Percy's POV
Percy climbed from the deck and said, "Wow." They had landed near the summit of a forested hill. A complex of white buildings, like a museum or a university, nestled in a grove of pines to the left.
Below them spread the city of Atlanta—a cluster of brown and silver downtown skyscrapers two miles away, rising from what looked like an endless flat sprawl of highways, railroad tracks, houses, and green swathes of forest.
"Ah, lovely spot." Coach Hedge inhaled the morning air. "Good choice, Valdez." Leo shrugged. "I just picked a tall hill. That's a presidential library or something over there. At least that's what Festus says."
"I don't know about that!" Hedge barked. "But do you realize what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!" Frank flinched. "I should?" "A son of Ares stood here!" Hedge cried indignantly.
"I'm Roman...so Mars, actually." "Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!" "I'm Canadian, actually." "Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn."
"Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging—now there was a demigod!" Frank inched away from the satyr. "Uh, okay." "Yeah, what a role model." (Y/N) said, rolling his eyes.
Percy didn't care much about history, but he wondered whether landing here was a bad omen. He'd heard that most human civil wars started as fights between Greek and Roman demigods. Now they were standing on the site of one such battle.
The entire city below them had been leveled on orders of a child of Ares. Percy could imagine some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood giving such a command. Clarisse La Rue, for instance, wouldn't hesitate. But he couldn't imagine Frank being so harsh.
"Anyway," Percy said, "let's try not to burn down the city this time." The coach looked disappointed. "All right. But where to?" Percy pointed toward downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."
They began walking down the hill, ready to start their search, but one of them was given pause, "Come on cupcake I want to see high knees!" Hedge shouted at (Y/N) as he paused on the side of the hill. A worried expression plastered on his face.
"Look guys, I know finding saltwater is really important for whatever reason, but do you mind if we make a quick detour. This place is giving me a weird feeling and I want to get to the bottom of it." (Y/N) said.
He looked at Percy for approval, "What's wrong?" Percy asked, "Remember during the lightning bolt quest, when we were walking around LA. It's like that." (Y/N) elaborated, "Like I looked at the city and got chills, like the winds blowing past me."
Percy thought back. "That was where we found DOA Records. You don't think they have a branch here or something." "That place has a branch everywhere. But yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
Percy trusted (Y/N), after knowing him for so long, he understood his friend well enough to know (Y/N) wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't important. "Okay, if you say so, you and Hedge can go scope the place out."
"No, I think I need Frank with me on this one." (Y/N) insisted, not that Percy blamed him, "If you don't mind." He turned to Frank hopefully, "I have no idea what any of that meant, but I'll go."
Percy nodded, "Ok, me and Hedge will go looking for clues around salt water, you guys go do...whatever it is you want to do, we'll meet back here in fifteen. Or if we see any explosions." (Y/N) nodded. "Sounds like a plan gills."
(Y/N)'s POV
"A plan to get me pulverized..." Percy said under his breath as he and hedge crossed the road together and the satyr looked ready to charge into oncoming traffic for a chance to fight some road raging mortals. "Lead the way." Frank smiled.
(Y/N) paused, that was easier said than done, "Oh, um...right...Let's go..." He closed his eyes and focused, feeling as though something had just as they say 'walked over his grave' and in doing so, given him a direction to follow.
Pressing further, he found himself leaning towards the feeling rather than away from it, he opened his eyes and proclaimed, "This way." almost proudly, though he admittedly did not sound very confident in his choice.
Nor was he ready for a line of questioning when he was asked by Frank, "So what are we looking for here anyway, and why did you need me?" (Y/N) probably should have lied in that moment, but looking at Frank's earnest face, he couldn't bring himself to.
"I don't really know." He said as they began walking, the wind feeling as though it got colder but changed direction every few seconds. "Oh." Frank said, sounding much less confident with their little outing now.
"As for why I chose you. You were by far the safest choice, Percy's a child of the big three, monsters flock to him like he's handing out monster donuts, and Hedge well..." "He's hedge." Frank finished as (Y/N) nodded.
"But that isn't the only reason, I just feel like we haven't talked in a while and our last interaction didn't exactly go smoothly, sorry about your nose by the way, I'm glad the coach healed it up for you."
Frank's face turned grim for a moment, as though he had entirely forgotten about their fight, then he said "No problem." (Y/N) frowned, "You can hit me if you want." He told the son of Mars.
Frank just stared at him blankly, "I'm serious, don't worry about it, I've broken my nose...well more times than I'd care to admit, it's really not that big of a deal." Frank continued to stare at him like he had a screw loose.
In all fairness he probably did, because as Frank said "No thanks I'm fine." A little knot dug it's way into (Y/N)'s stomach, and he was very confused, most sons and daughters of the war god would have jumped at the chance.
If it were Clarisse, (Y/N) doubted he even would have gotten the sentence out of his mouth before the punch landed, they were not the type of people to pass on the opportunity to show their strength.
But as Frank just looked at (Y/N), mildly disturbed by the thought, (Y/N) couldn't help but smile, "Frank, you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago, thanks for that." "Uhhhh...you're welcome?"
They continued to walk in silence for a few minutes, Frank because he was disturbed and mulling over what just happened in his head, and (Y/N) because he was concentrating on the feeling he got.
It was getting stronger, as if the air were getting more dense.(Y/N) had his suspicions about why and how he was able to pick the scent up from even outside the city, it was because someone wanted him to.
If it was an entrance to the underworld, or just a place for souls to wait before entering, either way, Hades was pushing him towards it. Now I know what you're thinking.
If Annabeth told him to ignore Hades, and he didn't want to go to the underworld, why was essentially hunting for an entrance to the place right now? The answer was pretty simple, sometimes the best way to avoid something was to find it, so you knew what to avoid.
See passages to the underworld were few and far between. The chances of there being one in the city (Y/N) and his crew had just touched down in were very slim, meaning it was a new entrance, most likely placed here by Hades.
If (Y/N) could find it, and close it, Hades probably wouldn't be able to 'spawn' another one until they had this city in their rear view, meaning he would be safe from dealing with the god.
He was diverted from that plan of action when Frank nudged his shoulder, slowly turning his head towards the other side of the road. (Y/N) didn't have any trouble finding what he was gesturing to.
A group of five cyclopi were staring at them from the side walk, the mortals shuffled past them as if they didn't see them at all. Each monster wore ragged and dirty clothes, each held a club the size of a great oak tree.
"Just ignore them, everyone else does." (Y/N) said as he glanced over at the homeless monsters, suddenly reminded of Tyson. "I don't think they like that idea very much." Frank said, as the monsters crossed the road...to get to the other side.
"What do we do?" Frank asked, arrow in hand. "Well, we can't run, they'd just chase us though the city and put the mortals in danger, we need to find a parking lot, somewhere open."
