𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝐴𝑡𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎
𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚂 scrambling around, trying to find the two missing demigods. It was quite humorous: two 17 year-old demigods missing while they were still in the air. Coach Hedge shrugged it off, saying that the two heroes would be able to handle themselves.
It wasn't until Frank rushed into the mess hall, with Percy and Annabeth in tow, explaining how he found them in the stables asleep together when Coach Hedge lost his marbles.
"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"
"It wasn't like that!" Annabeth said.
"How could you!" Coach Hedge said. "Percy Jackson! Annabeth Chase! This is unacceptable! You guys are seventeen!"
"It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?" Percy said.
Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you. All of you- "
Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."
The meeting was like a war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood they used to have their most serious discussions around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz.
Percy told them about his dream- the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.
Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico... Oh, gods. The seeds."
"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.
Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."
"Your step... oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."
"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel said.
Lorna could tell she was nervous, because all the silverware on the table was starting to move toward her. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned- "
"The giants are trying to lure us," Lorna said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."
"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"
"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"
"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"
"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."
"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."
"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."
"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome- "
"That's not much time," Lorna summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel.'"
"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico..."
"We'll rescue him," Percy promised her. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."
"That's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."
"He can tell us where the doors are," Percy said, "and how to close them."
Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."
From up above came a whirring sound like a large drill. "That's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there... uh, assuming we know where to land."
Everyone turned to Percy and Lorna.
"Any ideas, Captain Salt Water?" Jason raised his eyebrow.
"Shut it, Aeroplane." Percy rebutted.
"Aeroplane? Really, Percy?" Lorna said. "Couldn't you come up with something better."
Percy filled her off.
"Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge." Percy told Leo.
Leo nodded. "On it." He raced for the stairs, happy to be out of the room..
"When we land, Lorna and I will scout around in Atlanta," Percy said. "Frank, I could use your help."
"You mean turn into a dragon again? Honestly, Percy, I don't want to spend the whole quest being everyone's flying taxi."
"No," Percy said. "I want you with me because you've got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find salt water. Besides, you're good in a fight."
"I'm good in a fight too!" Coach Hedge added. "And I need some fresh air. Can we get enchiladas on the way?"
"A day out with Frank, a bloodthirsty satyr and my brother to find salt water in a landlocked city." Lorna said. "This, is going to be so much fun."
𝙻𝙾𝚁𝙽𝙰 𝙲𝙻𝙸𝙼𝙱𝙴𝙳 out on deck and said, "Wow."
They had landed near the summit of a forested hill. A complex of white buildings, like a museum or a university, nestled in a grove of pines to the left. Below them spread the city of Atlanta- a cluster of brown and silver downtown skyscrapers two miles away, rising from what looked like an endless flat sprawl of highways, railroad tracks, houses, and green swathes of forest.
"Ah, lovely spot." Coach Hedge inhaled the morning air. "Good choice, Valdez."
Leo shrugged. "I just picked a tall hill. That's a presidential library or something over there. At least that's what Festus says."
"I don't know about that!" Hedge barked. "But do you realize what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!"
Frank flinched. "I should?"
"A son of Ares stood here!" Hedge cried indignantly.
"I'm Roman...so Mars, actually."
"Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!"
"I'm Canadian, actually."
"Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging- now that was a demigod!"
Frank inched away from the satyr. "Uh, okay."
"Anyway," Percy said, "let's try not to burn down the city this time."
The coach looked disappointed. "All right. But where to?"
Percy pointed toward downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."
"I swear, everyone is just making these up. Jason once said, 'When in doubt, start from the top,'. But I've never heard of either of those. Where are you guys getting the memo from?" Lorna said.
Catching a ride there was easier than they thought. The four of them headed to the presidential library- which turned out to be the Carter Center- and asked the staff if they could call a taxi or give them directions to the nearest bus stop.
One of the librarians, whose name was Esther, insisted on driving them personally. She was so nice about it, Lorna thought she must be a monster in disguise; but Hedge pulled her aside and assured her that Esther smelled like a normal human.
"With a hint of potpourri," he said. "Cloves. Rose petals. Tasty!"
They piled into Esther's big black Cadillac and drove toward downtown. Esther was so tiny, she could barely see over the steering wheel; but that didn't seem to bother her. She muscled her car through traffic while regaling them with stories about the crazy families of Atlanta- the old plantation owners, the founders of Coca-Cola, the sports stars, and the CNN news people. She sounded so knowledgeable that Lorna decided to try her luck.
"Uh, so, Esther," she said, "here's a hard question for you. Salt water in Atlanta. What's the first thing that comes to mind?"
The old lady chuckled. "Oh, sugar. That's easy. Whale sharks!"
Lorna and Percy exchanged looks.
"Whale sharks?" Frank asked nervously. "You have those in Atlanta?"
"At the aquarium, sugar," Esther said. "Very famous! Right downtown. Is that where you wanted to go?"
An aquarium. Lorna considered that. She didn't know what an Ancient Greek sea god would be doing at a Georgia aquarium, but she didn't have any better ideas.
"Yes," Percy said. "That's where we're going."
