Eliza pulled another quiver of arrows from the trunk.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Cyprus' voice sounded from the central branch in the room.
Eliza jumped and turned. "Don't do that."
Cyrus raised an eyebrow. Tiny pink flowers were blooming on her green, leafy dress. She nodded to the pile of quivers Eliza had accumulated.
Eliza sighed. "I'm just... taking inventory."
Cyprus crossed her arms.
"Okay. Fine." Eliza gave in, slouching back against the trunk. "I'm bored. This is all I could come up with to do."
"Well, why aren't you off helping that Theo boy with his ship?" Cyprus asked.
Eliza rolled her eyes. "Leo made me take a day off. He literally locked himself inside Bunker 9."
Cyprus couldn't help but chuckle. "He must really not want your help."
Eliza shrugged. "I think he's a little jealous because I woke up his dragon when he couldn't."
"Oh, that's definitely it." Cyprus concurred. "If there's one thing I know, it's that you never get between a boy and his dragon."
Eliza scoffed. "Then I guess I'm screwed."
"Yeah, probably." Cyprus confirmed.
Eliza gave her an annoyed look. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." She turned back to the now-empty trunk and sighed. She loaded the quivers carefully back into place and moved to the next trunk.
The lid opened with a puff of dust, making both girls cough.
"I see you still haven't found the time to clean." Cyprus declared through coughs.
Eliza cleared her throat. "I've been a little busy." She waved her hands through the air to clear the dust and looked into the trunk.
This one was filled with an odd assortment of items - a sand dollar, an orange Camp Half-blood t-shirt, and a gradient silver dress that faded from silver at the neckline to black at the edge of the skirt. It had small gems scattered across the black fabric like stars.
Eliza picked up a necklace like the ones the campers wore to signify how many years they'd been at camp. This one had three beads on it. The first bead had the picture of a dire wolf's head on it. The second had a lightening bolt, probably from the year that Percy and Annabeth had went on a quest to return Zeus' master bolt. The last one was an image Eliza hadn't seen on any of the other campers' beads - a stone with a mini storm inside and bolts of lightening shooting out of it. A name was painted across the bead.
"Mason." Eliza muttered. "What's this?"
Cyprus suddenly appeared beside her, snatched the necklace from her hands, and slammed the trunk shut. "That's none of your business!" Her green eyes were blazing with anger.
Eliza scooted away from the dryad. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."her voice trailed off. "Who's Mason?"
Cyprus' gaze fell. "Someone who's long gone."
"That's his camp necklace." Eliza deduced.
Cyprus held the leather string gently as she nodded. She carefully slipped it back into the trunk.
"I'm sorry." Eliza noticed a padlock lying on the ground from one of the other trunks. The key was missing, but it was unlocked. She grabbed it. "So I'm not tempted again." She looped it around the latch and locked it in finality.
Cyprus smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
* * *
Eliza stood, looking up at the half-finished trireme. "Are you sure you don't want my help?"
Leo ducked out from under a bronze beam and hit his head. "Gah!" He rubbed the tender spot with his greasy hand. "Yes. I'm sure. We've got this." He looked down into the lower deck of the ship. "Right, Thomas?"
Thomas, who looked a bit like Leo with his shaggy black hair, small frame, and dark eyes, popped out from behind a bronze panel. He wore goggles that were a little too big for his head and his face was stained almost as dark as his hair. "Yep." He smiled, his white teeth clashing with his grease-covered skin.
Eliza noticed one of the beams slipping. Flicking her wrist, a vine shot from her hand and wrapped around the shifting beams, pulling them back into place. "Really?"
Leo maneuvered over to the breach in the beam and summoned flames across his fingers, welding the pieces back together.
Eliza clenched her fist and the vine crumbled into dust. She leveled Leo with a knowing look.
Leo cleared his throat and stared at his feet. "Ttthhhanks. We're good now."
Eliza shrugged. "Alright, but don't come crying to me when the whole thing collapses."
Aubrey strode into the room with a basket of food. "Lunchtime, boys!"
Thomas vaulted the bronze plate and rushed over. "Just in time. My stomach was starting to go on strike." He tried to go in for a quick kiss on the cheek, but Aubrey ducked away from him.
"Not until you're clean, Greaseball." She brushed imaginary dirt off her shoulder.
"Oh, come on." Thomas pushed his goggles up, smoothing back his hair like a headband. They left a perfect outline around his eyes, like an inverted raccoon.
Leo dropped to the floor, significantly cleaner than Thomas, but still caked in soot and oil. "What's on the menu today?" He rubbed his greasy hands together in anticipation.
Eliza fought back a gag. The boys smelled like burning rubber.
Aubrey gave them a wide berth, fighting a look of disgust. "Pulled pork sandwiches." She removed the food with a flourish. "Remember to burn an offering."
"On it." Leo ignited a small fire on the ground and the boys dropped some bbq-drenched meat into the flames. The savory scent helped diffuse the burnt-tire stench.
As the boys finished up, Aubrey collected the dishes and trash in her basket.
"Thanks for lunch." Thomas snuck a quick kiss before Aubrey could stop him, leaving a tiny smear of grease on her cheek. He flashed a wide grin and disappeared back into the guts of the Argo II.
* * *
Eliza stood next to Annabeth as Leo fiddled with the wiring, trying to get the oars to work.
"You know." She offered. "I could help you."
"Nope." Leo called down. "I got it."
Eliza rolled her eyes. "Right." She looked over at Annabeth. "How are you holding up?"
Annabeth shrugged. "Not exceptionally well."
Eliza placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're going to find him."
Something clattered down through the Argo II.
Eliza cringed. "But, one brainiac to another, it would be a lot quicker if Leo let us help."
Annabeth managed a quiet laugh. "You're right, but you're also talking to an expert on being sidelined."
Eliza crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "That makes two of us."
They both chuckled and turned back to watching the boys.
"Hey Annabeth." The voice caught Eliza off guard and made her jump.
The shimmering image of a girl with a long black braid and silver-blue eyes was floating before Annabeth.
Annabeth looked unsurprised by the girl's sudden appearance. "Ali? Any news?"
Ali sighed. "Nothing good. Wherever this camp is, the Romans hid it really well." She looked tired, like she hadn't been sleeping. "How about you? Have Jason and Eliza uncovered any new information about its location."
Eliza leaned into frame. "Unfortunately no. Our memories are slow in coming back."
Ali stared at Eliza for a moment, as if she wasn't what the daughter of Artemis had been expecting. "Well, keep me posted. I'll keep trying to find on my own."
Annabeth sighed. "You need to get some rest. You look like you haven't slept in days."
Ali's shoulders slumped. "I haven't. I need to find him, Annabeth, before anything happens."
Annabeth took a shaky breath. "I understand, but, you have to remember, when you find him, he won't know who you are."
"I know," She drew a long breath. "but I still remember who he is. I can't..." Her voice trailed off and she stared at something out of frame.
"Ali?" A spike of concern edged Annabeth's voice.
Ali's eyes teared up. "I have to go." She locked eyes with Annabeth. "It's Percy." She slashed her hand through the scene and the image dispersed.
A/N
Well... there you go.
The next few chapter will be from a different perspective. Just an FYI.
I hope you enjoyed. 😁
-Cheshire