This Cold Year ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase²

―xi. chiron the surprising optimist

NAOMI WOULD NEVER TELL PERCY, but she was getting sick and tired of the sea.

Well, it was really the sea monsters that were the issue.

They'd all hoped to get a moment of peace after fleeing from Charleston—maybe get in a nap, grab a bite to eat, relax before they reached the Mare Nostrum.

But nooooooo. Shrimpzilla had to kill the vibe. The cockroach-shrimp monstrosity had not only wrecked the ship, but it had also dragged Leo, Hazel, and Frank below the sea, and they were still missing an hour later.

Naomi hadn't felt this helpless in a while. Jason was flying around like Peter Pan searching for any sight of their missing friends; Percy was doing the same underwater, scouring the sea; Annabeth was somehow keeping the ship together; Piper was watching her psychic knife for visions of anything that would help.

And all Naomi could do was pace the deck, praying to gods she was pretty sure weren't listening anymore.

Maybe they never had been.

By the time the sun rose, none of them had slept. The Argo II was no longer in danger of sinking, but without Leo, they couldn't do full repairs. The ship was capable of sailing, but none of them suggested leaving the area—not without their missing friends.

Naomi, Annabeth, and Piper sent an IM to Camp Half-Blood, warning Chiron of what had happened with the Romans at Fort Sumter. Annabeth recounted her conversation with Reyna, about the Greek camp paying for what had happened in New Rome. Piper relayed a vision from her knife of the Romans racing north.

Chiron's face seemed to age thirty years over the course of the call, but he assured them he would see to the defenses of the camp. Tyson, Ella, and the hellhounds had arrived safely. If necessary, Tyson could summon an army of Cyclopes to the camp's defense, and Ella and Rachel were already comparing prophecies, trying to learn more about what the future held. The job of the eight demigods aboard the Argo II, Chiron reminded them, was to finish the quest and come back safely.

Naomi managed to convince Annabeth and Piper to go back up to the deck to see if there were any updates on their missing friends, leaving her alone to say goodbye to their mentor.

Chiron's face had always been a little sad, but now there was a grief in his expression that spoke of his worst fears being confirmed once again.

"Did you know?" Naomi asked quietly. "That I wasn't just Greek?"

"In the beginning, I thought you were nothing more than Persephone's first demigod child," Chiron admitted quietly. "Then, as you grew older... as you grew stronger... I began to wonder." He sighed. "Your shadow-magic, your conversations with your father, your journey in the Labyrinth... I had no idea what it meant, then, but I suspected it meant something. But this... I never expected this."

"My mom said Gaea tricked her and my father," Naomi told the centaur. "I was never supposed to be born. I always knew I was a mistake, just not... such a catastrophic one."

"I don't believe in mistakes, Naomi," Chiron said. "Perhaps the circumstances of your birth were unconventional, but you have done great things with the life you've been given. You helped to bring Kronos down; you will help bring Gaea down, as well."

"She wants to use me for something," Naomi said. "She keeps telling me to 'come home,' that we're one. It's... it's scaring me, Chiron."

"Unfortunately, I fear we cannot understand the Earth Mother's plans," Chiron said mournfully. "Not yet. But I assure you, whatever plan she may have for, I have confidence you will stop her. You're a hero, Naomi—one of the best."