"Thermos!" Macaria heard Percy yell and she opened her eyes to find Tyson holding her. They were hurtled toward the water.
"What?" Annabeth asked as she held onto the boat straps, her hair flying straight up like a torch. Tyson opened Percy's duffel bag and took out Hermes' magical thermos without losing his grip on it, the boat or her. Arrows and javelins whistled past them as Percy grabbed the termos.
"Hang on!" Percy yelled.
"I am hanging on!" Annabeth yelled.
"Tighter!" Percy screamed and hooked his feet under the boat's inflatable bench as Tyson grabbed Annabeth and Percy by the backs of their shirts. Percy gave the termos cap a quarter turn. Instantly, a white sheet of wind jetted out of the thermos and propelled them sideways, turn them downward plummet into a forty-five-degree crash landing. The wind seemed to laugh as it shot from the thermos, like it was glad to be free. As they hit the ocean, they bumped once, twice, skipping like a stone, then they were whizzing along like a speed boat, salt spray in their faces and nothing but sea ahead.
There was a wail of outrage from behind them, it must've been the ship, but they were already out of range. Princess Andromeda faded to the side of a white toy boat in the distance, then it was gone. Annabeth and Percy tried to send an Iris-message to Chiron. The wind from the thermos stirred up a nice sea spray that made a rainbow in the sunlight-perfect for an Iris-message-but their connection was still poor.
When Annabeth threw a gold drachma into the mist and prayed for the rainbow goddess to show them Chiron, his face appeared fine, but there was some kind of weird strobe light flashing in the background and rock music blaring, like he was at a dance club. Annabeth and Percy told him everything that happened, that they snuck away from camp, Luke and the Princess Andromeda and the golden box for Kronos' remain.
"Percy," Chiron yelled, "you have to watch out for-" His voice was drowned out by loud shouting behind him-a bunch of voices whooping it up like Comanche warriors.
"What?" I yelled.
"Curse my relatives!" Chiron ducked as a plate flew over his head and shattered somewhere out
of sight. "Annabeth, you shouldn't have let Percy leave camp! But if you do get the Fleece-"
"Yeah, baby!" somebody behind Chiron yelled. "Woo-hoooooo!" The music got cranked up, subwoofers so loud it made their boat vibrate.
"-Miami," Chiron was yelling. "I'll try to keep watch-" Their misty screen smashed apart like someone on the other side had thrown a bottle at it, and Chiron was gone. It was around this time that Percy found out she was awake and berated her on sleeping for so long.
"Honestly I'm tired of your relatives." Percy said annoyed. "They always keep butting in on everything."
"Trust me, I'm tired of them too." Macaria said darkly and told them about her dream and being placed in the River Styx.
"What kind of mother do you even have?" Annabeth said confused. "Her hair and eye color kept changing?"
"Like a rainbow!" Tyson said and Macaria nodded.
"She couldn't have been that great, if she wanted to get rid of me." Macaria said. Her statement was met with silence. An hour later they spotted land-a long stretch of beach lined with high-rise hotels. The water became crowded with fishing boats and tankers. A coast guard cruiser passed on their starboard side, then turned like it wanted a second look. It isn't every day they see a yellow lifeboat with no engine going a hundred knots an hour, manned by four kids.
"That's Virginia Beach!" Annabeth said as they approached the shoreline. "Oh my gods, how did
the Princess Andromeda travel so far overnight? That's like-"
"Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy said.
They stared at him. "How did you know that?"
"I-I'm not sure."
Annabeth thought for a moment. "Percy, what's our position?"
"36 degrees, 44 minutes north, 76 degrees, 2 minutes west," Percy said immediately, then he shook his head. "Whoa. How did I know that?"
"Because of your dad," Annabeth guessed. "When you're at sea, you have perfect bearings. That
is so cool."
Tyson tapped his shoulder, before Percy dould respond. "Other boat is coming." They looked back, the coast guard vessel was on their tail, with it's lights flashing and gaining speed.
"We can't let them catch us," Percy said. "They'll ask too many questions."
"Keep going into Chesapeake Bay," Annabeth said. "I know a place we can hide." Percy loosened the thermos cap a little more and a fresh burst of wind sent them rocketed around the northern tip of Viriginia Beach into Chesapeake Bay. The coast guard boat fell farther and farther behind, but they didn't slow down until the shores of the bary narrowed on either side. They entered the mouth of a river, the water shanged from salt to fresh water. Percy leaned down on the boat, he looked tired and frazzled.
Macaria grabbed the thermos so Percy could relax down. "There." Annabeth told her. "Past that sandbar." They veered into a swampy area choked with marsh grass. Macaria beached the lifeboat at the foot of a giant cypress. Vine covered trees loomed above them. Insects chirred in the woods. The air was muggy and hot, and steam curled off the river. Macaria took a deep breath of the air, as the plants moved out of the way for them.
