Page 15 (1/2)
Piper had so ht she’d never sleep But there was so of the boat and the drone of the aerial oars as they scooped through the sky
Finally her eyelids got heavy, and she drifted off
It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before she woke to the breakfast bell
"Yo, Piper!" Leo knocked on her door "We’re landing!"
"Landing?" She sat up groggily
Leo opened her door and poked his head in He had his hand over his eyes, which would’ve been a nice gesture if he hadn’t been peeking through his fingers "You decent?"
"Leo!"
"Sorry" He grinned "Hey, nice Power Ranger jaers! They’re Cherokee eagles!"
"Yeah, sure Anye’re setting down a few lanced out in the passageway, then leaned inside again "Thanks for not hatingup the Romans yesterday"
Piper rubbed her eyes The feast in New Rome had been only yesterday? "That’s okay, Leo You weren’t in control of yourself"
"Yeah, but still…you didn’t have to stick up forlittle brother I never had Of course I’ll stick up for you"
"Uh…thanks?"
Froe yelled, "Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!"
"Holy Hephaestus," Leo muttered "He really needs to work on his shipspeak I’d better get above deck"
By the tiel froear extending She clio II settled in the plank lowered itself
The ation, warm plants, and fertilized earth Not a bad smell It reminded Piper of Grandpa Tom’s place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, back on the reservation
Percy was the first to notice her He s, which for so faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, as if he’d never been away from the Greek side The new clothes had probably helped hisat the rail with his arm around Annabeth
Piper was happy to see Annabeth with a sparkle in her eyes, because Piper had never had a better friend Formoerous quest they were facing, at least she had her boyfriend back
"So!" Annabeth plucked the bagel out of Piper’s hand and took a bite, but that didn’t bother Piper Back at ca each other’s breakfast "Here we are What’s the plan?"
"I want to check out the highway," Piper said "Find the sign that says Topeka 32"
Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves "We shouldn’t be far," he said "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"
Piper explained what she’d seen in the knife--the oblet She kept quiet about the other ih, like the vision of Percy, Jason, and herself drowning She wasn’t sure what it meant, anyway; and everyone see, she didn’t want to ruin the mood
"Purple shirt?" Jason asked "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus"
"Dionysus," Percy muttered "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr D--"
"Bacchus isn’t so bad," Jason said "I don’t like his followers much…"
Piper shuddered Jason, Leo, and she had had an encounter with the otten torn to pieces
"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued "I did him a favor once up in the wine country"
Percy looked appalled "Whatever, man Maybe he’s better on the Ro around in Kansas? Didn’t Zeus order the gods to cease all contact witha blue tracksuit thisin the sunflowers
"The gods haven’t been very good at following that order," he noted "Besides, if the gods have gone schizophrenic like Hazel said--"
"And Leo said," added Leo
Frank scowled at hi on with the Olympians? Could be soerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully "Well…you guys have fun I’ve got to finish repairs on the hull Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows And, uh, Annabeth--I could really use your help You’re the only other person who even sort of understands engineering"
Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy "He’s right I should stay and help"
"I’ll come back to you" He kissed her on the cheek "Proether, it reat, of course But soht, when he’d been reluctant to talk about that old Ro of his old life at Camp Jupiter Piper wondered if she would ever be able to break through that barrier
The trip to Ca Reyna in person, hadn’t helped Neither did the fact that Jason had chosen to wear a purple shirt today--the color of the Romans
Frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail "I think I should turn into a crow or soles"