Alabaster stopped her as she came near; eyes glowing under the sun as she glared death (again!) at Tántalos. That creep was nothing more than an overgrown bully picking on kids because he was bitter about his own life choices.
She was going to eat the fattest, juiciest hamburger with fries so seasoned that the smell would waft from the plate and a grande size glass of sprite — matter of fact, she was going to have one of Hermes' kids go get her a McDonald's sprite!
No, she should order a steak or a steak fajita!
Forget all of that, she was going to have a spread! For the entire camp! How about them apples, asshole!
Lea blinked innocently when he walked into the dining hall to see her setting up the spread for the other campers alongside —- her only request to Hermes which he was happy oblige — a meal filled with food of the gods as they were unable to eat mortal food for Lord Dionsyos that filled the head table alongside a new chair that she had the Hephaistos' cabin and satyrs work on together – a nice pretty mini throne made of vine-leaves and grapes or ivy-leaves and berries and topped with a pine cone and a artichoke. His hymns – both Homeric and Orphic – had been carved into the wood and his epithet Dimêtôr – twice born – referring to Dionysos' two births and Diòs huiós referring to him being a son of Zeus were shining in a pleasant mix of gleaming gold and incandescent purple.
It was easy to see the desperation on Tántalos' face as he took in the middle and the way his features scrunched together whenever he caught sight of the epithets alongside the throne. And to top it off, Hermes had sent her some weird priest outfit that she wore alongside the nymphs as they tended to Dionysos who had already been informed of the plan by his elder brother.
The god had hid a wide smile behind his chalice of White Grape Ciroc Vodka when the demidivine had turned to Tántalos if the spread reminded him of old times; "You know before the lightning struck?" Tántalos had gotten so mad that he ordered her to do kitchen patrol-scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies alongside her brothers and Annabeth.
Lea had only shrugged, bowed to the Holy Son of Zeus Panellênios who of course overruled the order on the principle that as blessing to the Radiant Son of Zeus Panellênios. Lea smiled sharply at that; one that was reflected by Lord Dionysos, a glint of malice in both of their eyes as they looked at Tántalos' reddening face. The ghastly man had ordered a special luncheon banquet to celebrate Clarisse's chariot victory-a full-course meal featuring country-fried Stymphalian death-bird. And Dionysos didn't disagree — it was her Father's pets of course — and had the girl sit at the High Table with them.
It didn't mean much to Lea who still went down to visit her brother. Her nose scrunched at the entire thing, but the harpies did their best to accommodate her and made sure that she stayed out of the way of the lava they used instead of water.
And that's how she came to know that the best form of teaching was learning things on her own and checking her sources because once Percy explained their dream to Annabeth well... her education left much to be desired.
"If he's really found it," the blonde murmured, "and if we could retrieve it-"
"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. What do you get when you skin a ram?"
"Messy?"
Lea snickered, twirling her finger through the air and inwardly smiling at the green mageia that danced swirled around her hand. "A fleece, dummy. The golden fleece."
"Are you serious?"
Annabeth scrapped 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?"
"Yeah," Percy said and Lea snorted because before this place there was only one thing that they knew it from. "That old movie with the clay skeletons."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh my gods, Percy! You are so hopeless."
"What?" Percy demanded.
"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."
"What," Lea piped up. "That's not true? Europa is where we get the name for Europe first of all. She was a lover of Zeus. Secondly, Kádmos followed a cow to find Thebes. Literally, the oracle told him to stop searching for Europe and follow a special cow, with a half moon on her flank and to build a town on the spot where she should lie down exhausted. He was going to sacrifice the cow to your 'mom'" — and here, she did finger quotes — "He killed the sacred dragon of Ares so the god made Kádmos do penance for eight years by serving him. But like after he killed it, Athena told him to sow the dragon's teeth in the ground and that's how the Spartoi were born. One of them actually married his daughter. Then once he finished his service to Ares, he was given Harmonia's hand in marriage and they had four daughters and a son."
"And how do you know all this," Percy asked her. Lea shrugged. "I read and oh, you know. The Director of the Camp just so happens to also be the grandson of Kádmos and the step-cousin to the actual riders of the Golden Ram. Mr. Richie was telling me about it while you dweebs were racing."
Percy and Annabeth hummed, especially the latter as if the thought had never occurred to her. One thing that Lea learned from the hellscape that was the education system — if you wanted to get out of doing work, then you needed to get the teacher talking about the good old days. It's also how she found out about the affair that Mr. Burt was having with Mr. Chet even though Mr. Chet was married to Mr. Chet-Hamilton.
