╔═══════════════╗
chapter xxiii.
( the sea of monsters )
❝ run boy, run ❞
╚═══════════════╝
"NO."
"You don't even know what I was going to say!"
I gave Percy a look from my cabin door. "I know whatever it is, it's a stupid idea."
He went to argue, but faltered. "Yeah—okay, it is, but—hear me out!"
I shook my head. "No, I won't. Because I already know what you're going to say." Reaching behind me, I grabbed my backpack. "And yes. I'm coming."
Percy's brows raised up high.
It was near the end of curfew. After Kronos's—very one-sided—conversation, I woke up, unable to sleep. It was then that I had made a decision. I wasn't going to let Kronos get what he wanted. I wasn't going to let him take Luke away from me. I knew he was still in there—he had to be. The boy who had promised me all those years would never have poisoned Thalia's tree. He was taken over by Kronos's manipulation which I've found with someone like Luke, could be very easy to fall for. I was going to find Luke, make him see sense, get this Fleece and save Thalia and Camp all at the same time before the end of the week.
I had gotten ready and was about to go and find Percy and Annabeth when he had turned up at my doorstep, already ready himself.
"We have five minutes," he told me after a short while, giving a quick look over his shoulder. "Annabeth and Tyson are waiting by the shore. The Harpies nearly found us, but I couldn't leave without you. So come one."
I fell short. "Wait—Tyson is coming with us?"
Percy frowned at me, "Yes—but we can't argue over this now Claire, the Harpies are nearly here and we have to catch Luke's boat."
"Percy," I seethed as I stepped outside of the cabin, by bag over my shoulder.
"We can't leave him!" He whispered to me harshly as we ran. "Tantalus will punish him for us being gone!"
Hiding behind the cabins and trees, we tried to make our way to the beach. "I don't think you get it," I said, checking for Harpies before we turned a corner. "Tyson is a Cyclops! We're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is a S-i-k ... a C-y-k—oh for gods sake! You know what I mean!"
"Tyson can come if he wants to," Percy told me. "And he wants to."
I wanted to kill him, but we didn't have time. For we had reached the beach, and I saw Annabeth and Tyson waiting by the water. Annabeth didn't seem happy with Tyson beside her either, but time was running out—and saving camp was more important than arguing.
So I let out a sigh, "Fine. But how do you propose we get to Luke's ship, Water Boy?"
"Hermes said my father would help?"
Hermes?
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Annabeth said.
Percy nodded and took a few steps into the water. He stared out into the ocean before awkwardly calling out, "Um, Dad? How's it going?"
"Percy!" Annabeth whispered. "We're kinda in a hurry!"
"Right," he said. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. We watched in anticipation. Annabeth kept looking over her back for the Harpies, which sounded like they were right behind us. "We need your help!" he called again. "We need to get to that ship, before we get eaten and stuff, so ..."
Nothing happened at first. My hand went to my necklace, ready to fight the Harpies if I had to. Luke's yacht was off in the distance, and I tried to ignore how nervous I was in the utmost possibility of having to see him again. The last time I saw Luke I still thought he was my friend—and now here I was trying to save him, and save Thalia and the Camp from his manipulated mind.
Then, about a hundred metres out to sea, three white lines appeared on the water surface. They moved fast towards the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean. As they neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the heads of three white stallions reared out of the waves. I gasped.
"Fish ponies!" Tyson let out in amazement.
"Hippocampi!" I corrected my hands to my mouth. "Oh, they're so pretty!"
And they were. The hippocampus were glistening with bright silver scales and rainbow tail fins with a horses body for its front. Fantastic white. The nearest one whinnied at my comment in appreciation and nuzzled my hand. I was never a fan of water ( and while being the best friend of the Son of Poseidon helped me get more familiar with it, there was still that slight fear whenever I got seasick ), I couldn't help but wait to get on one of these. Despite of everything, I smiled. I glanced at Percy, expecting him to be just as amazed, but he just gave me a look. I frowned at him.
"We can admire them later," he told me. "Come on!"
"There!" a voice screeched behind us. "Bad children out of cabins! Snack time for lucky harpies!"
Five of them were fluttering over the top of the dunes—ugly, plump looking hags with pinched faces and talons with feathery wings too small for their bodies. They weren't fast—thank the gods—but they were vicious if they caught you.
