˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
BOOK TWO.
CHAPTER TEN.
❝ so are you like a victoria's secret model?❞
WHEN PERCY first arrived at camp, he hadn't really been able to find his "spark". He had sucked at shooting arrows, sucked at capture the flag, sucked at making things. He had gotten a lot better with a sword, and because of Luke's absence, he was the best sword-wielder at camp.
But now that they were on this boat, Percy realised that this was what he was good at. The Queen Anne's Revenge responded to his every moment, every command, every order. He knew which ropes to hoist, which sails to raise, which direction to steer. They plowed through the waves at what Percy figured was about ten knots. He even understood how fast that was! For a sailing ship, pretty damn fast.
Soon enough, night fell, and Aria offered to keep a lookout, sitting down on the hard wooden beams. Waves crashed nearby, and if Aria listened hard enough, she was sure she could hear monsters.
A weight on the beam caused her to look up.
"Hi," Percy greeted, sitting down next to her.
"Can't sleep?" she asked, shifting over so the boy had more room.
"I just can't stop thinking about Circe's island," the boy explained, looking uncomfortable. "If- if you hadn't of come I would still be a guinea pig."
Aria smiled. "What can I say. I'm known for my impeccable timing."
Percy turned to look at her, blue eyes boring into green. "What were you going to say to me. Back at the island?"
Aria shifted her gaze to the floor. "I already told you. It doesn't matter."
"Please," he said gently.
Aria thought jumping in the water looked pretty enticing right now.
She sighed, a light colour of red passing on her face. "I was just coming to say that..."
Percy nodded his head to encourage her to go on.
"I was just saying that I didn't think you needed a makeover," she said quickly, praying that he wouldn't ask her to repeat.
Percy looked confused. "What?"
"Well, I saw that you looked upset when she said you needed one a-and I was just coming in to say that I....didn't agree...with her."
Percy grinned from ear to ear. "So you think I'm cute?"
Aria's nervousness dropped. "Okay, that's a stretch, I was just merely comf-"
Percy chuckled. "I know, Silvers, I'm just messing with you."
Aria seemed to relax, but didn't say anything.
For a few moments, there was no noise but the gentle lapping of the ocean on the old wooden boat.
"Do you still think that we're still enemies?" Percy asked, breaking the silence.
Aria pondered for a moment. "More frenemies at this point."
"Glad we're on the same page."
"You're such an idiot."
The two of them watched the horizon, spotting a few monsters here and there. A plume of water as tall as a skyscraper spewed into the moonlight. A row of green spines slithered across the waves - something maybe thirty meters long, reptilian. Aria didn't really want to know.
Once the girl saw nereids, the glowing lady spirits of the sea. After pointing them out to Percy, he tried to wave at them, but they disappeared into the depths, they didn't know if they saw them or not.
Sometime after midnight, Annabeth came up on deck. They were just passing a smoking volcano island. The sea bubbled and steamed around the shore.
"One of the forges of Hephaestus," Annabeth said. "Where he makes his metal monsters."
"Like the bronze bulls?" Percy asked.
Aria nodded. "Go around. Far around."
They steered clear of the island, and soon it was just a red patch of haze behind them.
Percy looked at Annabeth. "Annabeth, the reason you hate cyclopes so much...the story about how Thalia really died. What happened?"
It was hard to see the daughter of Athena's expression in the dark, but Aria could already tell she probably didn't look too pleased.
"I guess you deserve to know," Annabeth said finally. "The night Grover was escorting us to camp, he got confused, took some wrong turns. You remember he told you that once?"
Percy nodded.
"Well, the worst wrong turn was into a cyclops's lair in Brooklyn."
"Brooklyn has cyclopes?" Percy asked.
Aria frowned. "You wouldn't believe how many."
"But that's not the point," Annabeth continued. "This cyclops, he tricked us. He managed to split us up inside this maze of corridors in an old house in flatbush. And he could sound like anyone, Percy. Just the way Tyson did aboard the Princess Andromeda. He lured us, one at a time. Thalia thought she was running to save Luke. Luke thought he heard me scream for help. And me...I was alone in the dark. I was eight years old. I couldn't even find the exit."