They powerwalked through the city avoiding the monsters as best they could, but the monsters were still on their heels when they entered a grocery store parking lot. "What do we do?" Frank asked again
"Fight. Only option." (Y/N) said as they go back to back, keeping a watchful eye for their enemies. It was that moment that as wind rushed past him, (Y/N) realized something important. Something that changed the fight immensely.
"How do you fight cyclopi?" He asked, (Y/N) scoffed as he realised they weren't alone, "Depends on a lot of things, number of them, the age of them, how long they've been in their nest. The younger they are the easier. Same as any monster."
"Well, any helpful tips?" Frank asked. (Y/N) nodded. "First attack the eye, then go for one of the knees as they raise their hand to it, with any luck, if the cut's deep enough, they fall to their knees."
"They'll panic after that, once they lash out avoid the wild swing, get the neck as they come down." "Simple as that? What do you mean the wild swing?" (Y/N) nodded again. "Simple as that. Younger cyclopi are easier, for the most part, you can predict their movements."
"Cyclopi are built for forges, their first instinct to attack if they don't have a weapon handy is wide swings, most tend to raise their hand above their head and strike down, like pounding sheet metal."
"The older ones can kick the habit, and the young ones still pack a punch, learnt that the hard way." "Ok, so what do we do against an older one?" "They're pretty dumb, try the same thing, only jump backwards when they counterattack, if their hides are too thick, just dig deeper into the eye instead."
"With the older ones, they might have traps set up around, so stay on your toes, and make sure you don't trust your ears, they develop this nasty trick after a few years. Sort of read your mind. Trick you with familiar voices."
"How did you get past it?" "I didn't." A shiver went up his back, remembering the old whispering voices he heard when he was confined in their nests. "But they didn't have many voices to use against me back then." He explained.
"Now however, there are plenty to use. Like the voices of my FRIENDS!" He said, swinging backwards with his sword just in time. 'Frank' snarled at him, "That so?" His voice declared menacingly.
"Yeah." (Y/N) said quickly as he turned and jammed his sword into a sixth female cyclops's her just in time to avoid it, the blow went wide after he pushed it to the side, smashing into the ground beneath him, he pulled it out from the side of her palm and went to spin it towards her neck.
The cyclops reared back and dodged it, then slammed her other huge fist into the ground, and the room tremored like there was an earthquake, she jumped back, disengaging with him.
He looked at the monster, she was about the size of her brothers, maybe a little bigger, she wore a tarpaulin and some pink wall lining as a dress, her eye was also pink and her teeth were as sharp as razor blades, though only around six razorblades in total.
"How'd you tell?" She grinned toothlessly. "Frank would say 'cyclopses' and to be honest, you smell." She regarded him, and then grinned sickly, "You aren't worried about your friend Frank?" She asked.
"Nope, kids tough enough to deal with the likes of you." She growled, "You're him aren't you, the one people call a hunter, (Y/N) (L/N)." He nodded. "Good..." She smiled, he frowned, "That's new..." He thought as she chuckled.
"You look like you'd taste stringy, but I'm sure you're just full of knowledge like that gem you shared, about killing monsters like us." "I'm gonna smash your head open and see if I can see it all leak out." He smirked and raised his sword defensively. "Come find out pink-eye."
"Hey, I was going to ask you, is it cyclopi? Cyclopses? Cyclo...pee?" He said as she smashed the ground beneath him and he dodged to one side, not daring to use his wings in case she clipped them.
He and the monster clashed a few more times, neither of them doing much damage, her hide was thick and his reflexes were fast. The fight changed when all of a sudden the nearly ten foot tall cyclops wearing bright pink...disappeared.
Literally, as if she were never there. "That's also new." He muttered. As her voice rattled around the parking lot, he understood, "Yes, I am quite special. My brothers think that technology holds all the power, they don't understand, sometimes you need finesse."
She was the most well spoken cyclops he had ever encountered, and clearly had the ability to manipulate the mist. It was how she had separated him and Frank, why it had taken (Y/N) so long to realize.
She clearly had control over her magic. Which would have been more impressive, if she could have used it for anything more than intimidation or if she hadn't pronounced finesse like 'Fine S.'
(Y/N) spoke. "Did you know what cyclopi and harpies are some of the most common monsters in America, maybe the top two? Not counting Satyrs and Nymphs of course. Them being nature spirits and all." There was a clattering of metal beside him.
He saw Frank, the real Frank that was, on top of the grocery store, firing arrows down at the five brothers, who were now down to three, as they chucked shopping carts at him. (Y/N) was happy they hadn't dragged his friend too far.
He would have focused on that fight more, if he didn't have is own to deal with. He launched himself to the right to avoid a subaru that was just thrown at him. "-Being general here by the way, I don't mean you. Nobody wants you guys anywhere." He spoke, trying to rile her up.
"See, most people leave cyclopi alone, probably because of the smell, but you guys are too stupid to learn. At this point, I must have killed you guys by the hundred, it got so bad at this one nest, I was fighting for an entire day. And the gods thought so little of you guys, I only got one task completed per nest."
"In fact, you guys are so common, some might consider you an infestation. You're nothing like actual cyclopi, like Poseidon's kids. Of course, most of them go to the great forges, you guys, nobody wants you."
"So your population's high, but not very dense...well...there's not very many of you in one area, you are certainly dense. I mean, just look at your friends...while you still can that is-" Finally, she for lack of a better term, blew her gasket. Charging at him like a raging bull.
"Dam...should have said 'stink eye' not 'pink eye'...that would have been much better." He sighed as she charged at him. "I'm gonna put some dirt in your eye." He smirked, taking three of her grotesque fingers off with one slash of his sword.
All the while mentally praying those wouldn't be considered spoils of war once he was done with the cyclops. By the time she realized her mistake, that charging in was a really bad idea, it was too late, her head was separated from her body.
He watched her crumble to dust and kicked it a few times just to be sure, Before running over to Frank, who was out of arrows and waving his bow angrily as the cyclopi who now looked like pin cushions.
"Need a little help there bud?" (Y/N) called up to his friend on the roof, "If you wouldn't mind!" Frank shouted back, (Y/N) sighed, kind of disappointed that Frank would say that. "Hey!" He shouted at the cyclops currently scaling the store.
"Leave my friend alone." He said, but it wasn't a warning, just a suggestion, as (Y/N) raised his hand, containing the seven foot tall monster in an orb of shadow, that gradually got smaller and smaller, but the time he stopped, all that leaked out of it was dust.
The two remaining brothers saw that display and ran, "Sorry guys." (Y/N) said, pulling them back with their shadows and stabbing each in the eye, "Need those arrows back." By that time, Frank had turned into a sparrow and flown down to him. Though it looked like a struggle.
