I am so sorry for not updating in a while. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Please don't forget to leave a review.
As always I do not own the Percy Jackson series, but Chloe is my OC.
"Thermos!" Percy shouted over the wind rushing past our ears.
I was afraid that if I let go of the boat I would fly out of it. Thankfully Tyson was able to still have the strength to hold on while getting the thermos for Percy. More arrows and javelins flew past us.
"Hang on!" Percy yelled.
"We are!" I shouted back.
"Tighter!"
Tyson grabbed us by the back of our shirts and suddenly we were being propelled sideways. As we hit the ocean at an angle, we bumped once, twice, skipping several times like a stone until we were whizzing along like a speed boat. Very quickly the cruise ship disappeared completely in the distance.
Once we were safely cursing Tyson let go of us and we got comfortable.
"How much wind is in there?" I asked stretching my legs out on the bench.
"I don't know." Percy said. "Hermes never explained it to me. Hopefully we will get enough distance between us and Luke that he can't catch up."
We sat in silence for a while. Tyson tinkered on his project for a bit. The wind of the thermos stirred up a nice sea spray.
"We can't let this quest fail. Luke wasn't lying when he said camp will be destroyed in a month time." I sighed thinking about the dream I had of camp.
Percy looked at me with a strange expression. "What do you mean?"
"The night we spent on the ship I had a dream." I explained. "A dream about camp being destroyed. Thalia's tree was completely withered away. Everyone lay dead on the ground and the cabins all burned down. It was horrible Percy. The one place that is meant to be safe for us became a mass grave. All because this quest failed."
I closed my eyes trying to stop the tears from spilling over.
"Hey," Percy said softly. "We won't let that happen. We will find the Fleece before Luke does and get it back to camp in time to heal Thalia's tree."
"What about Luke though? He let us go this time but he probably won't again."
"Then we will fight him." Percy stared at the sea spray thoughtfully. "Hand me a drachma. We need to make a call to Chiron. He will know what to do."
I didn't know if it was because we were out at sea but the IM connection was poor. Chiron's face appeared alright but there was strobe light flashing behind him and rock music blaring. We told him about sneaking away from camp, Luke and the Princess Andromeda and the golden box for Kronos's remains. But between the noise on Chiron's end and all the wind and water on ours we weren't sure how much he had heard.
"You two shouldn't have—" His voice was drowned out by loud shouting behind him—a bunch of excitement whooping.
"What?" Percy yelled.
"Curse my relatives!" Chiron ducked as a plate flew over his head and shattered somewhere out of site.
"Should you get the Fleece—" the music got cranked up, subwoofers so loud it made our boat vibrate. "—Miami," Chiron yelled. "I'll try to keep watch—"
The connection was lost and Chiron was gone.
An hour later we spotted 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 our starboard side, then turned like it wanted a second look. It wasn't a normal thing to see three children in a yellow lifeboat with no engine going a hundred knots an hour. I'm sure we were breaking all kinds of laws.
"We are attracting to much attention," I said watching the coast guard turning around. It's lights were flashing and it was gaining speed.
"Do you want to head onto shore?" Percy asked.
I shook my head. "Go that way." I pointed to the norther part of the bay area. "There is an area where fresh water meets salt. I'm assuming it's a river. Maybe we can hide there."
I didn't know how I knew that but I could sense the change of water. We have spent so much time out here in salt water that I was sensitive to the nearby fresh water. Percy loosened the thermos cap a little more sending a fresh burst of wind. The coast guard boat fell farther and farther behind as we went deeper into the bay area. We didn't slow down until the shores narrowed on both sides.
Suddenly I felt drained, as if I was coming off a sugar high. I could tell Percy was feeling the same way. We slowly worked our way through the river. The scenery turned into a swampy area choked with march grass. Vine-covered trees blocked out most of the sunlight. Insects echoed though out the woods. The air was muggy and hot, and steam curled off the river. It wasn't anything like the city and I hated it.
"Where are we?" Tyson asked picking up our bags once Percy beached the boat.
"No idea." Percy said looking around.
"We should cover the boat. We don't want anyone to find it." I said jumping out.
