Wild ― Piper McLean

―xxxi. the making of monsters

"NEVER—AGAIN!" Verona panted as she collapsed onto the deck of the Argo II, uncomfortably damp and thoroughly pissed off. "Never again, Jackson!" 

"You're—" Percy gasped for breath "—welcome."

Verona spit the taste of saltwater out of her mouth. "Ugh, fine. Thanks for saving my—" she coughed harshly "—life, or whatever."

"No—" he panted "—problem." 

Annabeth and Hazel burst onto the deck, alerted by Frank. Leo, Jason, and Piper weren't far behind. 

"What? What?" Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese. "Can't a guy even take a lunch break? What's wrong?" 

"Followed!" Frank yelled. 

"Followed by what?" Jason asked. 

"Whales? Sea monsters?" Verona ventured, sitting up with Piper's help. "Crazy aquatic gods? Who knows?" 

"That makes absolutely no sense," Annabeth said. "Leo, you'd better get us out of here." 

Leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate-style, and ran for the helm.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked Verona, brushing away stiff strands of hair to get a better look at her girlfriend's face. "What happened?" 

"We are never going on an aquarium date," Verona declared. "Zoos are better, anyway—the good kind, though, not the shitty ones that steal babies from their moms and make them do little dances for people's entertainment." 

"Got it," Piper said with a look that said she had no idea what Verona was talking about. 

Verona and her quest buddies didn't relax until the Atlanta skyline was a hazy smudge in the distance. 

"Charleston," Percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He still sounded shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Jason asked, frowning like he was remembering an unpleasant memory. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"

Frank unzipped his backpack. "A couple t-shirts. A snow globe. And, um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."

"Oh, babe, you're gonna love this—" Verona dug the plush otters out of her bag. "I got one for each of us. They're holding hands." 

Piper looked delighted as she accepted her otter. "Oh my god, Vee—" 

"Can we save the souvenirs for later?" Annabeth asked. "What happened?" 

Everyone gathered on the quarterdeck so Leo could hear the conversation as he navigated. Percy, Frank, and Verona took turns relaying the story. Hedge interjected from time to time: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"

At least Hedge seemed to have forgotten about all of the "debauchery" from the night before. 

Coach Hedge wandered off as Percy started to tell them about the bounty Gaea had put out on them, probably because the conversation was no longer about him. He stood off to the side, practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.

Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. "A bounty on our heads... as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"So do we get WANTED posters?" Leo asked. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

Hazel wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about?"

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days," Leo said. "I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe... but at least tell me I'm worth more than Vee."