"What were you going to do if I wasn't here?" "Die. Probably." Frank said sadly. (Y/N) smacked him on the head, "Nope, wrong answer." "But I was alone against three monsters with no weapon-" "Except the ability to turn into a dragon, or a whale, or a bear-"
"I'm too tired for that, and you know what I mean, I was alone, there wasn't anything else I could do." (Y/N) bonked him on the head again, "Wrong! There is aways something you can do." He sighed, trying to figure out how to put this gently.
"Frank, there is going to be a time, when you aren't going to have me, Percy, or even Hazel to rely on, no more Gray to help you, your father isn't going to help you, there will come a moment where you just can't rely on anyone else."
"You don't have the luxury of being weak anymore Frank, people rely on you now, but that doesn't mean you can always rely on them. Percy's too nice to get it, he'll try to convince you that your friends will always be there to help you. He's too optimistic, always has been."
"Of course, we will always be there to help you, any quest, any issue, any late night karaoke session, but we won't be there every time you get into trouble. Even if we want to be." "How uplifting." Frank said tiredly.
(Y/N) chuckled "Well, I'm not that nice, and I'm not going to lie to you. It's a feeling I've known all too well at some of the darkest times in my life. As much as we want it to, sometimes, the world doesn't work that way."
"You saw what happened to me in Alaska didn't you, what I had to become to keep the three of you safe, I didn't like it, well, I did in the moment, but after, I hated every second. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to."
"You were alone today not because I didn't want to help you, because I couldn't. You did really well, taking out two Cyclopi by yourself, not an easy task, even with the rejects. You're a smart kid, and tough as nails. But...look..."
"I hope it never happens, but the way things are going, I see it playing out like this. Truth is kid, there will come a time when the bumbling loveable kid will have to go away for a while, and the son of Mars must come out, get it?"
"Frank, what I'm trying to get you to understand is, one day, it's just going to be you, your skills, your wits, nobody around to save you. You. Just you. And that has to be enough, it will be enough. We don't all get saving graces."
"There's going to come a time when you have to be your own hero. Understand? You might not be ready when it happens, but you have to be prepared." He said, brushing himself off, patting Frank on the shoulder and walking away.
Frank's expression softened, a sad glimmer passed by his eyes, (Y/N) nudged him, "But what do I know, I can't even find a hole in the floor. I don't know what I'm talking about." He winked, "We better hurry up, or coach will give us a whoopin' "
"But what about the wind thing you were talking about?" Frank asked, (Y/N) shrugged, "I don't know I lost the sense of it. Could be anywhere now. No time to worry about it, we're already past our schedule and-oh my gods that's perfect."
Returning quickly was easier said than done, because as they walked past the store that they almost trashed and (Y/N) saw something on display, he knew he had to have it. "Oh Annabeth's going to love this." He said, spending some of his cash on a surprise for later.
Frank gave him some side eye as he bought the item, "Are you sure man?" "Trust me, I know she's gonna love it. This is like...her one thing. She needs this." "Here I got you this too." (Y/N) said, passing him a keyring shaped like a bear.
"Gee, thanks..." Frank said. This of course meant they were an extra ten minutes late to their rendezvous. "Find anything?" Percy asked as they met up, (Y/N) and Frank shared a look and then decided to say in unison, "Nothing too special."
Percy's POV
Catching a ride there was easier than they thought. They headed to the presidential library—which turned out to be the Carter Center—and asked the staff if they could call a taxi or give them directions to the nearest bus stop.
Percy could have summoned Blackjack, but he was reluctant to ask the pegasus for help so soon after their last disaster. Frank didn't want to polymorph into anything. And besides, Percy was kind of hoping to travel like a regular mortal for a change.
One of the librarians, whose name was Esther, insisted on driving them personally. She was so nice about it, Percy thought she must be a monster in disguise; but Hedge pulled him aside and assured him that Esther smelled like a normal human.
"With a hint of potpourri," he said. "Cloves. Rose petals. Tasty!" They piled into Esther's big black Cadillac and drove toward downtown. Esther was so tiny, she could barely see over the steering wheel; but that didn't seem to bother her.
She muscled her car through traffic while regaling them with stories about the crazy families of Atlanta—the old plantation owners, the founders of Coca-Cola, the sports stars, and the CNN news people.
She sounded so knowledgeable that Percy decided to try his luck. "Uh, so, Esther," he said, "here's a hard question for you. Salt water in Atlanta. What's the first thing that comes to mind?" The old lady chuckled. "Oh, sugar. That's easy. Whale sharks!"
Frank and Percy exchanged looks. "Whale sharks?" Frank asked nervously. "You have those in Atlanta?" "At the aquarium, sugar," Esther said. "Very famous! Right downtown. Is that where you wanted to go?"
An aquarium. Percy considered that. He didn't know what an Ancient Greek, sea god would be doing at a Georgia aquarium, but he didn't have any better ideas. "Yes," Percy said. "That's where we're going."
Esther dropped them at the main entrance, where a line was already forming. She insisted on giving them her cell phone number for emergencies, money for a taxi ride back to the Carter Center, and a jar of homemade peach preserves, which for some reason she kept in a box in her trunk.
Frank stuck the jar in his backpack and thanked Esther, who had already switched from calling him sugar to son. As she drove away, Frank said, "Are all people in Atlanta that nice?" Hedge grunted. "Hope not. I can't fight them if they're nice. Let's go beat up some whale sharks. They sound dangerous!"
It hadn't occurred to Percy that they might have to pay admission, or stand in line behind a bunch of families and kids from summer camps. Looking at the elementary schoolers in their colorful T-shirts from various day camps, Percy felt a twinge of sadness.
He should be at Camp Half-Blood right now, settling into his cabin for the summer, teaching sword-fighting lessons in the arena, planning pranks on the other counselors. These kids had no idea just how crazy a summer camp could be.
He sighed. "Well, I guess we wait in line. Anybody have money?" Frank checked his pockets. "Three denarii from Camp Jupiter. Five dollars Canadian." Hedge patted his gym shorts and pulled out what he found.
"Three quarters, two dimes, a rubber band and—score! A piece of celery." (Y/N) checked his pockets, "Three dimes and a bent nickel." He said as Hedge started munching on the celery, eyeing the change and the rubber band like they might be next.
"Great," Percy said. His own pockets were empty except for his pen/sword, Riptide. He was pondering whether or not they could sneak in somehow, when (Y/N) said. "I got it." walking up to the front door attendant.
"Hey, you want to let us in, we're pretty awesome." the staff member blinked a few times, "Yeah, you are pretty awesome...I should..." "Yeah, let us in I know." (Y/N) held out his hand, as the employee scrambled to get four passes, they were interrupted.
A woman in a blue-and-green Georgia Aquarium shirt came up to them, smiling brightly. "Ah, VIP visitors!" She had perky dimpled cheeks, thick-framed glasses, braces, and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails.
Even though she was probably in her late twenties, she looked like a schoolgirl nerd—sort of cute, but sort of odd. Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt, she wore dark slacks and black sneakers.
