Percy and company had been sentenced to kitchen duty, having to scrub every dish and platter that was used after Clarisse's special chariot victory luncheon banquet. And even though she was mad at them, both Percy and Annabeth noticed the way Cressida didn't eat anything at the luncheon.
But by the time the campfire rolled around, she knew that their friendship was over.
Dionysus was in a foul mood after the races that Tantalus reinstated got his daughter injured, and he left only after a couple songs, muttering about how even Pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting. He had left, his daughter giving him a quick hug goodnight before he vanished and Percy stood.
He'd blurted out a dream he had, about Grover, Polyphemus's island in the Sea of Monsters and the Golden Fleece. An artefact that would have the ability to heal Thalia's tree and restore the barrier. Annabeth had been the one to remind everybody about what the Fleece could do.
Cressida had disappeared from the pavilion soon after the entire camp started chanting that they needed a quest. She liked Grover. Grover was still her friend and he was in trouble but they didn't tell her.
She knew that she was the one that cut them off first but still, it hurt.
Though that night, she got an unexpected visitor that knocked on her door.
"You got the wrong cabin? Yours is down that way," Cressida pointed as Clarisse rolled her eyes.
"Shut up, Lynn. I need to ask you something."
"Oh, Tantalus' champion needs something? Fascinating," she remarked as she leaned on her doorframe and crossed her arms over her chest. She hadn't been surprised when the news reached her that Clarisse had been chosen to find the Fleece. "What can I do for you?"
"You've been on a quest before-"
"Obviously."
"Just shut up and let me finish," Clarisse snapped. "You're the only person from that quest I can tolerate and I just wanted to ask...can you give me any advice?"
Cressida was surprised, to say the least. Clarisse asking for help. It was a rare sight...rarer still that she was asking her.
"Well, the biggest thing I can tell you is that nothing goes according to plan," she said. "There are monsters and temptations at every turn. Don't go anywhere unarmed. Don't..."
She stopped herself from that last one because she hadn't realised what she'd been about to say until she almost said it.
"What? Don't what?" Clarisse pressed and Cressida sighed as she stood straight, her arms still crossed over her chest.
"Don't...don't be afraid to let your quest mates help you," she finished. "This quest, any quest, is bigger than you think. It's scarier than you think. Don't take that lightly because you're in a rush to prove yourself."
"I'm not trying to prove myself," she defended, and Cressida held up her hands.
"I never said you were. And you asked me for advice, I can only tell you what I went through and whether or not you want to listen to it is your choice."
Clarisse nodded, her angry demeanour fading before she furrowed her brows and regarded the daughter of wine. "You helped me. You helped me and didn't ask anything in return after everything I've done to you. Why?"
Cressida shrugged. "Because I'm not like you? I'm not like the rumours you used to spread about me. And as much of a bully as you and this camp were, it's my home, and you are the best chance at saving it."
She couldn't read the emotions in Clarisse's expression before both girls flinched at the sound of a bird squawk. A bird with speckled brown feathers sat on the stair railing of her cabin, staring at them with electric blue eyes.
"A friend of yours?" Clarisse asked as Cressida pulled out her switchblade, a little wary of birds after the races.
"I don't have many friends. That bird is definitely not one of them," she replied.
"Cressida Lynn," the bird spoke, Clarisse now in a defensive position.
"It knows your name," Clarisse whispered.
"Yes, I heard it," she hissed back.
"Your presence is requested on the beach by Lord Hermes," the bird said, and both their eyes widened.
"What did you do to piss off Hermes?" Clarisse asked, still whispering as if the bird couldn't hear them.
"I mean, I stole Greek fire bombs from the Stoll's but that surely wouldn't warrant a visit from Hermes," she replied.
"Maybe he wants to commend you?"
"Now," the bird snapped before flying off.
"Ok, with everything that happens in this camp, that was one of the weirdest, right?" Clarisse blurted and Cressida nodded.
"Definitely. Oh, and if I don't make it back alive, Castor gets all my pinochle winnings from the loose floorboard under my nightstand, and Pollux gets the Lightning McQueen plushie under my bed."
Clarisse just gave her a strange look and the girl could only shrug as she slipped on her flip-flops, still in her grey tank top covered in stars and blue shorts that she slept in. "My brothers are weird, I can't help it."
"Whatever. Good luck," Clarisse said and Cressida gave her a nod as she shut her cabin door.
