The way that Tantalus saw it, was that the birds had only been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if Annabeth, Tysn and Percy hadn't distruebed them with their 'bad' chariot driving. Which was untrue. THe group were sentenced to kitchen patrol-scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies. The harpies washed with lava instead of water, to get that extraclean sparkle and kill ninety-nine point nine percent of all germs, so Annabeth and Percy had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.
Macaria had also decided to join in and didn't need any gloves, which amde it much easier. Tyso also didn't mind, as he plunged his bare hands right in adns tarted scrubbing. Though the other two had to suffer through hours of hot, dangerous work, especially since there were tons of extra plates. Tantalus had ordered a special luncheon banquet to celebrate Clarisse's chariot victory-a full-course meal featuring country-fried Stymphalian death-bird, well the ones that weren't burned up by Macaria.
Percy explained his dream about Grover again, and Annabeth looked like he was ready to believe him. "If he's really found it," she murmured, "and if we could retrieve it-"
"Hold on," Percy said. "You act like this … whatever-it-is Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"
"I'll give you a hint. What do you get when you skin a ram?"
"Messy?" Macaria and Percy said and she sighed.
"A fleece. The coat of a ram is called a fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool-"
"The Golden Fleece. Are you serious?" Percy asked.
Annabeth scrapped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava. "Percy, remember the Gray
Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason. Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"
"Yeah," Percy said. "That old movie with the clay skeletons."
The girls rolled their eyes and Macaria sighed. "Oh my gods, Percy! You are so hopeless." Annabeth said.
"What?" Percy demanded.
"Just listen. The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and
Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices, when they prayed to Zeus to save them. So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, actually it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."
"It was probably important to her."
"The point is, when Cadmus got to Colchis, he sacrificed the golden ram to the gods and hung the Fleece in a tree in the middle of the kingdom. The Fleece brought prosperity to the land. Animals stopped getting sick. Plants grew better. Farmers had bumper crops. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution-"
"It could cure Thalia's tree." The siblings said.
Annabeth nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. But Percy,
the Fleece has been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."
"But Grover found it," Percy said. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic. It makes sense, Annabeth. We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. It's perfect!"
"Too perfect." Macaria said. "It must be a trap." Annabeth nodded and Percy paused.
"What choice do we have?" Percy asked. "Are you going to help me rescue Grover or not?"
She glanced at Tyson, who'd lost interest in their conversation and was happily making toy boats
out of cups and spoons in the lava.
"Percy," she said under her breath, "we'll have to fight a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of the
Cyclopes. And there's only one place his island could be. The Sea of Monsters."
"Where's that?"
She stared at Percy like she thought he was playing dumb.
"The Sea of Monsters. The same sea Odysseus sailed through, and Jason, and Aeneas, and all the others." Macaria explained.
"You mean the Mediterranean?" He asked.
"No. Well, yes … but no." Annabeth said.
"Another straight answer. Thanks."
"Look, Percy, the Sea of Monsters is the sea all heroes sail through on their adventures. It used to
be in the Mediterranean, yes. But like everything else, it shifts locations as the West's center of
power shifts." She explained.
"Like Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building," Percy said. "And Hades being under Los Angeles."
"Right."
"But a whole sea full of monsters-how could you hide something like that? Wouldn't the mortals
notice weird things happening … like, ships getting eaten and stuff?"
"Of course they notice. They don't understand, but they know something is strange about that part of the ocean. The Sea of Monsters is off the east coast of the U.S. now, just northeast of Florida. The mortals even have a name for it."
"The Bermuda Triangle?" Macaria asked in shock.
"Exactly." Annabeth replied.
"Okay … so at least we know where to look." Percy said.
"It's still a huge area, Percy. Searching for one tiny island in monster-infested waters-"
"Hey, I'm the son of the sea god. This is my home turf. How hard can it be?"
Annabeth knit her eyebrows. "We'll have to talk to Tantalus, get approval for a quest. He'll say
No."
"Not if we tell him tonight at the campfire in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear. They'll pressure him. He won't be able to refuse."
"Maybe." A little bit of hope crept into Annabeth's voice. "We'd better get these dishes done.
Hand me the lava spray gun, will you?"
That night at the campfire, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along. They tried to get their spirits
up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. It would be an understatement to say that Macaria was feared, no people were terrified of her. Only Tyson, Annabeth and Percy near her. The entire section where Macaria sat, was void of any campers. You'd think they'd be happy that she saved their lives, but no, they didn't care at all and were afraid. Ignorance.
They sat around in a semicircle of stone steps, sung halfheartedly and watched the bonfire blaze while the Apollo guys strummed their guitars and picked their lyres.
They did all the standard camp numbers: "Down by the Aegean," "I Am My Own Great-Great-
Great-Great-Grandpa," "This Land is Minos's Land." The bonfire was enchanted, so the louder you sang, the higher it rose, changing color and heat with the mood of the crowd. On a good night, she'd seen it twenty feet high, bright purple, and so hot the whole front row's marshmallows burst into the flames. Tonight, the fire was only five feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the color of lint.
