This Cold Year ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase²

―v. naomi is FINE, geez

SOMEHOW, THEY MADE IT BACK TO THE SHIP in one piece.

Arion touched down on the deck, and the trio jumped off. Hazel and Leo carried the large sheet of bronze belowdecks, Naomi right behind them. They stopped in an open doorway.

"Gods of Olympus," Piper said. "What happened to you?"

"Long story," Leo said. "Others back?"

"Not yet," Piper said.

Leo cursed. Then he stood up straighter. "Hey, man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room."

He ran off with the sheet of bronze, leaving Naomi and Hazel in the doorway. Now that Leo was out of the way, Naomi could see that Jason was awake and sitting up.

"Jason!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Hey!"

"Hi, Naomi," he said. "Nice... makeup?"

Naomi wiped her cheek, her fingers coming away black from the marker. "Blame Leo," she said, scrubbing her cheeks aggressively.

"We met Narcissus," Hazel explained. "Also Nemesis, the revenge goddess."

Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."

On the deck above, something went THUMP, as if a heavy creature had landed. Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair. Percy's shirt was covered in it.

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

Frank stumbled up behind them, with a big smear of the black sludge down his face.

"Ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said. "Hey, Jason, glad you're awake. Hazel, Nay, where's Leo?"

Hazel pointed down. "Engine room."

Percy frowned at Naomi. "What's on your face?"

Naomi blinked. "Uh... that depends—what does it look like?"

"It looks like a very smudged 'L' and 'V' inside a heart," Annabeth said.

"... Hazel drew it," Naomi said, throwing her little sister under the bus.

Hazel squeaked at the accusation. "It was Leo's idea! And we didn't really have a choice—Narcissus was holding the Celestial bronze hostage!"

"Wh—" Percy started to say.

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar.

"What was that?" he demanded.

Naomi winced. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake."

"Like... all of them," Hazel said.

"Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys go help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as we can."

"On it!" Frank promised.

The three of them ran off, leaving Hazel and Naomi at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick.

"I'll just..." She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.

"Well," Naomi said. "I'm gonna go scrub this crap off my face."

❈

Once the ship was repaired and finally back on its way—and after everyone had cleaned up—Coach Hedge took the helm and the demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the eight of them.