Kira rose to the top of the ocean in a relatively good mood.
Her strength was back from the battle, and she felt energized, like she had just chugged a Redbull.
When they popped to the surface, she was surprised to be wrapped in a hug by Piper.
"Hey Piper!" She said happily, but Piper was mad.
"Where were you? How are you guys alive?"
"Long story," Leo answered. A picnic basket bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"
They changed into clean clothes, Kira deciding on one of Leo's sweatshirts and some shorts, she made her way back to the quarterdeck.
While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel, Kira, and Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.
"Incredible," Jason said. "These are really good brownies."
"That's your only comment?" Piper demanded.
He looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"
"I know," Frank said, his mouth full. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."
"That," Hazel said, "is incredibly disgusting."
"Pass me the jar, man," Jason said.
"Hey!" Kira protested. "That was mine!"
"They didn't want to meet me?" Percy asked.
"It wasn't that," Hazel said. "Just...undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."
"They said it was nothing personal," Kira reassured him. "Don't be mad at the fish-horses."
Percy nodded absently. "But they didn't want to meet me?"
Annabeth swatted his arm. "Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about."
"She's right," Hazel said. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."
"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Piper said. "We'll save him, Hazel. We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"
"What?" Leo tore his eyes away from the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome, or flying, if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then...."
Jason suddenly looked as though his brownie with peach preserves didn't taste so good. "Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him—at most."
Percy crossed his legs. "And that's only part of the problem. There's the Mark of Athena, too."
Annabeth opened the bag and brought out a thin bronze disk the diameter of a donut. "This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's..."
She stopped abruptly, staring at the smooth bronze surface. "It's blank!"
Percy took it and examined both sides. "It wasn't like this earlier?"
"No! I was looking at it in my cabin and..." Annabeth muttered under her breath. "It must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other demigods."
"What did it have on it?" Frank asked nervously. "And what is the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."
Annabeth took the disk from Percy. She turned it in the sunlight, but it remained blank. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts...the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."
"Maybe that's where you meet the river god Tiberinus," Piper said. "But what is the Mark?"
"The coin," Annabeth murmured.
Percy frowned. "What coin?"
Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin."
She passed it around.
"An owl," Leo noted. "Well, that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's this inscription, ΑΘΕ—Area Of Effect?"
"It's alpha, theta, epsilon," Annabeth said. "In Greek it stands for Of The Athenians...or you could read it as the children of Athena. It's sort of the Athenian motto."
"Like SPQR for the Romans," Piper guessed.
Annabeth nodded. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter."
She described what had happened at the fort—the voice of Gaea, the spiders in the garrison, the Mark burning them away.
Percy took Annabeth's hand. "I should have been there for you."
"But that's the point," Annabeth said. "No one can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to...to the source."
Frank took the coin from Leo. He stared at the owl. "The giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won with pain from a woven jail." He looked up at Annabeth. "What is it...this thing at the source?"
Before Annabeth could answer, Jason spoke up.
"A statue," he said. "A statue of Athena. At least...that's my guess."
Piper frowned. "You said you didn't know."
"I don't. But the more I think about it...there's only one artifact that could fit the legend." He turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"
"I know," Annabeth said. "I figured it out, Jason. I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together...Don't you see? It could heal the rift."
"Hold on." Percy made a time-out gesture. "What statue?"
Annabeth took back the silver coin and slipped it into her pocket. "The Athena Parthenos," she said. "The most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."
The ship went silent, except for the waves lapping against the hull.
"Okay, I'll bite," Leo said at last. "What happened to it?"
"It disappeared," Annabeth said.
Leo frowned. "How does a forty-foot-tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just disappear?"
"That's a good question," Annabeth said. "It's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Some people thought the statue was melted down for its gold, or destroyed by invaders. Athens was sacked a number of times. Some thought the statue was carried off—"
"By Romans," Jason finished. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally stole Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."
"Not cool, Grace," Kira said, pointing at the boy.
"And the children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since," Annabeth said. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena...a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue...hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."
"So if we—I mean you—find the statue...what would we do with it? Could we even move it?" Percy asked.
"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. "But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe...maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."
"This could change everything," Piper said. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you..."
"Yeah, Annabeth, I hate not being able to help," Kira said, giving the girl a sympathetic look.
Annabeth squared her shoulders. "I have to succeed," Annabeth said simply. "The risk is worth it."
Hazel twirled her hair pensively. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"
"It could kick some serious booty," Leo offered.
Hazel frowned. "That wasn't the way I'd put it, but yes."
"Except..." Percy took Annabeth's hand again. "No child of Athena has ever found it. Annabeth, what's down there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders—?"
"Won through pain from a woven jail," Frank recalled. "Woven, like webs?"
Annabeth's face turned as white as printer paper.
"We'll deal with that when we get to Rome," Piper suggested, putting a little charmspeak in her voice to soothe her friend's nerves. "It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You'll see."
"Annabeth has got this in the bag," Kira put in.
"Yeah," Percy said. "I learned a long time ago: Never bet against Annabeth."
Annabeth shot her a grateful look.
Judging from their half-eaten breakfasts, the others still felt uneasy; but Leo managed to shake them out of it. He pushed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus's mouth, making everyone jump.
"Well!" he said. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your superfun list of chores!"
Magically, Kira ended up with Leo.
They worked in the engine room, or better wording was that he worked.
