TWENTY THREE, the sea of monsters
❀ ✿ ❀ ✿
ASTER WASN'T SURE TANTALUS'S face could get more punchable. She was proven wrong when he spun a wildly inaccurate tale of the attack on the chariots. According to Tantalus, the Stymphalian birds had simply been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if Annabeth, Tyson, Aster, and Percy hadn't disturbed them with their bad chariot driving and loud mouths. Aster had to retrain herself from sending him back to the Underworld the hard way.
Percy had told Tantalus to go chase a doughnut, which made the spirit even more upset. The four of them got sentenced to kitchen patrol—scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies. The harpies washed with lava instead of water—to get that extra-clean sparkle and kill ninety-nine point nine percent of all germs—so Annabeth, Aster, and Percy had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.
Tyson didn't mind. He plunged his bare hands right in and started scrubbing, but the other three had to suffer through hours of hot, dangerous work, especially since there were tons of extra plates. Tantalus had ordered a special luncheon banquet to celebrate Clarisse's chariot victory—a full-course meal featuring country-fried Stymphalian death-bird. Delicious.
The only good thing about the punishment was that it gave Annabeth and Percy a common enemy to hate, which meant they were on good terms again—Aster was extremely relieved. She didn't know how much more running around and playing peacekeeper she could take. She knew it wasn't her cup of tea, but it was good to know for sure.
Kitchen duty gave them lots of time to talk. Percy told them about his dream of Grover communicating through an empathy link. He was apparently dressed in a wedding dress, due to marry Polyphemus in two weeks. Grover had also found something that could help the camp, possibly heal Thalia's tree.
"What could he have found to help the camp?" Aster asked.
Percy shrugged, but Annabeth had that I have an idea glint in her eye.
"Oh gods, it couldn't be..." she murmured, really only talking to herself. "If he's really found it, and if we could retrieve it–"
"Care to clue us in?" Aster's eyes flickered to Annabeth after dunking a cup into the lava.
Percy nodded. "You act like this... whatever-it-is Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"
"I'll give you a hint," Annabeth said, gray eyes flickering between Aster and Percy. "What do you get when you skin a ram?"
"Messy?" Percy asked stupidly.
"A fleece. The coat of a ram is called a fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool–"
"The Golden Fleece. Are you serious?"
"It all makes sense now," Aster whispered to herself, scraping a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava. "Percy, remember the Gray Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason. Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts, right?"
"Of course I do," Percy said. "That old movie with the clay skeletons."
Aster rolled her eyes. "Gods, Percy, you are so hopeless."
Percy narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"For the love of the gods, do not start fighting," Annabeth intervened. "Just listen. The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices, when they prayed to Zeus to save them. So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, actually it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."
"It was probably important to her," Percy shrugged.
Aster rolled her eyes and continued. "The point is, when Cadmus got to Colchis, he sacrificed the golden ram to the gods and hung the Fleece in a tree in the middle of the kingdom. The Fleece brought prosperity to the land. Animals stopped getting sick. Plants grew better. Farmers had bumper crops. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It's like satyr magic on crack. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution–"
It clicked for Percy then. "It could cure Thalia's tree."
Aster nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. No question."
Annabeth sighed, scrubbing a plate with a stain that looked suspiciously like boiled beak. "The only problem is, the Fleece has been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."
"But Grover found it," Percy said. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic. It makes sense, guys. We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. It's perfect!"
Annabeth hesitated. "A little too perfect, don't you think? What if it's a trap?"
Aster remembered last summer and how Kronos had manipulated their quest. He'd almost fooled them into helping him start a war that would've destroyed Western Civilization.
"What choice do we have?" Aster asked. "If we don't intervene, Grover is going to end up like every other missing searcher."
"She's right," Percy agreed. "Are you two going to help me rescue Grover or not?"
Annabeth glanced at Tyson, who'd lost interest in their conversation and was happily making toy boats out of cups and spoons in the lava.
