TWENTY FIVE, manners, please?
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ANNABETH VOLUNTEERED TO GO alone since she had her invisibility cap, but Aster protested immediately. Percy agreed; either they all went together, or nobody went.
"Nobody!" Tyson voted. "Please?"
But in the end he came along, nervously chewing on his huge fingernails. They stopped at their cabin long enough to gather their stuff. The four of them figured that whatever happened, they would not be staying another night aboard the zombie cruise ship. Aster had a sinister feeling that something was about to go wrong (because it always did), but if it didn't, she wouldn't stay another night even if someone offered to change her heritage.
Aster made sure her daggers were secured and hidden in her belt loops, and triple checked that Percy had the vitamins and thermos from Hermes. Tyson insisted on carrying everything, and though Percy protested it, Annabeth told him not to worry about it. Tyson could carry four full duffel bags over his shoulder as easily as any of them could carry a backpack.
They sneaked through the corridors, following the ship's YOU ARE HERE signs toward the admiralty suite. Annabeth scouted ahead invisibly. They hid whenever someone passed by, but most of the people they saw were just glassy-eyed zombie passengers.
As they came up the stairs to deck thirteen, where the admiralty suite was supposed to be, Annabeth hissed, "Hide!" and shoved them into a supply closet.
Aster heard a couple of guys coming down the hall.
"You see that Aethiopian drakon in the cargo hold?" one of them said.
The other laughed. "Yeah, it's awesome."
Annabeth was still invisible, but she squeezed Aster's arm tightly. Aster recognized that voice, but she couldn't quite remember who it was.
"I hear they got two more coming," the familiar voice said. "They keep arriving at this rate, oh, man—no contest!"
The voices faded down the corridor.
"That was Chris Rodriguez!" Annabeth took off her cap and turned visible. "You remember—from cabin eleven."
Aster remembered. Chris was an undetermined camper who got stuck in the Hermes cabin because his Olympian mom or dad never claimed him. She'd seen him occasionally over the years, but she couldn't remember seeing Chris at camp this summer.
"What's another half-blood doing here?" Percy asked.
Annabeth shook her head, clearly troubled. Aster felt a sinking feeling in her stomach; whatever drew any half-blood here to Luke's ship couldn't be a good thing.
They kept going down the corridor. Aster didn't need a map to know they were getting close to Luke. She sensed something cold and unpleasant—the presence of evil.
"Guys." Annabeth stopped suddenly. "Look."
She stood in front of a glass wall looking down into the multistory canyon that ran through the middle of the ship. At the bottom was the Promenade—a mall full of shops— but that's not what had caught Annabeth's attention.
A group of monsters had assembled in front of the candy store: a dozen Laistrygonian giants like the ones who'd attacked Percy with dodgeballs, two hellhounds, and a few even stranger creatures—humanoid females with twin serpent tails instead of legs.
"Scythian Dracaenae," Annabeth whispered. "Dragon women."
The monsters made a semicircle around a young guy in Greek armor who was hacking on a straw dummy. Aster swallowed nervously. She realized the dummy was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. As they watched, the guy in armor stabbed the dummy through its belly and ripped upward. Straw flew everywhere. The monsters cheered and howled.
Annabeth stepped away from the window; her face was ashen. Aster took a deep breath as her heart pounded hard in her chest. Percy put on a brave face, but his eyes showed his uneasiness.
"Come on," he told them. "The sooner we find Luke, the better."
At the end of the hallway were double oak doors that looked like they must lead somewhere important. When they were thirty feet away, Tyson stopped. "Voices inside."
"You can hear that far?" Percy asked.
Tyson closed his eye like he was concentrating hard. Then his voice changed, becoming a husky approximation of Luke's. "–the prophecy ourselves. The fools won't know which way to turn."
Before they could react, Tyson's voice changed again, becoming deeper and gruffer, like the other guy they'd heard talking to Luke outside the cafeteria. "You really think the old horseman is gone for good?"
Tyson laughed Luke's laugh. "They can't trust him. Not with the skeletons in his closet. The poisoning of the tree was the final straw."
