ARUNA

silently, aruna opened the door to hazel's cabin. the girl sat on the edge of her bed, weeping slightly. she looked at aruna, her eyes wide with shock as aruna closed the door behind her. hazel stopped breathing as aruna leaned against the wall.

"you okay?"

hazel felt frozen. since when did aruna care? she'd been shocked that aruna had defended nico so strongly, but for aruna to actually come and check on her? it truly was a sight to behold.

"sorry. that was a dumb question."

hazel managed a small smile. she gestured to the desk chair in front of her, and aruna sat in it. she seemed a little awkward, like she was obligated to be there, but she wasn't. aruna wanted to make hazel feel better.

"so... you know my brother." hazel stated, her voice meek.

aruna shrugged. "do i know his favorite color? no. do i know what kind of music he listens to? also no. do i know that he hates people and likes to judge them? yes."

hazel smiled a little. "i guess that sounds like him. to be honest... i don't know much about him either."

"he doesn't like carrots."

hazel stared. "yeah, he- how do you know that?"

"i offered him one a little after dinner, and he treated it like it was a cockroach." aruna said. hazel chuckled softly.

"i know that leo is a dickhead sometimes," aruna sighed, still mad at him. "and jason is oblivious all the time, but... i guess they mean well."

hazel smiled. "you guess?"

"like. uh..." aruna paused. "i mean, they aren't evil by any means. they are good guys. but... well..."

"boys are stupid?"

"yeah, boys are stupid." aruna smiled. "the only non-stupid boy i have ever met was probably will solace, but he's gay, and even then, he has his moments."

hazel sniffed. "i don't know who that is."

"oh, he's the one who reattached my hand after it was severed off in a riot!"

hazel gaped. aruna clicked her wrists together, sending the metal of one bracelet to morph with the other, and make a single large bracelet. she held her hand out to hazel, showing off the hideous scar. hazel oogled at it, her golden eyes wide.

"he's a son of apollo." aruna explained as she clicked her wrists back together. "he also regrew leo's tooth that same night, and fixed all our cuts and bruises."

hazel grinned. "you seem to be adventurous."

aruna shrugged. she suddenly felt nostalgic, remembering how it was only a few months ago. "yeah... leo came to my cabin with a birthday cake." she explained. "i don't celebrate my birthday, but he wanted to do something special. it was handmade and everything, and he brought it after curfew, and tried to give me a good birthday. and, like an idiot, i convinced him to run away from camp with me for the night, and go to the city. then, well, the riot happened, and we got thrown in jail and had to call our friends to bail us out."

hazel laughed loudly. "oh my gods! that's so dangerous!"

aruna shrugged. "was a hell of a birthday though."

hazel shuffled forward. "runa, when is your birthday?"

aruna smirked.

"it's a secret."

~•♡•~

aruna didn't enjoy atlanta. she didn't enjoy much of the south, really.

for starters, it was hot and humid to the point that aruna was panting as she walked down the street. she wore a loose fitting silver shirt styled from her cloak, and a pair of blue jeans that had been ripped, and stopped at her calves. she wore clunky under armor shoes and her hair was tied back with a bright green hairband she'd taken from hazel before she had to leave. already, her face was beading with sweat.

she caught sight of the cafe rather quickly. it was a little thing, maybe twenty feet across and only one story. little awnings of green covered the metal, dark green patio tables where several people sat and enjoyed some food.

including her.

two iced teas were served to her, like she had envisioned aruna arriving at this exact morning. as he served her, the waiter began looking like he was remembering something sad. the girl took his hand, smiled, and said something softly to him. the man nodded, and replied what aruna believed to be "thank you". suddenly, he stopped looking so sad, and went on being merry as he went inside.

the woman turned to aruna. her eyes were downturned like a puppydog, sad and bright. aruna took the seat directly across from her, staring at the woman as she pushed an iced tea towards her.

"thanks." aruna muttered. she took a sip. the tea had about fifty pounds of sugar, but aruna didn't mind. leave it to georgians to do that.

the woman nodded. "of course. i cannot leave you without a refreshment."

she spoke with a greek accent, which aruna found somewhat puzzling. most of the gods and goddesses she'd seen didn't usually do that.

