Hi everyone! Here is the newest chapter! This isn't my favorite chapter but it's decent enough. I hope you all are doing well. My classes start next week so who knows when I will update next! The end is near for book 2! We have maybe one or two chapters left! After that I will do some summer chapter, they will mostly be in 3rd POV.
As always, I do not own Percy Jackson but Chloe is my OC.
The hippocampi neighed loudly, drawing me from my sleep. I could feel Percy laying against my back, snoring softly near my ear. The sun blinded me for a moment when I cracked my eyes open to see what was upsetting the hippocampi. In the distance was a coastline, the sun setting behind the skyline making the city shine in orange and gold. I could make out a beachside highway lined in palm trees, shops, and a harbor filled with cruise ships, yates, and sail boats.
I turned my attention back to the hippocampus. They were spinning in circles, neighing loudly, and sniffed the water unhappily. Nasty water. Humans make water bad. Go no closer. Water makes us sick. They chanted in my head.
"What is wrong with it?" Clarisse asked glaring at her ride, as it was swimming around.
"The water is too polluted. They won't go any further." I told her. "Wake up Tyson. We have to swim to shore."
I splashed some water on Percy. He grumbled but didn't wake up. I shook my shoulders and finally he groaned and sat up.
"What?" Percy muttered sleepily.
"We need to swim to shore. The hippocampus won't take us any further." I told him.
None of us where happy about having to swim for the next thirty minutes but it has to be done. Tyson cried as he hugged Rainbow around the neck. He unfastened the saddle pack he had made. It was filled with his tools and some other random things he salvaged from the Birmingham wreck.
We thanked the hippocampus for their help and started to swim to shore. Swimming with the Golden Fleece was difficult, it was weighing me down. Thankfully as a Poseidon's daughter, I am a strong enough swimmer to be able to handle it. Suddenly a strong wave pushed us forward and soon we were back on land.
"Where are we?" Clarisse asked glancing around. There where cruise ships lining the docks, and thousands of tourist wondering the docks. Some leaving the ship, while others where boarding. Carts full of luggage pushed though the crowds. Taxi drives and large buses lined the street. No one even noticed us—five kids dripping wet with dirty torn cloths.
"We are Miami," I said picking up a discarded newspaper. I cursed reading the date on it. "It's June eighteenth!"
"We've been away from camp for ten days?" Percy asked surprised.
"That's impossible!" Clarisse said. She ran to the nearest news stand and picked up another paper. "This's can't be."
"Thalia's tree must almost be dead," Grover wailed. "We need to get the Fleece back tonight!"
"How?" Clarisse asked him. "We are hundreds of miles away from camp. No money. No ride. This is just like what the Oracle said. This is your fault Jackson! Both of you! If you hadn't interfered—"
"Our fault!?" I shouted. "How can you say that? We just save your—"
"Enough!" Percy yelled cutting me off.
Clarisse slumped to the pavement, her head in her hands. I huffed and glared at her. Clarisse has been nothing but rude to us since we got here. Her ego gets in the way of her accepting help. She thinks she can do everything on her own, with no help from anyone. I don't know if it was a child of Ares thing or just a Clarisse thing but I have had enough. I almost died saving her ass. Had we stayed back at camp Clarisse would have died long before getting the Fleece. Tyson save her, saved us all, by holding the boiling room together long enough for us to escape on the life boats.
"Clarisse," Percy said. "What did the Oracle tell you exactly?"
She looked up and took a deep breath. "You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone. You shall find what you seek and made it your own. And fail without friends, to fly home alone."
"Ouch," Grover mumbled.
"No," Percy said. "No . . . Wait a minute. I've got it." He dug around in his pants but only found a golden drachma. "Does anyone have any cash?"
"Do any of us look like we have cash?" I asked him.
"Cash?" Tyson asked hesitantly. "Like . . . Green paper?"
We stared at him. I nodded slowly. "Yes, it is green paper."
Tyson dropped his bag and pulled out a gallon size Ziploc bag full of cash. We all stared at him in shock. "How?" I asked, too shock to say anything else.
