"The thermos!" Percy screamed, clutching onto the boat for dear life.
"What?" Annabeth's face was wild, her hair flying straight up like a torch. But Y/N understood. With shaky hands, he managed to open the duffel bag and take out Hermes's magical thermos without losing his grip on it or the boat. Arrows and javelins whistled past his head.
Percy grabbed the thermos. "Hang on!" He yelled.
"We are hanging on!" Annabeth yelled back.
"Then hang on tighter!"
Percy hooked his feet under the boat's inflatable bench, giving the thermos cap a quarter turn. Instantly, a white sheet of wind jetted out of the thermos, propelling the entire boat sideways. The downward plummet turned into a forty-five-degree crash landing.
As the boat hit the ocean, it bumped once, twice, skipping like a stone, then whizzed along like a speed boat. There was a wail of outrage from the Andromeda, but they were already out of range. Soon, the Princess Andromeda faded to the size of a white toy boat in the distance, and then it was gone.
.
.
.
The salt spray kicked up a nice mist for Iris messaging. Annabeth decided to contact Chiron. After all, who else was there to trust? Percy told him about sneaking away from camp, and Luke and the Princess Andromeda and the golden box for Kronos's remains, but between the noise on Chiron's end and the rushing wind and water on Percy's end, there wasn't much that was heard.
"Percy," Chiron yelled, "you have to watch out for—" His voice was drowned out by loud shouting behind him.
"What?" Percy yelled.
"Curse my relatives!" Chiron ducked as a plate flew over his head and shattered somewhere out of sight. "Annabeth, Y/N, you shouldn't have let Percy leave camp! But if you do get the Fleece-"
"Yeah, baby!" somebody behind Chiron yelled. "Woo-hoooooo!" The music got cranked up, subwoofers so loud it made the boat vibrate.
"—Miami," Chiron was yelling. "I'll try to keep watch..." The mist dissolved as a beer bottle was thrown at it.
An hour later there was land—a long stretch of beach lined with high-rise hotels. The water became crowded with fishing boats and tankers. A coast guard cruiser passed on the right side, then turned like it wanted a second look.
"That's Virginia Beach!" Annabeth said as they approached the shoreline. "Oh my gods, how did the Princess Andromeda travel so far overnight? That's like..."
"Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy finished. Everyone turned to him.
"How did you know that?" Y/N raised an eyebrow.
"I—I'm not sure."
Annabeth thought for a moment. "Percy, what's our position?"
"36 degrees, 44 minutes north, 76 degrees, 2 minutes west," Percy said immediately. He shook his head in confusion "Whoa. How did I know that?"
"Because of your dad," Annabeth guessed. "When you're at sea, you have perfect bearings. That is so cool."
"Great. I'm a human GPS now." Percy mumbled.
"Other boat is coming." Tyson pointed. Everyone turned to see that the coast guard vessel was catching up. Its lights were flashing, and it was gaining speed.
"We can't let them catch us," Y/N said. "They'll ask too many questions."
"Keep going into Chesapeake Bay," Annabeth said. "I know a place we can hide." Percy unscrewed the thermos cap a little more, and a fresh burst of wind sent the boat rocketing around the northern tip of Virginia Beach into Chesapeake Bay. The coast guard boat fell farther and farther behind. As they entered the mouth of the river, Percy could feel the change into fresh water, leaving him tired and frazzled.
"There," she said. "Past that sandbar." We veered into a swampy area choked with marsh grass. The lifeboat was beached right at the foot of a giant cypress. Vine-covered trees loomed above us. Insects chirred in the woods. The air was muggy and hot, and steam curled off the river.
"Come on," Annabeth said. "It's just down the bank."
"What is?" Y/N asked.
"Just follow." She grabbed a duffel bag. "And we'd better cover the boat. We don't want to draw attention." After burying the lifeboat with branches, they followed Annabeth along the shore, their feet sinking in red mud.
"Not a good place," Tyson murmured. He swatted the mosquitoes that were forming a buffet line on his arm. After another few minutes, Annabeth stopped.
"Here." She said, moving aside a woven circle of branches, almost like a door.
"Oooh! A secret hideout!" Y/N said gleefully, crawling into it excitedly. The inside was big enough for four, even with Tyson. The walls were woven from plant material, like a Native American hut, but water-proof. Stacked in the corner was everything for a campout—sleeping bags, blankets, an ice chest, and a kerosene lamp. Including some demigod provisions, like bronze javelin tips, a quiver full of arrows, an extra sword, and a box of ambrosia.
