Invisible ― Jason Grace

xiv. shrimpzilla attacks

A tremble shook the monster, and Camilla saw something get thrown into its open mouth. Shrimpzilla released Hazel and Leo, and as they fell into the sea, the monster lit up from the inside out.

◈

By the time the sun rose, none of the remaining crew had slept. Leo, Hazel, and Frank had disappeared into the ocean. Despite her exhaustion, Camilla scoured the ocean with Percy, searching for their missing friends. Jason, also exhausted, flew around like Peter Pan, putting out fires from the explosion that had finally slain the sea monster. Piper tried to find their friends with her crystal-ball knife, but she wasn't having any luck. Annabeth, Coach Hedge, and Buford the table had repaired the ship enough that it wouldn't sink.

The ship was capable of sailing, but no one suggested leaving the area—not without their missing friends.

Eventually, the six remaining demigods and one satyr paced the deck in silence, staring at the water and hoping for a miracle.

When it finally came—three giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank, Hazel, and Leo—Piper went a little crazy. She cried out with belief and dove straight into the water without a rope or a life vest.

Once they got their friends on board and they changed into dry clothes (poor Frank had to borrow a pair of too-small pants from Jason) the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast—except for Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull.

While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.

"Incredible," Jason said. "These are really good brownies."

"That's your only comment?" Piper demanded.

He looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"

"I know," Frank said, his mouth full. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."

"That," Hazel said, "is incredibly disgusting."

"Pass me the jar, man," Jason said.

Camilla wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Percy, for his part, wanted to hear every detail about the aquatic camp. He kept coming back to one point: "They didn't want to meet me?"

"It wasn't that," Hazel said. "Just... undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."

"That's nice of them," Camilla said.

Percy nodded absently. "But they didn't want to meet me?"

Annabeth swatted his arm. "Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about."

"She's right," Hazel said. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."

She looked around defensively, as if waiting for someone to argue. No one did. Camilla tried to think of the boy she remembered from Camp Jupiter, on the brink of death and suffocation. It seemed like an awful fate.

"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Piper said. "We'll save him, Hazel. We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"

"What?" Leo tore his eyes away from the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome, or flying, if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then..."