I'd been in the middle of mopping my room with Buford the table keeping me company, seemingly entertained with poking my beanbag chair with one of his legs, when I sensed someone contemplating to open a private channel via charm.
"Leo, I know you're there," I spoke aloud, continuing to scrub the ichor from wooden floorboards. I'd never noticed how much of a pain it was to clean godly blood. My respect for the janitors on Olympus instantly quadrupled, especially those assigned to work for Ares.
Sometimes, your powers frighten me, hermana. I only touched the charm for a second.
"Well, that's all the time it needs to work. Effective, huh?"
Too effective, Leo grumbled. I was wondering if you've seen Buford around? I need his help with something.
"Yeah, he's here with me." Sensing that he was the subject of the conversation, the animated table perked up and tilted his surface in the same way a dog cocked its head to the side when confused. "I'll send him your way. Are you in the engine room?"
Psychic witch!
I softly laughed. While I might have some precognitive abilities, I was definitely no psychic, contrary to popular belief. Being from the future left lots of people thinking that, though.
"Or maybe you're just predictable, Flame Boy," I teased. "He'll be there soon."
As I explained Leo's request to Buford, who sadly squeaked at the idea of leaving his newfound toy, I continued sensing Leo's presence lingering in the back of my head. The promise of a polish with Lemon Pledge with extra moisturizing formula sent the little table scurrying down the hall and stairs towards the engine room.
Take note kids: bribery works on household items, too.
Not wanting to make things awkward between us again, I didn't mention Leo's stall and returned in putting some elbow grease into my floor. This was the kind of situation where manipulating time would be extremely helpful, but I couldn't waste that kind of power on such a menial task. I've cleaned worse than this at Mrs. Stetson's house.
Potty training toddlers had always been the messiest chore.
As we landed on a massive hill in Atlanta, I headed for the aft deck. Apparently, I didn't look as serene as I thought I did judging by the fact that Jason refused to meet my gaze. Some of the others appeared intimidated and took miniscule steps back.
Okay, that stung a little.
Refusing to let that faze me, I tuned into the history lesson Coach Hedge gave Frank.
"A son of Ares stood here!" Coach cried indignantly.
"I'm Roman...so Mars, actually."
"Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!"
"I'm Canadian, actually."
"Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging – now there was a demigod!"
Frank inched away from the satyr. "Uh, okay."
"Anyway," Percy said, "let's try not to burn down the city this time."
The coach looked disappointed. "All right. But where to?"
Percy pointed toward downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."
My mouth watered at the thought of the peach preserves the boys would bring back after this stop. There is a reason Georgia is known as the peach state. Plus, I'd run into Esther at the Carter Center once before while on a mission for Athena and knew exactly what we'd be getting later.
Of course, I could offer none of this information to the trio as my voice died in my throat when I tried to tell them about the Georgia Aquarium.
Gritting my teeth, I consigned myself to trying to be useful by reading Mom's book. If things were truly as dire as she believed, I needed as much time to prepare as I can get my hands on. God knew the materials I needed to collect for certain potions, and that didn't include planning around different celestial bodies' orbits or timing of day required for some of the potions I'd been asked to make.
Times like these made me understand why Hecate could be testy when locked away in her palace.
The first page of Chaos's book left my mind spinning. I thought I'd read complex histories and spell books until now. The book appeared to have been written in an almost stream of consciousness way, including intrusive and irrelevant thoughts, making it near impossible to keep track of what was important and what were meaningless ruminations.
True to form, I grabbed a notebook from my bag and began the process of trying to sort out this mess. You know, for being one of the most powerful and dangerous books in existence, I expected more order. Then again, it literally belonged to the being known as Chaos, so maybe it had to be this way.
Great, one page in and my thoughts are dangerously close to reading as a stream of consciousness rather than anything coherent.
I got roughly fifteen minutes of notetaking done when I noticed Jason and Leo approaching out of the corner of my eye. The two boys had made themselves scarce the entire morning, all their moves carefully planned out as if they thought I'd rip their heads off should they get too close.
