The Curse of Oenone (Daughter of Olympus II) - [Leo Valdez xF!Oc]

Wish I Lacked Critical Thinking Skills, Y'all Seem So Happy

"Okay, guys, this isn't funny anymore..."

The seven teenagers look up when Jason enters the Mess Hall. He looks like he's wearing kid's clothing, which causes the entire crew to spit out their breakfast and laugh hysterically.

"Hey, Jason, easy with the growth spurts!" Leo says with a huge smirk on his face.

Since their quarrel four days ago, Leo has been shrinking everything out of pure pettiness. The showerheads can't be rearranged to fit people over 6 feet tall—unless you ask Leo nicely—the doorframes got smaller, and they can't do anything to stop him.

They all love Jason. They also think he's too much of a goody-two-shoes, making him the perfect target for Leo's practical jokes, and they're best friends. It's all harmless fun, really.

"Percy, dude, you gotta be tired of it too," Jason tries to reason, pulling the four-sizes-too-small shirt to cover his abdomen. "You're almost as tall as me."

Percy manages to look condescending when he replies. "Sure thing, Gulliver."

Jason frowns. "Bro, we look the—this is stupid! Here, try this on."

He takes off his shirt and the boys promptly object to it. Leo and Frank cover their girlfriends's eyes. "Man, keep it PG!" Leo complains. 

"I know what you're doing!" Jason scoffs, walking to the exit. "Knock it off or I'll hang you upside down on the topmast!"

"Good luck with that," the boy leans back on his seat, casually lighting up the tips of his fingers. "You could get burned."

Jason leaves in a terrible mood and returns with a shirt that's still tighter than it should be, but no one laughs this time, not wanting to push his buttons.

"Piper," Ara says. "You said you knew where to go next?"

"Yeah," Piper seizes her dagger and stares at it frowning. "I just realized this was Helen's. Is this yours, then, or...?"

Ara's face shows nothing but aversion. "Keep it. You were saying?"

"Right. Uh. It showed me palace ruins, full of spirits."

"Good or bad?"

"Definitely bad."

Everyone groans. "And what do you think it means?" Ara asks.

"Probably that we must go there," Frank stabs his fruit salad.

"Yeah, probably," Piper agrees. "Thing is—I don't recognize the place."

"Well, I might have a way to find it," Hazel offers. "If there are so many spirits in that place, I could ask around."

"But Nico said you don't have death-related powers?" Ara raises a brow.

"Yeah, but I can still commune with some spirits. I was dead once, remember?"

The others seem slightly tense when she says that, but Ara grins. "Alright. Annabeth?"

"I'm thinking," replies the girl, still pondering.

"And I love that about you," Ara presses. "About what?"

"I'm trying to recall what kind of place would hold so many spirits in the ancient lands, but I need more information for an educated guess. If Hazel can get it, that'd be helpful."

"Hazel, we're counting on you," Ara gets up. "Enjoy breakfast—I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Jason sits down to eat. Leo's eyes widen slightly, and he quickly follows her out. As they leave the room, Ara hears something hitting the table and Jason self-censors his swearing when his knees slam against the underside. The rest laugh again as Leo picks up his pace and pushes her forward.