After burying the lifeboats with branches, we set out exploring. I hated this place even more as tracked though red mud. A snake slither past in front of us and disappeared into the grass. Mosquitoes and other bugs where all over us.
"Not a good place," Tyson said.
After walking for a while we found an area to rest. It was on the water edge but had an sand cover area nearby with trees surrounding it. Tyson plopped down sending a plum of sand in the air. Percy and I sat next to him.
"Thirsty," Tyson moaned.
"I know big guy. I'm thirsty too." I told him digging in the duffle bags for anything to drink. I pulled out each of us a package of camp rations and passed them out. Inside it was a small 10oz bottle water and some beef jerky. Tyson drowned the water like it was a shot and ate the beef jerky in one go.
"More?" He asked looking in his bag like it will magically refill.
"Sorry. That was it." I told him. I drank my water more slowly—I wanted to saw some for later if we need it. Percy and I silently munched on our jerky as we thought about what to do next. Some deity much be out there watching us because just as I was giving up hope I heard a strange sound: chug-chug-chug.
"Do you hear that?" Percy asked sitting up.
"What is it?" The sound was getting closer. It was so powerful the riverbank shook.
"Steam engine," Tyson said.
Sure enough, Tyson was right. Coming around a curve of the river was a strange looking ship. It rode low in the water like a submarine, the deck plated with iron. In the middle was a trapezoid-shape casemate with slats on each side for the cannons. A flag waved from the top—a wild boar and spear on a blooded field.
What made it even stranger was the fact that the deck was maned by zombies in gray uniforms. They were dead soldiers with shimmering faces that only partly covered their skulls. They reminded me of the ghost in the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King that Aragon had asked for help from.
The ship was an ironclad Civil War battle cruiser. I could barely make out the moss covered letters that read: CSS Birmingham.
And standing next to the cannon was Clarisse, wearing full Greek armor.
"Well. . . well . . . look at what washed to shore." She sneered. "You three looked pathetic just sitting there. I suppose I should rescue you. I am after all on this quest because of you. Come aboard."
One of the dead soldiers dropped a ladder for us to climb aboard. Clarisse lead us on a tour of the ship, we tried telling her that we don't want one but she didn't listen. Everywhere we went the rooms where full of more dead soldiers. At first they like us because our last name is Jackson—like their Southern general—but they started to hiss at us once Percy told him we were from New York. Even after all this time, they still hated Yankees. Tyson was terrified of the ghost. He insisted to hold my hand the whole time, which I saw Clarisse laugh at more than once.
Our last stop of the tour was dinner. The CSS Birmingham captain's quarters was about the size of a walk-in closet, but still bigger then the crew quarters. The table was set with white linen and china. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, and Dr. Pepper where served by skeletal crewmen. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't eat anything served by a ghost but I was starved.
"Tantalus expelled you for eternity," Clarisse told us smuggle. "Mr. D said if any of you show your faces at camp again, he'll turn you into squirrels and run you over with his SUV."
I shrugged. "Once we finish this quest and prove Chiron's innocence we will be welcome backed."
"We? Oh no this is my quest! I don't need your help!" Clarisse shouted. "Thank to you I know where to go and I got this ship to do so. This is my quest. I finally get to be the hero and you two will not still my chance to do so." She spread she arms wide, gesturing to the ship around us.
"Did Tantalus give you this ship?" Percy asked.
Clarisse glared at him. "Of course not. Your father isn't the only one who has access to a Navy."
"Your father gave you this?" I asked impressed.
"The spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to Ares. That's their curse for being defeated. I prayed to my father for a navel transport and here it is. These guys will do anything I tell them. Won't you, Captain?"
The captain ghost stood behind her, his face frozen in an angry scroll. His green hunted eyes bore in to me. "If it means an end to this infernal war, ma'am, peace at last, we'll do anything. Destroy anyone."
Clarisse smiled. "Destroy anyone. I like that."
"Luke is after the Fleece, too." I told her. "He somehow found out about the coordinates and he's heading south."
"How do you know this?" She asked spuriously.
"We saw him." Percy explained. "He has a cruise ship full of monsters—"
"No problem! I'll blow him out of the water."
"Clarisse this is serious." I huffed. "You can't just blow him up."
"Sure I can!"
