The Mark of Athena,Heroes of Olympus, Book 3

Percy XXXV


People who think watching fights between a seventeen year old girl and a fifteen year old boy is boring are wrong.

Annabeth had Leo pinned to the floor for the fifth time when Leo grabbed Annabeth's jacket and spontaneously combusted. Annabeth jumped away from Leo, ripped her jacket off, and threw it over the side of the deck.

The bad thing, which started the real Leo/Annabeth showdown, was that it revealed... revealed...

"The mark of-the mark of..." Leo's face scrunched up and he rubbed his chin as if he was stroking an imaginary beard. "Oh, yeah!" Leo's tone became snarky. "The mark of... that smart one!"

"Hey, Leo?" Jason said. Percy jumped. He hadn't realized that... well, everyone was standing behind him. "You do value your life, right?" Annabeth's face looked as if Leo had just insulted her on a Times Square big screen. She grabbed his shirt and muttered something to him. He shoved her away.

"At least I'm not an egotistical should be anger management student who thinks she's better than anyone else!" he shouted. Annabeth's angry expression crumbled. Percy knew what she was thinking. Her previously clenched fists loosened. Annabeth's mouth moved, and Percy could tell she was looking for the right words to say. Leo glared at her, and Percy knew that this couldn't be them. This had to be Gaea. That Roman Rivalry stuff was messing with their heads.

Percy could feel anger towards Leo boiling inside of him. Then, he noticed a small globe-like a Christmas ornament-with blue liquid swirling inside of it.

"Um, guys?" he said, pointing to the sphere. Annabeth's eyes widened. She said something, but then scowled as she realized no one else could hear her. She walked over to Percy and touched his arm.

"Tell them not to touch it with their bare skin. They'll start to hate everyone around them." Percy nodded, and when Annabeth let go, he repeated what she had said.

"So, what are we supposed to do with it, Smart One?" Leo asked. Annabeth's arm brushed Percy's.

"Chuck it at Repair Boy," she muttered. Percy held back laughter, thinking that laughing at Leo would be as far from helpful as you could possibly get. Victoria walked out of the group, wearing actual clothes, unlike most of the other people. She was wearing a pair of army boots that Percy was sure she didn't have on the day before. Then again, a whole lot of him and Frank's stuff had shown up in their room, so maybe Victoria had owned them beforehand. She twisted her mouth to the side and pulled out her coin. She flipped it, and there was a glint of light as it turned in the air. She shrugged and opened the door. She kicked the Roman Rivalry as far as she could-which was pretty far for a scrawny girl who looked like she hadn't eaten in a long time.

"Problem solved."

A blast of wind hit the boat, but the boat didn't seem hurt at all. It just knocked Annabeth and Leo on their backs.

When they stood up, Leo's eyes widened in realization.

"Did I-did I... actually... say that?" he whispered.

"Yup."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Oh, yeah."

"Definitely."

Leo groaned as everyone said, "yes" in some form or another. Annabeth put her hand on his arm and said something to him. He smiled and said something that looked to be on the lines of, "Thanks," then walked outside.

He came back with a small leather book and handed it to Annabeth. "This is rightfully yours." There was a devilish grin on his face and Annabeth scowled at him, brushing water droplets off the cover.

"He's back. Didn't miss him one bit," Piper whispered to Percy.

"But, seriously, Annabeth," Percy said as Annabeth sat down on the couch. "What's that on your arm?" Annabeth's lips pressed together. Percy sat down next to her.

"What Leo said it was," Annabeth whispered. "The mark of Athena. I don't know what it means yet, but... I just don't have a good feeling about it. Something tells me that bad stuff's just going to keep happening until I find a way to get rid of it. I don't even know if it's related to Athena at all. I doubt my mom would..."

She trailed off, stopping because of a knock on the door. Whoever it was let themselves in. A huge guy in jeans and a white t-shirt stepped into the room. When he shut the door, splinters broke off.

"Okay... what's the incredible Hulk doing on my ship?" demanded Leo.

"I do not know who that is, but I know who I am," he said.

"Are you Chuck Norris?" Hazel asked. Leo and Piper cracked up. Hazel didn't seem to be joking, so they stopped.

"I am Heracles, son of Zeus."