Percy Jackson: Daughter of Shadows

5. Percy Does Something Stupid

"YOU WANT TO FIND WHAT?!", was my reaction to Annabeth and Percy's plan. "The Golden Fleece can cure anything or anyone. It could cure Thalia's tree!" I covered my ears while Annabeth chased me around, flailing a book about Jason and the Argonauts. "It could work!" "Do you know how crazy this is? Yes, it could cure Thalia's tree, but it could also get everyone in this camp killed! Or do you not know who has the Fleece?" Annabeth stopped. "I thought you liked the crazy..." I sighed. "Fine, fine. Tell me your ingenious plan to find the Fleece" Annabeth smiled. "Well, actually..." "What?" She stepped back. "We'd have to fight a Cyclops-" "And go to the Sea of Monsters..." Viktor interrupted. "Yeah" Annabeth said. "Alright then" I dusted off my jacket (I hate it, Percy thinks I look nice, or at least better than I usually do). "Let's go find a ram skin" "Do you have to put it like that?" Percy asked. "Fine, the Fleece. Better?" "Much" He clapped his hands together. "Great! Let's go get the quest from Mr. D. He'll have to agree!" Sometimes I wish that boy thought through things. 

  Unfortunately, Percy had not. He and Tantalus got into a huge fight at the campfire. I plucked the burnt pieces off my marshmallow. "Why can't we just have smore's? I just want smore's. Is that too much to ask?" I asked Viktor, chucking the burnt ends into the fire. "We are at Camp Half-Blood..." "Yeah, yeah" Tantalus was shooting his mouth off about who should take the quest (Thank the gods). "CLARISSE!" I spat out my smore. "WHAT!" I yelled. Everyone stared at me. "Clarisse? Are you kidding me? She's got to be the least qualified to lead a group out of a paper bag, much less to the Sea of Monsters! Are you CRAZY?!" Clarisse walked up next to me. "Say that one more time, punk" I towered over her. "You.Are.The.Least.Qualified." Clarisse shrunk back down. "You think you could do better?" "Um, I've been to the Sea of Monsters before, so yeah, I do. Also, Tantalus?" I grabbed a marshmallow skewer. "Choose your words wisely. I owe Pelops a favor, I'm sure your re-death would count as payment" Tantalus shivered and stood up straight. "To the Oracle, dear" He grabbed Clarisse's shoulder. He whispered something in her ear. I caught "Don't disappoint me" Clarisse nodded and headed to the Big House. 

  I was walking along the beach, I couldn't sleep. My dream came again, this time about the quest. 

  'Hurry, child. There's not much time left. Kronos and your past friend Luke are planning their attack for the second the camp's barriers come down. Find the Fleece and protect the Jackson boy. You'll need to help that Ares girl too.'

   I kicked up some sand. Why would the dream say that? What would Clarisse need my help with? Protecting Percy, that I could understand. I saw a few people in the distance. Percy was talking to a man in jogging shorts and a New York City Marathon tee-shirt. Hermes, God of Thieves, Merchants, Crossroads, etc. Messenger to the gods, blah, blah, blah. He handed Percy a thermos and a plastic bottle filled with multivitamins. "Hermes!" I yelled. Percy jumped. "Lilly?" "Nice to see you too, Percy. What the hell are you doing here?" Hermes smirked. "What's it to you?" I smirked and grabbed his cell phone. "Hello, George and Martha" The phone shook and became a caduceus. Two snakes were entwined around it. "Hello, Lilly," said Martha. "Hello. How's Triton?" George asked. "We broke up. What's new with you two?" "Not much, what with being a cell phone, a notepad and pen, and this, of course" Martha said. "Shame, I could just," I waved my hand and George and Martha came free. "Hooray!" George yelled, slithering around on the sand. "Freedom!" Martha said. "Hang on a minute" I scooped them up. "Hey!" George hissed, thrashing. "Calm down. I'll give you some rats if you tell me what Hermes is up to" "Rats?" George hissed. "Yes, lots and lots of rats. What's Hermes doing here?" "How dare you" Hermes said. I grinned. "Play your cards right, Hermes, or I'm not giving them back this time" Hermes slumped back on Percy's blanket. "Um, do you two know each other?" Percy asked, confused. "Yes, unfortunately. Hermes here had a habit of losing George and Martha and used to hire me and Viktor to go find them. I still haven't forgiven him for losing them in Hong Kong" "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Hermes yelled. "Mhm. George, Martha? Information?" "He's here to ask Percy to try to convince Luke not to do this" George said. "George!" Hermes yelled. "Thank you, George" I walked over to the dunes and grabbed a rat by the tail. Percy gagged. "How do you do that?" "Done it before. Here" I placed George and Martha on the ground and tossed them the rat. 

  "Now, Hermes. Mind telling me exactly what you gave Percy?" Hermes stood up. "Reattach George and Martha then" I sighed and reattached them. "Hey!" "Sorry, guys" Hermes smiled. "They're magic proof multivitamins and a thermos with the wind from the four corners of the world" "Great, thanks" I waved him away. "You have no respect for us gods, do you?" "Nope, never have, never will" Hermes disappeared. Percy snickered. "What?" I asked. "I'm telling everyone you have a soft spot for snakes" I put him in a headlock. "Don't you dare" I noticed Annabeth, Viktor, and Tyson coming running down the beach. "Stand up, Jackson. Looks like we have company."