"A half-blood hideout." Y/N looked at Annabeth in awe. "You made this place?"
"Thalia and I," she said quietly. "And Luke." An awkward silence followed.
"So..." Percy said. "You don't think Luke will look for us here?"
She shook her head. "We made a dozen safe houses like this. I doubt Luke even remembers where they are. Or cares." She threw herself down on the blankets and started going through her duffel bag. Y/N gave Percy a pointed look. Percy had a feeling to not press the matter further.
"Um, Tyson?" Y/N said. "Would you mind scouting around outside? Like, look for a wilderness convenience store or something?"'
"Convenience store?" The cyclops rumbled.
"Yeah, for snacks. Powdered donuts or something. Just don't go too far." Percy added.
"Powdered donuts," Tyson said earnestly. "I will look for powdered donuts in the wilderness."
He headed outside and started calling, "Here, donuts!"
Y/N and Percy sat down across from Annabeth.
"Hey... I'm sorry about, you know, seeing Luke." Percy said.
"It's not your fault." She unsheathed her knife and started cleaning the blade with a rag.
"He let us go too easily," Y/N said. Annabeth nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing. What we overheard him say about a gamble, and 'they'll take the bait'... I think he was talking about us."
"The Fleece is the bait? Or Grover?" Percy said.
"Maybe he wants the Fleece for himself." Y/N said. "If I was him, I would let us the hard work and then steal it."
"I just can't believe he would poison the tree." Annabeth murmured.
"What did he mean," Percy asked, "that Thalia would've been on his side?"
"He's wrong." Annabeth's voice was hollow.
"You don't sound sure." Percy replied. Annabeth and Y/N glared at him.
"Percy, you know who you remind me of most?" Annabeth sighed, placing her knife in its sheath. "Thalia. You are so much alike it's scary. I mean, either you would've been best friends, or you would've strangled each other."
"Let's go with 'best friends.'" Y/N said.
"Thalia got angry with her dad sometimes. So do you. Would you turn against Olympus because of that?"
Percy shook his head. "No, of course not."
"Okay, then. Neither would she. Luke's wrong." She sad down, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
"So what did Luke have against Cyclopes?" Percy asked. "He said you of all people..."
"I know what he said. He... he was talking about the real reason Thalia died." Annabeth drew a shaky breath. "You can never trust a Cyclops. Six years ago, on the night Grover was leading us to Half-Blood Hill...."
The door of the hut creaked open, and the massive frame of Tyson crawled in. "Powdered donuts!" he said proudly, holding up a pastry box.
The demigods stared at him, dumbfounded. "Where did you get that?" Annabeth questioned. "We're in the middle of the wilderness. There's nothing around for..."
"Fifty feet," Tyson said. "A Monster Donut shop, just over the hill!"
.
.
.
"That's not good," Annabeth muttered. The shop shone brightly. It looked brand new, with brightly lit windows, a parking area, and a little road leading off into the forest, but there was nothing else around, and no cars parked in the lot. "This shouldn't be here," Annabeth whispered. "It's wrong."
"What?" Percy asked. "It's a donut shop."
"Shhh!"
"Why are we whispering?" Y/N whispered. "Tyson went in and bought a dozen. Nothing happened to him."
"He's a monster." Annabeth raised an eyebrow.
"On the outside maybe." Y/N slapped Tyson on the back, which probably felt like a flea bite. "You should get to know him."
"I'm good." She muttered.
"Besides, Monster donuts is a chain, right?" Percy said. "We've got them in New York."
"A chain," Annabeth agreed. "And isn't it strange that one appeared immediately after Tyson went to get donuts? Right here in the middle of the woods?"
"I mean, its a little weird, but donut shops aren't real high on my list of sinister forces." Y/N said.
"It could be a nest," Annabeth explained. Tyson whimpered. He'd ploughed through half a dozen donuts from his box and was getting powdered sugar all over his face.
"A nest for what?" Percy asked.
"Haven't you ever wondered how franchise stores pop up so fast?" she said. "One day there's nothing and then the next day—boom, there's a new burger place or a coffee shop or whatever? First a single store, then two, then four— exact replicas spreading across the country?"
Percy and Y/N looked at each other, confused. "Um, no. Never thought about it."
"Well, some of the chains multiply so fast because all their locations are magically linked to the life force of a monster. Some children of Hermes figured out how to do it back in the 1950s. They breed—" She froze.