She bounced on the balls of her feet like she simply couldn't contain her energy. Her name tag read KATE. "You have your payment, I see," she said. "Excellent!" "What?" Percy asked. Looking at (Y/N), who shook his head and shrugged clearly as lost as they were.
Kate scooped the three denarii out of Frank's hand. "Yes, that's fine. Right this way!" She left (Y/N) standing beside the employee, as if he hadn't existed at all She spun and trotted off toward the main entrance. (Y/N) nodded, telling them to follow her and he'd find them later.
Percy looked at Coach Hedge and Frank. "A trap?" "Probably," Frank said. "She's not mortal," Hedge said, sniffing the air. "Probably some sort of goat eating, demigod-destroying fiend from Tartarus." "No doubt," Percy agreed. "Awesome." Hedge grinned. "Let's go."
(Y/N)'s POV
"That's what I get for trying to be helpful huh?" (Y/N) said exasperatedly to the dazed looking desk clerk, who just nodded. He took the four tickets clutched in their hand and walked away, "Three denari, four people. Excellent planning. I knew I should have stayed on the ship."
He tried to follow his friends, but that lady they were with walked pretty fast, and of course Percy just went right along with her as if nothing was shady about randomly getting VIP treatment. "I swear to the gods this better not be like the lotus hotel again." (Y/N) muttered as he walked,
He was trying to trace Hedge with his eyes through the wall. But this place was like a maze, with so many people and animals here, he might as well have been looking at a kaleidoscope. It was getting him nowhere.
(Y/N) didn't know how to feel about aquariums and zoos, he liked the spectacle, but there was always something in the back of his mind telling him these creatures deserved to be free.
He would always remember the trip to Vegas when he saw them, but that wasn't his only problem this time, this place was weird. The glass, there was something strange about it, this place was definitely some type of monster den.
Was he surprised? Not at all, like he said to Frank, Percy attracted trouble, of course he would lead them here. (Y/N) needed to track down his friends on the double. If he couldn't do it alone, he would need a guide.
He spent a few minutes searching for a tour guide, but found none, for some reason the mortals were just left sort of free range, to run wild. He would have gone back to the front desk, but he lost his way.
"Hey sorry, you work here right?" He asked guy dressed as a janitor. "In a manner of speaking yes. I watch over the place." He was an old guy, about four foot six, probably early seventies, late sixties. Wearing janitor overalls with a mop bucket and yellow gloves. Big thick glasses over his nose.
His hair was slicked back and he had a magnificent beard that was very well kept. His eyes were blue and sparkling. Part of (Y/N) hoped he would look that good at this guys age, but he doubted it.
"Listen uh..." He looked at the mans name tag, "Thomas. I need you to take me to where the VIP's go. Do you know where that is?" The old man looked at him, "Why of course I do, but I think you'd prefer to stay here."
"Take your time, enjoy the wonders around you, isn't it magical?" He asked, gesturing around to the creatures in tanks. "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. Look it's an emergency. My friends are already through there."
"Oh you've been separated from your friends! Why didn't you say so, don't you worry sonny, I'll help you find them, follow me, follow me." "Please don't call me sonny, I have bad memories of that name."
"Oh then what would you like me to call you my boy?" "Uhhh, Glenn Coco?" Thomas gave him a confused look, "No I don't think that's right." (Y/N) panicked, but suddenly realized the mist would make this easy, his answers wouldn't matter.
"Fine I lied, my name is Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis." "I'm just going to keep calling you sonny." "Fair enough." "Do you have a phone number we can call young man?" "Uh no, I can't afford one."
"Good, good, not like teenagers these days, there's so much beauty in the world, in the seas, but they spend their time watching screens. It is a shame." "Yeah I guess...Thomas you're a genius!"
"I know (Y/N)." He said cheekily, (Y/N) didn't even catch the issue with that, too excited after figuring out how he could help his friends. "Can I borrow these?" (Y/N) asked his new friend, gently pulling the man's glasses free of his face.
"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering of...this dime, show me Percy Jackson." (Y/M) said as he tried to position the gleam from his sword into a beam of light, through Thomas's glasses and bouncing a tiny little string of a rainbow off the glass of a fish tank.
It shouldn't have worked, there was no way that glass was reflective enough, but maybe (Y/N) got a pass as the patron saint of rainbows or something. Because a few seconds later a voice erupted from the air. "A dime!"
He couldn't see Iris, the picture was too small, that was until the goddess literally reached her hands through the picture and extended it, like she was tearing a hole in the air. Her face emerged from the rainbow, furious.
"A DIME! Are you joking me right now (Y/N), that is the highest disrespect I have ever-" She blinked. "Who is that with you?" She asked, "My buddy Thomas. So can you help me get in touch with Percy or not?" (Y/N) said quickly.
"Why of course I can, but-" Iris leaned her head to look over at the man. He waved at her, "Hello." Then, her eyes widened so much they were bigger than her round glasses, her face went pale, she let out a shriek and ducking her head away from view, cut off the iris message with no explanation.
Percy's POV
Kate got them past the ticket queue and into the aquarium with no problem. "Right this way." Kate grinned at Percy. "It's a wonderful exhibit. You won't be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs." "Uh, you mean demigods?" Frank asked.
Kate winked at him impishly and put a finger to her mouth. "So over here is the cold-water experience, with your penguins and beluga whales and whatnot. And over there...well, those are some fish, obviously."
For an aquarium worker, she didn't seem to know much or care much about the smaller fish. They passed one huge tank full of tropical species, and when Frank pointed to a particular fish and asked what it was, Kate said, "Oh, those are the yellow ones."
They passed the gift shop. Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys. "Take what you want," Kate told him. Frank blinked. "Really?" "Of course! You're a VIP!" Frank hesitated. Then he stuffed some T-shirts in his backpack.
"Dude," Percy said, "what are you doing?" "She said I could," Frank whispered. "Besides, I need more clothes. I didn't pack for a long trip!" He added a snow globe to his stash, which didn't seem like clothing to Percy.
Then Frank picked up a braided cylinder about the size of a candy bar. He squinted at it. "What is—?" "Chinese handcuffs," Percy said. Frank, who was Chinese Canadian, looked offended. "How is this Chinese?"
"I don't know," Percy said. "That's just what it's called. It's like a gag gift." "Come along, boys!" Kate called from across the hall. "I'll show you later," Percy promised. Frank stuffed the handcuffs in his backpack, and they kept walking.
They passed through an acrylic tunnel. Fish swam over their heads, and Percy felt irrational panic building in his throat. This is dumb, he told himself. I've been underwater a million times. And I'm not even in the water.
The real threat was Kate, he reminded himself. Hedge had already detected that she wasn't human. Any minute she might turn into some horrible creature and attack them. Unfortunately, Percy didn't see much choice but to play along with her VIP tour until they could find the sea god Phorcys, even if they were walking deeper into a trap.
