A/N: Oh man, it's time for a fun chapter! As we've found out before, Samson is going to the Sea of Monsters. But to travel on the water you need a boat. Now we know a certain Queen of the Sea owes him one, so we'll see what kind of help he'll be getting from her. Here's a hint, his is much better than Clarisse's'!

With Samson, Winter 1967

"Dude, I'm telling you, it's not a bad van!"

"IT'S A FUCKING HIPPIE VAN!"

"It's a classic!"

"Both of you, shut up!"

Mori yells out at Max and I as we argue over the VW Bus Mori had bought for me on my birthday last year. It's a classic 1966 model, shiny red finish with white trimmed wheels. To most people, it's just an ordinary hippie van, but Mori isn't an ordinary person.

Being the amazing sorceress that she is, she specially enchanted the inside of my van. Through the curtain that separates the back end of the van from the driver's seat, you'll find out that the back half is bigger on the inside then the outside.

Much bigger.

It's just like Rhea's tent back in Maine, the inside is closer to being a small apartment then anything else. I tell you what, camping and questing will be much more comfortable now that I have a mobile home wedged inside of a van.

Mori inhales and looks at Max, "Listen man, I know you want to show off your sportscar, but that thing only has two seats. We're all going to the docks, not just you boys!"

"Then we can get a taxi! Anything but being in that red monstrosity!"

"Hey!" I croak out, but Mori gives me 'the look' and I quickly shut the hell up.

"Just get in the fucking van, we've got some snacks inside so just eat your feelings away or something like a pregnant teen."

He huffs in annoyance but clambers inside the van and disappears through the curtain, his voice echoes cartoonishly like he's yelling at us from a hundred feet away.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Mori grins as we sit down in the seats up front, "Told you he'd come around to it."

I smile back at her and turn the ignition on and start my sweet ride.

"Ready to go get a boat?"

The Port of Boston is truly an amazing maritime sight to behold, I have a feeling Poseidon would be proud of the operations going through here. Cargo vessels unload wares that have traveled here from far away, cruise ships dock and unload tourists, and fancy yachts and old wooden sailing corvettes line the many wharves and wait for the chance to sail across open water once again.

It's here that I'll be meeting with the Queen of the Seas to collect upon the favor she owes me.

Not long ago I had sent a letter through the Hermes Express to Amphitrite and told her about my plan to travel into the Sea of Monsters, and that I would ask for some means of transportation that can get me into and then back out of those cursed waters.

An hour later I received a letter back telling me to come to the wharf at the Port of Boston, that I'll meet her there and she'll have, and I quote, "The most perfect and stylish means of travel on the open ocean".

Well then, I'm pretty freaking excited!

I pull us into a parking space along the wharf that we were told to travel to, and Mori, Max and I get out and walk towards the pier.

An aura passes over us and tickles at our minds. The mist is hard at work here, we look around at the people and see that they purposefully walk away from this pier. Amphitrite must be keeping them away then.

At the end of the dock a woman leans over the railing and looks out at the sea. Her hair is a dark black, and her skin is a deep Mediterranean tan. Even though her appearance and clothes seem simple, her presence alone lets us know exactly who she is.

The woman turns around as we approach, and her deep brown eyes pass over us, examining us in the way only a goddess can.

Despite being a queen, her gentle and warm smile seems to melt my heart and give me a sense of calmness. She almost feels… motherly in a way. Don't tell Athena I said that!

"Ah, good hero, it's a pleasure to meet you again. I see you've brought some friends with you, all is well then. Hello, you two, I am Queen Amphitrite, goddess of the seas alongside my husband Poseidon."

Mori does a small curtsy, and Max does a half awkward bow, guess he's not used to dealing with royalty. Though he should be, as far as I know Eris is his 'precious princess' as he likes to tell me.

"Greetings, Lady Amphitrite. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Y-yeah, it's… nice, to meet you, your… sea-ness?"

Oh my gods Max. Amphitrite raises an eyebrow at him, and the corner of her smile twitches like she's about to laugh.

"…Right. Anyways, I received your letter and I've found the perfect gift to exchange for your favor. It's an old boat that sunk awhile ago and landed on top of my Husbands palace, being the dork that he is, he decided to make it a center piece in the castle garden as a gift to me."

She huffs angrily at her words, "The damn thing was too big though, so I could barely move around in there! But this presents an opportunity, I can get rid of it and pay off my debt to you at the same time! It should be just a moment now, and they'll be- Oh! Look at that, right on time."

