chapter thirteen; Oscars
"THE GIRL is correct!" The one who looked like the leader applauded Jinx.
Jinx sighed dramatically, "unfortunately."
The pirate lifted a hand under her chin, "we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women—either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill."
Jinx nearly spit in his eyes. She glanced over at Percy who clenched his fist and Jinx saw the gleam of anger in his expression.
The pirate swiftly turned to face the couple.
"But not you, lovely Annabeth."
Jinx gagged and Annabeth shuddered. "You are not taking me anywhere."
Jinx closed her eyes in concentration, finding the gaps in time and slowing it down. When everyone had stopped in their exact spot, Jinx started to try to get out of the rope. But it was no use.
The dolphin had secured them all pretty well. Jinx couldn't even stand without face planting the ground. She blew strands of her hair out of her face, angrily sitting back and letting time go.
The pirate continued from where he had left on, "Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that." He smiled. But it was the eerie type, a smile that didn't comfort one.
" But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture—alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed."
At that moment Piper cried out and fainted, knocking a guard down with her. Hazel fell and kicked her feet around. Jinx, who was very confused as to what was happening, scooted away from them as far as she could.
Hazel and Piper both shot her a look that told her she had to follow their lead.
"Get with the program, space girl." Piper whispered through clenched teeth.
Sighing, Jinx flung her bounded hands up and down, sliding even more down the deck, and crying out, "oh no. I am very sad, or angry... Smad." in a monotonous tone.
Percy took this distraction as an opportunity, pulling out his pen and uncapped it, and struck.
Jinx grimaced when the sword didn't hit true. The pirate warrior was too fast. Too strong and agile.
Jinx nudged Hazel, "who do you think'll win?"
The dolphin made cheering noises, or whatever was possible for a dolphin.
"Well, Percy's a good swordsman, but this person looks like a formidable opponent." Hazel pointed out.
Jinx nodded in understanding, "but then again, Percy is pretty battle smart. He'll figure it out."
Piper poked herself into the conversation, eyes slightly wide, "how are you guys having this conversation right now?"
The two girls shrugged. "It's a great question."
"That's why I asked."
"You're right, because Hazel has a point. If Percy manages to somehow outfight him, we'll have to deal with the dolphin men. But maybe they'll be disoriented by the loss of their boss."
"Nobody out pizzas the hut." Leo mumbled, his head lolled to the side.
Jinx's eyes tried to follow the battle, but she was running on less than eight hours of sleep and her glasses were MIA.
Although the dolphin men were enjoying the entertainment as much as Jinx was, one of them had enough sense to hold a knife to Annabeth's throat.
Jinx gave her a thumbs up and a smile she hoped was encouraging, "don't worry! He's doing great!"
Percy feinted going up and instead tried for a jab at the pirate's stomach. The pirate grinned, blocking the sword with such force it flew out of Percy's hand and into the ocean.
"Fuck me." Jinx muttered. She looked back to Annabeth turning her thumbs up to a thumbs down.
The golden pirate warrior pressed the tip of his sword to Percy's chest.
Jinx's heart did a little squeeze. She did not want to die today.
She was unlike any other demigod. Terrified of dying. If she didn't have to, she wouldn't jump in to save another. Just like the day she passed by Annabeth and the others when they were ambushed by the Romans.
If Percy was there only chance... The way this was going made her want to cry. Jinx knew she was no brave kid, not even strong enough to get them out of this predicament. Her anxiety, though not normally visible, made her sweat.
Not just because she was feeling hot, but because she was feeling closed in and trapped. The deck seemed smaller and the water looked like it was about to swallow them whole.
"Jinx?" Piper scooted close and that was probably the last thing she needed right now.
Hazel frowned, "are you okay?"
Jinx gulped back a strangled cry that would make her sound insane. "Yeah... Of course."
They nodded uncertainly, but left it alone.
It was ridiculous that she, a demigod, would fall victim to something as silly as an anxiety attack. She was better than that. Jinx just needed to get over the small fact that she had problems with her system, because all of her systems are nervous.
She brought her tied hands to her forehead, wiping off sweat.
"-They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess." The golden warrior said.
Jinx clapped her fingers, "yay."
He turned towards her. "Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"I am the son of Poseidon and Medusa, Chrysaor."
Jinx arched a brow, "who? I've never heard of you."
He curled his lip up, "and who exactly are you?"
"I'm Gaea's little sister." Jinx ignored the look he gave her. "Quite a shocker, really. I found out about myself a while ago. Kind of freaked me out for a moment."
"Yes, that makes sense. She told me you'd be tagging along."
"Fine!" Percy shouted, gaining the attention again. "Take us away, if our captain will let you."
Among all of the courses Percy would take, she had not thought he would have chosen the least violent one. He seems like the type one doesn't want to mess with when he's angry, fortunate for Jinx, she's never seen him angry.
"What captain?" Chrysaor questioned. "My men searched the ship. There is no one else."
That's when it hit her.
Her eyes roamed over everyone visible. Of course.
As Hazel said, Percy was battle smart. They were in great hands.
The two girls beside her gave Jinx a look. It was safe to assume they thought she was crazy with the look Jinx was giving. She was trying to think of what Percy would plan, but her brain wasn't battle smart.
Nor street smart. She was the type to struggle day by day.
Percy flared his arms out, "the god appears only when he wishes." He said. "But he is our leader. He runs our camp for demigods. Doesn't he, Annabeth?"
Jinx was about to ask which god was on the ship without her knowing, but Piper laughed nervously elbowing her in the stomach.
"Shut it, space girl."
"You know, I am really not appreciating this nickname."
"Yes!" Annabeth shouted. "Mr. D! The great Dionysus!"
Jinx forced herself to open up the door to the memory when Nico talked about the Greek's camp director. Something about the god being there for a punishment.
The dolphin men shifted uneasily, one even dropped their sword. It clattered so loudly it snapped Jinx out of her memory.
She scowled. She was very close to discovering what the plan was. But her brain didn't allow her to advance.
"Stand fast!" Chrysaor yelled. "There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you."
"You should be scared!" Percy shared looks with all of them, "Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn't you see the girls falling into the wine god's madness?"
Jinx moved uncomfortably under Percy's glare. Piper and Hazel had started their gibberish cries and irregular movements.
She sighed once again, murmuring, "where is my Oscar?" and then pleaded to the absent wine god for mercy.