They emerged in a viewing room awash with blue light. On the other side of a glass wall was the biggest aquarium tank Percy had ever seen. Cruising in circles were dozens of huge fish, including two spotted sharks, each twice Percy's size.
They were fat and slow, with open mouths and no teeth. "Whale sharks," Coach Hedge growled. "Now we shall battle to the death!" Kate giggled. "Silly satyr. Whale sharks are peaceful. They only eat plankton."
Percy scowled. He wondered how Kate knew the coach was a satyr. Hedge was wearing pants and specially fitted shoes over his hooves, like satyrs usually did to blend in with mortals. His baseball cap covered his horns.
The more Kate giggled and acted friendly, the more Percy didn't like her; but Coach Hedge didn't seem fazed. "Peaceful sharks?" the coach said with disgust. "What's the point of that?" Frank read the plaque next to the tank.
"The only whale sharks in captivity in the world," he mused. "That's kind of amazing." "Yes, and these are small," Kate said. "You should see some of my other babies out in the wild." "Your babies?" Frank asked.
Judging from the wicked glint in Kate's eyes, Percy was pretty sure he didn't want to meet Kate's babies. He decided it was time to get to the point. He didn't want to go any farther into this aquarium than he had to.
"So, Kate," he said, "we're looking for a guy...I mean a god, named Phorcys. Would you happen to know him?" Kate snorted. "Know him? He's my brother. That's where we're going, sillies. The real exhibits are right through here."
She gestured at the far wall. The solid black surface rippled, and another tunnel appeared, leading through a luminous purple tank. Kate strolled inside. The last thing Percy wanted to do was follow, but if Phorcys was really on the other side, and if he had information that would help their quest...Percy took a deep breath and followed his friends into the tunnel.
As soon as they entered, Coach Hedge whistled. "Now that's interesting." Gliding above them were multicolored jellyfish the size of trash cans, each with hundreds of tentacles that looked like silky barbed wire.
One jellyfish had a paralyzed ten-foot-long swordfish tangled in its grasp. The jellyfish slowly wrapped its tendrils tighter and tighter around its prey. Kate beamed at Coach Hedge. "You see? Forget the whale sharks! And there's much more."
Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! Sponsored by Monster Donut. Percy had to read the sign twice because of his dyslexia, and then twice more to let the message sink in.
"Monster Donut?" "Oh, yes," Kate said. "One of our corporate sponsors." Percy gulped. His last experience with Monster Donut hadn't been pleasant. It had involved acid-spitting serpent heads, much screaming, and a cannon.
In one aquarium, a dozen hippocampi—horses with the tails of fish—drifted aimlessly. Percy had seen many hippocampi in the wild. He'd even ridden a few; but he had never seen any in an aquarium.
He tried to speak with them, but they just floated around, occasionally bonking against the glass. Their minds seemed addled. "This isn't right," Percy muttered. He turned and saw something even worse.
At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids—female sea spirits—sat cross-legged, facing each other, playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored. Their long green hair floated listlessly around their faces.
Their eyes were half closed. Percy felt so angry, he could hardly breathe. He glared at Kate. "How can you keep them here?" "I know." Kate sighed. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid. I think you'll like this tank over here much better."
Percy started to protest, but Kate had already moved on. "Holy mother of goats!" cried Coach Hedge. "Look at these beauties!" He was gawking at two sea serpents—thirty-foot-long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could have bitten a whale shark in half.
In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size of an eighteen-wheeler, with a beak like a giant bolt cutter. A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands.
They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Legos, though the creatures seemed just as dazed as the Nereids. "Are those—?" Percy struggled to form the question.
"Telkhines?" Kate said. "Yes! The only ones in captivity." "But they fought for Kronos in the last war!" Percy said. "They're dangerous!" Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we couldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous. Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."
"Sedated?" Frank asked. "Is that legal?" Kate appeared not to have heard. She kept walking, pointing out other exhibits. Percy looked back at the telkhines. One was obviously a youngster. He was trying to make a sword out of Legos, but he seemed too groggy to put the pieces together.
Percy had never liked sea demons, but now he felt sorry for them. "And these sea monsters," Kate narrated up ahead, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod—"
"Demigod?" Frank yelped. "But they will eat whales or small boats, too." Kate turned to Percy and blushed. "Sorry...I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon, and all."
Percy's ears were ringing like alarm bells. He didn't like how much Kate knew about him. He didn't like the way she casually tossed out information about drugging captive creatures or which of her babies liked to devour demigods.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Does Kate stand for something?" "Kate?" She looked momentarily confused. Then she glanced at her name tag. "Oh..." She laughed. "No, it's—" "Hello!" said a new voice, booming through the aquarium.
A small man scuttled out of the darkness. He walked sideways on bowed legs like a crab, his back hunched, his arms raised on either side like he was holding invisible plates. He wore a wet suit that was several horrible shades of green.
Glittery silver words printed down the side read: PORKY'S FOLLIES. A headset microphone was clamped over his greasy wiry hair. His eyes were milky blue, one higher than the other, and though he smiled, he didn't look friendly, more like his face was being peeled back in a wind tunnel.
"Visitors!" the man said, the word thundering through the microphone. He had a DJ's voice, deep and resonant, which did not at all match his appearance. "Welcome to Phorcys's Follies!" He swept his arms in one direction, as if directing their attention to an explosion. Nothing happened.
"Curse it," the man grumbled. "Telkhines, that's your cue! I wave my hands, and you leap energetically in your tank, do a synchronized double spin, and land in pyramid formation. We practiced this!"
The sea demons paid him no attention. Coach Hedge leaned toward the crab man and sniffed his glittery wet suit. "Nice outfit." He didn't sound like he was kidding. Of course, the satyr wore gym uniforms for fun.
"Thank you!" The man beamed. "I am Phorcys." Frank shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Why does your suit say Porky?" Phorcys snarled. "Stupid uniform company! They can't get anything right."
Kate tapped her name tag. "I told them my name was Keto. They misspelled it as Kate. My brother...well, now he's Porky." "I am not!" the man snapped. "I'm not even a little porky. The name doesn't work with Follies, either."
"What kind of show is called Porky's Follies? But you folks don't want to hear us complain. Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid!" He gestured dramatically toward the squid tank.
This time, fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue, sending up geysers of golden sparkles. Music swelled from the loudspeakers. The lights brightened and revealed the wondrous majesty of an empty tank.
The squid had apparently skulked back into its cave. "Curse it!" Phorcys yelled again. He wheeled on his sister. "Keto, training the squid was your job. Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?"
"He's shy," Keto said defensively. "Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily." She turned toward Frank. "Did you know the monstrous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armor and all, without getting indigestion? It's true!"
Frank stumbled away from her, hugging his gut as if making sure he was still in one piece. "Keto!" Porky snapped—literally, since he clicked his fingers to his thumbs like crab claws. "You'll bore our guests with so much information. Less education, more entertainment! We've discussed this."