She brushed a curl that had fallen out of her braid out of her face. "I remember finding the main room. There were bones all over the floor. And there were Thalia and Luke and Grover, tied up and gagged, hanging from the ceiling like smoked hams. The cyclops was starting a fire in the middle of the floor. I drew my knife, but he heard me. He turned and smiled. He spoke, and somehow he knew my dad's voice. I guess he just plucked it out of my mind. He said, 'now, Annabeth, don't you worry. I love you. You can stay here with me. You can stay forever.'"
Percy looked unsettled. "What did you do?"
"I stabbed him in the foot."
Percy stared at her. "Are you kidding? You were eight years old and you stabbed a grown cyclops in the foot?"
Aria smiled proudly. "That's my best friend."
Annabeth grabbed Aria's hand. "Oh, he would have killed me. But I surprised him. It gave me just enough time to run to Thalia and cut the ropes on her hands. She took it from there."
"Hey, don't underestimate yourself," Aria said.
Percy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what you did was super brave."
Annabeth shook her head. "We barely got out of there alive. I still have nightmares...the way that cyclops talked in my father's voice. It was his fault we took so long to get to camp. All the monsters who'd been chasing us had time to catch up. That's really why Thalia died. If it hadn't been for that cyclops, she'd still be alive today."
"I'm sorry, Annabeth," Percy whispered.
"S'okay. I'm sorry for being a bitch to Tyson. He was a good person. I wish I realised it sooner."
Aria squeezed Annabeth's shaking hand. "Tyson would have understood."
Those were the last words said before Annabeth wandered off to bed, leaving Aria and Percy alone once more.
"You should get some sleep," the boy said, hugging his legs with his arms.
"I mean I want to, but I don't wanna obey what a man says, so I'll keep on lookout," Aria retorted, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
Percy stood up. "Gods you're stubborn."
"Night, Jackson," Aria replied, settling in for a restless night.
"Night, Silvers." He began to walk away but then paused halfway down the stairs. "I, uh- I like your dress."
Aria felt her heart stop beating. Breathily, she replied. "Thank you. I can't say I liked you as a guinea pig though."
"Hey! You said I looked cute as a guinea pig," Percy argued.
"Whatever, go to sleep."
"Sorry, I don't take orders from women."
"You do now."
"Yes ma'am."
Percy walked off to his hammock, leaving Aria by herself.
The girl had a smile on her face the rest of the night.
・ ゜ ʚɞ ゜ ・ ゜
SO. ARIA had fallen asleep. Her brunette locks rested on the splintered wooden bench, and her body moved up and down with each breath. Her long eyelashes fluttered every occasional second, and for once, her eyebrows were relaxed.
She was woken up by Annabeth.
"Aria, wake up," she said, gently nudging the sleeping girl.
Aria groaned and sat up, flattening down her messed up hair.
"What happened?" she asked, standing up and stretching her muscles.
"I think we're getting close to the sirens..." Annabeth said grimly.
"Ugh," Aria complained. "I'll go wake up the other one."
Annabeth nodded, walking up the stairs to go above deck. Aria trudged over to Percy's sleeping body, which was rocking back and forth in a blue hammock. The son of Poseidon was tossing from side to side, muttering incoherent words.
Aria stood over him for a minute, unsure how to go about this. Hesitantly, she shook the boy's shoulder.
"Percyyyyy," she said, drawing out his name. "Time to wake uppppp."
All of a sudden, Percy jolted awake, his forceful arm movements hitting Aria's hand harshly.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, although she wasn't really that hurt.
"Why are you creepily standing there?" Percy asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"I wasn't creepily standing," Aria defended. "I was trying to wake you up."
"Oh," Percy said. "Why?"
"Cause we're nearing land," the girl told him. "The island of the sirens..."
Once Percy had fully awoken, they went above deck. Aria could barely make out the island ahead of them - just a dark spot in the mist.
