Tantalus was going to die.
At least, that's what Percy wanted most at that time. According to the old man, the Stymphalian birds had simply been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if Annabeth, Tyson, Percy and Y/N hadn't disturbed them with their bad chariot driving.
They were all sentenced to kitchen patrol scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies. The harpies washed with lava instead of water, to get that lovely sparkle and kill 200% percent of all germs, so Annabeth and Percy had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.
Tyson and Y/N didn't mind, though. They plunged their bare hands right in and started scrubbing, but Annabeth and Percy had to suffer through hours of hot, dangerous work.
"If he's really found it," Annabeth murmured, deep in thought, "and if we could retrieve it..."
"Hold on," Percy said. "You act like this... whatever-it-is Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"
"I'll give you a hint. What do you get when you skin a ram?"
"Ooh! I know! A fleece!" Y/N interrupted excitedly.
Annabeth rolled her eyes "Yes. A fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool..."
Percy's eyes widened. "The Golden Fleece. Are you serious?"
Annabeth scrapped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava. "Percy, remember the Gray Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason."
"Grey sisters?" Y/N questioned, inspecting an especially dirty spoon.
"Long story." Percy replied.
"Three thousand years ago," Annabeth continued, "they told Jason how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"
"Yeah," Percy said. "That old movie with the clay skeletons."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh my gods, Percy! You are so hopeless."
"What?" Percy demanded.
"Just listen. The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices, when they prayed to Zeus to save them. So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, actually it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."
"It was probably important to her." Y/N mumbled.
"The point is, when Cadmus got to Colchis, he sacrificed the golden ram to the gods and hung the Fleece in a tree in the middle of the kingdom. The Fleece brought prosperity to the land. Animals stopped getting sick. Plants grew better. Farmers had bumper crops. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution—"
"It could cure Thalia's tree." Percy finished.
Annabeth nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. But the Fleece has been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."
"But Grover found it," Percy said. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic. It makes sense, Annabeth. We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. It's perfect!"
Annabeth hesitated. "A little too perfect, don't you think? What if it's a trap?"
"What choice do we have?" Percy asked. "Are you going to help me rescue Grover or not?"
Annabeth glanced at Tyson, who was playing pretend battle ships with Y/N, using the cups and spoons as boats.
"Percy," she said under her breath, "we'll have to fight a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of the Cyclopes. And there's only one place his island could be. The Sea of Monsters."
"Where's that?" Percy asked.
"The Sea of Monsters. The same sea Odysseus sailed through, and Jason, and Aeneas, and all the others."
"You mean the Mediterranean?"
"No. Well, yes... but actually no."
"Another straight answer. Thanks."
Annabeth groaned. "Look, Percy, the Sea of Monsters is the sea all heroes sail through on their adventures. It used to be in the Mediterranean, yes. But like everything else, it shifts locations as the West's centre of power shifts."
"Like Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building," Percy said. "And Hades being under Los Angeles."
"Correct."
"But a whole sea full of monsters, how could you hide something like that? Wouldn't the mortals notice weird things happening... like, ships getting eaten and stuff?" Percy questioned.
"Of course they notice. They don't understand, but they know something is strange about that part of the ocean. The Sea of Monsters is off the east coast of the U.S. now, just northeast of Florida. The mortals even have a name for it."
"The Bermuda Triangle?"
"Exactly."
Percy paused. "Okay... so at least we know where to look."
"It's still a huge area, Percy. Searching for one tiny island in monster infested waters-"
"Hey, I'm the son of the sea god." Percy shrugged. "It's my home turf. How hard can it be?"
Annabeth knit her eyebrows. "We'll have to talk to Tantalus, get approval for a quest. He'll say no."
"Not if we tell him tonight at the campfire in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear. They'll pressure him. He won't be able to refuse."
"Maybe." A little bit of hope crept into Annabeth's voice. "We'd better get these dishes done. Hand me the lava spray gun, will you? Y/N! Stop playing with Tyson!"
.
.
.
That night at the campfire, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along. They tried to get everybody's spirits up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. Y/N had handed out a large platter of chocolate brownies that he had made, offering it to everyone, but not even that was enough. And you would have to be pretty sad for that to happen. The campers all sat around a semicircle of stone steps, singing half heartedly and watching the bonfire blaze while the Apollo guys strummed their guitars and picked their lyres.
