𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 || 𝙿𝚒𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚌𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚗

𝔽𝕖𝕞

Chapter five

(Thea ≠ good at time management)

. ---- . .-

Piper was out of sight early in the morning, long before Thea was fully conscious of the fact that she had even been there, but the daughter of love and beauty was not out of mind for even a single second.

Then again, it had to be at least an hour between Piper leaving her cabin until Thea managed to drag herself out of bed and change into a pair of ripped jeans and a camp shirt. She noticed Piper's sweater lying on her chair, and deciding that she would probably want it back, Thea tied it around her waist.

The second she stepped up from under deck, she was attacked by the bright sun. She squinted, her hand coming up as to shield her eyes from the light, and it seemed she was just in time as well.

She saw Piper standing to the side eating a bagel and moved towards her - as if it was a reflex. The daughter of Aphrodite gave her a smile and handed her a pancake stored in a napkin. It wasn't the first time they had been in this routine - Thea waking late and Piper grabbing her something to eat just to make sure she didn't forget.

She met Jason's gaze across the deck, a teasing smirk on his face as if he knew something she didn't, but it was quickly shrugged off.

"So!" Annabeth plucked the bagel out of Piper's hand and took a bite, adding some of the camp jokes to the tense Argo II air. "Here we are. What's the plan?"

"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife - the man in purple with a goblet.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus."

"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr D-"

"He's quite funny, really," said Thea. "Hands out free drinks - non-alcoholic of course."

Percy looked genuinely offended for a second. "Since when? I haven't gotten anything."

The brunette shrugged. "Sucks to be disliked, I guess."

"Don't worry, Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much ..."
Thea was forever grateful she didn't join that trip.
"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favour once up in the wine country."

Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"