Well, thought Percy, that wasn't exactly an uplifting farewell. He gave the old Cyclops a nod and swam with Tyson towards the gates. He realized it was starting to get light; it was already past dawn.

"Hey, big guy, mind if I speed us up a bit?"

"Yes! Let's go fast! See Rainbow sooner!"

Percy grinned and willed the currents to carry them to the gates as fast as he dared. As he did, he noticed that it was easier than normal. This sword'll come in very handy he thought. Within a few short minutes they had arrived once more at the gates, and luckily Rainbow was back to his usual punctual self.

Tyson immediately started smiling when he saw his fishy-horsey friend while the fishy-horse himself performed a somersault.

Hey Rainbow, we need to get back to Long Island. Er...Very fast.

Rainbow seemed extremely pleased about that. Yes, Lord!

Tyson mounted Rainbow while Percy did the same with his miscellaneous friend, who was more appropriate for his own size. He wasn't even sitting on properly before they were racing off. Percy began to think that it had turned into a personal contest when both Hippocampi started going even faster than before, now with one in front, now with the other. That was when the ADHD part of his brain decided he should pitch in for the team.

He imagined that the currents were helping out his Hippocampi, pushing him forward and they instantly obeyed. See you later, fellas!

Dismayed, Tyson windmilled his massive arms through the water, but only succeeded in destabilizing himself. Percy had to use his power to prevent Tyson from falling off the Speeding Rainbow. By now the "normal" part of Percy's brain had caught up with him, bringing with it all of his rational concerns. He ordered the currents to help Rainbow as well, noticing the familiar wrench in his gut as he did so and this time a more significant drain in his energy. He leant low against his unnamed steed and rested as they shot through the murky depths, which were becoming ever lighter.

Even though Rainbow had been swimming quickly on his way to the palace of Poseidon, this trip proved to take less than half the time. Soon they had reached the stretch of shore that Percy had stood on hours earlier calling the name "Rainbow."

As they slowed to a halt in the shallows, Percy realized that despite his efforts both Hippocampi were totally exhausted. They'd do anything if I asked them to he thought. It wasn't a pleasant idea.

Thanks guys, you're the best. I've never seen anything swim that fast! And that pleased the Hippocampi no end.

Tyson, on the other hand, would have been crying if it were possible underwater. We will see each other soon, Rainbow?

Rainbow the Hippocampi neighed sadly. Whenever you need me.

At that, Tyson dismounted, though clearly reluctantly. Percy did the same, and after exchanging a final mental farewell with his trusty sea-steeds, he waded onto the shore.

Ahead, he could see camp half blood, just the way he left it. Well, excluding the giant iron ship that was doing its utmost to pollute the river water. A gangplank connected said ship to the shore and by said gangplank stood the entire camp. Standing in front of the camp were three people: one smart looking and admittedly a teensy-bit pretty; another who sported long, curly hair and horns, and another dressed all in black punk clothes and wearing spiky hair, also black. Thalia.

Over the course of a few weeks, Thalia and Percy had become very fast friends, as their personalities were very similar. One thing was for sure: Percy was glad Thalia wasn't his enemy. Recently she had been away trying to find out about her mom. The little things like was she alive, where did she live, etc. etc.

Standing opposite to the trio was Clarisse, flanked by two zombie-confederate sailors. Just the kind of people he wanted to be with in the middle of the Ocean. The two sides seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument.

Percy and Tyson ran towards the gathering. As soon as he left the water, Percy felt a considerable drain on his strength which prevented him from continuing to sprint.

"You're being stupid! This is no ordinary quest to kill a monster; you're going to be facing Kronos himself and the entire titan army. You need all the help you can get!" He heard Annabeth say.

"No way, wise girl. The glory goes to Ares this time." That was Clarisse.

"How could you be so idiotic! Don't you realize that this is a war?" Percy thought that Thalia posed a fair question.

"Listen, punk. I am the daughter of the GOD OF WAR. I know this is a war and I know Ares is gonna win it." The name "punk" really didn't hurt so much when it was directed at Thalia.

Thalia's face was livid and she probably would have launched an explosive verbal salvo at Clarisse if she hadn't been drowned out by an uproar from the campers behind her.

"Quiet. Quiet!" Yelled Chiron. Everybody fell silent. "Clarisse, you must understand. No matter...No matter what others might want to gain from this quest, I know that you realize what is at stake here. You are in command here. Remember your duty to those who will fight under you. If you attack without the full support of the camp, even if you win, Ares campers will die. It is your responsibility to keep them safe, not throw their lives away on a fool's errand!"

Percy knew Chiron had hit Clarisse where it hurt. She'd shown when defending the camp during the episode with the fleece that she felt responsible for those under her command. It was, thought Percy, one of her few endearing traits.

Clarisse's expression wavered. Percy could tell her mind was racing and he hoped she was starting to second- guess herself. Then her expression hardened again.

