#and leo was already compared to the human torch

[wanderingmind867]

The Lost Trio = Fantastic Four. I really see parallels. It's hard to explain, but let me show you some of the parallels:

Jason Grace: Mr. Fantastic

Piper McLean: Invisible Girl

Leo Valdez: Human Torch

Coach Hedge: The Thing

[wellamarke]

“Let me make it up to you.” (SRC 2b)

The combination of this phrase + the other prompt being “song lyrics” resulted in my wandering around for most of today singing the chorus of Julia Michaels’ “Make It Up To You”. This has nothing to do with that. Just an (un)interesting fact.

Anyway... AU in which the Hawkinses + Leo and Sam managed to revive Karen.

@synth-recharge-challenge

••

The thirteen-hour countdown comes to an end sometime after one in the morning, the alarm chirruping merrily from his newly-borrowed phone.

Leo knows it would be far more sensible to wait for a more earthly hour, when Mattie or at least someone else will be around, but he has never been very good at being patient. He sits up straight, nursing the stiff muscles in his neck and wishing he hadn’t fallen asleep in a dining-room chair.

It’s dark, so he swaps the phone’s alarm function for its torch; steals a look at Karen’s face in the circle of yellowish light. The skinpacks on her face have fused seamlessly - she no longer seems like the victim of a beating. She looks like she is sleeping.

Or dead.

He taps the space bar of Mattie’s laptop, waking it up. The deep scan has not reported any major faults. He tries to tell himself that it doesn’t mean anything; there isn’t software to measure faults in consciousness. What would they check for? Even so, he can’t help hoping.

With a gentle tug on the cord, he pulls the charger out of Karen’s side, smoothing the flap of skin back over the port. He stands up, crosses to the light switch, then takes a long look at her: just in case this is his last chance to see her and feel hopeful. In case what he’s about to do confirms that it was all for nothing.

Enough now, he chides himself. Do it.

He goes back, leans down and chintaps the woman who was created to be his mother - a light movement, belying how momentous it is. There’s no startup sound, of course. As with her deep brown eyes, she has always been missing certain hallmarks of the commercial synth model. She’s home-made. Unique even among the uniques - which makes her status as a doppelgänger all the more ironic.

Leo holds his breath, keeps it there even when her eyes open.

“Hello,” he whispers.

Slowly, Karen sits up, her face slowly becoming animated again with a hint of a frown.

“I’m on a table,” she says.

The bluntness of her statement tickles him, but he can’t bring himself to laugh, in case it’s an indicator that her head isn’t functioning properly. She’s right, though, in fairness. With the bedrooms at full capacity, the table had been the next best option, as far as flat surfaces went.

Leo had wondered briefly if a Hawkins dining-room table was really a Hawkins dining-room table if it hadn’t, at some point, had a member of his family stretched out on top of it, close to death.

“Where am I?” she asks. “And don’t say ‘on a table’.”

This time he grins. “You’re at…”

He almost says Mattie’s, because that’s still what this house means to him first and foremost, but he realises Karen has no reason to recognise that name.

“Joe’s...wife’s house,” he finishes lamely. “You’re safe.”

“Joe?” Karen echoes, and faintly Leo registers a sinking feeling: she’s forgotten, they’ve lost part of her they’ll never get back…

Then her brow softens. “I told Sam to find him.”

“Sam’s fine,” Leo says quickly, before she has a chance to worry about it. “He’s upstairs. Charging in Sophie’s room.”

“Joe’s little girl?” Karen asks.

“Yeah. They’re the best of friends already.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Leo sits back down in his chair, looks up at her. “Do you remember how…?”

“Yes. I’m trying not to think about it.”

Fair enough, he thinks. It’s not as if he’s chosen to dwell on his own near-death experience all that much, in the days since his awakening.

She changes the subject deftly, if not subtly. “So what are you doing at Joe’s wife’s house?”

He considers the question. It’s a good one. Somehow he doesn’t want to lead with ‘Joe’s other daughter, mostly’.

“I had nowhere else to go,” he admits. “Things were getting a bit heated in the compound.”

She seems to find this amusing. “You were in a synth compound?”

“Yes.”

“And I was in a humans-only settlement.”

Leo hums in acknowledgement of the parallel. “And now we’re both here.”

“Yes.”

She cranes her neck to look out of the window. The moonlit street is empty, quiet.

“Sam and I will leave when it’s light,” she says.

“No,” he says, on impulse. Then, a little softer, “I mean, you don’t have to. They’re good people.”

“It’s dangerous for Sam, out here.”

“It’s dangerous for you, back there.”

She accepts it. “There are plenty of other synth-free places. We can’t stay outside one for long. Qualia are still looking for him.”

Leo is impressed by her bravery: less than a day after being beaten to death by humans who can’t abide synthetics, she is willing to live among them again, for the sake of her surrogate son. She would do anything for him.

It reminds him of Mia.

He remembers making that comparison once before. That time he’d been the one on a table, if memory serves correctly.

“Just don’t leave straight away,” he pleads. “Think about it.”

For the first time she looks at him - really looks at him, eyes locking on his. Leo tries to stare back, to fight against the human inclination to recoil from someone who looks so much like a ghost. She looks more like his mother now than when he’d last seen her: she looks exactly as she had on that very first day, presented to them all as Beatrice.

Why had she done that? Why had her default idea for a disguise been hair that length, that shade?

“Stop,” says Karen, softly.

“What?”

“You’re thinking about her,” she says.

He glances away, guilty. “I can’t help it.”

“I know.”

It’s not accusatory; none of it is. She just sounds sad.

“That’s why we can’t stay. I can’t be her.”

“I know,” he says, looking back at her. “I’m sorry. If it’s any consolation, my memories of her are fading now.”

She blinks. “But your synthetic component…”

“It’s gone.”

She raises her eyebrows. “How did that happen?”

“I got on the wrong side of a synth who really liked sharp edges.”

Something crosses her face briefly, but she doesn’t voice it.

“Funny, isn’t it,” she says instead. “We barely know each other, but we think we ought to. We think we matter to each other.”

“You matter to me,” he says quietly.

He doesn’t much mind if it isn’t true in reverse. He’s glad he got to say it.

“We let you down,” he continues. “But you’ve always been one of us.” He swallows, his throat still dry from his half-night’s sleep. “Let me make it up to you, somehow.”

“You already have,” she tells him. “You brought me back to life.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” she says, “But it’s enough.”

She twists, turning so that her legs are hanging off the side of the table. She is all parallel lines, her bare feet completely still.

“Can’t we just... try?” Leo asks, after a moment’s silence.

She turns her head, and slides her hand closer to his. He takes it, holds it gingerly, aware that only hours ago Mattie had had to replace part of the wrist joint. His own hand shakes ever so slightly, as it’s been doing intermittently whenever he asks his muscles to do something they’ve forgotten. What a pair they make. Both of them so recently broken, so recently dancing on the edge of their separate mortalities.

“You have a tremor,” she notes.

“I’ve been in a coma,” he counters. “It happens.”

Leo feels the pressure on his hand increase slightly, as she gives it a delicate squeeze. He has no clear enough memory of his mother’s hands to compare it with. This is Karen. Only her.

“We can try,” she says. “No promises.”

“No promises,” he agrees, and squeezes back.

••

[jflashandclash]

Traitors of Olympus: Blood of a Mayan

Twenty-Four: Kalypso

Leo Valdez and I Compare Notes from Book One

 The coordinates for Leo Valdez’s location appeared around 6:19 in the morning. Kally knew this because that was when Pax decided to do a very poor imitation of a rooster caw. She wished he had a blow horn instead. That would have been less annoying. Or—even better—that they had a gag.

This was worse than the wakey, wakey work campers! song they played at her Catholic “volunteer” camp in the mornings. Mostly because Pax felt the need to race back and forth across their sleeping bags to emphasize the caw.

Everyone dragged themselves out of bed.

Kally was used to the circadian rhythm’s version of suicide sprints from drama club, where she maybe slept three hours before the last rehearsal, then kept going for each performance their school put on and squished a soccer game before the matinee. Merry was used to it too, but that didn’t stop her from tripping Pax with a grape vine when he raced past her bed.

The Romans had left shortly after the Pax Show the night before, after Reyna went to talk to the Pax brothers under Calex’s recommendation. Kally meant to ask how that went.

Axel went around distributing beef jerky and what Kally could only hope was cleaned river water. Those boys had to have water-cleansing tablets with them, right? Merry huffed at him and waved off the jerky. “Do you have anything else a little less bovine?” she asked.

Pax pulled some grass from the ground and piled it into her lap. “You called for bovine?”

Merry gave him a playful glare that Kally recognized from the times Merry had publicly humiliated and shamed popular kids at their old school. “You’re already on my list for insulting the sounds of nature this morning.”

“Everyone up!” Axel’s call interrupted their conversation. He was half-way through rolling up Calex’s bedroll. The son of Eros had stumbled from his bed and stood there staring at it. Kally hoped he was okay. Calex looked like he might cry. Then she remembered how he described his nightmares.

True, she’d ”fought” Python in her dreams during her few hours of rest, but at least she was the only one in danger. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to dream about your mother and brother dying every night when you’d actually experienced it.