Kira had no idea what she was doing, so she mostly tried to stay out of his way and hand him whatever he needed.
She was humming a random tune sitting on some kind of machine when Leo looked over to her with a goofy grin.
He was sweaty and had some smears of soot from the engine, but Kira found it extremely attractive.
"Do you need something, supreme commander?" She asked in a teasing voice. Leo smirked.
He walked over to her, putting the hammer and wrench he was holding down on the floor.
"I like it when you call me that," He said, smiling wide.
Leo had discovered something. When he was with Kira, he didn't need to fake his smile. All his smiles near her were genuine. He loved her.
He kissed her, reaching up because she was sitting on the washing machine.
"I love you," Kira said blissfully when they broke for air.
"I love you more," Leo said.
"Impossible."
"Not imp-"
"We could go on for hours, Valdez," She told him, locking lips again.
"Oh!" Leo cried, pulling away, rummaging in his pockets. "I almost forgot!"
He pulled out something that looked like a thin, bent wire.
"I made you something!" He said proudly. He presented the gift to her. Under closer inspection, it was a necklace. It was a thin gold chain, with a bended gold wire to create a tiny, simple star charm. To anyone else, they might of thought it was unimpressive, but Kira loved it.
"Thank you!" She said, throwing her arms around him, embracing him tightly.
"Of course, Ki," He said. "I know how much you love the stars, and you got me the bear from-"
"Leo Valdez!" She exclaimed, but her eyes shone brightly, even in the dark engine room. "You made me a necklace because I bought you a stuffed bear?"
Leo thought about it. Yes, he had. "Yes, I did,"
Kira couldn't keep a smile off her face. She laughed blissfully, shaking her head.
Leo kissed her again, with more passion. He smirked into the kiss, pushing her lightly into the washing machine.
His hands tangled around her hair and waist, pulling her close to him.
Kira couldn't help the butterflies in her chest, even tough they had been together for other six months. Any time she got with Leo alone was breathtaking.
Kira pulled away, breathless and smiling like she had just won a million dollars.
"Put it on, Le," She said softly, whispering inches away from his lips. He pecked her one last time before spinning her around and clasping the necklace on.
They kissed one more time.
"Wow!" Percy's voice yelled. "Keep it PG-13, children!"
Kira pulled away, beet red, facing the boy.
"Shut it, Jackson!" She said, trying desperately to cover her dark blush. "Do you want to talk about your night with Annabeth?"
Percy only smirked before walking away.
Dinner came and went, and Kira settled in for bed. Since the Annabeth-Percy situation, Leo hadn't risked joining her for the night, but she didn't mind. Just knowing he was near was enough for the girl.
She honestly wouldn't know what she would do without him.
A blast happened, so loud it literally shook her out of bed.
Kira fell onto the ground, bewildered. The horn boomed again. It sounded like it was coming from several hundred yards away—from another vessel.
She ran to the deck, which happened to be an interesting fashion show.
Frank's Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out. Percy wore pajama pants and a bronze breastplate. Hazel's hair was all blown to one side, as though she'd walked through a cyclone; and Leo had accidentally set himself on fire. His T-shirt was in charred tatters. His arms were smoking.
About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the Argo II was a tourist attraction.
The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit.
Coach Hedge plugged his ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"
"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.
"WHAT?" Hedge yelled back.
The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let on.
"Bye!" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.
"Can I man the ballistae?" Hedge asked.
"No," Leo said through a forced smile.
Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "Where are—oh...Wow."
Without the cruise ship blocking their view, she saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north.
On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, worn down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.
"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said in awe. "At the tip of Spain. And over there—" She pointed south, to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."
"What now?" Piper asked. "Do we just sail in?"
"Why not?" Leo said. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."
"In the old days," Annabeth said, "they called this area the pillars of Hercules. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."
"Hercules, huh?" Percy frowned. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn—there he is."
"So...these Pillars of Hercules. Are they dangerous?" Piper asked.
Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life. "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning—"
"Non plus ultra," Percy said.
Annabeth looked stunned. "Yeah. Nothing Further Beyond. How did you know?"
Percy pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."
Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence. Between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater—maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA.
"Guys, do I turn around?" Leo asked nervously. "Or..."
No one answered. What a helpful group of demigods.
Kira gripped her necklace from Leo for comfort.
As the ship approached the columns, she saw a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at their ship as if he were expecting them.
Frank inhaled sharply. "Could that be—?"
"Hercules," Jason said. "The most powerful demigod of all time."
The Argo II was only a few hundred yards from the columns now.
"Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again. But I need to know quick—"
"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."
"Won't Hercules be on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean...he's one of us, right?"
Jason grunted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods."
"Great," Percy said. "Eight of us against Hercules."
"And a satyr!" Hedge added. "We can take him."
"I've got a better idea," Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group—one or two at most. Try to talk with him."
"I'll go," Jason said. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."
"Or maybe he'll hate you," Percy suggested. "Half brothers don't always get along."
Jason scowled. "Thank you, Mr. Optimism."
"It's worth a shot," Annabeth said. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words."
All eyes turned to Piper.
"Fine," she said. "Just let me change my clothes."
Once Leo had anchored the Argo II between the pillars, Jason summoned the wind to carry him and Piper ashore.
From the next chapter on, I'm going to add some aesthetic to the book. Hopefully you guys like it!