Thalassophobia: Fear of the Ocean
Aurelia hated the ocean.
From the surface waves, to the smell of seaweed, to the dolphins that swam in the deep, Aurelia truly hated the ocean. She hated dolphins too, but she hated the ocean even more.
The ocean was unfamiliar terrain. It's deep, dark and cold, you can't see and have no idea what lurks below the surface. Aurelia knew how to swim but against the huge waves her current mediocre skills would be easily overpowered and she would be submerged.
Especially with the very disappointing Roman navy at their disposal. When Percy said that all they needed was a boat, Aurelia didn't react. She wasn't going to object to him, not after she asked him. Besides, he is a son of Neptune. He will be able to control the water, and hopefully that will be enough to keep them from drowning. Hopefully.
Reyna had made a brief speech wishing them luck. Octavian had ripped open a Beanie Baby and pronounced grave omens and hard times ahead, but predicted the camp would be saved by an unexpected hero (whose initials were probably Octavian). The other campers went off to their afternoons—gladiator fighting, Latin lessons, paintball with ghosts, eagle training and dozen other activities that sounded better than the suicide quest Aurelia was about to adventure on.
They went back to the barracks to pack, and Aurelia packed beside Hazel. She had a single pack, which she filled with an extra change of clothes, and a white bomber jacket she would need when they went to Alaska. She packed some nectar, ambrosia, snacks, some mortal money, and camping supplies. Reyna had given her a scroll of introduction from the praetor and senate which would give any retired legionnaires they met incentive to help them.
Aurelia put on a white long sleeve shirt underneath her dress to keep her arms warm. She placed a mirror in one pocket of her dress and a white beanie in her other one.
One of the other Fifth Cohort members, Bobby, gave them a ride to the border of the valley on Hannibal the elephant. From the hilltops, Aurelia could see everything. The Little Tiber snaked across the golden pastures where the unicorns were grazing. The temples and forums of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. On the Field of Mars, engineers were hard at work pulling down the remains of last night's fort and setting up barricades for a game of deathball A normal day for Camp Jupiter.
This was Aurelia's home. It was a safe haven where she had eventually planned to build her life. Back in San Juan, in Puerto Rico, Aurelia could never imagine her future any farther than a few days. Camp Jupiter was her home, the place she wanted to protect. Aurelia had lost so many homes already, and she wouldn't be able to lose another—especially not one that meant so much to her.
They got off the elephant. Bobby wished them a safe journey. Hannibal wrapped the four questers with his trunk. Then the elephant taxi service headed back into the valley.
They stood in silence and Aurelia could feel the weight of doom that settled on their shoulders. The entirety of the camp's future was resting on their shoulders, as was their lives.
"ID's, please," a familiar voice said. Aurelia turned and couldn't stop her sigh of annoyance. A statue of Terminus appeared at the summit of the hill. The god's marble face frowned irritably. "Well? Come along."
"You again?" Percy said as they made their way over to him "I thought you just guarded the city."
Terminus huffed. "Glad to see you too, Mr. Rule Flouter. Normally, yes, I guard the city, but for international departures, I like to provide extra security at the camp borders. You really should've allowed two hours before you planned departure time, you know. But we'll have to make do. Now come over here so I can pat you down."
"But you don't have any—" Percy stopped himself. "Uh, sure."
He stood next to the armless statue. Terminus conducted a rigorous metal pat down. "You seem to be clean," Terminus decided. "Do you have anything to declare?"
"Yes," Percy said. "I declare this stupid."
"Hmph! Probatio tablet: Percy Jackson, Fifth Cohort, son of Neptune. Fine, go. Aurelia Ramirez, Fifth Cohort, Truthsayer. Your necklace goes well with your earrings, I'm just realizing. You may go."
Aurelia's hand went to her earrings. Her gold hoops were Jason's last gift to her before he disappeared. She never took them off.
"Hazel Levesque," Terminus continued, "daughter of Pluto. Fine. Any foreign currency or, ahem, precious metals to declare?"
"No," Hazel muttered.
"Are you sure?" Terminus asked. "Because last time—"
"No!"
"Well, this is a grumpy bunch," said the god. "Quest travelers! Always in a rush. Now, let's see. Frank Zhang. Ah! Centurion? Well done, Frank. And that haircut is regulation perfect. I approve! Off you go then, Centurion Zhang. Do you need any direction today?"
"No. No, I guess not."
"Just go down to the BART station," Terminus instructed anyway. "Change trains at Twelfth Street in Oakland. You want Fruitvale Station. From there, you can walk or take the bus to Alameda."
"You guys don't have any magical BART trains or something?" Percy joked.
