Sea of Monsters

Chapter 11

The next few days were quite hectic

First there was Taylor moving into the Poseidon cabin, she quickly took to cleaning and remodeling the cabin. saying it didn't suit them. I let her do what she wanted.

The comments from the other campers were hard to ignore. Suddenly, I wasn't just Percy Jackson, the guy who had retrieved Zeus's lightning bolt last summer. Now, I was Percy Jackson, the poor schmuck with the supposed ugly monster for a sister. Everytime I would defend her, and glare at the camper until they got nervous and left.

One morning, Annabeth and I were sitting by the canoe lake, sketching chariot designs while Taylor diligently cleaned her oni club.

"So, what exactly is this for?" Taylor asked, looking at the intricate designs.

"For the Chariot Race," Annabeth explained, examining the blueprints. "We have to build a chariot with the perfect balance of defense and speed to win."

Taylor looked puzzled. "So... what's going to pull the chariot? I doubt any of the Pegasi here are the right size for that."

Annabeth turned to me, a thoughtful expression on her face. "She's right. No Pegasi will work."

"Don't worry; I already know what will pull the chariot," I replied, making some minor adjustments to the blueprint.

"Wait, don't tell me..."

"Yep, he will be perfect." I grinned, leaving Taylor looking bewildered.

After lunch, I trained with Apollo's cabin in the arena. Swordplay had always been my strength, and some even said I was better at it than any camper in the last hundred years, except maybe for Luke. I couldn't help but resent the constant comparisons to him.

Later, I sat at the top of Half-Blood Hill, watching the dryads come and go as they sang to the dying pine tree. Satyrs played nature magic songs on their reed pipes, and for a brief moment, it seemed like the tree was recovering. But the sickness always returned, and it was infuriating to watch the camp's heart slowly wither away due to the poison that had seeped into the tree's roots.

The night before the chariot race, Annabeth and I finally finished our chariot. It was a masterpiece, constructed from a blend of Birch and Hickory wood, painted blue, and left to dry before being meticulously assembled. Silver details adorned the chariot, forming intricate fire patterns that converged into an owlwearing a greek helmet with outstretched wings, its claws clutching a trident. The ivory wheels and hellhound leather ropes added a touch of elegance. It looked impressive.

On the morning of the race, the atmosphere was hot and humid, with a thick layer of fog hugging the ground like sauna steam. Countless birds, resembling black metalic ravens, roosted in the trees.

They made this annoying metallic screeching sound that reminded me of submarine radar. The racetrack had been built in a grassy field between the archery range and the woods. Hephaestus's cabin had used the pegusus's, which were tied to giant plows. There were rows of stone steps for the spectators—Tantalus, the satyrs, a few dryads, and the campers who weren't participating. Dionysus wasn't even there as he never was up before 10 a.m.

"Right!" Tantalus announced as the teams began to assemble. A naiad had brought him a big platter of pastries, and as Tantalus spoke, his right hand chased a chocolate eclair across the judge's table. "You all know the rules. A quarter-mile track. Twice around to win. Two horses per chariot. Each team will consist of a driver and a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" Tantalus smiled at us like we were all naughty children.

"Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!" Beckendorf led the Hephaestus team onto the track. They had a sweet ride made of bronze and iron—even the horses, which were magical automatons like the Colchis bulls. I did not doubt that their chariot had all kinds of mechanical traps and more fancy options than a fully loaded Maserati.

The Ares chariot was bloodred and pulled by two grisly horse skeletons. Clarisse climbed aboard with javelins, spiked balls, caltrops, and other nasty toys. Apollo's chariot was trim, graceful, and ultimately gold, pulled by two beautiful palominos. There the fighter was armed with a bow, though he had promised not to shoot regularly pointed arrows at the
opposing drivers.

Hermes's chariot was green and old-looking, as if it hadn't been out of the garage in years. It didn't look special, but the Stoll brothers manned it, and I shuddered to think what dirty tricks they'd schemed up.

That left two chariots: one driven by Annabeth's sibling and the other by me.
Before the race began, I tried to approach Annabeth and tell her about my dream.
She perked up when I mentioned Grover, but when I told her what he'd said, she seemed to get distant again, suspicious.

"You're trying to distract me," she decided.

"I am not; this is quite serious."

"Oh, right! Like Grover would happen to stumble across the one thing that could save the camp."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Graver found the Golden Fleece."

She clenched her hands as she looked at me. "Are you sure?"

"I am one hundred percent sure. Though the problem is the Cyclops guarding it."

Annabeth sighed as she finished getting ready. "Fine, We could consult the Oracle.We'll talk later, after I win."

"I still don't understand why you suddenly decided last minute to join the Athena cabin."

"What can I say? Athena and Poseidon are rivals, so I thought, why not show Athena Cabin is way better in chariot racing!" Annabeth winked, and Percy laughed. Returning to his chariot, he noticed how many more pigeons were in the trees now—screeching like crazy, making the whole forest rustle. Nobody else seemed to be paying them much attention.

The time for the race finally arrived, and I took the reins while Taylor harnessed Lucifer who took a more larger form fo pull the chariot. Our chariot, a magnificent creation, stood ready at the starting line.

As the chariots lined up, more shiny-eyed pigeons gathered in the woods. They were screeching so loudly that the campers in the stands were starting to take notice, glancing nervously at the trees, which shivered under the weight of the birds. Tantalus didn't look concerned, but he did have to speak up to be heard over the noise.

"Charioteers!" he shouted. "Attend your mark!" He waved his hand, and the starting signal dropped. The chariots roared to life. Hooves thundered against the dirt. Lucifer's howls as he gets flexes his muscles and lean as he gets ready. The crowd cheered.

"We are going to win this!" Taylor laughed as she held a bow in one hand a quiver strapped to her waist. "You drive, and I defend!"

"No problem at all," I grinned tightning my grip on the leash. "Lucifer, show no mercy!"