A loud horn rings across the water as an old steel hulled vessel begins to pull up to our wharf. The ship is quite impressive, the light grey hull and complement of command towers and equipment gives no argument about what this ship is, or at least was.

It's a military vessel.

For a boat that was sunk in the ocean, it's remarkably not rusted. That being said, what must be the guns and cannons on this boat are dilapidated and clearly non-functioning. Only the main hull seems in fine condition, sans the barnacles and seaweed strewn about it.

In the suns glare, small bumps can be seen shimmering along the sides. Now what the Hades are those for?

With one last loud and blaring horn, the boat comes to a halt and docks neatly at the wharf. Several young women lower a ramp while others tie chains around the dock to hold it all in place.

With speed and amazing professionalism, the boat is docked and they all disembark and meet us next to Amphitrite. In total there's about twenty girls whom like they're around my age, all wearing colorful and slightly disheveled chitons. Each sailor has a wicked looking cutlass at their hips, in total contrast to the goofy demeanors and… seductive smiles… all looking at me?

Oh fuck.

Mori wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close as she glares at the women whom only glare back in challenge.

An older looking girl pushes past the girls and glares at them as she starts chastising them, "Hey! Get those looks off your faces ye' horny sirens! I'm not about to let you blow this deal for me again because you can't keep yourselves under control when there's a man around!"

The crew groan and mumble in annoyance, and what must be the leader turns around and smiles apologetically at me.

"Don't mind them, they're just being ridiculous. When it comes to it they're one of the best crews you can ask for to sail the seas! I'm Ornea, leader of this band of Naiads and vice-captain to you on Queen Amphitrite's command."

Huh, a Naiad crew? Well, they're not Nereids but a water Nymph is a water Nymph. I know these girls will be invaluable, even key to making this coming quest be successful.

Ornea and I shake hands, and her grip feels like it's going to grind my bones to dust. She grins at me in a friendly way, so I can tell she's not trying to break my hand.

I take in Ornea's appearance while I can, she's surprisingly tall, likely six feet with softly tanned skin. Her auburn hair is pulled into a neat knot, and her eyes are a deep blue. Looking into them almost feels like I'm looking at calm pond water.

Her arms are quite impressive and certainly show why her grip is like iron, the muscles are toned and big for a Naiad. Most Nymphs are skinny and petite, but Ornea looks more like a pretty Child of Ares than a nature spirit.

Looking at the rest of my crew, I see that they match Ornea more than the general Nymph. While not as buff, each of the varied crew looks like they can and will tear someone's arms off if they wanted.

I peek back at Mori who feels her own arms and huffs, likely jealous that these girls are more jacked than she is.

"Thank you, Ornea. I have to say, your crew is very impressive. You girls must've been sailing for a while."

Ornea snorts and looks out at the Naiads who all wave and blink their eyes dreamily at me, "They're a seasoned crew, we've been at this for several lifetimes and faced off against some of the most famous pirates back in the old days. They may act like a bunch of horny teens, but these girls are fierce warriors and amazing sailors. Hades, we gave ol' Edward Teach a run for his money!"

"Damn." Max blurts out, seemingly shocked by the quick tale of the Nymph. "You gals are awesome! Are all you, what was it, Nayds' this cool?!"

She gives him a toothy and flexes her arm, "It's Naiads, but no. Most of my kind are skinny little twigs and can barely lift a sword out of the water. We're a special case, hundreds of years of fighting and hard worked turned our bodies into the strong goddesses you see."

Amphitrite rolls her eyes at Ornea's boasting, "Calling yourselves goddesses is pushing it a bit. Now Nereids are actual goddesses, the most regal and beautiful of all sea spirits!"

Ornea looks like she wants to argue but shuts her trap when Amphitrite glares at her. I cough lightly to get her attention back.

"What can you tell me about this ship? It looks like an old gunboat or something with that big cannon on the front deck."

"Not quite a gunboat, it's under armed for that. This boat is called The Gauntlet, and it's an old submarine hunter from the last war. I had the cyclops's tinker with the engines and armor, this boat runs on sorcery and can withstand the harshest of punishments. Combine that with a Naiad crew and you have an almost unsinkable ship by traditional standards."

Ornea rubs the back of her head, and Amphitrite shakes her head in embarrassment.

"The biggest problem is pretty much everything else. You'll need new guns, and since cyclops are bad with electronics the wiring and interior work needs some attention. Theoretically you could sail now, but…"

Ornea picks up where she left off, "But if you want your crew to run the boat at optimal capacity, then we need to get this thing repaired. If we run into danger, then you want all hands-on deck. We're good, but we can't have half the girls keeping the ship going and fighting at the same time."