"Percy," she said under her breath, "we'll have to fight a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of the Cyclopes."
Oh. Aster had forgotten about that part. Her eyes flickered nervously towards Tyson for a split second, who looked about as threatening as a biker with a toddler.
Annabeth continued after seeing Aster's face drop. "And there's only one place his island could be. The Sea of Monsters."
Aster swallowed hard.
"Where's that?" Percy didn't seem fazed, because he probably didn't know what it was. Typical.
Annabeth and Aster both stared at him. "The Sea of Monsters," Aster repeated.
"The same sea Odysseus sailed through," Annabeth said.
"And Jason."
"And Aeneas."
"And like every other hero ever who had a boat and an interesting life."
Percy still didn't get it. "You mean the Mediterranean?"
Annabeth leaned against the opposite counter. "No. Well, yes... but no."
"Another straight answer. Thanks."
"Look, Percy, the Sea of Monsters is the sea all heroes sail through on their adventures. It used to be in the Mediterranean, yes. But like everything else, it shifts locations as the West's center of power shifts."
"Like Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building," Aster said.
Percy nodded. "And Hades being under Los Angeles."
"Right."
"But a whole sea full of monsters—how could you hide something like that? Wouldn't the mortals notice weird things happening... like, ships getting eaten and stuff ?"
"Of course they notice," Aster scoffed. "Just... not in the right way."
"They don't understand," Annabeth explained, "but they know something is strange about that part of the ocean. The Sea of Monsters is off the east coast of the U.S. now, just northeast of Florida. The mortals even have a name for it."
"The Bermuda Triangle?"
Aster pointed at Percy like he had won a game show. "Precisely."
"Okay... so at least we know where to look."
Annabeth looked unsure. "It's still a huge area, Percy. Searching for one tiny island in monster-infested waters–"
"Hey, I'm the son of the sea god. This is my home turf. How hard can it be?"
Annabeth knit her eyebrows. "We'll have to talk to Tantalus, get approval for a quest. He'll say no."
"Not if we tell him tonight at the campfire in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear. They'll pressure him. He won't be able to refuse."
"Hopefully, or I might actually have to strangle him," Aster said.
"And I might actually have to let you."
Aster and Percy had matching grins, and Annabeth looked between them, concerned.
"We'd better get these dishes done. Hand me the lava spray gun, will you?"
– ❀ –
THAT NIGHT AT THE CAMPFIRE, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along as per usual. They tried their best to get everybody's spirits up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. All the campers sat around a semicircle of stone steps, singing halfheartedly and watching the bonfire blaze while the Apollo guys strummed their guitars and picked their lyres. It felt like life was slowly draining from the campers as it did from the camp.
They did all the standard camp numbers: "Down by the Aegean," "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa," "This Land is Minos's Land." The bonfire was enchanted, so the louder they sang, the higher it rose, changing color and heat with the mood of the crowd. On a good night, it would be at least twenty feet high, bright purple, and so hot the whole front row's marshmallows burst into the flames. Tonight, the fire was only five feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the color of lint.
Dionysus left early. After suffering through a few songs, he muttered something about how even pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting than this. Then he gave Tantalus a distasteful look and headed back toward the Big House.
Aster looked warily at Tantalus all night. The trees had given her two messages the day of the chariot races: do not trust the birds, and do not trust the spirit. They had been right about the first, but she wasn't sure about the second. Tantalus was technically a spirit, and she sure as hell didn't like him, but would he really put them in danger?
When the last song was over, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!"
He came forward with a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it off, real casual-like. But before he could touch it, the marshmallow flew off the stick. Tantalus made a wild grab, but the marshmallow committed suicide, diving into the flames. Aster had to cough into her fist to hold back from laughing.
Tantalus turned back toward the campers, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."
"Sir," Percy said. Aster's heart thumped loudly in her chest.
Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has something to say?"
