❛006❜
THE WAY TANTALU saw it, the stymphalian birds had simply been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if annabeth, tyson percy and ivy hadn't disturbed them with our bad chariot driving.
this was so completely unfair, percy told tantalus to go chase a doughnut, which didn't help his mood. he sentenced them 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 the three demigods had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.
tyson didn't mind. he plunged his bare hands right in and started scrubbing, but ivy, percy, and annabeth 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.
the only good thing about their punishment was that it gave them lots of time to talk. after listening to percy's dream about grover again, ivy went from semi believing to full-on believing him.
"if he's really found it," annabeth murmured, "and if we could retrieve it... "
ivy nodded. "camp could a chance to be saved–"
"hold on," percy said. "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," said the daughter of athena. "what do you get when you skin a ram?"
percy tilted his head like a puppy in thought. "messy?"
ivy face palmed.
"a fleece," annabeth said. "the coat of a ram is called a fleece. and if that ram happens to have golden wool –"
"the golden fleece," percy realized. "are you fucking with me?"
the daughter of aphrodite scraped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "the grey sisters... they knew something about a location you seek. they also mentioned jason, they were the ones that told him how to find the golden fleece three thousand years ago. remember the story of jason and the argonauts?"
"yeah," he said. "that old movie with the clay skeletons."
ivy looked at the sky in prayer. "this motherfucker –"
"what?" percy demanded.
"just listen," annabeth rolled her eyes. "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 added.
ivy laughed but stopped at annabeth's glare.
"the point is," her best friend continued. "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 cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution –"
the brunette pointed at annabeth with a cleaned fork. "and cure thalia's tree."
annabeth nodded. "and it would totally strengthen the borders of camp half-blood. but, 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, we can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. it's perfect!"
ivy and annabeth exchanged hesitant looks. the daughter of athena said, "a little too perfect, don't you think? what if it's a trap?"
she remembered last summer, 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?" percy asked the girls. "are you going to help me rescue grover or not?"
ivy glanced at tyson, who'd lost interest in our conversation and was happily making toy boats out of cups and spoons in the lava.
taking a shaky intake of breath, the brunette said "we– we'll have to fight a cyclops. polyphemus, the worst of the cyclopes. and there's only one place his island could be. the Sea of Monsters."
"where's that?"
was he playing dumb? ivy wondered.
"the sea of monsters," annabeth said. "the same sea odysseus sailed through, and jason, and aeneas and all the others."
"you mean the mediterranean?"
"no," ivy answered. "actually, yes... but still no."
percy rolled his eyes. "another straight answer. thanks."
the daughter of aphrodite glanced at annabeth, who didn't look eager to answer percy's questions.
sighing, ivy said, "the sea of monsters used to be the mediterranean. but it shifted location as the west's centre of power shifts, like everything else."
"like mount olympus being above the empire state building," percy said. "and hades being under los angeles."
"right," annabeth added.
"but a whole sea full of monsters –" he shook his head. "how could you hide something like that? wouldn't the mortals notice weird things happening ... like, ships getting eaten and stuff?"
"oh, they notice." ivy pushed more bones in the lava. "they know something is strange but they don't understand what's happening in that part of the ocean. it's just off the east coast of the u.s, about north-east of florida."
"the bermuda triangle?"
ivy pointed her index fingers up. "ding, ding, ding!"
percy blinked slowly, drinking in the information. he has definitely heard weirder since coming to camp half-blood. "okay... so at least we know where to look."
"it's still a huge area, percy." annabeth said. "searching for one tiny island in monster-infested waters –"
"hey, i'm the son of the sea god." he smirked a little smugly, puffing out his chest. "this is my home turf. how hard can it be?"
ivy raised a single eyebrow at his behavior but didn't rain on his ego-fueled parade.
annabeth knitted 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," percy reason. "the whole camp will hear. they'll pressure him. he won't be able to refuse."
"maybe..." ivy said. she wanted to save camp, but going against a cyclops....
"we'd better get these dishes done," annabeth ordered. "do something useful and hand me the lava spray gun, percy."
that night at the campfire, apollo's cabin led the sing-along. they tried to get everybody's spirits up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. they all sat around a semicircle of stone steps, singing half-heartedly and watching the bonfire blaze while the apollo guys strummed their guitars and picked their lyres.
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 you sang, the higher it rose, changing color and heat with the mood of the crowd. on a good night, it'd be six meters high, bright purple, and so hot the whole front row's marshmallows burst into flames. tonight, the fire was only a meter 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 towards the big house.
