orenda [leo valdez]

xxvi. Percy Leads His Friends into a Known Trap

"Get up!" Piper yelled. "Percy and Annabeth are missing!"

"Get out of my cabin," Kira groaned, but she sat up in her bed.

Her hair was a mess, and she was still in her pajamas, but she helped Piper look for the two. Every demigod was up looking for them.

Her mind was still bliss after last night, but she tried to stay focused for Percy and Annabeth's sake.

"So," Piper said as she opened the closet, as if the two demigods would be hiding in a broom closet. "You and Leo..said it?"

"Yes," Kira said, focusing on finding Annabeth. She would never forgive herself if she couldn't find them. "He said it last night, on the deck."

Piper looked ecstatic. "That's so cute!"

"You sound like your mother," Kira said, laughing as they checked the same bathroom for the third time.

"I found them!" Frank called. Kira breathed in relief when the boy brought an embarrassed Percy and Annabeth in tow.

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, Jason, Kira, and Piper were mostly relieved.

Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." He received a smack on the arm from Kira.

Only Hazel seemed scandalized, maybe because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Percy's eyes. Kira smiled at the girl, happy with their new-found friendship.

"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"Besides," Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Percy tried not to laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"

Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

Percy told them about his dream—the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico... Oh, gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

"Your step... oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel said. Kira could tell she was nervous, because all the silverware on the table was starting to move toward her. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"

"Yes, of course, Hazel," Kira reassured her calmly.

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"