Turns out Chronos didn't need a lot of time to build another army. And yes, Calypso had intended this pun.
Queen Anne's revenge was back in business, and in a better state than before.
The boat was now equipped with lifeboats.
That sounds boring? Don't forget that they were designed by Percy.
The boat rushed in the beach in San Francisco to defeat another defensive outpost built by the Titans in the last week. As soon as it touched the sand, gears began to turn in the lifeboats, and they jumped into work, spreading around the boat, and hovering it on legs. Pindare retreated back to the depth of the sea with a low growl that hopefully meant "good luck". It might as well mean "I hunt you", but nobody knew exactly how to speak sea-monster.
For one second, nothing was moving. The next one, the legs were strengthened by doubles celestial bronze plates as well as a magical shield for them.
They then began to move, and The Queen Anne's revenge began to morph into something else.
The masts reorganized to build a chassis over the bridge. Sails closed, and a few cannons jumped out of the newly morphed structure, covering every angle.
Bianca was already in her seat in the inside of the beast, covering every angle to shoot.
Mortals were talking about a "tank", but Calypso gave them no attention, not even worrying why her boat looked to them as a container for fluids.
"Annabeth, navigate us to direction. Grover, you are on the radar. Every monster closer to us than mount Tam is to be blasted.", ordered Calypso.
They both nodded and jumped into their posts.
"Nico, you're our ghost king. Take your time, but I want a squad of zombies to take them by behind, so they either serve as a distraction or attacker if we attract to much attention."
The ground shook in agreement as it started to vomit undead.
"Annabeth, status?"
"All systems optimal, and turn to the right on the next street.", said the daughter of Athena.
Calypso turned the wheel to move the boat.
It reacted within the instant, legs moving the boat close to the building while still not touching it.
"The second on the left, and then we should reach the hangar they use as their QG.", announced Annabeth.
"Bianca, I want you to send them a welcoming message."
"Right away, captain!", said a voice below.
Soon, magic missiles exited the flank, turning upwards before launching, in a beautiful parabola.
Of course, they were stopped before touching the compound, but this doesn't mean they were wasted. They restrained the enemy energy wise, while forcing them to attack from below, where protections were at the strongest.
"Captain, monsters at 5. Dracaenai, 6 of them.", warned Nico.
"Bianca?", asked the captain.
"Right away."
Three seconds later the radar only showed the enemy base, as the dracaenai were… back to Tartarus the painful way.
The ship was now renown in the enemy rank for that: its efficiency. Sure, there was only one of it, but it could blast base after base barely slower than they were built. And they were built very quickly due to time magic.
The Queen Anne's revenge and its crew was feared, and even the demigods on it knew it.
Curiously enough, the Princess Andromeda quickly joined the decks of San Francisco and ended the cruise for monsters.
This didn't mean that the gods were winning the war. Not at all.
The camp (no 's' because the large signal they got from the other side of the bay was nothing, for the Olympians) was overflowed with monsters. Every other day, the activities were interrupted by a group of hellhounds, or cyclops, died on the defenses while injuring always more campers.
Chiron had already asked Olympus a new system of defense, and the crew just tell Olympus to go… enjoy… themselves and to think about proper defense instead of using their only trump card on offense to do it.
Athena nodded in agreement, her tan still (once again curiously) reddened in what seemed to be… anger?
Turns out gods don't exactly appreciate being turned down with every aspect of language by a former inmate freed by a missing mystery.
The hangar came into view.
A good thing was that at least, a monster (probably an hyperborean, from the icicles remaining under an iron bar), had the idea to paint the building in red, making it a literal target for the cannons.
The ship stopped in the middle of the streets, its side defying the base.
A wave of monsters immediately got out, bursting through a wall, to show their armors to the cannons.
It looks like the cannons liked.
At the end of the next ten seconds, only the armors remained.
"Okay, Bianca, I want you to attack the base of the buildings on the pillars that keep it up", ordered Calypso.
Bianca didn't nod. The blue rays of light that melted the iron structure did it for her.
Soon enough, the hangar began to lack stability, and promptly collapsed.
"Good, team", said the Captain. "We move to the pit for a pause. Grover, Nico, you're on meal duty. Annabeth, you're with me, we have to plan the next operation on the Kansas' outpost. Bianca, reverse us into floating mode, and set the table."
A groan and a pull on the lever later, the crew was on the Phlegeton. Calypso and Annabeth hid in the strategic room, while Bianca took control of the lifeboats from her post of command.
The boat once more in a boat form, she got to the living room.
The room was quite empty at first, as Percy needn't furniture. But now, it had a table big enough to make the whole crew fit, a sofa for the pauses, as well as posters of different movies on the walls (curtesy of Nico).
From her time in the first Titan war, Calypso remembered that the moral had a great importance, and allowed the decoration as long as it was still able to fit everybody.
The middle bridge still had enough space to fit the chambers, and the cargo deck was used as such.
Bianca did as ordered and sat on the sofa, using the shelves on the side to pick a book and read.
Thanks to Annabeth, they were all translated in ancient Greek.
The only problem being the amount of them having Architecture as a theme.
Soon enough, the meal was ready, and the leading two (nickname Nico gave the captain and her second in command) came back to eat.
"We're missing eggs", said Nico.
"And Enchiladas.", added Grover.
Calypso sighed, turning to her second.