Aster's eyes went wide, her mouth falling open slightly. She remembered the cyclops back when she was seven years old, who had imitated her friends' voices just like Tyson just did.
Aster shivered. "Stop that, Tyson! How do you do that? It's creepy."
Tyson opened his eye and looked puzzled. "Just listening."
"Keep going," Percy said. "What else are they saying?"
Tyson closed his eye again.
He hissed in the gruff man's voice: "Quiet!" Then Luke's voice, whispering: "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Tyson said in the gruff voice. "Right outside."
Aster realized what was happening too late.
Percy just had time to say, "Run!" when the doors of the stateroom burst open and there was Luke, flanked by two hairy giants armed with javelins, their bronze tips aimed right at their chests.
"Well," Luke said with a crooked smile. "If it isn't my three favorite cousins. Come right in."
Aster's teeth grit together, some rouge sand grinding between them. The stateroom was beautiful, and it was horrible.
The beautiful part: Huge windows curved along the back wall, looking out over the stern of the ship. Green sea and blue sky stretched all the way to the horizon. A Persian rug covered the floor. Two plush sofas occupied the middle of the room, with a canopied bed in one corner and a mahogany dining table in the other. The table was loaded with food—pizza boxes, bottles of soda, and a stack of roast beef sandwiches on a silver platter.
The horrible part: On a velvet dais at the back of the room lay a ten-foot-long golden casket. A sarcophagus, engraved with Ancient Greek scenes of cities in flames and heroes dying grisly deaths. Despite the sunlight streaming through the windows, the casket made the whole room feel cold. Aster could feel her heartbeat in her throat. Even still, she glared in Luke's direction, determined not to show him fear.
"Well," Luke said, spreading his arms proudly. "A little nicer than cabin eleven, huh?"
He'd changed since last summer. Instead of Bermuda shorts and a T-shirt, he wore a button-down shirt, khaki pants, and leather loafers. His sandy hair, which used to be so unruly, was now clipped short. He looked like an evil male model, showing off what the fashionable college-age villain was wearing to Harvard this year.
He still had the scar under his eye—a jagged white line from his battle with a dragon. Aster remembered when he had returned from that quest; he hadn't been the same since. Propped against the sofa was his magical sword, Backbiter, glinting strangely with its half-steel, half-Celestial bronze blade that could kill both mortals and monsters.
"Sit," he told them. He waved his hand and four dining chairs scooted themselves into the center of the room.
None of them sat.
Luke's large friends were still pointing their javelins at them. They looked like twins, but they weren't human. They stood about eight feet tall, for one thing, and wore only blue jeans, probably because their enormous chests were already shag-carpeted with thick brown fur. They had claws for fingernails, feet like paws. Their noses were snoutlike, and their teeth were all pointed canines.
"Where are my manners?" Luke said smoothly. "These are my assistants, Agrius and Oreius. Perhaps you've heard of them."
None of them said anything. Despite the javelins pointed at her, it wasn't the bear twins who scared Aster.
Aster had maybe pictured her next encounter with Luke a thousand times, each with the same outcome: him begging for forgiveness while she showed him no mercy. But now that he was right in front of her, Aster didn't know if she had the strength to do what she wanted.
"You don't know Agrius and Oreius's story?" Luke asked. "Their mother... well, it's sad, really. Aphrodite ordered a young woman to fall in love. She refused and ran to Artemis for help. Artemis let her become one of her maiden huntresses, but Aphrodite got her revenge. She bewitched the young woman into falling in love with a bear. When Artemis found out, she abandoned the girl in disgust. Typical of the gods, wouldn't you say? They fight with one another and the poor humans get caught in the middle. The girl's twin sons here, Agrius and Oreius, have no love for Olympus. They like half-bloods well enough, though..."
"For lunch," Agrius growled. Aster recognized his gruff voice as the one talking with Luke earlier.
"Hehe! Hehe!" His brother Oreius laughed, licking his fur-lined lips. He kept laughing like he was having an asthmatic fit until Luke and Agrius both stared at him.
