invisible string | f. zhang

xlii. bob says hello

"A faun," Reyna says.

"Satyr!" Barks the coach. "And, yeah, I'll go. Besides, when you get to Camp Half-Blood, you'll need somebody with connections and diplomatic skills to keep the Greeks from attacking you. Just let me go make a call—er, I mean, get my baseball bat." He gets up and shoots Frank an unspoken message that Maribelle couldn't quite read.

Nico rises, "I should go, too, and rest before the first passage. We'll meet at the statue at sunset."

"He's acting strangely. I'm not sure he's thinking this through."

"He'll be okay," Jason says.

"I hope you're right. We're at another crossroads. The Athena Parthenos goes west. The Argo II goes east. I hope we chose correctly."

"One thing bothers me," Percy says. "If the Feast of Spes is in two weeks, and Gaea needs the blood of two demigods to wake — what did Clytius call it? The blood of Olympus? Then aren't we doing exactly what Gaea wants, heading to Athens? If we don't go, and she can't sacrifice any of us, doesn't that mean she can't wake up fully?"

"Percy, prophecies cut both ways," She says. "If we don't go, we may lose our best and only chance to stop her. Athens is where our battle lies. We can't avoid it. Besides, trying to thwart prophecies never works. Gaea could capture us somewhere else, or spill the blood of some other demigods."

"Yeah, you're right," Percy says. "I don't like it, but you're right."

The mood of the group became as gloomy as Tartarus air, until Piper broke the tension.

"Well!" She sheathes her blade and pats her cornucopia. "Good picnic. Who wants dessert?"

They reconvene a little while later, saying goodbye to the trio.

Maribelle glances at Reyna warily. The girl offers a hand out to her, but she simply stares.

"We will succeed," She promises.

Maribelle frowns, "I know you will."

"I'm proud of you, Belle. If I haven't told you before," Reyna continues, "The changes you have made."

Maribelle smiles, albeit sadly. Their string still lay limp in between them.

Coach Hedge shoulders his baseball bat. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm going to get to camp and see my baby! Uh, I mean I'm going to get this baby to camp!" He pats the leg of the Athena Parthenos.

"All right," Nico says. "Grab the ropes, please. Here we go."

Reyna and Hedge take hold. The air darkens. The Athena Parthenos collapses into its own shadow and disappears, along with its three escorts.

     The Argo II sails after nightfall. They veer southwest until they reached the coast, then splash down in the Ionian Sea. They thought it safe to stay out of Gaea's territory the best they could. They would sail around the Greek mainland, following the routes that Greek heroes had taken in the ancient times.

Maribelle finds herself sitting in front of the mirror, but rather than admiring as usual, images of Tartarus kept burning in her mind — the River Phlegethon, the blistered ground where monsters regenerated, the dark forest where arai circled overhead in the blood-mist clouds.

She thinks of her wariness of Bob and Damasen, but how they'd changed their own fate. Did the right thing in the end. Bob told her she could too, she didn't have to be what everyone expected from her. She would do the right thing this time, she wouldn't betray them. 

The door creaks open and she jumps, hand flying to her knives.

"It's me!" Frank shouts nervously staring at the knife nearly pressed against his chest.

"Sorry!" Maribelle panics and drops the knife. Her hands were shaking.

Frank bends down to pick up the knife. Maribelle tries to breathe.

"Sorry, I knocked but you didn't answer," Frank doesn't stutter like normal, she notes. "Just wanted to check up on you. Easier now with Coach gone."

Maribelle smiles, "Just thinking."

Frank closes the door behind him and takes a seat on her bed. She watches him through the mirror as she brushes her hair.

"I can't get that place out of my mind," Maribelle says softly, "I look in the mirror and I just see . . . when we were there we had to — a death mist, thing? And I just —"

"You look perfect to me."

She smiles.

"Real," Frank continues.

Maribelle glances at him. She couldn't get over how much Frank had changed. He was at least three inches taller, and more bulky. His face looked sturdier, his jawline more rugged. She didn't know what to do with herself.

"What?" Frank asks.

Maribelle rises from her seat and takes a seat beside him on the bed, "Real."

He nods, she traces his jawline.

"It's a bit stupid."

"What is?" Maribelle asks him.

"The — uh, well my father — I'm different," He stutters and she grins. There he was.

"It's hot," She grins and practically glows when his face burns red. Maribelle had missed this, and to think she was going to give it up . . .

"Stop," Frank groans, taking her hand off his face and pressing a kiss to her palm.

Her stomach flutters and her eyes grow wide. Frank smirks as he looks at her, watching the way her face turns blotchy.

"Wow," Frank grins, "I've never made you blush this much!"

Maribelle rolls her eyes, "I mean it Frank, you look good."

"You do too."

Maribelle rolls her eyes and leans forward to kiss him. Frank pulls her even closer, she practically falls into his lap. He pulls away slowly, but their proximity stays, she giggles to herself.

"Please don't ever leave me again," Frank whispers, lips brushing as he speaks.

"Never," Maribelle promises, "I won't, Frank."

"I . . . Maribelle, I —" He stutters, then freezes.

"What?"

"I love you," He says finally, "And I don't know what I'd do, if you — if you didn't come back to me."

Maribelle's heart bursts, her finger — the string that connects her to Frank — burns and she glances down to find it blazing brightly.

Frank clears his throat awkwardly, "Um?"

Maribelle looks up at him, seeing the nerves clear as day on his face. "I love you too."

Frank's eyebrows raise, as if he can't believe it. Suddenly, he tackles her onto the bed and she laughs loudly.

"That place —" Maribelle says, "I, I want to tell you about it, truly Frank, I just —"

"It's okay," He says, "Remember? We'll take it little by little, you tell me when you're ready."

Maribelle nods, looking up at him. She was so lucky.

"Tired?" He asks.

Maribelle smirks, sliding her hands up his arms and onto his shoulders, "Not really."

The blush spreads further and she grins, "I really missed you." She wraps her legs around his waist, pulling him down to her.

"I, uh, yeah," Frank stutters, his hands rest on either side of her head.

"We can go to sleep if you want?" She suggests, shrugging her shoulder.

Frank swallows hard, "Um, no, no, we can —"

"Hm?"

"Uh —"

"Kiss me?"

Frank nods and leans down, pressing his lips to hers. She sighs.

Lucky.