"What?" Y/N said. "They breed what?"
"No—sudden—moves," Annabeth said, like her life depended on it. "Very slowly, turn around." There was a scraping noise, like something large dragging its belly through the leaves. Y/N and Percy turned around, their eyes widening. It was a monster. Duh. It had multiple necks—at least seven, each topped with a hissing reptilian head. Its skin was leathery, and under each neck it wore a plastic bib that read: I'm A MONSTER DONUT KID!
Percy took out his pen, but Annabeth locked eyes with him. Not yet. She seemed to say. A lot of monsters have terrible eyesight and it was possible the Hydra might pass by. The Hydra was only a few feet away. It seemed to be sniffing the ground and the trees like it was hunting for something. Tyson was trembling. He stepped back and accidentally snapped a twig. Immediately, all seven heads turned toward and hissed.
"Scatter!" Annabeth yelled. The demigods immediately sprinted to to different sides. One of the Hydra heads spat an arc of green liquid that shot past Y/N's shoulder and splashed against an elm. The trunk smoked and began to disintegrate. The whole tree toppled straight toward Tyson, who still hadn't moved, petrified by the monster that was now right in front of him.
"Tyson!" Percy tackled him with all his might, knocking him aside just as the Hydra lunged and the tree crashed on top of two of its heads. The Hydra stumbled backward, yanking its heads free then wailing in outrage at the fallen tree. All seven heads shot acid, and the elm melted into a steaming pool of muck.
"Move!" Percy ran to one side and uncapped Riptide, hoping to draw the monster's attention. It worked. The sight of celestial bronze is hateful to most monsters. As soon as his glowing blade appeared, the Hydra whipped toward it with all its heads, hissing and baring its teeth. One of the heads snapped experimentally. Without thinking, he swung my sword.
"No!" Annabeth yelled. Too late. Percy sliced the Hydra's head clean off. It rolled away into the grass, leaving a flailing stump, which immediately stopped bleeding and began to swell like a balloon. In a matter of seconds the wounded neck split into two necks, each of which grew a full-size head.
"Percy!" Annabeth scolded. "You just opened another Monster Donut shop somewhere!"
"I'm about to die and you're worried about that? How do we kill it?"
"Fire!" Annabeth said. "We have to have fire!" Percy glanced at Y/N.
"I have an idea!" Y/N yelled. Concentrating, his bracelet morphed into a large bronze lighter, the size of a playing card. Flicking it open, the flame spluttered to life. "Percy! Try now!
Percy backed up toward the river. The Hydra followed. It snapped at Percy, it's razor sharp teeth grating against each other. Percy dodged, cleaving his sword upwards. There was a weird Schlick! sound. The neck bled momentarily, before the stump began to swell again.
"Y/N! Now!" Percy yelled. Y/N pulled the flame from the lighter, sending it right for the flailing head. As the flames sizzled the stump, the Hydra hissed in pain, thrashing around.
"One down, 7 to go!" Percy yelled out. He rolled aside, dodging more dangerous good.
There was a strange sound—a chug-chug-chug that was so powerful it made the riverbank shake.
"What's that noise?" Annabeth shouted, keeping her eyes on the Hydra.
"Steam engine," Tyson said.
"What?" Percy ducked as more acid reigned down. From the river behind them, a familiar female voice shouted: "There! Prepare the thirty-two-pounder!"
A gravelly male voice said, "They're too close, m'lady!"
"Damn the heroes!" the girl said. "Full steam ahead!"
"Aye, m'lady."
"Fire at will, Captain!" The female voice called out.
Annabeth understood. "Hit the dirt!" She screamed. The three demigods and the Cyclops immediately dove for the ground as an earth-shattering BOOM echoed from the river. There was a flash of light, a column of smoke, and the Hydra exploded, showering them with nasty green slime. "Gross!" yelled Annabeth.
"Steamship!" yelled Tyson. They stood, coughing from the cloud of gunpowder smoke that was rolling across the banks. The ship in the river rode low in the water like a submarine, its deck plated with iron. A flag waved from the top. Lining the deck were zombies in grey uniforms, dead soldiers with shimmering faces that only partially covered their skulls. A Civil War battle cruiser. The name read: CSS Birmingham.
And standing on the deck next to the smoking cannon, wearing full Greek battle armour, was Clarisse.
"Losers," she sneered. "But I suppose I have to rescue you. Come aboard."