"Shut up, you idiot!" Agrius growled. "Go punish yourself!"
Oreius whimpered. He trudged over to the corner of the room, slumped onto a stool, and banged his forehead against the dining table, making the silver plates rattle. Aster and Percy exchanged a quick look of bewilderment.
Luke acted like this was perfectly normal behavior. He made himself comfortable on the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "Well, Percy, we let you survive another year. I hope you appreciated it. How's your mom? How's school?"
"You poisoned Thalia's tree."
Luke sighed. "Right to the point, eh? Okay, sure I poisoned the tree. So what?"
"How could you?" Annabeth sounded so angry that she might explode. "Thalia saved your life! Our lives! How could you dishonor her–"
"I didn't dishonor her!" Luke snapped. "The gods dishonored her, Annabeth! If Thalia were alive, she'd be on my side."
Aster nearly growled. "Liar! We all know that isn't true! She would curse you for losing yourself to revenge!"
Luke turned to Aster, his lip curling into an off-putting smile. "If you knew what was coming, you two would understand–"
"I understand that you want to destroy the camp!" Annabeth yelled. "You're a monster!"
Luke shook his head. "The gods have blinded you. Can't you imagine a world without them, Annabeth? What good is that ancient history you study? Three thousand years of baggage! The West is rotten to the core. It has to be destroyed. Join me! We can start the world anew. We could use your intelligence, Annabeth."
"Because you have none of your own!"
His eyes narrowed. "I know you, Annabeth. You deserve better than tagging along on some hopeless quest to save the camp." He turned. "And Aster, going on some quest on the sea? Ripped away from your senses and understanding of the world? This mysterious 'destiny' that they have in store for you—you can't have blind trust in the gods like that!"
Aster's breath hitched. How did he know about that? She said nothing and kept glaring at him.
"Exactly. Half-Blood Hill will be overrun by monsters within the month. The heroes who survive will have no choice but to join us or be hunted to extinction. You really want to be on a losing team, with company like this?" Luke pointed at Tyson.
"Hey!" Percy said.
"Traveling with a cyclops," Luke chided. "Talk about dishonoring Thalia's memory. I'm surprised at you, Annabeth and Aster. You two of all people–"
"Stop it!" Annabeth shouted, her voice breaking slightly. She buried her head in her hands like she was about to cry.
Tears pricked at Aster's own eyes. "Don't talk to her like that, you ruthless, heartless–"
"Throw all the insults you want at me," Luke said, "but it won't fix what cannot be fixed."
Aster said nothing, but simply spit on Luke's shoes. His jaw clenched, and his face contorted in anger. "You know what–"
"Leave her alone!" Percy said, keeping Luke from doing something very bad to Aster. She was trembling—from anger or fear, she didn't know. "And leave Tyson out of this."
Luke laughed, but it was void of humor. "Oh, yeah, I heard. Your father claimed him."
Percy looked surprised, and Luke smiled. "Yes, Percy, I know all about that. And about your plan to find the Fleece. What were those coordinates, again... 30, 31, 75, 12? You see, I still have friends at camp who keep me posted."
"Spies, you mean."
He shrugged. "How many insults from your father can you stand, Percy? You think he's grateful to you? You think Poseidon cares for you any more than he cares for this monster?"
Tyson clenched his fists and made a rumbling sound down in his throat.
Luke just chuckled. "The gods are using you, Percy. Do you have any idea what's in store for you if you reach your sixteenth birthday? Has Chiron even told you the prophecy?"
Aster's heart almost stopped. It hadn't occurred to her that Luke knew about the Great Prophecy. But it made sense; at the time, Luke had been just as close a confidant to Chiron as Aster and Annabeth. And now he could use the information against them.
Aster glanced over at Percy, who just looked confused. "I know what I need to know," he managed. "Like, who my enemies are."
"Then you're a fool."
Tyson smashed the nearest dining chair to splinters. "Percy is not a fool!"