Despite my previous outburst, I'd never do anything to hurt my friends, not if I could help it.
Maybe I should've toned down my glare.
"Hey, Andy," Leo said, voice laced with worry.
I set my book aside. "Hey, boys. What can I do for you?"
Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, we're really sorry about what happened earlier. We never meant to imply that we don't trust you."
"You're one of the most trustworthy people I've met. Not to mention, you're most definitely the most trustworthy goddess, too." Leo glanced at the otherwise clear sky and quickly added, "No offense to any other trust gods out there."
"Pistis won't take offense to that," I said, having met the goddess of trust once during Panathenaea. "She's pretty mellow."
"Anyway," Jason continued, "our tone was cold regarding you and Nico, and we're sorry for upsetting you and Hazel."
"Of course we'll try and save Nico. Even if he's a little creepy, suffocation is a sucky way to die."
"Have you apologized to Hazel?" I asked.
"She's busy with Annabeth right now," Leo said.
"But we'll definitely apologize the next time we see her," Jason promised.
"Then all's forgiven. Try to be more conscientious of any accusations next time." I gave the boys a lopsided smile. "We all have secrets, after all, but that doesn't mean we can't count on each other."
Having said their piece and breathing a sigh of relief at my acceptance, Jason and Leo invited me down to the mess hall for lunch. I thanked them for the gesture but remained seated in my spot on the aft deck near Festus, preferring to spend this spare moment of quiet on understanding this massive headache in the form of a book.
Many unflattering thoughts and pages of notes later, I decided to take a break for the good of my sanity.
I'd thought that thirty page research papers required of me in one of my English classes at Columbia had been a nightmare.
Deciphering these paragraphs was so much worse.
I leaned over the ship's bow and saw Festus craning his neck to meet my gaze. I rested my hand against his metal plating, sensing his machinery whirring underneath his exterior. His ruby eyes brightly gleamed even on this sunny day and shone with untold intelligence despite being an automaton.
"Hephaestus would love to work on you if you weren't Leo's," I told the dragon's head. "Coolest automaton ever."
Had Festus been whole, I could imagine him puffing out his chest out with pride.
Festus made a creaking noise that sounded a lot like a message to me. He repeated the noise: EO. EO.
"Leo?" I asked. "He's eating right now, bud. I'm sure he'll swing by to talk to you soon."
Festus softly exhaled, releasing puffs of smoke from his nostrils. His lower jaw unhinged like he planned on continuing our monosyllabic conversation, but I wouldn't get the chance to decipher his Creak and Squeak.
Luckily, it wasn't the Oracle of Delphi incapacitating me this time. I sank to the floor and shut my eyes. The air around me dropped a few degrees, which was a blessing considering this sweltering heat and gods awful humidity. As the world slowly stopped spinning, I opened my eyes, unsurprised by my three visitors.
My employers had come to call.
"Ladies," I acknowledged with a slight incline of my head.
"Girl," Lachesis replied.
"Are we never going to get past that stage? It's not like I've worked for you the past decade or anything."
"Fair enough. Hello, Andromeda," Clotho said.
"See, that wasn't so hard." I made no move to stand. The Fates made no move to sit. Raising an eyebrow, I said, "Should we move this elsewhere?"
The three old hags appraised the Argo II's deck with a critical eye. Though they remained silent, I knew they searched for a more private place for this conversation. It wasn't like the Fates to talk to me in such a conspicuous place, even if the only people aboard were fifteen feet below us.
"To my room it is then," I sighed, abandoning my shockingly comfortable spot on the floor. I waved for the Fates to follow me.
At least if this conversation ended horribly, I could continue nursing whatever headache they left me with in the comfort of my bed.
With the weight of Salina's words, my responsibility towards my friends and Luke, and this looming civil war on my shoulders, a part of me hesitated at opening the door. I dreaded to know what else was in store for me.
"Well, ladies," I said, plopping myself into my beanbag chair. "Mi cuarto es su cuarto. What's on the agenda now?"
"Get comfortable," Atropos said. "We have much to discuss."