I continued ignoring her. "The ship is too big and he was to many monsters and demigods under his commands. We cannot let him get the fleece. Like it or not you need our help."
"No I don't!" She snarled.
"Where are your cabin mates?" Percy asked. "You were allowed to take two friends with you, weren't you?"
For a moment Clarisse flustered. "They didn't. . . I let them stay behind. To protect the camp."
"You mean even the people in your own cabin wouldn't help you?" Percy pressed.
"Shut up, Prissy! I don't need them! Or either of you!" She shouted standing up. "I don't care what the Oracle—" She stopped her self.
"Clarisse what did the Oracle say?" I asked.
"Nothing." Clarisse snapped but her cheeks turned a light pink. "All you need to know is that I'm finishing this quest and you're getting in my way. Although I can't let you go. . ."
"So we're prisoners?" Percy asked.
"Guests. For now. Keep getting in my way and that will change." Clarisse sat back down and propped her feet up. "Captain, take them below. Assign them hammocks on the berth deck. If they don't mind their manners, show them how we deal with enemy spies."
The berth deck spanned the length of the ship and hanging from the ceiling in rows where white hammocks. Percy and Tyson got two hammocks next to each other. I chose one that was a few down from them. The hammock gently swayed with the movements of the ship. I quickly relaxed into a deep sleep.
I was once again standing at the top of Half-Blood Hill. Only this time I was watching an other attack happen. A group of Hellhounds had found their way into the camp. All the campers gather at the base of the hill fighting off the monsters.
I recognized Annabeth leading a group of her siblings and Clarisse siblings on the attack. Behind them as the second line of defense was a mixture of campers like Katie, Conner and Travis, Beckendorf, and all those who were in advance classes. Behind them where the archers, most Apollo cabin but a mix of some others. I watched in amazed as everyone worked well together to take down these Hellhounds. Even though they were clearly exhausted they never gave up, which is to be expected for demigods.
"Well what are you waiting for?" A voice next to me said. Standing next to me was a girl looking about my age. She had spiky black hair, like she took a knife to it herself, and wearing punk rock cloths. "Are you just going to let this keep happening?" She asked glaring at me with intense blue eyes.
"Of course not. This is my home." I said glaring back.
"Then do something!" She shouted. "You have done nothing so far to show that you care about camp. Get off your lazy butt and be the hero everyone seems to think you are."
"I'm trying!"
"Try harder!"
We glared at each other; neither wanting to back down.
I woke up feeling very anxious. Maybe going on this quest wasn't the best thing. Camp was under consent attacks and I wasn't there to help them. Part of me know it was the right thing to do was being here with Percy but I couldn't feel like I had abandon camp. Sighing I silently slipped out of the hammock. When I passed by Percy and Tyson's hammocks I saw they were still sleeping. Quietly I walk out to the deck of the ship.
Leaning against the siding, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The salt air and the cool sea breeze calmed my anxious nervous. I didn't know how I knew it but I could tell we were very close to the Sea of Monsters. In less than half an hour, we will be at the entrance, which seemed odd considering there was nothing around us but the gentle bobbing of the waves. I saw nothing that would indicate that we were so close.
"Tell Clarisse we are getting really close to the Sea of Monsters." I told one of the ghost soldiers.
"I don't follow your orders Yankee girl!" He hissed, eyes blazing.
I rolled my eyes. "Would you rather have Clarisse furious at you from keeping important information from her?" I asked him hoping he was scared of Clarisse enough to listen.
The ghost growled and left. I didn't care to follow to see if he passed on my message. I kept my eyes out at the horizon. Just as I knew it would ten minutes later I saw a giant mass of rock, at least a hundred feet tall, rose out of the sea. The sky rumbled to life, the sky darkens as a storm brew over the rocks.
The ghost soldiers all jump into actions. Percy and Tyson joined me on the deck. I took a look at my brother and knew he had another dream last night and he thoughts elsewhere. Now wasn't the time to ask him about it. Behind us, I heard Clarisse shout, "At last. Captain, full steam ahead!"
The engine groaned as the ship increased speed.
Tyson muttered nervously, "Too much strain on the pistons. Not meant for deep water."
"What is that?" Percy asked pointing to the land masses ahead of us.
