BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

88.

EDEN WASN'T SURPRISED when the snake people arrived.

She absolutely despised snakes. After all, who didn't? Basilisks and giant cobras had made her repulsed over the years.

So when the ship docked at the harbour in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens, Eden totally was looking for something to happen. Sure, they had finally reached their destination. Somewhere nearby – past those rows of cruise ships, past those hills crowded with buildings – they would find the Acropolis. Today, one way or another, their journey would end, but what was life without a little drama?

As it turned out, the drama was three dudes with snake tails instead of legs.

Eden and Piper were on watch while the crew geared up for combat – checking their weapons and armour, loading the ballistae and catapults. Eden spotted the snake guys slithering along the docks, winding through crowds of mortal tourists who paid them no attention.

"What the shit are those?" Eden frowned, her head perched on Piper's shoulder, her arms around her waist from behind. "They look like something in my nightmares."

"Eden," Piper looked over at her, and she sighed. Right. Nightmares were a . . . sore subject, between the two of them. She should've known. "Annabeth?" Piper called.

Annabeth and Percy came to their side.

"Oh, great," Percy said. "Dracaenae."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "I don't think so. At least not like any I've seen. Dracaenae have two serpent trunks for legs. These guys just have one."

"Duh." Eden rolled her eyes. "I would've said so."

"Shut up," Percy said to her, and Eden smirked. "These look more human on top, too. Not all scaly and green and stuff. So do we talk or fight?"

Eden was tempted to say fight, but wasn't she always? She couldn't help thinking of the story Piper had told her – about the Cherokee hunter who had broken his taboo and turned into a snake. These three looked like they'd been eating a lot of squirrel meat.

Weirdly, the one in the lead reminded Eden of Piper's dad when she'd shown her a movie poster. The snake man held his head high. His face was chiselled and bronze, his eyes black as basalt, his curly dark hair glistening with oil. His upper body rippled with muscles, covered only by a toga cloak thing. From the waist down, his body was one giant serpent trunk – about eight feet of green tail undulating behind him as he moved.

In one hand he carried a staff topped with a glowing green jewel. In his other, he carried a platter covered with a silver dome, like a main course for a fancy dinner.

The two guys behind him appeared to be guards. They wore bronze breastplates and elaborate helmets topped with horsehair bristles. Their spears were tipped with green stone points. Their oval shields were emblazoned with a large Greek letter K – kappa.

They stopped a few yards from the Argo II. The leader looked up and studied the demigods. His expression was intense but inscrutable. He might have been angry or worried or terribly in need of a restroom.

"Permission to come aboard." His rasping voice made Eden think of Luke, for some reason. Then she'd wanted to cry at the thought.

"Who are you?" Kaleidoscope asked.

He fixed his dark eyes on them, because Eden was basically attached to Piper. "I am Kekrops, the first and eternal king of Athens. I would welcome you to my city." He held up the covered platter. "Also, I brought a Bundt cake."

Piper glanced at them. "A trick?"

"Probably," Annabeth said.

"At least he brought dessert." Percy smiled down at the snake guys. "Welcome aboard!"