orenda [leo valdez]

liv. Golden Sky

❝let me die first or i will die twice❞

⤷ atticus

△△△

Kira fastened herself to Leo's safety harness that was strapped to the mast. She was next to Leo to the her right, who was attached to the console. Her hand was tightly woven with Leo's.

They shot into the sky from Zeus' volleyball spike, with their ship being the volleyball.

The sky turned black. The ship rattled and creaked. The deck cracked like thin ice under Kira's legs and, with a sonic boom, the Argo II hurtled out of the clouds.

She squeezed Leo's hand, tears pricking at her eyes. Dread was building in her stomach, but she assumed it was from being catapulted across the world.

"Jason!" Leo shouted. "Hurry!"

The sails were on fire. Festus creaked in alarm. A catapult peeled away and lifted into the air. Centrifugal force sent the shields flying off the railings like metal Frisbees.

Wider cracks opened in the deck as Jason staggered towards the hold, using the winds to keep himself anchored.

The hatch opened. Frank and Hazel stumbled through, pulling on the guide rope they'd attached to the mast. Piper, Annabeth and Percy followed, all of them looking disoriented.

"Go!" Leo yelled. "Go, go, go!"

For once, Leo's tone was deadly serious.

They'd talked through their evacuation plan, but that slap across the world had made Kira's mind sluggish. Judging from the others' expressions, they weren't in much better shape.

Buford the table saved them. He clattered across the deck with his holographic Hedge blaring, "LET'S GO! MOVE IT! CUT THAT OUT!"

Then his tabletop split into helicopter blades and Buford buzzed away.

Frank changed form. Instead of a dazed demigod, he was now a dazed grey dragon. Hazel climbed onto his neck. Frank grabbed Percy and Annabeth in his front claws, then spread his wings and soared away.

Jason held Piper by the waist, ready to fly.

"Leo, Kira, you won't make it!" Jason shouted. "Come with us!"

"No! Get out of here! Take Kira!"

"What?" Kira yelled over the wind. "No!"

"Leo!" Piper tried. "Please –"

"Save your charmspeak, Pipes! I told you, I've got a plan. Now shoo!"

"Leo," Kira whispered, somehow Leo heard her. He looked at her, determined. But Kira saw under the boy's disguise. He was terrified. "Please,"