The bonfire was enchanted, so the louder you sang, the higher it rose, changing colour and heat with the mood of the crowd. On a good night, it could rise twenty feet high, bright purple, and so hot the whole front row's marshmallows burst into the flames. Tonight, even with Y/N's influence, the fire was only five feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the colour of lint.
Dionysus left early. After suffering through a few songs, he muttered something about how even pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting than this. Then he gave Tantalus a dis-tasteful look and headed back toward the Big House.
When the last song was over, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!" He came forward with a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it off, real casual-like. But before he could touch it, the marshmallow flew off the stick.
Tantalus made a wild grab, but the marshmallow committed suicide, diving into the flames.
Tantalus turned back toward us, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."
"Sir," Y/N said.
Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has some-thing to say?" Silence. A lot of the campers looked at Tantalus distastefully, But Y/N simply looked at Percy. He took a deep breath, standing up.
"We have an idea to save the camp." Percy said. Nobody spoke, but the campfire flared bright yellow, indicating everybody's interest.
"Indeed," Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots—"
"The Golden Fleece," Annabeth said, standing up as well. "We know where it is."
The flames burned orange. Before Tantalus could stop him, Percy blurted out his dream about Grover and Polyphemus's island. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everybody what the Fleece could do..
"The Fleece can save the camp," she concluded. "I'm certain of it."
"Nonsense," said Tantalus. "We don't need saving." Everybody stared at him until Tantalus started looking uncomfortable. "Besides," he added quickly, "the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look."
"Yes, I would," Percy said. "30, 31, 75, 12."
"Ooo-kay," Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."
"They're sailing coordinates," Percy said. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies."
Even Annabeth looked impressed. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. He's right! The Grey Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!"
"Wait just a minute," Tantalus said.
But the campers took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!"
The flames rose higher.
"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.
"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"
"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"
"YES!"
"Very well," he agreed. "I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying."
Percy and Y/N fidgeted in their seats excitedly.
"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious."
Tantalus looked around at all the campers. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defence of the camp. You shall lead this quest..."
"Clarisse!"
The fire flickered a thousand different colours. The Ares cabin started stomping and cheering, "CLARISSE! CLARISSE!" Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride. "I accept the quest!"
"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."
"Sit down!" yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"
"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" another said.
Clarisse glared at Percy. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!"
The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth and Y/N protested, and the other Athena campers joined in. Everybody else started taking sides—shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. It was just about to turn into a full fledged s'more war until Tantalus shouted,
"Silence, you brats! Sit down!" he ordered.
"And I will tell you a ghost story." The campers all moving reluctantly back to their seats. The evil aura radiating from Tantalus was as strong as any other monster.
"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest. "This king," he said, "was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe, just one little doggie bag, mind you, the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children... just... like... you." He pointed a crooked finger at several people in the audience.
"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"
No one dared answer. The firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus's crooked face.
"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed. But he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what?" He smirked once more.
"Rumour has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so... are there any more complaints before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"
Silence.
Tantalus nodded at Clarisse. "The Oracle, my dear. Go on." She shifted uncomfortably, like even she didn't want glory at the price of being Tantalus's pet.
"Sir..."
"Go!" he snarled. She bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House.
"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No comments from our dishwasher?" Percy said nothing.
"Good," Tantalus said. "And let me remind everyone— no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries... well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well."
With a wave of Tantalus's hand, the fire was extinguished, and the campers trailed off toward their cabins in the dark.
.
.
.
Percy laid in his bed, staring up at the roof.
"You will go anyway?" Tyson asked.
"I don't know," Percy admitted. "It would be hard. Very hard."
"I will help."
"No. I—uh, I couldn't ask you to do that, big guy. Too dangerous."
Tyson looked down at the pieces of metal he was assembling in his lap, springs and gears and tiny wires. Beckendorf had given him some tools and spare parts, and now Tyson spent every night tinkering.
"What are you building?" Percy asked.
Tyson didn't answer. Instead he made a whimpering sound in the back of his throat. "Annabeth doesn't like Cyclopes. You... don't want me along?"
"Oh, that's not it," Percy said half heartedly. "Annabeth likes you. Really. Same with Y/N." Tyson had tears in the corners of his eye.
