A/N: Still don't own.

Thanks for my reviews.

After two weeks for an update, another one in two days. I'm calling this one Sirens.


Chapter 28

"Were they really waving celery sticks?" asked Travis.

"Yes they were," said Annabeth nodding as the whole room cracked up.

"I'm hungry, hey Percy do you want some celery?" asked a laughing Thalia.

"No but I could do with some lettuce," relied Percy. Demeter waved her hand and large plates of salads appeared in front of everyone, Lettuce and celery of course being the main ingredients in each salad.

"How did it feel to be turned into a guinea pig?" asked Lady Hestia.

"I felt changed- I was jumpy, like the instinct to be a scared little animal was a part of me, or maybe it had always been there. That's what really worried me," said Percy honestly. If anyone else other than Lady Hestia had asked Percy probably wouldn't have been so honest.

"We quickly got away from Circe's island, Percy was amazing with the sailing ship," said Annabeth.

"I got it travelling at ten knots," said Percy.

"That's fast for a sailing ship," Poseidon explained for everyone looking impressed.

"Annabeth got sea sick," said Percy.

"What little Miss Perfect's daughter couldn't cope with the rocking of the waves," said a gleeful Ares.

"So I get sea sick- big deal," said Annabeth glaring at Ares and the smirking demi-gods.

"While Annabeth was having a lie down I spotted monsters, a plume of water sprayed into the air, reptilian green spines slithering across the waves," said Percy.

"What type of monsters were they?" asked Katie.

"I don't know and I don't really want to know," said Percy knowing his father could probably tell him.

"I rejoined Percy as we passed a smoking volcanic island, the sea bubbling and steaming around the shore."

"One of my forges," said Hephaestus.

"We sailed around it. I asked Annabeth the question. Why she hated Cyclopes so much and what really happened with Thalia's death," said Percy.

"I want to know why my daughter died?" demanded Zeus.

"Grover was escorting us to camp when he got… confused, and … took some wrong turns," said Thalia.

"The worst wrong turn was into a Cyclops's lair in Brooklyn," said Annabeth.

"They have Cyclopes in Brooklyn?" asked Rachel.

"Yes. The Cyclops tricked us inside a maze of corridors in an old house," said Annabeth.

"The Cyclops could sound like anyone," said Thalia, "I thought I was running to save Luke."

"Luke thought he heard me scream for help. And me … I was seven years old, alone and in the dark. I couldn't even find the exit," said Annabeth.

"Annabeth somehow managed to find the room we were tied up and hanging from the ceiling," said Thalia.

"The Cyclops spoke in my dad's voice," said Annabeth.

"What did you do?" asked Athena.

"She stabbed him in the foot," said Thalia.

"You stabbed a full grown Cyclops in the foot at age seven," said an awed god of death.

"I surprised him and was able to run to Thalia and cut the ropes on her hands. She took it from there," said Annabeth.

"By the time we got away the rest of the monsters that had been chasing us had managed to catch up," said Thalia.

"I really have to stop asking Annabeth about Thalia, I had another dream about her when Annabeth sent me to rest," said Percy. Thalia grabbed Percy by the shoulders and shook him

"Stop dreaming about me, it is so weird," she shouted.

"Do you want to know what I dreamt?" asked Percy raising his eyebrows. Thalia nodded.

"I found myself back in Luke's state room on the Princess Andromeda. Voices of dead spirits whispered beware, trickery, traps. Kronos's sarcophagus glowed faintly. A cold laugh startled me. You don't have the courage, young one. You can't stop me a voice said."

"Well that's a load of bullsh…" said Nico the rest of his words muffled from Annabeth's hand.

"Watch your language," said Annabeth ignoring Nico's eye rolling. Nico had almost given a upcoming story.

"I knew I had to open the coffin. I uncapped Riptide. I had to destroy whatever was in that box. A female voice startled me; there instead of Annabeth as I was expecting was a girl in punk-style clothing with silver bracelets on her wrists. She had spiky black hair and dark eye-liner around her stormy blue eyes," said Percy.