"Come on." Annabeth said, as she looked down at the plants nervously. "It's just down the bank."
"What is?" Percy asked
"Just follow Macaria." She grabbed the duffel bag. "And we'd better cover the boat. We don't want to draw attention." Macaria passed the thermos to Percy. They buried the lifeboat with branches and ffollowed Annabeth along the shore. The red mud followed down as Macaria walked down and a snake slithered up towards Macaria and said a quick 'Hello!' and disapepared into the grass.
"Not a good palce." Tyson said as he swatted the mosquitoes that formed a buffet line on his arm.
"A hideout." Macaria said.
"How do you…" Annabeth asked right as Macaria moved aside a woven circle of branches and showed a camouflaged shelter. The inside was big enough for four, even with Tyson being the third. The walls were woven from plant material, but they looked pretty waterproof. Stacked in the corner was everything you could want for a campout-sleeping bags, blankets, an ice chest, and a kerosene lamp. There were demigod provisions, too- bronze javelin tips, a quiver full of arrows, an extra sword, and a box of ambrosia. The place smelled musty, like it had been vacant for a long time.
"A half-blood hideout." Percy looked at Annabeth in awe. You made this place?"
"Thalia and I," she said quietly and glanced over at Macaria who shrugged her shoulders. "And Luke."
It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Percy felt jealous at that moment. "So …" Percy said. "You don't think Luke will look for us here?"
She shook her head. "We made a dozen safe houses like this. I doubt Luke even remembers where they are. Or cares." She threw herself down on the blankets and started going through her duffel bag. Her body language made it pretty clear she didn't want to talk.
"Um, Tyson?" Percy said. "Would you mind scouting around outside? Like, look for a wilderness convenience store or something?"
"Convenience store?"
"Yeah, for snacks. Powdered donuts or something. Just don't go too far."
"Powdered donuts," Tyson said earnestly. "I will look for powdered donuts in the wilderness."
He headed outside and started calling, "Here, donuts!"
Once he was gone, Percy sat down across from Annabeth. Macaria, feeling rather uncomfortable took the section of the hideout the farthest away from them. "Hey, I'm sorry about, you know, seeing Luke."
"It's not your fault." She unsheathed her knife and started cleaning the blade with a rag.
"He let us go too easily," Percy said and Annabeth nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing. What we overheard him say about a gamble, and 'they'll take the bait'… I think he was talking about us."
"The Fleece is the bait? Or Grover?"
She studied the edge of her knife. "I don't know, Percy. Maybe he wants the Fleece for himself.
Maybe he's hoping we'll do the hard work and then he can steal it from us. I just can't believe he
would poison the tree."
"What did he mean," Percy asked, "that Thalia would've been on his side?"
"He's wrong."
"You don't sound sure." Annabeth glared at Percy.
"Percy, you know who you remind me of most? Thalia. You guys are so much alike it's scary. I
mean, either you would've been best friends or you would've strangled each other."
"Let's go with 'best friends.'"
"Thalia got angry with her dad sometimes. So do you. Would you turn against Olympus because of that?"
Percy stared at the quiver of arrows in the corner. "No."
"Okay, then. Neither would she. Luke's wrong." Annabeth stuck her knife blade into the dirt.
"So what did Luke mean about Cyclopes?" Percy asked. "He said you of all people-"
"I know what he said. He … he was talking about the real reason Thalia died." Percy waited and Macaria tensed as Annabeth drew a shaky breath. "You can never trust a Cyclops, Percy…. Macaria… Six years ago, on the night Grover was leading us to Half-Blood Hill-"
She was interrupted when the door of the hut creaked open. Tyson crawled in. "Powdered donuts!" he said proudly, holding up a pastry box.
Annabeth stared at him. "Where did you get that? We're in the middle of the wilderness. There's
nothing around for-"
"Fifty feet," Tyson said. "Monster Donut shop-just over the hill!"
"This is bad," Annabeth muttered. They crouched behind a tree and stared at the donut shop in the middle of the woods. It looked brand new, with brightly lit windows, a parking area, and a little road that led off into the forest. There was no one else parked in the lot or around. There was only a single employee that was reading a magazine behind the cash register. In huge black letters it said: MONSTER DONUT. A cartoon ogre took a bite out of the O in MONSTER. IT smelled good, like freshbaked chocolate donuts.
Macaria looked at it confused and took a btie out of the donuts. They were delicious, so she couldn't complain.
"Macaria!" ANnabeth whispered angrily. "You shouldn't eat that! It shouldn't be here! It's wrong!"
