The cruise ship was even bigger in person and as much as she hated to admit it, riding the hippocampus with Percy was kinda fun. The white hull was at least ten storeys tall, topped with another dozen levels of decks with brightly lit balconies and portholes. The ship's name was painted just above the bow line in black letters, lit with a spotlight. Princess Andromeda.
Attached to the bow was a huge masthead – a three-storey-tall woman wearing a white Greek chiton, sculpted to look as if she were chained to the front of the ship. She was young and beautiful, with flowing black hair, but her expression was one of absolute terror, much like the expression she imagined the girl wore when she was chained to a rock and sacrificed to a sea monster. At least before Perseus, the original one from thousands of years ago, saved her by turning the sea monster to stone using the severed head of Medusa.
Cressida was wandering if Percy would end up like his namesake when Annabeth shouted, "How do we get aboard?"
Over the noise of the waves, the hippocampi knew what they needed as they skimmed along the starboard side of the ship, riding easily through its huge wake and pulling up next to a service ladder riveted to the side of the hull.
"You first!" Percy said to Annabeth who slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed the bottom rung, her hippocampus whining goodbye before it disappeared under the waves. "You're up next, Cressida," he said once Annabeth got far enough up the ladder, Percy not realising how he kept a hold of her hips until she was out of reach but Cressida was well aware. Percy then whispered thanks to his steed before he began his own trip up the ladder, leaving Tyson in the water. His hippocampus was treating him to 360° aerials and backward flips, and Tyson was laughing so hysterically, the sound echoed up the side of the ship.
"Tyson, shhh!" Percy said. "Come on, big buy!"
"Can't we take Rainbow?" he asked, his sky fading.
"Rainbow?" Percy questioned.
The hippocampus whinnied as if he liked his new name.
"Um, we have to go," Percy said. "Rainbow ... well, he can't climb ladders."
Tyson sniffled. He buried his face in the hippocampus's mane. "I will miss you, Rainbow!"
The hippocampus made a neighing sound, almost as if it was crying.
"We'll see him again soon," Cressida called down.
"Oh, please!" Tyson said as he perked up immediately. "Tomorrow!"
No one made any promises but Tyson eventually said his farewells to Rainbow before he climbed up the ladder and Rainbow did a backflip and dived into the sea.
But as they started to sneak around the ship, they realised that there was no one they needed to hide from.
"It's ghost ship" Percy murmured.
"No," Tyson said as he fiddled with the strap of his duffle bag. "Bad smell."
"I don't smell anything," Annabeth frowned.
"Tyson's like Grover. He can smell monsters," Cressida answered, the Mist having covered Tyson's face now that they were out of camp, making it seem as if he had two eyes instead of one.
"Ok. So, what exactly do you smell?" Annabeth wondered.
"Something bad," Tyson answered.
"Great," Annabeth grumbled. "That clears it up."
"He's trying," Cressida defended.
They came outside on the swimming pool level. There were rows of empty deckchairs and a bar closed off with a chain curtain. The water in the pool glowed eerily, sloshing back and forth from the motion of the ship. Above the fore and aft were more levels – a climbing wall, a pitch-and-putt golf course, a revolving restaurant, but no sign of life.
"We need a hiding place," Percy said. "Somewhere safe to sleep."
"Sleep," Annabeth agreed wearily.
They explored a few more corridors until they found an empty suite on the ninth level. The door was open, which was very strange. There was a basket of chocolate goodies on the table, an iced-down bottle of sparkling cider on the nightstand and a mint on the pillow with a handwritten note that said: Enjoy your cruise!
After locking the door behind them, the four of them then took to looking inside their duffel bags that really had everything in them - extra clothes, toiletries, camp rations, an airtight bag full of cash, a leather pouch full of drachmas. Hermes even managed to pack Tyson's oilcloth with his tools and metal bits, and Annabeth's cap of invisibility, which made them both feel a lot better.
"We'll be next door," Annabeth said and Cressida raised a brow.
"We?"
"You guys don't drink or eat anything," she warned.
"You think this place is enchanted?" Percy asked and Annabeth only frowned.
"I don't know. Something isn't right. Just...be careful," she said. "Let's go, Cressida."
"Ok, then," she huffed as she picked up her bag and followed after Annabeth.
"Sweet dreams," Tyson smiled at her from where he was playing with his machine parts and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Sweet dreams," she returned before closing the door behind her.
Cressida threw her bag down on the floor before collapsing onto the couch, not even waiting for Annabeth.
"Are we going to talk?" Annabeth asked timidly, Cressida with a hand over her eyes.
"Preferably not, but seeing as you guys seem to constantly disregard my feelings, by all means, go ahead."