The blonde shook her head, turning back to the dishes in front of her. "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 bet-ter. Farmers had bumper crops. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. Well, his uncle, Pelias, had given him the task hoping he would die, but once Jason learned about it, he knew he needed it for his kingdom. It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution-"
"It could cure Thalia's tree."
Annabeth nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. But Percy, 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, Annabeth. 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?"
"What choice do you have?" Lea asked. "The tree is dying. It's sick. I can feel it now and I hate that I can." Being underground and sensing the way the poison pulsed towards the roots was not a good feeling. "It's going to wipe this camp from the map and then it's going to spread across the entire Long Island before stretching further and covering the other boroughs and then the surrounding states until it covers the entire country and then it'll go through the continent. And while it's doing all of that, it's going to poison the streams and lakes and rivers until it hits the oceans and it's going to spread more until it covers the entire world."
Lea turned to look at her brother. "You said Uncle's domain was horribly overfilled last summer. Imagine how it would be when everyone starts dropping like flies. The dryads, satyrs, and naiads are doing all they can. Even the children of Hecate, Hermes, Apollo, Dionysos, and Demeter are doing their best to minimize the damage trying to keep it contained. The tree is just the plug and if that's not healed ... well." She shrugged her shoulders as the mageia around her fingers spluttered out and Arkas let out a small belch.
The two of them were silent as they took in her words. It was a serious thing. And their friend did need their help.
Lea glanced at Tyson, who was happily making toy boats out of cups and spoons in the lava.
"Percy," Annabeth said under her breath, "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?"
"The Sea of Monsters. The same sea Odysseus sailed through, and Jason, and Aeneas, and all the others."
Aeneas was Drew's brother, right? And the way Hermes kept insisting that she go on this quest as if he was not one of the gods to vote that all khaos-blessed be kept safe from harm... well, if she was supposed to go then she knew who to call.
"You mean the Mediterranean?"
"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," Percy said. "And Hades being under Los Angeles."
There was also an entrance here in New York from what Drew told her. A boutique called Deadly Fashion that Aphrodite ran alongside Persephone because "there was beauty in death" and they sold a lot of male pieces in honor of their shared lover Adonis. Aiakos, as guardian of the keys of the Underworld, was the receptionist there and was apparently the reason that Charon, over in LA, loved Italian suits.
Not that Lea was going to say anything about that. Or how the little "Drew-drop" gets the best discounts there — like everything was suddenly on clearance if they wanted it discounts.
"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. They don't understand, 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?"
"Exactly."
"I thought that got debunked," Lea muttered. "You know because there wasn't a lot of light that way. They were having compass issues and it has many Atlantic hurricanes that pass through the Triangle. And you know humans are stubborn so they'd be trying to prove a point."
And if she believed in any of that mystical, spiritual crap; then she wouldn't be surprised if the ghosts of christmas past from all the africans and Indigenous Americans coming to get revenge on those that tore them away from their homes. Lea, personally, would have rocked everybody's shit.
"Okay ... so at least we know where to look."
"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?"
Lea snorted. "And I'm the daughter of the 'sea god'. Everything that glitters isn't gold and I don't doubt that since the 'Great Prophecy' exists... well someone would try their hand at getting rid of the players. Oh, and not to mention, it's called the sea of monsters and monsters do not listen to the patriarchy."
Huh, did that make Lea a monster? Her old classmates would say that she was and she wished she was back at Yancy Academy. If she knew mageia when she first went there, she would have turned a lot of those assholes into billy goats!
Annabeth knit her eyebrows. "We'll have to talk to Tántalos, 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."
"Maybe." A little bit of hope crept into Annabeth's voice. "We can have Lea ask him also."
The aforementioned girl scrunched her nose up. "I would rather go skinny dipping in Mount Etna during the eruption." She turned to leave before they said anything else horrifying. "You'd better get these dishes done."
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. Everyone sat around a semicircle of stone steps, singing halfheartedly and watching the bonfire blaze while the children of Zeus' favorite son strummed their guitars and picked their lyres.
It was pitiful. The fire was only five feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the color of lint. A lot of whispering was going through the crowd as the campers talked about the birds and shot glances at the Aphrodite cabin or well, at Drew specifically.
