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The hum <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ship’s engines changed to a lower pitch. Over <strong>the</strong> cabin loudspeaker, Festus’s voice<br />
creaked and squeaked.<br />
‘Yeah, thanks, buddy,’ Leo said. ‘On my way.’<br />
The ship was descending, which meant Leo’s projects would have to wait.<br />
‘Sit tight, Sunshine,’ he told Calypso’s picture. ‘I’ll get back to you, just like I promised.’<br />
Leo could imagine her response: I am not waiting for you, Leo Valdez. I am not in love with you.<br />
And I certainly don’t believe your foolish promises!<br />
The thought made him smile. He slipped his keys back into his tool belt and headed for <strong>the</strong> mess<br />
hall.<br />
The o<strong>the</strong>r six demigods were eating breakfast.<br />
Once upon a time, Leo would have worried about all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m being toge<strong>the</strong>r belowdecks with<br />
nobody at <strong>the</strong> helm, but ever since Piper had permanently woken up Festus with her charmspeak – a<br />
feat Leo still did not understand – <strong>the</strong> dragon figurehead had been more than capable <strong>of</strong> running <strong>the</strong><br />
Argo II by himself. Festus could navigate, check <strong>the</strong> radar, make a blueberry smoothie and spew<br />
white-hot jets <strong>of</strong> fire at invaders – simultaneously – without even blowing a circuit.<br />
Besides, <strong>the</strong>y had Buford <strong>the</strong> Wonder Table as backup.<br />
After Coach Hedge left on his shadow-travel expedition, Leo had decided that his three-legged<br />
table could do just as good a job as <strong>the</strong>ir ‘adult chaperone’. He had laminated Buford’s tabletop with<br />
a magic scroll that projected a pint-sized holographic simulation <strong>of</strong> Coach Hedge. Mini-Hedge would<br />
stomp around on Buford’s top, randomly saying things like ‘CUT THAT OUT!’ ‘I’M GONNA KILL<br />
YOU!’ and <strong>the</strong> ever-popular ‘PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!’<br />
Today, Buford was manning <strong>the</strong> helm. If Festus’s flames didn’t scare away <strong>the</strong> monsters, Buford’s<br />
holographic Hedge definitely would.<br />
Leo stood in <strong>the</strong> doorway <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mess hall, taking in <strong>the</strong> scene around <strong>the</strong> dining table. It wasn’t<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten he got to see all his friends toge<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
Percy was eating a huge stack <strong>of</strong> blue pancakes (what was his deal with blue food?) while<br />
Annabeth chided him for pouring on too much syrup.<br />
‘You’re drowning <strong>the</strong>m!’ she complained.<br />
‘Hey, I’m a Poseidon kid,’ he said. ‘I can’t drown. And nei<strong>the</strong>r can my pancakes.’<br />
To <strong>the</strong>ir left, Frank and Hazel used <strong>the</strong>ir cereal bowls to flatten out a map <strong>of</strong> Greece. They looked<br />
over it, <strong>the</strong>ir heads close toge<strong>the</strong>r. Every once in a while Frank’s hand would cover Hazel’s, just<br />
sweet and natural like <strong>the</strong>y were an old married couple, and Hazel didn’t even look flustered, which<br />
was real progress for a girl from <strong>the</strong> 1940s. Until recently, if somebody said gosh darn, she would<br />
nearly faint.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> head <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> table, Jason sat uncomfortably with his T-shirt rolled up to his ribcage as Nurse<br />
Piper changed his bandages.<br />
‘Hold still,’ she said. ‘I know it hurts.’<br />
‘It’s just cold,’ he said.<br />
Leo could hear <strong>the</strong> pain in his voice. That stupid gladius blade had pierced him all <strong>the</strong> way