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.
tantalus turned back towards them, smiling coldly. "now then! some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."
"sir," percy said.
tantalus's eye twitched. "our kitchen boy has something to say?"
some of the ares campers snickered, but percy looked entirely determined. he stood and looked at ivy, then at annabeth. his expression asked a single question, are you with me?
ivy stood without hesitation. annabeth followed her.
percy cleared his throat "we have an idea to save the camp."
dead silence, but ivy could tell percy captured everyone's attention, because the campfire flared bright yellow.
"indeed," tantalus said blandly. "well, if it has anything to do with chariots –"
"the golden fleece," the son of poseidon said. "we know where it is."
the flames burned orange. before tantalus could stop him, percy blurted out his dream about grover and polyphemus's island. annabeth stepped in and reminded everybody what the fleece could do, with ivy added overlooked details.
"the fleece can save the camp," the daughter of athena concluded. "i'm certain of it."
"nonsense," said tantalus. "we don't need saving."
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.
ivy leaned towards him and whispered, "you would?"
he nodded and said, "thirty, thirty-one, seventy-five, twelve,"
"ooo-kay," tantalus said. "thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."
"they're sailing coordinates," percy said. "latitude and longitude. i, uh, learned about it in social studies."
subtly, he shifted his gaze to ivy, looking for her reaction. she smiled, a little proudly, this was one of those moments where his intelligence really shone.
"thirty degrees, thirty-one minutes north, seventy-five degrees, twelve minutes west." annabeth's brain looked to be working a hundred times an hour.
"that's right!" ivy exclaimed. "the grey 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."
her heart filled with excitement. tantalus didn't scare ivy. this was what they needed to do. they were going to save grover and the camp. nothing would stop her.
"i will allow our champion to consult the oracle!" tantalus announced. "and choose two companions for the journey. and i think the choice of champions is obvious."
tantalus looked at annabeth, percy and ivy 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 defence of the camp. you shall lead this quest... clarisse!"
the fire flickered a thousand different colors. 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. "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. ivy shouted profanities to the ares cabin, her siblings backing her. everybody else started taking sides – shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. she thought it was going to turn into a fully fledged s'more war until tantalus shouted, "silence, you brats!"
his tone stunned even her.
"sit down!" he ordered. "and a will tell you a ghost story."
ivy didn't know what he was up to, but the campers all moved reluctantly back to their seats. the evil aura radiating from tantalus was as strong as any monster she'd ever faced.
"once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the gods!" tantalus put his hand on his chest, and ivy couldn't believe he was going to talk 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 doggy 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 her.
"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, even if they did know the answer. the firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus's crooked face.
"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.
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 towards the big house.
"what about you, percy jackson?" tantalus asked. "no comments from our dishwasher?"
he didn't say anything. but his jaw was clenched so tightly ivy figured percy was keeping his mouth shut to not give tantalus the satisfaction.
"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 towards their cabins in the dark.
percy laid on his back and tried to close his eyes. but he just couldn't. he was afraid he might have another dream about grover. if the empathy link was real... if something happened to grover... would he ever wake up?
the full moon shone through his window. the sound of the surf rumbled in the distance. he 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 – the sickness of thalia's tree, spreading across the valley.
could clarisse save half-blood hill? he didn't want to be pessimistic, but him getting a "best camper" award from tantalus seemed more realistic.
he got out of bed and pulled on some clothes. a navy blue sweatshirt with thin red stripes, it was his favorite. mostly because he got it from ivy on his fourteen birthday, but he'll never admit that. percy grabbed a beach blanket and a six-pack of coke from under his bunk. the cokes were against the rules. no outside snacks or drinks were allowed, but if you talked to the right guy in hermes's cabin and paid him a few golden drachmas, he could smuggle in almost anything from the nearest convenience store.
sneaking out after curfew was against the rules, too. if he got caught he'd either get in big trouble or be eaten by the harpies. but percy wanted to see the ocean. he always felt better there. his thoughts were clearer.
as he was leaving his cabin, the thought of drinking coke alone seemed... lonely. percy wasn't sure what made him do it, well, he kinda was but at the same time he wasn't sure where he got the confidence to do so. but at the last second he found himself walking towards the aphrodite cabin, wondering if ivy was willing to share a coke with him.
