𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔: 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐔𝐩
SEA OF MONSTERS DAY 1
OLIVIA WAS NUMB BY THE TIME ANNABETH PLUCKED HER ONTO THE LITTLE ROWBOAT. She was staring up at the sky, clinging to her Sunshine bag, and Annabeth didn't know what to to do.
"Thank the gods," she breathed when Olivia finally took a shuddering breath and leaned over the side of the rowboat to cough up water. It was a sign of life and Annabeth was grateful Olivia wasn't entirely trapped within her thoughts.
"Beth," she called weakly when she leaned back over. She collapsed in Annabeth's arms and stared blankly at the water. "Beth, I'm terrible."
"No, Liv," she said. "No, you're not."
"Luke would disagree," Olivia said wryly.
"Who cares what he said?" Annabeth demanded.
"Luke said I could've helped Thalia, that I could bring her back," Olivia murmured, sighing as she fought her exhaustion. Annabeth raised a curious eyebrow. When Olivia was fully aware of herself, she'd ask her about what that meant, but right now, they needed to focus on finding Percy and the others.
Annabeth hopelessly drifted through the ocean for a couple minutes before a familiar head of messy jet-black hair stuck out above the water. She carefully put Olivia down and tried steering the boat in the direction of the plank of wood Percy was floating on.
He seemed to also be drifting towards them, luckily, so she pulled him on just as quickly as she'd done Olivia. Unlike Olivia, however, Percy was fully unconscious. Annabeth frowned and grabbed Olivia's bag from her gently, looking through it for a square of ambrosia she could feed Percy.
Olivia had curled up on the boat, still shaking. Annabeth, meanwhile, finally managed to find some ambrosia, which she then fed Percy as quickly as she could. He looked terrible, especially compared to Olivia. He didn't seem to be healing despite having been in the water. Annabeth figured the Sea of Monsters played a big part in that, given he couldn't control the water when they first entered.
Annabeth kind of wished Alice was there with them. She was a brilliant girl when it came to helping out in the infirmary and Annabeth didn't really know what to do besides repress her panic for the sake of the others.
While Olivia was slowly coming out of her quiet shell, Annabeth managed to find the thermos. She figured it had enough air for one last use and opened it carefully. It was enough to carry them for a few miles before it finally spurted out one last wave of air and gave up. Without it, they began floating around aimlessly. Annabeth started to fidget with the ponytail holder on her wrist, feeling uncomfortable. The slow movement was terrifying. It felt like they were just sitting around, waiting for something to get them. Several things did circle them, but nothing ever came too close.
Olivia sneezed and Annabeth shot her a look of concern. She figured Olivia could get sick-albeit, very rarely, given her dad was Apollo-but they hadn't been in the Atlantic Ocean for that long. Olivia couldn't have gotten sick from it. Maybe her sinuses were just acting up.
Percy eventually started coughing, sitting up and nearly collapsing just as fast.
"Rest," Annabeth advised him. "You're going to need it."
Percy looked around. "Tyson...?" he asked hesitantly.
Annabeth's heart sank as she shook her head. "Percy, I'm really sorry."
He didn't respond. There was a tense silence while the waves tossed the trio up and down. Every passing second made the thought of saving Grover and the camp seem further away.
It was silent again for a long time. Annabeth finally thought of something to tell Percy, trying her best to give him some kind of hope: "He may have survived. I mean, fire can't kill him."
Percy nodded, but he didn't look like he believed her. Annabeth sighed. She barely believed herself. She resorted to showing Percy what she'd managed to find after the ship's destruction-the empty thermos, a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia, a couple of sailors' shirts, and a bottle of Dr Pepper. She also finally noticed the barely there knapsack clinging to Percy's ankle, which had Hermes' bottle of multivitamins in it.
And of course, Riptide never left Percy's side.
They sailed for what may have been hours or days. Time was different here. Annabeth knew that much. The water in the Sea of Monsters was a brilliant green, like Hydra acid. The wind smelled fresh and also salty, but it carried a metallic scent like lightning struck recently.
Percy just knew which direction they needed to go. That looked like another Poseidon kid thing. Olivia was sitting as far away from everyone as possible, back to being distant. When they took turns sipping from the Dr Pepper, she shook her head and mumbled something about Alice being mad.