"Claire," Percy called, "grab the duffel bags!"
"I already have one—!"
"Just grab one!"
I didn't argue anymore. I reached forward and grabbed the lasting two duffel bags: one for Tyson and one for me. With a push, I got Tyson moving and got them onto the hippocampi. Poseidon must have known that Tyson was a passenger because there was a hippocampus big enough for a cyclops to ride. However, there wasn't a fourth one for me.
"Now, that's just unfair!" I let out. "There's four of us!"
"Claire!" Percy shouted. "It doesn't matter! Get on!"
I gave a glance over my shoulder at the Harpies. "You want something to eat?" I took off my bag ( which was only full of clothes and ambrosia and things that Hermes would have obviously thought of ) and threw it at one of the birds' faces. She screeched when it hit her straight in her face. I grinned, "Enjoy your meal!" before I jumped on behind Percy.
"Giddy-up!" Percy said, and our hippocampus turned and plunged into the waves. I immediately grabbed a hold of his shoulders as the water began to spray at our faces. Annabeth and Tyson's followed right after, leaving the harpies screeching behind us.
Percy gave a glance over his shoulder, "You threw your bag at the harpies' faces?"
I shoved his head, "Eyes on the waves, fish boy."
Soon the shore of Camp Half-Blood was just a smudge in the darkness. We skidded across the water faster than any boat. I kept my eyes on the ship that was getting closer and closer now, focusing on every ounce of it. Potential entrances and escapes—it's stupid coat of white paint, the words, PRINCESS ANDROMEDA painted in gold across the back. It kept me distracted from the water around me, but it also made me very angry—and nervous about a lot more other things.
And before we knew it, Luke's ship was looming right over us—our ride towards the Sea of Monsters.
*
ANDROMEDA, IN THE STORIES, had been chained to a rock by her own parents as a sacrifice to a sea monster. Her hero, Perseus—not the idiot in front of me, his namesake—saved her just in time and turned the sea monster to stone using the head of Medusa. Perseus received the best luck of all the Greek heroes. While most were poisoned, killed ( in every gruesome way possible ), betrayed or cursed by the gods, Perseus lived on. He got a happy ending. Literally the only one.
But there was a part of me that thought this ship was more the monster rather than the pretty innocent damsel. The white hull was at least ten storeys tall, topped with another dozen levels of decks with brightly lit balconies and portholes. Attached to the bow was a huge masthead—a three-storey-tall woman in a white Greek chiton chained to the ship. She looked beautiful, with long black hair but her expression was terrible. Absolute terror.
"How do we get aboard?" Annabeth shouted over the noise of the waves. The hippocampi, however, seemed to know what we needed. They swan along the starboard side of the ship, riding easily through its huge wake and pulled up next to a service ladder.
"Uh, here?" I said. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You first."
She nodded. Annabeth slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed the bottom rung. Once she hoisted herself onto the ladder, her hippocampus whinnied a farewell and dived underwater—spraying us all with water while it was at it. Annabeth began to climb. We waited for her to get a few rungs up before following.
I pulled my duffel bag on and waited for Percy to go first. Like Annabeth, I waited for him to climb a few rungs up before grabbing onto the ladder and pulled myself up. In the end, it was only Tyson still left on the water. His hippocampus was treating him to three-sixty tricks and backward ollies, making him laugh. The sound echoed up the side of the ship.
"Tyson, shh!" Percy said. "Come on, big guy!"
"Can't we take Rainbow?" he asked, his smile fading.
Percy stared at him, "Rainbow?"
The hippocampus whinnied as if it liked its new name.
"Um, we have to go," Percy said. "Rainbow ... well, he can't climb ladders."
I wasn't sure who looked more upset: Rainbow or Tyson. Both whinnied and looked at Percy with a set of puppy dog eyes that looked freakily similar. In the end, Tyson broke and turned to Rainbow the hippocampus: "I will miss you Rainbow!" and buried his face into his mane. I rolled my eyes.
"Percy," I whispered harshly to the Son of Poseidon, "we need to move."
Percy gave me a nod before turning back to Tyson. "Come on big buddy—maybe we'll see him again sometime."
"Oh, please!" Tyson said, perking up immediately—"Tomorrow!"