"Well at least this time my eye colour was correct," said Thalia.

"What has this got to do with the story?" asked a confused Ares.

"Dream Thalia asked me if we were going to stop him or not? For some reason I couldn't answer or move," said Percy.

"Oh fine leave it to me and Aegis," grumbled Thalia.

"That's what your dream self said," exclaimed Percy. "Dream Thalia equipped Aegis, even in my dream being near it made me cold with fear. I got the feeling that the bearer of the shield would be almost impossible to beat. Any sane enemy would turn and run," said Percy.

"So can you beat Thalia?" asked Zeus.

"Yes he can, but Percy isn't sane," said Rachel as all the demi-gods laughed.

"Dream Thalia drew her sword and advanced on the sarcophagus, I tried to stop her but she didn't listen," said Percy.

"When do you two ever listen to one another?" asked Clarisse. She stood strong when the two most powerful demi-gods in the room gave their famous death stares.

"Dream Thalia marched up and pushed aside the golden lid and, for a moment, stood staring down at whatever was in the box. The coffin began to glow. Dream Thalia said 'No, it can't be, No' and the sarcophagus engulfed her in a blast of golden light," said Percy.

"We know what's in the box," said Nico who was glared at, he was giving clues away.

"That was when I woke Percy. We were approaching the island of the Sirens," said Annabeth.

"So you put candle wax in your ears and sailed right past," said Hermes.

"Not exactly, Annabeth asked for a favour," said Percy.

"And what was the favour?" asked Zeus.

"I wanted him to help me listen to the Sirens singing," said an embarrass Annabeth.

"Annabeth," shouted Athena.

"I was curious. They say that Sirens sing the truth about what you desire. They tell you things about yourself you don't even realise. If you survive you become wiser," explained Annabeth.

"I begrudgingly assisted her in her plan. When the rocky coastline of the island became in view I tied a rope around her waist, tying her to the foremast," said Percy.

"I ordered Percy not to untie me, no matter how much I plead," said Annabeth.

"I promised to keep her secure and then stuffed my ears with two large wads of candle wax," said Percy.

"That must have been a great fashion statement," said Chris.

"I couldn't hear anything as I sailed the Queen's Anne Revenge away from the jagged rocks of the island. At first Annabeth looked normal,"

"Annabeth normal?" asked Travis before finding her dagger at his throat.

"I'm kidding," said a scared son of Hermes.

"Annabeth then got a puzzled look on her face, her eyes widened. She strained against the rope, she had to get out. She seemed so miserable it was hard not to cut her free. I forced myself to look away and urged the ship to go faster. At one stage I wanted to unplug my ears, I mean what song could be singing to make so many veer off course. I mean that there are songs that make me want to take a fiery nose dive, but still," said Percy.

"Oh yeah, Friday by Rebecca Black is one of those songs," said Will with most of the demi-gods agreeing.

"Annabeth was pleading with me, tears streaming down her cheeks. She strained against the ropes as if they were holding her back from everything she cared about. She seemed to be asking me how I could be so cruel and if I was her friend. So I tried hard not to look at her for five minutes," said Percy.

"That was your big mistake seaweed brain," said Annabeth.

"No my big mistake was not disarming you before tying you to the mast, so that you couldn't cut the ropes and start swimming towards your death," said Percy.

"How did you save her?" asked Athena.

"I called her name but she was entranced with making it to the shore. So I commanded the ship to stay before diving into the water and willing the current to make a jet stream to shoot me forward. I came to the surface and spotted Annabeth but a wave caught her sweeping her between two razor sharp rocks," said Percy.

"I don't remember that," said Annabeth.

"I plunged after Annabeth. I dived under a wreaked hull of a yacht, wove past floating metal balls on chains that were mines, I had to be careful of the rocks and barbed wire that was just below the surface. Some how Annabeth had made it past the obstacles and was almost to the beach," said Percy.

