Jason. "It's up to you!"

"So he's got them," Theo said, ducking a shoe, as Frank bolted over to help Jason and May. "Where does that leave us?"

Percy grunted, and Theo heard a Roman yell as they were launched back in the air by a jet of water. "Your plan, Sunshine. Now's a good time."

"Right," she said. "Okay. Okay, Perce, close your eyes. Now!"

She could only hope he did, because she worked up her adrenaline inside herself and unleashed an explosion of light so blinding it sent the Roman calvary back ten yards. They dropped their makeshift weapons and scattered back, yelling and shielding their eyes painfully.

When she looked over her shoulder, Percy was doubled over, covering his face with both his hands.

"C'mon, Aquaman," Theo said, grabbing him by the arm. "Was the bending over really necessary?"