"I want you to do me a favour," Annabeth told them. "The sirens...we'll be in range of their singing soon."
Aria recalled stories that her own mother had told her about sirens. They sang so sweetly their voices enchanted sailors to their death.
"It's no problem," Aria assured. "We can just stop up our ears."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's a big tub of candle wax-"
"I want to hear them." Annabeth interrupted.
Aria blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Why?" Percy asked.
"They say the sirens sing the truth about what you desire." she explained. "They tell you things about yourself you didn't even realise. That's what's so enchanting. If you survive...you become wiser. I want to hear them. How often will I get that chance?"
"Bitch, you're the daughter of Athena, I think you're wise enough," Aria argued.
Percy nodded. "Yeah, wise girl, you don't need to do this."
Wise girl? Why was Percy calling Annabeth by a nickname? And why did she feel a sudden nagging at her heart?
She pushed those thoughts aside as Annabeth delved into her plan, Percy and Aria reluctantly agreeing to help her.
As soon as the rocky coastline of the island came into view, Percy ordered one of the ropes to wrap around Annabeth's waist, tying her to the foremast.
"Don't untie me," she said. "No matter what happens or how much I plead. I'll want to go straight over the edge and drown myself."
"Are you trying to tempt me?" Percy asked.
Annabeth sneered. "Ha-ha."
Percy promised to keep her secure. They took out two large wads of candle wax, kneaded them into earplugs, and stuffed their ears.
Annabeth nodded sarcastically at them, letting them know the earplugs were a real fashion statement.
The silence was eerie. Aria couldn't hear anything but the rush of blood in her head. As they approached the island, jagged rocks loomed out of the fog. Percy made the Queen Anne's revenge skirt around them. If they sailed any closer, those rocks would shred their hull like blender blades.
Aria glanced back at Annabeth. At first, she seemed totally normal. Then she got a puzzled look on her face. Her eyes widened.
She strained against the ropes. She called both of their names - Aria could tell just from reading her lips. Her expression was clear: she had to get out. This was life or death. Aria had to let her out of the ropes right now.
She seemed so miserable it was hard not to cut her free.
She forced herself to look away. She still couldn't see much of the island - just mist and rocks - but floating in the water were pieces of wood and fibreglass, the wreckage of old ships, even some flotation cushions from aeroplanes.
How could music cause so many lives to veer off course? Sure, there were some Taylor Swift songs that made her want to take a fiery nosedive, but still...what could the sirens possibly sing about?
For one dangerous moment, Aria understood her best friend's curiosity. She was tempted to take out the ear plugs, just to get a taste of the song. She could feel the sirens' voices vibrating in the timbers of the ship, pulsing along with the roar of blood in her ears.
Annabeth was pleading at them. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She strained against the ropes, as if they were holding her back from everything she cared about.
How could you be so cruel? she seemed to be asking her. I thought you were my best friend.
Aria glared at the misty island. She wanted to take out her weapon, but there was nothing to fight. How do you fight a song?
Aria tried not to look at Annabeth. She managed for about five minutes.
Looking away was her biggest mistake.
Aria heard a splash, and she looked back to see Annabeth's ropes piled in a heap next to the foremast, her bronze knife laying on the deck. They had completely forgotten to disarm her.
Fucking hell.
"Annabeth!" she yelled, as the girl resurfaced and began to swim away.
Aria ran to Percy and yanked his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. She screamed at the top of her lungs.
"ANNABETH JUMPED. I'M GOING IN."
Percy looked astounded. "WHAT!? DON'T JUMP-"
Aria dove into the water.
The sea was cold, and Aria felt even more alive than ever as she swum towards Annabeth. She felt her earplugs fall out as soon as she broke from the surface, and she hastily grabbed them.
She was starting to gain some speed now, Annabeth only a grab away. With a final strain of adrenaline, she reached for her best friend's ankle, pulling her back towards her.