"Well, I guess it's time to go shopping for the afternoon. I'll go see if Daedalus didn't let us anything after blowing up that could be of use", said Annabeth.
"Yeah, and we'll go find Calypso an eyepatch." Added Nico.
"I still have both of my eyes working.", informed the captain.
"Yeah, but that would really make you look like a pirate, and quite frankly, it would be so cool!"
Bianca sighed in despair.
"Do we need to plan a detour for anybody else?", asked Calypso.
"I'll need to chat with Central park about faun evolution. Oh, and I would also need to go to Mexico, there's a region that need a boost to turn in a real asset for water retention in the development of a forest. Annabeth, can you give me a lift there?"
"Yeah, sure. Just be precise with your coordinates. I hate opening entrances to the Labyrinth for nothing."
A second later, Calypso finished eating her leaf of salad, and gave her orders.
"It's decided, then. Grover, Annabeth, you go together, and don't forget to take a drachma to Iris-message me, and I'll go with Nico and Bianca to a store. Anybody know what city?"
"Go for New York. The Olympians are testing their defenses on their turf, and that will give you a certain peace monster-wise. Make the boat pop back into Central park, and we'll kill metaphorically (don't worry, Grover), two birds with one stone", proposed Annabeth.
"Good", praised the captain. "Finish eating and we're good to go."
The dessert was pineapple slices. This means that they were out of pineapples too, noticed Calypso.
Well, happily she knew how to deal with this kind of problems since she had experience from the first titanomachy.
Rachel, for once, followed the instruction.
She very quickly found the hideout in Louisiana, as it was exactly as described in her dreams.
A mark appeared on the door, and as she pressed it, she entered the hangar.
It had pylons all over, as if a plane or a boat was built in there. The place as dusty, as if nobody had used it in months. Which, she figured, was probably the case.
It had a cabin on the side, with a stair allowing access. Under it, equipment was stored in the most… chaotic way.
She climbed the stairs on her left.
The stairs gave access to a windowed door. The office had blueprints all over them, describing a pirate ship under every angle, and with a ton of different ways it could act.
Complex prototypes were on the desks, and a lamp was still lit weakly.
She turned the handle of the door. Closed. As told by her dream.
The wall next to the door opened in a small square, where a numpad made its appearance.
She tapped in the code she had still in memory even though it was way too long for her own liking.
The door creaked her access in.
Desk with a computer (very old one, by the way), third drawer from the top on the left column.
She took the file, which had a very detailed explanation of the influence of Greek myths on the mortal world, as well as the different ways to use it, and everything she needed to know.
On the last page, was a post-it.
"If you were granted access to this file, then please re-use the way you gained your orders for further explanation as well as your new position."
Did that meant… that somebody was hiring her?
She returned to her hotel, with the file, studying with more attention every aspect of the maze underneath the earth, as well as a theory about a certain kind of mortal that could use it.
Iris messaging, shadow-travel, Gray sisters, automatons everywhere around the globe, groups of more friendly monsters, location, specialty, theories about the position of Atlantis, a quick explanation of the hunt (with a red marker's trace saying females only). Different ways in and out of Tartarus, healing sources, ways in and out of the underworld, sources of prophecy, source of power, theories, theories, theories.
She didn't realize she was dreaming until the voice of Percy greeted her.
"Hello, Rachel. Or should I say, agent RED."
"PJ.", she greeted back.
"Please, as long as no god is listening, call me Percy. So, what do you think of my files?"
"Why me? I mean, you wrote it yourself, there are many groups in this war involved, so…"
"Why you? Think about it, Rachel. Who, in that stuck ass world that is modern mythology, cares about mortals except for having ki-weapons with them?"
"You use me because nobody knows who I am except you. You planned this from the very beginning."
"Yes. Unreferenced players are always the best of the trump cards. Especially when those trump cards are totally immune to one of the major forces at play in the war, namely the Mist."
"So what? You use me because I'm useful to you?"
"I won't lie to you, yes."
"At least, that's honest."
"Rachel, I'm currently dead…", began Percy.
"Are you alright?", asked the mortal in evident worry.
"Sure, I'll come back from it, but right now, my mobility in the game is reduced to very close to none. And if I lose, then we all lose. If the Titans wins the war, you'll be at best a slave, and at worst…"
He shivered, which seemed weird to Rachel.
"I know you want to matter in this world, and that's what I give you. The ability to matter, to act, to fight, while being as safe as I can keep you."
"Geeze, thanks", said Rachel with sarcasm.
"No problems.", answered Percy with a big smile on his face.
"So, what do you want me to do?"
"For now, I want you to contact Calypso with an Iris message. Keep your identity a secret, just say you're RED. A drachma should be somewhere in my office."
"What do I tell her?"
Percy's grin reached a point no face should ever reach.
"You tell her that you have information for her, and tell her to look at something called Camp Jupiter. Tell her that she shouldn't interact, just be prepared to act with the knowledge of all the players on board, meaning you too, in a way."
"So you're going to use me to distribute information?"
"Yep. Now you also need this kind of runes on you to hide you from the gods. They should tap into Hope for energy. Good luck, agent RED."
The dream dissolved into nothingness.
"Agent RED, huh? I like that."
And one more badass girl coming! Seriously, I'm thinking about making Rachel a character a bit like Oracle in Batman (because I'm funny like that).
I personally like to think of her as a secret agent hiding behind an artist figure.
Well, anyway, have a nice day, and enjoy your life.