"This is scary, I didn't realise how dangerous it was at the time. I don't remember swimming through all that debris," said a horrified Annabeth as Thalia wrapped her arms around her.

"I got a good look at the sirens. Imagine a flock of vultures the size of people- with dirty black plumage, grey talons and winkled pink necks. Now imagine human heads on top of those necks, but the human heads keep changing, to all the people I most wanted to see," said Percy.

"Who were the people you most wanted to see?" asked a curious Will.

"No matter what shape they took their mouths were greasy and caked with the remnants of old meals, and it didn't look like they had been feasting on Monster Donuts," said Percy.

"This is so annoying, I don't remember it that way," said Annabeth.

"Of course not you were enchanted," said Nico rolling his eyes.

"I knew I couldn't let Annabeth out of the water so I propelled myself forward and grabbed her ankle. The moment I did I was able to see how Annabeth saw the Sirens. Sitting on a picnic blanket in Central Park were Annabeth's dad, Lady Athena and …Luke. Behind them was Manhattan but it had been rebuilt," said Percy. "I knew that Annabeth had designed it, she was the architect for a whole new world. She had saved Luke. She had reunited her parents. She had done everything she'd ever wanted."

"You reunited your parents," said Hera.

"Who has wished their parents would get back together?" asked Rachel. All the demi-gods put up their hands except for Nico.

"We know it's not possible, but we can dream," said Clarisse.

"I pulled Annabeth back into the surf, she kicked me in the face, but I held on. I willed the currents to carry us out into the bay; Annabeth pummelled and kicked me as I tried to get us back to the ship. In desperation I pulled her under. She stopped fighting and looked confused. The sound didn't travel through the water."

"Percy pulled me down under the waves, I struggled for breathe. Percy created a huge air bubble around us," said Annabeth.

"Is that what happened on your sixteenth birthday?" asked Rachel.

"Maybe, anyway the spell was broken but Annabeth started a heartbreaking sob. She put her head on my shoulder and I held her," said Percy.

"Oh how adorable," gushed Aphrodite.

"Fish gathered to look at us- a school of barracudas, some curious marlins. They scram when I told them to but I understood their intentions. They were about to start rumours about a son of Poseidon and some girl at the bottom of Siren Bay," said Percy.

"Fish are the biggest gossips- especially marlins, they just like to talk," said Poseidon groaning along with Lady Athena.

"I got us back to the ship using the current to steer or weird little air submarine through the rocks and barbed wire and back towards the hull of the Queen Anne's Revenge, which was maintaining a slow and steady course away from the island. We stayed underwater until I judged we were out of earshot of the Sirens," said Percy.

"The air bubbled popped when we surfaced and we climbed up a rope ladder and on board. Once the island was out of sight I informed Percy that it was safe and he removed the wax," said Annabeth.

"Did you get wiser?" asked Hestia.

"Yes the Sirens showed me my fatal flaw. My fatal flaw is hubris, deadly pride, thinking I can do things better than anyone else," said Annabeth.

"Wow, so you think you could do a better job if you ran the world," said Zeus. Annabeth just shrugged.

"Me running the world would kind of be a nightmare," said Percy laughing.

"I have to agree," "that's scary," came from a number of demi-gods.

"That was when we came to another island- a saddle shaped island with forested hills, white beaches and green meadows," said Percy.

"Oh please tell me it's the island from your dreams," said Nico tiredly.

"My nautical senses confirmed it we had reached the home of the Cyclops.

"Great we can continue the story tomorrow, I have duties to do," said Artemis and quickly exited the throne room. Everyone else exited after her breaking into small groups to talk or get to their own duties.


Please review: They are greatly appreciated.

I chose Rebecca Black's song mainly because I knew how much people disliked it. (I'm not a fan but it can get stuck in your head -it's friday, friday got to get down on friday - ahh it's in my head now.).