I sigh and rest my forehead in my hands. Gods why can't anything be straight forward! Max puts his hand on my shoulder and I look back at him.

"Relax dude! Did you forget that I'm loaded?! Don't worry about repairs, I can pay for that no problem! Same with those guns too, not a problem at all to find those."

I raise an eyebrow at him, "How the Hades can you get guns on this thing without someone calling the police on us?"

"Money opens up A LOT of doors and silences many mouths. If you're still worried, then just have Mori wipe their minds afterwards… Actually, Mori, just do that anyways. That way I don't have to pay them at all!"

We all look at Max a little weird. Amphitrite speaks up after a moment of silence, "Well… I'll leave this in your care now. Don't worry about having this docked here, I've taken care of it. You now own this wharf, so you may leave it here as long as you wish. I must be off now, I've spent too much time on land."

Amphitrite puts her hand on my shoulder, "Take care, hero. You're traveling to the most dangerous patch of water in this world, but have faith in Ornea. She'll lead you true if you believe in her. Goodbye and goodluck."

Then, in a swirl of bubbles and foam, she vanishes completely, leaving us all standing around and completely unsure about what to do next.

Max and I look to Mori as she seems to know what to do about our situation. After a minute, she looks to Max, "Dude, I think Eris is brushing off on you."

"Actually, I think he's brushed off on me more."

Max squeaks as Eris appears from smoke and latches a hand on his butt.

She giggles as Max stutters indignantly about something. Eris looks at The Gauntlet appreciatively, almost like she knows this boat personally.

"Cool boat, I didn't think many of these survived. Flower-class, a corvette made to hunt submarines. Two-hundred and eight feet, one flak gun, one medium cannon, two heavy auto-cannons, four machine guns and four depth charge throwers."

We all look dumbfoundedly at Eris, and Ornea and her crew seem impressed by her.

"You know your stuff miss, not many women know so much about military vessels. Ornea's the name, what should we call you?"

Eris continues looking at my boat, grimacing at the state of the equipment and armament, "It's Eris, goddess of discord, yada yada. Look, what the hell did you do to this thing? How is the equipment so much more demolished than the hull?"

Ornea scratches her arm, "This just came back from the ocean floor yesterday, from what I know Amphitrite only replaced the hull and engine. Everything else needs some fixin', the boy in the button-up said he's got the money though."

Eris looks at Max and raises her eyebrow at him, he smiles sheepishly, "It's a gift for Samson! We've got it figured out though, we wipe the minds of the guys I hire so we don't have to pay for nothing!"

Eris grins at him, "My my, is Max scheming now, I thought discord was my thing?"

She walks over and pecks him on the cheek, making him go red as a tomato. The naiad crew gushes, and Mori and Ornea roll their eyes at them. A small ledger appears in Eris's hands, and she flips through the pages.

"Hmm, looks like I've got some spares in my collection." She closes the book and looks at Max, "Good news babe, I've got the replacement weapons. Fix everything else up first and I can put some new guns on this bad boy."

I look at her confused, "That easy, I thought gods want something in return for their services?"

She rolls her eyes at me, "I'm the goddess of discord, it only makes sense that I'd have an appreciation for restoring military things. Besides, Max is invested in this project and I won't have him half-ass it."

"Wait, why do you have weapons for a war boat?"

"Ares and I grab souvenirs when we're off at war. Don't let him tell you his collection is bigger, we have exactly the same amount!"

Max wraps an arm around her shoulders and gushes, "Damn, my girl is awesome!"

Eris blushes, surprisingly, and the Naiad crew starts gushing with Max, yelling about them being cute and what not. Ornea yells at them to shut up, and thankfully they do.

Mori looks at the goddess and asks her, "How come you're here, if you don't mind me asking? I thought goddesses were always busy or something?"

"Hmm? Oh, not at all. I'm on vacation for a while and I was bored, so I went to find Max here and lo and behold he's restoring a frigate. That's way more fun then dealing with all my children, they're always arguing and shooting people in the legs!"

Huh, guess if I was her I would prefer us to dealing with whatever psycho children she pops out. Gods, I can just imagine how bad a demigod from her would be. Probably some kind of cowboy or something.

I look at Ornea and the crew, "Sooo… guys got a place to stay?"

She shrugs her shoulders, "We'll just chill out here. When the restoration guys get here we can oversee them and make sure everything goes fine. Amphitrite said we belong to you now, so we'll wait as long as it takes."

