I do not own Cat Woman, Star Wars, The Princess Bride,
Chapter 8: We Have the Right to Remain Silent
I waited until we were safely past New York harbor before finally relaxing and taking my turn at sleeping. In the interim Airiana regained consciousness and was introduced to the crew that was idolizing her. She was very humble in accepting a royal position on the ship. I may have been the leader of the quest, but she was clearly the Captain. She took the on deck watch as the sun went up and I went down to take a nap.
The Berth Deck, at least that's what Airiana's book called it, was just below the Gun Deck. It was the long empty deck with a few hammocks strung up that I had visited while searching the ship for guards. The deck was at the waterline and I could hear the waves pass the ship. But I choose the deck for two reasons. First, being near the water, it was actually the deck that moved the least. I was doing better than Kim who had pucked over the side three times already, but I was still not feeling too well. The second reason I picked the deck was that it was pitch black: there were no windows on the waterline. I would be able to sleep during the day here.
I switched Sabertooth into gladius mode for light and found a hammock. It took three tries (and some help from a friendly local ghost) but I finally managed to get in. Once inside it wrapped me like a cocoon. It was surprisingly comfortable and I fell asleep within minutes.
I immediately wished I hadn't. Demigods rarely got to have normal dreams and I had a feeling it was worse during a quest. This dream set me floating above what I recognized as the Underworld throne room. I had been there six months prior but now it looked almost nothing like it had back then.
Hades had built his palace to resemble the original throne room on Olympus. It was huge, with a massive entry hallway leading to the main throne room. Hades' throne was six feet tall and set up on the far side of the entrance, raised on a pedestal to look down on the room. His throne was made of human bones fused together to form the massive seat. Next to his throne was another six foot tall throne made of interwoven vines: Persephone's throne. The vines appeared to be strong and alive, but they were brown. It was like they were mourning the death of their goddess. Persephone's throne was empty but Christopher Nash sat on Hades' throne. He was normal size so it looked really weird for him to be on the throne. He was wearing a Navy Blue suit with a white tie: very unHades like.
In front of the thrones was a long line of chairs filled with people I recognized. Opposite Chris was a single, large but still human sized chair with the very solid and fleshy form of King Minos of Crete. I had met King Minos in the Judgment Pavilion and would recognize the triangle beard anywhere. Especially now that he had been identified as the ringleader. He was wearing a bright blue robe and sat regally like it was easy.
To Menos' left was another spirit I had met in the Judgment Pavilion. Andrew Jackson had abandoned his Presidential robes and had donned a blood-red robe like a true son of Ares. He also had his weapon resting on his lap like he was ready to use it at any moment. The weapon was a colt pistol that I guessed was set up to fire Celestial Bronze bullets.
Next to Jackson and at Chris' right hand was Chris' girlfriend: Lily Harper. She was a daughter of Hermes and had taken to wearing a black spandex suit that looked like a Cat Woman outfit. Hermes may be the god of travelers and messengers but clearly she liked the god of thieves thing better. Last summer she had been the one who actually stole Hades' sword.
To Minos' right were three figures. Daedalus sat closest to Minos in a very ordinary looking chair. He wore a tailored gray suit and appeared very at ease, checking his fingernails while simultaneously operating what looked like an iphone. I checked for his laptop, which was still in phone mode, but I knew it was safe on the ship. Or at least it should be.
In the middle was Michael Yew. Yew was a son of Apollo and had fought alongside my father in the Battle of Manhattan. I had to assume he blamed the gods for his death. He wore a bright yellow t-shirt and jeans and looked like he had a permanent smile on his face. The twinkle in his eye reminded me eerily of his father.
Finally, a shorter woman sat in the final seat. I had met this lady upon returning from the Underworld and was still angry that she was here. Zoë Nightshade had been the Lieutenant of Artemis for two thousand years. Her soul carried the powers of Artemis into the Underworld. But she had blamed the goddess for not saving her during the Second Titan War and, in my opinion, was jealous of Thalia's rise to replace her.
Conspicuous by his absence was Triton.
"They escaped," Minos said.
"I told you to send an agent to intercept them," Daedalus said without looking up.
