Sea Green Eyes

Chapter 88

Ok, Piper had been joking about the whole kissing Cressida thing before but now she was serious about it when the girl tackled her to the floor as an arrow hit the mainmast, right where Piper's head had been.

The Argo II had been docked in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens. They were here.

Piper and Cressida had been on watch while everyone else had been gearing up for combat. Percy was clearly nervous because he came up on deck and was making sure Cressida's armour was done up properly. He was rambling on about how the last time they were in battle, Pollux did them too tightly and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel like she was being tied down and she couldn't breathe in the middle of a battle before Cressida pushed out of his hold and tackled Piper.

When she got up, they spotted the snake guys slithering along the docks, winding through crowds of mortal tourists who paid them no attention.

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

"No, they're not dragon women," Cressida said as she narrowed her eyes, leaning so far over the railing that Piper was worried she'd fall over. "Dracaene have two serpent trunks for legs, not one like these guys have."

"You're right," Percy said. "These look more human on top, too. Not all scaly and green and stuff. So do we talk or fight?"

"Well," Cressida said as she glanced at Piper. "As much as I'd love to fight, you have two demigods who are extremely good at talking at your service."

And the girls high-fived as the snake people 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."

"Identify yourselves," Cressida ordered.

He fixed his dark eyes on her. "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 her friends. "A trick?"

"Most definitely," Cressida said.

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

Both girls glared at him.

"What?! You said we're going to talk first."

"Let's just hope that this talk doesn't result in these snake men killing us before the giants can," Cressida said as she headed for the stairs down to the mess hall.

"Hey, don't think negative!" Percy called after her.

"Is there a positive in this situation?"

Percy didn't answer.

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Kekrops agreed to leave his guards above deck with Buford the table, who ordered them to drop and give him twenty push-ups. The guards seemed to take this as a challenge. Meanwhile, the king of Athens was invited to the mess hall for a 'get to know you' meeting.

"Please take a seat," Jason offered.

Kekrops wrinkled his nose. "Snake people do not sit."

"Please remain standing," Leo said. He cut the cake and stuffed a piece in his mouth before Piper could warn him it might be poisoned, or inedible for mortals, or just plain bad. "Dang!" He grinned. "Snake people know how to make Bundt cake. Kind of orangey, with a hint of honey. Needs a glass of milk."