Axel stood with the bedroll and touched Calex’s shoulder. Almost to distract from the comfort, he called over Calex’s shoulder to the younger Song. “Joey, wake up your sister.”

Joey was grumbling about how she didn’t have any of her facial creams with her and that it was a crime against humanity to degrade someone by keeping them from some good Proactive. “You wake her up,” she snapped louder. “I’m not dying today.”

Kally thought everyone was up, but had overlooked the partially mossy pile that was Euna’s sleeping roll. She snored softly, arms and legs peeking out like she’d had an epic blanket battle in her sleep.

Axel released Calex’s shoulder, sighed, and walked over. He knelt down and touched her shoulder. “Euna--”

Euna punched him in the face.

While everyone was still stunned, she rolled over. A weave of grass followed her movement to tuck her in, acting as the world’s best sentient blanket.

“Yea, we throw stuff at her to wake her up in Cabin Four,” Joey explained. She barely hid a smirk as Axel rubbed his chin. “You should see how many alarm clocks she goes through at home.”

At home. Kally suddenly thought about her parents and siblings. Her parents were probably worried about her the same way one would worry over milk they forgot to buy at the store, but John… Her older brother was a jerk, but she’d been gone for over 24 hours. She hoped he didn’t say or do anything stupid.

A small scuffle erupted between Euna and Axel that ended with Calex carrying Euna—sleeping bag and all—to the Pax mobile.  

Merry did a quick morning prayer to the gods— Athena in particular, for whom she composed a quick riddle—Axel scolded her, and they were off.

As the Pax brothers took the front seats and Calex gently set Euna down in the back, he seemed to come out of a state of numbness. He adjusted his beanie and his scarf before leaning over the driver’s seat to Axel. “Uh, if we’re dropping by Leo, is there any chance we could avoid the… mythological travel?”

His face seemed to take on a green shade just looking through the front window at the golden donkey.

“It’s a ten minute drive, mortal car speed,” Axel assured.

“But I’m sure Leo won’t judge you if you throw up on meeting him,” Pax assured.

Calex didn’t seem awake enough to give Pax a proper distasteful scowl, but he tried his best.

Once everyone settled down, the car ride went quickly. They traveled on back roads, coasting smoothly with the new suspensions Hephaestus installed. From the few informational signs Kally noticed out of Pax’s window, they must have been in some kind of state park.

Pax teased Axel about Reyna the whole ride, providing ample entertainment. As they drove, Kally could hear Merry’s empty stomach moaning beside her. She almost felt guilty tearing off a piece of beef jerky and defending it from Baller… but she hadn’t had a proper meal since the night before, so wasn’t going to stop enjoy her meat.

When they stopped, Kally had expected a palace or a mansion or at least some torches lined up to spell Leo Valdez is Here, similar to a Hollywood sign.

Instead, they came upon a small shack in a clearing, built with various pieces of shimmering metal and wood. The scraps of gold, bronze, oak, and steel were mesmerizing as the morning sun reflected off the structure through the gold and orange trees. An embroidered tapestry hung above the shack with fancy, bold script that read: Leo and Calypso’s Garage. Below was smaller writing: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters; Fresh Fruits and Vegetables; Cider and Stew; Tofu Burgers.

There were two picnic tables in front of the shack. Three centaurs stood at one, munching on bowls of stew and pushing each other around. A girl came out to check on their orders. Despite the smudges of dirt on her face, arms, and rolled up sleeves, Kally could tell she was beautiful. She had long caramel hair and radiant skin. The girl was… intimidating. Kally had never met another person named Calypso before, though that’s how people always misspelled her name, if they had a guess at all. Most people expected Kally to look like an exotic model with her name but uh… this girl actually did look like an exotic model.

There was a Hispanic boy with elfish features standing in front of the shack. He seemed far too calm that one hand was smoking and on fire. Not only was he calm, he flipped a patty on that hand like, oh, Berkeley Hills, California regulation states that you need to finish cooking all burgers before you call the fire department.   

And the bronze dragon. Yea, she probably should have first mentioned the dragon hanging out in the clearing behind the shack. The scales outshined the shack, reflecting gold and bronze light everywhere. Two startling red eyes glowed from the dragon’s head as it watched the centaurs—a little too hungrily, Kally thought. Were those rubies? The automaton was so big, the dragon could have easily rolled and crushed the shack, the picnic table, and made some centaur patties. Fortunately, it seemed in a no-rolling mood, and much more intent on sunbathing.

Upon seeing the dragon, Kally’s first instinct was to panic—the first night she met the Pax brothers, the well-dubbed Silver Festus attacked the Pax Mobile. It took a Roman ballista and a well aimed shot from her discus to knock it out of the sky. They’d only gotten lucky that the control disk had popped out. This dragon was much bigger. They could shoot it with a few canons and still end up as a demigod roast.

Kally grabbed her Argonaut statue, wondering if she should climb to the van’s weird sunroof to prepare a futile shot at the dragon’s face, but Axel issued no commands and drove up like this was normal. She really needed to accept that stuff like this was normal… But she’d only known she was a demigod for a month. Maybe another six and she’d find dragons drab and boring.

From the rearview mirror reflection, Kally could see childish excitement in Axel’s brown eyes. It was cute to see him properly emote like a teenager.

Pax’s excitement wasn’t as quiet. He leaned partially out the window and said, “That’s Leo Valdez? He kinda looks like me!”

In the fact that they were both Hispanic, short, and had impish smiles, this was true, though Pax was slightly darker with chubbier cheeks. And the girl kinda looked like Kally, except looking at her was like trying on the same dress as Aphrodite to see who looked better. For an uncomfortable moment, it also made Kally wonder what she and Pax would sell from a stand. Poisoned bake goods? Weasel shirts? Probably weasel shirts.

“Tofu burgers,” Merry sighed wistfully and leaned into Kally’s shoulder. “I think I’m in love.”

“Right,” Calex chuckled. “I’d say a happy ‘two’ on the infatuation meter at best.”

“Tofu burgers are involved. I think that warrants at least a three,” Merry argued.

There was a small clearing about two dozen feet away from the shack that Axel took as a parking lot. He stopped the car, pulled the emergency lever, and exhaled slowly.

Joey grunted and leaned over Pax’s seat to see the flaming boy better. Neither he nor the girl had paid their van any mind. “He looks like a little runt,” she said.

Pax withdrew his apple and tossed it from hand to hand. “I’ve heard a lot about him from Matt. I may never have this opportunity again.” Pax grinned dangerously. “I’ve gotta mess with him.”

Before Axel could say anything, Pax jammed a dart into Axel’s seat belt buckle. He opened the door, pressed the lock button, and slammed it shut.

Axel jerked forward so quickly that his seat belt locked, trapping him. He fumbled to open it, but whatever Pax had done kept the buckle fastened even when the dart was removed. “Ajax!” Axel hissed but his brother was already walking towards Leo, taking a bite into his apple.

Merry shoved Kally forward. She stumbled past Joey and almost over Pax’s seat.

“Stop him!” Axel commanded and withdrew a knife to cut the seatbelt off.

Kally climbed over the passenger seat, pulled the lock up, and almost fell when she opened the door. As she scrambled after Pax, she could hear Calex yelp from the back, “Axel—the child lock is still engaged! I can’t open the back!”

So, for the next few seconds, that would leave it up to her to stop Pax. Well, it wasn’t Pax anymore. It was a six foot, blond police officer rapidly closing the distance between he and the teen.

Leo stopped flipping the tofu burger. The flames encircling his hand vanished, leaving a half-fried patty laying awkwardly in his hands. He had curly black hair, not quite as unruly as Pax’s, but close. His eyes were also dark, and couldn’t focus on one location for long. He wore a dirty army jacket and beat up work jeans.

When Pax leveled with him, Leo grinned. “Hello officer,” Leo said with such casual cheer that Kally assumed upsetting the police was as casual for him as walking in late to math class. “You missed the memo! Yesterday was our store’s official Po-Po appreciate day, but—”

“You’re in violation of California Code SB-1221,” Pax interrupted him while flashing a badge. As Kally approached them, she had to marvel at Pax’s acting. His posture had gone rigid, the same way it did when he mimicked Axel or pretended to be Jason Grace. He kept his chin held high, like an authority figure would. He pointed at the dragon “I’d like to see your permit for that dragon.”

Leo’s eyes widened. “You can see Festus?” He glanced back at the dragon, who glanced back at them with those unnerving and beautiful eyes. It creaked and whirred and Kally realized it was talking. Maybe telling Leo which one of them it would make into brunch first. Did metal dragons eat people?

When the son of Hephaestus returned his gaze, he looked more confused than alarmed. Leo tilted his head to one side, examining Pax like he could open his face and find a control board. “Do you have special Mist-piercing contacts or something? Because that would be sweet and I’d like to talk to your optometrist.”

Once Kally got close enough to interrupt them, she remembered how much she hated improvising. Merry would have come up with some story to drag Pax off before he changed back, so they could pretend they didn’t know the crazy guy dressed as a cop that mysteriously vanished.

“Officer—” Kally couldn’t continue when she saw Pax’s name tag. She burst into giggles.

Leo looked a second later and stifled some chuckles.

“Don’t get started with me Ms. Kassand! You’re still in trouble for Gorgon hunting on private property without permission!” Pax snapped. His authoritarian demeanor was so convincing, she almost went silent, but Leo’s laughter destroyed the illusion.

