Jɪɴx ➪ 𝙡. 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯

Oscars

chapter thirteen; Oscars

"THE GIRL is correct!" The one who looked like the leader applauded Jinx.

Jinx sighed dramatically, "unfortunately."

The pirate lifted a hand under her chin, "we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women—either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill."

Jinx nearly spit in his eyes. She glanced over at Percy who clenched his fist and Jinx saw the gleam of anger in his expression.
The pirate swiftly turned to face the couple.

"But not you, lovely Annabeth."

Jinx gagged and Annabeth shuddered. "You are not taking me anywhere."

Jinx closed her eyes in concentration, finding the gaps in time and slowing it down. When everyone had stopped in their exact spot, Jinx started to try to get out of the rope. But it was no use.

The dolphin had secured them all pretty well. Jinx couldn't even stand without face planting the ground. She blew strands of her hair out of her face, angrily sitting back and letting time go.

The pirate continued from where he had left on, "Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that." He smiled. But it was the eerie type, a smile that didn't comfort one.

" But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture—alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed."

At that moment Piper cried out and fainted, knocking a guard down with her. Hazel fell and kicked her feet around. Jinx, who was very confused as to what was happening, scooted away from them as far as she could.
Hazel and Piper both shot her a look that told her she had to follow their lead.

"Get with the program, space girl." Piper whispered through clenched teeth.

Sighing, Jinx flung her bounded hands up and down, sliding even more down the deck, and crying out, "oh no. I am very sad, or angry... Smad." in a monotonous tone.

Percy took this distraction as an opportunity, pulling out his pen and uncapped it, and struck.
Jinx grimaced when the sword didn't hit true. The pirate warrior was too fast. Too strong and agile.

Jinx nudged Hazel, "who do you think'll win?"

The dolphin made cheering noises, or whatever was possible for a dolphin.

"Well, Percy's a good swordsman, but this person looks like a formidable opponent." Hazel pointed out.
Jinx nodded in understanding, "but then again, Percy is pretty battle smart. He'll figure it out."

Piper poked herself into the conversation, eyes slightly wide, "how are you guys having this conversation right now?"

The two girls shrugged. "It's a great question."

"That's why I asked."

"You're right, because Hazel has a point. If Percy manages to somehow outfight him, we'll have to deal with the dolphin men. But maybe they'll be disoriented by the loss of their boss."

"Nobody out pizzas the hut." Leo mumbled, his head lolled to the side.

Jinx's eyes tried to follow the battle, but she was running on less than eight hours of sleep and her glasses were MIA.

Although the dolphin men were enjoying the entertainment as much as Jinx was, one of them had enough sense to hold a knife to Annabeth's throat.

Jinx gave her a thumbs up and a smile she hoped was encouraging, "don't worry! He's doing great!"