0o0o
Pulling a Percy and Annabeth, I took refuge on the glass bay doors. The glass felt cold and smooth against my feverish skin. Rather than witnessing the blue of sky or ocean, the scene was awash with the green grass of this hilltop. I counted individual blades to distract myself from the previous conversation.
Let's leave it at the Fates left me absolutely, positively horrified of my next steps. My trembling hands betrayed the semblance of calm I tried so hard to maintain. My pulse roared in my ears. My charms clinked against the bay doors. Sweat beaded my forehead and the back of my neck. The gash on my palm throbbed.
The Argo II abruptly lifted into the sky, sending me sprawling flat on my face. Soon the hill turned into a speck on the ground, consumed by the bright blue sky, hidden behind clouds of white.
Goodbye, Atlanta; to Charleston we go.
My stupid ADHD always acted up more in stressful situations. While that helped keep me alive in times of duress, it drove me crazy during downtimes. Though my body didn't mind the stillness, my mind abhorred it. I tried to shove all thoughts of the Fates aside. That only served as a point of hyper fixation for my dumb brain. Might as well come to terms with my new orders and strategize how the hell I'd be able to accomplish any of this without spending the next thousand years regenerating in Tartarus.
"I have to do what?" I had asked, failing at keeping the shock from my voice. "That...That goes against everything you've told me from the very beginning. What about the flow of time, the natural order of things?"
"Irrelevant if this threat goes left unchecked," Atropos warned. "You must take care of this Oracle problem no matter what."
"The longer the spirit of Delphi resides in you, the more difficult your life will become," Clotho added.
"You will be unable to help any of your friends or your mother against their respective threats. You will wither away into a husk of yourself – a limitless mind bounded by a decayed body," Lachesis finished.
"Well, aren't you three such rays of sunshine." My heart hammered against my ribs hard enough to cause internal bruising. "Fine, I'll deal with that damned snake ahead of time. That'll fix the problem, right?"
"Theoretically," the three ladies chorused.
"What do you mean theoretically? You're the Moirai! Shouldn't you know how this ends for me?"
"From the moment of your arrival, you have been beyond our control," Clotho said. "We merely spin your thread, but we do not know if or when it will be cut."
"Your future is shrouded to us," Lachesis continued.
"We are simply guides that let you know when you can or cannot interfere."
"That's all we have ever done for you these past ten years."
"Imagine our concern when I saw your mummified corpse at the end of your lifeline," Atropos said, grimacing. Her knuckles turned white against the shears in her hand. "That cannot be allowed to happen. Deal with this Oracle problem quickly, Andromeda, for Python grows stronger every day."
"Okay," I said.
The Fates gave each other matching looks of disbelief. I guess I had argued with them over pretty much all their decisions and instructions before then. This sudden obedience must've come out of the blue for them.
Lachesis approached me and placed her wrinkled hand against my forehead. She peered at my face before moving her hands to the sides of my neck, feeling for inflamed lymph nodes. "Are you well, child?" she asked.
"I'm fine." I gently brushed her hands aside and tried for a convincing smile. With my luck, all they saw was a pained grimace. "If this is what I have to do to prevent becoming like the previous Oracle, then that's what needs to be done."
Clotho pinched the bridge of her nose. "I sense an oncoming caveat."
"Wouldn't be me otherwise. There's not enough time to make preparations to aid me in this fight and prepare for the upcoming trials I will face in Rome in four days. So, when I return from that wretched place, I will turn all my energy and resources to separating the Oracle from my soul."
"He will be stronger once you return," Atropos warned.
"Well, that's the gamble I'm making. I'll leave my affairs in order should I fail."
"Foolish girl. You're playing with fire."
Though she'd never outright admit it, I could hear the tinge of concern and care in Lachesis's voice. Despite our many squabbles, the Fates had spent the past ten years closely monitoring my progress. I'm also ninety-nine percent sure I'm the only person other than their mother, Nyx, that can be in their presence without an awkward aura surrounding us. A part of me liked to believe these hags would miss me if I died.