"But—" "No buts! We're here to present 'Death in the Deep Seas!' Sponsored by Monster Donut!" The last words reverberated through the room with extra echo. Lights flashed. Smoke clouds billowed from the floor, making donut-shaped rings that smelled like real donuts.
"Available at the concession stand," Phorcys advised. "But you've spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour, and so you shall! Come with me!" "Um, hold it," Percy said. Phorcys's smile melted in an ugly way. "Yes?"
"You're a sea god, aren't you?" Percy asked. "Son of Gaea?" The crab man sighed. "Five thousand years, and I'm still known as Gaea's little boy. Never mind that I'm one of the oldest sea gods in existence."
"Older than your upstart father, by the way. I'm god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no...nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I'm exiled from the ocean—to Atlanta, of all places."
"We thought the Olympians said Atlantis," Keto explained. "Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead." Percy narrowed his eyes. "And you're a goddess?" "Keto, yes!" She smiled happily.
"Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It's true!"
Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick. Coach Hedge whistled. "Six years? That's fascinating." "I know!" Keto beamed. "And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?" Hedge asked. "I love nature."
"Oh, well—" "Stop!" Phorcys demanded. "You're ruining the show! Now, witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!" A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, making the water dance with multicolored light.
Two swords fell to the bottom and plunked in the sand. The Nereids ignored them and kept playing Go Fish. "Curse it!" Phorcys stomped his legs sideways. Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge. "Don't mind Porky. He's such a windbag. Come with me, my fine satyr. I'll show you full-color diagrams of the monsters' hunting habits."
"Excellent!" Before Percy could object, Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving Frank and him alone with the crabby sea god. A bead of sweat traced its way down Percy's neck. He exchanged a nervous look with Frank.
This felt like a divide-and-conquer strategy. He didn't see any way the encounter was going to end well. Part of him wanted to attack Phorcys now—at least that might give them the element of surprise—but they hadn't found out any useful information yet.
(Y/N) was nowhere to be found, Percy wasn't sure he could find Coach Hedge again. He wasn't even sure he could find the exit. Phorcys must've read his expression. "Oh, it's fine!" the god assured him.
"Keto might be a little boring, but she'll take good care of your friend. And honestly, the best part of the tour is still to come!" Percy tried to think, but he was starting to get a headache. He wasn't sure if it was from yesterday's head injury, Phorcys's special effects, or his sister's lectures on nauseating sea monster facts.
"So..." he managed. "Dionysus sent us here." "Bacchus," Frank corrected. "Right." Percy tried to keep his annoyance in check. He could barely remember one name for each god. Two was pushing it.
"The wine god. Whatever." He looked at Phorcys. "Bacchus said you might know what your mom Gaea is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours—Ephialtes and Otis. And if you happen to know anything about this Mark of Athena—"
"Bacchus thought I would help you?" Phorcys asked. "Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, you're Phorcys. Everybody talks about you." Phorcys tilted his head so that his mismatched eyes almost lined up.
"They do?" "Of course. Don't they, Frank?" "Oh...sure!" Frank said. "People talk about you all the time." "What do they say?" the god asked. Frank looked uncomfortable. "Well, you have great pyrotechnics. And a good announcer's voice. And, um, a disco ball—"
"It's true!" Phorcys clacked his fingers and thumbs excitedly. "I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world!" "And you know stuff," Percy added. "Like about the twins and what they're up to."
"The twins!" Phorcys made his voice echo. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea serpent tank. "Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabes! They never fit in with the other giants. Too puny—and those snakes for feet."
"Snakes for feet?" Percy remembered the long, curly shoes the twins had been wearing in his dream. "Yes, yes," Phorcys said impatiently. "They knew they couldn't get by on their strength, so they decided to go for drama—illusions, stage tricks, that sort of thing."
"You see, Gaea shaped her giant children with specific enemies in mind. Each giant was born to kill a certain god. Ephialtes and Otis...well, together they were sort of the anti-Dionysus." Percy tried to wrap his mind around that idea.
"So...they want to replace all wine with cranberry juice or something?" The sea god snorted. "Nothing like that! Ephialtes and Otis always wanted to do things better, flashier, more spectacular!"
"Oh, of course they wanted to kill Dionysus. But first they wanted to humiliate him by making his revelries look tame!" Frank glanced at the sparklers. "By using stuff like fireworks and disco balls?"
Phorcys's mouth stretched into that wind tunnel smile. "Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know, or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top of one another."
"It was just an illusion, of course. I told them it was ridiculous. 'You should start small,' I said. 'Sawing each other in half, pulling gorgons out of a hat. That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!'"
"Good advice," Percy agreed. "And now the twins are—" "Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome," Phorcys sneered. "It's one of Mother's silly ideas. They're keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar."
He turned toward Frank. "You're a child of Ares, aren't you? You've got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once." "Child of Mars," Frank corrected. "Wait...these giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?"
"Yes, another stupid stunt," said the sea god. "How can you show off your prisoner if he's in a bronze jar? No entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimens!" He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bonking their heads apathetically against the glass.
Percy tried to think. He felt like the lethargy of the addled sea creatures was starting to affect him. "You said this—this doomsday show was Gaea's idea?" "Well...Mother's plans always have lots of layers." He laughed. "The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!"
"Uh-huh," Percy said. "And so her plan..." "Oh, she's put out a general bounty on some group of demigods," Phorcys said. "She doesn't really care who kills them, as long as they're killed. Well...I take that back."
"She was very specific that two must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such."
"That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena." Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. "Ha! Good luck with that, eh?"
Frank laughed nervously. "Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb because, uh..." Phorcys narrowed his eyes. Percy slipped his hand into his pocket. He closed his fingers around Riptide. Even this old sea god must be smart enough to realize they were the demigods with the bounty on their heads.
But Phorcys just grinned and elbowed Frank again. "Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you're right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston, they'd never make it to Rome alive!"
"Yes, the MAP IN CHARLESTON," Frank said loudly, giving Percy a wide eyed look to make sure he hadn't missed the information. He couldn't have been more obvious if he had held up a large sign that read CLUE!!!!!
"But enough boring educational stuff!" Phorcys said. "You've paid for the VIP treatment. Won't you please let me finish the tour? The three denarii entrance fee is non refundable, you know."
Percy wasn't excited about more fireworks, donut-scented smoke, or depressing captive sea creatures. But he glanced at Frank and decided they'd better humor the crabby old god, at least until they found Coach Hedge and got safely to the exit.
Besides, they might be able to get more information out of Phorcys. "Afterward," Percy said, "can we ask questions?" "Of course! I'll tell you everything you need to know." Phorcys clapped his hands twice.
On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank. "Walk this way!" Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel. Frank scratched his head. "Do we have to—?" He turned sideways. "It's just a figure of speech, man," Percy said. "Come on."
