I wish I could invent a time machine. I'd go back two hours and undo everything that just happened. Or I'd invent a Slap-Leo-In-The-Face machine to punish myself, but I doubt it would hurt as badly as the way everyone looked at me.
"One more time." Annabeth commands. "Exactly what happened?
I slump against the mast. My head throbs from when I hit the deck when Theo blasted me. All around me, my beautiful ship is in shambles. The aft crossbows are piles of kindling, the foresail is tattered, the satellite array that powers the onboard internet and TV are blown to bits. Festus is coughing up smoke like he's got a hairball, and I can tell from the groaning sounds on the port side that some of the aerial oars that Theo worked so hard on are knocked out of alignment. Oh gods, Theo. She's sitting on the step that leads to the control center, a blanket around her shoulders. There's an uneaten piece of ambrosia in her trembling hand. She looks pale, like she might faint, but she isn't eating the ambrosia. She's just staring at the ground by my feet, her eyes wet and puffy with tears. I ruined everything she had been worrying about for months.
I choke back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy."
Too many people are looking at me. Annabeth, who terrifies me, Coach Hedge with his furry goat legs, his orange polo shirt, and his baseball bat, and the newcomer, Frank.
I'm not sure what to make of Frank. He looks like a baby sumo wrestler, but I'm obviously not stupid enough to say that to his face. My memory is hazy, but I'm pretty sure I saw him turn into a dragon.
Annabeth crosses her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"
"I..." I feel like I'm trying to swallow a marble. "I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."
Coach Hedge taps his bat against the deck. "Look, kid. You blew some stuff up. You attacked some Romans. Awesome! Excellent! But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match."
"Coach." Theo says, her voice trembling. "Why don't you make sure all the fires are out."
"But I already did that."
"Do it again."
The satyr trudges off, muttering under his breath.
Theo stands up rigidly, stumbling and clearly dizzy. She crouches down in front of me, her pale green eyes searching mine desperately. "Leo, did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you or-"
"No." I could lie, but I don't want to make a bad situation worse. "The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I did."
If possible, she pales even more, and goes back down to her seat, wrapping the blanket around herself even tighter. She looks almost scared of me.
Frank scowls. "On purpose?"
"No!" I squeeze my eyes shut. "Well, yes... I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to-" I turn back to Annabeth. "Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me-"
"A cold feeling." Annabeth's expression changes. She sounds almost scared. Theo looks up quickly, clearly curious.
"Yeah." I tell her. "Why?"
From belowdecks, Percy calls up. "Annabeth, we need you."
Oh gods. Please let Jason be okay. I saw Piper take Jason below deck. The cut on his head had looked pretty bad. I've known Jason longer than anyone at Camp Half-Blood. We're best friends. If he doesn't make it...
"He'll be fine." Annabeth's expression softens when she sees my worry. "Theo, could you come with me? Frank, We'll be back. Just... watch Leo please."