Esther dropped them at the main entrance, where a line was already forming. She insisted on giving them her cell phone number for emergencies, money for a taxi ride back to the Carter Center, and a jar of homemade peach preserves, which for some reason she kept in a box in her trunk. Frank stuck the jar in his backpack and thanked Esther, who had already switched from calling him sugar to son.
As she drove away, Frank said, "Are all people in Atlanta that nice?"
Hedge grunted. "Hope not. I can't fight them if they're nice. Let's go beat up some whale sharks. They sound dangerous!"
"Right," Lorna said. "Good luck with that."
It hadn't occurred to Lorna that they might have to pay admission, or stand in line behind a bunch of families and kids from summer camps. Looking at the elementary schoolers in their colorful T-shirts from various day camps, Lorna felt a twinge of sadness. She should be at Camp Half-Blood right now, settling into her cabin for the summer, teaching sword-fighting lessons in the arena, planning pranks on the other counselors. These kids had no idea just how crazy a summer camp could be.
She sighed. "Well, I guess we wait in line. Anybody have money?"
Frank checked his pockets. "Three denarii from Camp Jupiter. Five dollars Canadian."
Hedge patted his gym shorts and pulled out what he found. "Three quarters, two dimes, a rubber band and- score! A piece of celery."
He started munching on the celery, eyeing the change and the rubber band like they might be next.
"Great," Percy said.
A woman in a blue-and-green Georgia Aquarium shirt came up to them, smiling brightly. "Ah, VIP visitors!"
She had perky dimpled cheeks, thick-framed glasses, braces, and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails, so that even though she was probably in her late twenties, she looked like a schoolgirl nerd-sort of cute, but sort of odd. Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt, she wore dark slacks and black sneakers, and she bounced on the balls of her feet like she simply couldn't contain her energy. Her name tag read KATE.
"You have your payment, I see," she said. "Excellent!"
"What?" Percy asked.
Kate scooped the three denarii out of Frank's hand. "Yes, that's fine. Right this way!"
She spun and trotted off toward the main entrance.
"Did she just steal our money?" Lorna asked.
"I'm more concerned if this is a trap?" Percy said.
"Probably," Frank said.
"Definitely," Lorna agreed.
"She's not mortal," Hedge said, sniffing the air. "Probably some sort of goat-eating, demigod destroying fiend from Tartarus."
"No doubt," Percy agreed.
"Awesome." Hedge grinned. "Let's go."
Kate got them past the ticket queue and into the aquarium with no problem.
"Right this way." Kate grinned at Percy. "It's a wonderful exhibit. You won't be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs."
"Uh, you mean demigods?" Frank asked.
Kate winked at him impishly and put a finger to her mouth. "So over here is the cold-water experience, with your penguins and beluga whales and whatnot. And over there...well, those are some fish, obviously."
"We can obviously see that," Lorna mumbled.
For an aquarium worker, she didn't seem to know much or care much about the smaller fish. They passed one huge tank full of tropical species, and when Frank pointed to a particular fish and asked what it was, Kate said, "Oh, those are the yellow ones."
They passed the gift shop. Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys.
"Take what you want," Kate told him.
Frank blinked. "Really?"
"Of course! You're a VIP!"
"No," Lorna said. "She might frame us! For stealing."
"Why would I?" Kate batted her eyes at Lorna.
Frank hesitated. Then he stuffed some T-shirts in his backpack.
"Dude," Percy said, "what are you doing?"
"She said I could," Frank whispered. "Besides, I need more clothes. I didn't pack for a long trip!"
He added a snow globe to his stash, which didn't seem like clothing to Lorna. Then Frank picked up a braided cylinder about the size of a candy bar. He squinted at it. "What is-?"
"Chinese handcuffs," Percy said.
Frank, who was Chinese Canadian, looked offended. "How is this Chinese?"
"I don't know," Percy said. "That's just what it's called. It's like a gag gift."
"Come along!" Kate called from across the hall.
"I'll show you later," Percy promised.
Frank stuffed the handcuffs in his backpack, and they kept walking. They passed through an acrylic tunnel. Fish swam over their heads, and Lorna felt irrational panic building in her throat.
This is dumb, she told herself. I've been underwater a million times. And I'm not even in the water.
The real threat is Kate, she reminded herself.
Hedge had already detected that she wasn't human. Any minute she might turn into some horrible creature and attack them. Unfortunately, Lorna didn't see much choice but to play along with her VIP tour until they could find the sea god Phorcys, even if they were walking deeper into a trap.
They emerged in a viewing room awash with blue light. On the other side of a glass wall was the biggest aquarium tank Lorna had ever seen. Cruising in circles were dozens of huge fish, including two spotted sharks, each twice Lorna's size. They were fat and slow, with open mouths and no teeth.
"Whale sharks," Coach Hedge growled. "Now we shall battle to the death!"
Kate giggled. "Silly satyr. Whale sharks are peaceful. They only eat plankton."
Lorna scowled. She wondered how Kate knew the coach was a satyr. Hedge was wearing pants and specially fitted shoes over his hooves, like satyrs usually did to blend in with mortals. His baseball cap covered his horns. The more Kate giggled and acted friendly, the more Lorna didn't like her; but Coach Hedge didn't seem fazed.
