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"Do what?" Percy asked

"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath "Everybody listen"

Piper met their eyes, one person at a ti her charmspeak, "raise your hands"

There was tense silence

Leo laughed nervously "Did you really think that was going to--?"

His voice died His face went slack He raised his hand

Jason and Percy did the saht her breath Next to Leo, Frank scraainst the wall

"Oh, gods" Annabeth looked at Piper ily "Can you cure them?"

Piper wanted to whimper and hide under the table, but she had to help Jason She couldn’t believe she’d held hands with…No, she refused to think about it

She focused on Leo because he was the least inti

"Are there more of you on this ship?" she asked

"No," Leo said in a hollow voice "The Earth Mother sent three The strongest, the best We will live again"

"Not here, you won’t," Piper growled "All three of you, listen carefully"

Jason and Percy turned toward her Those gold eyes were unnerving, but seeing all three boys like that fueled Piper’s anger

"You will leave those bodies," she commanded

"No," Percy said

Leo let out a soft hiss "We hty, that’s creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo turned toward hiile Your soul could burn at any moment"

Piper wasn’t sure what that ut He drew an arrow, his hands shaking "I--I’ve faced doorse things than you If you want a fight--"

"Frank, don’t" Hazel rose

Next to her, Jason drew his sword

"Stop!" Piper ordered, but her voice quavered She was rapidly losing faith in her plan She’d made the eidolons appear, but what now? If she couldn’t persuade them to leave, any bloodshed would be her fault In the back of her

"Listen to Piper" Hazel pointed at Jason’s sword The gold blade seerow heavy in his hand It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair

Percy growled in a very un-Percy-like way "Daughter of Pluto, you ems and metals You do not control the dead"

Annabeth reached toward him as if to restrain him, but Hazel waved her off

"Listen, eidolons," Hazel said sternly, "you do not belong here I may not command you, but Piper does Obey her"

She turned toward Piper, her expression clear: Try again You can do this

Piper ht into the eyes of the thing that was controlling him "You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated, even htened His forehead beaded with sweat "We--ill leave these bodies"

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew"

Leo and Percy both hissed in protest

"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted

A ainst hers Then all three eidolons spoke in unison: "We promise on the River Styx"

"You are dead," Piper said

"We are dead," they agreed

"Now, leave"

All three boys slumped forward Percy fell face-first into his pizza

"Percy!" Annabeth grabbed hiht Jason’s arms as he slipped out of his chair

Leo wasn’t so lucky He fell toward Frank, who made no attempt to intercept hiroaned

"Are you all right?" Hazel asked

Leo pulled hihetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead "Did it work?"

"It worked," Piper said, feeling pretty sure she was right "I don’t think they’ll be back"