That's when Percy explained the latest dream he'd had of Grover. Afterwards, Annabeth guessed they had less than a day to find their friend, assuming the dream was correct and nothing happened since then.
"Yeah," Percy muttered bitterly when Annabeth suggested Polyphemus might change his mind. "You can never trust a Cyclops."
Olivia looked up at Percy. "I'm sorry about Tyson," she said. "I may not have been his biggest fan, but he was still your baby brother. I don't know what I'd do without my brothers."
Annabeth stared across the water as Percy processed Olivia's words. "I'm sorry, too. I was wrong about Tyson, okay? I wish I could tell him that."
Percy glanced between the two girls. He never spoke, just nodded in acknowledgment. That was the most they were going to get, so neither of them pushed it.
"Hey, what's Chiron's prophecy?" he asked out of nowhere after what felt like an eternity.
Annabeth pursed her lips. Telling Percy the Great Prophecy so soon would be catastrophic. She knew the risks of that. "Percy, I shouldn't-"
"I know Chiron promised the gods he wouldn't tell me," Percy said. "But you didn't promise, did you?"
"Knowledge isn't always good for you, Kelp Face," Olivia warned.
"Your dad is the god of knowledge!" Percy retorted.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but he's a god," she said. "That's just how they roll. I told you last summer, Percy, I'm limited in what I can see. Whenever heroes learn too much about their future, they try to change it, and it never works."
"You changed my future last year," Percy argued.
"You have a split future, Percy," Olivia said casually. "It could go one way or the other. And I've tried to keep it on one track, despite your best efforts. Because I really believe you could be the prophecy kid."
"And that's why the gods are worried about something I'll do when I get older," Percy sighed. "When I turn sixteen."
Annabeth twisted her Yankees cap in her hands. If Percy had already figured that much out...
"Percy, I don't know the full prophecy," she said, "but it warns about a half-blood child of the Big Three-the next one who lives to the age of sixteen. That's the real reason Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades swore a pact after World War II not to have any more kids. The next child of the Big Three who reaches sixteen will be a dangerous weapon."
"Why?" Percy questioned.
"They'll either be the gods' saving grace or their downfall," Olivia clarified.
Percy started to look sick. "That's why Kronos didn't kill me last summer," he said slowly.
Olivia nodded. "That attack was a warning. But if he gets you to join him, you could cause the destruction of the gods."
"But if it's me in the prophecy-" Percy said.
"We'll only know that if you survive three more years," Annabeth cut him off.
"Two and two months," Olivia corrected. "Which can still be a long time for a half-blood."
"Exactly," Annabeth said. "When Chiron first learned about Thalia, he assumed she was the one in the prophecy. That's why he was so desperate to get her safely to camp. Then she went down fighting and got turned into a pine tree and none of us knew what to think. Until you came along."
Olivia shook her head. "Assumptions are not a luxury we can afford. We have to be sure of everything."
"This kid in the prophecy... he or she couldn't be like, a Cyclops?" Percy asked, turning to Olivia. "The Big Three have lots of monster children."
Olivia shook her head. "The Oracle said the hero would be a 'half-blood,'" she explained. "That always means half-human, half-god. You're the only option."
She looked away quickly, as if she didn't believe herself, like she knew something else could happen. Annabeth decided not to push it.
"If I could cause their downfall, why do the gods even let me live?" Percy asked. "It would be safer to kill me."
"You're right," Annabeth agreed.
Percy scoffed. "Thanks a lot."
"Some of them do want to kill you," Olivia said. "My grandfathers, Ares, Dionysus, and maybe even Athena, but they don't want to offend Poseidon. Other gods like my dad and my auntie are still watching you. You could still be a weapon for their survival. But the important thing is... what will you do in when you turn sixteen? What decision will you make?"
"Did the prophecy give any hints?"
Olivia hummed. "There was a line about choices and something to do with... no, never mind."
Annabeth sighed with relief when she realized she wouldn't have to remind Olivia to keep quiet.
Suddenly, a seagull swooped down out of nowhere and landed on their makeshift mast. Annabeth almost jumped as the bird dropped a small cluster of leaves into her lap. Then she realized the seagull had to get the leaves from somewhere. She leaned over the edge of the boat and squinted, satisfaction settling over her when she noticed an island.
"Land," she called to the others. "There's land nearby!"
