plague bringer - a heroes of olympus insert

𝗑𝗑𝗂𝗂. 𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝖺 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝗓𝗒 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗉𝗁𝗂𝗇

Nothing like failure to generate great ideas.

As Percy stood there, disarmed and outmatched, a plan was struggling to form in Aria's head. She had to act fast and couldn't let anything happen to her friends. She wasn't going to lose any of them—not if she had anything to say about it.

Chrysaor couldn't be beat. At least not in single combat. But without his crew... maybe then he could be overwhelmed if enough demigods attacked him at once.

How to deal with Chrysaor's crew? Aria put the pieces together: the pirates had been turned into dolphin-men millennia ago when they had kidnapped the wrong person. Aria knew that story. And when Chrysaor said the crew wasn't afraid of anything, he was lying and one of the dolphins had nervously corrected him. Yes, Chrysaor said. But he's not here.

Aria glanced toward the stern and spotted Frank, in human form, peeking out from behind a ballista, waiting. He was there to help out, but how could she make this work?

She was jolted from her thoughts when Percy stared at her for a moment before his eyes widened and he looked at her and Annabeth seriously, communicating he had a plan.

"Fine!" Percy shouted, so loudly that he got everyone's attention. "Take us away, if our captain will let you."

Chrysaor turned his golden mask. "What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one else."

Percy raised his hands dramatically. "The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader. He runs our camp for demigods. Doesn't he, Annabeth?"

Annabeth was quick. "Yes!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Mr. D! The great Dionysus!"

A ripple of uneasiness passed through the dolphin-men. One dropped his sword.

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor bellowed. "There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you."

"You should be scared!" Aria looked at the pirate crew with sympathy, immediately understanding his plan. "Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. And you know what happens when he's cranky..." She trailed off as she looked at the dolphin man holding her hostage. Her eyes glowed green for a moment, making the dolphin man holding her feel a little nauseous. He let her go in a panic, causing the other dolphin guys around him to start looking a little scared.

"He will punish all of us," Percy added. "Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine god's madness?"

Hazel and Piper had stopped the shaking fits. They were sitting on the deck, staring at Percy, but when he glared at them pointedly, they started hamming it up again, trembling and flopping around like fish. The dolphin-men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.

"Fakes!" Chrysaor roared. "Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."

"So you admit Dionysus is our director!" Percy said.

"He was," Chrysaor corrected. "Everyone knows that."

Percy gestured at the golden warrior like he'd just betrayed himself. "You see? We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest!"

Percy stormed over to the magical cooler. No one tried to stop him. He knocked open the lid and rummaged through the ice. There had to be one. Please. He was rewarded with a silver-and-red can of soda. He brandished it at the dolphin warriors as if spraying them with bug repellent.

"Behold!" Percy shouted. "The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"

The dolphin-men began to panic. They were on the edge of retreat. Aria could feel it.