Aria suddenly saw the sirens the way Annabeth was seeing them. A guy, Annabeth's dad, holding hands with a beautiful looking Athena. Next to them sat...Luke. The whole scene glowed in a warm, buttery light. The three of them were talking and laughing, and when they saw Annabeth, their faces lit up with delight. Annabeth's mom and dad held out their arms invitingly. Luke grinned and gestured for Annabeth to sit next to him - as if he'd never betrayed her, as if he were still her friend. Behind the trees of Central Park, a city skyline rose. It was Manhattan, but it had been totally rebuilt from dazzling white marble, bigger and grander than ever - with golden windows and rooftop gardens. It was better than New York. Better than Mount Olympus. She knew immediately that Annabeth had designed it.
Annabeth thrashed and kicked, and Aria held on tightly to her waist, willing her to stop. Up ahead, Aria saw an island with...was that a mansion? Using all her willpower and strength, Aria shoved her earplugs into Annabeth's ears. She instantly relaxed, and the thrashing stopped, however, now Aria was defenceless.
"Aria?" a distant voice asked.
"Sam?"
Fake. It's fake. It's not real.
Aria thought of things that were real. Annabeth was real, Percy was real, Apollo was real. Real, real, real.
Taking in a few deep breaths, and a litre of water apparently, Aria pulled out her dagger.
She could hear Percy screaming at her in the distance.
She blinked a few times, allowing herself to see a siren up ahead. Its beady eyes bore into hers and for a moment, she almost felt tempted to just...drown. She shook her head.
Raising her wet arm that wasn't holding Annabeth, she slashed at the siren, causing it to wail and swim away, the voice of Sam drifting further into the distance.
She turned to Percy and screamed. "IM GOING TO THE ISLAND!"
"HAVE YOU LEARNT NOTHING?!" Percy yelled back.
Clearly. But she swam anyway, clinging onto her dazed best friend. The island loomed ahead and soon enough she was on its shores.
A large, dazzling white mansion stood in front of them, with golden finishings and a scent of strong flower perfume. A sign above the door read: ANGELS ONLY.
Aria was no angel, but she decided to step inside anyway, holding onto Annabeth's shaky hand.
Inside, pink fluffy rugs covered every square inch of the floor, and framed photos of Lana Del Rey hung on the walls. Racks of clothes lined the space, and notebooks upon notebooks rested on the clear glass table. Framed movie posters also adorned the walls, from the Virgin Suicides, to Priscilla. Whoever this monster was, Aria had to admit, had good taste.
"WHAT IS THIS PLACE?" Annabeth yelled, seeing as she had no noise awareness with her earplugs in.
Aria took the candle wax out of the girls ear, assuring her it was safe.
"Welcome, dolls!"
The duo whipped around.
There, standing at the doorway, was a beautiful woman, her light brown hair and striking blue eyes causing Aria's mouth to drop. What was it with gorgeous women and hiding out on random islands?
"W-who are you?" Aria stuttered.
The woman smiled warmly, flicking through her racks of clothes, as if picking out an outfit.
"I'm Fawn, of course!"
Aria gave Annabeth an 'am-i-supposed-to-know-her' look. Annabeth shrugged, equally as clueless.
Aria spoke up. "So...are you like a Victoria's Secret model or something?"
Fawn laughed, amused at the idea. "No, no, sweetheart. I'm Dite's daughter, and head assistant. I'm quite familiar with you, my dear."
"You are?"
Fawn smiled brightly, white teeth flashing. "Of course. You keep us in business!"
"What..."
Fawn ignored her comment. "So, where's Percy?"
Annabeth gave her a look. "How do you know about us and Percy?"
"Oh, Annabeth. I know lots of things. Let's just say, that I keep track of your little adventures."
Aria's eyebrows raised. "Right...cause that's not creepy at all."
Fawn gave them a dismissive hand. "You didn't answer my question. Where is Percy?"
"He's waiting on the boat," Aria answered, although a little sceptical.
Fawn clapped her hands happily. "Good! I can give you two a makeover!"
Aria and Annabeth both grimaced. "Uhh, no thank you. We just had quite a...traumatic makeover experience," Aria said, backing away to the door.