A line of blue and brown lay in the distance. The current pulled them towards the island and after a minute, Annabeth could see the small mountain in the center, a dazzling white collection of buildings, a beach dotted with palm trees, and a harbor filled with a strange assortment of boats.
It was a paradise.
"Welcome!" said a woman with a clipboard as soon as they got there. She wore a blue business suit, with perfect makeup and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She shook everyone's hands as they stepped onto the dock.
Annabeth looked around to see yachts, a U.S. Navy submarine, several dugout canoes, and an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship. There was a helipad with a "Channel Five Fort Lauderdale" helicopter on it, and a short runway with a Learjet and a propeller plane that looked like a World War II fighter.
Annabeth was too tired to fully process what that meant, but Olivia looked more than freaked out by everything.
"Is this your first time with us?" the clipboard lady inquired.
Annabeth and Percy exchanged looks. "Umm..." the daughter of Athena mumbled.
"First-time-at-spa," the lady muttered as she wrote on her clipboard. "Let's see..."
She looked them up and down critically. "Mmm. An herbal wrap to start for the young ladies. And of course, a complete makeover for the young gentleman."
"A what?" Percy asked.
"Do not touch me," Olivia snapped.
The woman was too busy jotting down notes to answer. "Right!" She said with a dazzling smile that kind of reminded Annabeth of Alice in a way-they had the same force to it, if that way the right way to say it. "Well, I'm sure C.C. will want to speak with you personally before the luau. Come, please."
🌣⸻➳⸻🌣
OLIVIA WAS FRIENDS WITH IDIOTS.
That had to be why the Fates damned her to this life.
Somehow, despite everything last summer, they were being led through a beautiful spa in the middle of the literal Sea of Monsters and Olivia was the only one who was suspicious of them.
"I guess it couldn't hurt," Annabeth muttered. Olivia almost wanted to slap her, but she instead opted to search for ways to escape the island.
"Cierra!" the woman cheered. "Perfect! Can you lead our guests to your mother while Reyna and I get the baths and wraps started?"
"Of course," the girl said, stepping out from the shadows. She smiled at everyone with a careful nod. "I'm Cierra. Pleasure to meet you."
She was around Olivia's age and height, maybe a little shorter. She wore her dark hair in waves cascading down her back with a dark blue dress lined with silver. A black see-through shawl lay against her shoulders elegantly. She looked familiar to Olivia, but she couldn't place where she knew her from.
"Follow me," she said, her eyes bright as she led them through the spa.
Admittedly, the place was beautiful. Everywhere Olivia turned was white marble and fresh, blue water. Terraces climbed up the side of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level. Waterfalls and watersides and fountains spraying impossible images Olivia fought the urge to stare at.
"You okay?" Annabeth asked, leaning towards Percy. "You look pale."
"I'm okay," he said. Olivia didn't mention that he was lying. "Just... let's keep walking."
They passed all kinds of tame animals. A sea turtle napped in a stack of beach towels. A leopard stretched out asleep on the diving board. The resort guests-only young women, Olivia noted-lounged in deck chairs, drinking fruit smoothies or reading magazines while face masks dried on their faces and manicurists in white uniforms did their nails.
As Cierra led them up a staircase toward what looked like the main building, Olivia heard the sound of a woman singing. Her voice drifted through the air like a lullaby. Her words were in some language other than Ancient Greek, but just as old-Minoan, maybe.
Olivia liked the song's lyrics-Moonlight in the olive groves, the colors of the sunrise. Magic. Things like that.
The front wall of the room was just windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, so the room seemed to go on for eternity. There was a bunch of expensive-looking white furniture, and on a table in one corner was a large wire pet cage.
Olivia raised an eyebrow as the guinea pigs in the cage started to screech.
"Mother," Cierra called softly, but her voice carried over with frustrated undertones Olivia almost didn't catch. The singing woman stopped, and Olivia fiddled with her hair clip as she turned to see her.
The woman was sitting at a loom the size of a giant TV, her hands weaving a rainbow of thread back and forth with skill to rival Arachne. The tapestry shimmered do much it looked real at times. A realistic waterfall with a clear sky made of fabric so stunning, Annabeth gasped at the sight. "It's beautiful," she said.
