The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5)(24)

Uncomfortable silence around the table.

With the new drapes covering the holographic walls, the mess hall was darker and gloomier than it should’ve been, but that couldn’t be helped. Ever since the Kerkopes dwarf twins had short-circuited the walls, the real-time video feed from Camp Half-Blood often fuzzed out, changing into playback of extreme dwarf close-ups – red whiskers, nostrils and bad dental work. It wasn’t helpful when you were trying to eat or have a serious conversation about the fate of the world.

Percy sipped his syrup-flavoured orange juice. He seemed to find it okay. ‘I’m cool with fighting the occasional goddess, but isn’t Nike one of the good ones? I mean, personally, I like victory. I can’t get enough of it.’

Annabeth drummed her fingers on the table. ‘It does seem strange. I understand why Nike would be in Olympia – home of the Olympics and all that. The contestants sacrificed to her. Greeks and Romans worshipped her there for, like, twelve hundred years, right?’

‘Almost to the end of the Roman Empire,’ Frank agreed. ‘Romans called her Victoria, but same difference. Everybody loved her. Who doesn’t like to win? Not sure why we would have to subdue her.’

Jason frowned. A wisp of steam curled from the wound under his shirt. ‘All I know … the ghoul Antinous said, Victory runs rampant in Olympia. Juno warned us that we could never heal the rift between the Greeks and Romans unless we defeated victory.’

‘How do we defeat victory?’ Piper wondered. ‘Sounds like one of those impossible riddles.’

‘Like making stones fly,’ Leo said, ‘or eating only one Fonzie.’

He popped a handful into his mouth.

Hazel wrinkled her nose. ‘That stuff is going to kill you.’

‘You kidding? So many preservatives in these things, I’ll live forever. But, hey, about this victory goddess being popular and great – Don’t you guys remember what her kids are like at Camp Half-Blood?’

Hazel and Frank had never been to Camp Half-Blood, but the others nodded gravely.

‘He’s got a point,’ Percy said. ‘Those kids in Cabin Seventeen – they’re super-competitive. When it comes to capture the flag, they’re almost worse than the Ares kids. Uh, no offence, Frank.’

Frank shrugged. ‘You’re saying Nike has a dark side?’

‘Her kids sure do,’ Annabeth said. ‘They never turn down a challenge. They have to be number one at everything. If their mom is that intense …’

‘Whoa.’ Piper put her hands on the table like the ship was rocking. ‘Guys, all the gods are split between their Greek and Roman aspects, right? If Nike’s that way and she’s the goddess of victory –’

‘She’d be really conflicted,’ Annabeth said. ‘She’d want one side or the other to win so she could declare a victor. She’d literally be fighting with herself.’

Hazel nudged her cereal bowl across the map of Greece. ‘But we don’t want one side or the other to win. We’ve got to get the Greeks and Romans on the same team.’

‘Maybe that’s the problem,’ Jason said. ‘If the goddess of victory is running rampant, torn between Greek and Roman, she might make it impossible to bring the two camps together.’

‘How?’ Leo asked. ‘Start a flame war on Twitter?’

Percy stabbed at his pancakes. ‘Maybe she’s like Ares. That guy can spark a fight just by walking into a crowded room. If Nike radiates competitive vibes or something, she could aggravate the whole Greek–Roman rivalry big-time.’

Frank pointed at Percy. ‘You remember that old sea god in Atlanta – Phorcys? He said that Gaia’s plans always have lots of layers. This could be part of the giants’ strategy – keep the two camps divided; keep the gods divided. If that’s the case, we can’t let Nike play us against each other. We should send a landing party of four – two Greeks, two Romans. The balance might help keep her balanced.’

Listening to Zhang, Leo had one of those double-take moments. He couldn’t believe how much the guy had changed in the last few weeks.

Frank wasn’t just taller and buffer. He was more confident now, more willing to take charge. Maybe that was because his magic firewood lifeline was safely stashed away in a flameproof pouch, or maybe it was because he’d commanded a zombie legion and been promoted to praetor. Whatever the case, Leo had trouble seeing him as the same klutzy dude who’d once iguanaed his way out of Chinese handcuffs.

‘I think Frank is right,’ Annabeth said. ‘A party of four. We’ll have to be careful who goes. We don’t want to do anything that might make the goddess, um, more unstable.’

‘I’ll go,’ Piper said. ‘I can try charmspeaking.’

Worry lines deepened around Annabeth’s eyes. ‘Not this time, Piper. Nike is all about competition. Aphrodite … well, she is too, in her own way. I think Nike might see you as a threat.’

Once, Leo might have made a joke about that. Piper a threat? The girl was like a sister to him, but, if he needed help beating up a gang of thugs or subduing a victory goddess, Piper was not the first person he’d turn to.

Recently, though … well, Piper may not have changed as obviously as Frank, but she had changed. She had stabbed Khione the snow goddess in the chest. She had defeated the Boreads. She’d slashed up a flock of wild harpies singlehandedly. As for her charmspeak, she’d become so powerful it made Leo nervous. If she told him to eat his vegetables, he might actually do it.