"do you know who i am?" she asked, her voice soft and huffy. "you seem to have figured it out by the dream is sent to you."

aruna set the tea down. she wiped the involuntary tear that slipped from her eye, and pushed away those tragic memories from her childhood.

"yeah." she glanced at the woman's tragedy mask charm, and looked back into her emerald eyes. "you're melpomene, the muse of tragedy."

melpomene nodded. she looked somewhat proud as she sipped her iced tea.

"many people overlook me in comparison to some of my sisters." melpomene said wistfully. "they might know who i am, but they do not know who i am, if you understand."

aruna frowned and looked across the street. the red stone sidewalks lined with boys and girls alike had a little concrete wall about three feet high lining it. above that were trees, shrubs, and assorted flowers.

"yeah, i do."

melpomene set down the tea. "which is why, aruna, i am somewhat surprised you knew who i was."

"i researched all the muses when i got to camp." aruna explained.

"yes, i know you took a special interest in my sister, erato." melpomene smirked. "muse of love poetry."

"what's that supposed to mean?"

melpomene chuckled. "my dear, you of all demigods must know that we muses see all literature, especially those in our own fields." she explained. "erato found your own works to be fascinating. apollo took an interest in your art, too."

aruna blushed. "i-i didn't know you guys could see all that!"

melpomene nodded. "we bear no ill will towards you. but, i must say, even i was moved by your works."

aruna hid her face in her hands. "oh gods, no."

"don't worry." melpomene smiled. "it is only between the ten of us!"

she laughed as aruna groaned wildly.

"but, it is safe to say, i, personally, have taken a special interest in your story."

aruna frowned and looked at the muse. melpomene flagged down the waiter, and quickly ordered two strawberry scones. the waiter left and aruna spoke up. "i'm not some story."

melpomene sipped her tea again. "oh, but you are." she gazed out to the city of atlanta, watching mortals walk by curiously. aruna watched two, surveying all different types of people.

"we are all stories, aruna." melpomene explained. "each of us has been part of the thread the fates spin, part of the plan ananke herself has. we are all our own stories to each other. for some, we are the villain. others, the hero. sometimes we serve as foils for other characters. each of us belongs to our own playwright, and that is where my sisters and i enjoy getting involved."

aruna felt queasy, suddenly, but she still ate the scone that was served to her.

"it is not my job to dictate your tragedy." melpomene explained. "the fates have woven that, and so, it must be. but it is in my order to shape it into art. to work you into a play worthy of shakespeare and my sisters. after all, we took a special interest in him for his talent, you know."

"no... i didn't know." aruna said skeptically.

"urania had an interest in your father, too." melpomene went on. "he was a stargazer, an astrologer, and she, of course, found that exquisite. but, of course, so did selene. frankly, we were all shocked that the titaness was still around. but, more or less, i told urania to step back."

melpomene reached between her feet. aruna finally noticed the little white bag she'd brought. from it, she slipped a manilla folder. she opened it, and presented aruna a slip of paper.

"my... my birth certificate?" she gaped as she read it. to her surprise, it was a greek certificate.

ARUNA MERCEDES RODRIGO

BORN: 14/2/1994

WEIGHT: 3.2 KILOGRAMS

FATHER: HYEON RODRIGO

MOTHER: SELENE RODRIGO

PLACE OF BIRTH: RHODES, GREECE

"yes." melpomene said. "it was after your birth that selene sent your friend, the cow aboard your ship, to deliver you to your father."

aruna looked at melpomene through teary eyes. "so, so i was born in greece?"

melpomene nodded. "yes, you had to be born in your mother's birthplace because she was too weak to journey to america and have you there."

"then... how..."

"your father took a trip to greece the year prior." melpomene said as she dug out another paper. "he went to research some of the constellations seen there, and your mother met him."

she passed aruna the picture. it was a polaroid, slightly less than twenty years old. it was a picture of a young, asian man with fluffy black hair standing next to a telescope. he was giving a thumbs up and showing off his gap-toothed grin. on the other side of the telescope, a woman stood. she looked exactly as she did every time aruna had seen her, but 6 feet tall instead of seven. she towered next to hyeon, who was maybe 5'4 or so, and her smile was gentle and kind. she also gave a thumbs up, and had an arm around aruna's father's shoulder.

