Iron Man's Daughter

Chapter 46

They shot up back to the surface, Piper looked over and cried with relief, she dove into the water and kissed Leo on the cheek.

" Miss me?" Leo laughed.

" Where were you guys?" Piper demanded furiously.

" Long story," Blossom breathed.

" Want a brownie?" Leo asked as a picnic brownie popped up next to him. They all climbed back on board, Blossom changed into dry clothes and the four of them explained what happened. Along with eating the brownies.

" These are really good brownies," Jason commented.

" Try them with Esther's peach reserves," Frank suggested.

" That's sounds disgusting," Blossom commented as she made a face.

" Pass me the jar, man," Jason said. The girls all looked at each other. " Would you like some Bloss?"

" No thanks," Blossom denied.

" Can't know if you don't like it if you don't try it," Frank said.

" Do you want poison ivy?" Blossom asked.

" No today," the boys said. 

" They didn't want to meet me?" Percy asked

" Nah, they thought you were too ugly," Blossom joked, Percy glared at her.

" Do you talk to your dad with that tongue?" Percy demanded.

" All the time," Blossom said.

" She's lying, it's undersea politics," Hazel corrected. " Good news they are taking care of the aquarium in Atlanta and protecting the Argo 2."

"But they didn't want to meet me?" Percy asked once more. 

" Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about," Annabeth scolded as she swatted his arm.

" After today, Nico has less than two days," Hazel informed. " They said we have to rescue him, and he's essential to the quest somehow."

" Nico has information about the Doors of Death," Piper said. " We'll save him, Hazel. We can make it in time. Right, Leo and Bloss?"

" Wha?" Leo asked as he looked away from the controls. " We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Spend the rest of the day sailing to Rome, or flying if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then..."

" Which will put us on the last day possible for Nico," Jason said as he looked at his brownie in disgust. " Which gives us twenty-four hours."

" There's the Mark of Athena too," Percy brought up. Annabeth brought out a thin bronze disk the size of a donut. 

" This map that I found at Fort Sumter..." Annabeth began, but nothing was showing. " It's blank!" 

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone," Blossom repeated, they all looked at her. " Annabeth if you are the only one that can see this, then that means you have to find it alone."

" What did you see?" Frank asked.

" That map was hard to read, but it showed the spot on the Tibera River in Rome," Annabeth answered. I think that's where my quest starts...the path to follow the Mark."

" Maybe that's where you meet the river god Tibernius," Piper said. " But what is the Mark?"

" The coin," Annabeth murmured as she took out a coin from her pocket, it was a silver drachma.

" What's the inscription?" Leo asked.

"In Greek, it stands for Of The Athenians," Annabeth answered.