"Magic trains!" Terminus scoffed. "You'll be wanting your own security lane and a pass to the executive lounge next. Just travel safely, and watch out for Polybotes. Talk about scofflaws—bah! I wish I could throttle him with my bare hands."
You don't have any hands! Aurelia mentally groaned.
"Wait—who?" Percy asked.
Terminus made a straining expression, like he was flexing his nonexistent biceps. "Ah, well. Just be careful of him. I imagine he can smell a son of Neptune a smile away. Out you go now. Good luck!"
An invisible force kicked them across the boundary. When Aurelia looked back, Terminus was gone. In fact, the entire valley was gone.
Bye, Camp Jupiter, Aurelia thought to herself. Hope to see you again soon.
Percy looked at his friends. "Any idea what Terminus was talking about? Watch out for ... Political something or other?"
"Poh-LIB-uh-tease?" Hazel sounded out the name carefully "Never heard of him."
"Sounds Greek," Frank commented.
Sounds like a giant, Aurelia thought.
"That narrows it down," Percy sighed. "Well, we probably just appeared on the smell radar of every monster within five miles. We'd better get moving."
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
It took them two hours to reach the dock in Alameda. Frank stored his spear, bow, and quiver in a long bag made for skis. Hazel's cavalry sword was wrapped in a bedroll slung on her back. Percy, like Aurelia, had his own respective backpack. The four of them looked like normal high school students on their way to an overnight trip. No monsters attacked them.
They walked to Rockridge Station, bought their tickets with mortal money, and hopped on the BART train. Aurelia had sat next to Percy the entire time. She had handed her mirror to Percy and he held it up for her so she could put on her beanie without messing up her hair.
"I definitely think that the outcome of the quest is going to be decided by how good your hair looks under your beanie," Percy had commented.
Aurelia flashed her eyes up to him before fluffing her hair a little more. "Lose the judgment, Perseus. You cannot say I do not look good."
"A little vain."
"I was blessed by Venus. Sorry that wanting to look good makes me vain."
Percy grinned at her. "You look great."
"I know."
They got off in Oakland. They had to walk through some rough neighborhoods, but nobody bothered them. Whenever the local gang members came close Aurelia merely gave them a stare and they quickly veered away. Percy wanted to find it comical that one look from this five foot four inch latina girl who was wearing a purple dress and a white beanie sent them basically running, but he knew that if he was a random person on the street and he caught Aurelia's eyes, he would run away to. Not only were her eyes just simply terrifying, but she literally caused them to fear her—she would touch her necklace every time someone came too close.
In the late afternoon they made it to the Alameda docks. Aurelia looked over San Francisco Bay and breathed in the salty sea air. She coughed. It was the opposite of Percy, whose emotions seemed very comfortable and confident.
Dozens of boats were moored at the docks—everything from fifty-foot yachts to ten-foot fishing boats.
"Um ... you guys know what we're looking for?" Percy asked.
Hazel and Frank shook their heads.
"I didn't even know we had a navy." Hazel sounded as if she wished there wasn't one.
"I think I see it," Aurelia murmured. She pointed towards the end of the dock. A tiny boat, like a dinghy, covered in a purple tarp sat there. Embroidered in faded gold letters along the canvas was SPQR.
Aurelia felt Percy's confidence waver. "No way."
He uncovered the boat, his hand working the knots like he'd been doing this his whole life. Under the tarp was an old steel rowboat with no oars. The boat had been painted dark blue at one point, but the whole was so crusted with tar and salt it looked like one massive nautical bruise. On the bow, the name Pax was still readable, lettered in gold. Painted eyes drooped sadly at the water level, as if the boat were to fall asleep. On board were two benches, some steel wool, an old cooler, and a mound of frayed rope with one end tied to the mooring. At the bottom of the boat, a plastic bag and two empty Coke cans floated in several inches of scummy water.
"Behold," Frank said. "The mighty Roman navy."
"There's got to be a mistake," Hazel said. "This is a piece of junk."
Aurelia kind of wanted to laugh. "I knew it was bad, but I thought that it would at least have oars." She looked at Percy. "How exactly are we supposed to do anything with this?"
Percy was thoughtful. He jumped aboard, and the hull hummed under his feet, responding to his presence. He gathered up the garbage in the cooler and put it on the dock. He willed the scummy water to flow over the sides and out of the boat. Then he pointed at the steel wool and it flew across the floor, scrubbing and polishing so fast, the steel started to smoke. When it was done, the boat was clean. Percy pointed at the rope, and it untied itself from the dock.
Aurelia felt Hazel and Frank's shock, and she shared it.
"This'll do," Percy decided. "Hop in."