Some of the Ares campers snickered, but Percy wasn't going to let anybody embarrass him into silence, Aster was sure of that. He looked at her and then Annabeth, and they stood with him.
Percy said, "We have an idea to save the camp."
Dead silence, but Aster could tell he'd gotten everybody's interest, because the campfire flared bright yellow.
"Indeed," Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots–"
"The Golden Fleece," Aster blurted. "We know where it is."
The flames burned orange. Before Tantalus could stop him, Percy told them all about his dream about Grover and Polyphemus's island. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everybody what the Fleece could do. It sounded more convincing coming from her.
"The Fleece can save the camp," she concluded. "I'm certain of it."
"Nonsense," said Tantalus. "We don't need saving."
Aster's jaw almost dropped. Maybe he really would allow them to come to harm. Everybody stared at him until Tantalus started looking uncomfortable.
"Besides," he added quickly, "the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look."
"Yes, I would," Percy said.
Annabeth leaned toward Percy and whispered, "You would?"
Percy nodded. Aster then remembered the taxi drive with the Gray sisters, and the random numbers they had blurted in order to get their eyes back. At the time, the information they had given Percy made no sense, but now...
"30, 31, 75, 12," he said.
"Ooo-kay," Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."
"They're sailing coordinates," Percy explained. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies."
Aster smirked in Tantalus's direction.
"30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west," Annabeth said. "He's right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!"
"Wait just a minute," Tantalus said.
But the campers took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!"
The flames rose higher.
"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.
"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"
"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"
"YES!"
"Very well," he agreed. "I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying."
Aster's chest warmed with excitement. Tantalus surely couldn't let them stay here while the whole camp demanded a quest. Aster could feel it; this is what they had to do. They were going to save Grover and the camp.
"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious."
Tantalus looked at Annabeth, Aster, and Percy as if he wanted to flay them alive. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defense of the camp. You shall lead this quest . . . Clarisse!"
The fire flickered a thousand different colors. Aster's jaw dropped then. The Ares cabin started stomping and cheering, "CLARISSE! CLARISSE!"
Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride. "I accept the quest!"
"Wait!" Percy shouted, and Aster's heart stopped. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."
"Sit down!" yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"
"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" another said.
Clarisse glared at Percy. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!"
The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth protested, and the other Athena campers joined in. Steve looked like he was on the brink of brawling with Axel from the Ares cabin. Everybody else started taking sides—shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. It looked like it was going to turn into a full-fledged s'more war until Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats!"
His tone stunned even Aster.
"Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story."
Aster didn't know what he was up to, but they moved reluctantly back to their seats. The evil aura radiating from Tantalus was as strong as any monster she'd ever faced. Maybe the trees were right.
"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest. Aster got the feeling he was talking about himself.
"This king," he said, "was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe—just one little doggie bag, mind you—the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children—just—like—you!"
He pointed a crooked finger at several people in the audience, including Aster and Percy.
"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"
No one dared answer. The firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus's crooked face. Aster felt the blood rushing from her face, and she leaned into Percy for support. Their gazes met, uneasy by Tantalus's words.
"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed. But he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumor has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so... are there any more complaints, before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"
Silence. It was the loudest silence Aster had ever heard.
Tantalus nodded at Clarisse. "The Oracle, my dear. Go on."
She shifted uncomfortably, like even she didn't want glory at the price of being Tantalus's pet. "Sir–"
"Go!" he snarled.
She bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House.
"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No comments from our dishwasher?"
Percy said nothing, just glared menacingly at the spirit.
"Good," Tantalus said. "And let me remind everyone—no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries... well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well."
With a wave of Tantalus's hand, the fire was extinguished, and the campers trailed off toward their cabins in the dark.
Aster gulped nervously as she rejoined her siblings on the way back to cabin four. There was no way they could sit here and do nothing. The trees had told her not to trust Tantalus, and Aster would rather do anything than follow his judgment. She had to do something, or she would go crazy.
Steve and Aster walked together at the back of the group. She could feel him studying her, but Aster didn't have the heart to look at him.