She turned. Olivia felt her breath catch in her throat. The woman's long, dark hair was braided with threads of gold. Her striking green eyes reminded Olivia a little of Paris' hazel eyes, as calculated and intelligent as they were beautiful. To complete her look, C.C. she wore a silky black dress with shapes that seemed to move in the fabric: animal shadows, embroidered with black upon black, like deer running through a forest at night.
She looked almost nothing like Cierra, but somehow Olivia could still see a resemblance of sorts between the two of them.
The woman took note of Annabeth's wide-eyed stare. "You appreciate weaving, my dear?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, ma'am!" Annabeth said excitedly. "My mother-"
She cut herself off. They couldn't just casually announce to the room that she was Athena's daughter. Especially not in the Sea of Monsters.
C.C stood and smiled. "You have good taste, my dear. I'm so glad you've come. My name is C.C."
The guinea pugs in the corner cage started squealing.
As they introduced themselves to C.C., she looked them over like she was envisioning new versions of them, especially Percy. Olivia scrunched her nose up in disapproval. This all felt too convenient, but she wondered if it would be like her encounter with...
Medusa.
She still regretted what she did. Helping her friends kill Medusa had been... painful, to say the least.
"Oh, dear," the green-eyed woman sighed. "You do need my help."
She gave Olivia a pointed look and pressed the palm of her hand to the brown-eyed girl's cheek. Olivia fought the urge to push it, wondering what C.C. could possibly be thinking.
"Ma'am?" Percy asked tentatively.
C.C. called to the lady in the business suit just as she walked in. "Hylla, take Annabeth and Olivia on a tour, will you? Show them what we have available. The clothing will need to change. And the hair, my goodness. We will do a full image consultation after I've spoken with this young gentleman."
"But..." Annabeth's voice sounded hurt. "What's wrong with our hair?"
"My hair looks perfectly fine," Olivia huffed, pushing her braids over her shoulder. "Besides, I just got it done for the summer and I refuse to take it down with the sun and humidity both on the fritz."
C.C. smiled sweetly. "My dear, we'll improve your hair. It's lovely. Both of you are lovely. Really! But you're not showing off yourself or your talents at all. So much wasted potential!"
"Wasted?" Olivia demanded, defiantly holding her head up.
"Well, surely you're not happy the way you are!" C.C. said, almost condescendingly.
"I like who I am!" Olivia snapped, pushing C.C. back. "There's nothing wrong with how I look."
"My goodness, there's not a single person who is happy, sweet child," she said. "But don't worry. We can improve anyone here at the spa. Hylla will show you what I mean. You, my dear, need to unlock your true self!"
Annabeth's eyes glowed with longing. "But... what about Percy?" she finally asked.
"Oh, definitely," C.C. said, giving him a sad look. "Percy requires my personal attention. He needs much more work than you, my lovelies."
The guinea pigs squealed like they were hungry. Olivia glanced at the cage.
"Well..." Annabeth sighed. "I suppose..."
"Right this way, dear," Hylla said.
"Hylla, I'll take this one," Cierra said. "To lighten your load."
Hylla smiled at Cierra. "Thank you."
And just like that, both girls allowed themselves to be led into the garden, leaving Percy behind.
🌣⸻➳⸻🌣
CIERRA TREATED OLIVIA TO A BATH TO HELP HER RELAX. Thankfully, she gave Olivia the privacy she needed to be bathe and get dressed alone. When she was done, she made quick work of undoing and redoing Olivia's braids. Olivia had a lot of hair, so she had no clue how on earth Cierra managed to do all of it so fast.
"Would you like a facial treatment?" Cierra asked.
"My face is fine," Olivia insisted.
"Just to clear your skin a little," Cierra said. "Mother's face masks are divine."
Olivia grit her teeth. "Fine," she grumbled. Cierra led her to a separate room in the spa, walls made of glass to display the gorgeous view around them. Olivia hesitantly began to relax, allowing the other girl to place a face mask on her while some other girl gave her a mani-pedi.
"You work for C.C.?" Olivia asked at some point while Cierra removed the face mask.
"No, I don't work for Mother," Cierra said, shaking her head softly. "I simply help out when I can 'cause she took me in."
"She did?" Olivia asked, giving Cierra a questioning look at her tone.
"Yes," Cierra answered. "Made me her apprentice and taught me everything she knows."
"That's... nice," Olivia said.