"and so, things happened, and you were born shortly later! then, you were brought to america!"

aruna stared. "wait, am i even an american citizen, then? i have to be! my dad used my stuff for school and whatever!"

"oh yes, those were all fake." melpomene waved off. "you don't actually have any american citizenship. to the government here, you are the property of greece."

"this shatters my entire world view!"

"not really, but okay. but, now you know the story!" melpomene smiled as she sipped her tea and bit her scone. "really, must they use so much sugar?"

"so... is this why you wanted to talk to me?" aruna asked as she tightly gripped the items in her hand, not wanting to lose them.

"well, yes, but also, no." melpomene said. "i want to talk to you about the tragedy to come."

aruna's expression soured. "i don't really want to-"

sirens went off in the distance. melpomene and aruna both looked towards the main city, and then back to each other.

"well, i suppose i'll have to meet you at your next stop." melpomene said. "here." she handed aruna the last item.

aruna stared at the final picture, her eyes wet with tears. her father held her, when she was a mere three years old. she wore a black shirt with the moon on it, her chubby cheeks pale. her eyes squinted so tight, they looked like lines. her smile was bright and her father's mirrored it, still gap-toothed. he snuggled her close to his chest, and aruna looked at the date on it.

december 25th, 1996.

"you must go." melpomene said. "it seems your friends are in danger. take care, young one!"

aruna shot up, clutching her items carefully. "wait, how will i see you again?!" she asked as she also grabbed the scone for piper.

"you'll know!"

aruna grunted at the cryptic answer, and took off.

~•♡•~

aruna leapt onto the board of the ship in line with frank, percy, and coach hedge. coach hedge and percy collapsed, clearly exhausted. frank and aruna took off downstairs, and frank burst into hazel's cabin.

"where's leo?!" he gasped, out of breath. "take off! take off!"

annabeth and hazel shot to their feet.

"where's percy?" annabeth demanded. "and the goat?"

"above." aruna explained as she sniffled. the tragic aura of melpomene had caught up with her. she herself did not feel so sad and tragic anymore, but her body was lagging, evidently. now, she openly wept and snot ran down her face. frank grabbed his knees, trying to catch his breath. "they're okay." aruna said.

"we're being followed!" frank gasped.

annabeth pushed past the two and ran up the stairs three at a time. aruna followed, and hazel right behind her. frank continued to trail behind, clearly exhausted. percy and hedge lay on deck, looking exhausted. hedge was missing his shoes, but he grinned at the sky muttering, "awesome... awesome..." percy was covered in nicks and scratches, like he'd broken through a window. he didn't say anything, but he grasped annabeth's hand weakly, almost like he was trying to tell her he was okay.

aruna sniffled as leo, piper, and jason, who'd been eating in the mess hall, came running in.

"WHAT?! WHAT?!" leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese. his eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks blotchy. had he been crying? "can't a guy take a lunch break?!"

aruna sniffled and wiped her eyes, and everyone looked at her.

"what's wrong?!" leo asked, his voice three octaves higher.

"followed!" frank yelled again.

"followed by what?" jason asked.

"i don't know!" frank panted. "whales?! sea monsters?! MAYBE KATE AND PORKY!" he wailed.

annabeth looked like she wanted to strangle the guy, but she contained herself. "that makes absolutely no sense. leo, you'd better get us out of here."

leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate style, and ran for the helm.

then, everyone looked at aruna was she wiped her nose, covering her arm with snot.

"and you?" annabeth asked.

aruna hiccuped. "i met melpomene."

piper frowned. "the muse of tragedy?"

aruna nodded. "i'm an illegal, by the way."

"how are you-"

the ship rose. slowly, they navigated away from atlanta, and the boys finally began to recover.

"charleston." percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. he seemed traumatized. "set course for charleston."

"charleston?" jason asked as if the place brought up bad memories. "what exactly did you find in atlanta? and, can someone please get aruna a tissue?"

hazel walked up. she pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket like the '40s gal she was, and offered it to aruna. as aruna wiped her face and blew her nose, frank unzipped his backpack and started bringing out souvenirs.