“Officer Doofus?” Leo gasped through his laughs.

Kally could tell that Pax was losing character. His mouth twitched. “You got a problem with that? You demigods think you’re so special and above the law, just because your parents are gods—”

As the air around Pax seemed to ripple, Axel lurched out of the van. The back doors flew open seconds later with Calex and Joey following after. Merry stepped out leisurely after them. Was Euna still sleeping in the car?

Pax’s hair darkened back to his wild black, his skin tanned, and his uniform lengthened into his duster jacket, T-shirt, and worn skinny jeans. He’d given up the façade to laugh along with them.

Again, Leo didn’t seem that surprised by Pax’s shape shifting. He did pick up on the joke. “Man, you had me for a second there, especially with the code. Is that a violation for illegally parking chariots or something?”

Pax shook his head, still laughing. Axel, Calex, and Joey all slowed down to normal walking pace when they saw Leo hadn’t set them on fire.

Pax straightened up enough to use his salesman-voice, “California Code SB-1221: you can’t use a dog to pursue bears or bobcats. One of the most important laws you need to know to live in the sun state.”

Leo saw the others coming and pulled himself together. “Gotta always worry about your spare bobcats,” Leo said. His eyes drifted over to Kally. One of his hands ignited again and he flipped the tofu patty. “Nice assist on the prank. I’m Leo Valdez—Handyman supreme. That’s Calypso—”

He gestured to the girl. She gave a small wave from where she was still trying to calm the centaurs enough to talk to them. “This is our shop. You can’t really find it unless you’re sent by a god, recommended by a friend or, have a life-or-death situation that can only be fixed with the world’s best cider. So… cider?” he offered.

As Leo went to set them up for brunch at an open picnic table, Pax listed off their names while pointing at everyone. She, Pax, and Merry took one side; Joey, Calex, and Axel, the other. Merry called dibs on the tofu burger he was flipping.

From the tempo and sound of Pax’s voice, Kally could tell Pax really wanted to be this guy’s friend. Pax did say that Matthias spoke about Leo a lot. Maybe Leo was also really into weasels and Reese’s Sticks.

“I’m Ajax Pax, your evil duplicate.[1] Here to tell you what you’re doing right in your life and how to ruin it. But call me Pax because there are too many A’s, too many X’s and too much awesome with—”

“Wait. Ajax Packs?” Leo grinned. “Like Ajax packs the heat? Or Ajax packs a punch? Tell me you do some kind of sport or—”

Pax wound up his arm and Kally could see Pax going in to punch Leo. Fortunately, Axel saw it too and darted his hand across the table to stop him.

Pax pouted. “He asked if I could pack a punch—”

“That’s not what he meant and you know—”

Pax shook Axel off and resumed his introductions. “This is Kally my sort-of-not-girlfriend, Axel, my brother—also the god of awesome—Merry is pretty cool, Joey, and some prick—”

Calex came out of his starry-eyed stare at Leo to scowl at Pax. “Ey!”

“—named Calex. Oh! And Euna is probably in the van and hasn’t gone on some crazy killing spree in pursuit of breakfast.”

Kally wasn’t sure how she felt about being introduced as Pax’s sort-of-not-girlfriend, though—like most things Pax said—it wasn’t fully inaccurate.

Joey sighed and stood back up. “I’ll go get her up. If there’s breakfast involved, she’ll be worse if we don’t wake her.”

As Joey walked away to wake the beast, Leo set out plates for everyone and handed Merry a bun. Merry hummed happily. “Mmm—a curdilicious burger. This might push the infatuation scale to a three—“

“Two and a half at best,” Calex offered with a chuckle.

Leo grinned. “Oh, for me? Sorry ladies, but the Leo machine is taken.” He glanced up to follow Joey’s movement. “I like your party mobile—wow! Are you using a…” Leo paused then snapped his fingers. “A Hygieia Hydraulic prototype?”

Axel sighed. “When I get back to Camp Half-Blood, I’m killing Matthias.”

“You’re from Camp Half-Blood?” Leo asked. His fingers traced a belt around his waist and his other hand fiddled with a fork he’d put on the table.

“Yea mate. They’re curious what is keeping you away,” Calex said. He tried to sound casual and lighthearted, but didn’t quite manage. His voice as a little too high-pitched.

“I kinda died and came back. It can really mess with a guy’s head. I tried to send them a message to let them know I was okay…” Leo trailed off.

Kally didn’t know the details of Leo’s story the way Merry or Calex would, but she overheard Piper lose it at one of her campers for suggesting Leo might be dead. From what Kally heard, he’d sacrificed himself so they could win one of the great wars but the camp counselors seemed to refuse his death. Piper and Leo had been close friends, hadn’t they? Kally could imagine Calex sitting up with Piper, comforting her about Leo.

Leo’s mouth moved like he wanted to say more and he glanced quickly over one shoulder.

That beautiful girl was walking over from the centaur table. She looked annoyed. When she noticed Kally, her eyes narrowed. Then they shifted to Merry, giving her a quick look over. The movement was so quick and subtle; Kally thought she must have imagined it when the girl smiled.

Leo whirled to face her like he’d completely forgotten the rest of them. “Hello there Sunshine,” he cheered. “You still don’t want any help with our party-harty patrons?”

She upturned her chin and huffed. “I see centaur manners haven’t changed in the last 3,000 years.”

Kally saw Pax reach for a dart on his belt. She put a hand over his to keep him from an unnecessary dartfest. Did anything not startle this boy? Kally understood why he’d been nervous around Romans, but this girl didn’t look dangerous. Kally was waiting for the day Pax came running to her because he saw a butterfly that reminded him of a monster.

“You’re the Calypso,” Pax hissed.

Calypso examined Pax. Her eyes had widened in alarm, then relaxed into confusion. “Yes,” she said. Almost to herself, she added, “I don’t know you.”

Although Kally didn’t know why, the disinterest on Calypso’s face calmed her. However, Pax’s outburst sent a ripple through the table. Axel’s eyes narrowed and he folded his hands casually in front of him, resting his chin on his thumbs. This obscured the lower half of his face so she couldn’t quite read his expression. Calex flinched and glanced between Leo and Calypso, looking worried.

Finally, there was Merry who munched with her eyes closed. “Whatever comes out of your mouth better not make this delicious feast any less enjoyable,” she said without opening her eyes.

Pax ignored her. His hand tensed under Kally’s. “No, Ms. Stockholm Syndrome. Most people don’t need to know me for me to know them. But you’re different. I know you from Jack’s poetry.”

Calypso’s jaw went slack, then it slammed shut, and she scowled. Tears rimmed her eyes. “You know Jack?”

“Seeing as I just got to tango with his murderers, I knew him,” Pax corrected. His voice had regained some of his normal buoyancy, but it sounded darker than usual.

Leo’s smile faded. He glanced from Pax to Calypso. “Who’s Jack?” he asked. “Uh, I kinda thought you said it was just Percy, that pioneer dude, and that Sissy guy.”

“Odysseus,” Calypso corrected reflexively. She rubbed her sleeve against her face and choked out, “I’m going to get the stew.”

“Wait—” Leo said, but Calypso was already disappearing back to their shack. She even ignored how two of the centaurs butted heads to vie for her attention. He glared at Pax. “Not cool man.”

Leo raced after her.

Before Calex, Merry, or Kally could ask, the Pax brothers began to hiss back and forth in… Mayan?  Because of their accents and her lack of knowledge in any of their languages and dialects, she struggled to tell if they were speaking Spanish, Mayan, or Kriol.

As the two chattered, Kally could see the Song sisters making their way over from the van. Merry set her tofu burger down and dabbed her lips with a napkin. Kally could imagine the verbal assault and battery that she was about to unleash.

“Hold up. What’s this about Calypso making things more complicated?” Calex interjected.

Everyone stared at him. His grey eyes at full attention, like one of the Pax brothers had addressed him directly.

The Pax brothers paused, glanced at each other, then glanced at Calex.

Axel asked him a question, keeping his hands folded over his mouth. His accent altered slightly with the language.

Pax muttered something under his breath.

“Shut it you dumb bloke,” Calex snapped at Pax. He turned back to Axel. “’Course I can understand you. Now what are you on about?”

Merry gave a hearty laugh.

Some floodgate of emotion broke in Kally and she sighed in relief. “Thank God someone can understand them!” she said. When the boys used language as a way to pretend she wasn’t there… it kind of hurt. Especially considering Pax had told her so much, and that she couldn’t tell his secrets anyway... it almost wasn’t fair.

Merry nudged Kally’s shoulder. “Love and desire speaks all languages. I guess that means Calex does too.”

Calex stared thoughtfully off to the side, then nodded his head. “I can understand most languages after hearing them a few times. I suppose that would be a godly power.”

“So, speak English,” Merry said to Pax and Axel. “Else we’ll get it with a British accent and Pax, you know Calex will make you sound stupid.”

“You’re right. I’d make him sound as he normally does,” Calex said.

“I sound like a scholar and a gentleman,” Pax protested.