"I heard about the guinea pig accident. You both looked stunning though. Percy thought you looked extremely beautiful, Aria."
"How did you know- wait, he did?"
Annabeth shot her a glance she couldn't decipher.
Fawn nodded eagerly. "Mhm."
"Oh," Aria managed to say. "That's kind of him."
"Ah, love," Fawn sighed, clasping her hands together.
"We aren't in lov-"
"Have you ever heard the story of Andromeda and Perseus?" Dite's daughter interrupted.
"Yes, of course," Aria replied, nodding her head, her thoughts going back to the ship.
"What if I told you," Fawn said. "That Percy Jackson was basically Perseus reincarnated?"
"I would say that you're batshit crazy."
"And what would you say if I told you that you were Andromeda?"
"Again, still crazy."
Annabeth giggled in the corner.
Fawn just shrugged. "Don't rule out all options, my dear. Sometimes its the person we least expect."
My gods this woman was nuts, Aria thought to herself.
"Alright...well," Aria said. "We are gonna head off. Lovely meeting you, Fawn."
However, the assistant stopped them. With a wave of her hand, their outfits changed to a more modern, and stylish approach.
"There!" she announced, pleased with her work.
Aria looked down at her new outfit and smiled. Fawn may be a little cryptic with her messages, but at least her fashion was cute.
The duo turned on their backs to leave, their feet halfway out the door.
"Oh, and Aria!" Fawn called out. "Tell your dad I said hi."
Aria waved goodbye. "Okay...will do."
And with that, they left the mansion in their new clothes, hearing the sweet hum of what Aria assumed was Fawn singing.
I'm on the run with you, my sweet love...
The sound drifted off into the distance as they jumped in the water.
"Annabeth, put your earplugs in," Aria warned, and the girl complied, shoving the wax in.
They began to swim, spotting Percy standing worriedly at the boat, his hand over his eyes as he tried to spot them.
They eventually made it to the boat, and Annabeth began climbing the ladder. Aria was about to climb up too, when a sweet voice caused her to turn around.
"Aria."
She dove in headfirst.
・ ゜ ʚɞ ゜ ・ ゜
PERCY WATCHED as Aria dove into the water, the sweet serenade of the sirens finally getting to her infected mind. Without a second thought, he jumped in after her, alerting Annabeth to mind the ship.
The water almost greeted him as he hit the blue waves, the cold liquid filling his lungs. Opening his eyes under water, he spotted Aria frantically hurtling towards a pair of jagged rocks.
The son of Poseidon propelled himself through the water, quickly catching up to the struggling girl. He grabbed her by the waist, dragging her closer to him in an attempt to stop her.
The two of them broke through the surface, sputtering for air. Percy could now see what Aria was seeing.
A younger Aria was sitting at a bench, not dissimilar to the ones at camp half blood. A boy who looked around the same age, sat down next to her, dirty blonde hair ruffled on his head.
"I'm leaving for a quest tomorrow," the boy seemed to say.
Present day Aria thrashed at the mention of those words.
"No!" she screamed. "Let me go with you!"
The younger Aria said the same thing.
Percy slid up closer to the shaking girl, whispering in her ear to make sure she really heard him.
"Aria! It's not real," he said, his hands still firmly on her waist. "Remember the underworld? Real or not real? I'm real. I'm here."
Suddenly, he had a thought. Pulling the girl even closer into his body, he pulled them underwater. Then, he imagined all the bubbles in the sea--always churning, rising. He imagined them coming together, being pulled toward the two.
The sea obeyed. There was a flurry of white, a tickling sensation all around, and when Percy's vision cleared, he and Aria had a huge bubble of air around them. Only their legs stuck into the water.
"I'm real," he assured.
Aria looked up at him, broken and desperate. "You're real," she managed to say, and she wrapped her arms around his middle, laying her head into his shoulder.
Sobs racked her body, and her tiny frame heaved with each cry.
Percy wanted to hold her until she didn't feel any pain.