"I'm under orders, horse-man. Ares only."

'Horse-man' was not a name that many directed at Chiron, for fear of finding an arrow lodged in the exact centre of their pupil. But, as always the Centaur's face remained calm.

"Clarisse, let us settle this now before too much time is lost. Allow us to find Percy and then the both of you will consult the oracle. Then we may see if you must allow other campers to help you on this quest."

For the first time, Clarisse looked truly unsure. She's worried that the oracle will tell her she has to accept help Percy realized. She shook her head.

"I don't need to consult the oracle. By the orders of my father, Lord Ares, only Ares campers are allowed on this ship. I will carry out his wishes. It's my duty." But to Percy she seemed to be trying to convince herself of that as much as the campers. "Where is seaweed brain, anyway? Gone off to sulk?"

Percy and Tyson had now reached the congregation. "I'm right here, Clarisse."

Clarisse sneered, but her face betrayed her surprise and... concern? "Well Jackson, you might as well go back to wherever you came from. You're not coming with me and neither is anyone else who isn't an Ares camper.

Percy desperately tried to fight the powerful waves of anger which were crashing against his mind. "Clarisse, be reasonable. I'm the only one here who can find out where the Princess Andromeda is."

Clarisse shook her head. "No way, punk."

"Then how do you plan to find the ship?" asked Annabeth.

Clarisse shrugged "We'll ask around."

Try as he might, Percy couldn't keep his anger contained any longer. "How could you do this? How could you throw away the lives of the Ares cabin? How could you allow Kronos to attack! He'll come for us, he'll ruin the camp and kill us all, and then he'll rip Olympus down and enslave the entire human race!" There was shocked silence. Though they all knew what a war might mean, nobody had said those things yet. Nobody had suggested that he entire world might fall if Clarisse didn't let the rest of the camp go on this mission.

Clarisse was speechless. She started shaking. Percy might have just imagined it, but maybe, just maybe, her bottom lip was trembling just a bit. Then she shouted "You don't get it, punk! You have no idea!"

But Percy did get it. There was one person who would ruin all of this. One reason why the mission would fail. One person who was forcing Clarisse to act stupid and unfair. Ares, Percy realized, had to be taken out of the equation if the quest was going to succeed.

"I understand perfectly, Clarisse. I know this is all your dad's fault! But you've gotta end this or we'll lose and it'll be your fault! You have to defy Ares! Don't you realize he's controlling you? How can you let him?"

Clarisse shut her eyes. After a long moment, she opened them again, and Percy saw she was fighting back tears. What would it be like to have a dad like that? Maybe if he was in Clarisse's position, he would have been as bad as she was. "I can't do anything. It's his ship."

Everybody but Chiron seemed completely stunned. None of them had ever seen Clarisse like this before.

Now, decided Percy, was the time to do something stupid. He had to roll the dice; he had to throw all of his weight at the problem if the situation was going to be salvaged. If Clarisse wouldn't defy Ares, then he would have to.

"Not anymore."

Clarisse's mouth fell open, mirroring the campers opposite her. Annabeth, Thalia and Grover turned to him, looking shocked, awed and scared. "What did you say?"

For a moment, Percy was speechless too. How could he have done something so dumb? I've already jumped now he thought. I'm just going to have to swim. But what do I say? Then he remembered the movies.

"You heard me. I'm Er... I'm commandeering this ship. It's mine now. Ares no longer has control over who sails on it."

Clarisse gaped at him. After a few seconds she began to stammer incoherently, and it took her several more to be able to form a proper sentence. "You can't do that. You don't have the right!"

"I am a son of Poseidon. That gives me the right."

Percy flashed a glance at Chiron and was pleased to see a hint of pride in the old Centaur's eyes.

When after several seconds Clarisse offered no response, Percy decided he might have just pulled it off. She's not going to argue, because she knows she needs us.

Percy turned to the zombie-sailor standing to Clarisse's right, who judging by his uniform and his pointy hat was the captain.

"Captain, you and your men are dismissed. Tell Ares that the ship is no longer his."

The captain simply nodded. "Aye, sir." The wind picked up and Percy watched as the sailor and his compatriot began to dissolve into nothingness, blown away like smoke.

Percy turned to the awed campers. "Right, now we have Ares out of the way, let's get down to business."

Annabeth walked to stand by his side, which relieved Percy. He'd had enough for the day; now someone who knew what they were doing could take command of the situation and make some smart choices that would actually prevent them all dying.

She turned to face him. "What are your orders, sir?"

Percy wore the expression of someone who had been betrayed. She was leaving him in charge? How could she? Had Annabeth lost her mind? Get a hold of yourself! Now you've gotta say something really witty or you'll look really stupid.

"Er...Umm..."

Percy felt a sharp pain in his ribs and assumed that Annabeth's elbow was the cause.

"Alright, I think...Beckendorf, you and the Hephaestus cabin should take a look at this ship. It...It's not designed for deep water. Yeah, that's alright!