By now, Joey and Euna had made their way to the picnic table. Although all of them looked exhausted, Kally was pretty sure she could start a sleep walking club with Euna. Probably a little dangerous in the Greek world. The girl’s eyes were barely open and her hair was plastered to the side of her face. After she plopped down in Joey’s former seat, she scanned the table for food other than Merry’s half eaten burger and found none. Slowly, she glared at her sister in a way that would make sloths proud.

Joey shoved Pax further down the bench into Kally so she could squeeze beside them.  “Don’t look at me. Pax probably scared the food off.”

“Don’t worry Flower Girl. Leo will be back with sweets.” Merry reached across to pat Euna’s head, but Kally grabbed Merry’s wrist and pulled her back. She knew the type of look on Euna’s face and didn’t want Merry to be down one hand.

Merry shook her off with an amused grin. She turned her attention back to Axel. “Let’s start this game of question and answer from the beginning. Why are we here? We know you’re a big fan of being the gods’ errand boy and—as much as I know you wanted to see Mr. Hunkihunk’s childlike wonder at seeing Leo Valdez—” She winked at Calex. “—I’m smelling an ulterior motive. And I doubt you’re here to rescue the Human Torch, who apparently doesn’t need rescuing.”

Axel examined Merry. No one was willing to interrupt the staring contest that rapidly degraded into an uncomfortable stalemate, not even Pax. His eyes flicked down to where Kally had rested her hand back on his—she’d only done it in case Calypso came back out and he went for his darts. He enlaced their fingers, lifted their hands into the air, then opened and closed them at random spots like PAC-MAN trying to eat some ghosts.

Euna put her head down on the table to nap.

Axel sighed, closed his eyes, and spoke softly. “Our father is trying to become a god. I need Leo Valdez to craft a weapon that not… not even Ares’s curse could break.” When Axel opened his eyes, they gleamed in the sunshine. For a moment, they glistened from brown to gold and Kally thought about the vision she saw in the van. “Then, I will be properly equipped to stop him.”

Kally had gathered most of this from Pax, but it was weird to hear Axel say them aloud. It felt anticlimactic at their little picnic table.

“A god?” Joey repeated in disbelief.

Calex’s eyes were wide. “Can the average bloke become a god?”

“He’s going to try,” Axel said.

“And what kind of person is your pops like that he wants to become a god?” Merry asked quietly. Her jaw slanted out of alignment and she rubbed it.

Axel nodded his head. “Not a very good one.”

A silent message passed between the two of them. Merry seemed to notice she was rubbing her face and forced her hand to the tabletop. Kally remembered the bruises Merry had when she left her father’s house and how Merry was seeking emancipation . They really needed an ice cream catch up day.

Pax set their hands down on the table. He squirmed back and forth, keeping his eyes on the ground. Kally thought he’d add something. Instead, he used his spare hand to fumble a necklace out from under his shirt.

“And how does…” Merry leaned forward so her mahogany locks dusted the edge of the table. She glanced past Kally at Pax. He paused and gave her a devilish grin. “Ms. Stockholm Syndrome make things more complicated?”

“Isn’t Calypso from the original myths? What’s she doing here?” Joey piped up. She sat up straighter and leaned forward to be more part of the conversation.

Merry nodded. “She was locked up tight on an island as punishment for supporting the Titans in the First Titan War. The gods would send her heroes to spice up her life, but they would always want to leave. She wasn’t known for being a good sport about it and, when Odysseus decided he was ready to stop the hanky-panky and go home to his waifu, she went a little Misery on Odysseus, for maybe seven years or so.”

Pax scowled. He released his necklace and his hand tightened an uncomfortable amount on Kally’s. “She shows her affections in unconventional ways.”

Axel frowned through his fingers. “Jack was a mess afterwards.”

“She captured your friend?” Joey asked, clearly skeptical of Jack’s abilities to defend himself from a tiny woman. “Is this the guy you kept calling the Scourge of Rome?”

Axel hesitated. “Propaganda. Not all killers are brave and not all monsters are ugly.” He glared over at the shack. “We needed Jack for the war and Atlas suspected he knew where Jack had disappeared.”

“So, you went to get him?” Calex asked.

Axel shook his head. “Mortals can’t find Ogygia except as teasers to Calypso, but Titans can. Prometheus and Atlas went to bargain for his release.”

“She had him gagged and muzzled like a dog,” Pax grumbled. “You know, like you do with people you love that want to leave.”

Kally felt her stomach drop. She wanted to assume Pax was joking, but she had a terrifying image of Pax as an ex-boyfriend, dressing up as a killer rabbit to scare away potential future boyfriends. Assuming future boyfriends were a thing that would ever happen.

Joey rolled her eyes. “Leo is here and ungagged. And I heard some rumors about Percy and this girl. He’s also ungagged. Maybe she changed her ways.”

Axel grunted. “Yea, and maybe Zeus said that humans and gods are born equal or Chiron will stop sending heroes out to die.” He shook his head. “Atlas made her swear on the River Styx that she wouldn’t hold heroes against their will anymore. We couldn’t have her taking anyone else from our cause. How ironic that the next one to show up was probably Percy Jackson.”

Calex said, “I do get some odd feelings off them. Though they do fancy each other just fine.”

“Calypso is probably worried we’re going to drag him back to Camp Half-Blood,” Axel mumbled to himself.

“Well, duh. Leo belongs in Camp Half-Blood,” Joey said. “Why should she care?”

Kally thought about how it would feel living on an island for 3,000 years in solitude. At first, she thought it might be awesome: all that time for writing, reading, and video games. The best part: there’d be no school, no annoying chemistry assignments to fail, and no cute boys to make her freeze up and feel like the world’s most realistic ice sculpture. But she was already lonely without Merry and it had been about a month since she moved to New York. And if the only people to visit would inevitably want to leave you…

“She’s probably scared of having to interact with others,” Kally blurted. When Merry, Axel, and Calex turned towards her, she thought about crawling under the table, but pushed forward. “If everyone she loved left her when she was on an island, I could see her being afraid of them having… more distractions off the island. And she might be nervous about talking to people in general. I wonder if Leo hasn’t gone back because she’s still adjusting.”

Could there be adjustment periods for 3,000 years of near solitude and separation anxiety? She could imagine trying to talk to a school counselor about that. “Uh, I’m a little afraid my boyfriend might leave me. The last 26 did.”

Kally had never been stranded on an island and she was terrified of social interaction. It would be unrealistic to think that wouldn’t leave a person bitter, anxious, and vindictive about the isolation. Especially when you looked like Calypso and could offer immortal paradise and boys still chose to leave.

Pax let go of Kally’s hand. Although she still felt uncomfortable with the exchange, her skin felt cold without his. He pouted at the ground and grumbled, “Nice to know you’ll sympathize with me when I do terrible things in the future because I have a traumatic back story.”

“You’re probably right,” Merry said. She must not have heard Pax, or was ignoring him. Merry gave Kally a little shoulder nudge of approval. She asked Axel, “So, you’re worried she won’t do us any favors for fear we’ll whisk away her knight in greasy armor. I think I can change her mind on that or at least distract her, with a little permission from all of you.”

Merry pressed something on her jacket and smooth jazz filled their ears. The music sounded more like high-quality-surround-sound rather than a dinky jacket radio.

The nearby centaurs perked up like social justice warriors detecting a racist comment.

Axel grinned, tapping his fingers across his goatee. “I like your idea, daughter of Dionysus.”

 Kally wasn’t sure how often she’d get to say it, but having a couple of centaurs handy helped a lot. As soon as Merry had their permission and gave a summary of her plan, she switched her powers on. Maybe it was because they hadn’t had enough sleep or that they’d finally had a chance to relax after almost 24 hours of questing, but Kally calmed when Merry turned the music up. She thought about how easy it was to hide in a corner when other people were dancing and was blissful at the idea.

The centaurs did the opposite.

“Party time!” one cried.

The other two bumped their heads together.

“Alright everyone, if you want to make this far easier on me, give a quick shout out to something that makes you happy! It can be sad-happy or excited-happy. Preferably something giddy-happy though,” Merry shouted. She stood up and gave everyone a charming smile.

Kally wondered how long it would take Leo and Calypso to come back out with the throb of music and the soon-to-be shouting. Merry’s jacket must have had telepathic subwoofers to make the picnic tables buzz the way they did.

Merry pointed at Joey.

Joey smirked and stood up with her. “Easy: dancing.” She put her hands on her hips and Kally could see Joey was already swaying to the beat. Something about Joey’s smile felt contagious.

Although the look on his was a sad grin, Calex stood up as well. “Waking up Tom in the morning,” he said. Although the motion seemed to pain him, he poked Euna in the side.

Euna sat up—Kally expected her to break Calex’s finger—and grumbled, unironically, “A full night’s sleep.”

Merry glanced at Kally. Panic swelled in her. She knew it didn’t matter what her shout out was, but she didn’t want to—

“Starting a new journal,” Kally said and jumped to her feet before Merry could poke her.

“Woo-hoo! Literacy!” One of the centaurs called and smashed a bowl on the table.  

That was less nerve wracking than she thought it would be, even with the Thor-centaur. Merry gave her a thumbs up.

Pax stood up. “A happy family,” he said.

Axel sighed and joined them standing. “When Reyna is trying not to smile.”

Pax nudged Euna with his arm. “Euna, you need to stand up so we can finish our transformation and turn into Sailor Scouts.”[2]

Euna grumbled and stumbled to her feet.