"It was protected enough," Minos said. "The gods broke their own laws or the ship would never have left port. We will break the laws as well."
"I cannot touch them on the boat," Chris said.
"Indeed," Zoë said. "But we can."
"Provided we can get to them," Lily said. "It will be impossible to chart their course with the Navy chasing them."
"I can follow them," Zoë said. "They'll have to stop eventually. I'll take them on then."
"Alone?" Minos asked.
"Of course," Zoë said. "I'll bring along my dragon." My heart skipped a beat with the word dragon.
"The Prophecy does say the dragon will follow them," Michael said.
"I've got a better idea," Daedalus said.
"You always have a better idea," Andrew Jackson said. The others couldn't help laughing except for Minos. Even Daedalus cracked a smile.
"See, you're learning," he said. "We don't need to follow him, My Lord. We know where he's going. We can wait for him at the Mount."
Minos sat back with the best poker face I had ever seen. No one dared interrupt him. "We will do both," Minos finally said. "Chris, you will wait for them in Jerusalem. Zoë, hunt them. But don't attack alone. Even with your dragon you can be beaten by their crew."
"I do not wish to be alone in Jerusalem," Chris said. "Some spirits are hostile there."
"What do you want?" Minos said.
"I wish to take Michael with me. Together, day and night, we are unstoppable."
"Very well," Minos said.
An unseen force almost immediately pulled me back. I managed a peek over my shoulder before I was rushed into a large cavern along the walls of the Fields of Asphodel. The cavern had a small patch of ground before falling into a bottomless pit that looked like a gaping mouth. Even in a dream I recognized the unmistakable and irresistible pull of Tartarus.
Just when I thought I would be pulled into the cavern I heard a raspy breath from inside. It sounded like a person with really bad bronchitis and who was loosing their voice trying to sing an opera. The breathing stopped for a minute before a second, larger breath. Finally a voice barely recognizable as male spoke. The voice had to pause between each strained sentence. "You see their plan. You must stop them. Take the helm to my daughter. Do not fail!"
I awoke to the sounds of rushed footsteps and shouted orders from somewhere above me. Somehow I had stayed in the hammock throughout the nightmare, but I slipped right out when I wanted to. Even before I got to the stairs I knew something was different. There was a golden glow on the stairs; and it wasn't sunlight.
I emerged onto the Gun Deck and saw our ghostly crew rolling bright cannons made from pure Celestial Bronze into place in front of closed gun ports. There were already six cannons on the deck, three on each side. Clearly we had arrived at the shipwreck Robinson was leading us to. The old, ceremonial, black cannons were being carried by four soldiers back up the stairs to the top deck. I caught the eyes of one of the ghosts, I think he was called Rodriguez. He was plump yet fit and had a sparkle in his eye that reminded me I was dealing with souls and not zombies. He smiled at me and said "I think they need you topside." Then he joined his three friends in moving a black cannon toward the stairs. They stopped to let me through.
Once I had adjusted to the sunlight, the first thing I noticed was that we were stopped. The sails were rolled up but Captain Roberts was somehow holding the ship in place without the benefit of the anchor. The second thing I noticed was that the ghosts were jumping overboard while still holding their cannons. A minute later a group of four sailors appeared from the water dragging a bronze cannon up what appeared to be a makeshift plank which extended into the ocean on our Starboard, or right, side. The ten foot wide board was glowing, a clear indication that Kim had magically strengthened it.
The third thing I noticed was that Airiana was kneeling and had stabbed the ship about an inch deep with Nico's sword near the main mast. She was concentrating very hard and it showed on her face. Finally, I spotted Kim standing at the stern looking behind the ship.
"What is Airiana doing?" I asked walking up beside her.
"The crew is tied to the ship itself," Kim said, turning around to face me. "While they are on the ship, they exist in their solid form by drawing power from the ship itself. But when they step off the ship they begin to dissolve back into their spirit-like form. In order to carry the cannons up from the wreck below, Airiana must keep their physical forms in place."
"So why did Rodriguez say I was needed up here?" I asked, more to myself than to Kim.