"some peach preserves. a couple of t-shirts. a snow globe. and, um, these not-really chinese handcuffs."

annabeth looked like she was about to explode. "how about you start from the top- of the story, not the backpack."

they gathered on the quarterdeck so leo could hear as he navigated. percy and frank took turns relating what happened at the georgia aquarium with keto and phorcys, with coach hedge occasionally interjecting with; "that was awesome!" and "then i kicked her in the head!" when percy explained the captive sea creatures, annabeth and aruna seemed to understand why he was so sad.

"that's terrible. we need to help them." annabeth frowned.

aruna found it ironic how everyone was eager to help the sea creatures, but weary of a fourteen-year-old boy.

"yeah." percy nodded. he looked over to aruna, and waved a hand at her. "and you?"

aruna blew her nose and retold her story of her encounter with melpomene, how urania also had an interest in her dad but selene won, and how she is technically an illegal.

"no way!" leo snorted. "you're an immigrant?!"

aruna sniffled and nodded. "yeah, i was born in rhodes. and my dad only used fake documents, so i still don't have citizenship. but, anyway, melpomene says i have to find her again in charleston, i guess."

piper was now eating the scone aruna had gotten for her.

"okay." percy looked like it made no sense, but most demigod things didn't. "first, we have to figure out how to deal with this bounty on our heads."

annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. aruna continued to cry, fresh tears steadily streaming down her face. "a bounty on our heads... as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"do we get 'wanted' posters?" leo asked. "and do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

hazel wrinkled her nose. "what are you talking about?"

"just curious how much i'm going for these days." leo said. "i can understand not being as pricey as jason, or percy, or my little immigrant over here, but am i worth like, half an aru? a third of aru?"

"you are barely worth my pinky toe."

"hey!" leo complained.

"cut it out." annabeth snapped. "at least we know our next step is to go to charleston and find this map."

piper leaned against the control panel. piper's mulitcolored irises scanned around nervously, lost in thought. aruna noticed the braid going down her shoulder, intricately woven with graceful hands. aruna was amazed piper found the time to do that. rare was it that aruna even brushed her hair.

"a map." piper murmured. "but to what?"

"the mark of athena." percy blurted. he cautiously looked to annabeth, almost as though he were asking for permission to speak on the subject. aruna had a feeling it wouldn't be touched just yet, as annabeth looked weary and percy quickly looked away, his decision made.

"whatever that is," he continued, though aruna had a feeling he and annabeth knew a lot more than they were letting on. "we know it leads to something important in rome, something that might heal the rift between the greeks and romans."

"the giants' bane." hazel recited.

percy nodded. "and in my dream, the giants said something about a statue."

aruna sniffled. "why are all your dreams and encounters helpful?" she whimpered as she looked down at the documents in her hand. "mine just get me into arguments and tell me i'm not even a citizen of the U.S."

she was ignored.

"um..." frank rolled his not-exactly chinese handcuffs between his fingers. "according to phorcys, we'd have to be crazy to try to find it. but what is it?"

"a statue."

"please shut up." frank pleaded to aruna.

everyone then turned to annabeth. her stormy eyes were gazing distantly at the planks beneath her feet, her hand curling into a slight fist as she crossed her arms across her chest. aruna noticed jason analyzing annabeth closely as well, which aruna found extremely peculiar. usualy, jason spends his time lolling around, being oblivious to most of the world unless it's a life or death situation. clearly, the wheels behind his icy eyes were turning in that thick skull of his.

"i-i'm close to an answer." annabeth said nervously, throwing her hands out in defeat. aurna sensed there was much more to it than that. "i'll know more if we find this map. jason, the way you reacted to the name charleston... have you been there before?"

jason glanced nervously at piper. aruna wasn't entirely sure why, but it made her inclined to question it.

"yeah." he admitted. "reyna and i-" oop, there it is! "-did a quest there about a year ago. we were salvaging some imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. Hunley."

"the what?" piper asked.

"who!" leo gaped, already excited. "that's the first successful military submarine. from the civil war! i always wanted to see that!"

aruna snorted out loud. of course leo would want to see a 150-year-old underwater boat.