Belong to me, what the fuck? Whatever, I just want to get this thing fixed so I can finish up this last quest. The sooner it's over, the sooner I can relax and hopefully honor everything I lost to get here.

"Hey, Eris, how long would restoration take on this thing?"

"I'd give it until spring, this is a big project and you'll need time to get all the parts. You can probably get this done and ready to sail in late May. What I want to know is what you're using this for? A boat like this isn't something a demigod would have unless they're going somewhere dangerous with it."

Mori and I look at each other nervously, Ornea and her crew shift uncomfortably as they know where we're sailing to, saying where our destination is makes us all wary and fearful.

"We're going to the Sea of Monsters."

It was dark outside when our trip back to Max's mansion concluded. Eris and Max dicked around in my car apartment, and it sounds like I'll have a lot of repairs to do.

Seriously, how do you break a metal pool table?

Mori and I had a small discussion about Max when we were upfront in the van.

"Hey, Samson?"

"Yes sweetie?"

She leans over a little and whispers, "Think we should tell Max about… who his dad was?"

That's a hard question to answer, especially since we know nothing about Kolbe's motivations. He was the king of the Gargarean's, so he rightfully should've had an heir to the throne. But Max fits that mold yet has lived his life as a regular mortal.

"I think we should just leave it. It's unlikely any emissaries from them would come, and he has Eris to lookout for him. I just don't understand what Kolbe's motives were then in having Max live a normal life."

"It's because Kolbe loved his son a lot, he just didn't know how to raise him right."

Mori and I flinch, I keep my eyes on the road but I can tell Eris is in the front with us.

"I saw Kolbe when he was on the battlefield over in the east, he's as hard as iron but to my surprise he held a deep hatred of the life he lived. Giving Max a normal life was his way of finding an out from Gargarean society."

We're all quiet as we soak in that information. Kolbe hated himself and how he lived, but wanted Max out because of that? That paints Kolbe in a different light, but I still can't forgive the man. Even if he sacrificed things for Max he was still an awful father.

Eris puts a hard hand on my shoulder, and a chill fills the front end of the van.

"Max doesn't need to know any of this. Are we clear about that?"

"Crystal!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Eris nods and removes her hand, instantly heat fills my body again and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good, now that that's settled, Max and I shall be busying doing the hoakie. Keep the van steady if you can, kay'?"

That wasn't a question, that was an order. I affirm I'll drive carefully and she pats my head before disappearing back through the curtain.

"Damn dude, they're fucking in your car."

I sigh, "…Yep."

The sun had dipped down long before I pulled into the driveway, it's at least ten forty by the time everything was settled at the wharf and Max had called and hired a local company to come out and repair The Gauntlet.

I know it's nerdy, but fuck man, I've got a combat frigate!

Eris and Max, both looking very disheveled, went upstairs to Max's room, leaving Mori and I to relax on the sofa for a minute.

We've been living with Max for a few weeks, it's kind of our way of going on vacation from camp. Thankfully Chiron gave us the okay to take some time off, losing… losing my siblings has been very difficult.

Never before has there only been one Child of Athena in her cabin, and as far as I know there's none coming to camp anytime soon.

For the moment, I'm a rare breed of demigod. That's not disheartening in the least bit now is it?

Mori snuggles up to my side and leans her head on my shoulder, I melt into her as best I can. We're quiet as we relax next to each other, there's no need for words; now is the time to enjoy each other's company.

Slowly, our eyes close as the long day takes its toll. Sleep overcomes us, and thankfully no nightmares attack my mind this night.

Something… feels off when I suddenly jolt awake. An eerie feeling crosses my skin and my heart races faster than it should.

It feels like danger, but there's nothing around us.

I look at the clock and see the time, exactly three in the morning. The witching hour huh? Funny.

Mori rubs her eyes and sits straighter on the couch, she too feeling the strange aura. Only, instead of being afraid like me, she rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh my gods mom, we're only napping! Can we do this in the morning?!"

"I'd rather get this done while I'm in a good state of mind."

I jump as a disembodied voice carries throughout the house, as if a spirit or a wraith is haunting us like in the movies.

The shadows bend and warp as a tall woman steps through them like some kind demon from Tartarus. They twist until they suddenly pull back and become normal, leaving a beautiful woman standing where they once were.

She's a tall woman, her hair is a golden blonde and her eyes shine an emerald green. Her chiton is a deep red, like blood, and I swear I see shapes jumping around in the fabric.

The woman walks over to the opposite couch and sits down with her legs crossed, her emerald eyes staring straight into my soul.

