Where You Go ― Jason Grace

xiii. to storm or fire

OPHELIA WASN'T AN expert on the weather, or on the Mediterranean climate, but she was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to freeze in July. 

Two days out to sea from Split, gray clouds swallowed the sky. The waves turned choppy. Cold drizzle sprayed across the deck, forming ice on the rails and the ropes. 

"It's the scepter," Nico murmured, hefting the ancient staff. "It has to be." 

Ophelia supposed it made sense that the scepter might have caused the weather change. The black orb on top seemed to leach the color right out of the air. The golden eagles at its base glinted coldly.

Still... Ophelia feared something else was making the weather act up. Something worse than the zombie-summoning artifact. 

"We can't talk up here," Jason decided. "Let's postpone the meeting." 

They'd all gathered on the quarterdeck to discuss strategy as they got closer to Epirus. Now it was clearly not a good place to hang out. Wind swept frost across the deck. The sea churned beneath them. 

"Need to—" Hazel gagged and pointed below.

"Yeah, go." Nico kissed her cheek, which Ophelia found surprising. He hardly made gestures of affection, even to his sister. Ophelia knew he didn't like physical contact. Kissing Hazel... it was almost like he was saying good-bye. 

Ophelia really hoped that wasn't the case. 

"I'll walk you down," Frank offered. 

Ophelia hoped Hazel would be okay. The last few nights, since the fight with Sciron, she, Hazel, and Piper had had some good talks together. They'd shared stories, complained about the guys' gross habits, and shed some tears together about Annabeth. Hazel told them what it was like to control the Mist, and Piper and Ophelia had been surprised to hear how much it sounded like using charmspeak and manifesting ghosts. The two offered to help Hazel with the Mist if they could, and in return, Hazel had promised to help coach Piper in sword fighting—something Piper wasn't all too skilled in. 

Nico brushed some ice from his hair. He frowned at the scepter of Diocletian. "I should put this thing away. If it's really causing the weather, maybe taking it below deck will help..."

"Sure," Jason said. 

Nico glanced at Piper and Leo, as if worried what they might say when he was gone. 

Ophelia didn't consider herself to be the most comforting person, but in that moment, all she wanted was to reassure Nico. He wasn't that much younger than she was—physically, anyway—but she felt a sort of responsibility for him. She'd seen him in his most vulnerable moment, and she understood. 

But she doubted Nico would accept comfort from anyone—least of all her or Jason. 

Ophelia sighed, hopping up to sit on the railing. 

Leo pulled a screwdriver from his belt. "So much for the big team meeting. Looks like it's just us again." 

Just us again. 

Ophelia remembered a wintry day in Chicago last December, when the four of them had landed in Millennial Park on their first quest. 

Leo hadn't changed much since then, except he seemed more comfortable in his role as a child of Hephaestus. He'd always had too much nervous energy, but now, he knew how to use it. His hands were constantly in motion, pulling tools from his belt, working controls, tinkering with his beloved Archimedes sphere. Today he'd removed it from the control panel and shut down Festus the figurehead for maintenance—something about rewiring his processor for a motor-control upgrade with the sphere, that meant.