Tyson folded up his tinkering project in an oilcloth. He lay down on his bunk bed and hugged his bundle like a teddy bear. When he turned toward the wall, there was weird scars on his back, like somebody had ploughed over him with a tractor.
"Daddy always cared for m-me," he sniffled. "Now... I think he was mean to have a Cyclops boy. I should not have been born."
"Don't talk that way! Poseidon claimed you, didn't he? So... he must care about you... a lot...." Percy's voice trailed off. Tyson had spent his whole life living in a refrigerator box in an alley. How could Tyson think that Poseidon had cared for him? What kind of dad let that happen to his kid, even if his kid was a monster?
"Tyson... camp will be a good home for you. The others will get used to you. I promise." Percy said firmly.
Tyson sighed, then almost immediately fell asleep. Percy lay back on his bed and attempting to close his eyes, but to no avail. The full moon shone through the window. The sound of the surf rumbled in the distance. Something felt wrong about the night—the sickness of Thalia's tree, spreading across the valley. Could Clarisse even save Half-Blood Hill? There was a better chance of Percy getting a 'Best camper' award from Tantalus.
.
.
.
Y/N groaned, rubbing his eyes. He had completely messed up the recipe again. In an attempt to quickly bake a cake for the next day, the dull light of the lanterns had tricked him into thinking the salt was the sugar. "I really need to put them in different looking containers." He grumbled, dumping the remains of the cake into the hearth. The cake almost instantly dissolved, and a strange smell wafted through the cabin. Y/N hoped Hestia liked salt with her cake.
A knock at the door alerted him, and Y/N walked over to it, swinging it open. "Percy? What are you doing out at night? It's past curfew!" Y/N hissed.
"So? I can't sleep. Lets go down to the beach for a bit." Percy held up a beach blanket and a six pack of cokes. Y/N's eyes widened. Caffeine and sugar. From a real can. His will power crumbled.
They walked to the beach in peaceful silence. Percy spread the blanket over the beach, and the duo popped their drinks.
"I want to save the camp." Percy broke the quiet.
"You aren't the only one." Y/N sighed.
"It's just... gods I hate Tantalus so much..." Percy chugged his half empty can, before reaching over to pop open another one. "Maybe we should just sneak off ourselves."
Y/N shook his head. "As much as I want to, I think our best option is Clarisse. If we try to go, we'll get expelled permanently. Besides, she got a prophecy from the Oracle. We wouldn't even know where to start."
"We could just wing it and hope for the best." Percy offered.
Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a flawless plan."
"Shut up." Percy grumbled.
Y/N looked up at the stars. Despite the borders weakening and the pollution seeping in, the sparkles in the sky shone as bright as ever. Sagittarius, Hercules, Corona Borealis...
"Well, well, well..." A voice said next to the boys.
Y/N, and Percy almost spat soda everywhere.
Standing right next to them was a guy in nylon running shorts and a New York City Marathon T-shirt. He was slim and fit, with salt-and-pepper hair and a sly smile.
"I heard the rumours that my auntie had a kid," he said. "Guess Ares was right all along."
"Uhhh... hello?" Percy tensed.
The man smiled. "May I join you two?" he asked. "I haven't sat down in ages."
Y/N immediately jumped to the idea. "Of course! Please, sit down."
He smiled. "Your hospitality does you credit. Oh, and Coca-Cola! May I?" He sat at the other end of the blanket, popped a soda and took a drink. "Ah... that hits the spot. Peace and quiet at—" A cell phone went off in his pocket.
The jogger sighed. He pulled out his phone and it glowed with a bluish light. When he extended the antenna, two creatures began writhing around it—green snakes, no bigger than earthworms.
The jogger didn't seem to notice. He checked his LCD display and cursed.
"I've got to take this. Just a sec..." Then into the phone: "Hello?" He listened. The mini-snakes writhed up and down the antenna right next to his ear.
"Yeah," the jogger said. "Listen, I know, but... I don't care if he is chained to a rock with vultures pecking at his liver, if he doesn't have a tracking number, we can't locate his package.... A gift to humankind, great... You know how many of those we deliver – Oh, never mind. Listen, just refer him to Eris in customer service. I gotta go."
He hung up. "Sorry. The overnight express business is just booming. Now, as I was saying..." "You have snakes on your phone." Percy murmured.