Percy didn't make any promises, but he managed to get Tyson to make his way up the ladder. With a final sad whinny, Rainbow the hippocampus did a backflip and dived into the sea.
The ladder led to a matanece deck stacked with yellow lifeboats. There was a set of locked double doors that Annabeth managed to open with her knife (along with a flower of Ancient Greek curses along with it).
I didn't know what I was expecting, but my gut lurched when the doors opened; as if I expected Luke to be there staring back at me. He seemed to be all I was thinking about: how to avoid him, where he was, whether he was watching us, what I was going to actually do once I found him.
I thought we'd have to sneak around at least. But the ship seemed deserted after searching the corridors and peering over a balcony. Obviously, it was the middle of the night, and I wasn't sure whether I was looking out for monsters, demigods, Luke or just regular mortals but there was literally no one—not even a sound behind cabin doors.
"Is it a ghost ship?" Percy murmured.
"No," Tyson fiddled with the strap of his bag. "Bad smell."
Annabeth sniffed, "I don't smell anything."
"Cyclops are like satyrs," said Percy. "They can smell monsters. Isn't that right, Tyson?"
He nodded nervously. THat made my stomach clench. My fingers grazed over my necklace. Now that we were away from camp, the mist had distorted his face again, but it didn't make me feel better because whenever I wasn't concentrating, I saw the two eyes and then it was a scare to remind myself that I was with a cyclops and I'd grow tense all over again.
"Okay," Annabeth said. "So what exactly do you smell?"
"Something bad."
"Great," I said through clenched teeth. "That really clears it up."
We ventured outside to where the swimming pool was. Rows of empty deck chairs and a bar closed off with a chain curtain didn't give me good vibes. There should be people. Where were the people?
"We need a hiding place," said Percy. "Somewhere safe to sleep."
I didn't know how I could sleep on the same ship as Luke without feeling the overwhelming need to cry or break something, but I didn't say anything.
We explored some more corridors until we found an empty suite on the ninth level. The door was open--weird--and there was a basket of chocolate goodies on the table with an iced-down bottle of sparkling cider on the nightstand as well as a mint on a pillow with a handwritten note that said: Enjoy your Cruise!
It gave me serious Lotus Casino vibes and I wasn't liking it.
We opened up our duffel bags.
"Wow," Percy muttered, "Hermes really thought of everything."
Didn't exactly know that whole story, but I agreed anyway. Hermes somehow had packed all the stuff I had previously had in my bag. Including other things such as my dagger Dad had given me last year ( I grabbed that and slipped it up my sleeve ). He packed extra clothes, toiletries, camp rations, an airtight bag full of cash, a leather pouch full of golden drachmas. He even managed to pack Annabeth's Yankee baseball cap and Tyson's oil cloth with his tools and metal bits.
We went our separate ways in different rooms. Annabeth and I took the second room with the master bed (Percy tried to grab it for himself but I kicked him in the shin and beat him to it). Percy and Tyson each took a single in the main room.
I couldn't sleep.
My dagger was in my hand under the pillow, and my eyes were fixed on the door--as if waiting for something bad to happen. I concentrated hard on the noises around me to try and hear something, but all there was was the sound of the waves crashing against the ship, making it rock back and forwards ever-so-slightly—
—Great, now I want to go throw up.
I got up to do that. Once I brushed my teeth and came back out from the ensuite, Annabeth spoke.
"Can you sleep?"
Her voice made me jump, "Gods, Annabeth!"
She flicked on the lamp on the bedside table. She looked at me with a frown on her face. "Sorry—just ... Luke's on this ship ..."
That made me slump in realisation. All the while I was going through anxiety over Luke, so was Annabeth. I felt terrible for not being there for her. Sometimes it's hard to realise Annabeth was upset because she hid it so well behind a stone exterior. It was rare to hear her like this unless you were really close. I sighed. "I ... I know ... I'm trying to ignore that ..." I scratched the back of my neck.
"And he poisoned Thalia's Tree ..."
"He didn't do that," I told her immediately. "Kronos did that."
Annabeth pulled her knees to her chest, "He tried to kill Percy ..."
"Luke wasn't in the right state of mind," I said. "He still isn't." I sighed and sat back down on the bed with her. "We can still save him, Annabeth."
