Jisoo POV

Given the choice between destruction or lasagne, I will choose lasagne every time

Whoever Jupiter is, I hope he can cook enough for twenty extra people. (Dr Hewett makes twenty-one, but his diet is presently being administered through an IV.)

I scan the lagoon entrance for the pilot drone. I guess I'm expecting something large, like a tugboat. I don't even see the drone until it buzzes past my ear and settles on the navigation console.

An alt-tech dragonfly flutters its copper-and-crystal wings. Its segmented eyes gleam like tinyFabergé eggs. I'm glad no one tried to swat it. I'm pretty sure that would count as a sign of aggressive intent.

 Hank barks.

The drone turns its head and makes a pop of static electricity between its front legs. Hank whimpers and hides behind Jennie. The brown-haired girl looked like she wanted to dismantle the fly and study its organs.

'Hi, there,' I tell the dragonfly. I try to sound calm, like I talk to mechanical bugs every day. 'I'm  Kim Jisoo Dakkar. That's my sister, Lisa Dakkar-Manoban.' Lisa waggles her fingers. 'As you can see, we're safe and unharmed. We have a crew of twenty for dinner, please. Also, we need urgent medical care for Dr. Hewett. He's comatose in the sickbay.'

The dragonfly wriggles its antennae. A copper thread unspools from its mouth and snakes its way into our auto-nav console. 

'Okay,' Jennie mutters. 'I'm sure that's fine.'

The ship's engines rumble to life. Pilot Bug steers us to starboard and guides us into the lagoon.

We have arrived in a heavily weaponized paradise.

 Along the perimeter of the atoll, turret guns peek from the brambles. They swivel to follow our progress. Targeting lasers wink and flicker along our hull. Whatever projectors control the island's impressive camouflage system, I imagine they are also hidden in the vegetation.

I've spent the last three days struggling to believe this place could exist. Now that we're here, I still can't believe it.

Socrates, fearless as usual, leads the way into the lagoon. Two local dolphins swim over to meet him. Within moments, they are leaping around together, chattering happily. So much for my friend being a loner.

 The water is so clear that I can see a labyrinth of jagged reefs below the surface. Schools of tropical fish swirl through the evening light like jets of colored paint. I want to dive in that lagoon so badly I can feel the ache in my teeth.

We cruise towards the central volcanic isle. It has no shore to speak of – just dark cliffs that plunge straight into the lagoon. The only sign of habitation is a single wooden dock, with a small sack anchored at the base of the rocks. The structure looks so flimsy I imagine it would break off in the first strong storm. It certainly doesn't look big enough for twenty people. 

 Nevertheless, Pilot Bug guides us towards it. Twenty feet out, it cuts the engines.

'Jendeauk, make ready the moorings,' I say. 'Pilot Bug, permission to come ashore?'

The drone retracts its wire tongue, spits another spark of electricity and flies away. I decide to take that as a yes.

The crew ties off the Varuna. I'm the first one off the ship, followed by Jennie, Lisa, and Roseanne.

On the pier, I have the same sense of disorientation I always get when I go ashore. My legs try to compensate for the lack of rolling and rocking. It's disconcerting. Solid land ... I've never trusted it. I definitely don't after what happened to HP.

Jennie's hands hover over her pockets. 'What now?'

A tall, slender, light-skinned woman steps into the light. Her white skinny jeans and vertically striped soccer shirt accentuate her spindly limbs, making her look like an anime character. Her black hair is flecked with green streaks. Her hands, sheathed in oven mitts, hold a steaming pan of bread that smells of butter and garlic.

My mouth starts watering.

'Jisoo and Lisa Dakkar, yes?' She has a friendly smile. 'You two look just like your parents.'

I've been told this a million times before, but after the stress of the last few days, and what happened with Taehyung, the comment hits me in the gut. It takes me a second to find my voice.

'I – Yes. This is the junior class of Harding-Pencroft. We have some bad –'

'Junior class?' The anime girl laughs. 'What in the world?' I can't quite place her accent until she says, 'I'm Kang Seulgi .'

I switch to Korean. '내 물고기는 파란색'

'퍼시 잭슨이 드디어 리메이크를 하게 된 건가요? 어쨌든 이것을 번역하려고하지 마십시오'

She plunges back inside. 

'Um ... What just happened?' Lisa asks. 

Jennie smacks her head with her socket wrench. 'Aren't you supposed to speak Korean?'

'She says come on in, and bring Hewett,' I translate. 'Her next loaf of garlic bread is burning.'

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A/n Please don't try to translate the Korean, I literally just put in random words lmao.