"Peaceful sharks?" the coach said with disgust. "What's the point of that?"
Frank read the plaque next to the tank. "The only whale sharks in captivity in the world," he mused. "That's kind of amazing."
"Yes, and these are small," Kate said. "You should see some of my other babies out in the wild."
"Your babies?" Lorna asked.
Judging from the wicked glint in Kate's eyes, Lorna was pretty sure she didn't want to meet Kate's babies. She decided it was time to get to the point. She didn't want to go any farther into this aquarium than she had to.
"So, Kate," she said, "we're looking for a guy...I mean a god, named Phorcys. Would you happen to know him?"
Kate snorted. "Know him? He's my brother. That's where we're going, sillies. The real exhibits are right through here."
She gestured at the far wall. The solid black surface rippled, and another tunnel appeared, leading through a luminous purple tank. Kate strolled inside. The last thing Lorna wanted to do was follow, but if Phorcys was really on the other side, and if she had information that would help their quest...Lorna took a deep breath and followed her friends into the tunnel.
As soon as they entered, Coach Hedge whistled. "Now that's interesting."
Gliding above them were multicolored jellyfish the size of trash cans, each with hundreds of tentacles that looked like silky barbed wire. One jellyfish had a paralyzed ten-foot-long swordfish tangled in its grasp. The jellyfish slowly wrapped its tendrils tighter and tighter around its prey.
Kate beamed at Coach Hedge. "You see? Forget the whale sharks! And there's much more."
Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! Sponsored by Monster Donut. Lorna had to read the sign twice because of her dyslexia, and then twice more to let the message sink in. "Monster Donut?"
"Oh, yes," Kate said. "One of our corporate sponsors."
Lorna gulped. Her last experience with Monster Donut hadn't been pleasant. It had involved acid spitting serpent heads, much screaming, and a cannon. In one aquarium, a dozen hippocampi- horses with the tails of fish- drifted aimlessly.
Lorna had seen many hippocampi in the wild. She'd even ridden a few; but she had never seen any in an aquarium. She tried to speak with them, but they just floated around, occasionally bonking against the glass. Their minds seemed addled.
"This isn't right," Percy muttered to Lorna.
"You can't speak to them either?" Lorna asked.
Percy shook his head. Lorna turned and saw something even worse. At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids- female sea spirits- sat cross-legged, facing each other, playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored. Their long green hair floated listlessly around their faces. Their eyes were half closed.
Lorna felt so angry, she could hardly breathe.
She glared at Kate. "How can you keep them here?"
"I know." Kate sighed. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid. I think you'll like this tank over here much better."
Percy started to protest, but Kate had already moved on.
"Holy mother of goats!" cried Coach Hedge. "Look at these beauties!"
He was gawking at two sea serpents- thirty-foot-long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could have bitten a whale shark in half. In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size of an eighteen-wheeler, with a beak like a giant bolt cutter. A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands. They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Legos, though the creatures seemed just as dazed as the Nereids.
"Are those- ?" Percy struggled to form the question.
"Telkhines?" Kate said. "Yes! The only ones in captivity."
"But they fought for Kronos in the last war!" Percy said. "They're dangerous!"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we couldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous. Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."
"Sedated?" Frank asked. "Is that legal?"
Kate appeared not to have heard. She kept walking, pointing out other exhibits.
Lorna looked back at the telkhines. One was obviously a youngster. She was trying to make a sword out of Legos, but she seemed too groggy to put the pieces together. Lorna had never liked sea demons, but now she felt sorry for them.
"Get them out." Lorna gritted her teeth.
"And these sea monsters," Kate narrated up ahead, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod- "
"Demigod?" Frank yelped.
"But they will eat whales or small boats, too." Kate turned to Percy and blushed. "Sorry...I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon, and all."
"Who are you?" Percy demanded. "Does Kate stand for something?"
"Krazy, abnormal, twat, evil. Kate." Lorna said but Kate ignored her as usual.
The boys laughed as Kate got lost in thought. "Kate?"
She looked momentarily confused. Then she glanced at her name tag. "Oh..." She laughed. "No, it's- "
"Hello!" said a new voice, booming through the aquarium. A small man scuttled out of the darkness. He walked sideways on bowed legs like a crab, his back hunched, his arms raised on either side like he was holding invisible plates. He wore a wet suit that was several horrible shades of green. Glittery silver words printed down the side read: PORKY'S FOLLIES. A headset microphone was clamped over his greasy wiry hair. His eyes were milky blue, one higher than the other, and though he smiled, he didn't look friendly- more like his face was being peeled back in a wind tunnel.
"Visitors!" the man said, the word thundering through the microphone. He had a DJ's voice, deep and resonant, which did not at all match his appearance. "Welcome to Phorcys's Follies!"
He swept his arms in one direction, as if directing their attention to an explosion. Nothing happened.
"Curse it," the man grumbled. "Telkhines, that's your cue! I wave my hands, and you leap energetically in your tank, do a synchronized double spin, and land in pyramid formation. We practiced this!"