Lea didn't really get why they were surprised. The cabin's half-siblings were war gods. Do Phobos and Deimos like not exist or something in their mind? Aphrodite was a war goddess like hello, Aphrodite Ariea and Rome was literally right there.
They could probably be staring because Drew was dressed in a sweet and romantic, off the shoulder white, floral mini dress that had short puff sleeves, a lovely blow in the middle of the chest, a ruffle trim along the tiered skirt with a flare fit and back zip closure. Lea knew all that because Drew had gone on an entire rant about how she and Mirajane and Trent and Renae and Jaemin and Lea herself would look absolutely fabulous and that Silena had these clip ends that were to die for and Lea left her in that boutique by herself.
Dionysos left early and Lea had half-a-mind to follow his lead, but Percy and Annabeth still hadn't brought up the quest yet and she was starting to wonder if they wanted her to do it.
When the last song was over, Tántalos said, "Well, that was lovely!" with, of course, a leer at Lea and she was this close to following Odyseús' lead and sticking one of those burning logs into his eye.
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.
Lea was the only one who laughed.
Tántalos turned back toward them, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."
"Sir," Percy said.
Finally, Lea thought.
Tántalos' eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has something to say?"
Her twin stood to his feet, looking at both her and Annabeth and Lea had never felt more angrier at her brother before. Public speeches were not her thing, but she still stood to her feet even if embarrassment was pooling in her gut.
"We have an idea to save the camp."
Dead silence, but the campfire flared bright yellow.
"Indeed," Tántalos said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots-"
"The Golden Fleece," Percy said. "We know where it is."
The flames burned orange.
It was actually quite cute. It reminded her of the sunset. She also found it ironic how the yellow and orange blended together giving off a golden glow. Before she knew it, she was telling them of her and Percy's dream, Annabeth told them what the Fleece could do, Percy chimed in with the first dream that he had, and Lea finished it off by repeating the conversations that she had with Hermes and Dionysos.
She was happy to get to the end, plopping back down in her seat with a relieved sigh while Percy and Annabeth continued their argument.
"The Fleece can save the camp," Annabeth concluded. "I'm certain of it."
"Nonsense," said Tántalos. "We don't need saving."
Everybody stared at him until Tántalos started looking uncomfortable. Lea had just explained what would happen without it, and the other campers had backed her up which made sense because it was their words she was using.
"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 and Lea looked at him surprised. That she didn't know.
"30, 31, 75, 12," Percy said.
"Ooo-kay," Tántalos said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."
"They're sailing coordinates," Lea said, sitting up straight. "Latitude and longitude. We learned about them at school."
Annabeth looked impressed. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. 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!"
"The Gray Sisters," Lea repeated. "The same ones that helped Jason when he went searching for the Golden Fleece too?" She smiled sharply at the pedophile zombie. "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!" Tántalos insisted.
"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"
"Fine!" Tántalos 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. I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tántalos announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious."
Tántalos looked at Annabeth and Percy as if he wanted to flay them alive. Jokes on him, if he even touched her brother, then she was invoking her soulmate's name and telling him to tell his Brother to repeat what he did to Marsyas, before the elder god repented from it in his distress. "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. 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." Lea rolled her eyes. The dream came to her also.
"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.
"Watch it," Lea snapped, eyes flooding with color. "He's the nice one. Keep pushing it and one of your mortal family will be the quietest people in church Saturday."
Clarisse glared at them both. "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. Everybody else started taking sides-shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. Drew and her siblings were turning red in the face and Lea swore she saw Mirajane's eyes flicker red.
Tántalos shouted, "Silence, you brats!" His tone stunned even Lea. "Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story."
The evil aura radiating from Tantalus was so strong that Arkas clung to her instead of the amulet.
"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tántalos put his hand on his chest, and Lea rolled her eyes. "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, especially Percy and Lea.
"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tántalos 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 Tántalos' crooked face.
"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tántalos 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?"
Lea raised her hand. "Does Niobe like being a statue?"
"I don't know. Ask Amphīōn," the ghoul stated. Amphīōn was the husband of Niobe and a lover of Hermes. Why he thought that bothered Lea she didn't really know or care.
Tántalos 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?" Tántalos asked. "No comments from our dishwasher? Oh, and Lea Jackson, our blessing, Clarisse will see you when she leaves for her quest. You'll learn to respect me or die trying."
"Ha," Lea smirked bitterly. "I'll send you a little doggie back to hell." She stormed away before he could say anything, eyes sparking with excess mageia.