That way, I could nag them even from beyond the grave.
"Any other bombshells you wanna drop?" I asked.
"Do you still have that box from your mother?" Clotho asked.
I reached into my bag and pulled it out as proof. This seemed to please the Fates.
"Keep that box close at hand. It will aid you in rescuing that Hermes boy's soul."
"Thanks for the hint."
"Don't forget about what we've discussed," Atropos said. "Begin any and all your preparations now. Time is not your friend."
The joke not lost on me, I managed to smile.
"Of course."
"And remember," began the Fates, "we'll be watching you!"
Not creepy at all, right? So long as they looked the other way while I showered, I guess it was okay for now.
They vanished before I could so much as blink.
It wasn't until a few minutes after they had left that I realized what I'd been tasked with. Defeat Python, free myself from the Oracle of Delphi, or become a living mummy? Becoming a mummy sounded downright tempting. I'd gotten over the worst of my ophidiophobia – the fear of snakes – after a terrifying experience in the Amazon Rainforest as a result of Apollo insulting the wrong Incan deity. But Python was the snake.
No, snake was too gentle a word to describe that monstrosity. Earth dragon would be a more apt description with the added bonus of his ability to grow and discard limbs, wings, and extra heads on a whim. His massive size, tough purple scales, and lamp-like yellow eyes made him that much harder to fight. His fangs made my sword seem miniscule by comparison. His venom was strong enough to kill five-hundred people with a single drop.
As the cherry on top of the world's worst sundae, Python also had a nasty habit of absorbing the power of those he's defeated. He'd been alive for thousands of years before Apollo slew him. I didn't want to think about what other abilities he has at his disposal.
I highly doubted my domain as the goddess of snakes would extend to him. Otherwise, I'd kindly ask him to jump into the Sea of Chaos and be done with this whole mess.
I think I would've spent the rest of the day paralyzed by fear it wasn't for Coach Hedge's boisterous call to attention snapping me out of it. Somehow, that old goat learned how to operate the ship's PA system and sounded extremely proud of himself. God only knew how he'd abuse his newfound power over these next couple of weeks.
"Dinner time, cupcakes!" Hedge roared, aggressively ringing the bell we'd installed to signal meals. "Last one there is on dish duty!"
At least he didn't threaten us with hiding all the Gatorade this time. It was a cruel and unusual punishment given the heat and humidity in the American Southeast.
Unsurprisingly, I was last to arrive.
"Collins, I'm convinced you love to wash dishes," Coach Hedge said before promptly biting into an empty Sprite can.
"At least the plates are semi-charmed," I said with a shrug, taking a seat between Annabeth and Hazel. "Brings back memories, anyway."
"You've gotten a lot of dish duty at camp?" Piper asked.
"Technically, no. The only time I've done dish duty was voluntary."
Percy, Annabeth, and I gave each other knowing smiles. Yet another inside joke we had thanks to being friends for so long.
"You, hermana, are crazy," Leo said through a mouthful of hamburger.
"At Camp Jupiter, none of the legionnaires have to do dish duty," Hazel added.
Frank nodded. "The wind spirits take care of all the kitchen stuff for us. I mean, I guess dish duty could be given as a punishment if you really misbehaved or annoyed any of the higher ups."
Percy swore and shook his head. "I wish I would've known that. I would've told everyone at the Feast of Fortuna to eat as much as they wanted and sent Octavian to the kitchen. Maybe that might've humbled him some."
"That boy has a stick so far up his ass, it could rival the one Zeus has," I mumbled, blatantly ignoring the sudden roll of thunder in the otherwise cloudless night. At the matching looks of horror on some of my friends' faces, I added, "Trust me, old thunderpants wouldn't do anything to jeopardize this mission. He fears me too much to outright attack."
"How did that happen?" Jason asked, eyes wide.
"Lots and lots of sparring matches and constantly monitoring me. I've had to do some tough things over the years, and he's watched all of it."
"So, he saw...?" Percy began before trailing off.