Before Mori can say anything, the woman snaps her fingers. Suddenly a piercing pain hits my heart, it's almost like a needle has been jabbed into it!

Fuck, why did I have to take Juggernaut off?! I made it exclusively to protect against curses, gods I'm such a fool to ever take it off!

I groan as Mori places her hands over me and holds me upright, keeping me from toppling over onto the floor.

"Mother! Godsdammit he's my boyfriend!"

Hecate rolls her eyes at her daughter, "I'm quite aware. Worry not dear daughter, it's not really a curse."

Mori gives Hecate a deadpan look. Hecate scratches at her weave absentmindedly.

"Okay so maybe it is. BUT, it's also a small gift. Consider it my way of asking for you to choke on my respect I have for you, Child of Athena."

The pain has thankfully subsided, but I'm still in deep waters. Last time we met, Hecate got pissed off at me because of the giants burning the town down.

That totally wasn't my fault, a giant horde should've avoided it at all costs!

Thankfully, Mori comes to my defense, "Why punish Samson, it wasn't his fault! Besides, Max was there too!"

"Have you seen what Eris can do? I'm not one to cross her lightly."

"Then why am I in trouble?" I say, "Cacus is the one who burned that town down a few years ago!"

Hecate spits her words out like a small child arguing with their parents, "I don't care! You made my job more difficult, the Mist is stretched thin and I'm at my limits! Do you know how much of a pain it is to cover up the deeds of rioting gods? I haven't slept in weeks, I'm one tick away from a complete mental break down!"

"You look like it too." I whisper under my breathe, I'm really tired and not in a good mood.

"THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"Shit, um, nothing ma'am!"

Hecate exhales and smooths out her chiton, "That's nothing MOM to you mister!"

Wait… what the hell?

"Wh-what?"

Hecate leans forward and clasps her hands together, Mori sputters angrily at her mom, unable to form a sentence as she blushes furiously.

"I expect you to propose to my favorite daughter. I find it only fair in exchange for you risking her life in that dreadful sea you'll be traveling to. Propose by the end of it, and then I might be willing to forgive you."

I sputter out, "I-I'm only seventeen!"

She waves her hand at me in dismissal, "I expect results, not excuses!"

"I mean… again I'm seventeen!"

Her hair catches fire, and her eyes glow with power, "Propose or die!"

Mori stands up and gets between Hecate and myself. Immediately Hecate's horror show dissipates, and she looks up at her daughter and rolls her eyes.

"Mom! Stop it, we'll get married when we're older!" I blush and smile dreamily, gods what a beautiful day that will be.

"Oh don't give me that, Moroiaca!" Hecate chastises in a tone only a picky mother can have, "The last time I let my daughter do what she wishes with her love life, Circe ended up creating that beast Scylla! This time I'm getting involved."

A pit forms in my stomach. Fuck, we'll likely have to face her on the passage into the sea. I stand next to Mori and take her hand in mine, "Have you seen Lamia and her daughters? We're not going through that mess ever again!"

Mori's gaze empties as her eyes are filled with deep realization.

"Oh gods, I just realized I'm related to several homicidally insane sorceresses."

"At least they're your blood family, I'm being forced to marry into it!"

Hecate walks over and puts a hand on our shoulders, "They're not that bad once you get to know them. Our yearly reunions are always, what do the kids say these days? Gnarly."

Mori and I deadpan at her. Hecate smiles lightly and drops her hands, "My gift-curse for you is only temporary, so don't worry your little head. When you enter the sea, my spell shall be activated. Once you leave for good, then it will leave you. I trust you'll curse my name and sing joyfully when you see what I have given you. Now, I must be off."

She leans forward until her eyes are only inches from mine, "Keep my daughter safe, and you'll have my blessing. Goodbye, my future son-in-law."

Her shadows surround her until she disappears into the void. Mori and I crash back onto the couch, our fingers still intertwined.

"So, we're getting married soon."

"Yup." Mori says, popping her word.

"…I'm pretty okay with that. She said we have to propose, but we can get married in a few years. That way it's not so weird."

"I'd like that a lot, which is great because that means I can start planning the wedding!" Mori's eyes sparkle with joy as she rattles off all of her ideas for our wedding. I smile as I listen in on all her plans, I have high hopes for the future.

This last quest has always been the one I feared the most, but now not so much. I have a boat, I have a crew, I have a beautiful and amazing fiancé and the support of her mother.

This time, this time on this one last quest I promise to myself and everyone who's counting on me, no one will die this time.

And I'm going to make sure of it.