the son of poseidon looked through the window he knew was closest to ivy's bed. the entirety of cabin ten was snoring away, he was pretty sure he saw tobias twitch in his sleep, but there was one exception to the rest of the bunch.
ivy sat on her bed with a guitar on her lap, pulling the strings so softly the sound was only for her to hear. her chocolate brown hair was display over her right shoulder, the oversized shirt she was wearing hung off her small frame, her left shoulder full on display. she wore a small smile, no doubt playing a song for only her ears.
percy inhaled sharply, stunned at how beautiful she looked. he swallowed and tried to not look at her exposed shoulder. he knocked softly on the window. ivy snapped her intense blue eyes towards the window, relaxing when she saw it was just him.
she seemed bewildered at his presence, but walked to the widow anyway. opening the window, ivy leaned on the frame and whispered, "what are you doing here?"
he shrugged, percy himself wasn't sure how to answer the question. how to explain that he wanted to spend time with her. he extended his arms, showing the blankets and the coke.
"wanna come with?"
ivy looked over her shoulder. percy kept his eyes firmly on his side profile. don't peek, he told himself. mom taught you better.
she looked back at him with a blinding smile. he remembered the first time he'd seen it, everytime she smiled he felt the same. breathless.
"let me grab the pack of kit-kats i was saving," ivy said, turning away to look for her chocolate.
percy couldn't help but chuckle as he waited in the dark. he had noticed how her choice of candy always had to do with chocolate. always. blue candy for him, chocolate for ivy.
the brunette jumped off the cabin window not even a minute after. she was still in her pajamas, silk shorts, the now fixed oversized shirt and... bunny slippers. he didn't stop the laugh that bubbled at his throat.
"what?" ivy asked, looking over herself with an adorable frown.
he shook his head, trying to stop laughing, but failed miserably. percy pointed at her feet and between laughs he wheezed, "bu – bunny sl – sli –slippers."
"they're cute!" she stomped her bunny slippers on the ground. now he noticed how her hands were occupied with a book and a family sized pack of chocolates. "you know what? i'm not going anywhere with someone who doesn't appreciate my slippers."
"okay, okay, fine," percy whipped the tears of laughter off of his face. "we're going to the beach, not a book club." he looked with a bit of disgust at the book. school was out, so he didn't want to even be a walking distance of his worst enemy.
ivy rolled her eyes. "it's not a school book, dummy." she held up the book, percy recognized it immediately. it was harry potter and chamber of secrets but in greek. he grinned, after they got back from their quest last summer ivy had helped him read the first harry potter book. they hadn't been able to get through more.
"i still don't know what house i would be in," percy said. they were at the edge of the beach now. "maybe in hufflepuff, they're lame."
she huffed, lightly pushing his shoulders with hers. "give yourself some credit, percy. you're brave, so there's gryffindor. cunning, that's slytherin. for ravenclaw... well, i don't think that's an option. sorry. and – see, hufflepuff, you're loyal."
percy felt his insides grow warm. he wasn't used to getting compliments. it felt... nice to know someone saw all those good things on him. or it was nice because ivy saw him that way.
he didn't say anything about her compliment, but walked a little down the beach. "come on, this spot is good."
they spread the blanket near the surf, popping a coke for themselves. beside him, the brunette opened the book on the first page and laid down on her back. he stayed seated, leaning back on his arm.
"chapter one," she said. "the worst birthday. not for the first time..."
after three chapters and two cokes each later, and ivy had fallen asleep on the blanket. percy gently took the book that remained in her limp hand. on impulse, he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. blushing at his own actions he retracted his hands as quickly as he could.
a part of him knew he had to wake her up, the harpies would come for them sooner or later. but she looked too peaceful for him to wake up. her pink lips parted slightly, dark eyelashes rested on her cheeks, and for once her eyebrows weren't conveying her emotions.
percy hadn't realized he was staring until somebody said, "beautiful, isn't it?"
he jumped out of his skin.
his brain was already coming up with an excuse to why he wasn't staring at ivy. but standing next to him 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 percy couldn't figure out why. a part of him was glad it wasn't one of his camp friends, he didn't have to excuse his staring then.
the guy must've been taking a midnight jog down the beach and strayed inside the camp borders. that wasn't supposed to happen. regular mortals couldn't enter the valley. but 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?" he asked. "i haven't sat down in ages."
now, he knows – a strange guy in the middle of the night. common sense: he was supposed to take ivy, run away, yell for help, etc. but the guy acted so calm about the whole thing that he found it hard to be afraid.
percy scooted closer to ivy, in case of this guy really being a thread. "uh, sure."
he smiled. "your hospitality does you credit. oh, and coca-cola! may i?"
he sat at the other end of the blanket, opposite to ivy and himself, popped a soda and took a drink. "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 widened, because it glowed with a bluish light. when he extended the antenna, two creatures began writhing around it – green snakes, no bigger than earthworms.
the jogger didn't seem to notice. he checked his lcd screen 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 –"
"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 his head.
percy was thankful only he could hear them. and that ivy was asleep. the jogger would've already been hit over the head if she saw he had snakes.