"What I did to that man?" I finished. Percy nodded. "Yes, and that was before I began my training. What I did was merciful compared to other things."
Leo lowly whistled. "You are one scary chick."
I smiled. "Thanks. But enough about that. I've got an idea for how we can unwind before bed."
"No maiming, right?"
"Nope."
"Boo!" Coach Hedge complained. "Some maiming would do wonders to toughen up you cupcakes. You're too soft like...like..."
"Cupcakes?" Annabeth suggested, completely deadpan.
"Exactly!"
The table erupted into laughter. With that, conversations steered away from darker topics and toward light hearted stories. This mental break was sorely needed judging by the way everyone seemed ten pounds lighter. Smiles reached my friends' eyes. Piper gave Leo an affectionate noogie when he tried to snatch some baby corn from her salad. Percy accidentally snorted milk out of his nose and onto Annabeth's gyro. Jason and Frank gently tried to explain major historical events over the past sixty years to Hazel, who was eager to learn about what she had missed. Coach Hedge ate two more cans and an array of cutlery before meeting my gaze, sending a silent message to watch over these crazies as he headed for the deck once more.
I added a few funny stories about my mortal friends here and there. I didn't miss the longing in Annabeth's voice as she asked me about how college had been. I also didn't miss the slight twinge of jealousy whenever I spoke of Andy, Pete, Joe, Patrick, and Leah. They didn't have to put their lives on hold and save the world. They wouldn't be hunted down by monsters (so long as they kept their butts out of places they didn't belong – looking at you, Pete) and didn't have to worry about probably dying before making it to eighteen. They were all in their twenties while Annabeth had to calculate all the ways she might die before July 12.
Again, I switched topics, shifting toward stupidly funny things I'd been involved in or witnesses while on Olympus. My friends roared with laughter as I recounted the time Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Psyche, Hebe, Persephone, Hecate, and I dressed the male Olympians in drag and enchanted their hair, makeup, and clothes to remain that way for a week.
Hermes damn near broke his ankle that week when trying to teach me how to use winged shoes. Lesson learned, kids: Winged, eight-inch stilettos are not as speedy or efficient as winged sneakers.
"Wait, hold up," Percy said, choking on his blue cherry Coke. Hazel slapped his back in an attempt to help. "You've fought Athena naked and were allowed to live?"
I shrugged. "It's not like she was the naked one. Plus, I'm a woman."
A barrage of questions about the gods came my way. I did my best to answer them, thoroughly enjoying myself the entire time.
"Um, Aphrodite has always looked like my mom to me. The most frightened I've been of the gods was when I was claimed. No, none of the gods have tried to actually flirt with me as far as I'm aware. There's been a few teasing moments here and there, but nothing serious. Mars is nicer to me than Ares. Yes, the gods are afraid of the Fates. Uhhh, I guess Apollo? But I'm still annoyed at him, so probably Hades or Artemis at the moment."
"Ooh, ooh, I've got one!" Leo wryly smiled, and I knew this would be a good one. "Worst fight you've ever seen?"
Without a moment's hesitation, I said, "Thanksgiving, 2002. I still fear cranberry sauce."
Of course, I then had to explain what had happened, leaving Leo and Percy in tears as they laughed. Even Jason and Annabeth couldn't maintain their composure when I mentioned the apple that had somehow gotten lodged in Hera's mouth like a roasted pig in the midst of the chaos.
Eventually, dinner wound to a close. I quickly washed the dishes and left them to dry, making a mental note to put them away later. I met up with my friends in the bay, where I'd left the equipment for tonight's evening activity.
Hopefully, we'd all have a good time tonight.
Percy warily eyed the microphone and speaker. He met my eyes and softly shook his head, mouthing, Please, no.
I discreetly took hold of my cloud charm and said, Aw, are you embarrassed to show off your voice?
If I tried to sing, it'll probably cause an avalanche.
We've worked so long on this. Time to see if it works, right?
Percy quietly exhaled, not wanting to disrupt Annabeth as she and Hazel flipped through a book filled with songs. Alright, fine.