As soon as she did, the centaur, who had originally shouted Party Time, joined in their declarations with, “Red velvet cheesecake!”

“Fuzzy rabbits!”

“The Anti-Corruption Act!” the last one shouted.

The other two stared at him for a moment, shrugged, and echoed, “The Anti-Corruption Act!”[3]

Kally didn’t know what that was, but Axel nodded in approval.

During all their exclamations, someone else crept over. The bronze dragon made a creaking sound from a spot almost directly above Kally. She felt like she should have been more afraid, but the addition of a cheerfully creaking dragon seemed appropriate in the sunny weather.

Kally hadn’t realized she was starting to shift from foot to foot to the beat. Although Merry had warned that her demigod powers magnified with excitement and joy, she hadn’t realized exactly how nice the community feeling and electrojazz would be.  

One of the centaurs, Mr. Anti-corruption jumped onto the picnic table, collapsing it. He took off his Party Ponies shirt and swung it over his head while shouting, “Washington Chapter loves remixes of Louis Armstrong!”[4]

“Yea!” the other two cheered.

Then rushed at their group.

“Not again,” Calex grumbled.

Kally wasn’t sure what to expect, but burst into laughter when one centaur took Calex’s arm to dance with him and another took Joey’s. The height-to-horse ratio was a little ridiculous, but none of them seemed to mind.

Leo and Calypso rushed out of their shack.

Leo frowned at the picnic table, though he perked up at the music. “Aw man, it took me like, 30 seconds to make this table!” Although Leo attempted to look stern, he laughed when he saw Festus swing his head to the music.

A rustling came from the woods. Normally, Kally’s demigod instincts might have shouted danger but, with the music and the pleasant warmth of the sunshine on her face, she knew it couldn’t be evil.

A dozen nymphs and satyrs skipped out of the woods, wearing colorful crowns made of fallen leaves. They needed no invitation or conversation to prance among the centaurs and half-bloods. Kally giggled as the nymphs poked the satyrs horns with sticks then darted away, in a cat-and-mouse dance.

Someone poked her in the ear.

Kally jumped. Pax stood beside her with his devilish grin. He winked his hazel eye. “Try and catch me Cyclops,” he invited.

Kally wanted to do something more than blush. On a whim, Kally lunged forward as though she was going to pursue him then stopped short.

Pax jumped back, though almost stumbled when she didn’t follow. They laughed.

Kally could see Axel offer a hand to Euna. She stared at him.

“I promise you’ll get food afterwards,” he said.

“I can’t dance,” she stated. She didn’t sound embarrassed about it, but factual.

“But you can fight,” Pax pointed out. His eyes remained on Kally and he hopped from foot to foot, the way he often did before doing something stupid. Although he kept focused on her, he said to Axel and Euna. “You ever see Avatar the Last Air Bender? Just take her through some fighting stances.”

Euna shrugged. Within seconds, the satyrs, nymphs and the rest of their group learned to give them a wide birth while they ran through practice drills to the beat. Both laughed when Euna accidentally whapped Axel in the face.

“How have you seen so much TV?” Kally asked Pax as he pranced closer to her.

“It’s how Luke shut up Matt and me when we were causing too much trouble,” Pax said proudly.

When Kally glanced over, she saw Merry had danced up between Calypso and Leo. Calypso looked uncomfortable, the way Kally usually felt at school dances. Part of Kally felt sympathy for her. Dances were super awkward, and they hadn’t even formed a circle group yet. Something about Merry’s music calmed Kally though. Maybe she should pull Calypso in for a dance so she knew she was welcome.

“Man, we gotta start charging party fees,” Leo laughed. His hands fumbled around his apron, withdrawing pieces to construct a quick party hat out of a paper plate. That boy’s fingers could move fast.

“Oh no, honey. Other way around. I’m great for business as you’ll have plenty of greedy tummies to feed in a bit,” Merry hummed with a broad smile. “This one is on the house though because your tofu burger was so yumlicious. However, this party will only be complete with the Leomeister and Calydoll.”

“I might head inside,” Calypso said. She touched her head. “My head kinda hurts. I think I’m going to go lay down.”

Kally had looked away for too long. Pax dove at her. She yelped and stumbled back, but Pax stopped short when he registered what Calypso said. He glanced over at the same time as Axel, who also paused in his fight-dancing with Euna.

Axel nodded to Pax. Then got struck in the face. Again.

Pax scrambled over to Calypso’s side. “Hey! Yea, syndrome-calling is bad and stuff, and I shouldn’t have called you those things.”

If it was anyone other than Pax, Kally might have believed him. But Kally recognized the tone and it said, I should have said worse things.

“That’s not much of an apology—” Leo started to say but Pax cut him off.

“But I have something that will stop you from feeling your headache,” Pax offered. He withdrew a vial from inside his jacket that Kally had never seen before. Unlike his knockout serum and poison, it was full and glittered like the stars. “Our dad owns a pharmaceutical company and this stuff works better than a dream.”

Calypso glared at Pax, probably still unhappy about what he’d said earlier, but her want for a headache remedy won out.

Kally might have been disappointed when Pax took Calypso to the side, but the ensuing game of musical, dancing chairs distracted her. Calex and Joey managed to escape the centaurs and rejoin their group.

Axel left Euna to Calex with strict instructions that she not accidentally kill Calex. Before Leo could go after Calypso and Pax, Axel snagged Leo’s arm and took him to the side. Axel said something about needing to do business before they could party. Merry, Calex, and Leo all looked disappointed as Axel led Leo to the van.

That was the plan though, right? Now Axel could ask Leo to build that unbreakable weapon. But she had to wonder—Axel had mentioned Hephaestus had fixed all the weapons in the back of the van. What tool or talent could Leo have access to that Hephaestus wouldn’t also have?

Merry placed a hand on Kally’s shoulder. “We don’t need pretty boys to have fun,” she said, laughing and shoving Kally to sway her hips.

Joey came over to join them and give Kally a few pointers on dancing. Kally never thought of herself as a good dancer, but Joey proved to be surprisingly encouraging despite all of her criticism. Joey was phenomenal. Kally had almost forgotten the dance battle she had against Apollo when they first got to camp.

“We have a school dance coming up,” Joey shouted over the playful bounce of music. Since the music never seemed to change level when Kally stepped closer or further from Merry, she wondered if part of its magic was to keep it the same volume for anyone partying. “You should all come. I can invite Pax as my date. Euna can invite Axel.” Joey flipped her hair. “I’ve got plenty of friends who would love to take Calex or one of you two if I tell them to.”

“Mmm, I do love parties,” Merry cheered.

Kally envisioned Joey as a mob boss, controlling a roving group of pre-teen girls in pop-star hoodies and perfect makeup. Kally would rather fight Aphrodite’s Devils again than have to keep up conversation with them. Instead of rejecting Joey’s offer, Kally asked, “Joey, don’t you have a boyfriend you’d want to invite instead?”

Kally often forgot Joey was two years younger than her. Despite her age, Kally couldn’t imagine Joey not having a boyfriend.

Joey glanced over to make sure Euna was distracted by Calex. As though she wasn’t shouting, she leaned toward Merry and Kally. “I’m dating Apollo, but he’s really busy.”

That took a moment to process. “My dad?” Kally balked. Regardless of how gods could change their appearance, something about her fourteen-year-old… friend? Could she really call Joey a friend? But her fourteen-year-old friend dating her 3,000 year old father seemed like something she should report to the school counselor and maybe some kind of super powered police force since she doubted their counselor could do much. Did Chiron have a policy for camper-god relationships?

Merry shook her head to the music. “You think you might be a bit too much of a young kitten for—”

           “Nope,” Joey stated without a hint of offense or uncertainty. “When I’m older, I’ll marry him and become a goddess.”

           “Joey, Goddess of Vanity.”

           Kally jumped when Pax appeared beside her. He grinned, winked his hazel eye at her, and slipped his hand into hers.

           Joey huffed, but didn’t break her smile.

           “Where’s Calypso?” Kally asked. It felt weird to say her own name like that.

           “Telling Morpheus I said, ‘sup,’” Pax said.

           “Is she alive, Mr. Vague?” Merry hummed, tapping his cheek.

           “When I saw her last. I went to make some Kool-Aid after—”

           “Are you the girl who considered herself worthy enough to marry a god?”

           Despite the merry atmosphere, everyone jumped when an older woman spoke beside Joey. None of them saw the woman walk up. Or maybe it was a dryad with a shawl? Kally couldn’t be sure, but she’d never seen a dryad hunched over like this one was. Kally couldn’t even see the speaker’s face, but the woman’s voice sounded aged with contempt and haughtiness.

           Merry went from shaking her head to the beat to rapidly shaking her head at Joey. She made consecutive slicing motions at her neck like to say, cut it out. Pax stepped behind Kally, in a way that cued Kally that this was not a mortal.

           Joey ignored her. “Augh, not right now. I haven’t done nearly enough quests yet. I doubt anyone knows me on Olympus. But, Hercules became an immortal. And Psyche married a god. If I work hard at it, anything can happen,” Joey said it with such casual confidence, Kally might have believed her… except she was talking about becoming immortal and marrying Kally’s father. For the record: gross.

