Sometimes Our Minds Work Against Us...

No One Will Be Here for a Very Long Time

**

Standing at the helm I watch the night air carry us along. Someone comes up the steps and I smile. Yes FINALLY I get to go downstairs where I can do stuff! I turn around and see that Jason and Piper are up and ready to take charge. I pat them both on the shoulders and walk down stairs ready to start working on the engine. I hadn’t planned on falling asleep but, that’s what ended up happening. I curled up into my nest of sheets and fell asleep listening to the purr of the engine.

~~~

The shots were fired. The Argo II was rocked halfway over, one shot almost capsized us. I woke up with the second fire.

“Hello there, Leo Valdez.” Piper stood over me with an old time pistol.

“PIPER!” My voice broke while saying her name, what was she doing?! We were under attack why was she pointing a gun at me?

“Oh, right, I still look like that Indian girl.” Piper shimmered and was suddenly not Piper. A man with black hair and golden eyes was staring at me.

“Get up.” His voice was harsh and deep. I stood up and let him put my hands on my head. He took my tool belt and asked me where my room was. I told him three down and on the left. When he came back he didn’t have my tool belt. He walked me out to the hall and shoved me up the stairs. When we reached the second level I saw the other members of the crew. Jason and Frank were being held against their will and I could almost feel there death wishes towards me.

We were taken up the flights of stairs, me first then Hazel, then Frank, then Percy, then Annabeth, then Jason, then Piper, and finally Nico. They put me on my knees against the mast and I watched as each of my co demigods were taken up and placed on their knees just like me. There were more men than I had expected.

Three came over and grabbed Hazel, Annabeth and Piper.

“Just in case any of you were thinking about being a hero,” The biggest man said holding onto Annabeth looked at Percy, Frank, and Jason, “Don’t. If you do, these three lovely ladies will die first. The one with the stuffed fish will tell ya what happens if you fight back.” He laughs and I glance down the line to Percy, his eye is swollen and black.

The one holding onto Hazel laughs, “And dog boy,” Frank looks up and glares at him, “Try and change and I’ll shoot you,” he laughs again, “Then I’ll shoot her, and him.” He juts his chin at Nico who sits with his head down. Frank swallows hard and nods.

A man in all black comes strutting onto the deck, as if out of nowhere. He stares down the line and then smiles when he sees Nico.

“Oh hello,” His voice is unearthly, unwanted and is slick as a serpent. Nico becomes stiff and tries, I think, very hard to become invisible.

He walks down the line and looks at Nico; his smile is twisted and cruel. He motions to one of the guards, who then proceeds to pick up Nico by his shoulder and forces him to stand.

“You’ll do.” The man grabs Nico by the arm and puts him in the center of the group. Nico keeps his head down and waits for the man to do what he is going to do. He doesn’t move when the gun is drawn. He doesn’t even move when it’s placed at his temple. He only moves after the trigger is pulled. He lands on the ground with a quiet thud. I watch as Hazel screams and struggles against the man holding her. I look and see that Jason is standing there with his face stricken. Percy’s face is filled with anger and I can see that Frank looks like he is going to be sick.

Nico’s limp body is rolled over and checked for a pulse. The man laughs and kicks the boy’s body right in the stomach. It’s a blur from there.

Suddenly Hazel is on top of him hitting him in the face with a gold bar. Percy is fighting the man who has made Annabeth unconscious and Piper and Jason are attacking three guards at once. When I snap to it Jason is on the ground and so is Frank. Hazel is using her powers over the mist to have the men kill each other.

The world went dark and when I woke up again I was hog tied and saw three men and the man in black throwing bodies over the edge of the ship. I light my finger and break the rope ties and run towards them all aflame. The men grab me and throw me underneath the water, the flames go out but they hold me under. My lungs feel like they are being crushed. I feel like my throat is on fire for oxygen. I can’t hold it anymore I open my mouth and feel the water rush in, fill my lungs and I become heavy. I thrash and fight for the arms to let me go but they shove me heavier down. The world starts to fade and I stop fighting. They let me go and as the world fades away I see Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth thrown down. I flip over with the waves and see Nico, Piper and Jason already close to the bottom. The world disappears and I’m gone.

~~~

Back on the Argo II

I wake up and the crew is gone. Two of the men are severely burnt and becoming blistery. The man in black stands in front of me and smiles.

“No one will be on here again for a very long time.” With that he pulls the trigger to a gun I hadn’t noticed poised by my temple.