"All done," the woman doing her mani-pedi told her gleefully. "She's all yours, Little C.C."
Cierra shook her head. "Don't call me that," she told the woman, smiling hesitantly.
She dressed Olivia in a gold dress, lined with black and a black sash around the waist. She kept the makeup to a minimum upon Olivia's insistence, giving her a minimal amount of concealer, blush, pink eyeshadow, and pink lipgloss. When she was done, she held a mirror up to Olivia's face.
The daughter of Apollo had to admit that she loved her reflection.
"Where's my hair clip?" she asked, touching her braids.
Cierra offered it to her. "It's beautiful," she said. "Where'd you get it?"
"It was a gift from my aunt and her friend," Olivia said flatly. "Where's your mother?"
"Oh, she's uh..." Cierra started. She let out a frustrated exhale. "She's likely just down the hall in her study."
"You guys okay?" Olivia asked, her brows furrowing. "You always sound so upset when you talk about her."
"Mother's been a little... off lately," Cierra admitted. "She says it's because of me."
"You?" Olivia asked.
"I helped her last visitors leave," Cierra said.
"And that's a bad thing?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows.
Cierra bit her lip, fidgeting with her shawl. "You need to get out of here," she said quickly.
Olivia faltered, squinting in confusion. That wasn't what she'd been expecting.
"This place is dangerous," Cierra elaborated. "At least, I think so. Mother's strange when I ask to leave. She gets upset when I help the women that visit leave. And your friend is the only boy I've ever seen."
Olivia shook her head, stepping away. "What kind of scheme is this?" she demanded. "What did C.C. put you up to?"
"Mother Circe didn't put me up to anything," Cierra deflected. "She can't even hear this room. She's very easy to outsmart."
"Then how come you're still here?" Olivia questioned, crossing her arms.
"I said she was easy to outsmart, not that it's easy to escape," Cierra explained. "As long as she's in control, Mother will get her way."
Olivia went to argue again, when it suddenly clicked.
Circe?
"Wait a minute," Olivia murmured. "Circe? This is-"
"Circe's island," Cierra confirmed. "You're a smart girl. And I need your help to get myself out of here."
"What do thou need me f-" Olivia began.
"She's likely gonna make you an offer," Cierra explained. "I think she wants you to join her and become a sorceress, like me."
To further prove her point, Cierra created a small fireball in her hand. Olivia jumped back in surprise. "What the Hades?" she demanded.
Cierra raised an eyebrow, but if she thought anything of Olivia's words, she didn't say anything.
"You need to find a way out of here because she sealed the exit and none of the ships work," Cierra told Olivia. "And while you're at it, save the boy, too."
Olivia tilted her head. "What about Percy?"
You'll see," Cierra said. "Just watch for the animals. The guinea pigs. But be careful which one you save. The others... they're sick men who deserve to be such tiny rodents."
Olivia was even more confused. "What are-"
"Don't question me," Cierra ordered. "Just... get yourselves out of here. And be careful. Follow your instincts and be patient in your sacrifice."
She vanished in a flurry of smoke, leaving Olivia in the room alone.
🌣⸻➳⸻🌣
PERCY'S LUCK HONESTLY COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE TODAY.
First, the ship exploded. Then he lost his only sibling. And now, he was a fucking guinea pig.
Turns out C.C. was some kind of sorceress who made little boys feel insecure and drink her harmless looking smoothies so she could turn them into guinea pigs and keep them in a cage. And Percy was her latest victim.
He heard Annabeth's voice calling for C.C. He could tell she wasn't close, but she was looking for the evil sorceress.
Then there was quiet from outside as C.C. taunted him, and suddenly Annabeth's voice called: "Miss C.C.?"
C.C. cursed in Ancient Greek. She plopped Percy into the guinea pig cage and closed the door. Despite knowing it wouldn't work, Percy squealed and desperately clawed at the bars. He watched in horror as C.C. hurriedly kicked his clothes under the loom just as the girls came in.
Percy almost didn't recognize Annabeth. She was wearing a sleeveless silk dress like C.C.'s, only white. Her blonde hair was newly washed and combed and braided with gold. Worst of all, she was wearing makeup, which he never thought Annabeth would be caught dead in. But she didn't look too upset about it.
