“Eidolons,” she said, using her charmspeak, “raise your hands.”
There was tense silence.
Leo laughed nervously. “Did you really think that was going to—?”
His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand.
Jason and Percy did the same. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold. Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall.
“Oh, gods.” Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. “Can you cure them?”
Piper wanted to whimper and hide under the table, but she had to help Jason. She couldn’t believe she’d held hands with…No, she refused to think about it.
She focused on Leo because he was the least intimidating.
“Are there more of you on this ship?” she asked.
“No,” Leo said in a hollow voice. “The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again.”
“Not here, you won’t,” Piper growled. “All three of you, listen carefully.”
Jason and Percy turned toward her. Those gold eyes were unnerving, but seeing all three boys like that fueled Piper’s anger.
“You will leave those bodies,” she commanded.
“No,” Percy said.
Leo let out a soft hiss. “We must live.”
Frank fumbled for his bow. “Mars Almighty, that’s creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!”
Leo turned toward him. “You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment.”
Piper wasn’t sure what that meant, but Frank staggered like he’d been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. “I—I’ve faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—”
“Frank, don’t.” Hazel rose.
Next to her, Jason drew his sword.
“Stop!” Piper ordered, but her voice quavered. She was rapidly losing faith in her plan. She’d made the eidolons appear, but what now? If she couldn’t persuade them to leave, any bloodshed would be her fault. In the back of her mind, she could almost hear Gaea laughing.
“Listen to Piper.” Hazel pointed at Jason’s sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair.
Percy growled in a very un-Percy-like way. “Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead.”
Annabeth reached toward him as if to restrain him, but Hazel waved her off.
“Listen, eidolons,” Hazel said sternly, “you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her.”
She turned toward Piper, her expression clear: Try again. You can do this.
Piper mustered all her courage. She looked straight at Jason—straight into the eyes of the thing that was controlling him. “You will leave those bodies,” Piper repeated, even more forcefully.
Jason’s face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat. “We—we will leave these bodies.”
“You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship,” Piper continued, “and never to possess any member of this crew.”
Leo and Percy both hissed in protest.
“You will promise on the River Styx,” Piper insisted.
A moment of tension—she could feel their wills fighting against hers. Then all three eidolons spoke in unison: “We promise on the River Styx.”
“You are dead,” Piper said.
“We are dead,” they agreed.
“Now, leave.”
All three boys slumped forward. Percy fell face-first into his pizza.
“Percy!” Annabeth grabbed him.
Piper and Hazel caught Jason’s arms as he slipped out of his chair.
Leo wasn’t so lucky. He fell toward Frank, who made no attempt to intercept him. Leo hit the floor.
“Ow!” he groaned.
“Are you all right?” Hazel asked.
Leo pulled himself up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead. “Did it work?”
“It worked,” Piper said, feeling pretty sure she was right. “I don’t think they’ll be back.”

The Mark of Athena, Chapter XII