The sea demons paid him no attention. Coach Hedge leaned toward the crab man and sniffed his glittery wet suit. "Nice outfit."
He didn't sound like he was kidding. Of course, the satyr wore gym uniforms for fun. "Thank you!" The man beamed. "I am Phorcys."
Frank shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Why does your suit say Porky?"
Phorcys snarled. "Stupid uniform company! They can't get anything right."
Kate tapped her name tag. "I told them my name was Keto. They misspelled it as Kate. My brother...well, now he's Porky."
"I am not!" the man snapped. "I'm not even a little porky. The name doesn't work with Follies, either. What kind of show is called Porky's Follies? But you folks don't want to hear us complain. Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid!"
He gestured dramatically toward the squid tank. This time, fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue, sending up geysers of golden sparkles. Music swelled from the loudspeakers. The lights brightened and revealed the wondrous majesty of an empty tank. The squid had apparently skulked back into its cave.
"Curse it!" Phorcys yelled again. He wheeled on his sister. "Keto, training the squid was your job. Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?"
"He's shy," Keto said defensively. "Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily." She turned toward Frank. "Did you know the monstrous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armor and all, without getting indigestion? It's true!"
Frank stumbled away from her, hugging his gut as if making sure he was still in one piece.
"Keto!" Porky snapped—literally, since he clicked his fingers to his thumbs like crab claws. "You'll bore our guests with so much information. Less education, more entertainment! We've discussed this."
"But—"
"No buts! We're here to present 'Death in the Deep Seas!' Sponsored by Monster Donut!"
The last words reverberated through the room with extra echo. Lights flashed. Smoke clouds billowed from the floor, making donut-shaped rings that smelled like real donuts.
"Available at the concession stand," Phorcys advised. "But you've spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour, and so you shall! Come with me!"
"Um, hold it," Percy said.
Phorcys's smile melted in an ugly way. "Yes?"
"You're a sea god, aren't you?" Percy asked. "Son of Gaea?"
The crab man sighed. "Five thousand years, and I'm still known as Gaea's little boy. Never mind that I'm one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than your upstart father, by the way. I'm god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no...nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I'm exiled from the ocean—to Atlanta, of all places."
"We thought the Olympians said Atlantis," Keto explained. "Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead."
Percy narrowed his eyes. "And you're a goddess?"
"Keto, yes!" She smiled happily. "Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It's true!"
Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick.
Coach Hedge whistled. "Six years? That's fascinating."
"I know!" Keto beamed.
"And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?" Hedge asked.
"Coach!" Lorna yelled.
"What? I love nature."
"Oh, well—"
"Stop!" Phorcys demanded. "You're ruining the show! Now, witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!"
A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, making the water dance with multicolored light. Two swords fell to the bottom and plunked in the sand. The Nereids ignored them and kept playing Go Fish.
"Curse it!" Phorcys stomped his legs sideways.
Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge. "Don't mind Porky. He's such a windbag. Come with me, my fine satyr. I'll show you full-color diagrams of the monsters' hunting habits."
"Excellent!"
Before Lorna could object, Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving Frank, Percy and her alone with the crabby sea god. A bead of sweat traced its way down Lorna's neck. She exchanged nervous looks with Frank and Percy. This felt like a divide-and-conquer strategy. She didn't see any way the encounter was going to end well. Part of her wanted to attack Phorcys now—at least that might give them the element of surprise—but they hadn't found out any useful information yet. Lorna wasn't sure she could find Coach Hedge again. She wasn't even sure she could find the exit. Phorcys must've read her expression.
"Oh, it's fine!" the god assured her. "Keto might be a little boring, but she'll take good care of your friend. And honestly, the best part of the tour is still to come!"
"I hate to imagine what your definition of 'care' is," Lorna muttered.
"So... Dionysus sent us here." Percy said.
"Bacchus," Frank corrected.
"Right. The wine god. Whatever." He looked at Phorcys. "Bacchus said you might know what your mom Gaea is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours—Ephialtes and Otis. And if you happen to know anything about this Mark of Athena—"
"Bacchus thought I would help you?" Phorcys asked.
"Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, you're Phorcys. Everybody talks about you."
Phorcys tilted his head so that his mismatched eyes almost lined up. "They do?"
"Of course. Don't they?"
"Oh...sure!" Frank said. "People talk about you all the time."
"What do they say?" the god asked.
Frank looked uncomfortable. "Well, you have great pyrotechnics. And a good announcer's voice. And, um, a disco ball—"
"It's true!" Phorcys clacked his fingers and thumbs excitedly. "I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world!"
"And you know stuff," Lorna added. "Like about the twins and what they're up to."
"The twins!" Phorcys made his voice echo. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea serpent tank. "Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabes! They never fit in with the other giants. Too puny—and those snakes for feet."
"Snakes for feet?" Percy asked.
"Yes, yes," Phorcys said impatiently. "They knew they couldn't get by on their strength, so they decided to go for drama—illusions, stage tricks, that sort of thing. You see, Gaea shaped her giant children with specific enemies in mind. Each giant was born to kill a certain god. Ephialtes and Otis...well, together they were sort of the anti-Dionysus."