"And...er... we're gonna need a crew. We should be able to fit everyone in. Don't bring what you don't need. Er, Chiron? Could you...

"I will make sure the ship is supplied. I think I shall talk to Dionysius..."

Percy smiled. At least the old centaur seemed to be on his side.

He turned back to Clarisse. She looked livid and relieved at the same time; it was an odd mix.

"Clarisse...Could you and the Ares cabin take charge of weapons? Everyone needs to be able to fight with a weapon they're comfortable with."

Clarisse remained silent. Then she strode up to him and poked him in the chest. "I'll let you off the hook just this once, punk, because I owe you one for saving me from the Cyclops. Then she strode off without another word. He turned back to the throng, slightly abashed; noticing how utterly mad the rest of the Ares camp looked. Taking them with us is a really, really bad idea. He decided.

"Lee, I'm afraid I don't think we're all gonna come out of this unscathed."

Lee nodded. "We'll go see what medical supplies we can find."

Percy now turned to Annabeth. She looked almost as if she approved of how he was doing.

"Wise girl, just...Er...Take charge of the situation?...Please?"

She grinned at him. "Okay seaweed brain, just this once."

Finally he turned back to the rest of the camp, who were still standing there, waiting for some inspirational finale. "We all know the risks here. Nobody has to come and if you don't no one will think less of you."

Travis Stoll stepped forward, shaking his head in clear disappointment. "Percy...You really don't know us very well at all, do you?

Over the next few hours, Percy helped out with various tasks; loading food and clothes and weapons and medical supplies into the ship's hold. Thankfully, Annabeth had been taking care of the non-menial tasks; organizing the cargo and bunks for the campers. This was no mean feat since everybody had elected to join the voyage. Clarisse had for once been less angry than normal and had been helpful to everyone who needed her services in finding a weapon to suit them.

It was close to sundown and Percy was carrying a godly first aid kit containing powerful magical items such as nectar, ambrosia and band-aids. Beckendorf, who he had not seen since he and the rest of his cabin had gone off to get the ship sea-worthy, came running up to him with a scowl on his face.

Percy smiled. "Beckendorf! What's up?"

"That damn trickster Ares is up, Percy!"

Percy frowned. "What now"

"That ship isn't just unworthy for an ocean voyage. It can barely float! Ares must have 'forgotten' to repair the battle damage."

Percy's frown was rapidly morphing into a furious snarl. He hated Ares. He knew that he was a coward. But he'd never go so far to think that he would kill his own daughter with an underhand trick.e knew he H"That...That..." When he was unable to come up with a curse that would properly describe Ares, he simply asked Beckendorf "Can you repair it?"

Beckendorf nodded. "It'll take a few days, but we can get it sea-worthy."

Percy shook his head. "That's not good enough!"

Beckendorf nodded. "I know. But we don't have another choice!"

Percy wasn't listening. Throwing his mind outwards as he did when speaking to either a horse or a sea-creature, he yelled CAPTAIN! at the top of his metaphorical voice.

The sea-wind picked up once again and the captain materialized. "Sir?"

"You set us up."

The nameless captain shook his head. "No, sir. It was the god of war who attempted to betray you. Not me."

Percy's hand clenched into a fist. "Well, captain, you are recalled to duty."

The zombie-sailor looked shocked. "You dare not defy the will of the war god!"

Percy was shaking with rage now. He pointed to the Confederate vessel. "That is MY ship and you are its captain. You are under my command, not Ares'!"

"My pledge is to the war god, not to you. No mortal, demigod or human, may keep me from the underworld."

"Then why are you still here?" growled Beckendorf.

The captain didn't answer.

"You and your crew will repair your ship. When that's done, I will release you can have whatever afterlife you deserve."

The captain all of a sudden looked eager. "Aye, sir!" And with that he ran off.

Beckendorf turned to Percy. "Nice one!"

Percy grinned, but inside he was still fuming. He uttered a silent prayer. I will get you, Ares.

Okay, looks like I'm finally ready to get rolling with this story! I was in the middle of writing chapter 5 when I realized I'd forgotten totally about Thalia! Well, now I've remembered here, I can assure you she'll be playing a very large part in this story.

I've been thinking about where this story should go in the long run. Originally the idea was for it to fit in between the SOM and the Titan's Curse, but now I've been thinking about making it much bigger. Enlarging this storyline is an idea that I'm really exited about. I have a lot of ideas (not least a few OCs) which I'd love to add, but the whole thing would take up a lot of time and writing this thing has actually proved to be more challenging than I expected. So, I think I'll leave it up to whoever reads this to decide. Would you like there to be sequels to this fic, or should it be a stand alone story?

I'm really excited to have almost 1000 veiws-but only 6 reweiws! I do implore anyone reading this fic to give me some feedback, even harsh words are better than nothing. Also, I will only decide whether do have a sequel or stand alone when I have a few votes for either side.