"So, karaoke night," Leo said, rubbing his hands together while wearing an impish grin. "Oh, yeah, y'all are in for a treat."
"He means punishment," Piper deadpanned, ignoring the way Leo swooned while clutching a hand to his chest.
"Must you wound me this way?"
"I clearly remember the Christmas performance much differently than you do then, Santa's Little-"
Leo pounced on Piper, sending the pair tumbling to the ground. I'd seen plenty of siblings rough house like this over the years, so I didn't make a move to intervene. Plus, it was really funny watching Leo try to slap a hand over Piper's mouth to keep her quiet only to recoil in disgust moments later, screeching, "Ewwww, she licked me!"
"Your hands still taste like motor oil."
"Umm, should I be concerned that you know what motor oil tastes like?" Jason asked.
Piper grinned. "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to, Sparky."
"Noted."
"So...who's first?" I asked, waving the microphone around.
Leo kicked off the night with a stunning rendition of "Fireflies", going so far as to whip out a screwdriver from his toolbelt and banging it against the pipes in an attempt to mimic the synth beats in the intro. Piper couldn't hide her laughter as Leo leaned forward, as if he were trying to serenade the microphone, and sang, "I LIKE TO MAKE MYSELF BELIEVEEEEEE" at the top of his lungs.
Next came Piper and Jason, singing "You're The One That I Want" with an attempt to match the iconic choreography that ended with Jason tripping over his feet and smacking his head against the floor. I managed a weak smile and shook my head. So much for trying to minimize this boy's future head injuries.
Hazel meekly got through "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" by Ella Fitzgerald with encouraging looks from Frank. Speaking of, Frank blanked so hard that despite the huge book of potential songs to choose from, he ended up singing "O Canada" only for his voice to crack midway through the song. He flushed crimson and handed the microphone off to Percy, looking like he wanted nothing more than to disappear into his hoodie and never come out.
You've got this squirt, I said, shooting Percy a knowing smile.
If we plummet out of the sky because Zeus wants to end everyone's suffering, I blame you.
Percy took a deep breath as an upbeat rock intro began to play. I perked up, immediately recognizing the song. I'd been the one who first showed it to him when it first came out. Percy really hit his stride when the chorus began. Anyone watching could see how Percy connected to the lyrics as he sang, "I believe the world is burning to the ground. Oh, well, I guess we're gonna find out. Let's see how far we've come. Let's see how far we've come."
The highly emotional songs didn't end with Percy as Annabeth took her turn, pressing a quick kiss to Percy's cheek as she pressed play on her song selection. I recognized this song, too, having heard Annabeth frequently play it over the past year. Whenever she felt particularly low about Percy's disappearance, she'd hum the melody to herself while strategizing her next move.
"Why'd you have to wait?" Annabeth sang, eyes closed, hand clutching at her chest. "Where were you? Where were you? Just a little late. You found me, you found me."
Annabeth quietly sniffled by the time she finished before schooling her expression into her usual cool confidence. If she leaned a little more against Percy's chest as he slung an arm across her shoulders, no one made any comment about it.
"Your turn, hermana," Leo said, offering me the microphone. "Time to show off those golden pipes."
"My voice is not that good," I mumbled, scrolling through the machine until finding what I was looking for. Hopefully, this would help lighten the mood. It was my go to song, after all.
"Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you and everything you do. Yeah, they were all yellow."
I watched as sparks of joy and peace slowly filled my friends' eyes. I've sung "Yellow" to each of them multiple times during our friendship, always during moments of high stress or anxiety. It never failed to soothe them or bring a smile to their faces. Judging by the calm filling the room, I knew it still worked.
Thanks to the microphone's long wire, I walked around the room, making it a point to dance with each of my friends in a silly fashion. Many twirls, messily timed shimmies, and an overly exaggerated dip courtesy of Leo later, the song came to a soft close.
After that, we all took turns randomly assigning songs by flipping open the songbook and pointing somewhere along the page. We did this until the day's exhaustion started catching up to everyone, eyes drooping heavier until some people (cough, Jason, cough) were practically asleep against the wall.