"Because of them," Roberts said, taking his hand off the wheel long enough to point over the stern. There was nothing on the ocean for as far as I could see, except a small line of islands near the western horizon, but I knew exactly what he was pointing to. A black helicopter was flying soundlessly toward the ship. It passed overhead, made a sharp U-turn and then flew back out in the direction it came. Almost like it was leading something.
"It won't be long before the Navy shows up," Kim said, turning back to look over the stern.
"Nope," I said. "Any ideas? We can't go toe to toe with a modern warship using the technology of 1800 and weapons that won't attack mortals."
"We need another hour to finish getting the guns off the Adventure," Roberts said.
"The Navy will be here in an hour," I said, turning back to Roberts. "Wait, the Adventure? Blackbeard's last ship?"
"Well, not really," Roberts said. "When Blackbeard disappeared with the Queen Anne's Revenge into the Sea of Monsters, one of his Lieutenants took command of the fleet. He made the Adventure his flagship and made these Bronze cannons to attack British ships, many of which prayed to Poseidon for protection. Within two months, two British ships found him and defeated the Adventure in a fierce battle. The British looted the ship for repairs then, believing the Celestial Bronze cannons to be worthless when they were fighting mortals, sent the ship into the ocean.
"Robinson was aboard the Adventure that day and was killed. His spirit stayed with the ship until the civil war. He joined a passing Confederate ship, took it to shore and traveled to the Underworld, which was in Texas at the time. I met him there."
"They're here," Kim said, bringing my attention back to the problem at hand. I looked out over the stern and noticed a shining silver ship on the horizon and approaching fast.
"Still need 45 minutes," Roberts said.
"We can't defeat that ship in battle," I said.
"Oh, they won't attack us," Roberts said. "Not yet."
"How can you be sure?" I asked.
"Honor," Roberts said. "They probably haven't even allowed the fact that their ship is missing to be leaked out. If they fire on us then the citizens on those islands will know that the Constitution isn't just out on a test drive. They'll try to take the ship back quietly until circumstances force them to do otherwise. They are overconfident in that technological advantage."
"They should be overconfident," Kim said.
Roberts left the wheel, which surprised me. "We have an advantage that evens the fight."
"What's that?" I asked.
"That is a hunk of steel and wires," Roberts said. "This is not. But she IS a demigod ship with four demigods on board. And we have powers that technology will never give them."
"You're a demigod?" Kim asked.
"Son of Hermes," Roberts said. "Travelers and thieves: the perfect combination for a pirate. I'll keep the ship where she needs to be. You two keep them off the ship." He offered us his telescope: a three tiered one that looked like it was right out of Hollywood, and returned to the wheel while Kim and I turned to face the ship which was almost halfway here. Kim extended the telescope and looked through.
"21," she said. "What kind of a name is 21?"
"It's a classification number," I said. "21 is the USS New York. It's a transport ship, minimal guns but lots of troops. Just the kind of ship to take the Constitution back silently. You made chairs out of the Mist when we were talking to President Madison. How good are you at manipulating the Mist?"
"It's one of Hecate's powers but I'm not very good at it," Kim said.
"Give it a try while I think of something else," I said. "Try to make this ship look like a fishing boat or something."
Kim closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders like she was preparing to meditate. Then she opened her eyes with a very determined look and snapped both her hands.
The air shifted as the Mist physically changed around us. I knew that the ship itself, being a titan creation for a demigod and rebuilt by demigods, would be creating a Mist of its own. I hoped that was going to be enough to help Kim.
The Constitution flashed into a smaller shape for even my eyes but the New York never even stopped. I guess Navy sailors have just seen too much. They'll believe anything. She motored next to us, stopping about ten feet off our port, or left, side. The last cannon was brought up the plank and they crew pulled the plank back onto the ship.
"Halt!" a sailor said through a megaphone. "You will surrender your ship and be transported back to Boston in custody. You have the right to remain silent-"
"Can I help you sir?" I interrupted with my calmest, kindest and most innocent voice possible. I knew that the Mist would still be hovering around the ship. I decided to try and add some charmspeak to the illusion.
"You will surrender your ship," he started again.