"it was designed by roman demigods." jason said, ignoring aruna. "it held a secret stash of imperial gold torpedos- until we rescued them and brought them back to camp jupiter."

hazel crossed her arms. "so the romans fought on the confederate side? as a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can i just say... not cool?"

aruna sniffled. "i just come from a family of border-hoppers."

"sweetheart, you are a border-hopper." leo corrected.

"not by choice!"

jason put his hands in front of him, palms up as he shrunk back slightly. "i, personally, was not alive then. and it wasn't all greeks on one side and all romans on the other."

"it mostly was." aruna interjected. "like how it wasn't all southerners on one side, but it mostly was? it mirrors that."

"please, shush." jason groaned. "but, yes. not cool. sometimes demigods make bad choices." he then looked sheepishly at hazel, his cheeks pink and blue eyes less icy than usual. "like sometimes we're too suspicious. and we speak without thinking."

he then looked at aruna with the same look, and aruna finally seemed to gather that he was apologizing.

he elbowed leo.

"ow!" he yelped, rubbing his arm. then, he awkwardly looked at aruna. "i mean, yeah... bad choice. like not trusting people's brothers who, y'know, might need saving." he turned to hazel.

"hypothetically speaking."

hazel pursed her lips. "fine. back to charleston. are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

leo kept his eyes on aruna, almost like he was trying to speak to her. the young girl just studied him for a moment, taking in his every feature before eventually turning away, not a word written on her face. with a hidden sigh of disappointment, leo turned back to the rest of the group.

jason shrugged. "well, i can think of two places in charleston we might search. the museum where they keep the hunley- that's one of them. it has a lot of relics from the civil war. a map could be hidden in one. i know the layout. i could lead a team inside."

aruna's tears finally seemed to stop. she wiped her face and sniffed for the last time.

"i'll go." leo said, almost seeming somewhat sad. his face told everyone else some sort of excitement, but aruna could feel how much of a guise it really was. "that sounds cool."

jason nodded and turned to frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the not-chinese handcuffs. "you should come too, frank. we might need you."

frank looked surprised. "why? not like i was much good at the aquarium."

"you did fine." percy assured him with a confident smile. he radiated a kind energy, like a big brother would. "it took all three of us to break that glass."

"'sides," aruna cut in. "you're a son of mars. the ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you, and i figure a museum full of civil war relics will be loaded with confederate ghosts, and they probably won't be in a great mood. but, with a leader..."

frank gulped, his cheeks flushing red, he seemed nervous, almost unconfident. aruna had to admit, he didn't really seem like such a bad guy. aruna had taken him to be a total dick with the way he'd been treating leo, but now, she was beginning to realize he was just some kid.

"okay." he nodded. "sure." then, he frowned at his fingers, tugging at them in an effort to get them out.

leo chuckled. "man, you've never seen those before? there's a simple trick to getting out."

"they were in the addams family!" aruna jumped a little as she remembered it. "damn, that's a good movie. i should watch it when i don't sleep tonight."

frank tugged again with no luck. even hazel stifled a chuckle, and it seemed like frank's dilemma had succeeded in lightening the mood.

he grimaced with concentration, a bead of sweat even forming on his forehead at his lack of luck. suddenly, he disappeared. instead, on deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to empty chinese handcuffs.

"well done, frank zhang." leo said dryly, impersonating chiron the centaur. "this is exactly how people beat chinese handcuffs. they turn into iguanas."

everybody burst out laughing as frank turned back into a human and shoved the handcuffs into his backpack. even aruna managed a soft laugh as frank offered a dry chuckle, clearly embarrassed.

"anyway." frank cleared his throat, desperately trying to change the subject. "the museum is one place to search. but, uh, jason, you mentioned two?"

jason's smile faded, his mood apprehensive. "yeah." he nodded. "the other place is called the battery- it's a park right by the harbor. the last time i was there... with reyna..." he glanced at piper awkwardly, then rushed on. "we saw something in the park. a ghost or some sort of spirit, like a southern belle from the civil war, glowing and floating along."

leo nodded his head at aruna. "could it be your chick? what was her name... melancholy?"