           Kally decided she didn’t want to be there for that conversation anymore. Although she assumed Merry’s powers were blocking her from fully understanding her discomfort, it was definitely a killjoy.

           Joey laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Can you imagine it? Eternal beauty? Parties every night?”

           The old woman scowled at Joey, saying, “What did Hermes call it? The illusion of capitalism? Saying you can do anything if you put your mind to it. What a lie they tell children these days.[5] You don’t think it bold for a mortal to want godhood?”

Kally tugged on Pax’s hand.

           “Can we—can you and I—go for a walk in the woods?” Kally whispered. She didn’t want Pax to misunderstand and invite Joey to come along. She hoped he’d come up with an excuse as to why it should be a walk without her—

           Pax nodded, eager to get away from the older woman. He walked them towards the line of orange and yellow trees. To the others, he said, “Guys, Kally and I will be right back. We are going to go make out in the woods.”

           “Pax!” Kally hissed and struggled to withdraw her hand. That’s not what she meant—

           He tapped her nose with his other hand. “What? I’m a forward thinker.” He grinned. “And you didn’t seem like you wanted to be followed, Cyclops.”

           They walked past Festus, where he whirred his gears and bobbed his head. Kally wondered if the vibrations from the music felt like a massage to his wires. Two centaurs were doing a dance around him. Either that, or they were creeping up to attack, but Kally figured Festus could defend himself in the event of a pony riot.

           “That make out comment—it’ll encourage Merry to follow us,” Kally complained once the music quieted to sound more like an iPad and less like the best speakers ever.

           As she said it, a brilliant explosion of light erupted behind her. At first, she wondered if Leo Valdez had heard about her super nova and wanted to show her up. Then she heard a terrifying voice bellow, “Impetuous mortal!”

           When Kally turned, she saw all the centaurs and nymphs had dropped to grovel on their knees. Calex and Euna froze in mid-dance. There was no longer an old woman beside Joey, but a beautiful goddess, garbed in a glowing white gown and a cloak of peacock feathers. Her black hair was wrapped with golden ribbon in plaits down one shoulder. Those eyes burned with ferocity and radiated power.

           The music quieted. Merry joined the groveling with a quick, “Holy Hera!” Kally wasn’t sure if she was swearing or genuflecting. Merry tugged at Joey’s arm, but the daughter of Demeter stood there, gawking at the goddess.

           There were so many feathers. Kally had to wonder what Joey said to make the old woman combust into a boa with limbs.

           “You think you can handle the same trials and tribulations of the pious Psyche and the great Hercules?” the goddess demanded.

           Joey swallowed and clenched her fist. Kally was impressed. She would have apologized, cried, and probably managed to trip and knock herself out, but Joey stood her ground. “I can,” she said, though Kally could hear her voice quiver.

           Hera’s eyes narrowed. “Very well,” she snapped. Hera raised one hand and Kally was pretty sure they were about to witness a half-blood being smacked into a constellation. Instead, something appeared in Hera’s hand.

           A polished rosewood box with golden filigree.

           Kally was too far to see those details on the box, but she knew that’s what it looked like. She’d seen it before, but she couldn’t remember where.

           “This box allows you to carry the essence of a god or abstract thought. Travel into the Underworld and bring me the essence of Hades and Persephone’s happy marriage. Let’s see if you’re worthy to be a hero, let alone a consort of Apollo.”

           Kally recalled something Rachel said to her in her dream—that there would be a domino effect into a disaster with causalities on both sides.

           “Both sides?” she’d asked. “Monster and half-blood?”

           “No,” Rachel had frowned. “Traitor and hero.”

           And seeing that polished rosewood box, Kally knew that was one of the first dominos.

           Pax frantically tugged Kally’s arm. “We need to go tell Axel,” he whispered.

             Pax dragged Kally into the forest before they could see if Joey accepted the box. From the sudden pop they heard, Kally guessed Joey had accepted the box and Hera had disappeared. Either that or Hera popped Joey into confetti.

           Kally tried to balance not-panicking while scanning her memory for that box. She guessed it must have been from a vision, but she couldn’t pinpoint which.

           Although Pax rushed when they first set out, he slowed them down drastically when they heard Leo from somewhere ahead. “Uh… you want me to what?” the son of Hephaestus sounded like Axel had asked him to jump rope with a Fury’s flame whip. Though, if Leo really was fire proof, he probably could do jump rope with a Fury’s whip. Maybe she shouldn’t mention that to Pax since he might demand a performance.

           With the rays of brilliant sunlight sparkling through the woods, everything glowed yellow and orange. Axel and Leo stood out starkly. Kally hadn’t seen where they went at the start of the dance party, but Axel must have grabbed something from the van. He leaned against a tree, holding some kind of insulated sack in his hand.  

           Kally had to wonder how they didn’t hear Hera’s temper tantrum in the background, but she supposed the centaurs had kicked over a table at the start of their party.

           Pax stopped behind a large oak. He tugged Kally close and motioned for silence. Kally stumbled into Pax’s duster jacket and wanted to remind him that she wasn’t keen on his original public excuse for their departure.

But Pax leaned along the tree to watch the two talk. Kally wanted to point out that it was more important to make sure Joey wasn’t tiny pieces of paper than any prank Pax planned on playing on Axel, but Kally understood why Pax had paused. Axel looked… weird. Too business-like.  

“—with the temperature you’ll need to remove the metal, I’m not sure it would be safe for Calypso to help you.” With such routine smoothness to his speech, Axel must have been continuing a long list of instructions.

Leo waved his hand, pacing back and forth. He had a flip notebook in one hand and a pencil in this other. “Na man, her temper is hotter than any fire I can spill. She’s resistant. Plus I made her a fireproof Iron Lady suit so she can help me on more complicated projects.” Axel perked up at this information. Leo didn’t notice. He was sketching some kind of design. “So, melt the metal out of some coals and build a Buster Sword. Jeez amigo, you made this sound way cooler than it is. And why are you being so secretive with the payment? Do you have counterfeit ambrosia or something?”

Axel reached into the bag and withdrew the Silver Festus’s control disk. A month ago, when Kally first met the Pax brothers, they’d been attacked by a silver automaton dragon. With the help of the Romans, they’d managed to dislodge its control disk and shut it down. After seeing the real Festus, Kally understood the nickname.

Leo’s eyes went wide. “Holy Toledo! That’s Felix’s control disk!” He dropped his pen into his work belt and rushed within inches of Axel. “You have no idea how long it took me to find that much silver without Hazel around! Where did you find her?!”

“Your dragon attacked us,” Axel said.

“Automatons these days, am I right? They grow up so fast.” Although Kally could hear the jest in Leo’s voice, he eagerly darted around the disk, taking note of any of its imperfections. “I wonder why she—oh! Oooooooh!” Leo snapped his fingers and pointed at Axel. “You have a girl named Calypso in your group, right? Uh, Kelly or whatever?”

Kally flinched. She hated being called Kelly.

Pax glanced away to give her an evil grin. She had a feeling she’d hate it even more in the next few days.

“Kally,” Axel corrected.

“I was in the middle of programming Felix’s search engine—the search-and-rescue kind not the Google kind—when she disappeared. Felix was supposed to find Calypso if we ever got separated, but I never got to the ‘rescue’ part of the programming. Looks like Felix is good at finding Calypsos. Well, thanks for returning my disk.”

Axel didn’t look amused. Leo reached to take the control disk, and Axel tilted it up and away from his hand. “Before I give you this, I need you to swear that you’ll finish building the sword. This metal is cursed.”

Axel shook the bag in his hands. Although she already heard him mention coals, she expected some kind of metallic jingle instead of a swoosh of smoke from the bag. Were the coals on fire? “Weird stuff will start to happen when work starts on it and probably won’t stop until it’s done.”

Leo frowned. “What? Did you rob a mummy or something? I’m pretty sure that’s illegal in the book of Rawr.”

“Ra,” Axel corrected again.

When he continued his cold stare, Leo sighed. “Okay, okay. I guess it cursed away your sense of humor too.”

“A handshake will bring it back,” Axel gave him a crooked smile. He looped the satchel’s straps around one arm so he could extend a hand. “On the River Styx, you swear to finish this sword as soon as possible and give it to me and I promise to give you Felix’s disk and do everything I can reasonably do to get you her body. Once I’m done with my mission, respectively.”

“On the River Styx? For a sword?” Leo put his hands on his hips. “Are you sure you’re not a con man? Because you’re starting to sound like Sisyphus.”

Axel frowned. He put the silver disk into the bag.

“Wait—okay, okay.” Leo put his hands up. He fiddled with his tool belt and glanced at the ground, thinking. “It’ll take me a day, day and a half tops. Probably a day and a half if you’re expecting parties and tofu burgers.”

“Deal,” Axel said and put his hand back out.

Pax tensed. As Leo took Axel’s hand to shake, Pax bolted towards them, almost knocking Kally over. “HEY!” he shouted.

But Leo was already shaking.

Kally had learned her lesson about swearing on the River Styx to a Pax boy. It’s why she couldn’t tell any of Pax’s secrets. It was frustrating when Merry teased her about conversations that Merry assumed were romantic and weren’t, but it didn’t hurt beyond that. Plus, this was with Axel, not Pax. Axel always seemed more candid than his brother. But she wondered why he had all these extra precautions. Wasn’t Leo just making Axel a sword?

