DON'T BLAME ME! (p. jackson) (#2) (ON HOLD)

- eight

ROSE HAD TROUBLE FALLING ASLEEP.

coach hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty, walking up and down the passageway yelling, "lights out! settle down! try to sneak out, and i'll smack you back to long island!"

he banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep, which made it impossible for anyone to go to sleep. rose figured this was the most fun he'd had had since he'd pretended to be a gym teacher.

she stared at the bronze beams on the ceiling. her cabin was pretty cozy. leo had programmed their quarters to adjust automatically to the occupant's preferred temperature, so it was never too cold or too hot. the mattress and the pillows were stuffed with pegasus down (no pegasi were harmed in the making of these products, leo had assured her), so they were über-comfortable. he'd put an alarm/radio on her nightstand after she once mentioned she didn't like sleeping in silence. a bronze lantern hung from the ceiling, glowing at whatever brightness rose wished. the lantern's sides were perforated with pinholes, so at night glimmering constellations drifted across her walls.

leo had let her decorate it, saying she could do whatever she wanted since it was her cabin. there was a poster with the metro map of dc, since that's where she'd lived for most of her life (her dad had only recently moved up to new york). she'd put up a couple posters for bands and movies she liked, and she had one wall covered in pictures of her with friends and family. various pictures of her with annabeth, grover, thalia, and percy. one of her, mitchell, and love on halloween a few years ago. three with her dad's side of the family, although the pictures only included him, his boyfriend thomas, rose, and ella. a couple of her with lacy. several with silena.

rose had so many things on her mind, she thought she'd never sleep. but there was something peaceful about the rocking of the boat and the drone of the aerial oars as they scooped through the sky.

finally, her eyelids got heavy, and she drifted off.

it seemed like only a few seconds had passed before she woke to the breakfast bell.

"yo, rose!" leo knocked on her door. "we're landing!"

"landing?" she sat up groggily.

leo opened her door and poked his head in. he had his hand over his eyes, which would've been a nice gesture if he hadn't been peeking through his fingers. "you decent?"

"leo!"

"sorry." he grinned. "hey, nice fast and furious shirt."

"if you have nothing important to say, get out."

"we're setting down a few miles outside topeka, as piper requested. and, um..." he glanced out in the passageway, then leaned inside again. "thanks for not hating me, about blowing up the romans yesterday."

rose rubbed her eyes. the feast in new rome had been only yesterday? "that's okay, leo. you weren't in control of yourself."

"yeah, but still... you didn't have to stick up for me."

"are you kidding? of course i'll stick up for you."

"thanks."

from above, coach hedge yelled, "thar she blows! kansas, ahoy!"

"jesus," leo muttered. "he really needs to work on his shipspeak. i'd better get above deck."

by the time rose had showered, changed, and grabbed an english muffin from the mess hall, she could hear the ship's landing gear extending. she climbed on deck and joined a few of the others as the argo ii settled in the middle of a field of sunflowers. the oars retracted. the gangplank lowered itself.