Blaze of Glory - a PJO fanfiction

9. Mare Monstrorum

"What?" I asked. "Fire. Kills 100% of germs."

"Anyways..." Annabeth continued, turning back to Clarisse. "We have to join forces. Let us help you—" She was cut off by Clarisse.

"No!" the daughter of Ares shouted, bringing her first down onto the table with a loud bang. "This is my quest, smart girl! Finally, I get to be the hero, and you two will not steal my chance."Percy looked around.

"Where's your cabin mate?" he asked. "You were allowed to take a friend with you, weren't you?" Oh you're about to find out what a fist to the face feels like, fish stick. I could tell he hit a sore spot from the way Clarisse's face shifted.

"They didn't..." she started. "I let them stay behind. To protect the camp."

"You mean even the people in your own cabin wouldn't help you?" Gods, Percy, do you have a death wish? Because I just so happen to be a genie.

"Shut up Prissy!" Clarisse shouted. That's a good one, I'll have to remember that. "I don't need them! Or you!"

"Clarisse," Percy said, a lot calmer now. "Tantalus is using you. He doesn't care about the camp. He'd love to see it destroyed. He's setting you up to fail." He's not the only one, I thought to myself.

"No!" Clarisse yelled in anger. "I don't care what the Oracle–" She cut herself off.

"What?" Percy asked. "What did the Oracle tell you?" I nodded, looking at Clarisse.

"Yes, I'd also like to know. Ya know, as the one risking her life on a quest that she didn't necessarily want to come on." Although I think I knew what the Oracle had said, courtesy of the Mrs.Weird-Hissing-Voice-In-My-Head, I still wanted to confirm before I jumped straight to any conclusions.

"It was nothing," Clarisse said hastily. She pointed at me, "you're on a need-to-know basis, and all either of you need to know is that I'm finishing this quest and you're not helping." She said, pointing at the trio. "On the other hand, I can't let you go..."

"So we're prisoners?" Annabeth asked.

"Guests. For now," said Clarisse. She turned to me, "Krys, help the Captain take them below. Assign them hammocks on the berth deck. If they don't mind their manners, show them how we deal with enemy spies." She gave me a warning look as she said the last part. I rolled my eyes and gave a two-fingered salute.

"Yes ma'am," I said sarcastically. "Come on Ariel, Owl lady, cyclops." I addressed each of them respectively. "Why don't we go see about those hammocks?"

We made our way down to the berth deck, I gestured silently to a couple hammocks next to mine, before plopping down for whatever rest I could get before everything went to shit.

- Time skip brought to you by Charybdis' orthodontist -

"Wake up Yankees," I heard the gravelly voice of the captain through a haze of sleep. As usual, my sleep had been almost nonexistent, plagued with nightmares. Last night my demigod subconscious had decided I needed to know how drowning felt. It did not feel good. "We're approaching the entrance," the Captain said. I jumped up, immediately grabbing my daggers, which always seemed to be by my bed every morning, regardless of whether one had accidentally been flung into the river the day before.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" I asked the Captain angrily. "I've been up since sunrise!"

"The entrance to what?" Percy asked at the same time.

The Captain gave us both a skeletal smile, "The Sea of Monsters, of course." I rushed up the stairs, ignoring both the Captain and Percy. If I had to talk to that twerp right now I might just throw him overboard, or punch him. I haven't decided on the form of violence yet. I reached the spar deck, seeing it in chaos. I barely dodged a sprinting confederate soldier as he hurried to ready the cannons. Clarisse came up next to me, grabbing a pair of binoculars.