Piper was freaking out. That was an understatement.
Why had she volunteered to do the IV? She knew nothing about medical treatment, other than that time her dad got hurt in one of his movie stunts! She sighed, looking at Percy. He was stirring slightly, his eyes fluttering. She panicked and ran around the whole room, trying to find the sedative.
"Sedative... Sedative..." she muttered, violently pulling and pushing drawers to find the sleeping medicine.
Piper heard a pained groan and saw Percy's sea-green eyes flutter open. Finally finding the sleeping medicine, she added it to his IV, cranking it up all the way.
"Wait! Piper!" Percy gasped. "I need to tell you something! You only have two..." He was asleep before he could finish his sentence.
And for some reason, Piper thought she heard a maniacal cackle floating through the room. It might've just been her imagination.
Or was it her imagination?
At least... she hoped it was her imagination. But she kept wondering what Percy had tried to tell her. She cursed. Why hadn't she waited? Turning down the sedative to a healthy amount, she walked out of the room.
"I did it," she said, deciding to leave out the part where Percy had tried to talk to her. If it wasn't important, it didn't need to be brought up.
"Great," Nico said, staring at the door. Piper frowned. Something about the love waves in the room didn't seem right... Nico's love was directed at something behind the door...
The wave broke the moment Nico looked away, silently tapping his fingers against the wooden table. Thalia was next to him, fingering her locket. Leo came out of the control room, looking exhausted. He had eye bags that were dark with sleep deprivation, his eyelids were droopy, and he looked ready to collapse at any moment.
"Whoa, Leo..." Piper grabbed him as he stumbled. "When was the last time you went to sleep?"
"Two nights ago. I've been working on the Argo II and I didn't get the chance to sleep," he mumbled sleepily.
"Well... go sleep," Piper said, worried for her friend. "We don't want you passing out when we get to Lebanon."
"Got it, Beauty Queen." Leo gave her a saggy salute before stumbling back to his room, shutting the door.
"Wait! Piper! You only have two..." Percy's words rang through her head. Two what? Two days? Two months? Two arms? Two legs? Two eyes? Two--Piper didn't want to go there...
"Pipes?" Jason asked, concern creeping into his voice. "You okay?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah... I'm fine."
"Guys..." Annabeth said, looking through Sabrina's notebook. "I think this is gonna be a lot harder than we think it is..."
Everyone crowded around her to take a peek.
Through this journey, monster attacks will be more frequent without the barrier's protection. The path to find these items are hijacked with dangers, as each item retrieved is very valuable. NOTE TO SELF: Bring a safe or a vault and lock it in a safe that no one can carry or is mounted into the floor or wall. Safest way.
"So we're in danger at all times. So reassuring," Frank muttered sarcastically.
"What types of monsters?" Thalia questioned.
"We're in the air right now, so I'm guessing mainly monsters that can fly and wind spirits called venti. Other than that, I don't know what animals. We could be facing."
"We'll just keep an eye out, then. Do we know anything about Phoenix?"
"He's a bird," Jason squeaked, shrugging.
"I'm pretty sure there's something about Phoenix from all the books I borrowed from the library," Annabeth said. "I prepped them for a reason."
She began to rummage around in the books before she pulled one out. "Got it!"
Flipping through the pages, she smiled when she landed on the right one.
Phoenix was a son of Agenor. Though his human form died, his soul moved on into a bird, and the bird became a phoenix. During his time as an ancient Greek hero, his sister, Europa, was abducted by Zeus. He and his two other brothers were sent out to try and find her. Searching long and hard for her had no use, as the mission was unsuccessful. He later moved to Asia, where he created his own kingdom, Phoenicia.
Phoenicia no longer stands today, though it was known for luxury goods ranging from fine purple dyes to fine linen. Now, it is located in Beirut, Lebanon. His castle is still standing, though it looks like an abandoned warehouse from the eyes of mortals. The most valuable items he owns are his phoenix feathers and his tears. However, those who come begging for the tears and feathers aren't granted any.
Phoenix has been described as a cold and cruel person, who was once a wonderful man. After he had learned that Zeus kidnapped his sister, he had grown bitter towards Olympus and Greek mythology, and he has tried to move on from the past. However, recently, his brother was killed by Kronos and Gaea, meaning he has chosen neither side.
Studies show that Europa is still alive today, though she is being held captive, but Phoenix has lost hope to find her and does not know of this, as he hasn't gone out of his castle in a thousand years.
"Okay... that's a problem..." Annabeth sighed.
"No shit, Sherlock," Piper muttered.
"So we're going to a man who's cruel and cold. That's just juicy," Hazel scoffed.
"We can't give up, though," Piper said. "I think I might know what he wants. If I can get close enough to him, I can sense his love waves."
"Great. So... are we still on course?"
"I've got it!" Thalia's voice yelled from the control room. "This is a bit weird, though."
Piper knew this wasn't the weirdest thing to come. This was the world of Greek mythology, which really wasn't mythology at all. It was the world of when sisters married brothers and sons seduced mothers. It was strange and unlucky for the heroes who carried their burden.