Frank and Hazel got in, sharing one bench. Percy held out his hand for Aurelia to get in and she sat on the other bench, closer to Percy. The boat rocked slightly when she added her weight to the tiny boat and she had a hard time keeping her expression under control. Gods, did she hate the ocean.
She wasn't the only one, because Hazel had paled slightly and was radiating fear as well.
"Get off my ship," Percy growled, quietly.
"Excuse me?" Aurelia murmured, confused. A slight anger had risen from Percy.
"Uh, what?" Frank asked.
Percy waited a second and his emotions went back to normal. "Nothing. Let's see what this rowboat can do." He turned the boat north, and in no time they were speeding along at fifteen knots, heading for the Golden Gate Bridge.
Aurelia was still confused at Percy's small burst of anger but she settled back into her bench trying to ignore the nauseous feeling Hazel was emitting. Looks like there was someone else on this ship that hated the ocean more than she did.
Aurelia stared at the ocean, trying to ignore the smell of the water. They passed the piers along the San Francisco Embarcadero. They sped past a pack of sea lions lounging on the docks, and Aurelia could have sworn she saw an old homeless guy sitting among them. From across the water the old man pointed a bony finger at Percy and mouthed something like Don't even think about it.
"Did you see that?" Hazel asked, for she had noticed as well.
Percy's face was red from the sunset. "Yeah. I've been here before. I ... I don't know. I think I was looking for my girlfriend."
"Annabeth," Frank guessed. "You mean, on your way to Camp Jupiter?"
Percy frowned. "No. Before that." He scanned the city like he was still looking for Annabeth until they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge and turned north. Aurelia couldn't properly read Percy's emotions, like he couldn't even tell what he was feeling as well. She wondered if he remembered anything, or if all of this was just deja vu to him. Inklings. Feelings.
Percy met her eyes for a quick second and neither of them knew what to say. Percy wanted to tell Aurelia, but he didn't know what to tell her. Why did Percy want to tell her? Because Aurelia understood his fear, his feelings. That was a bond that they had—a bond she shared with everyone in this boat.
"You okay?" Frank asked Hazel, and Aurelia's concentration on trying to read Percy's emotion dropped as she focused on Frank's confusion and Hazel's worry. "You look queasy."
"Seasickness," Hazel confessed. "I didn't think it would be this bad."
Frank pouted like it was somehow his fault. He started digging in his pack. "I've got some nectar. And some crackers. Um, my grandmother says ginger helps ... I don't have any of that, but—"
"It's okay." Hazel mustered a smile. "That's sweet of you."
Frank pulled out a saltine. It snapped in his big fingers. Cracker exploded everywhere.
Hazel laughed. "Gods, Frank ... Sorry. I shouldn't laugh."
"Uh, no problem," he said, sheepishly. "Guess you don't want that one."
Aurelia brushed some of the cracker crumbs that reached her off her dress. Reading emotions has always been easy for her. Easily identifiable. Fear, anger, sadness, surprise, disgust, happiness, love. Reading emotions was second nature for her.
But this was just painful. It was physically painful for her to watch Frank and Hazel tiptoe around each other as friends, when they both admired and cared about each other too much to consider each other "just friends." Reyna used to say the same thing about her and Jason.
Aurelia looked at Percy. He wasn't an empath, but surely he wasn't as blind as they were.
But Percy wasn't paying much attention. He kept his eyes fixed on the shoreline. As they passed Stinson Beach, he pointed inland, where a single mountain rose above the green hills.
"That looks familiar," he said.
"Mount Tam," Frank said. "Kids at camp always talk about it. Big battle happened on the summit, at the old Titan base."
Percy frowned. "Were any of you there?"
"Aurelia was," Hazel nodded at the latina girl, who's blank expression was unreadable.
Aurelia stared at the mountain on the shore line and memories of the battle came back to her in waves. She had managed to collect all the fear from those memories into Ferrum Temoris, but the memories were still painful. So much fear. So much power. So much loss.
"El?" Percy nudged her arm.
Aurelia blinked, finally looking away from the mountain. She met each of their eyes with a blank stare. "Depends if you want my version. Or the easier version."
"Is there a difference?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, there is," Hazel murmured. She had heard both versions before. Aurelia's version and the simple version Jason told her.
"It was kind of boring when Jason told me," Hazel had said to Aurelia when they were practicing their Latin together.
Aurelia had just chuckled. "Well, then let me tell you how it really went, from the perspective of someone who could feel everyone's emotions."