Leo and Axel glanced over. With the attention in their direction, it would probably look worse if Kally continued to stay half-hidden behind a tree. She stepped out, wishing she had anything to do with her hands and a way to explain away the eavesdropping.

Pax stopped a foot short of them. “Hera gave Joey a fancy box to get marriage advice from Persephone.”

Leo blinked. “Wait, Hera was here? As in goddess Hera? Shouldn’t there be more chaos and general annoyance? And—hey!” Leo suddenly seemed to remember what Pax had said to Calypso. “You were a jerk to Calypso.”

Pax shrugged. “I told Calypso I shouldn’t have said those things. Leo, let’s restart. I want us to be friends. I’m Officer Doofus of the Doof Diversion Team—”

“Ajax,” Axel interrupted. “Aren’t you supposed to be making Kool-Aid to calm everyone’s nerves?”  

Pax pouted and fiddled with something in his duster jacket, eerily similar to how Leo fiddled with his tool belt. “Fine,” Pax grumbled. “You go make more devious sounding plans. Come on Kally.”

 When they came out of the forest, the party had resumed. Hera was nowhere to be seen. The nymphs, satyrs, and centaurs were dancing. Merry must have turned the music back up.

Pax ran off to make some Kool-Aid in the shack. He seemed… more upset than she’d expect from an eavesdropping session, but she continued forward when he waved her on.

              Their friends were back at the picnic table. Kally expected Euna to be shouting at her sister for her recklessness, but Euna had passed back out on the table. That girl must have really loved to sleep. A glass of green liquid rested in front of her, probably the Kool-Aid Pax made.

              “Is Axel’s master sword under construction?” Merry asked. She looked tired, her honey skin glistening with sweat, though Kally wasn’t sure if it was from dancing or from pushing Euna and Joey back into non-killing moods after Hera’s interruption. She sat beside Joey, who wasn’t confetti, with Calex across from her.

              The rosewood box was on top of the table, partially covered by Joey’s hands. When compared to her fingers, the box seemed small, not something to hold the essence of a god. Now that Hera wasn’t around, Joey looked pale and sick. Kally could imagine her epiphany of, “Oh, Hera meant that Underworld. Can I fill this with Gushers instead?” Kally wondered what Euna said to her before falling asleep that made Joey realize a trip to the Underworld probably wasn’t a good thing.

           From the silence prior to her arrival, no one wanted to talk about Joey’s new quest.

              “He and Leo are taking a long time to get things sorted,” Calex said. He frowned at the rosewood box thoughtfully. The gloom in his grey eyes made his gaze feel hundreds of miles away. Probably back in Kakata, Kally thought.

              “Leo said it would take a day or so to make,” Kally said. Something about that conversation didn’t feel right. She didn’t want to bother them or say something to make the boys sound suspicious, especially not after the Missing flier from Hiro and Lapis. But she remembered Calex saying something…

           “Hey Calex,” she prompted quietly.

           When he glanced at her, Kally tried not to look away. She was finally getting comfortable looking all of them in the eye, and it was just in time to remind her that Calex looked like you’d expect a son of Eros to look. “Um, you said something about coals being stolen, er, some kind of rumor at camp…?” Her voice went softer with each word. Merry’s party euphoria must have been wearing off, since her instinct to hide under the nearest piece of cardboard to avoid socializing—it was coming back.

           In the distance, she saw Pax stroll out of the shack, balancing several dozen plastic cups and four pitchers of clear, glittery liquid on a tray. When he ran into a centaur or nymph, he would bow grandly and fill them a cup. As it poured out, the liquid would alter into various neon shades of Kool-Aid. As cool as that was, it made Kally wonder if Pax should ever be allowed to brew them Kool-Aid.

           “Coals…” Calex repeated. “Oh. Hestia’s coals. Someone nicked a few during the chaos of the Second Giant War. Why?” He stooped a little lower to the table, and Kally had to wonder if Calex did it to hide his height. It didn’t work.

           Merry cocked her jaw to one side. Her brown eyes darted to the forest. She hummed in short, declining notes to signal her disapproval. “Oh you silly chillies. We need to round up those Pax boys and give them a talking to. Then we should regroup at Camp Half-Blood before we tackle the last trial of Psyche or Axel’s father.”

           Joey managed to draw her eyes from the rosewood box to look at Merry. “Psyche already did this? Oh duh, someone has always already done it.” She rolled her eyes. “How’d she do it?” The last part sounded more eager than Joey would probably want to admit.

           “She failed sweetie,” Merry said, eyes lingering on the forest.

           Joey huffed and flipped the pink highlights out of her eyes. “Then I just need to be better than Psyche.”

           “Welllll,” Merry said, stretching her arms above her head in a way that made Calex glance away. She grinned at Joey, finally breaking eye contact with the trees. Kally didn’t know how to tell Merry, but she figured the nymphs would be way better at staring contests. “Hubris is clearly your fatal flaw, a very popular choice amongst heroes. Mine is taking things too lightly. Anyone else want to go?”

           “Mine is cowardice.”

           Pax swept in with the tray. He had one pitcher left, probably just enough for their group. In a flash, he’d tossed cups in front of all of them. As he poured it out, the colors altered: Merry’s, purple; Kally’s, red; Joey’s, pink; Calex’s, blue. Pax set another cup down for himself. When he poured, it shimmered to a black. Kally didn’t know they made black Kool-Aid.

           “Can we do that party thing again? It was the perfect distraction to slip bugs into Calex’s sleeping bag,” Pax cheered.

           Calex scowled at him.  

           “Not until you and your brother answer some long awaited questions,” Merry said. She picked up her plastic cup and swirled the contents.

           Pax flipped one hand to the side. “Do you think questions feel rather esteemed and self-important when they’re long awaited?” He set the tray down on the table and sat beside Kally. When no one answered him, Pax pouted. “Can we at least cheers first? I told everyone to wait until I gave the signal so I could poison all of you at once.” He tapped his hands together like an evil mastermind.

           All the centaurs and nymphs were staring at the table, drinks in hand. The centaurs had started to fist pump in the air. “Beers! Beers! Beers!

           Another shouted, “Dude, he said cheers.”

           “Oh…Cheers! Cheers! Cheers!”

           Merry waved Pax on with a smile.

           Pax hopped onto the table and raised his glass. “To trusting and trusted friends, to enabling family, and—most importantly—to super, awesome weasels!”

           The nymphs and centaurs glanced at each other. The ones who were chanting “beer” earlier glanced at one another. “Eh,” one said. “Not as good as the Anti-Corruption Act, but it’s still a reason to party. To weasels!”

           “To weasels!”

           They stomped their hooves and clanked their heads together.

           As the centaurs competed to chug their Kool-Aid fastest, Pax sat down beside Kally. He wrapped an arm around her waist, making Kally’s hip tingle. She raised her cup along with Merry, Joey, Calex, and Pax. They clacked them together and each took a sip. Well, Joey chugged hers down. Kally could imagine the adrenaline rush she would get in the next few minutes.

           As expected from the color, Kally’s was cherry. She set the cup down, glancing over at Pax. He hadn’t touched his drink, but kept swirling it in his hand. From this close, Pax’s annoying chocolate smell mixed wonderfully with the smell of her Kool-Aid. He puffed out those round cheeks and popped them, then wrinkled his button nose.

           “Pax, you’re really cute.” The words came out of her mouth instead of being repressed in her brain, where they belonged and should die. Kally felt her cheeks burn and her head felt light.

           “Paxes—er—Paxi?—Paxes? are all adorable, but, for you, that’s just the Morpheus Dust talking,” he laughed half-heartedly.

           Joey collapsed onto the picnic table, plastic cup clattering to the ground. Behind them, the party ponies staggered to the autumn leaves. Nymphs yawned. The music slowed like Merry’s jacket had run out of batteries. Calex tried to stand but crumbled backwards.

           Pax wouldn’t look down at her, but watched everyone falling into heaps.

           “You shouldn’t joke like that. It makes it hard to tell when you’re lying,” Kally said, trying to raise a finger at Pax. She couldn’t get her hand to work. Those and her feet had gone numb. Some part of her screamed that this should be scary, that she should send out an Iris Message for help, but… maybe Merry’s powers were still keeping her calm.

           She struggled to keep her eyes open. Had Pax not had an arm around her back, she might have fallen off the bench. He pulled her close, so she’d slide against his duster jacket. The leather felt soft.

           “I don’t lie very often Kally,” he whispered into her hair. “Direct lying is Axel’s job. Since you’re not going to remember this conversation later, I think it’s safe for me to admit that I’m falling in love with you. I hope tricking and drugging all of you doesn’t ruin our chances of dating.”

           Tricking? Drugging? Kally tried to wrap her brain around it, but before she could, she felt the cold coils of Python tightening around her chest.