"You too."
Meanwhile, Percy was standing on the beach that Cressida was heading to, talking to Lord Hermes who was dressed in a jogger's suit.
"And you, Percy," Hermes said, "Have a shorter deadline than you realise to complete your quest. A quest that requires the help of your friends."
"Annabeth and Tyson will-"
"All your friends," Hermes corrected. "The first one should've gotten my message and be arriving right..."
"Lord Hermes?"
"Now," he finished, and Percy's eyes widened at the sound of that voice.
"Lord Hermes, I got your bird - I mean, your message. If this is about those...." Cressida trailed off as she finally emerged from the woods to see who stood on the beach. "Greek fire bombs...why am I here?" she asked.
"Thank you for your haste, Miss Lynn. And you are here to assist Mr Jackson on his quest tonight," Hermes, who she assumed was the man in the jogger suit, explained and her jaw dropped.
"No. No, I am not. Even if I was dressed to go on a quest right now -"
"Ah, I see. Easily remedied. Purple is your colour, correct? Of course, it's correct, just look at your eyes," Hermes interrupted before snapping his fingers and her pj's vanished. She was dressed in leggings, purple converse, a matching t-shirt and a denim jacket, her hair in a simple fishtail braid down her back. Her charm bracelet and camp necklace were still on as she looked from her body to the two boys.
"Lord Hermes, I really can't -"
"Yes, you can Miss Lynn, for your friend, Grover's sake. And for the reasons you listed to Ares' daughter. For the sake of your home."
Her purple eyes grew wider once more at the revelation that the bird had been listening to their conversation.
"But-"
"I hope I packed well for you all," Hermes said as he interrupted again, snapping his fingers once more as four yellow duffel bags appeared at Percy's feet. "I do have some experience with travel. They're waterproof, of course. If you ask nicely, your father should be able to help you reach the ship."
"Ship?" Percy questioned.
Hermes then pointed to the horizon where a big cruise ship was cutting across Long Island Sound, white and gold lights glowing bright against the dark water.
"Wait," Percy said. "I don't understand any of this. I haven't even agreed to go!"
"Then why the Hades am I here?!" Cressida exclaimed.
"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, Miss Lynn, and dare I say it? May the gods go with you."
He opened his hand, and the caduceus flew into it before it changed into a cell phone that Hermes slipped into his pocket. The god jogged down the beach and he was maybe twenty paces away before he shimmered and vanished, leaving Percy alone with some yellow bags, an impossible decision and a pissed-off daughter of Dionysus.
"Well?" Cressida said. "Are we doing this or did I walk all the way out here for nothing? Or better yet, am I going to do it myself?"
"How could you possibly get to the ship by yourself?" Percy asked and she took a threatening step towards him.
"You wanna dig yourself a bigger grave, Percy Jackass? Or do you want my help?"
"I don't know! I don't even know if we're doing this!" Percy exclaimed.
"Oh, for Zeus' sake! Do you want to save Grover or not? Or are you going to leave another friend behind?"
"I didn't leave you behind," Percy spat back as he took a step closer to her and she did the same, matching his anger and frustration.
"Then why didn't you tell me about Grover? Why didn't you tell me about the quest? Grover didn't do a thing to me, he's still my friend and now he's in trouble. And you told the entire camp before you told me. That sounds a lot like leaving me behind."
"What's going on?" came Annabeth's voice, saving Percy from stammering for a response as the two backed away from each other. "I heard you calling for help."
"Me too!" Tyson said. "Heard you yell, "Bad things are attacking!' "
"I didn't call you guys," Percy said. "I'm fine," he added with a pointed look at Cressida who stayed quiet as she stuck her hands into her jacket pockets.
"But then who... what -" Annabeth tried as she noted the three bags.
"Just listen," Percy said. "We don't have much time."
He then began explaining all Hermes had said and by the time he was finished, you could already hear the patrol harpies screeching in the distance.
"Percy, we have to do the quest," Annabeth said.
"We'll get expelled, you know. Trust me, I'm an expert at getting expelled," he replied.
"I won't," Cressida piped up and they gave her a dead look. "I won't. My father is the camp director," she persisted and Percy and Annabeth rolled their eyes at her.
"Percy, if we fail, there won't be any camp to come back to," Annabeth pointed out.