"Charybdis." Clarisse explained joining us at the edge of the ship. "Only way into the Sea of Monsters. Straight between Charybdis and her sister Scylla."
"What do you mean the only way?" Percy asked. "The sea is wide open! Just sail around them!"
Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Don't you know anything? If I tried to sail around them, they would just appear in my path again. If you want to get into the Sea of Monsters, you have to sail through them." She turned to the captain. "Set course for Charybdis!"
"Aye, m'lady."
The engine groaned, the iron plating rattled, and the ship began to pick up speed.
"This isn't going to work." I muttered feeling the ship shake under us and the rocks becoming closer.
"Of course it will Aqua Girl," Clarisse growled.
"No it won't." I said glaring. "This ship isn't made to withstand a ranging whirlpool. You're going to get us killed!"
"Don't be so dramatic." Clarisse growled.
"What about Scylla?" Percy asked.
"She lives in a cave, up on those cliffs. If we get too close, her snaky heads will come down and start plucking sailors off the ship."
"Choose Scylla then," he said. "Everyone goes below deck and we chug right past."
"No!" Clarisse insisted. "If Scylla doesn't get her easy meat, she might pick up the whole ship."
"Then leave a few of your ghost soldiers here on the deck." I said. "She gets her snack and we get by with our lives."
"And if she is not pleased, then what? She's too high to make a good target. My cannons can't shoot straight up. Charybdis just sits there at the center of her of her whirlwind. We're going to stream straight toward her, train our guns on her, and blow her to Tartarus!"
Clarisse said it with such relish that I almost believed her. Almost.
The engine hummed and the deck heated under our feet. The smokestacks billowed. The red Ares flag whipped in the wind.
Charybdis ear piercing roar got louder as we speed towards her. Every time Charybdis inhaled, the ship shuddered and lurched forward. Every time she exhaled, we rose in the water and were pounded by ten-foot waves.
The ghost soldiers calmly went about their business and following orders. They had fought a losing cause before, so facing death did not scare them. Or they didn't care because they were already dead. It could go either way with them. I gripped the railing, trying to keep my balance as Charybdis spew out more water.
"Is there anything that we can do?" I wondered out loud.
"I have the thermos but it's too dangerous with this whirl-pool. More wind might just make things worse." Percy said. "And the water is too powerful to respond to my commands."
"Engine's no good." Tyson moaned.
"What do you mean?" I asked glancing at him.
"Pressure. Pistons need fixing."
Before he could explain further, we were thrown to the deck. We were now in the whirlpool.
"Full reverse!" Clarisse screamed. The sea churned around us, waves crashed against the deck. The water turned into stream because the deck was so hot. I stumbled to my feet and held onto the raining again. "Get us within firing range! Make ready starboard cannons!"
Dead Confederates rushed all over the place in what seems to be organized chaos. The pro-peller grinded into reverse in a hopeless attempt to slow us down but we kept on tugging closer to the center of the vortex.
One of the ghost soldiers burst out of the hold and ran to Clarisse. His gray uniform was smoking and burnt in places and his beard on fire. "Boiler room overheating, ma'am! She's going to blow!"
"Well, get down there and fix it!"
"Can't!" the ghost yelled. "We're vaporizing in the heat."
Clarisse pounded railing of the boat. "All I need is a few more minutes! Just enough to get in range!"
"We're going in too fast," the captain said grimly. "Prepare yourself for death."
"No!" Tyson shouted. "I can fix it."
Clarisse looked at him skeptically. "You?"
Tyson nodded. "Fire don't hurt me. I know mechanics."
"Then go!" She yelled.
"No!" Percy and I shouted.
"Only way." Tyson looked at us with determination shining in his eye. "I will fix it. Be right back."
As I watch him follow the ghost soldier I knew he wouldn't be back. I knew this ship was going to blow and there was nothing I could do to stop it. That was if Charybdis didn't get to us first. Now that we were right there I could see Charybdis clearly for the first time. She was nothing but a hug black mouth with enormous teeth, ready to tear into anything that gets caught in her currents. The entire sea including the sharks, fish, giant squid, and everything else got sucked into her void. In seconds we would be next.
"Lady Clarisse," the captain shouted. "Starboard and forward guns are in range!"