Lorna tried to wrap her mind around that idea. "So...they want to replace all wine with cranberry juice or something?"
The sea god snorted. "Nothing like that! Ephialtes and Otis always wanted to do things better, flashier, more spectacular! Oh, of course they wanted to kill Dionysus. But first they wanted to humiliate him by making his revelries look tame!"
Frank glanced at the sparklers. "By using stuff like fireworks and disco balls?"
Phorcys's mouth stretched into that wind tunnel smile. "Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know, or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top of one another. It was just an illusion, of course. I told them it was ridiculous. 'You should start small,' I said. 'Sawing each other in half, pulling gorgons out of a hat. That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!'"
"You two should get some," Frank whistled.
Lorna winced. "We had a few. Our mom was really in on the matching outfits when we were kids."
"And when we were teenagers." Percy chimed in. "And I obviously looked wayyyy hotter in them."
"Dream on." Lorna shoved Percy. She turned her attention back to Phorcys. "And now the twins are—"
"Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome," Phorcys sneered. "It's one of Mother's silly ideas. They're keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar." He turned toward Frank. "You're a child of Ares, aren't you? You've got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once."
"Child of Mars," Frank corrected. "Wait...these giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?"
"Yes, another stupid stunt," said the sea god. "How can you show off your prisoner if he's in a bronze jar? No entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimens!"
He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bonking their heads apathetically against the glass.
Lorna tried to think. She felt like the lethargy of the addled sea creatures was starting to affect her. "You said this—this doomsday show was Gaea's idea?"
"Well...Mother's plans always have lots of layers." He laughed. "The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!"
"Uh-huh," Percy said. "And so her plan..."
"Oh, she's put out a general bounty on some group of demigods," Phorcys said. "She doesn't really care who kills them, as long as they're killed. Well...I take that back. She was very specific that two must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such. That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena." Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. "Ha! Good luck with that, eh?"
Frank laughed nervously. "Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb because, uh..."
Phorcys narrowed his eyes. Even this old sea god must be smart enough to realize they were the demigods with the bounty on their heads. But Phorcys just grinned and elbowed Frank again. "Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you're right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston, they'd never make it to Rome alive!"
"Yes, the MAP IN CHARLESTON," Frank said loudly, giving Percy and Lorna a wide-eyed look to make sure they hadn't missed the information. He couldn't have been more obvious if he had held up a large sign that read CLUE!!!!!
"But enough boring educational stuff!" Phorcys said. "You've paid for the VIP treatment. Won't you please let me finish the tour? The three denarii entrance fee is nonrefundable, you know."
Lorna wasn't excited about more fireworks, donut-scented smoke, or depressing captive sea creatures. But she glanced at Frank and Percy and decided they'd better humor the crabby old god, at least until they found Coach Hedge and got safely to the exit. Besides, they might be able to get more information out of Phorcys.
"Afterward," Percy said, "can we ask questions?"
"Of course! I'll tell you everything you need to know." Phorcys clapped his hands twice. On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank. "Walk this way!"
Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel.
The tunnel ran along the floor of a gymnasium-sized tank. Except for water and some cheap decorations, it seemed majestically empty. Lorna guessed there were about fifty thousand gallons of water over their heads.
Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread his arms proudly. "Beautiful exhibit, isn't it?"
Lorna tried to distract herself by concentrating on details. In one corner of the tank, snuggled in a forest of fake kelp, was a life-sized plastic gingerbread cottage with bubbles coming out of the chimney. In the opposite corner, a plastic sculpture of a guy in an old-fashioned diving suit knelt beside a treasure chest, which popped open every few seconds, spewed bubbles, and closed again. Littered across the white sand floor were glass marbles the size of bowling balls, and a strange assortment of weapons like tridents and spearguns. Outside the tank's display wall was an amphitheater with seating for several hundred.
"What do you keep in here?" Frank asked. "Giant killer goldfish?"
Phorcys raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish."
At 'descendant of Poseidon', Frank flinched. He stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing. A sense of dread trickled down Lorna's throat like cough syrup. Unfortunately, it was a feeling she was used to.
"How do you know Frank's last name?" she demanded.
"How do you know he's descended from Poseidon?" Percy added.
"Well..." Phorcys shrugged, trying to look modest. "It was probably in the descriptions Gaea provided. You know, for the bounty, Jackson."
Lorna did the familiar movement of rolling the ball on her ring. Percy uncapped his pen. Instantly, Riptide and Tremor appeared in their hands.
"Don't double-cross me, Phorcys. You promised us answers." Percy growled.
"After the VIP treatment, yes," Phorcys agreed. "I promised to tell you everything you need to know. The thing is, however, you don't really need to know anything." His grotesque smile stretched wide. "You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is quite unlikely, you'd never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you? So I have a better plan. You're not leaving. You're VIPs—Very Important Prisoners!"
Lorna and Percy lunged. Frank hurled his backpack at the sea god's head. Phorcys simply disappeared. The god's voice reverberated through the aquarium's sound system, echoing down the tunnel. "Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she did agree that I could keep anything I caught. You three will make an excellent exhibit—the twin demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity. 'Demigod Terrors'—yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM."