"melpomene, dipshit." aruna groaned.

"yeah, her. same thing. but, she said she'd be in charleston, right?" leo questioned.

"leo may be onto something." annabeth remarked. "how else would she know?"

"well, she didn't say charleston." aruna corrected. "she said, 'i suppose i'll have to meet you at your next stop'. she never actually said charleston. and besides, she didn't appear as a southern belle or a wispy apparition. she looked like hazel, maybe a few years older with longer hair. and she mostly blended in with everyone else, and she was served by a mortal. i doubt a mortal could see the ghost of a southern belle in a park."

"well, gods kinda do what they want." jason pointed out. aruna shrugged, still unsure, though she let jason continue. "well, we tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. then, reyna got this feeling- she said she should try it alone. like maybe it would only talk to a girl. she went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it let her."

everyone waited.

"what did it say?" annabeth asked.

"reyna wouldn't tell me." jason admitted. "but it must have been important. she seemed... shaken up, i guess. maybe she got a prophecy, or some bad news. reyna never acted the same around me after that."

annabeth took that into consideration as she spoke. "then, maybe it is melpomene in a different form. aruna, you said melpomene talked about past tragedy, and tragedy to come?"

aruna nodded. "well, yeah."

"maybe reyna was told something similar." she pointed out. "and she did say you'd know it was her."

aruna shook her head. "man, i dunno. i just... i really think that is not melpomene. i think she'll take a similar form." she turned to jason. "did reyna mention the smell of ivy leaves?"

"uh, no?"

"did the spirit have dark skin?"

"i dunno."

"'you dunno'? jason, what the fuck were you doing while you watched her?"

"i- i was eating a muffin, dammit!" jason threw up his hands.

"fair." aruna huffed as she turned away again.

"then right now, we'll assume it was melpomene." annabeth sighed.

"nah, i disagree."

annabeth quirked an eyebrow. she did not like to be disagreed with. "on what grounds?" she challenged, her head leaned forward.

aruna only shrugged. "i feel it in my balls, man."

annabeth groaned loudly as percy and leo cackled. annabeth glared at percy, who subsequently went silent, but leo continued to laugh.

"i got good intuition bro. i can say that is not melpomene."

"we'll have to assume it is." annabeth groaned as she pinched the bridge of he nose. "you have no other proof, and the dots connext and paint a decent picture."

"maybe you're connecting the wrong dots. still makes a picture, just not the right one."

"goddammit! shut up, aruna!" annabeth yelled, though she still had a small smile on her face.

"i'm just being realistic!"

"whatever. a girls trip, i guess." annabeth said, finally getting to her main point. "piper, hazel, and aruna can come with me."

hazel and piper nodded, though hazel looked nervous. no doubt her time in the underworld had given her enough ghostly experiences, and the crew already had enough themselves. and if it was melpomene, hazel did not need whatever trauma she had brought up in front of three other girls, and neither did piper, annabeth, or aruna.

"i cannot." aruna said. "i gots to find melpomene."

"what if this is melpomene?" piper pointed out.

"whatever. it is not melpomene," aruna corrected. "but i'll go with you. once you guys realize i was right along and it is not melpomene, i'll go find the real melpomene and have another little therapy session. maybe i'll find out my dad isn't even my dad. maybe that's all a lie too."

annabeth glared at aruna. "i'm gonna kill you."

"please step in line." aruna then turned to leo. "so that's settled. big man, how long 'til charleston?"

"good question..." he trailed off and looked at aruna. "'big man'? what the hell does 'big man' mean?"

"it's a juxtaposition."

"a what?"

"a contradiction, if you will. because you are neither big nor a man."

"alright, first of all, fuck you." leo wagged a finger at aruna while the others chuckled. "second, festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us- long-range radar, still not in sight." he added as he turned to the bronze dragon.

piper leaned over the console. "are you sure they're roman?"

leo rolled his eyes with such magnificence, aruna was surprised they didn't get stuck. "nah, pipes." leo waved off. "it could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. OF COURSE THEY'RE ROMAN!" he yelled. aruna snickered as piper glared at leo.