Before anyone could stop him, he charged Luke. His fists came down toward Luke's head—a double overhead blow that would've knocked a hole in titanium—but the bear twins intercepted. They each caught one of Tyson's arms and stopped him cold. They pushed him back and Tyson stumbled. He fell to the carpet so hard the deck shook.
"Too bad, cyclops," Luke said. "Looks like my grizzly friends together are more than a match for your strength. Maybe I should let them–"
"Luke," Percy cut in. "Listen to me. Your father sent us."
His face turned redder than a tomato. "Don't—even—mention him."
"He told us to take this boat. I thought it was just for a ride, but he sent us here to find you. He told me he won't give up on you, no matter how angry you are."
"Angry? " Luke roared. "Give up on me? He abandoned me, Percy! I want Olympus destroyed! Every throne crushed to rubble! You tell Hermes it's going to happen, too. Each time a half-blood joins us, the Olympians grow weaker and we grow stronger. He grows stronger." Luke pointed to the gold sarcophagus.
The box creeped Aster out, but she was determined not to show it. What was so significant about the sarcophagus?
"So?" Percy demanded. "What's so special..." The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees. It wasn't about the sarcophagus, but what was in the sarcophagus—more like who was in it. "Whoa, you don't mean–"
"He is re-forming," Luke said. "Little by little, we're calling his life force out of the pit. With every recruit who pledges our cause, another small piece appears–"
"That's disgusting!" Annabeth cried.
Luke sneered at her. "Your mother was born from Zeus's split skull, Annabeth. I wouldn't talk. Soon there will be enough of the titan lord so that we can make him whole again. We will piece together a new body for him, a work worthy of the forges of Hephaestus."
"You're insane," Aster spat.
"Join us and you'll be rewarded. We have powerful friends, sponsors rich enough to buy this cruise ship and much more. Percy, your mother will never have to work again. You can buy her a mansion. You can have power, fame—whatever you want. Annabeth, you can realize your dream of being an architect. You can build a monument to last a thousand years. A temple to the lords of the next age! And Aster, you don't have to give in to this fate the gods have laid out for you. You can be safe and sound with the Titan army, and not risk the death that's in store for you."
Death? What was he talking about? Luke had effectively shaken her, and Aster just hoped it didn't show on her face.
"Go to Tartarus," Aster said.
Luke sighed. "A shame."
He picked up something that looked like a TV remote and pressed a red button. Within seconds, the door of the stateroom opened and two uniformed crew members came in, armed with nightsticks. They had the same glassy-eyed look as the other mortals on the ship, but Aster had a feeling this wouldn't make them any less dangerous in a fight.
"Ah, good, security," Luke said, "I'm afraid we have some stowaways."
"Yes, sir," they said dreamily.
Luke turned to Oreius. "It's time to feed the Aethiopian drakon. Take these fools below and show them how it's done."
Oreius grinned stupidly. "Hehe! Hehe!"
"Let me go, too," Agrius grumbled. "My brother is worthless. That cyclops–"
"Is no threat," Luke said. He glanced back at the golden casket, as if something were troubling him. "Agrius, stay here. We have important matters to discuss."
"But–"
"Oreius, don't fail me. Stay in the hold to make sure the drakon is properly fed." He paused, then turned back to them. "Oh, and leave Aster here, too."
"What? '' Aster said as the security guards separated her from her friends.
Annabeth, Percy, and Tyson fought against Oreius and the two human security guards, but it was no use. Aster's three friends were led out of the stateroom, javelins poking their ribs. Aster was held tightly by Agrius, where she struggled against the monster's grip. Fear crept up Aster's throat as she heard the door close behind her friends, but she was determined to keep it at bay. At the very least, Aster had to seem indifferent to Luke. That would piss him off the most.
"What do you want, Luke?" she spat, a plan already coming together in her head.
Luke paced to the other side of the room, moving a chess piece on the board sitting on the desk. "Have the gods actually explained what the Fates have in store for you?"
"No."
"Interesting," Luke hummed. "Aren't you the least bit curious?"
