Daughter of Wine

Percy

We sail out of the Colosseum and veer south over the rooftops of Rome. All around the Piazza del Colosseo, traffic has come to a standstill. A crowd of mortals has gathered, probably wondering about the strange lights and sounds that came from the ruins. As far as I can see, none of the giants' spectacular plans for destruction have come off successfully. The city looks the same as before. No one seems to notice the huge Greek trireme rising into the sky. 

We all gather around the helm. Jason bandages Piper's sprained shoulder while Hazel sits at the stern, feeding Nico ambrosia. The son of Hades can barely lift his head. His voice is so quiet, Hazel has to lean in when he speaks. 

Frank and Leo recount what happened in the room with the Archimedes spheres, and the visions Gaea showed them in the bronze mirror. We quickly decide that our best lead for finding Annabeth is the cryptic advice that Bacchus provided: the Emmanuel Building, whatever that is. Frank starts typing at the helm's computer while Leo taps furiously at his controls, muttering, "Emmanuel Building, Emmanuel Building." Coach Hedge tries to help by wrestling with an upside-down street map of Rome. 

Calli seems to be in another world. She's sitting by the rail of the ship, next to Jason and Piper, a light blanket around her shoulders. She seems to be listening when we talk, but her mind is somewhere else. Her hair blows gracefully in the wind as she stares out over the side of the ship, her hand partially covering her mouth, with a thoughtful expression on her face. I know she's really close with her dad, and Bacchus seems to have shaken her. She looked so devastated when he sent us to fight the giants for his entertainment. Like her entire world was crumbling. I can't blame her for being a little in shock. At least she has Leo back. I'm still not sure about the guy, but I can tell that they're really close, and he seems to really care about her, which is something she needs. 

I kneel down in between her, and Jason and Piper. "How's the shoulder?"

Piper smiles. "It'll heal. You guys did great."

Jason elbows Calli, jarring her from her train of thought. "Not a bad team, the three of us."

"Better than jousting Jason in a Kansas cornfield." I agree. 

"Calli, that thing you did with the crane arm? That was amazing!" Piper tells her. 

Calli smiles half-heartedly. "I didn't know if it was going to work." 

"What thing with the crane arm?" Leo calls over from his search. 

"It was nothing." Calli says quickly. She seems almost embarrassed. 

"You know..." Jason notes thoughtfully. "I was only barely conscious, but it looked like... it looked like you were glowing. You and the crane. Glowing like... a gold color."

"What?" Calli asks, sitting up quickly.

Jason shrugs. "Could've been my imagination."

"No." I shake my head. "I saw it too. I just thought I was hallucinating."

Calli frowns thoughtfully. "That's weird. You know, when I was trying to figure out the controls, I-"

"There it is!" Leo cries, pointing to his monitor. "Frank, you're amazing! I'm setting course."

Frank hunches his shoulders. "I just read the name off the screen. Some Chinese tourist marked it on Google Maps."

Leo grins at us. "He reads Chinese."

"Just a tiny bit." Frank shrugs. 

"How cool is that!"

"Guys," Hazel breaks in. "I hate to interrupt your admiration session, but you should hear this."