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"Not sure," Annabeth said "But I’ve got coordinates Can you input latitude and longitude in this thing?"

"I can input star charts and order you a situde!"

Annabeth rattled off the nu the wheel with one hand A red dot popped up on the bronze display screen

"That location is in the middle of the Atlantic," he said "Do the Party Ponies have a yacht?"

Annabeth shrugged helplessly "Just hold the ship together until we get farther from Charleston Jason and Percy will keep up the winds!"

"Happy fun time!"

It seemed like forever, but finally the sea cale, with surprising gentleness "Letfor two hours"

"Two hours?"

"Yeah Give me the wheel"

"Coach?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I can’t unclench ers felt like they had turned to stone His eyes burned fro at the horizon His knees were ed to pry him from the wheel

Leo took one last look at the console, listening to Festus chatter and whir a status report Leo felt like he was forgetting so to think, but it was no good His eyes could hardly focus "Just watch for ed stabilizer And--"

"I’ve got it covered," Coach Hedge progered across the deck toward his friends

Percy and Jason sat with their backs against the mast, their heads sluet them to drink some water

Hazel and Frank stood just out of earshot, having an argu Leo should not have felt pleased about that, but part of him did The other part of hiuathered at thehard to turn into a bulldog "No sign of pursuit," he said

"Or land," Hazel added She looked a little green, though Leo wasn’t sure if that was fro

Leo scanned the horizon Nothing but ocean in every direction That shouldn’t have surprised hi a ship that he kneould cross the Atlantic But until today, their e on a journey to the ancient lands hadn’t seemed real Leo had never been outside the US before--except for a quick dragon flight up to Quebec Now they were in theto the Mare Nostruiants had coht not follow them, but they couldn’t count on any help from Camp Half-Blood, either

Leo patted his waist to make sure his tool belt was still there Unfortunately that just reminded him of Nemesis’s fortune cookie, tucked inside one of the pockets

You will always be an outsider The goddess’s voice still wriggled around in his head The seventh wheel

Forget her, Leo told himself Concentrate on the stuff you can fix

He turned to Annabeth "Did you find the h she looked pale Leo wondered what she’d seen at Fort Sumter that could have shaken her up so badly

"I’ll have to study it," she said, as if that was the end of the subject "How far are we fro speed, about an hour," Leo said "Any idea e’re looking for?"

"No," she adreen eyes were bloodshot and droopy "The Nereid said Chiron’s brothers were there, and they’d want to hear about that aquarium in Atlanta I don’t knohat she y saying that oddess at the aquariuht be stuck in Atlanta, but she can still send her children after us The Nereid said we should expect an attack"

"Wonderful," Frank ood idea Piper grabbed hi over, and he slid back down the et the ship aloft?" he asked "If we could fly--"

"That’d be great," Leo said "Except Festus tells ot pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter"

"We were in a hurry," Annabeth said "Trying to save you"

"And saving , it’ll take so anywhere"

Percy flexed his shoulders and winced "Fine with ood"

"Speak for yourself" Hazel glanced at the evening sun, which was alo fast We’ve burned another day, and Nico only has three more left"

"We can do it," Leo pro her brother (hey, it had seemed like a reasonable suspicion to Leo), but he didn’t want to reopen that wound "We canunexpected happens"

Frank grunted He looked like he was still working on that bulldog transforood news?"

"Actually, yes," Leo said "According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, les didn’t get hi with your pants"