"Not at all."
"I'm surprised. Don't forget, I know you. Usually you have to be in control at all times. I would think the concept of a destiny that's out of reach would make you panic."
"I've changed."
Luke clicked his tongue. "I don't think you could change that much."
Aster was angry, but it wasn't just because Luke had isolated her or was speaking to her like they were old friends catching up. It was because he did know her. He was absolutely correct in his speculation; Aster was freaking out about this ominous destiny, and she didn't know how to communicate her fears to anyone. It made her even more angry that Luke sometimes knew her more than she knew herself—which was the last thing she wanted.
Aster scrunched her face angrily. "You don't know anything about me."
Luke cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really?" He took a step closer to her. "I know that your favorite flower is not the aster, but the daisy, which is your middle name and much simpler. I know that you could never truly resent your father, even after all he put you through. I know that you get upset when you're angry because you can't control the feeling." With each word, Luke took a step closer to Aster until he was right in her face, whispering resentfully at her. "I know that deep down, you're afraid to trust anyone because of what your father and the gods have put you through. You can't even put enough trust in yourself to protect those you love, so your immediate thought is sacrifice. I've known you for years, Aster, so don't stand there and accuse me of not caring."
Aster felt like she couldn't breathe. Her airway was empty and dry—Luke had stolen all her breath, like the sick son of Hermes he was. Luke took a step back, chuckling darkly. Aster's chest heaved in futile attempts to get oxygen flowing again.
"If you truly cared, and you truly knew me, then you wouldn't have betrayed me like you did," she declared, her voice raspy and filled with venom. "If you really knew me, then you'd know that lying and betrayal are all that takes to lose me forever."
Luke's eyes burned into her, but Aster stared into his crisp blues, unable to back down from the challenge. Luke seemed to ignore her jabs.
"I have a proposition for you. Join me, and you can learn about your prophecy, your destiny. You can be back in control. I know what they want to do with you, and all there is in store for you is pain and suffering. Do you really want to go down that road?" His eyes were filled with an emotion that Aster couldn't name. "I can stop it. I can protect you!"
When Aster didn't answer, Luke began pacing.
With his back now to her, Aster slowly moved a hand towards her belt loops. "I'd rather die than take up the ranks with you. And to think Hermes thought you weren't too far gone. The gods aren't great, but you are even worse."
Luke spun around, his face contorted with anger. "Now you take that back–"
But it was too late. Aster had just taken one of her daggers and stabbed Agrius in the stomach. The monster cried out in pain, and Aster ran for the exit, Luke shortly behind her. She shoved Agrius in his path so he couldn't follow her as easily, bellowing and running around in pain. Agrius fell on top of Luke, squishing him to the ground. Aster tore through the hallway, just as an alarm went off. Red lights flashed. Sirens wailed.
Aster met up with Annabeth, Percy, and Tyson in the hallway.
"Aster!" Annabeth cried, grabbing her arm. "Are you okay?"
Before she could answer, Percy cut in. "No time! Lifeboat!"
They ran for the nearest one.
By the time they got the cover off, monsters and more security men were swarming the deck, pushing aside tourists and waiters with trays of tropical drinks. A guy in Greek armor drew his sword and charged, but slipped in a puddle of piña colada. Laistrygonian archers assembled on the deck above them, notching arrows in their enormous bows.
"How do you launch this thing?" Annabeth screamed.
A hellhound leaped at Percy, but Tyson slammed it aside with a fire extinguisher.
"Get in!" Percy yelled.
He uncapped Riptide and slashed the first volley of arrows out of the air. In a few moments, they would be overwhelmed. Aster armed herself with four throwing knives, starting to take out some of the Laistrygonian archers.
The lifeboat was hanging over the side of the ship, high above the water. Annabeth and Tyson were having no luck with the release pulley, and there were too many archers for Aster to take out by herself.
Percy jumped in beside them.
"Hold on!" he yelled, and he cut the ropes.
A shower of arrows whistled over their heads as they free-fell toward the ocean.