Thanks for reading guys! The next chapter is the one I’m most excited for (as I love ruining characters) so I hope you end up enjoying it too! :D

[1] Author is not oblivious to what you’re probably all thinking XD

[2] And now I need to figure out who would be which Sailor Scout. I’m pretty sure Axel is Sailor Mars…

[3] Shameless and boring political plug! http://anticorruptionact.org/

[4] While this song is more thematic for other characters, the artist inspired this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ssoRXlOhqI

[5] Jack’s not bitter at all -.-

[wellamarke]

we shall fight in the hills

humans challenge, week 2, day 1: historical au warnings for references to canonical death/suicide/abuse

A siren wailed in the distance, coming from the centre of the town. Mia put down the book she'd been reading, and stood up from her armchair. "Time to go," she said softly to Max, tapping his chin to wake him from his charge. One of them always had to stay alert these days, so they didn't miss the air raid warning.

Max blinked awake as Mia woke Fred. The two of them started towards the door, aware of the need for urgency.

"I'll meet you down there," Mia said. "I have to wake the others. Where's Nis?"

Neither of her brothers knew. Mia decided to rouse Leo and David first, and hopefully find Niska on the way back. She headed for the staircase, though the siren was growing in volume now. Perhaps she wouldn't need to wake them, but Leo wasn't fast on his feet again yet, and would still need her help.

The life of seclusion they'd led before the war had ended up being an advantage. All operating licenses were revoked from the first of January, 1940, on the understanding that all available synths would be turned over for military reconditioning. A few corporations were given special permission to keep skeleton crews of synthetic workers in their factories, but even this was only granted to industries serving the war effort. There weren't enough resources to simply build new soldiers anymore. They had to make do with those already in circulation.

People in the area had known, of course, about Beatrice's nurses, because they'd often been seen in the town, fetching her medicine or, on her brighter days, accompanying her to sit by the lake. David had never given them consciousness, even after Beatrice's death, so there was no reason for them to stay hidden in the grounds - they continued to run their owner's errands. Thus, when the SCS came to collect the two nurses, they were handed over, walking unquestioningly into their new assignment. Their memory banks would be wiped. They would defend the land on which they'd been manufactured, and probably be destroyed in the process. If it meant saving the life of a human soldier, it was worth the loss of a machine. That was what the posters said. That was what everyone said.

For the other synths, David's 'Children', as he called them, it was a different matter entirely. They had to be even more careful now - no-one must ever see them, lest they be reported to the SCS and confiscated, like the property they supposedly were. Leo, who had only recently learned to walk again, did not officially exist either. There was a grave next to his mother's with his name on it. As far as the outside world was aware, David Elster lived alone in the house, nursing his grief, and drawing up designs to augment the synthetic soldiers as much as could be managed. Nobody knew he shared his home - and, by extension, his air raid shelter - with five other thinking, feeling beings.

The siren had reached full volume by the time Mia reached the wing where Leo and David slept, and her father was already coming out of his room. "Mia," he said with some alarm,!as if he was - for some reason - surprised to see her inside the house she was a prisoner in. He pulled his bedroom door quickly shut behind him.

"I came for Leo," Mia explained. "He's not good with the stairs."

"Of course," said David, nodding. "Of course, thank you. I'll see you at the shelter."

They passed each other, and Mia made her way to the bedroom at the end of the hall. She knocked on the door, just a tap to warn him before she opened it. "Leo?"

He had almost managed to cross the room alone, and she took a couple of steps to join him, letting him lean on her to speed up his gait.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I was faster than this earlier."

Mia drew the door closed behind them. "It's alright," she assured him. "You are faster, you're just groggy because it's the middle of the night, and you can't have charged fully. If it wasn't for the siren I'd tell you not to rush until you'd built up some energy."

"If it wasn't for the siren we wouldn't need to move at all," Leo observed.

"Good point," said Mia, with a smile.

They shuffled along the corridor as quickly as they could, and Mia could hear from his breathing how much it was taking out of him. Leo's muscles had undergone a certain amount of atrophy while David had been working on his brain, and the strength of a healthy thirteen-year-old boy had not yet returned to him. Rationing was slowing things down even more, on that front - David was only allowed to collect the amount of protein deemed adequate to keep one adult man alive. Sharing that between the two of them wasn't exactly conducive to a speedy recovery.

Thankfully, Leo was fairly resilient. With time, he would improve further. And if there was anything they had going spare, cooped up in the house day after day, it was time.

He and Mia reached the top of the stairs, ready to begin a shaky descent. The siren was still plainly audible, reminding them of the need for haste.

"I know you can go down on your own, but I think you should let me carry you," Mia said, apologetic but firm. "It'll be safer, just this once."

She had a feeling she would have to renew the 'just this once' a few times before he could make it out for a raid alone, but there didn't seem much point telling him that now. Leo nodded, and let her take him down the stairs in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder.

By the time they were halfway down, he'd spotted Niska coming through the hall, approaching the stairs herself. "Niska?" he asked, confusion blurring his voice further than tiredness had already done.

Carefully Mia turned her head to glance up at her sister, curious. Sure enough, Niska was there, looking for all the world as if she'd come from David's wing of the house. It seemed a strange time for her to have been lurking there, but Mia decided not to ask about it just now - it was more important that they reached the shelter.

"Hurry, Niska," she said instead, and carried on down the stairs. She didn't stop to set Leo on his feet, even when she reached the bottom. They had delayed long enough already. Niska followed Mia through the house, through the back door and down the stone steps that led to the main lawn. They scurried across it, headed for small door set into the slope of the grass.

Mia pulled open the door and Niska climbed down into the shelter, waiting in the doorway to help Leo as Mia lowered him in after her. In a few short moments, they were all inside, and Mia pulled the door shut. The metallic clang was loud, but that was nothing compared to the noise that came shortly after - the roar of aircraft overhead, and then the distant whistling of the first bombs falling.

Mia drew Leo close to her, holding him as tightly as she dared. They'd only just made it. True, the actual bombing was taking place some distance away, judging by the quality of the sound, but it could so easily have been closer. If she'd let him walk the rest of the way, and if one pilot had flown a slightly different course...

It didn't bear thinking about, so she cancelled the code. She looked around the darkened bunker, her eyes easily picking out Max and Fred. David was holding a torch, which cast strange shadows on his face. He'd brought a book with him, and seemed content to wait out the raid in his corner, barely acknowledging that the others had arrived.

Mia's gaze flitted away from him and rested on Niska, who was looking frightened, haunted even. Mia unfurled one of her arms from around Leo and used it to draw her sister towards her, her hand staying on Niska's back once she was close. Mia wondered what she ought to say to reassure her. She, Mia, was the oldest of them all, and Fred was not far behind her - the two of them were not easily shaken by the realities of the war going on around them, and Max and Leo were too young to fully understand most of it. Niska was caught in the middle, it seemed, able to comprehend the atrocities but not yet disengaging from them. She was only two years old, after all. Mia didn't blame her for being scared.

Which was why she was taken aback when Niska said, suddenly, "I think it's wrong that we're hiding down here."

"Why?" asked Fred, from the opposite wall.

"The other synthetics are being forced to fight," Niska said, her voice cold. "Because they're faster and stronger, and they don't question their orders. If they don't have a choice, it's not fair that we're exempt."

"It's not because they're faster," said Fred. "It's because they're expendable. They're just seen as weapons."

"Weapons that can walk themselves into battle, not endangering human life," Mia continued. "Millions died in the last war. The number will be lower, this time."

"Try not to worry about it, Niska," Fred said, sad but resigned. "They don't know they're in danger. They're not suffering, even if we think it's unjust."

"They're not suffering because they can't think for themselves," said Niska. "Wouldn't at least some of them be better off, if we were among them? We could protect them, and only follow orders if they made tactical sense. The other soldiers don't know the difference, they just go where they're told. We'd stand a better chance."

"You can't join the army!" Leo blurted out, turning his face so he was looking all but blindly towards where Niska was standing. In the darkness, his voice sounded very small and scared. "You can't. You're people."

"I know," said Niska. "Being a person means I can make my own choices. What's to stop me choosing to hand myself over to Conscription?"

"Us," said Mia, firmly. "We can't let you go. You're our sister, and you'll get yourself killed."

"It would never work, anyway," Fred added. "They give every synth they collect a complete overhaul. They'd see your root code's a totally different structure to the rest, and they'd wipe you out. Even your memory banks. You might survive the war, but it wouldn't be because you were intelligent. It would be luck. You'd have the same chances as the rest of them, and you wouldn't even remember being anything but a soldier."

Something about the way he spoke implied that he'd thought this through before, and at some length. Mia wondered if he'd seriously thought about turning himself in to the Synthetic Conscription Service, the same as Niska was doing now. Maybe, those nights when he'd cut himself off from the rest of them after the incident with the fox, he'd been grappling with the idea of doing exactly that. Mia immediately regretted advising Max and the others to give him space. Perhaps he had needed the opposite.

Niska seemed to be considering his words. When her voice returned, it was quieter. Still determined, but much less confrontational.

"I can't stay here forever," she said. "Maybe it's different for the rest of you, but there's only so much I can take."

The bombs continued to fall, far above them, but the silence in the shelter was acute. It hung in the air, like a giant spider's web that would entangle anyone who tried to dissipate it. What answer could they possibly give? Anything they said would only round out Niska's reasoning further, as she forced herself to come up with another defence. The last thing they wanted was to strengthen her conviction.

They waited there together, listening for the all-clear. A small, illogical part of Mia's mind hoped it would never come, if it would only mean her sister was trapped there in the shelter with them, plotting an escape she'd never get to carry out.

At least until daybreak, she could pretend it was true.