"I know that look," he said finally.
Aster turned to see Steve had a sly smirk on his face. "What?"
"That look you get whenever you decide you're not going to follow the rules."
"What? I do not have that look."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you thinking about then? Percy's dreamy eyes?"
Aster's face scrunched up in disgust as she hit her brother on the shoulder, her cheeks warming. "You're disgusting."
Steve chuckled. "I know." He suddenly got very serious. "But, hypothetically, if you wanted to do something about it, I wouldn't be mad."
Aster's eyes widened slightly, wondering how Steve knew what she was thinking. He always seemed to do that. The corner of her mouth curved up. "I haven't the faintest clue of what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't."
Later that night, Aster couldn't sleep. She didn't want to, in fear of the reoccurring voice coming back to her again. The full moon shone through the window onto her face. The sound of the surf rumbled in the distance. She could smell the warm scent of the strawberry fields, and hear the laughter of the dryads as they chased owls through the forest. But something felt wrong about the night—it was the sickness of Thalia's tree, spreading across the valley. Aster felt nauseous herself, being so connected to nature as she was.
Aster wondered if Clarisse could save Half-Blood Hill. She tried to put her faith into the daughter of Ares—she wanted to—but she just couldn't. The odds were better of Aster or Percy getting a "Best Camper" award from Tantalus.
Aster sighed to herself. She sat up quietly, pulling on a sweatshirt. She climbed out the open window next to her bed silently, careful not to disturb any of her siblings. Sneaking out past curfew was against the rules, with the punishment of being eaten by the harpies, or much worse with Tantalus in charge. But Aster usually didn't care; walks in the forest or on the beach usually calmed her nerves, and she really needed some of that right now.
As she walked past her cabin, the grass moving to cover her footsteps, Aster saw another figure walking towards the beach—out of cabin three.
Aster's eyebrows furrowed, wondering why Percy would sneak out, especially carrying something. Her first thought was that he was sneaking out of camp to go on the quest anyways, but she highly doubted he would go off without either her or Annabeth. Racking her brain for other possibilities, Aster followed Percy to the beach.
When she finally caught up to him, Percy had spread out a blanket and had a six pack of Cokes, one of which was opened. She wasn't really surprised; though they weren't allowed at camp, if you talked to the right guy in the Hermes cabin and paid him a few golden drachmas, he could smuggle in almost anything from the nearest convenience store.
"Hey," Aster said quietly, taking the empty spot on the blanket next to Percy. He nearly jumped.
"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?" Aster shrugged, and Percy relaxed. "Couldn't sleep?" She nodded. "Me too. Coke?"
"No thanks." Percy looked at her like she was crazy. "What? I don't like soda."
Percy looked like someone had backed over his puppy "What? How can you not like soda?"
Aster shrugged again. "I don't know. Usually it tastes horrible. Besides, carbonation is bad for you."
Percy took a swig of his own can. "No it's not. If anything it's the sugar."
"Wrong again, Seaweed Brain. I think you might've lost brain cells over this year."
"Shut it, Flower Power."
They sat there in silence for a while, staring up at the constellations. Aster identified the ones she knew—Sagittarius, Hercules, Corona Borealis—when somebody said, "Beautiful, aren't they?"
Percy almost choked on his soda. Aster yelped quietly, her shoulder knocking against Percy's. Standing right next to them was a guy in nylon running shorts and a New York City Marathon T-shirt. He was slim and fit, with salt-and-pepper hair and a sly smile. He looked kind of familiar, but Aster couldn't figure out why.
He must've been taking a midnight jog down the beach and strayed inside the camp borders. But that wasn't supposed to happen. Regular mortals couldn't enter the valley, even with permission. Maybe with the tree's magic weakening he'd managed to slip in. But in the middle of the night? And there was nothing around except farmland and state preserves. Where would this guy have jogged from?
"May I join you two?" he asked. "I haven't sat down in ages."