Aurelia was playing with her necklace. "The battle at Mount Tam was a day of fear. And loss. When people talk about it, all they can mention is the triumph. All they remember is that they survived, that their friends survived—that we won. And we did win. Jason led the assault on Mount Othrys where we fought through an army of Scythian Dracanae. And that victory was beautiful. But people forget the terror that they felt leading up to it. They forget the fact that many of them wanted to run. They forget the fact that some demigods did run—they ran straight into the opposing army to fight us." Aurelia's voice got even quieter, as she raised her necklace. "They forget. But I never can."
Aurelia dropped her necklace and looked up at Percy. "It was a day of triumph though. For the legion. For the Fifth. For Jason. Jason, who fought the Titan Krios in hand-to-hand combat. During the battle, he toppled the iron throne of Kronos. The legion raised him over their shoulders and declared him praetor. Can you imagine that?"
"For some reason I can," Percy murmured.
Aurelia pursed her lips. Percy and Jason did seem much alike. Not just in their quiet aura of power, but the fact that she had the strong reassurance that she could trust them. And the feeling that they both made stupid decisions.
"I think that this is a stupid idea," Aurelia had told Jason as she slashed through several dracanae alongside Jason. Neither were using their powers for they had only made it through the first lines of the Titan's army.
"Well, it doesn't matter if we make it through this army if there is still a Titan to fight," Jason said, killing a monster behind her. "Saved ya."
Aurelia just scowled as she pushed him aside, killing a monster behind him. "Now, we are even. You are not going up there to fight a Titan."
"Lia, someone has to do something," Jason told her. "I'm going to confront Krios, and I need you to cover me. Please?"
"Idiot," Aurelia huffed, slaying another a dracaena. "I think you are an idiot."
"So you'll cover me?"
Aurelia glared at him. "Idiot. Idiot. Idiot!"
Jason smiled at her and she kept glaring. She could feel his fear, and she hated it. The fear that surrounded her was consuming. Jason took a step closer to her, grabbing her free hand and pulling her against him. Their lips met and it felt like the battle around them had frozen. The consuming fear was pushed back by the warmth of love and comfort. Jason smelled and tasted like rain, and while one hand wrapped around Aurelia's waist, the other held his sword.
Aurelia had always imagined what her first kiss would be like. She imagined fireworks would go off around her in celebration, and everything in the world would suddenly be brighter when she opened her eyes. It was meant to be perfect. Perfect setting, perfect timing, perfect person. Well, this kiss only had one of the following.
"Thanks, Lia," Jason murmured when he pulled away before he shot into the air, leaving her surrounded by dracanae. Her mind was back and she allowed her powers to take over as she continued her slaughter of the Titan's army alongside her Roman comrades.
Aurelia still couldn't believe that Jason thought the best place to kiss her was in the middle of a battle with the Titan army, right before he made his way to possible death.
That was ten months ago. Jason kissed her for the first time ten months ago. They had been friends for almost four years when he finally got the gall to kiss her. And at the worst times too. And the reason for it (he had told her afterwards): "I didn't want to risk possibly dying without kissing you first. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time."
The memory still made Aurelia want to smile. Gods, she missed that boy. And she hated that this time, he didn't get to kiss her goodbye before disappearing.
And now here she was watching the sun set in the ocean, and she knew in a week there was a chance she wouldn't even be alive.
It made Aurelia wonder if she truly lost her mind. If she died, would she be able to see Jason one last time? She spent so long convincing herself that he was alive—listening to his voice call for her in her dreams. What if he was just waiting for her in the Underworld? What if she would meet the same fate as he did, whatever it may have been? So many people believed he was dead when he disappeared, but Aurelia always convinced herself otherwise.
There was always so much she wanted to do. She wanted to go to college with him, get a dog, maybe a tattoo (one that wasn't burned into her skin). He was her best friend long before either of them had romantic feelings for each other. Ever since she met him, she always imagined doing it all beside him.
Being sent on a doomsday quest really does make you put some perspective on your life.
Aurelia snapped out of her thoughts and felt a small wave of panic. "Hazel?" she murmured to the daughter of Pluto, for that's where that small emotion had come from. "Hazel?"
Frank nudged Hazel's shoulder but she didn't respond. She fell forward and Aurelia had to lunge to catch and keep her from hitting the bottom of the boat.
"What's wrong with her?" Frank asked, his emotion emitting a panic.
"Nothing, she is just asleep," Aurelia assured Frank, moving Hazel to her bench so she could lay down. "She is just tired I think." Or having another one of her blackouts.
Frank settled down and Aurelia looked at Percy. "Just keep going with the boat. Let her rest."
Percy nodded in agreement and sped them farther and farther from the shore of San Francisco. Gods, did Aurelia hate the ocean.
A/N: I finished writing all the Son of Neptune chapters for this book. Which means, I am going to start writing the House of Hades for my other book.
Yay me! Progress!