Right behind her, Olivia bolted in, looking less than excited. Percy turned to look at her and he felt his heart skip a beat. Olivia was wearing a golden dress shoulder-length sleeves, and black trim, perfectly highlighting her bronze skin. Her chocolate brown eyes were accentuated by the pale pink eyeshadow she wore, her cheeks rosy. To top it all off, she wore a lipgloss that made her lips seem pinker than usual.
Percy didn't really understand why he liked the look so much on her. Sure, it fit her, unlike Annabeth's. Olivia had always liked traditionally feminine things, and the giant closet and vanity back at her place was a clear show of it. This seemed like something she'd pull from there, so why was it all so... different seeing her like this now?
She looked good, really good. In fact, she still looked stunning. Percy figured he would've been tongue-tied if he could said anything except reet, reet, reet.
But Olivia always looked nice. Why was today any different?
The dark-haired girl looked around the room and frowned. "Where's Percy?"
Percy started squealing up a storm, but she didn't seem to hear him.
"Yeah, he's not back?" Annabeth questioned.
C.C. smiled. "He's having one of our treatments, my dears. Not to worry. You both look wonderful! What did you think of your tour?"
Annabeth's eyes brightened. "Your library is amazing!"
Olivia scrunched her face up like she didn't know what was going on.
"Yes, indeed," C.C. said with a grin. "The best knowledge of the past three millennia. Anything you want to study, anything you want to be, my dear."
"An architect?" Annabeth asked with a wistful look on her face.
"I could pursue acting and music," Olivia said, sounded just the slightest bit interested.
Huh, that was new. It never occurred to Percy that Olivia took such interest in pursuing those things. It always seemed like a hobby to her.
"Pah!" C.C. scoffed. "You, my dears, have the makings of a sorceress. Like me."
Annabeth took a step back, and Olivia stepped forward. "A sorceress, you say?" she asked, but it sounded like she already knew.
"Yes, my dear." C.C. held up her hand. A flame appeared in her palm and danced across her fingertips. "My mother is Hecate, the goddess of magic. I know a daughter of Athena or Apollo when I see one."
Annabeth gasped. "You do?"
C.C. nodded. "We are not so different, you and I. We seek knowledge. We admire greatness."
"She did not just say we aren't so different," Olivia muttered.
She looked at Annabeth and Olivia. "You can both join me," she said invitingly. "And none of us need to stand in the shadow of men."
"I-I don't understand," Annabeth stammered.
Again, Percy started squealing, trying to get the girls' attention, but neither of them heard him, or they just didn't think the noises were important. Meanwhile, the other guinea pigs were emerging from their hutch to check Percy out.
He'd never considered that it was possible for guinea pigs to look mean, but these guys sure did. There were half a dozen of them, with dirty fur and cracked teeth and beady red eyes. They were covered with shavings and smelled like they really had been in here for three hundred years, without getting their cage cleaned.
"Stay with me," C.C. was telling the girls. "Study with me. You can join our staff, become sorceresses, learn to bend others to your will. You will become immortal!"
"But-" Annabeth began.
"You are too intelligent, my dear," C.C. said. "You know better than to trust that silly camp for heroes. How many great female half-blood heroes can you name?"
"Um, Atalanta, Amelia Earhart-" Annabeth began listing.
"Bah! Men get all the glory." C.C. closed her fist and extinguished the magic flame. "The only way to power for women is sorcery. Medea, Calypso, now there were powerful women! And me, of course. The greatest of all."
"Calypso is stuck on an island after failing to keep Odysseus," Olivia pointed out. "Just like you."
"You..." Annabeth murmured, trying to piece things together. "C.C.... Circe!"
"That's what I was trying to tell you when we were heading back here!" Olivia huffed.
They seriously needed to start listening to her when she made it clear she didn't like a place. This was why they kept ending up in predicaments like this.
C.C. nodded. "Yes, my dear."
Annabeth backed up, and Circe laughed. "You need not worry. I mean you no harm."
"What the hell have you done to Percy?" Olivia demanded, stepping forward.
Wow, she said hell. Soon she'll start really cursing, Percy thought. The idea of Olivia actually swearing like a sailor was kind of funny to be truthful. It was so unlike her, even now. This was probably she furthest her profanity would ever go.
"Sweetheart, I only helped him realize his true form," Circe said vaguely.