"What? Oh, they don't bite. Say hello, George and Martha."
Hello, George and Martha, a raspy male voice said.
Don't be sarcastic, said a female voice.
Why not? George demanded. I do all the real work.
"Oh, let's not go into that again!" The jogger slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Now, where were we... Ah, yes. Peace and quiet." He crossed his ankles and stared up at the stars.
"Been a long time since I've gotten to relax. Ever since the telegraph – rush, rush, rush. Do you have a Favourite constellation, Y/N?"
"I like the Big dipper."
"Why?"
"Well... It reminds me of a TV show I used to watch when I was younger."
"You're an interesting young man." The jogger chuckled. "And you Percy?"
Before Percy could answer, Martha the snake's muffled voice came from his pocket: I have Demeter on line two.
"Not now," the jogger said. "Tell her to leave a message."
She's not going to like that. The last time you put her off, all the flowers in the floral delivery division wilted.
"Just tell her I'm in a meeting!" The jogger rolled his eyes. "Sorry again, Percy. You were saying..."
"Um... who are you, exactly?" Percy asked
The jogger raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you two guessed by now?"
Show him! Martha pleaded. I haven't been full-size for months.
Don't listen to her! George said. She just wants to show off! The man took out his phone again.
"Original form, please." The phone glowed a brilliant blue. It stretched into a three-foot-long wooden staff with dove wings sprouting out the top. George and Martha, now full-sized green snakes, coiled together around the middle. It was a caduceus, the symbol of Cabin Eleven.
Percy's eyes widened. "You're Luke's father," he said. "Hermes."
Y/N cringed internally. He had a feeling Hermes wouldn't like being introduced like that. The god pursed his lips. He stuck his caduceus in the sand like an umbrella pole. "'Luke's father.' Normally, that's not the first way people introduce me. God of thieves, yes. God of messengers and travellers, if they wish to be kind."
God of thieves works, George said.
Oh, don't mind George. Martha flicked her tongue. He's just bitter because Hermes likes me best.
He does not!
Does too!
"Behave, you two," Hermes warned, "or I'll turn you back into a cell phone and set you on vibrate! Now, Percy, Y/N, you still have a decision to make. What do you intend to do about the quest?"
"We don't really have permission to go." Percy said.
"No, indeed. Will that stop you?" Hermes mused.
"I want to go. I have to save Grover." Percy replied.
"Me too." Y/N said.
Hermes smiled. "I knew a boy once... oh, far younger than you two. A mere baby, really."
Here we go again, George said. Always talking about himself
Quiet! Martha snapped. Do you want to get set on vibrate?
Hermes ignored them. "One night, when this boy's mother wasn't watching, he sneaked out of their cave and stole some cattle that belonged to Apollo."
"Did he get blasted to tiny pieces?" Percy asked.
"Hmm... no. Actually, everything turned out quite well. To make up for his theft, the boy gave Apollo an instrument he'd invented—a lyre. Apollo was so enchanted with the music that he forgot all about being angry."
"So what's the moral?" Y/n said.
"The moral?" Hermes asked. "Goodness, you act like it's a fable. It's a true story. Does truth have a moral?" Percy and Y/N looked at each other confused.
"How about this: stealing is not always bad?" Hermes offered.
"I don't think my mom would like that moral." Percy deadpanned.
Rats are delicious, suggested George.
What does that have to do with the story? Martha demanded.
Nothing, George said. But I'm hungry.
"I've got it," Hermes said. "Young people don't always do what they're told, but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful, sometimes they escape punishment. How's that?"
"You're saying we should go anyway," Y/N said, "even without permission."
Hermes's eyes twinkled. "Martha, may I have the first package, please?" Martha opened her mouth... and kept opening it until it was as wide as a roll of toilet paper. She belched out a stainless steel canister – an old-fashioned lunch box thermos with a black plastic top. The sides of the thermos were enameled with red and yellow Ancient Greek scenes – a hero killing a lion; a hero lifting up Cerberus, the three-headed dog.
"That's Hercules," Percy said. "But how...?"
"Never question a gift," Hermes chided. "This is a collector's item from Hercules Busts Heads. The first season."
"Hercules Busts Heads?" Y/N questioned.
"Great show." Hermes sighed. "Back before Hephaestus-TV was all reality programming. Of course, the thermos would be worth much more if I had the whole lunch box."