Now, Aster's first instinct was to run away from a strange guy in the middle of the night. Common sense told her that she should run, yell for help, etc. But the guy acted so calm about the whole thing that she found it hard to be afraid.
Percy said, "Uh, sure."
He smiled. "Your hospitality does you credit. Oh, and Coca-Cola! May I?"
He sat at the other end of the blanket, popped a soda and took a drink. Aster and Percy exchanged a look, and she tucked her knees into her chest. "Ah... that hits the spot. Peace and quiet at–"
A cell phone went off in his pocket.
The jogger sighed. He pulled out his phone and Percy's eyes got big, because it glowed with a bluish light. When he extended the antenna, two creatures began writhing around it—green snakes, no bigger than earthworms. It was Aster's turn to be shocked.
The jogger didn't seem to notice. He checked his LCD display and cursed. "I've got to take this. Just a sec..." Then into the phone: "Hello?"
He listened. The mini-snakes writhed up and down the antenna right next to his ear.
"Yeah," the jogger said. "Listen—I know, but... I don't care if he is chained to a rock with vultures pecking at his liver, if he doesn't have a tracking number, we can't locate his package... A gift to humankind, great... You know how many of those we deliver—Oh, never mind. Listen, just refer him to Eris in customer service. I gotta go."
He hung up. "Sorry. The overnight express business is just booming. Now, as I was saying–"
Percy pointed at the guy's hand. "You have snakes on your phone."
"What? Oh, they don't bite. Say hello, George and Martha."
Hello, George and Martha, a raspy male voice said inside Aster's head.
Don't be sarcastic, said a female voice.
Why not? George demanded. I do all the real work.
"Oh, let's not go into that again!" The jogger slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Now, where were we... Ah, yes. Peace and quiet."
Aster thought she recognized this man, and his name was on the tip of her tongue. He crossed his ankles and stared up at the stars. "Been a long time since I've gotten to relax. Ever since the telegraph—rush, rush, rush. Do you have a favorite constellation, Percy?"
Aster was so focused on trying to remember where she knew the jogger from that she didn't even notice that he knew Percy's name.
Percy said, "Uh, I like Hercules."
"Why?"
"Well... because he had rotten luck. Even worse than mine. It makes me feel better."
The jogger chuckled. "Not because he was strong and famous and all that?"
"No."
"You're an interesting young man. What about you, Aster?"
Aster felt like she just snapped out of a trance. "What?"
The jogger turned to her. "Your favorite constellation."
The man met her eyes, and she felt like she had just frozen in her spot. She knew those eyes. Even if they could be ever changing, she knew them. It was like she was seven years old again, knocking burnt cookies on the countertop, hearing this man's voice in the other room.
Nonetheless, Aster answered Hermes's question. "Canis major."
"Interesting," he hummed. "And why is that?"
"It has the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. You can see it from wherever you are on Earth. It's comforting."
Hermes nodded. "That seems reasonable. And so, what now?"
Before either Aster or Percy could answer, Martha the snake's muffled voice came from his pocket: I have Demeter on line two.
"Not now," the jogger said. "Tell her to leave a message."
She's not going to like that. The last time you put her off, all the flowers in the floral delivery division wilted. Aster snickered at the thought; it sounded exactly like her mother.
"Just tell her I'm in a meeting!" The jogger rolled his eyes. "Sorry again. You were saying..."
Percy's eyes flickered to Aster's for a split second. "Um... who are you, exactly?"
"Haven't you guessed by now, a smart boy like you?" Percy shook his head. "Your friend here did a second ago. You remember me, don't you, Aster?"
Percy looked at Aster, but she couldn't meet his eyes. Her gaze was focused on a spot in the sand where a crab was surfacing. "I met him when I was seven, while we were on the run. He's Hermes. Luke's dad." Her voice broke at the last word.
Before Percy could ask any questions, Martha spoke.
Show them! she pleaded. I haven't been full-size for months.