"All right, to bed, kiddos," I said, ushering them up the stairs toward their rooms. "We've got another long day ahead of us."
The seven shared a knowing look. The following, "Goodnight, Mom!" didn't catch me by surprise yet still gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.
I watched as they piled into their rooms, doors softly clicking shut behind them. Good, now I didn't have to worry about Coach Hedge threatening to use me as a sparring partner for not keeping to his curfew.
I ambled up to the deck, where I found Coach humming his modified version of the Pokémon theme song. There was something oddly unsettling about hearing a childhood theme be transformed to Gotta Kill them all.
"The cupcakes?"
"All in bed."
Coach huffed in approval. "Good. Now you can tell me what's going on in that brain of yours without worrying them."
"Heh, you're more perceptive than we give you credit for."
"It comes with the territory. You hang around teenagers for long enough and pick up a thing or two."
I wrapped my arms around my chest, leaning against the doorway. This plan of mine was absolutely insane, I knew. It held so many risks, but I couldn't think of any other way to do what I need to do.
I just hope the others don't worry too much about me.
"Hear me out, Coach, before you pass any judgement."
"Let's hear it, then. I promise not to make you run laps if you make a good argument."
My lips quirked into a half-smile. "You really know how to cheer a girl up."
He waved off the sarcasm. "Yeah, yeah. Now, tell me what's going on."
So I did.
Contrary to popular belief, Coach Hedge is a great listener in the right circumstances. He kept quiet as I voiced my ludicrous plan, giving me a chance to fully explain myself. The most he did was quirk an eyebrow and given his propensity to quite literally smack sense into people, I knew that he realized the danger I'd be throwing myself into.
At the end of my spiel, I took a deep breath, feeling significantly lighter. If anything went awry (wow, such optimism, Andy), at least someone knew what I'd intended to accomplish. Even if that someone was an overly trigger happy satyr that would shoot first and ask questions later.
Right, how did Coach Hedge and I become the adult chaperones on this trip again? Was that really the best decision, Fates?
Where's the adultier adult when you need one?
"You've got guts, cupcake. Not many demigods or gods would have the strength for this."
"You don't think I'm crazy?"
Coach scoffed. He turned the wheel thirty degrees to the right. "I think you're nuttier than Pan's pipes, kid. This is hands down the craziest plan I've ever heard and I've been stuck with Valdez for almost a year now."
"I am unworthy of your praise, Coach," I deadpanned, feeling the slightest of smiles on my face.
Coach puffed his chest out and sent me a knowing grin. "Darn tootin'. Off to bed with you, Collins. Goddess or no, you need your rest."
I clutched my hands to my chest. "Aw, you do have a heart."
"A heart which won't hesitate to stick you with dish duty until this boat falls to pieces. Light's out was an hour ago, Collins. You're slacking!"
"Good night to you, too. I wish you an uneventful night."
Ignoring Coach's stink eye and grumbles of, "I hope something shows up so I can bash their heads in," I descended from the deck and headed for my room.
I paused in front of one of the enchanted windows, taking a moment to look at Camp Half-Blood. Hestia's hearth had been abandoned by campers. Understandable given the late hour. However, the goddess of the hearth remained by her fire, face obscured by her shawl as she turned over a log with her bare hands.
Another window displayed the lake, the little light from the crescent moon reflecting off the surface like liquified silver. Naiads sat on the edge of the docks, clearly gossiping about something or other based on their emphatic gesticulations. Whatever it was must've been a juicy scandal as a naiad got shoved into the lake by her friend, sending the other naiads into a frenzy of a water fight, probably so loud that they drew the harpies attention.
A third window showed Seymour's stuffed head peacefully asleep on his mount. Chiron sat at a desk in the corner of the room, his back to the window. His tweed jacket remained hung over the back of his wheelchair. His head rested against one of his hands while his other idly twirled a pen.
Seeing images of my home, my family strengthened my resolve. Consequences be damned, I had to do this.
Let's hope I don't chicken out before the morning arrives.