(Y/N)'s POV
"What the hell!" (Y/N) said, sighing, figuring that Zeus must have caught her or whatever. "Whatever, Thomas, thanks for lending me your glasses." The old man smiled crookedly, "No problem sonny."
"How do you know that young lady?" He asked, (Y/N) shrugged, figuring the mist would fix this no matter what answer he gave, "She's Iris goddess of the rainbow-" "Oh, I know that, I just meant how do you know her, are you her friend?"
(Y/N) turned his head to the old man, "Huh, what do you mean you know that?" He grinned again, but didn't answer, "Are you her friend?" He asked again. "I hope you are."
This time (Y/N) did panic, he raised his hand to the old man and clicked his fingers, the mist didn't move, this guy wasn't a monster, but he was something, "Uhhh...yeah." "Good, good, she needs more friends."
"Who, or what are you?" Thomas smiled, "I told you, I watch over the place. I have done for a while, not that Porky knows. I prefer to keep a low profile. I've seen all manner of creatures come through here. But I must say, It's not every day you meet a champion of a rainbow goddess. "
(Y/N) reached for his sword, but suddenly, it wasn't there. The old man shook his head, "I'm not going to hurt you." He said kindly. (Y/N) heard a little 'dink' and noticed both his weapons were now on the other side of the aquarium glass.
"Hey!" He shouted without thinking. "Don't worry about that right now. I'll give you them back." "What do you want?" (Y/N) said, his hands heating up. "Godling we are in the middle of an aquarium. Don't." The kind man said
(Y/N) had been threatened a lot in his life, this didn't feel like a threat, just some friendly advice. Then he blinked and he was on the other side of the glass, in the water, just for a second.
Before he could even attempt to swim towards his weapons, he was breathing air again, now soaked to the bone. Thomas smiled at him as if to say "Are we clear?" (Y/N) coughed up some water and fell on his butt as he tried to step forward.
"What do you want?" (Y/N) asked him once more. The old man laughed. (Y/N) just now realized there was no crowd around them, "Well, we couldn't have you as a VIP. You've been claimed for someone else."
Suddenly Thomas was holding Gleam and Glimmer out to (Y/N), passing them back to (Y/N), "Phorcys doesn't understand how the world works, he would have wanted you for his little presentation, We can't have that can we?"
"They wouldn't like that very much. Everyone knows, no matter what the earth mother says, you aren't to be taken away from whom you belong to." "What is that supposed to mean, why are you telling me this?"
"So that she knows we did not interfere. So she leaves us free to do as we please. So that the wonders under the sea are safe from her wrath when you fail." Then Thomas smiled politely, "Now let's get you to your friends shall we?"
(Y/N) felt weightless for a moment, the last thing he heard was Thomas saying "You have my condolences." Before (Y/N) was suddenly in a different part of the aquarium. As always, utterly lost and confused about what just happened.
Percy's POV
The tunnel ran along the floor of a gymnasium-sized tank. Except for water and some cheap decorations, it seemed majestically empty. Percy guessed there were about fifty thousand gallons of water over their heads. If the tunnel were to shatter for some reason...
No big deal, Percy thought. I've been surrounded by water thousands of times. This is my home court. I'm in my element. But his heart was pounding. He remembered sinking into the cold Alaskan bog—black mud covering his eyes, mouth, and nose.
Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread his arms proudly. "Beautiful exhibit, isn't it?" Percy tried to distract himself by concentrating on details. In one corner of the tank, snuggled in a forest of fake kelp, was a life-sized plastic gingerbread cottage with bubbles coming out of the chimney.
In the opposite corner, a plastic sculpture of a guy in an old-fashioned diving suit knelt beside a treasure chest, which popped open every few seconds, spewed bubbles, and closed again.
Littered across the white sand floor were glass marbles the size of bowling balls, and a strange assortment of weapons like tridents and spearguns. Outside the tank's display wall was an amphitheater with seating for several hundred.
"What do you keep in here?" Frank asked. "Giant killer goldfish?" Phorcys raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish."
At descendant of Poseidon, Frank flinched. He stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing. A sense of dread trickled down Percy's throat like cough syrup. Unfortunately, it was a feeling he was used to.
"How do you know Frank's last name?" he demanded. "How do you know he's descended from Poseidon?" "Well..." Phorcys shrugged, trying to look modest. "It was probably in the descriptions Gaea provided. You know, for the bounty, Percy Jackson."
Percy uncapped his pen. Instantly, Riptide appeared in his hand. "Don't double-cross me, Phorcys. You promised me answers." "After the VIP treatment, yes," Phorcys agreed. "I promised to tell you everything you need to know."
"The thing is, however, you don't really need to know anything." His grotesque smile stretched wide. "You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is quite unlikely, you'd never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side."
"And what god would help you? So I have a better plan. You're not leaving. You're VIPs—Very Important Prisoners!" Percy lunged. Frank hurled his backpack at the sea god's head. Phorcys simply disappeared.
The god's voice reverberated through the aquarium's sound system, echoing down the tunnel. "Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she did agree that I could keep anything I caught."
"You two will make an excellent exhibit—the only demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity. 'Demigod Terrors'—yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM."
"You're crazy!" Frank yelled. "Don't sell yourself short!" Phorcys said. "You'll be our biggest draw!" Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well.
Their tunnel had become a bubble. He put his hand against the glass and realized it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in. "We won't cooperate, Phorcys!" he shouted.
"Oh, I'm optimistic," the sea god's voice boomed. "If you won't fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you'll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you'll come to love your new home."
Over Percy's head, the glass dome cracked and began to leak. "I'm the son of Poseidon!" Percy tried to keep the fear out of his voice. "You can't imprison me in water. This is where I'm strongest."
Phorcys's laugh seemed to come from all around them. "What a coincidence! It's also where I'm strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun, you two. I'll see you at feeding time!"
The glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in. Percy held his breath until he couldn't stand it. When he finally filled his lungs with water, it felt just like normal breathing. The water pressure didn't bother him.
His clothes didn't even get wet. His underwater abilities were as good as ever. It's just a stupid phobia, he assured himself. I'm not going to drown. Then he remembered Frank, and he immediately felt a surge of panic and guilt.
Percy had been so worried about himself that he'd forgotten his friend was only a distant descendant of Poseidon. Frank couldn't breathe underwater. But where was he? Percy turned in a full circle. Nothing.
Then he glanced up. Hovering about him was a giant goldfish. Frank had turned—clothes, backpack, and all—into a koi the size of a teenaged boy. Dude. Percy sent his thoughts through the water, the way he spoke with other sea creatures. A goldfish?
Frank's voice came back to him: I freaked. We were talking about goldfish, so it was on my mind. Sue me. I'm having a telepathic conversation with a giant koi, Percy said. Great. Can you turn into something more...useful?
Silence. Maybe Frank was concentrating, though it was impossible to tell, since koi don't have many expressions. Sorry. Frank sounded embarrassed. I'm stuck. That happens sometimes when I panic.