Or if it hadn't been in Martha's mouth, George added.
I'll get you for that. Martha began chasing him around the caduceus.
"Wait a minute," Percy said. "This is a gift?"
"One of two," Hermes said. "Go on, pick it up." As Percy touched it, he flinched slightly. It was freezing cold on one side and burning hot on the other. As he turned it in his hands, the side facing the ocean, north, was always the cold side....
"It's a compass!" Percy exclaimed.
Hermes looked surprised. "Very clever. I never thought of that. But its intended use is a bit more dramatic. Uncap it, and you will release the winds from the four corners of the earth to speed you on your way. Not now! And please, when the time comes, only unscrew the lid a tiny bit. The winds are a bit like me—always restless. Should all four escape at once... ah, but I'm sure you'll be careful. And now my second gift. George?"
She's touching me, George complained as he and Martha slithered around the pole.
"She's always touching you," Hermes said. "You're inter-twined. And if you don't stop that, you'll get knotted again!
The snakes stopped wrestling. George unhinged his jaw and coughed up a little plastic bottle filled with chewable vitamins.
"You're kidding," Percy said. "Are those Minotaur-shaped?"
Hermes picked up the bottle and rattled it. "The lemon ones, yes. The grape ones are Furies, I think. Or are they hydras? At any rate, these are potent. Don't take one unless you really, really need it."
"How will I know if I really, really need it?" Y/N asked.
"You'll know, believe me. Nine essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids... oh, everything you need to feel yourself again." He tossed Y/N the bottle.
"Um, thanks," Y/N said. "But Lord Hermes, why are you helping us?"
He gave them a melancholy smile. "Perhaps because I hope that you can save many people on this quest, Y/N. Not just Grover."
Percy stared at him. "You don't mean... Luke?"
Hermes didn't answer.
"Look," Percy said. "Lord Hermes, I mean, thanks and everything, but you might as well take back your gifts. Luke can't be saved. Even if I could find him... he told me he wanted to tear down Olympus stone by stone. He betrayed everybody he knew. He... he hates you especially."
Hermes gazed up at the stars. "My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it."
He raised an eyebrow at Y/N. "I'm sure Y/N here would believe it as well. It doesn't matter if they hate you, or embarrass you, or simply don't appreciate your genius for inventing the Internet—"
"You invented the Internet?" Percy questioned.
It was my idea, Martha said.
Rats are delicious, George said.
"It was my idea!" Hermes said. "I mean the Internet, not the rats. But that's not the point. Percy, do you understand what I'm saying about family?"
"I—I'm not sure."
"You will some day, perhaps when Y/N eventually gets it into your head." Hermes got up and brushed the sand off his legs. "In the meantime, I must be going."
You have sixty calls to return, Martha said.
And one thousand-thirty-eight e-mails, George added. Not counting the offers for online discount ambrosia.
"And you, Percy," Hermes said, "have a shorter deadline than you realize to complete your quest. Your friends should be coming right about... now."
"Y/N! Percy!" Annabeth and Tyson's voice was calling from the sand dunes.
"I hope I packed well for you," Hermes said. "I do have some experience with travel." He snapped his fingers and three yellow duffel bags appeared at Percy and Y/N's feet.
"Waterproof, of course. If you ask nicely, Percy's father should be able to help you reach the ship."
"Ship?" Y/N asked.
Hermes pointed. Sure enough, a big cruise ship was cutting across Long Island Sound, its white-and-gold lights glowing against the dark water.
"Wait," Percy said. "I don't understand any of this. We haven't even agreed to go!"
"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, good night, cousin, and dare I say it? May the gods go with you."
He opened his hand and the caduceus flew into it.
Good luck, Martha said.
Bring me back a rat, George said. Or two.
The caduceus changed into a cell phone and Hermes slipped it into his pocket. He jogged off down the beach, and twenty paces away, he shimmered and vanished.
On the beach lay two demigods— alone with a thermos, a bottle of chewable vitamins, and left with just five minutes to make an impossible decision.
A/N: Hope the story's ok so far. If you haven't noticed I decided to change the chapter titles a little, just to make it easier to read. I would also like to say that imo the Sea of Monsters is the least exciting story in the Percy Jackson series, so I'll try to spice it up here and there.