Annabeth scanned the room. Olivia nudged her arm and she finally saw the cage and Percy scratching at the bars, all the other guinea pigs crowding around him. Her eyes went wide.
Olivia's eyes turned dark gold as they narrowed. "Let him go."
"Forget him," Circe said. "Join me and learn the ways of sorcery."
"Oh, really?" Olivia demanded.
"Your friend will be well cared for. He'll be shipped to a wonderful new home on the mainland. The kindergartners will adore him. Meanwhile, you girls will be wise and powerful. You will have all you ever wanted."
Annabeth was still staring at Percy, but she had a dreamy expression on her face. She looked the same way Percy had when Circe enchanted him into drinking the guinea pig milk shake. He squealed and scratched, trying to warn her to snap out of it, but he was entirely powerless.
Olivia kicked Annabeth's leg subtly. "I think we should think about it," she said.
"Um, yeah," she murmured. "Just... give us a minute alone. To say goodbye."
"Of course, my dear," Circe cooed. "One minute. Oh... and so you have absolute privacy..."
She waved her hand and iron bars slammed down over the windows. She swept out of the room and Percy heard the locks on the door click shut behind her.
The dreamy look melted off Annabeth's face. She rushed over to Percy's cage. "All right, which one is you?"
Percy squealed, but so did all the other guinea pigs. Annabeth looked desperate. "Shit. Olivia, what do we do?"
"I say we grab the least dirty one," she said, pointing directly at Percy. He felt so relieved as she lifted the cage and brought him out quickly. "If it's not him..."
She pulled her Stygian iron dagger out. "I'll just slit their throat and do the next one."
Percy let out a reet! of fear.
"Will these help?" Annabeth asked, holding Percy's jeans and pulling out the bottle of Hermes multivitamins. She tossed the bottle to Olivia, who sat Percy down and popped the cap off. She poured a lemon chewable into her hand, letting Annabeth do the same.
Percy wanted to scream at them that this wasn't the time for taking supplements! They had to get ready to fight!
The door flew open and Circe came back in, flanked by two of her business-suited attendants. Olivia quickly moved to stand in front of Percy.
"Well," Circe sighed, "how fast a minute passes. What is your answer, my dears?"
"This," Annabeth said, and she drew her bronze knife.
The sorceress stepped back, but her surprise quickly passed. She sneered. "Really, little girl, a knife against my magic? Is that wise?"
A weird silver bow materialized on Olivia's back with a quiver of arrows. She notched a strange one with haste, pointing it at Circe. "I think Lunar silver can get the job done."
Circe looked back at her attendants, who smiled. They raised their hands as if preparing to cast a spell.
Run! Percy wanted to tell the girls, but all he could make were rodent noises. The other guinea pigs squealed in terror and scuttled around the cage. Percy had the urge to panic and hide, too, but he had to think of something to save the girls. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to them.
"What will Annabeth and Olivia's makeovers be?" Circe mused. "Something small and ill-tempered. I know... shrews!"
Blue fire coiled from her fingers curling like serpents around Annabeth and Olivia.
Percy was horrified for a moment, but nothing happened. Annabeth was still Annabeth, only angrier. Olivia was still Olivia, only more smug.
The blonde girl leaped forward and stuck the point of her knife against Circe's neck. "How about turning me into a panther instead? One that has her claws at your throat!"
"How?!" Circe yelped.
Olivia held up the little bottle of vitamins for the sorceress to see. Almost tauntingly, she shook them a bit.
Circe howled in frustration. "Curse Hermes and his multivitamins!" she screamed. "Those are such a fad! They do nothing for you."
"Turn Percy back to a human or else!" Annabeth said.
"I can't!" Circe said.
"Then I will," Olivia said.
Circe's attendants stepped forward, but their mistress said, "Get back! They're immune to magic until that cursed vitamin wears off. And neither Hades nor Apollo will stop at anything to exact vengeance should she be harmed."
Percy turned to Olivia, who nodded at Annabeth. The gray-eyed girl dragged Circe over to the guinea pig cage. Once Circe was where she wanted her, Olivia crouched next to Percy and gave him a single multivitamin that tasted like blue raspberry. He wondered if she did that on purpose.
"No!" Circe shrieked.