"What if we can't?" she asked, her voice soft. "What if Luke's gone too far under?"
"He is yet to drown," I said. "I won't give up until I'm sure he has. I'm gonna bring him back home, Annabeth. We're not gonna lose him too, I promise."
Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she didn't say anything. It made me frown. "Annabeth, I promise."
She just nodded.
I woke up to a man with an Australian accent talking over the PA. I hadn't realised I had fallen asleep, and when—the very happy, mind you—voice spoke, it made me jump right up.
"Good morning, passengers! We'll be at sea all day today. Excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! Don't forget million-dollar bingo in the Kraken Lounge at one o'clock, and for our special guests, disembowelling practice on the Promenade!"
It took me a second of rubbing my eyes and wanting to go back to sleep before I realised the guy had said disembowelling instead of just normal bowling. I shared a look with Annabeth who had the same frown on her face. In seconds, we were out of bed and walking back into the main room where Percy and Tyson were still in bed (the latter so big that his feet reached the edge of the bathroom door). I met Percy's eyes, "We're not the only ones who heard disembowelling, are we?"
Once we all got dressed—and Annabeth's hair wasn't a rats nest—we ventured out into the ship and were surprised to see other people. A dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast. A father and his kids were making their way towards the pool for a morning swim. Crew members in crisp white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.
Nobody asked who we were. Nobody paid us any attention at all.
"I'm so confused," I said.
A family of swimmers passed us, the dad told his kids, "We are on a cruise. We are having fun."
"Yes," his three kids said in unison, expressionless. "We are having a blast. We will swim in the pool." Before wandering off.
This only confused me more. I turned to Annabeth and Percy, "I'm sorry, but what?"
A crew member came up to us, "Good morning," he said, his eyes glazed. "We are all enjoying ourselves aboard the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day." He drifted away.
"Okay, this is now just freaking me out."
"Guys, this is weird," Annabeth whispered. "They're all in some kind of trance."
Then we passed the cafeteria and saw our first monster. It was a hellhound—a huge black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet counter and its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. It must have been young because it was smaller compared to most, but it was still big. I took a step towards Percy. He almost got killed by one last summer.
But that wasn't the strangest thing: it was the middle-aged couple standing in the buffet queue right behind it, patiently waiting their turn. They didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
"Not hungry anymore," said Tyson.
Before any of us could reply, a reptilian voice came from down the corridor. "Ssssix more joined yesssterday."
Annabeth gestured frantically towards the nearest hiding place—the women's restroom—and all three of us ducked inside. Something—or rather, two somethings—slithered past the bathroom door, scratching the carpet like sandpaper.
"Yessss," a second reptilian spoke. "He drawssss them. Ssssoon he will be ssstrong."
They slithered into the cafeteria with what sounded like a burst of cold hissing laughter. I hated snakes—it made me want to squirm and run. I turned to Percy. "We have to get out of here."
"You think I want to be in the girls' restroom."
I resisted the urge to smack him. "I mean the ship, Percy! We have to get off the ship."
"Smells bad," Tyson agreed. "And dogs eat all the eggs. Claire is right. We must leave the restroom and ship."
It felt weird agreeing with a cyclops, but that fact seemed to get Percy's thoughts straight. I was about to say something else when another voice echoed outside—one that made me freeze up.
"—Only a matter of time. Don't push me, Agrius!"
It was Luke. I gripped Annabeth's arm, staring at the door with sudden fear. He was out there. Luke was out there. He was so close. If I just stepped outside—but I couldn't. I couldn't move my feet. All I could do was stare and listen.
"I'm not pushing you!" another guy growled. His voice was deeper and angrier. "I'm just saying, if this gamble doesn't pay off—"
"It'll pay off," Luke snapped. "They'll take the bait. Now, come, we've got to get to the admiralty suite and check on the casket."
Their voices receded down the corridor.
Tyson whimpered. "Leave now?"
I wanted to. But when I glanced at Percy and Annabeth, I knew I couldn't it. The three of us came to a silent agreement.
"We can't," Percy told Tyson.
"We have to find out what Luke is up to," I added.
Annabeth nodded, "And if possible, we're going to beat up him, bind him in chains and drag him to Mount Olympus."
*
a/n: this chapter is short, and considering the wait I'm sorry but it was a good place to end it.