"Yeah, but you promised Chiron-"
"I promised I'd keep you from danger. I can only do that by coming with you! Tyson can stay behind and tell them –"
"I want to go!" Tyson said.
"No!" Annabeth blurted, her voice rather panicked. "I mean ... Percy, come on. You know that's impossible."
"Then clearly you are as stupid as Barnacle Brain here," Cressida said as she moved to Tyson's side. "If you leave him here, Tantalus will eat him alive - not literally," she said for Tyson's sake as she put a hand on his arm. "And Hermes himself asked for me on this quest, and I'll only come if Tyson wants to come."
"Tyson wants to come!" Tyson reiterated and the corners of her lips lifted.
"Percy," Annabeth said, trying to keep her cool, "we're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is an S-i-k ... a C-y-k..." She stamped her foot in frustration, her dyslexia getting the best of her.
"Tyson can go if he wants to," Percy insisted and Tyson clapped his hands.
"Want to!" he repeated.
Annabeth gave Percy the evil eye, but she knew it was a losing battle. "Alright," she huffed. "How do we get to that ship?"
"Hermes said my father would help," Percy revealed.
"Um, Dad?" Percy called as he stepped into the waves, his feet still dry. "How's it going?"
"Hey Fish Face!" Cressida snapped, quietly. "Cut the small talk, we're on a deadline!"
"We need your help," he called a little louder. "We need to get to that ship, like, before we get eaten and stuff, so..."
At first, nothing happened. Waves crashed against the shore like normal. The harpies sounded like they were right behind the sand dunes. Then, about a hundred metres out to sea, three white lines appeared on the surface. They moved fast towards the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean. As they neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the heads of three white stallions reared out of the waves.
Tyson caught his breath. "Fish ponies!"
"They're beautiful," Cressida said as the creatures pulled themselves onto the sand, one coming right up to her as it nuzzled her and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Hippocampi!" Annabeth said in amazement.
"We'll admire them later," Percy said. "Come on!" he urged.
"There!" a voice screeched behind us. "Bad children out of cabins! Snack time for lucky harpies!" Five of them were fluttering over the top of the dunes – plump little hags with pinched faces and talons and feathery wings too small for their bodies. They weren't fast but they were downright vicious if they caught you.
"Tyson! Grab a duffel bag!" Percy ordered, the cyclops still staring at the hippocampi with his mouth hanging open. "Tyson!"
"Uh?"
"Time to move, big guy!" Cressida said as she helped Percy get Tyson onto the biggest hippocampus that eagerly went back into the water, Poseidon having known Tyson was one of the passengers as the other two creatures were relatively smaller when compared to the one Tyson rode. Annabeth had already mounted one of the smaller ones and taken to the seas after Tyson, leaving one left.
"Damn you, Poseidon," Cressida murmured as she threw one of the bags onto her back. He could know that Tyson was coming but not that there would be four of them.
"Just get on, Grape Girl!" Percy said as he began pushing her towards the last hippocampus once Annabeth was off. She muttered something in Ancient Greek as she got onto the creature, holding onto its neck as Percy held onto her hips and the hippocampus plunged into the water.
Cressida wasn't worried about the harpies catching them as she turned around to look at the shore of Camp Half-Blood that disappeared into the darkness. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her home, or even tell her brothers who were supposed to be arriving the next day.
"We'll save the camp," Percy said to her and the saddened look in her eyes died.
"You couldn't have ridden with Annabeth and annoyed her?" she asked as they raced for the cruise ship.
"Annoying you is more fun," Percy said and she could hear the smile on his face.
"Don't try and be funny," she said, almost in the exact same tone she had a year ago inside an animal truck when she told him to stop asking about her past. "I'm still mad at you."
"You still haven't let me apologise."
"Is it something you can fix with an apology though?" she returned.
"Not if you don't let me try," he continued, his hands still in a respectful place on her hips. "I get I screwed up. I get that I hurt you. But just let me try. Friends don't give up after one fight."
"I wouldn't know," she said quietly, but Percy heard her and he felt a little more guilty.
It was silent between the two of them until the hippocampus jumped over a small wave, Cressida's hands slipping from the creature's neck. Had Percy not had a grip on her and a good grip on the hippocampus with his knees, both of them would've toppled into the water.
She bit her lips as she took hold of the hippocampus again, Percy tightening his grip on her hips.
"Thanks," she said, eventually and he nodded even if she couldn't see it.
"You're welcome."