Page 17 (2/2)

"You have not chosen," he said "So this one will die"

"You’re a spirit fro Percy Jackson Is that it?"

Percy sneered "I will live again in this body The Earth Mother has proo where I please, control whom I wish"

A wave of cold washed over Piper "Leo…that’s what happened to Leo He was being controlled by an eidolon"

The thing in Percy’s forhed without humor "Too late you realize You can trust no one"

Jason still wasn’tPiper had no help, no way to protect hi rustled in the wheat Piper saw the tip of a black wing, and Percy began to turn toward the sound

"Ignore it!" she yelped "Look at me"

Percy obeyed "You cannot stop me I will kill Jason Grace"

Behind hi with surprising stealth for such a large animal

"You won’t kill hi at Percy She locked eyes with the pegasus, pouring all her power into her words and hoping Blackjack would understand "You will knock him out"

The charht indecisively "I…will knock him out?"

"Oh, sorry" Piper s to you"

Blackjack reared and brought his hoof down on Percy’s head

Percy cruods!" Piper ran to the boys "Blackjack, you didn’t kill hiasus snorted Piper couldn’t speak Horse, but she thought he th

Te steed had apparently returned to wherever storm spirits live on clear days

Piper checked on Jason He was breathing steadily, but two knocks on the skull in two days couldn’t have been good for him Then she exae knot was foret them both back to the ship," she told Blackjack

The pegasus bobbed his head in agreeround, so that Piper could drape Percy and Jason over his back After a lot of hard work (unconscious boys were heavy), she got them reasonably secured, climbed onto Blackjack’s back herself, and they took off for the ship

The others were a little surprised when Piper caods While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped get Piper and the boys to the sickbay

"At this rate, we’re going to run out of aruet invited on these violent trips?"

Piper sat at Jason’s side She herself felt fine after a swig of nectar and some water, but she was still worried about the boys

"Leo," Piper said, "are we ready to sail?"

"Yeah, but--"

"Set course for Atlanta I’ll explain later"

"But…okay" He hurried off

Annabeth didn’t argue with Piper either She was too busy exa the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy’s head

"What hit him?" she demanded

"Blackjack," Piper said

"What?"

Piper tried to explain while Coach Hedge applied so paste to the boys’ heads She’d never been i abilities before, but he ht Either that, or the spirits that possessed the boys had also roaned and opened their eyes

Within a fewup in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences Both had fuzzy memories of what had happened When Piper described their duel on the highway, Jason winced

"Knocked out twice in two days," he lanced sheepishly at Percy "Sorry, man I didn’t mean to blast you"

Percy’s shirt was peppered with burn holes His hair was even ed a weak laugh "Not the first tiood once at camp"

"Yeah, but…I could have killed you"

"Or I could have killed you," Percy said

Jason shrugged "If there’d been an ocean in Kansas, maybe"

"I don’t need an ocean--"

"Boys," Annabeth interrupted, "I’ each other But right now, you need some rest"

"Food first," Percy said "Please? And we really need to talk Bacchus said sos that don’t--"

"Bacchus?" Annabeth raised her hand "Okay, fine We need to talk Mess hall Ten e your clothes You smell like you’ve been run over by an electric horse"

Leo gave the hel the satyr promise he would not steer theathered around the dining table, and Piper explained what had happened at TOPEKA 32--their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed the boys

"Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito "That’s what happened to Leo too"