𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

46

Hadrian grinned. "Nice."

They climbed aboard the Argo II, and Annabeth ran to the helm. "Hazel, get below. Use the sink in the galley for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!"

Hazel nodded and raced off.

"Hads, where's Coach Hedge? tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"

"I swear I left him right here"

"You left him alone?"

"Okay, my bad" He raced below deck to search for the goat.

"Coach!" He yelled, hoping his voice would echo, "Damn it, get up here"

Immediately a flurry of hoof noises filled the ship as Hedge came running out of his cabin. Hadrian jumped back up the stairs taking two at once.

Above deck, things seemed weirder than anything Hadrian had ever seen. Ropes flew on their own—releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind. Meanwhile Annabeth fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and the Argo II turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance.

"Jackson, are you doing this?" He couldn't help the way his mouth fell open in shock.

The three eagles still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close. More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumter—at least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigod...that was a lot of enemies.

Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs.

"Where are they?" he demanded. "Who do I kill?"

"No killing!" Annabeth and Hadrian said at the same time.

She glared at the Coach "Just defend the ship!"

Hazel emerged from below. "Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be—oh! There!"

Soaring over the city, heading in their direction, was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.

"Frank!" Hazel said.

Leo was holding on to the eagle's feet, and even from the ship, Hadrian could hear him screaming and cursing.

Behind them flew Jason, riding the wind.

"Never seen Jason fly before," Percy grumbled. "You were right, he does look like a blond Superman."

"This isn't the time!" Hazel scolded him. "Look, they're in trouble!"

Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from a cloud and was diving straight toward them. Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leo's feet, which led to more screaming and cursing. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the Argo II and fly toward Fort Sumter.

"I'll get 'em!" yelled Coach Hedge.

He spun the port ballista. Before anyone could yell, "Don't be stupid!" Hedge fired. A flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot.

It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. Unfortunately it also singed Frank's wings and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason.

Hadrian watched in horror as Jason—obviously dazed and in pain—lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone-shattering CRACK! One broken wheel spun into the air.

"Coach!"

"What?" Hedge demanded. "That was just a warning shot!"

"You know what, don't move. Freeze" Hadrian charmspoke.

Annabeth gunned the engines. The hull shuddered as they picked up speed. The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws.

The Argo II's crew would be outnumbered at least three to one.

"Percy," Annabeth said, "we're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship."

"What about Jason?" Hadrian blurted.

"Frank and Leo" Hazel added.

"I'll find them," Annabeth promised. "I've got to figure out where the map is. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do that."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," Percy warned. "You'll have to fight your way through, find our friends—assuming they're okay—find this map, and get everybody back alive. All on your own?"

"Just an average day." Annabeth smiled at him. "Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship"