Daughter of Wine

Callida

I'm eating lunch with Piper, Jason, and Leo in the mess hall. We're having a pretty good time, all things considered. It almost feels like we're back at camp. I can almost forget that we're on a terrifying mission. 

Annabeth is with Hazel, trying to make her feel better. I talked to her already, and I think it helped a lot. She had calmed down by then, and seemed to understand where they were coming from. 

Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge left a few hours ago to go find Phorcys. I had wanted to go, but now I'm glad I didn't. It feels good to just relax for a bit. 

"Okay, what about you, Piper. What would you want to be when you grow up, if you weren't a demigod?" Jason asks. He already told us he'd probably join the Air Force. A very Jason thing to say. Leo very obviously say he'd have his own mechanic shop. Or be a comedian. 

Piper leans back and thinks. "I don't know. I never really thought about it." 

"Really?" I ask, wagging my grilled cheese sandwich at her. "You never said you wanted to be a princess, or an actress, or anything when you were a kid? An astronaut? A doctor?"

"A doctor would be kinda cool." She shrugs. "I don't know. I was always a trouble kid. I didn't really think about what I'd do." She grimaces. "My dad's an actor, I never really had to worry about it." 

I nod. "Fair." 

"What about you, Calli?" Leo asks. "If you weren't a demigod, what would you want to do?"

"I'd be a dancer." I reply immediately. 

Jason frowns. "Like... a stripper?"

"No." I laugh. "Like, when you go to a concert, and there's the people dancing onstage while the singer does their show."

"A backup dancer." Piper says. "You'd do that?"

I nod. "Oooh! Or, I'd be a DJ."

"A DJ." Leo repeats. "What?"

"Like, at raves and stuff." I nod, warming up to the idea quickly. "Remix songs, maybe even make my own stuff." 

Jason nods. "Yeah, I could see that." 

"Really?" Leo asks. "I don't know. I always saw you doing something more... actually, yeah. That checks." 

"It checks?" I ask, leaning back with my sandwich.

"You're a performer." He nods. "You like that kind of stuff." 

"Yeah, you'd actually probably be really good at it." Piper agrees. "If we survive this, you should try it out." 

"Oh, I don't know." I chuckle. "I might be busy teaching axe throwing." 

"You'd be a good axe thrower too." Piper grins. "Go to competitions and stuff." 

"Oh, I don't do it for the fame." I grin. "I do it for the love of the sport." 

Before we can continue our conversation, I hear Frank yelling. We all get up simultaneously and run up above deck. 

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

"Followed!" Frank yells. 

"Followed by what?" I ask, trying to get a read on the situation. Everyone is up above deck. The three guys that went to find Phorcys look exhausted. Percy is laying on the deck next to Hedge, who is missing his shoes. 

"I don't know!" Frank pants. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!"

I tilt my head in confusion. "Porky Pig?"