Don't listen to her! George said. She just wants to show off!
Hermes took out his phone again. "Original form, please."
The phone glowed a brilliant blue. It stretched into a three-foot-long wooden staff with dove wings sprouting out the top. George and Martha, now full-sized green snakes, coiled together around the middle. It was a caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Percy looked starstruck.
The god pursed his lips. He stuck his caduceus in the sand like an umbrella pole. "'Luke's father.' Normally, that's not the first way people introduce me. God of thieves, yes. God of messengers and travelers, if they wish to be kind."
God of thieves works, George said.
Oh, don't mind George. Martha flicked her tongue at them. He's just bitter because Hermes likes me best.
He does not!
Does too!
"Behave, you two," Hermes warned, "or I'll turn you back into a cell phone and set you on vibrate! Now, Percy and Aster, you still haven't answered my question. What do you intend to do about the quest?"
Aster and Percy exchanged a look.
"We don't have permission to go," Aster said.
"No, indeed. Will that stop you?"
Percy said, "I want to go. I have to save Grover."
Aster nodded in agreement.
Hermes smiled. "I knew a boy once... oh, younger than you by far. A mere baby, really."
Here we go again, George said. Always talking about himself.
Quiet! Martha snapped. Do you want to get set on vibrate?
Hermes ignored them. "One night, when this boy's mother wasn't watching, he sneaked out of their cave and stole some cattle that belonged to Apollo."
Aster almost rolled her eyes, then remembered that Hermes was a god.
"Did he get blasted to tiny pieces?" Percy asked.
"Hmm... no. Actually, everything turned out quite well. To make up for his theft, the boy gave Apollo an instrument he'd invented—a lyre. Apollo was so enchanted with the music that he forgot all about being angry."
"So what's the moral?"
"The moral?" Hermes asked. "Goodness, you act like it's a fable. It's a true story. Does truth have a moral?"
"Um..."
"How about this: stealing is not always bad?"
"I don't think my mom would like that moral."
Rats are delicious, suggested George.
What does that have to do with the story? Martha demanded.
Nothing, George said. But I'm hungry.
"I've got it," Hermes said. "Young people don't always do what they're told, but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful, sometimes they escape punishment. How's that?"
"You're saying we should go anyway," Aster said, "even without permission."
Hermes's eyes twinkled. "Martha, may I have the first package, please?"
Martha opened her mouth... and kept opening it until it was wider than Aster's arm. She belched out a stainless steel canister—an old-fashioned lunch box thermos with a black plastic top. The sides of the thermos were enameled with red and yellow Ancient Greek scenes—a hero killing a lion; a hero lifting up Cerberus, the three-headed dog.
"That's Hercules," Percy said. "But how–"
"Never question a gift," Hermes chided. "This is a collector's item from Hercules Busts Heads. The first season."
Aster raised an eyebrow. "Hercules Busts Heads?"
"Great show." Hermes sighed. "Back before Hephaestus-TV was all reality programming. Of course, the thermos would be worth much more if I had the whole lunch box–"
Or if it hadn't been in Martha's mouth, George added.
I'll get you for that. Martha began chasing him around the caduceus.
"Wait a minute," Percy said. "This is a gift?"
"One of two," Hermes said. "Go on, pick it up."
Percy almost dropped the thermos, and Aster looked at him strangely. He turned it in his hand, and Aster was just about to ask what he was thinking before he blurted, "It's a compass!"
Hermes looked surprised. "Very clever. I never thought of that. But its intended use is a bit more dramatic. Uncap it, and you will release the winds from the four corners of the earth to speed you on your way. Not now! And please, when the time comes, only unscrew the lid a tiny bit. The winds are a bit like me—always restless. Should all four escape at once... ah, but I'm sure you'll be careful. And now my second gift. George?"
She's touching me, George complained as he and Martha slithered around the pole.
"She's always touching you," Hermes said. "You're intertwined. And if you don't stop that, you'll get knotted again!"