"Look, I'm sorry about everything, but Tyson's a cyclops and -"
"That's not the part I have a problem with," she interrupted as she moved her arm and opened her eyes. "You have your own trauma to deal with, I get that, believe me, I do, what I don't get is why you're calling Tyson a monster as if it's an insult and not a classification, when he has done nothing but save your life and your camp. You and Percy showed me that not all people were bad, shouldn't the same thing extend to Cyclopes? And why you didn't tell me about Grover or the quest before you told the whole camp? That is what I have a problem with."
"Grapes, I only found out about the quest and about Grover, literally before dinner and the campfire when we finished the dishes. And we had to do it at dinner and in front of everyone or else Tantalus wouldn't have taken it seriously."
"I would've made him take it seriously, Books," she snapped as she sat up. "We may have been fighting but Grover is still my friend, I care about what happens to him."
"I know," Annabeth sighed as she sat on the sofa, Cressida swinging her legs onto the floor. "I know. And I didn't mean to leave you out, honestly. There's no one else I'd want to have my back on this quest more than you. Not even Percy, at least you have brain cells."
Cressida chuckled at that. "Fair point."
"And I can't speak for him, but I am sorry, Grapes. And with Tyson...I'll try. I will, but I can't make any promises."
Cressida let out a deep exhale as she thought everything over and carefully considered Annabeth's words. "Well, I'm still new to this whole friends and forgiveness thing, but I guess I forgive you."
The two girls embraced each other warmly, glad to have their friend back.
"You sure you want to take the couch? I'm sure the bed is big enough to share, so long as you don't hog the covers," Annabeth said as she stood, and Cressida stood with her as she scoffed.
"You clearly haven't shared a bed with my brothers. I've never met worse blanket hogs in my life. They've almost come to blows, numerous times."
"Boys are such idiots sometimes," Annabeth remarked as they walked into the bedroom, chucking their bags on the floor as they slipped off their shoes and jackets and climbed into the large bed covered in white sheets.
"Tell me about it. I swear the ones that are half-god are worse," she said and Annabeth looked at her wide-eyed.
"They really are! And yet we are still friends with them. It's a bit of a paradox if you ask me," Annabeth replied as they got comfortable.
"Well, as stupid as they are, at least they made life interesting," Cressida said as she closed her eyes and both she and Annabeth drifted off to sleep.
******************************************************************
Her friends were deranged. Completely out of their minds. And again, that was something coming from her.
After waking up and Annabeth cursing Cressida because she woke up looking like a runway model and Annabeth woke with hair like a rat's nest, they popped into Percy and Tyson's room after being roused by the P.A system asking them to come and join disembowelling practice.
They'd then snuck through more of the ship, realising that the people on board were in a trance before they'd hidden in a women's restroom as they heard monsters coming their way. And then they'd heard the voice of Chris Rodriguez. A boy that was supposed to be in Cabin Eleven.
Much like Luke whose voice followed.
All Tyson wanted to do was leave but Percy and Annabeth wouldn't go anywhere without finding out what he was up to - this had nothing to do with Grover but then again if Luke managed to raise Kronos, it wouldn't really matter.
However, while Annabeth wanted to go alone with her invisibility cap, Percy insisted that everyone stay together or no one goes at all. And Tyson then freaked them out when he was able to mimic the voice he heard, nailing Luke's and a gruff man's voice...it's too bad that they only realised that Luke was outside the room they were hiding in until the doors burst and Luke stood there would two hairy giants armed with bronze javelins aimed right at their chests.
And they were screwed as the giants forced them into the stateroom.
The stateroom was beautiful, and it was horrible. The beautiful part: huge windows curved along the back wall, looking out over the stern of the ship. Green sea and blue sky stretched all the way to the horizon. A Persian rug covered the floor. Two plush sofas occupied the middle of the room, with a canopied bed in one corner and a mahogany dining table in the other. The table was loaded with food: pizza boxes, bottles of soda and a stack of roast beef sandwiches on a silver platter. The horrible part: on a velvet dais at the back of the room lay a three-metre-long golden casket. A sarcophagus, engraved with Ancient Greek scenes of cities in flames and heroes dying grisly deaths. Despite the sunlight streaming through the windows, the casket made the whole room feel cold.
"Well," Luke said, spreading his arms proudly. "A little nicer than Cabin Eleven, huh? Sit."
He waved his hand and three dining chairs scooted themselves into the centre of the room as none of them sat.
"Where are my manners?" Luke said smoothly. "These are my assistants, Agrius and Oreius. Perhaps you've heard of them."
"The guys whose mother fell in love with a bear?" Cressida asked and Luke's eyes finally landed on her, his smirk still present.