"You're crazy!" Frank yelled.
"Don't sell yourself short!" Phorcys said. "You'll be our biggest draw!"
Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well. Their tunnel had become a bubble. Lorna put her hand against the glass and realized it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in.
"We won't cooperate, Phorcys!" Percy shouted.
"Oh, I'm optimistic," the sea god's voice boomed. "If you won't fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you'll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you'll come to love your new home."
Over Lorna's head, the glass dome cracked and began to leak.
"You can't imprison me in water. This is where I'm strongest." Lorna struggled to form the words. She concentrated on controlling the water but it seems to have a mind of its own.
Phorcys's laugh seemed to come from all around them. "What a coincidence! It's also where I'm strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun, you three. I'll see you at feeding time!"
The glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in. Lorna held her breath until she couldn't stand it. When she finally filled her lungs with water, it felt just like normal breathing. The water pressure didn't bother her. Her clothes didn't even get wet. Her underwater abilities were as good as ever.
Then she remembered Frank and Percy, and he immediately felt a surge of panic and guilt. Lorna had been so worried about herself that she'd forgotten her friend was only a distant descendant of Poseidon. Frank couldn't breathe underwater. But where was he?
Lorna made eye contact with Percy, who looked fine. He pointed up. She glanced up. Hovering about her was a giant goldfish. Frank had turned—clothes, backpack, and all—into a koi the size of a teenaged boy.
Dude. Percy sent his thoughts through the water, the way he and Lorna spoke with other sea creatures. A goldfish?
Frank's voice came back to him: I freaked. We were talking about goldfish, so it was on my mind. Sue me.
I'm having a telepathic conversation with a giant koi, Percy said.
Can you turn into something more...useful? Lorna asked.
Silence. Maybe Frank was concentrating, though it was impossible to tell, since koi don't have many expressions.
Sorry. Frank sounded embarrassed. I'm stuck. That happens sometimes when I panic.
Okay. Lorna grimanced. But I don't think we'll be able to find a big enough tank for you.
Lorna was sure that Frank wanted to smack her, but he couldn't— fins and all.
Let's figure out how to escape. Frank swam around the tank and reported no exits.
The top was covered with Celestial bronze mesh, like the curtains that roll down over closed storefronts at the mall. Lorna and Percy tried to cut through with their swords, but they couldn't make a dent. Percy tried to smash through the glass wall with his sword hilt—again, no luck. Then they repeated their efforts with several of the weapons lying around the bottom of the tank and managed to break three tridents, a sword, and a speargun.
Finally Lorna tried to control the water. She wanted it to expand and break the tank, or explode out the top. The water didn't obey. Maybe it was enchanted, or under the power of Phorcys. Lorna concentrated until his ears popped, but the best she could do was blow the lid off the plastic treasure chest.
Look! Frank said.
Outside the glass, Keto was leading Coach Hedge through the amphitheater, lecturing him on something while the coach nodded and admired the stadium seating.
Coach! Percy yelled.
But it was hopeless. The coach couldn't hear telepathic yelling.
Frank bumped his head against the glass. Hedge didn't seem to notice. Keto walked him briskly across the amphitheater. She didn't even look through the glass, probably because she assumed the tank was still empty. She pointed to the far end of the room as if saying, Come on. More gruesome sea monsters this way.
Lorna realized she had only a few seconds before the coach would be gone. She swam after them, but the water didn't help him move as it usually did. In fact, it seemed to be pushing him back. She dropped Tremor and used both arms. Coach Hedge and Keto were five feet from the exit. In desperation, Lorna scooped up a giant marble and hurled it underhanded like a bowling ball. It hit the glass with a thunk—not nearly loud enough to attract attention. Lorna's heart sank. But Coach Hedge had the ears of a satyr. He glanced over his shoulder.
When he saw Lorna, his expression went through several changes in a matter of microseconds—incomprehension, surprise, outrage, then a mask of calm. Before Keto could notice, Hedge pointed toward the top of the amphitheater. It looked like he might be screaming, Gods of Olympus, what is that?
Keto turned. Coach Hedge promptly took off his fake foot and ninja-kicked her in the back of the head with his goat hoof. Keto crumpled to the floor.
Hedge ran to the glass. He held up his palms like: What are you doing in there, Jackson?
Lorna pounded her fist on the glass and mouthed: Break it!
Hedge yelled a question that might have been: Where's Frank?
Percy pointed at the giant koi.
Frank waved his left dorsal fin: 'Sup?
Behind Hedge, the sea goddess began to move. Percy pointed frantically. Hedge shook his leg like he was warming up his kicking hoof, but Percy waved his arms, No.
They couldn't keep whopping Keto on the head forever. Since she was immortal, she wouldn't stay down, and it wouldn't get them out of this tank. It was only a matter of time before Phorcys came back to check on them.
On three, Lorna mouthed, holding up three fingers and then gesturing at the glass. All of us hit it at the same time.
Lorna had never been good at charades, but Hedge nodded like he understood. Hitting things was a language the satyr knew well. Lorna and Percy hefted a giant marble each.