"I found in floating in the water. Thought it was feed for Rainbow but it's just paper." Tyson said, his shoulder slumping. "Sorry."
Percy took the bag and started counting the money. "There is at least three hundred dollars! Thank you Tyson. You just saved camped."
"How?" Clarisse said standing up. "Three hundred dollars isn't going to buy the five of us plane tickets!"
"No but it will buy you one." Percy said seriously. "Chloe give Clarisse the Fleece. You're going to the airport and bring the Fleece back tonight."
I handed her the Fleece and she clutch it tightly to her chest and stared at us in shock. "You'd let me—" She started to say but couldn't finish her sentence.
"It's your quest," Percy told her. "Also, Chloe and I can't fly. We will get killed by Zeus as soon as the plane takes off. Besides your prophecy said this would happen. You'd fail without friends, meaning you needed our help, but you'd fly home alone. It's up to you now to get the Fleece back to camp safely."
Clarisse squared her shoulders and buffed up. "You can count on me. I won't fail."
"I know you won't. Now hurry. Get a cab and get out of here." I told her. She nodded and ran over to the nearest cab. We watched the cab drive away in the sea of cars.
"Now what?" Grover asked. "We gave Clarisse all the cash. How are we going to get home now?"
"We will find an away." Percy said. "We always do."
We turned to start walking but there was a sward pointed out my throat blocking my path.
"Hey, cousins," Luke smiled at us. "Welcome back to the States. Did you have a fun trip?"
His bear-man freaks appeared on either side of us. One grabbed Grover while the other tried to take hold of Tyson. However, Tyson wasn't going to be taken easily and punched the bear-man in the stomach, sending him into a pile of luggage.
"Cousin," Luke said calmly. "tell your giant friend to stand down or I'll have Oreius bash Grover's head in the side walk."
Oreius held Grover higher in the air. Grover was belting and kicking his legs wildly but it was no good. The bear-man had a tight hold on Grover.
"What do you want Luke?" Percy growled.
Luke grinned, his scar rippling on the side of his face making him more unnerving. He gestured to the docks and there in the middle of all the other ships was the Princess Andromeda, the biggest ship in port. I frowned. How could we miss seeing Luke's ship?
"Why, I will like to extent my hospitality of course."
The bear twins escorted us aboard the Princess Andromeda. There was a dozen of Luke's other minions waiting for us on the pool deck. Some of the them I recognized like the goone-snake people, Laistrygonians, and of course demigods in battle armor.
"Where's the Fleece?" Luke asked. He poked at my shirt, Percy's pocket, and Grover jeans with the tip of his sword.
"Hey!" Grover yelped. "That's real goat fur under there!"
"Sorry, old friend." Luke smiled. "Just give me the Fleece and I'll leave you to return to your, ah, little nature quest."
"Blaa-ha-ha!" Grover yelled. "Some old friend!"
"Maybe you didn't hear me." Luke said dangerously calm. "Where—is—the—Fleece?"
"Not here." Percy said. I glared at him. "We sent it ahead. You messed up."
Telling the truth to Luke right now was just going to make him even angrier, which means more dangerous for us. I rather send Luke on a pointless chase into the Sea of Monsters, hoping he dies in there, then tell him that it was already on the way to camp like Percy just did.
Luke eye narrowed. "You're lying. You couldn't have. . ." His face redden as reality hit him. "Clarisse?"
We nodded.
"You trusted . . . you gave. . ."
"Didn't see that one coming did you?" I said.
"Argius!" Luke roared, his face turning a deep shade of red.
The bear-man flinched, as did many of those viewing this show. "Y-yes?" he stuttered.
"Get below deck and prepare my steed. Bring it to the deck. I need to fly to the Miami Airport, fast."
"But, boss—"
"Do it!" Luke screamed, point his sword at him. "Or I'll feed you to the drakon!"