Fine. Percy gritted his teeth. Let's figure out how to escape. Frank swam around the tank and reported no exits. The top was covered with Celestial bronze mesh, like the curtains that roll down over closed storefronts at the mall.
Percy tried to cut through with Riptide, but he couldn't make a dent. He tried to smash through the glass wall with his sword hilt—again, no luck. Then he repeated his efforts with several of the weapons lying around the bottom of the tank and managed to break three tridents, a sword, and a speargun.
Finally he tried to control the water. He wanted it to expand and break the tank, or explode out the top. The water didn't obey. Maybe it was enchanted, or under the power of Phorcys. Percy concentrated until his ears popped, but the best he could do was blow the lid off the plastic treasure chest.
Well, that's it, he thought dejectedly. I'll have to live in a plastic gingerbread house the rest of my life, fighting my giant goldfish friend and waiting for feeding time. Phorcys had promised they'd learn to love it.
Percy thought about the dazed telkhines, the Nereids and hippocampi, all swimming in bored, lazy circles. The thought of ending up like that didn't help to lower his anxiety level. He wondered if Phorcys was right.
Even if they managed to escape, how could they defeat the giants if the gods were all incapacitated? Bacchus might be able to help. He had killed the twin giants once before, but he would only join the fight if he got an impossible tribute.
The idea of giving Bacchus any kind of tribute made Percy want to gag himself with a Monster Donut. Look! Frank said. Outside the glass, Keto was leading Coach Hedge through the amphitheater, lecturing him on something while the coach nodded and admired the stadium seating.
Coach! Percy yelled. Then he realized it was hopeless. The coach couldn't hear telepathic yelling. Frank bumped his head against the glass. Hedge didn't seem to notice. Keto walked him briskly across the amphitheater.
She didn't even look through the glass, probably because she assumed the tank was still empty. She pointed to the far end of the room as if saying, Come on. More gruesome sea monsters this way.
Percy realized he had only a few seconds before the coach would be gone. He swam after them, but the water didn't help him move as it usually did. In fact, it seemed to be pushing him back. He dropped Riptide and used both arms.
Coach Hedge and Keto were five feet from the exit. In desperation, Percy scooped up a giant marble and hurled it underhanded like a bowling ball. It hit the glass with a thunk—not nearly loud enough to attract attention. Percy's heart sank.
But Coach Hedge had the ears of a satyr. He glanced over his shoulder. When he saw Percy, his expression went through several changes in a matter of micro seconds—incomprehension, surprise, outrage, then a mask of calm.
Before Keto could notice, Hedge pointed toward the top of the amphitheater. It looked like he might be screaming, Gods of Olympus, what is that? Keto turned. Coach Hedge promptly took off his fake foot and ninja-kicked her in the back of the head with his goat hoof.
Keto crumpled to the floor. Percy winced. His own recently whopped head throbbed in sympathy, but he had never been happier to have a chaperone who liked mixed martial arts cage matches.
Hedge ran to the glass. He held up his palms like: What are you doing in there, Jackson? Percy pounded his fist on the glass and mouthed: Break it! Hedge yelled a question that might have been: Where's Frank?
Percy pointed at the giant koi. Frank waved his left dorsal fin. 'Sup? Behind Hedge, the sea goddess began to move. Percy pointed frantically. Hedge shook his leg like he was warming up his kicking hoof.
That was when (Y/N) appeared out of nowhere, looking as though he too had decided to take a dip in one of the aquarium tanks himself and punched Keto on the side of the head, looking ready to do it again. He waved, "Hey guys." He said in a muffled voice through the glass.
Percy waved his arms, No. They couldn't keep whopping Keto on the head forever. Since she was immortal, she wouldn't stay down, and it wouldn't get them out of this tank. It was only a matter of time before Phorcys came back to check on them.
On three, Percy mouthed, holding up three fingers and then gesturing at the glass. All of us hit it at the same time. Percy had never been good at charades, but Hedge nodded like he understood. Hitting things was a language the satyr knew well.
(Y/N) nodded, holding up both his swords and backing up as if he wanted to get some momentum. Percy hefted another giant marble. Frank, we'll need you too. Can you change form yet?
Maybe back to human. Human is fine! Just hold your breath. If this works... Keto rose to her knees. No time to waste. Percy counted on his fingers. One, two, three! Frank turned to human and shoved his shoulder against the glass.
(Y/N) did a sort of jumping tackle into the glass with his weapons. The coach did a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick with his hoof. Percy used all his strength to slam the marble into the wall, but he did more than that.
He called on the water to obey him, and this time he refused to take no for an answer. He felt all the pent-up pressure inside the tank, and he put it to use. Water liked to be free. Given time, water could overcome any barrier.
It hated to be trapped, just like Percy. He thought about getting back to Zoe. He thought about destroying this horrible prison for sea creatures. He thought about shoving Phorcys's microphone down his ugly throat.
Fifty thousand gallons of water responded to his anger. The glass wall cracked. Fracture lines zigzagged from the point of impact, and suddenly the tank burst. Percy was sucked out in a torrent of water.
He tumbled across the amphitheater floor with Frank, some large marbles, and a clump of plastic seaweed. Keto was just getting to her feet when the diver statue slammed into her like it wanted a hug.
(Y/N) rubbed his eyes furiously and wiped water from his face as Coach Hedge spit salt water. "Pan's pipes, Jackson! What were you doing in there?" "Phorcys!" Percy spluttered. "Trap! Run!" Alarms blared as they fled the exhibits.
"Don't trust the janitors, let's go!" (Y/N) said. They ran past the Nereids' tank, then the telkhines. Percy wanted to free them, but how? They were drugged and sluggish, and they were sea creatures.
They wouldn't survive unless he found a way to transport them to the ocean. Besides, if Phorcys caught them, Percy was pretty sure the sea god's power would overcome his. And Keto would be after them too, ready to feed them to her sea monsters.
I'll be back, Percy promised, but if the creatures in the exhibits could hear him, they gave no sign. Over the sound system, Phorcys's voice boomed: "Percy Jackson!" Flash pots and sparklers exploded randomly.
Donut-scented smoke filled the halls. Dramatic music—five or six different tracks—blared simultaneously from the speakers. Lights popped and caught fire as all the special effects in the building were triggered at once.
"Percy, I swear to all the gods, you are never picking out where we go on a day trip ever again!" (Y/N) said, his shoes squeaking on the floor as he tried to run, slipping past them every time they turned a corner.
Percy, Coach Hedge, (Y/N) and Frank stumbled out of the glass tunnel and found themselves back in the whale shark room. The mortal section of the aquarium was filled with screaming crowds.
Families and day camp groups running in every direction while the staff raced around frantically, trying to assure everyone it was just a faulty alarm system. Percy knew better. He and his friends joined the mortals and ran for the exit.