Frank, we'll need you too. Percy said. Can you change form yet? Maybe back to human. Human is fine! Just hold your breath. If this works...
Keto rose to her knees. No time to waste.
Percy counted on his fingers. One, two, three!
Frank turned to human and shoved his shoulder against the glass. The coach did a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick with his hoof. Percy slammed his marble. Lorna used all her strength to slam the marble into the wall, but she did more than that. She called on the water to obey her, and this time she refused to take no for an answer. She felt all the pent-up pressure inside the tank, and she put it to use. Water liked to be free. Given time, water could overcome any barrier, and it hated to be trapped, just like Lorna. She thought about getting back to Jason. She thought about destroying this horrible prison for sea creatures. She thought about shoving Phorcys's microphone down his ugly throat.
Fifty thousand gallons of water responded to her anger. The glass wall cracked. Fracture lines zigzagged from the point of impact, and suddenly the tank burst. Lorna was sucked out in a torrent of water. She tumbled across the amphitheater floor with Frank and Percy, some large marbles, and a clump of plastic seaweed.
Keto was just getting to her feet when the diver statue slammed into her like it wanted a hug. Coach Hedge spit salt water. "Pan's pipes, Jackson! What were you doing in there?"
"We weren't in there at our own will!" Lorna yelled and hurled Percy up.
"Phorcys!" Percy spluttered. "Trap! Run!"
Alarms blared as they fled the exhibits. They ran past the Nereids' tank, then the telkhines. Lorna wanted to free them, but how? They were drugged and sluggish, and they were sea creatures. They wouldn't survive unless he found a way to transport them to the ocean. Besides, if Phorcys caught them, Lorna was pretty sure the sea god's power would overcome her's. And Keto would be after them too, ready to feed them to her sea monsters.
I'll be back, Lorna promised, but if the creatures in the exhibits could hear her, they gave no sign.
Over the sound system, Phorcys's voice boomed: "Come back here, filthty demigods!"
Flash pots and sparklers exploded randomly. Donut-scented smoke filled the halls. Dramatic music—five or six different tracks—blared simultaneously from the speakers. Lights popped and caught fire as all the special effects in the building were triggered at once.
Percy, Coach Hedge, Frank and Lorna stumbled out of the glass tunnel and found themselves back in the whale shark room. The mortal section of the aquarium was filled with screaming crowds—families and day camp groups running in every direction while the staff raced around frantically, trying to assure everyone it was just a faulty alarm system.
Lorna knew better.
She and her friends joined the mortals and ran for the exit.
"𝙶𝙾... 𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙳... others..." Lorna panted between her words. She collapsed on the deck as Frank ran below to find her friends.
Annabeth ran up the stairs with Frank and Hazel behind her. Lorna, Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome."
The three decendants of Poseidon were covered with nicks and scratches.
Leo, Piper, and Jason, who'd been eating in the mess hall, came rushing up the stairs.
"What? What?" Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. "Can't a guy even take a lunch break? What's wrong?"
"Followed!" Frank yelled again.
"Followed by what?" Jason asked.
"I don't know!" Frank panted. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!"
"No, not Kate. Keto." Lorna said, trying to stand up. She hunched forward and felt she insides churning. Controlling water that didn't want to be controlled took up too much of her energy. Jason ran forward and placed his arms around her waist for support.
"That makes absolutely no sense. Leo, you'd better get us out of here." Annabeth said.
Leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate style, and ran for the helm. Soon the Argo II was rising into the sky. Annabeth manned the aft crossbow.
Lorna placed her arm on Jason's head. The blonde looked at her worriedly.
"Hey." Lorna managed to say, her words slurring together.
"Let's get you downstairs, alright?" Jason let Lorna put her entire weight on him.
"No. Not alright." Lorna giggled.
"Did you guys smoke something?" Jason asked Percy and Frank.
"Smoke?" Percy put his finger to his temple, trying to show that he was comtemplating. His face lit up in revelation. "Doughnuts!"
Frank sighed. "No we didn't smoke anything-"
"Coach was being a party pooper." Lorna cut in, doing a 'thumbs-down' sign while making a fart sound.
"They probably spent all their energy trying to control the spooky water."
"The spooky water was bad." Lorna told Jason, who nodded and set her down on the couch.
𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝙳𝙴 their way to the dining hall.
"Charleston," Percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He had recovered quicker but still sounded pretty shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."
"Charleston?" Jason said the name as if it brought back bad memories. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"
Frank unzipped his backpack and starting bringing out souvenirs. "Some peach preserves. A couple of T-shirts. A snow globe. And, um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."
"How about you start from the top—of the story, not the backpack." Annabeth suggested.
Percy, Frank and Lorna took turns relating what had happened at the Georgia Aquarium, although Lorna didn't seem to make any sense and Coach Hedge was interjecting from time to time: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"
"We have to deal with this bounty on our heads." Lorna groaned. "Sure, it's cool to have someone trying to assassinate you but we can't be sure that we will be able to fight them off."
Coach Hedge had lost interest in the conversation—probably because it was no longer about him—and wandered toward the bow of the ship, practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.
Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. "A bounty on our heads...as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."