"At least with all that time by yourself, you learned something," he said and her eyes narrowed as she took a step forward only for Percy to grab her arm as Agrius pointed his javelin right under her throat. "Bit of a sore spot for you?" Luke said and Percy pulled Cressida back further. "Well their mother's story is a bit of a sore spot for them. Their mother ... well, it's sad, really. Aphrodite ordered the young woman to fall in love. She refused and ran to Artemis for help. Artemis let her become one of her maiden huntresses, but Aphrodite got her revenge. She bewitched the young woman into falling in love with a bear. When Artemis found out, she abandoned the girl in disgust. Typical of the gods, wouldn't you say? They fight with one another, and the poor humans get caught in the middle. The girl's twin sons here, Agrius and Oreius, have no love for Olympus. They like half-bloods well enough, though..."
"For lunch," Agrius growled as they realised that his voice was the gruff one they'd heard earlier as his brother laughed. Oreius kept laughing like he was having an asthmatic fit until Luke and Agrius both stared at him.
"Shut up, you idiot!" Agrius growled. "Go punish yourself!"
Oreius whimpered. He trudged over to the corner of the room, slumped onto a stool, and banged his forehead against the dining table, making the silver plates rattle.
Luke acted like this was perfectly normal behaviour. He made himself comfortable on the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "Well, Percy, we let you survive another year. I hope you appreciated it. How's your mom? How's school?"
"You poisoned Thalia's tree."
Luke sighed. "Right to the point, eh? Okay, sure, I poisoned the tree. So what?'"
"How could you?!" Annabeth raged. "Thalia saved your life! Our lives! How could you dishonour her –"
"I didn't dishonour her!" Luke snapped. "The gods dishonoured her, Annabeth! If Thalia were alive, she'd be on my side."
"Liar!"
"If you knew what was coming, you'd understand –"
"I understand you want to destroy the camp!' she yelled. "You're a monster!"
Luke shook his head. "The gods have blinded you. Can't you imagine a world without them, Annabeth? What good is that ancient history you study? Three thousand years of baggage! The West is rotten to the core. It has to be destroyed. Join me! We can start the world anew. We could use your intelligence, Annabeth. And we could use your power, Cressida, if you can control it."
Annabeth screamed something at Luke that she couldn't hear because Cressida moved so quickly as she ducked under Agrius' javelin and drew her spear. Despite the size difference between her and the half-bear giant, she made him drop his javelin as she sliced his wrist with the tip of her spear before hitting his knee with the shaft, forcing him to his knees before she slammed the shaft into his face and he fell to the floor.
And then she turned on Luke as she twisted her spear in her hand. "You insult me, and you want me to join you? You're the one that's out of your mind. And just for the record," she said as she braced one of the tips of her spear on the floor. "My problem was with arrogant demigods like you, not the gods. In case you forgot, my father actually cares about me."
Luke's jaw seemed to tick as his expression darkened.
"Bit of a sore spot for you?" she smirked and Percy had to smother his own smile as Luke turned his attention to Annabeth, Oreius standing behind him with his javelin at the ready, but not daring to attack them just yet.
"Travelling with a Cyclops," Luke chided. "Talk about dishonouring Thalia's memory! I'm surprised at you, Annabeth. You of all people –"
"Stop it!" she shouted, burying her head in her hands as if she was about to cry.
"Leave her alone," Percy said. "And leave Tyson out of this."
Luke laughed. "Oh, yeah, I heard. Your father claimed him," he said as Percy became surprised, making Luke smile. "Yes, Percy, I know all about that. And about your plan to find the Fleece. What were those coordinates, again ... thirty, thirty-one, seventy-five, twelve? You see, I still have friends at camp who keep me posted."
"Spies, you mean," Percy said and Cressida scoffed.
"And you wonder why I don't like demigods."
Luke shrugged. "How many insults from your father can you stand, Percy? You think he's grateful to you? You think Poseidon cares for you any more than he cares for this monster?"
Tyson clenched his fists and made a rumbling sound down in his throat. Cressida's spear morphed back into her pinecone charm as she moved closer to Tyson, holding his fist in her hand.
Luke just chuckled. "The gods are so using you, Percy. Do you have any idea what's in store for you if you reach your sixteenth birthday? Has Chiron even told you the prophecy?"
Percy had no idea what Luke was talking about, Luke knowing how to throw him off balance.
"I know what I need to know," Percy managed to say. "Like, who my enemies are."
"Then you're a fool."
Tyson smashed the nearest dining chair into splinters. "Percy is not a fool!"
But before anyone could stop him, he charged Luke. His fists came down towards Luke's head – a double overhead blow that would've knocked a hole in titanium – but the bear twins intercepted as Agrius got back up again. They each caught one of Tyson's arms and stopped him cold. They pushed him back and Tyson stumbled. He fell to the carpet so hard the deck shook.
