Daughter of Wine

Piper

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

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

I wonder. Ever since they got back from Diocletian's Palace, Nico, Jason, and Calli have been acting nervous and cagey. Something major happened out there, something Jason won't share with me. 

It makes sense that the scepter might have caused this weather change. The black orb on top seems to leach the color right out of the air. The golden eagles at its base glint coldly. The scepter can supposedly control the dead, and it definitely gives off bad vibes. Coach Hedge took one look at the thing, turned pale, and announced that he was going to his room to console himself with Chuck Norris videos.

So, yes, mabe the scepter could cause a freak ice storm. But I don't think that's it. I fear something else is happening. Something even worse. 

"We can't talk up here." Calli decides. "Let's postpone the meeting."

We'd all gathered on the quarterdeck to discuss strategy as we get closer to Epirus. Now it's clearly not a good place to hang out. Wind sweeps frost across the deck. The sea churns beneath us. 

I don't mind the waves so much. The rocking and pitching reminds me of surfing with my dad off the California coast. But I can tell Hazel isn't doing well. The poor girl gets seasick even in calm waters. She looks like she's trying to swallow a billiard ball. 

"Need to-" Hazel gags and points below. 

"Yeah, go." Nico kisses her cheek, which I find surprising. He hardly ever makes gestures of affection, even to his sister. He seems to hate physical contact. Kissing Hazel... it's almost like he's saying goodbye. 

"I'll walk you down." Frank puts his arm arouund Hazel's waist and helps her to the stairs.

I hope she'll be okay. The last few nights, since that fight with Sciron, she, Calli, and I have had some good talks together. We've shared stories, complained about the guys' gross habits, and shed some tears together about Annabeth. Hazel told us what it was like to control the Mist, and I'd been surprised by how much it sounded like charmspeak. Calli and I offered to help her, and in return Hazel offered to help Calli teach me to swordfight. Calli and I had always been close, but never as close as she was to Annabeth. Now, I feel like we've gotten there, with Hazel as a new close friend too. It's great... assuming we live long enough to enjoy the friendship. 

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

"Sure." Jason says. 

Nico glances at Leo and I, as if worried what we might say when he's gone. I feel his defenses going up, like he's curling into a psychological ball, the way he'd gone into a death trance in that bronze jar.

Once he heads below, I study Jason and Calli's faces. Their eyes are full of concern. What happened in Croatia?

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

Just us again.

I remember the wintry day in Chicago last December, when Jason, Leo, and I had landed in Millenial Park on our first quest. We met Calli in the sewer below the park that same day, and the four of us ate Leo's tacos together. 

Leo hasn't changed much since then. He seems more comfortable in his role as a child of Hephaestus. He's always had too much nervous energy. Now he knows how to use it. His hands are constantly in motion, pulling tools from his belt, working controls, tinkering with his beloved Archimedes sphere. Yesterday he removed it from the control panel and shut down Festus for maintenance. Something about rewiring his processor for a motor control upgrade with the sphere, whatever the heck that means. He seems happier now, too. I think he always felt left out, with me and Jason having a made-up relationship, then building a real one. But now that he's dating Calli, it seems like he finally has someone who understands him, who can keep up with his nervous energy, and who he genuinely seems to adore.