Haunted || Leo Valdez

102 - We Plan an Assassination But Are Interrupted

Rebecca had never been so glad to see Tyson, at least until he set them down and wheeled on Leila and Dakota. "Bad Romans!"

"Tyson, wait!" Reyna said. "Don't hurt them!"

Tyson frowned. He wore only a swimsuit and a flannel pajama shirt, like he couldn't decide whether to go swimming or go to sleep. He exuded a strong smell of peanut butter.

"They are not bad?" he asked.

"No," Reyna said. "They were following bad orders. I think they're sorry for that. Aren't you, Dakota?"

Dakota put his arms up so fast he looked like Superman about to take off. "Reyna, I was trying to clue you in! Leila and I planned to switch sides and help you take down Michael."

"That's right!" Leila almost fell backwards over the railing. "But, before we could, the Cyclops did it for us!"

Coach Hedge snorted. "A likely story!"

Tyson sneezed. "Sorry. Goat fur. Itchy nose. Do we trust Romans?"

"I do," Reyna said. "Dakota, Leila, you understand what our mission is?"

Leila nodded. "You want to return that statue to the Greeks as a peace offering. Let us help."

"Yeah." Dakota nodded vigorously. "The legion's not nearly as united as Michael claimed. We don't trust all the auxilia forces Octavian has gathered."

Rebecca laughed humorlessly. "A little late for doubts. You're surrounded. As soon as Camp Half-Blood is destroyed, those allies will turn on you."

"So what do we do?" asked Dakota. "We have an hour at most until sunrise."

"Five fifty-two a.m.," said Ella, still perched on the boathouse. "Sunrise, Eastern seaboard, August first. Timetables for Naval Meteorology. One hour and twelve minutes is more than one hour."

Dakota's eye ticked. "I stand corrected."

Coach Hedge looked at Tyson. "Can we get into Camp Half-Blood safely? Is Mellie all right?"

Tyson scratched his chin thoughtfully. "She is very round."

"But she's okay?" Hedge persisted. "She hasn't given birth yet?"

" 'Delivery occurs at the end of the third trimester,' " Ella advised. "Page forty-three, The New Mother's Guide to —"

"I gotta get over there!" Hedge looked like he was ready to jump overboard and swim.

Nico put her hand on his shoulder. 'Coach, we'll get you to your wife, but let's do it right. Tyson, how did you and Ella get out to this ship?"

"Rainbow!"

"You ... took a rainbow?"

"He is my fish pony friend."

"A hippocampus," Nico and Rebecca said at the same time.

"I see." Reyna thought for a moment. "Could you and Ella escort the coach back to Camp Half-Blood safely?"

"Yes!" Tyson said. "We can do that!"

"Good. Coach, go see your wife. Tell the campers I plan to fly the Athena Parthenos to Half-Blood Hill at sunrise. It's a gift from Rome to Greece, to heal our divisions. If they could refrain from shooting me out of the sky, I'd be grateful."

"You got it," Hedge said. 'But what about the Roman legion?"

"That's a problem," Leila said gravely. "Those onagers will blast you out of the sky."

"We'll need a distraction," Reyna said. "Something to delay the attack on Camp Half-Blood and preferably put those weapons out of commission. Dakota, Leila, will your cohorts follow you?"