"Fire!" Clarisse ordered.
Three rounds where blasted into the monster's mouth. One blew off an edge of an tooth, while a mother disappeared into her gullet. The third hit one of Charybdis retaining bands and shout back at us, snapping the Ares flag off it's pole.
"Again!" Clarisse ordered. The gunners reloaded, but it was pointless. The monster was to big and too powerful for this method to work. We would have to fire at least a hundred more time in order to do any real damage. But we didn't have time for that. We were being sucked in too fast.
"We need to abandon ship!" I shouted.
"No!" Clarisse yelled back. "We can kill this thing!"
"No we can't!" Percy and I argued.
Suddenly the vibrations in the deck changed. The hum of the engine got stronger and steadier. The ship shuddered and we started pulling away from the mouth.
"Wait!" Clarisse said. "We need to stay closer!"
"We'll die!" Percy yelled. "We have to move away."
I ducked as the Ares flag raced past us and lodged in between to of Charybdis teeth. Tyson had somehow given us just enough juice to ship from being sucked in. But I knew it wasn't going to last though. The mouth snapped shut. For a moment the sea was absolute calm. Water washed over Charybdis.
"Brace your selves!" I shouted tightening my hold on the railing. Just was quickly it had closed the mouth reopened, spitting out a wall of water. Only it wasn't just water. Everything she had sucked in, cannonballs, pieces of ships, and everything else.
Another smoking soldier burst out of the hold. He stumbled into Clarisse almost knocking them both over-board. "The engine is about to blow!"
"Where's Tyson?" Percy and I demanded.
"Still down there," the ghost explained. "Holding it together somehow, though I don't know for how much longer."
The captain said, "We have to abandon ship."
"No!" Clarisse yelled.
"We have no choice, m'lady. The hull is already cracking apart! She can't—"
He never finished his sentence. Quick as lightning, something brown and green shot from the sky, snatched up the captain, and lifted him away. All that was left were his leather boots.
"Scylla!" A ghost yelled, as another tentacle shot from the cliffs and snapped him up. It was happening too fast for Percy and I to prevent other ghost soldiers from being taken.
"Everyone get below deck!" Percy ordered.
"We can't!" Clarisse had drew her own sword. "Below deck is in flames."
"Then we need to get into the life boats!" I said. "Now!"
"They'll never get clear of the cliffs," Clarisse said. "We'll all be eaten."
"We have no choice." I told her. "Percy, the thermos."
"We can't leave Tyson!" Percy argued looking panicked.
"We have to get the boats ready!" I shouted in command.
Thankfully Clarisse didn't argue with me any longer and with some help of her ghost soldiers they got it work with the boats. I grabbed Percy by his backpack and dug though it until I had the Hermes's thermos.
"I'm going to get Tyson." Percy told me.
"You can't! The heat will kill you!" I argued. "I will drag you to the boats myself. I can't lose you too Percy!"
"But Tyson not dead! We have a chance to save him!"
"No we don't! Percy please, right now is not the time to be the hero!"
Percy ignored me and ran to the boiler room hatch. I yelled for him but there was nothing I could so as I watch Scylla grab his backpack and lifted him in the air. I could hear Clarisse calling for me but I could move. Someone grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me on the boat. I slashed at the ropes sending the old wooden boat falling into the water. Clarisse was in her own boat and was already trying to get away from the ship. I grabbed one of the wooden paddled and commanded the water to send us away. My back was to the boat. I couldn't watch as Percy got eaten and Tyson being blown up.
My vison blurred as I pushed further away. I thought it was the sea spray but I could feel streaks of tears falling down my cheeks. I stubbornly brushed them away but more replaced them. Clarisse still shouted out orders but I didn't pay attention to her words.
KAROOM!
Behind me, the CSS Birmingham exploded with an ear shattering sound. Sending chunks of flaming wreckage on us. My ears ringed as I fumbled around for the thermos. It knew it was too risky but it was my last ditch effort. Unfortunately, I had opened it a little too far. A second explosion echo out as the once contained wind blasted in every direction, scattering the lifeboats.
I didn't know which way I was going but I was alone and my brothers where dead. Getting eaten by Charybdis or Scylla would have been better than this.
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