The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine

Chapter 59 - Piper - Pre-War Prep, Part 1

I am Piper Mclean. My friends call me Pipes. Strangers and enemies call me Piper. Those who want to die by forcible throwing off a cliff call me Mclean. (Oh, deal with it, Alex. I have the right to introduce myself the way I want to.)

Well, anyway. After around a whole month's time in Tartarus and Greece, we had finally come to the final battle. Greece.

"Oh, great," Percy said. "Dracaenae."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "I don't think so. At least not like any I've seen. Dracaenae have two serpent trunks for legs. These guys just have one."

"You're right," Percy said. "These look more human on top, too. Not all scaly and green and stuff. So do we talk or fight?"

I was tempted to say fight. I couldn't help thinking of the story I'd told Jason – about the Cherokee hunter who had broken his taboo and turned into a snake. These three looked like they'd been eating a lot of squirrel meat.

Weirdly, the one in the lead reminded me of dad when he'd grown a beard for his role in King of Sparta. The snake man held his head high. His face was chiselled and bronze, his eyes black as basalt, his curly dark hair glistening with oil. His upper body rippled with muscles, covered only by a Greek chlamys – a white wool cloak loosely wrapped and pinned at the shoulder. From the waist down, his body was one giant serpent trunk – about eight feet of green tail undulating behind him as he moved.

In one hand he carried a staff topped with a glowing green jewel. In his other, he carried a platter covered with a silver dome, like a main course for a fancy dinner.

The two guys behind him appeared to be guards. They wore bronze breastplates and elaborate helmets topped with horsehair bristles. Their spears were tipped with green stone points. Their oval shields were emblazoned with a large Greek letter K – kappa.

They stopped a few yards from the Argo II. The leader looked up and studied the demigods. His expression was intense but inscrutable. He might have been angry or worried or terribly in need of a restroom.

"Permission to come aboard." His rasping voice made me think of a straight razor being wiped across a strop – like in grandfather's barbershop back in Oklahoma.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He fixed his dark eyes on me. "I am Kekrops, the first and eternal king of Athens. I would welcome you to my city." He held up the covered platter. "Also, I brought a Bundt cake."

I glanced at my friends. "A trick?"

"Probably," Annabeth said.

"At least he brought dessert." Percy smiled down at the snake guys. "Welcome aboard!"

Kekrops agreed to leave his guards above deck with Buford the table, who ordered them to drop and give him twenty push-ups. The guards seemed to take this as a challenge.

Meanwhile, the king of Athens was invited to the mess hall for a 'get to know you' meeting.

"Please take a seat," Jason offered.

Kekrops wrinkled his nose. "Snake people do not sit."

"Please remain standing," Leo said. He cut the cake and stuffed a piece in his mouth before I could warn him it might be poisoned, or inedible for mortals, or just plain bad.

"Dang!" He grinned. "Snake people know how to make Bundt cake. Kind of orangey, with a hint of honey. Needs a glass of milk."

"Snake people do not drink milk," Kekrops said. "We are lactose-intolerant reptiles."