"What?" Percy asked as he's right about to eat a donut. "It's a donut shop."
"Shhh!"
"Why are we whispering? Tyson went in and bought a dozen. Nothing happened to him."
"He's a monster."
"Aw, c'mon, Annabeth. Monster Donut doesn't mean monsters! It's a chain. WE've ot them in New York."
"A chain." She agreed. "And don't you think it's strange that one appeared immediately after you told Tyson to get donuts? Right here in the middle of the woods?" She paused. "It could be a nest."
Tyson whimpered, he had already plowed through half of a dozen donuts form his box and was getting powdered sugar on his face. Macaria had eaten the other half, not having anything to eat for breakfast or lunch. "A nest for what?" Percy asked.
"Haven't you ever wondered how franchise stores pop up so fast?" she asked. "One day there's
nothing and then the next day-boom, there's a new burger place or a coffee shop or whatever? First a single store, then two, then four- exact replicas spreading across the country?"
"Um, no. Never thought about it."
"Percy, some of the chains multiply so fast because all their locations are magically linked to the
life force of a monster. Some children of Hermes figured out how to do it back in the 1950s. They breed-"
She froze. "What?" He demanded. "They breed what?"
"No-sudden-moves," Annabeth said, like her life depended on it. "Very slowly, turn around."
Macaria heard a scraping noise, something was dragging it's stomach through the leaves. Macaria turned and saw a rhino size thing moving along the shadows of the trees. It was hissing, it's front half writhing in all different directions. Macaria felt her heart drop….
"Hydra…" She whispered in shock, as she saw multiple necks, at least seven, each topped with a hissing reptilian head. It's kskin was leathery, and under each neck it wore a plastic bib that read: I'M A MONSTER DONUT KID! Percy took out his ballpoint pen but Annabeth locked eyes with him as a silent warning. Macria placed a hand on Tyson and Percy, the latter who immediately grabbed Annabeth's hand. In an instant they were invisible. Lots of monsters had terrible eyesight. They waited. The Hydra was only a few feet away. It sniffed the ground and the trees like it was hunting for something. Two of the heads were ripping apart a piece of yellow canvas, it had already been to their campsite. It was following their scent. Which meant, that invisibility would do only so much for her friends.
Each head was diamond shaped, like a rattlesnake, but the mouths were lined with jagged rows of sharklike teeth. Tyson trembled but a single look of Macaria made sure he didn't move. One of the heads went right towards Macaria's face and sniffed. It's eyes linked with hers and Macaria held her breath as acid filled it's mouth and the other heads looked directly at her. She head a whisper, of a language she felt that she could almost understand. The acid dripped on the ground and Macaria could feel Percy and Tyson's bodies shaking as she held their hands.
Then the Hydra closed it's mouth and walked away. "River! Go!" Annabeth whispered and they backed toward the river. Macaria felt her grip on Tyson's hand slip and the Hydra turned directly toward us, more heads began to multiply on the Hydra. They cotninued to inch backward, dodging acid splashes and deflecting snapping heads without cutting them off.
There was a strange sound that was so powerful that it made the riverbank shake.
"What's the noise?" Annabeth shouted, she kept her eyes on the Hydra.
"Steam engine," Tyson said and Macaria said instantly.
"What?" Percy ducked as the Hydra spat acid over his head.
Then from the river behind us, a familiar female voice shouted: "There! Prepare the thirty-twopounder!" They didn't dare look away from the Hydra.
A gravelly male voice said, "They're too close, m'lady!"
"Damn the heroes!" the girl said. "Full steam ahead!"
"Aye, m'lady."
"Fire at will, Captain!"
"Hit the dirt!" Annabeth yelled and they dove for the ground as an earth shattering BOOM echoed from the river. THere was a flash of light, a column of smoke, and the Hydra exploded right in front of them. It showered them with nasty green slime that vaproized as soon as it hit. "Gross!"
"Steamship!" Tyson yelled and Macaira stood up and coughed from the cloud of gunpowder smoke that rolled across the banks.
Chugging toward them down the river was the strangest ship she'd ever seen. It rode low in the water like a submarine, its deck plated with iron. In the middle was a trapezoid-shaped casemate with slats on each side for cannons. A flag waved from the top-a wild boar and spear on a bloodred field. Lining the deck were zombies in gray uniforms- dead soldiers with shimmering faces that only partially covered their skulls, like the ghouls seen in the Underworld guarding Hades's palace.
The ship was an ironclad. A Civil War battle cruiser. Macaria could just make out the name along the prow in moss-covered letters: CSS Birmingham. And standing next to the smoking cannon that had almost killed them, wearing full Greek battle armor, was Clarisse.
"Losers," she sneered. "But I suppose I have to rescue you. Come aboard."