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."
he crossed his ankles and stared up at the stars. "been a long time since i've got to relax. ever since the telegraph – rush, rush, rush. do you have a favorite constellation, percy?"
he glanced at a sleeping ivy, still kind of wondering about the little green snakes he'd shoved into his jogging shorts, but percy said, "uh, i like heracles."
"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. and so, what now?"
percy knew immediately what he was asking. what did he intend to do about the fleece?
before he could answer, martha the snake's muffled voice came from the jogger's 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.
"just tell her i'm in a meeting!" the jogger rolled his eyes. "sorry again, percy. you were saying..."
"um... who are you, exactly?"
"haven't you guessed by now, a smart boy like you?"
show him! martha pleaded. i haven't been full-size for months.
don't listen to her! george said. she just wants to show off!
the man took out his phone again. "original form, please."
the phone glowed a brilliant blue. it stretched into a meter-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.
his throat tightened. percy realized who the jogger reminded me of with his elfish features, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes... without realizing, he looked for ivy's hand, taking it gently to avoid waking her up.
"you're luke's father," he said. "hermes."
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 percy. 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, you still haven't answered my question. what do you intend to do about the quest?"
"i – i don't have permission to go."
"no, indeed. will that stop you?"
"i want to go. i have to save grover."
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."
"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 i should go anyway," he 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 as wide as his arm. she belched out a stainless steel canister – an old-fashioned lunch box flask with a black plastic top. the sides of the flask were enamelled with red and yellow ancient greek scenes – a hero killing a lion; a hero lifting up cerberus, the three-headed dog.
"that's heracles," the son of poseidon said. "but how –"
"never question a gift," hermes chided. "this is a collector's item from heracles busts heads. the first season."
"heracles busts heads?"
"great show." hermes sighed. "back before hephaestus-tv was all reality programming and teenage drama series. the achilles and patroclus retelling is a favorite, by the way, you and ivy fitzgerald look great on tv. but of course, the flask 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. "what do you mean i'm on tv? and is this a gift?"
"one of two gifts," hermes completely ignored his first question. "go on, pick it up."
percy almost dropped it because it was freezing cold on one side and burning hot on the other. the weird thing was, when he turned the flask, the side facing the ocean – north – was always the cold side...
"it's a compass!" he said.
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," percy said. "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."
"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 percy the bottle.
"um, thanks," he said. "but lord hermes, why are you helping me?"
hermes gave him a melancholy smile. "perhaps because i hope that you can save many people on this quest, percy. not just your friend grover."
percy stared at him. "you don't mean... luke?"
hermes didn't answer.
"look," he said. "lord hermes, i mean, thanks and everything, but you might as well take back your gifts. luke can't be saved. even if i could find him... he told me he wanted to tear down olympus stone by stone. 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 aeons, 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 some day." 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 and thirty-eight emails, george added. not counting the offers for online discount ambrosia.
"and you, percy," hermes said, "have a shorter deadline than you realize to complete your quest. you should wake ivy up, and your friends should be coming right about... now."
he heard annabeth's voice calling my name from the sand dunes. tyson, too, was shouting from a little bit further away. ivy remained sleep, but he noticed how he had been holding onto her hand this entire time.
"i hope i packed well for you," hermes said. "i do have some experience with travel."
he snapped his fingers and three yellow duffel bags appeared at his 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. "i don't understand any of this. i 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, goodnight, cousin, and dare i say it? may the gods go with you. mostly because apollo doesn't like you much."
he opened his hand and the caduceus flew into it.
good luck, martha told me.
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 percy alone with a flask, a bottle of chewable vitamins, a peaceful looking ivy and five minutes to make an impossible decision.
a speaks!
percy: has a whole ass convo w hermes. ivy: 😴😴😴
thoughts???