He leant down to her ear. "I'll get us back to the ship. Just hold on."
She nodded, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
The current steered their weird little air submarine through the rocks and barbed wire and back towards the hull of the Queen Anne's revenge, which was maintaining a slow and steady course away from the island.
They stayed underwater, so Aria wouldn't have to hear the sirens, and followed the ship until Percy judged that they had moved out of earshot of the sirens.
Then they surfaced, and the air bubble popped.
Percy ordered a rope ladder to drop over the side of the ship, and they climbed aboard, Percy going up first so that he could lift Aria's tired body up.
Annabeth sat on a nearby bench huddled in a blanket, her eyes wandering over the ocean. There was now no noise, and the daughter of Apollo mouthed, safe, to Percy.
He took out the earplugs, no singing to be heard. The afternoon was quiet except for the sound of the waves against the hull. The fog had burned away to a blue sky, as if the island of the sirens had never existed.
"You okay?" Percy asked the two of them. He was just noticing that they had changed from the clothes they were wearing at Circe's island. He would have to ask about that later.
"I didn't realise," Annabeth murmured.
"What?"
Her eyes took a cloudy disposition. "How powerful the temptation would be."
Aria seemed to shift uncomfortably. "I- uh, I saw how you rebuilt Manhattan. And Luke and your parents."
Annabeth looked down at the floor. "You saw that?"
It was now Percy's turn to speak. "What Luke told you back on the Princess Andromeda, about starting the world for scratch must have really gotten to you, huh?"
Annabeth pulled her blanket tighter around her. "My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is hubris."
"The brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches?" Percy asked.
Percy saw Aria hold in a laugh.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "No, seaweed brain. That's hummus. Hubris is worse."
Aria tensed at the words 'seaweed brain', although Percy wasn't sure why. It was just a nickname?
"What could be worse than hummus?" he said.
"Hubris means deadly pride," Annabeth told them. "Thinking you can do things better than anyone else...even the gods."
"You feel that way?" Percy asked.
Her gaze stayed on the floor. "Don't you ever feel like the world is really messed up? What if we could do it all over again from scratch? No more war. Nobody homeless. No more summer reading homework."
"I'm listening," Percy said.
"I mean, the West represents a lot of the best things mankind ever did--that's why the fire is still burning. That's why Olympus is still around. But sometimes you just see the bad stuff, you know? And you start thinking the way Luke does: 'If I could tear this all down, I would do it better.' Don't you ever feel that way? Like you could do a better job if you ran the world?"
"Um...no. Me running the world would kind of be a nightmare."
"Agreed," Aria said, and Percy rolled his eyes at her.
"Then you're lucky Hubris isn't your fatal flaw," Annabeth remarked.
"I don't know what mine is," Aria admitted.
"Every hero has one," Annabeth told her. "If you don't find it and learn to control it...well, they don't call it 'fatal' for nothing."
"I think it's your willingness to do anything for the people you love," Percy said softly to Aria.
Aria glanced at him with tired eyes. "Maybe," she choked out.
Percy turned to Annabeth. "Was it worth it? Do you feel...wiser?"
The girl gazed into the distance. "I'm not sure. But we have to save the camp. If we don't stop Luke..."
She didn't need to finish.
Percy cleared his throat. "So uh where are the new outfits from? How was the island?"
Aria turned a deep shade of red. "We met a daughter of Dite called Fawn. She kept telling us about like love...and stuff like that..."
The conversation felt awkward now, Aria clearly hiding something. Before he could argue with her, Annabeth's eyes widened.
"Guys."
Both Aria and Percy turned.
Up ahead was another blotch of land - a saddly-shaped island with forested hills and white beaches and green meadows. Just like Percy described from his dreams.
The son of Poseidon's internal GPS dinged as if alerting him that they were there.
30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west.
They had reached the home of the cyclops.
camp notes ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
i love adding these lil message things
percy and aria complimenting each other now???
all of you guys: yay they are almost realising they like each other!
me: adding even more angst into the story
- gracie