Daughter of Wine

Jason

I survive my fall, barely. I had been fighting venti, and I forgot to hold my breath. The vacuum knocked me out, and I had a vision. 

My friends explain that they didn't see me falling from the sky until the last second. There was no time for Frank to turn into an eagle and catch me, no time to formulate a rescue plan. 

Only Piper's quick thinking and charmspeak saved my life. She yelled WAKE UP! with so much force that I feel like I've been hit with defibrillator paddles. With a millisecond to spare, I summoned the winds and avoided becoming a floating patch of demigod grease on the surface of the Adriatic.

Back on board, I pull Leo aside and suggest a course correction. Fortunately, Leo trusts me enough not to ask why. 

"Weird vacation spot." Leo grins. "But hey, you're the boss!"

Now, sitting with my friends in the mess hall, I feel so awake, I doubt I'll sleep for a week. My hands are so jittery. I can't stop tapping my feet. I guess this is how Leo and Calli feel all the time, except they have a sense of humor. 

After what I saw in my dream, I don't feel much like joking. 

While we eat lunch, I report on my midair vision. The purple and orange lights above the Empire State Building, Rachel Dare and the satyr talking to the Romans, the note from Annabeth, and Reyna coming for the Athena Parthenos. 

My friends are quiet long enough for Coach Hedge to finish a peanut butter and banana sandwich, along with the ceramic plate. 

Calli sits at the head of the table, her fingers laced together under her chin. Above the table, she's still and thoughtful, but under the table, her knee bounces and her foot taps, either from anxiousness or ADHD, it's impossible to tell. 

The ship creaks as it sails toward the Adriatic, its remaining oars still out of alignment from the giant turtle attack yesterday morning. Every once in a while Festus creaks and squeaks through the speakers, reporting the autopilot status in that weird machine language that only Leo can understand. 

"A note from Annabeth." Calli speaks finally, shaking her head in amazement. Her lips usually curl upwards, so it always looks like she's smiling, but one corner is lifted more than usual. She's actually smiling. "I don't know how that's possible, but if it is-"

"She's alive." Leo says. "Thank the gods and pass the hot sauce."

Frank frowns. "What does that mean?"

Leo wipes chip crumbs off of his face. "It means pass the hot sauce, Zhang. I'm still hungry."

Frank slides over the jar of salsa. "I can't believe Reyna would try to find us. It's taboo, coming to the ancient lands. She'll be stripped of her praetorship."

"If she lives." Hazel adds. "It was hard enough for us to make it this far with eight demigods and a warship."

"And me." Coach Hedge belches. "Don't forget, cupcake, you got the satyr advantage."

I have to smile. Coach Hedge can be pretty ridiculous, but I'm glad he came along. I think about the satyr in my dream, Grover Underwood. I can't imagine a satyr more different from Coach Hedge, but they both sem brave in their own way. 

It makes me wonder about the fauns back at Camp Jupiter. Whether they could be like that if the Roman demigods expected more from them. Another thing to add to my list...

My list. I hadn't realized that I had one until just now, but ever since leaving Camp Half-Blood, I've been thinking of ways to make Camp Jupiter more... Greek.