"You must be looking for something," I said, putting all my effort into it. "We'd be glad to help you look for whatever you're looking for."
"We've been looking for your ship," the sailor said. "You will surrender."
"This isn't the ship you're looking for," I said.
"Oh," the sailor said. "Perhaps you can help us." The megaphone went silent for a few seconds before a female, older sounding voice came on. "Nice try. You will surrender your ship."
"But this is our ship," I said. "You're looking for your ship I think."
The lady sighed. "You will surrender our ship,"
"You wish to surrender your ship? Why thank you," I said quickly.
"Ugh! Surrender now!" she screamed. She may not have been fooled by the charmspeak, at least not completely, but I was thwarting her plans.
"You keep using that word," I said. "I do not think it means what you think it means."
"To fight is suicide," the woman said.
"No to surrender is suicide," I said. "You're under orders not to fire on us." I smiled as wickedly as I could. "We've got spies in the Government, what makes you think we don't have agents aboard your ship. You don't want to risk a battle. Just tell your superiors you couldn't find us." The paragraph took all the energy I could muster. I knew I couldn't muster more force behind the charmspeak. If this one didn't work, we'd need to change tactics and I was out of ideas.
The silence that followed my statement gave me hope that I had been successful. Then the New York's engines began to rumble. "You have no weapons and we're a modern warship. You beating us in a fight is inconceivable. We'll beat you with the smallest guns we have." They began to pull away.
I knew they'd wrap around in a large arc until they were a hundred yards or so off our side. Then they'd fire on our sails, trapping us in place.
"Full sail!" Airiana screamed from the middle of the ship. I briefly registered that she was standing again before the crew's activity almost knocked me off my feet. They reacted to her like she was the Captain.
I fought my way to Roberts, who had taken the wheel. His eyes were shifting from the sails to the New York, which was already halfway through the turn. "We can't win a fight," I said, adding calmness to my words more for my benefit than his. He was already dead; dying didn't mean anything to him. "Regular cannonballs will bounce off her and Celestial Bronze will go right through it."
"We need Greek Fire," Roberts said. The ship had begun to move, but it wasn't going to get moving fast enough to get out of range of the New York's guns. A couple of bolts of fire emerged from the New York. The water splashed off our stern. I didn't even hear the sound of the gun. They weren't kidding; they could attack us silently.
"At least they're bad shots," I said.
"They're gaging the wind," Roberts said. "The next shot won't miss. And they're in range for that shot...now."
Three shots fired from the New York. The shots cut through our rigging like a hot knife through butter. One of the sails on the main mast came loose, the burning ropes flailing around the top deck. A second round of shots emitted from the New York.
I fell to starboard as the ship lurched hard and seemed to drop down ten feet. I heard the New York's shots fly harmlessly over the ship. Then a massive, thirty foot high wave crashed over the ship headed toward the New York. As the wave passed over I saw the familiar face of Tyson, my Uncle, surfing the wave and screaming something that suspiciously sounded like "Peanut Butter!"
We were wet, but Tyson worked for the gods and the gods couldn't hurt our ship. Everyone stayed on board and the wave didn't hurt anything on our ship. I got up in time to watch the wave rush toward the New York. It rolled through where the ship had been and then keep traveling, slowly shrinking until there was nothing left. There was no sign of the New York.
I turned to Airiana in alarm, silently asking her if we'd just witnessed the sinking of the USS New York. She shook her head. "They're not dead," she said, just enough for me and Roberts to hear.
"They'll be out of commission for a while though," Roberts said. "We should get moving. My lady, if you like, we can be in Cuba by tomorrow morning."
"That fast?" I asked.
"The ship continued to accelerate as we moved along. Between Zeus's help and my navigation abilities, we can get this thing rolling," Roberts said. "I can go even faster if one of you can repair that sail."
"I can fix it," Kim said, coming back over. "Mending a cut rope is rookie magic."
"So, my lady the flower queen," I asked. She smiled. As much as she claimed to hate the name she always smiled at it. "Cuba?"
Airiana yawned. "Sounds great to me. Now if you excuse me, I need to sleep. That took it out of me again."