"Too bad, Cyclops," Luke said. "Looks like my grizzly friends together are more than a match for your strength. Maybe I should let them –"
"Luke," Percy cut in. "Listen to me. Your father sent us."
His face turned the colour of pepperoni. "Don't – even – mention him."
"He told us to take this boat. I thought it was just for a ride, but he sent us here to find you. He told me he won't give up on you, no matter how angry you are."
"Angry?" Luke roared. "Give up on me? He abandoned me, Percy! I want Olympus destroyed! Every throne crushed to rubble! You tell Hermes it's going to happen, too. Each time a half-blood joins us, the Olympians grow weaker and we grow stronger. He grows stronger."
Luke pointed to the gold sarcophagus that seemed to leech the light from the room. It was creepy.
"So?" Percy demanded like the idiot he was. "What's so special..." Then it seemed to hit him. "Whoa, you don't mean -"
"He is re-forming," Luke said. "Little by little, we're calling his life force out of the pit. With every recruit who pledges our cause, another small piece appears –"
"That's disgusting!" Annabeth said.
Luke sneered at her. "Your mother was born from Zeus's split skull, Annabeth. I wouldn't talk. Soon there will be enough of the titan lord so that we can make him whole again. We will piece together a new body for him, a work worthy of the forges of Hephaestus."
"Cressida is right. You are insane," Annabeth said.
"Join us and you'll be rewarded. We have powerful friends, sponsors rich enough to buy this cruise ship and much more. Percy, your mother will never have to work again. You can buy her a mansion. You can have power, fame – whatever you want. Annabeth, you can realize your dream of being an architect. You can build a monument to last a thousand years. A temple to the lords of the next age! Cressida, no one would dare fear or insult you again. They'd bow to you, revere you. They'd love you."
"Go to Tartarus," Annabeth spat.
Luke sighed. "A shame."
He picked up something that looked like a TV remote and pressed a red button. Within seconds the door of the stateroom opened and two uniformed crew members came in, armed with nightsticks. They had the same glassy-eyed look as the other mortals they'd seen, but Percy had a feeling this wouldn't make them any less dangerous in a fight. "Ah, good, security," Luke said. "I'm afraid we have some stowaways."
"Yes, sir," they said dreamily.
Luke turned to Oreius. "It's time to feed the Aethiopian drakon. Take these fools below and show them how it's done."
Oreius grinned stupidly. "Hehe! Hehe!"
"Let me go, too," Agrius grumbled. "My brother is worthless. That Cyclops –"
"Is no threat," Luke said. He glanced back at the golden casket, as if something were troubling him. "Agrius, stay here. We have important matters to discuss."
"But -"
"Oreius, don't fail me. Stay in the hold to make sure the drakon is properly fed."
Oreius prodded them with his javelin and herded the group out of the stateroom, followed by the two human security guards.
Percy and Cressida seemed to be on the same wavelength though as Oreius prodded them both in the back with his javelin, no words necessary to communicate what they thought as they stared at each other.
"Go," he whispered and Cressida spun as she slid past the javelin's point and pressed her hand on the hand Oreius had on the weapon.
"Freeze," she said as her hand glowed purple and her eyes became fiery and Oreius stopped moving as Percy yanked Cressida out of the way before Tyson turned and smacked Oreius. The bear twin was hurled back into the swimming pool, right into the middle of a zombie tourist family.
One of the security guards drew his nightstick, but Annabeth knocked the wind out of him with a well-placed kick. The other guard ran for the nearest alarm box.
"Stop him!" Annabeth yelled, but it was too late. Just before Percy banged him on the head with a deckchair, he hit the alarm. Red lights flashed. Sirens wailed.
"Lifeboat!" Percy shouted as they began running for the nearest one.
By the time they got the cover off, monsters and more security men were swarming the deck, pushing aside tourists and waiters with trays of tropical drinks. A guy in Greek armour drew his sword and charged, but slipped in a puddle of piña colada. Laistrygonian archers assembled on the deck above the scrambling group, notching arrows in their enormous bows.
"How the hell do you launch this thing?!" screamed Annabeth.
"Get in!" Percy yelled as Tyson knocked a hellhound aside with a fire extinguisher before it could attack Percy. And while he slashed the first volley of arrows out of the air, Cressida was using her thyrsus like a baseball bat as she knocked down the security guards that came running at them. "Can you distract them?" he asked as the lifeboat hung off the side of the ship, high above the water and Annabeth and Tyson were having no luck with the release pulley.
"Even if I could summon vines in the middle of the ocean, there's a million of them!" she shouted at him as she knocked down two of them before Percy grabbed her by her bag straps and threw her into the boat before jumping in himself.
"Hold on!" he yelled as he cut the ropes and they screamed as a shower of arrows whistled over their heads and they free-fell towards the ocean.