"you set yourself up for that one." aruna shrugged. in response, piper flipped her off.

leo turned to the control panel. "i suppose i could turn the ship around and fight-"

aruna winced as jason spoke up ."which would be a very bad idea, and remove any doubt that we're enemies of rome."

"did you install the nugget smokescreen while we were gone?" aruna asked.

leo looked embarrased. "uh... no." he shook his head and seemed very focused on the control panel despite not doing anything to it.

"why?"

"i was..." leo fumbled for an excuse.

"pooping." piper supplied.

"NO, NO NOT THAT!" leo cried, then whined loudly, "PIPERRRRR!" piper giggled to herself at having got leo back.

"lets focus?" hazel asked, though she looked amused. leo sighed as he looked back at the panel.

"i've got another idea." he said. "if we went straight to charleston, we could be there in a couple hours. but the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. we take the ship on a detour, go the long way to charleston, and get there tomorrow morning-"

hazel started to protest, but leo raised his hand. "i know, i know. nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"huh. glad to see you had character development while i was gone." aruna nodded.

"shut up." leo shook his head.

"it's june 27th." hazel said. "after today, four more days. then he dies."

"i know!" leo grunted. "but this might throw the romans off our trail. we still should have enough time to reach rome."

hazel scowled. "when you say should have enough..."

leo shrugged. "how do you feel about barely enough?"

aruna shook her head and hazel held her head in her hands for a count of three before saying, "sounds about typical for us."

annabeth seemed to take that as a green light. "okay leo. what kind of decoy are we talking about?"

"i'm glad you asked!" he pushed a few buttons, rotated the turntable, and repeated pressed a on his wii controller really, really fast while aruna bounced a little in anticipation. leo smiled at her, seemingly with an emotion aruna couldn't quite place. she froze, embarrassed, and leo awkwardly looked away.

into the intercom, he called, "buford? report for duty, please."

frank took a step back. "there's somebody else on the ship? who is buford?"

"my friend!" aruna said as she resumed bouncing. a puff of steam shot out from the stairwell, and leo's automatic table climbed on deck.

buford hadn't been seen a whole lot as he spent most of his time in the engine room. aruna and leo were confident he had a secret crush on the engine, and often shipped them together. buford was a three-legged table with a mahogany top. his bronze base  had several drawers, spinning gears, and a set of steam vents. buford was toting a bag like a mail sack tied to one of his legs. he clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train whistle.

"hi buford." aruna waved.

"this is buford." leo announced.

"you name your furniture?" frank asked.

aruna raised an eyebrow. "you don't?" frank almost looked startled.

leo snorted. "man, you wish you had furniture this cool. and i didn't name him. aru did after i built it with her." he corrected with a wave of his hand to the girl.

"of course she did- wait, with her?" frank asked.

aruna rolled her eyes. "that's a thing he does. when he says i made something with him, it means he built it while i sat around occasionally passing a tool or discussing societal oppression or recapping harry potter."

"she helped." leo asserted. aruna rolled her eyes again as leo addressed the table. "buford, are you ready for operation end table?"

aruna investigating the tote carefully. "are those... clothes?" she asked as buford spewed steam. "leo, is that my underwear?!" she yelled angrily as byford's mahogany top split into four pieces, which elongated into wooden blades. they spun, and the table took off.

leo stared at buford. "DUDE, I SPECIFICALLY INSTRUCTED SHIRTS AND PANTS ONLY!"

"a helicopter table..." percy murmured. "that snatches underwear... gotta admit, that's pretty cool. so, what else is in the bag?"

"dirty demigod laundry." leo replied.

"those are dirty?!" aruna whimpered in embarrassment.

"I DIDN'T GRAB THEM! BUFORD DID!" leo said as he threw his hands up in defeat. aruna buried her face and leo awkwardly turned back to frank. "uh, hope you don't mind, bro."

"what?" frank choked.

"it'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"those were my only extra pants!"

leo shrugged. "i asked buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. hopefully he will."

"i do not want my table washing and folding my underwear."

"our table, but whatever." leo brushed off. he rubbed his hands together and grinned, which simultaneously made him look cute and like a devious demon. "well, i call that a good day's work. see you all at dinner!"

~•♡•~