The snakes stopped wrestling.
George unhinged his jaw and coughed up a little plastic bottle filled with chewable vitamins.
"You're kidding," Aster said, squinting her eyes at the bottle. "Are those Minotaur-shaped?"
Hermes picked up the bottle and rattled it. "The lemon ones, yes. The grape ones are Furies, I think. Or are they hydras? At any rate, these are potent. Don't take one unless you really, really need it."
"But how will I know if I really, really need it?"
"You'll know, believe me. Nine essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids... oh, everything you need to feel yourself again."
He tossed Aster the bottle.
"Um, thanks," she said. "But Lord Hermes, why are you helping us?"
He gave them a melancholy smile. "Perhaps because I hope that you can save many people on this quest. Not just your friend Grover."
Aster stared at him. "You don't mean... Luke?"
Hermes didn't answer. Aster's mood fell. If there was any chance they could save Luke, she would take it without a moment's hesitation. But she was unsure.
"Look," Percy said. "Lord Hermes, I mean, thanks and everything, but you might as well take back your gifts. Luke can't be saved. Even if we could find him... he told me he wanted to tear down Olympus stone by stone." Percy glanced nervously at Aster. "He betrayed everybody he knew. He... he hates you especially."
Hermes gazed up at the stars. "My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it. It doesn't matter if they hate you, or embarrass you, or simply don't appreciate your genius for inventing the Internet–"
"You invented the Internet?"
It was my idea, Martha said.
Rats are delicious, George said.
"It was my idea!" Hermes said. "I mean the Internet, not the rats. But that's not the point. Percy, do you understand what I'm saying about family?"
"I–I'm not sure."
"You will someday." Hermes got up and brushed the sand off his legs. "In the meantime, I must be going."
You have sixty calls to return, Martha said.
And one thousand-thirty-eight emails, George added. Not counting the offers for online discount ambrosia.
"Ah, Aster," Hermes said, and she looked back at him with wide eyes. She was gripping the vitamin bottle like her life depended on it. "You have grown since I last saw you. I hope they are right about you, and your destiny. Just know, when you return, it may be here waiting for you."
Aster furrowed her eyebrows. "My... what?"
"Your destiny, yes," Hermes repeated. "It sounds cliché, I know, I know. Just, look out for the hearth."
"The hearth? What hearth?"
Hermes gave her a charming, but sad smile. "I'm afraid that is all I can say for now."
Aster murmured under her breath, "Like I haven't heard that a million times."
Percy looked at her with concern, and Aster just shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what they were talking about either.
"And you two," Hermes said, "have a shorter deadline than you realize to complete your quest. Your friends should be coming right about... now."
Aster could hear Annabeth's voice calling their names from the sand dunes. Tyson, too, was shouting from a little bit farther away.
"I hope I packed well for you," Hermes said. "I do have some experience with travel."
He snapped his fingers and four yellow duffel bags appeared at their feet. "Waterproof, of course. If you ask nicely, your father should be able to help you reach the ship."
"Ship?"
Hermes pointed. Sure enough, a big cruise ship was cutting across Long Island Sound, its white-and-gold lights glowing against the dark water.
"Wait," Percy said, looking between Aster and Hermes. "I don't understand any of this. We haven't even agreed to go!"
"I'd make up your mind in the next five minutes, if I were you," Hermes advised. "That's when the harpies will come to eat you. Now, good night, cousin, and dare I say it? May the gods go with you." He gave Aster a meaningful look, which she didn't quite understand. "And I wish you luck, Aster, and may Olympus help you through it, if I cannot."
He opened his hand and the caduceus flew into it.
Good luck, Martha told them.
Bring me back a rat, George said.
The caduceus changed into a cell phone and Hermes slipped it into his pocket.
He jogged off down the beach. Twenty paces away, he shimmered and vanished, leaving Aster and Percy alone with a thermos, a bottle of chewable vitamins, and five minutes to make an impossible decision.