Dionysus left early. After suffering through a few songs, he muttered something about how even
pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting than this. Then he gave Tantalus a distasteful look and headed back toward the Big House. When the last song was over, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!"
He came forward with a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it off, real casual-like. But before he could touch it, the marshmallow flew off the stick. Tantalus made a wild grab, but the marshmallow decided death was better and drove into the flames. Tantalus turned back toward them, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."
"Sir," Percy said.
Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has something to say?"
Some of the Ares campers snickered, bu Percy ignored them. Percy stood and looked at Annabeth. She stood up and Macaria followed. "We have an idea to save the camp." Dead silence, but they were interested, because the campfire flared bright yellow.
"Indeed," Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots-"
"The Golden Fleece," Percy said. "We know where it is." The flames burned orange and before Tantalus could stop him, Percy blurted out his dream about Grover and Polyphemus' island. Annabeth also stepped in and reminded everyone what it could do. It was more convincing coming from her.
"The Fleece can save the camp," she concluded. "I'm certain of it."
"Nonsense," Tantalus said. "We don't need saving." The entire camp stared at him until he started to look uncomfortable. "Besides," he added quickly, "the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look."
"Yes, I would," Percy said and Annabeth leaned forward and whispered to him.
"You would?" She asked. And he nodded.
"30, 31, 75, 12," Percy said.
"Ooo-kay," Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."
"They're sailing coordinates," Percy explained. . "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies."
Annabeth looked impressed. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west.
He's right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!"
"Wait just a minute," Tantalus said.
But the campers took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!" The flames rose higher.
"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.
"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"
"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"
"YES!"
"Very well," he agreed. "I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to
retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying. I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious."
Tantalus looked at them. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defense of the camp. You shall lead this quest … Clarisse!"
The fire flickered a thousand different colors. The Ares cabin stomped and cheered. "CLARISSE! CLARISSE!"
Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride. "I
accept the quest!"
"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."
"Sit down!" yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"
"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" another said.
Clarisse glared at him. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save
the camp!"
The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth protested, and the other Athena campers joined in. Everybody else started taking sides-shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats! Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story."
They reluctantly sat back down. Eveil aura radiated from Tantalus. "Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest, Macaria already knew this story. "This king, was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe-just one little doggie bag, mind you the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children-just-like- you."
He pointed a crooked finger at several people in the audience, which included Percy, though his finger flickered for a second over at Macaria. "Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"
No one answered. The firelight glowed dark blue, which reflected evilly on his crooked face. face."Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed. But he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumor has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so … are there any more complaints, before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"
Silence.
Tantalus nodded at Clarisse. "The Oracle, my dear. Go on."
She shifted uncomfortably. "Sir-"
"Go!" he snarled. She bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House.
"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No comments from our dishwasher?" No answer. "Good. And let me remind everyone- no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries … well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well."
With a wave of Tantalus's hand, the fire was extinguished, and the campers trailed off toward
their cabins in the dark.
"Don't worry too much Percy." Macaria said to him. "I'm sure there will be another chance."
"I hope you're right. But I'm still worried about Grover and about the camp." Percy muttered.
"I'm more worried about Clarisse." Macaria said and he gave her an incredulous look.
"What?! She wanted to be the teacher's pet so badly, now she gets her wish!" Percy said and stormed off. Macaria huffed and went off with the nymphs. But then they froze and bowed.
"Why are you-" Macaria asked and they were gone in an instant.
"Seems like my presence confused them." A voice said and Macaria looked over towards the voice. She saw a middle aged man with an athletic slim figure with salt-pepper hair. He wore nylon running shirts and New York City marathon T-shirt while jogging.
"Who are you?" Macaria asked. "And why did they bow to you." The nymphs very rarely bowed. He took out his phone and two mini snakes writhed up and down the antenna.
"Wouldn't you like to know." The man asked. "George, Martha, sa hello."
"Hello." Geroge and Martha said and slithered over towards her.
"Hello." Macaria said and the man watched their interaction in interest. "You're not normal."
"Neither are you my dear." The man said and took a seat.
"Do tell." Macaria said and narrowed her eyes as the snakes disappeared.
"I'm sure you already know." The man said and looked away. "But luckily for you, I'm not here for you. You're much more my brother's type."
"What-" Macaria went to say but froze when she saw him glow. His eyes turned blue and his hair curly, black with elfish features, a sly smile and a muscular build. He wore an outfit similar to a mailman with a pith helmet with sprouted wings and a suit. He had a pair of winged shoes on.
"Do tell your father I said hello." Hermes said with a quick smile and slimmered and vanished.
"I just met Hermes." Macaria said in shock. Only an hour later did Macaria find Percy in the woods, with a termos, a bottle of chewable vitamins.