"Do we get WANTED posters?" Leo asked. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"
Hazel wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about?"
"Just curious how much I'm going for these days." Leo said.
"Probably, one," Lorna pretended to be thinking of what to say, "Yeah, probably just one."
"In millions?" Leo asked.
"One dollar." Jason said.
"You mother—"
"IN JESUS NAME I PRAY, AMEN!" Lorna cut Leo off. The dining hall burst into laughter.
The demigods laughed again when Frank stuck his fingers into his Chinese handcuffs and was unable to get out.
Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."
Frank tugged again with no luck. Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.
"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron the centaur. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."
Everybody busted out laughing. Frank turned back to human, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them in his backpack. He managed an embarrassed smile.
"Anyway," Frank said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "Charleston..."
"Yeah," Jason spoke up. "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. Hunley."
"The what?" Piper asked.
"Whoa!" Leo said. "That's the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that."
"Nerd," Lorna snickered.
"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason said. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes—until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."
"Are you saying we should check that submarine again?" Hazel asked.
Jason shrugged. "Well...I can think of two places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the Hunley—that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside."
"I'll go," Leo said.
"That sounds cool." Jason nodded. He turned to Frank. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."
Frank looked surprised. "Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium."
"You did fine," Lorna assured him. "The goldfish was really cute—I mean: It took all four of us to break that glass."
"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line."
"Okay." Frank relented. "Sure."
"The museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason, you said there were two?" Piper said.
Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, Lorna could tell it wasn't pleasant.
"Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery—it's a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there with Reyna we saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling—she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."
Everyone waited.
"What did it say?" Annabeth asked.
"Reyna wouldn't tell me," Jason admitted. "But it must have been important. She seemed...shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."
Lorna considered that. After their experience with the eidolons, she didn't like the idea of approaching a ghost, especially one that changed people with bad news or prophecies.
"A girls' adventure, then," Lorna said. "Annabeth, Piper and Hazel can come with me." The girls nodded, though Hazel looked nervous. No doubt her time in the Underworld had given her enough ghost experiences for two lifetimes.
"So that's settled." Annabeth turned to Leo, who was studying his console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"
"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight."
Piper leaned over the console. "Are you sure they're Roman?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman! I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight—"
"Which would be a very bad idea," Jason said, "and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."
"Or I've got another idea," Leo said. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—"
Hazel started to protest, but Leo raised his hand. "I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."
"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel said. "After today, four more days. Then he dies."
"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome."
Hazel scowled. "When you say should have enough..."
Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about barely enough?"
Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three. "Sounds about typical for us."
Lorna decided to take that as a green light. "Okay, Leo. What kind of decoy are we talking about?"
"I'm so glad you asked!"
"I'm regretting it already."
Leo punched a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly pressed the A button on his Wii controller really, really fast. He called into the intercom, "Buford? Report for duty, please."
Frank took a step back. "There's somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?"
A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and Leo's automatic table climbed on deck. Lorna hadn't seen much of Buford during the trip. He mostly stayed in the engine room. (Leo insisted that Buford had a secret crush on the engine.) He was a three-legged table with a mahogany top. His bronze base had several drawers, spinning gears, and a set of steam vents. Buford was toting a bag like a mail sack tied to one of his legs. He clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train whistle.
"This is Buford," Leo announced.
"You name your furniture?" Frank asked.
Leo snorted. "Man, you just wish you had furniture this cool. Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"
Buford spewed steam. He stepped to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pie slices, which elongated into wooden blades. The blades spun, and Buford took off.
"A helicopter table," Percy muttered. "Gotta admit, that's cool. What's in the bag?"
"Dirty demigod laundry," Leo said. "I hope you don't mind, Frank."
Frank choked. "What?"
"It'll throw the eagles off our scent."
"Those were my only extra pants!"
Leo shrugged. "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully he will." He rubbed his hands and grinned. "Well! I call that a good day's work. I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!"
𝙻𝙴𝙾 𝙳𝙸𝙳 not see his crew mates at dinner. He walked into the mess hall, expecting to see the hyper-active group of demigods. Instead, he was met with cake batter on ceilings, flour on the floor, pots everywhere, knives sticking out of the wall and a tint of melted ice cream left on the counter.
Leo took a step forward and immediately regretted it as he slipped on a cracked egg and fell on his butt.
With flour and egg on his pants, he scrambled to one of the bedrooms to find his friends.
And lo and behold, there they were, in Piper's room, setting mice traps everywhere.
Lorna saw the confused son of Hephaestus and quickly put a finger on her lips, signalling for him to keep quiet. Behind her, Jason and Percy were lying on the floor, Jason's right index finger was put into Percy's mouth and Percy's finger was stuck in Jason's nose.
Piper and Hazel put down mice traps, being careful not to step on any of them.
Annabeth and Frank, the two children of the Gods of war, were directing them, their faces set in concentration. Anyone who wasn't on the boat would think they were planning for war.
Leo tried to carefully step into the room but with some egg still stuck on his foot, he slipped and set of a mice trap.
As if it were dominoes, the rest of the traps followed the lead and the room was filled with snaps and cries of pain.