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Everyone waited

"What did it say?" Annabeth asked

"Reyna wouldn’t tell me," Jason admitted "But it ot a prophecy or some bad news Reyna never acted the same around me after that"

Annabeth considered that After their experience with the eidolons, she didn’t like the idea of approaching a ghost, especially one that changed people with bad news or prophecies On the other hand, her e was the most powerful weapon Annabeth couldn’t turn down a possible source of inforirls’ adventure, then," Annabeth said "Piper and Hazel can coh Hazel looked nervous No doubt her tihost experiences for two lifeti Reyna could do, she could do

Annabeth realized that if six of them went on these two quests, it would leave Percy alone on the ship with Coach Hedge, which was irlfriend should put hiain--not after they’d been apart for so many months On the other hand, Percy looked so troubled by his experience with those ihthim a silent question He nodded as if to say, Yeah It’ll be fine

"So that’s settled" Annabeth turned to Leo, as studying his console, listening to Festus creak and click over the interco until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he les behind us--long-range radar, still not in sight"

Piper leaned over the console "Are you sure they’re Roman?"

Leo rolled his eyes "No, Pipes It could be a rando in perfect formation Of course they’re Roht--"

"Which would be a very bad idea," Jason said, "and remove any doubt that we’re eneot another idea," Leo said "If ent straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get coles We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there to--"

Hazel started to protest, but Leo raised his hand "I know, I know Nico’s in trouble and we have to hurry"

"It’s June twenty-seventh," Hazel said "After today, four ht throw the Roh time to reach Rome"

Hazel scowled "When you say should have enough…"

Leo shrugged "How do you feel about barely enough?"

Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three "Sounds about typical for us"

Annabeth decided to take that as a green light "Okay, Leo What kind of decoy are we talking about?"

"I’lad you asked!" He punched a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly pressed the A button on his Wii controller really, really fast He called into the intercom, "Buford? Report for duty, please"

Frank took a step back "There’s somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?"

A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and Leo’s automatic table climbed on deck

Annabeth hadn’t seen ine rooine) He was a three-legged table with a ears, and a set of stea like a s He clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train whistle

"This is Buford," Leo announced

"You name your furniture?" Frank asked

Leo snorted "Man, you just wish you had furniture this cool Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"

Buford spewed steaany top split into four pie slices, which elongated into wooden blades The blades spun, and Buford took off

"A helicopter table," Percy ?"

"Dirty deod laundry," Leo said "I hope you don’t mind, Frank"

Frank choked "What?"

"It’ll throw the eagles off our scent"

"Those were ed "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he’s out Hopefully he will" He rubbed his hands and grinned "Well! I call that a good day’s work I’onna calculate our detour route now See you all at dinner!"

Percy passed out early, which left Annabeth with nothing to do in the evening except stare at her coht Daedalus’s laptop with her, of course Two years ago, she’d inherited the reatest inventor of all time, and it was loaded with invention ideas, sche to figure out After two years, a typical laptop would have been out of date, but Annabeth figured Daedalus’s machine was still about fifty years ahead of its time It could expand into a full-size laptop, shrink into a tablet computer, or fold into a wafer of metal smaller than a cell phone It ran faster than any computer she’d ever had, could access satellites or Hephaestus-TV broadcasts frora except tie shoelaces There ht have been an app for that, too, but Annabeth hadn’t found it yet