✔ 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐊𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄 ⋆ percy jackson

xxv. you're the hero flying around, saving grace

AS THEY RACED over the sea, Annabeth, Cassie and Percy tried to send an Iris-message to Chiron. They figured it was important they let somebody know what Luke was doing, and they didn't know who else to trust.

The wind from the thermos stirred up a nice sea spray that made a rainbow in the sunlight- perfect for an Iris-message but their connection was still poor. When Annabeth threw a gold drachma into the mist and prayed for the rainbow goddess to show them Chiron, his face appeared all right, but there was some kind of weird strobe light flashing in the background and rock music blaring, like he was at a dance club.

They told him about sneaking away from camp, and Luke and the Princess Andromeda and the golden box for Kronos's remains, but between the noise on his end and the rushing wind and water on their end, Cassie was not sure how much he heard.

"Percy," Chiron yelled, "you have to watch out for—"

His voice was drowned out by loud shouting behind him a bunch of voices whooping it up like Comanche warriors.

"What?" Percy yelled.

"Curse my relatives!" Chiron ducked as a plate flew over his head and shattered somewhere out of sight.

"Annabeth, you shouldn't have let Percy leave camp! But if you do get the Fleece-

"Yeah, baby!" somebody behind Chiron yelled.

"Woo-h000000!" The music got cranked up,
subwoofers so loud it made our boat vibrate.
"—Miami," Chiron was yelling. "I'll try to keep watch-

Their misty screen smashed apart like someone on the other side had thrown a bottle at it, and Chiron was gone.

It went silent, she could notice Percy's and Annabeth's curious stares, because of what Luke had said back in the boat.

"My mother is gone."

Annabeth gasped. "I'm so sorry Cass-"

"She's not dead." Cassie was looking at the water. "She tried burning the house down and a court of law deemed her unfit to raise a child."

Percy squeezed her hand. "That's why you moved to New York?"

"Yeah, my father took me in." Cassie squeezed his hand back. "So yeah, that's it, my mother's is whacko-crazy."

They didn't say anything else, but still Percy didn't release her hand- weirdly enough Cassie found comfort in it.

An hour later they spotted land—a long stretch of beach lined with high-rise hotels. The water became crowded with fishing boats and tankers. A coast guard cruiser passed on their starboard side, then turned like it wanted a second look. Cassie guessed it wasn't every day they see a yellow lifeboat with no engine going a hundred knots an hour, manned by three kids.

"That's Virginia Beach!" Annabeth said as we approached the shoreline. "Oh my gods, how did the Princess Andromeda travel so far overnight? That's like"

"Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy said.
They stared at him.

"How did you know that?" Cassie asked.

"I— I'm not sure."

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Percy, what's our position?"

"36 degrees, 44 minutes north, 76 degrees, 2 minutes west," Percy said immediately. Then he shook my head. "Whoa. How did I know that?"

"Because of your dad Poseidon," Cassie guessed. "When you're at sea, you have perfect bearings.
That is so cool."

Tyson tapped Percy's shoulder. "Other boat is coming."