The first nibble, and Percy suddenly felt all fiery inside. He gnawed at the vitamin until it stopped looking so huge, and the cage got smaller, and then suddenly, bang! Percy was sitting on the floor, a human kid again-somehow back in his regular clothes, not that he was upset.
He was back to himself.
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"NO!" CIRCE SCREAMED MISERABLY AS PERCY BECAME A HUMAN AGAIN.
"Who else is in that cage?" Olivia demanded.
Circe only shrieked in anger as she desperately tried to use a spell on the girls again. "How dare you?!"
Olivia snarled and her bow disappeared. Circe looked smug until Olivia grabbed the sorceress by the throat, pinning her against a wall. The goddess looked genuinely scared as Olivia raised her dagger above her chest.
Good.
"Who is in that cage?!" she demanded. "What men did you put there?!"
"Edward Teach!" Circe answered. "Him and his crew! They're the only ones I haven't sent elsewhere!"
"As in the son of Ares?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes!" Circe desperately explained.
Olivia looked back at the cage for a moment. Those men had been guinea pigs for what, 300 years? And this island was full of women with their guards down, vulnerable because they had no escape.
No. She wasn't releasing men like that into the world.
"Olivia, go!" Cierra called, appearing at the door. The other attendants tried to grab her, but Annabeth was quick to throw her dagger at them, nearly nicking one in the process.
"Little C.C.," Circe called with faux sadness. "What is this?"
Cierra raised her hands, two balls of dark purple-blue energy growing in them. "My escape."
She swung her hands down, causing an explosion that sent Olivia and her friends flying back. The entire island shook as though she'd cracked it in half, and Olivia could hear screaming as Cierra started throwing potions and bottles around the place, chasing Circe and her other attendants down.
Annabeth hurried to grab her knife and glared at Percy. Olivia tugged her scrunchie as she did herself of the dagger in her hands.
"Thanks..." Percy faltered. "I'm really sorry-"
Before she could stop herself, Olivia launched herself at Percy, who had to spin a little to hold her unexpected added weight. They had a hug that was as long as it was needed. They'd hit a serious rough patch, and they needed to take a moment to let the tension fly out.
"I'm super happy you're not a guinea pig, Kelp Face," she told Percy, ignoring how he blushed. She knocked him upside his head lightly. "Although maybe we should've left you like that for a little bit so you'd learn what happens when you trust suspicious women in the middle of the ocean."
"Hey," Percy complained.
"Come on, you two," Annabeth said. "We have to get away while Circe's distracted."
"Right," Olivia breathed. She grabbed the cage in her hand and grabbed Percy's hand in the other. "Let's go!"
They ran down the hillside through the terraces, past screaming spa workers. Hylla and who Olivia assumed was Reyna chased them down desperately while Cierra went after Circe, screaming at her about taking her life back.
What the heck was her backstory before she got here?
"Which ship?" Annabeth asked as they reached the docks.
Percy looked around. Then he pointed. "There," he said.
Annabeth blinked. "But-"
"I can make it work," he said.
"How?" Annabeth questioned.
"Poseidon kid thing," Olivia guessed. The three of them ran toward the three-mast ship. Painted on its prow was the name that Olivia would only decipher later: Queen Anne's Revenge.
"We'll never get going in time!" Annabeth yelled as they climbed aboard, noting their enemies' proximity.
Olivia looked around at the hopeless maze of sail and ropes. The ship was in great condition for a three-hundred-year-old vessel, but it would still take a crew of fifty several hours to get underway, and they didn't have several hours.
Percy closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he randomly yelled, "Mizzenmast!"
In the next second, the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and wooden pulleys creaking.
Annabeth ducked as a cable flew over her head and wrapped itself around the bowsprit. "Percy... how..."
"Son of Poseidon," Olivia said. Hastily, she opened the cage and poured all the guinea pigs out, letting them fall and sink in the waters of the sea.
"Olivia?!" Annabeth called, horrified.
"I'm not risking it!" Olivia shouted back. "Who knows what they could do to those women if they were turned back?!"
The Queen Anne's Revenge lurched away from the dock, and by the time the others arrived at the water's edge, the half-bloods were already underway, sailing into the Sea of Monsters.
Olivia took one last look at Circe's island, just in time to see the giant mountain crack in half and a blast of magic to circle it.
But that wasn't her problem. She leaned back and relaxed, finally somewhat at peace.
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