The bear-man gulp and lumbered down the stairs. Luke paced in front of the swimming pool, cursing in Ancient Greek. His knuckles where gripping his sword so tight they were turning white. The rest of Luke's crew looked uneasy. Their eyes following Luke's path but they were unsure what to do. They clearly never seen their leader so unhinged before.
I looked over at Percy beside me. He was staring at the pool fountains spraying mist into the air, forming a rainbow in the sunlight. His eyes lit up and his hand reached for his pocket. I knew that look. Percy looked at me and nodded. Discreetly I reached for Rapids, it had long returned back to it's chain.
"You've been toying with us all along," Percy said. "You wanted us to bring you the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it."
Luke scowled. "Of course, you idiot! And you've messed everything up!"
"Traitor!" Percy yelled throwing the gold drachma at Luke. Of course he dodged it easily, letting it sail into the rainbow-colored misted.
"You tricked us all!" I shouted at Luke, pulling out Rapids trying to give Percy time to say the offering prayer.
"Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!" Percy added, shouting loud and clear.
The fountain started shimmering, Percy also pulled out Riptide. Between the two of us everyone's attention was focused on us and Luke.
Luke sneered. "This is no time for heroics, cousins. Drop your little swords, or I'll have to kill you both sooner rather than later."
"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?" I asked him.
"I did of course," He growled. "I already told you that! I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus."
"So Chiron had nothing to do with it?" Percy questioned.
"Ha! The old fool would never do anything like that. He doesn't have the guts."
"You're a monster Luke!" I yelled at him. "Your actions have put camp in grave danger!"
Luke raised his sword. "Don't make judgement about things you don't understand, Chloe. I was going to let you take the Fleece. . . once I was done with it of course."
"You were going to heel Kronos," Percy said.
"Yes! The Fleece magic would've sped up his mending process by tenfold. But you've haven't stopped us Percy! You've only slowed us down a little."
"And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up—all to help Kronos destroy the gods." Percy summed up.
Luke gritted his teeth. "You already know that! Why do you keep asking me?"
"Because we want to make sure our audience heard everything," I told him smirking.
"What audience?"
His eyes narrowed and I nodded to behind him. Luke and his minions turned around. They gasped and stumbled back. Above the pool, shimmering in the rainbow mist, was an Iris-message vision of Dionysus, Tantalus, and the whole camp in the dining pavilion. They sat in stunned silence, watching us.
"Well," Mr. D said dryly. "This is some unplanned dinner entertainment."
"Mr. D, you heard him," Percy said. "You all heard Luke. The poisoning of the three wasn't Chiron's fault."
Mr. D sighed. "I suppose not."
"The Iris-message could be a trick," Tantalus suggested, but his attention was focused on the cheeseburger in front of him.
"I fear not," Mr. D looked at Tantalus with distaste. "It appears I shall have to reinstate Chiron as activities director. I suppose I do miss the old horse's pinochle games."
Tantalus grabbed the cheeseburger. It didn't bolt away like all the other foods did. He lifted it from the plate and stared at it in amazement, as if it were the largest diamond in the world. "I got it!" He cheered.
"We no longer in need of your services Tantalus," Mr. D announced.
Tantalus looked stunned. "What? But—"
"You may return to the Underworld. You are dismissed."
"No! But—Nooooooooooooooooo!"
As he dissolved into the mist, he quickly try to take a bite of the cheeseburger. It was too late. He disappeared and the cheeseburger fell back onto the plate. The campers exploded in cheers. I smiled knowing that Tantalus was no longer there tormenting everyone.
Luke hollered with rage. He slashed though the Iris-message with his sword. Percy and I shared a smile. We had done it. Clarisse was on the way with the Fleece and Chiron got his job back. Luke turned to us with a murderous look.
"Kronos was right. You both are an unreliable weapon. I had hope for you Chloe but I can see it is too late."
I frowned, wondering what Luke meant but I didn't have time to think about it. One of his men blew a brass whistle, and the deck doors flew open. A dozen or so more warriors poured out, making a full circle around us. Their brass tips of their spears pointed at us.
Luke smiled, holding up his sword. "You'll never leave this boat alive."
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave a review!