I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.
Chapter Twelve: The Sea of Monsters
There were several things that Chrysa did not enjoy be woken up by in the mornings. The list included cold water, Aunt Petunia, and crying babies. As of June 3, 2008, that list grew to include her father barging into her bedroom on an emergency and then flipping out that she and Hades were both naked.
"Really, Father, what did you expect when you barged into our bedroom when we were both asleep?" Chrysa asked as she strolled into the throne room with Hades twenty minutes later.
"Not that," Zeus grumbled.
"What's the emergency?" Hades asked irritably. "You haven't been down here in nearly a century."
"Thalia has been poisoned," Zeus stated glumly. "Chiron hasn't found a cure. I've already fired Argus. The camp borders are failing as well."
"And this concerns us, how?" Hades asked, sounding bored.
Chrysa smacked her consort's shoulder.
"Hades! That's my sister you're talking about! And the kids at camp!"
"Sorry, dear," Hades replied, pressing an apologetic kiss to her cheek.
Chrysa sighed, gave him a brief smile, and then turned to look at her father.
"I'm glad to hear the news from you directly, but is there a specific reason you've come here?"
"Chiron will probably be fired tonight, if he can't do something for Thalia," Zeus said. "I want to send Tantalus as the new activities director, with Chrysa as the warden."
"Tantalus?!" Chrysa and Hades exclaimed in unison.
"As in your-son-who-cut-up-his-own-son-to-feed-the-gods Tantalus? Shared nectar and ambrosia with mortals Tantalus? Prisoner number 1 of the Fields of Punishment Tantalus?" Chrysa continued.
"That's the one," Zeus sighed.
"Why?" Hades asked.
"Hera was going on and on about how we have to give family for even the most grievous of sins – I think she was actually referring to the fact that I cheated on her to have Thalia in the first place, but I started thinking about my children, and Tantalus, and how he's been starving for the past four thousand years. Also, I thought you," he said, turning to Chrysa, "might like a reason to be there for your sister."
"I would like that very much," Chrysa said, before Hades could protest. "There might be something I can do for her, depending on what she was poisoned with. I am rather familiar with poisons. It goes with the 'patroness of assassins' bit. And growing up with Akhlys."
Hades shrugged.
"She's threatened to poison me before. Leuke actually went through with it on two separate occasions."
"It wasn't deadly!" Chrysa protested. "It just caused you to marry the latrine for a week."
Zeus looked alarmed.
"What did you do? And Chrysa, dear, please don't teach Hera how to do that."
"What makes you think she doesn't already know?" Chrysa asked sweetly.
Zeus paled.
"I may have made a comment about the proper place of women in Leuke's hearing," Hades said delicately. "She wasn't amused."
"Well, on that happy note, I'm going to go tell Prisoner 0001 about his potential parole. If I'm the warden, do I get to continue his food and drink problem?" Chrysa asked curiously.
Zeus shrugged.
"If he deserves it."
Chrysa smirked.
"Do I also get to send him back to the Fields when we save Thalia and Chiron returns?"
"If you want to," Hades sighed. "Don't stay gone as long, this time?"
"I'll try, darling," Chrysa said, kissing Hades' cheek. "But think about it this way: you don't have to worry about poison in your food for offending me for as long as I'm gone!"
Before either god could respond to that, she disappeared into the shadows. She didn't entirely leave though. She wanted to know how they would respond to that.
Zeus looked at his brother.
"And you sleep in the same bed with her," he pointed out.
Hades sighed, an almost dreamy tone to his voice.
"I know. The things we do for love."
Chrysa had to hide her snickers as she shadow-travelled to the entrance to the Fields of Punishment.
The next day, they were all set to go. Chiron had indeed been fired the previous night, and Zeus had sent a message via Iris that Dionysus was expecting them that morning.
"Now Tantalus," Chrysa said sternly. She yanked at the chain she held, causing the former king of Lydia to stumble. While the chains would only be visible to Underworld denizens or descendants outside of the Underworld, they would be no less powerful. Hades had not explained why they had magical chains for prisoners to visit the Underworld in, instead saying that it was a long story and he would tell her when she was back.
"We're going to go to Camp Half-Blood, and you're going to be nice to the kids. Got that? Nice to the kids. You will not stab kids, chop kids up, or make kids into food. You will especially not eat the kids. Capisce?"
"Since when are you Italian?" Tantalus grumbled, only to be tugged off his feet again.
"Be nice, brother dear," Chrysa said, her voice sickly sweet. "And one more thing: mention my position in the Underworld to anyone and you get sent back immediately, and I turn your lake to acid and set the Furies on you."
Tantalus gulped.
"I understand."
"Good," Chrysa said with a smile that was more teeth than anything. "Now, off we go to Camp Half-Blood!"
A shadow appeared in front of them and Chrysa jumped into it, pulling Tantalus behind her. She and Hades had said their goodbyes privately before she had fetched the infamous Prisoner 0001. There were some forms of public displays of affection that they found distasteful. Making out in front of the prisoners was one of them.
They reappeared in the shadow of the North Woods, near the dining pavilion. Chrysa landed on her feet. Tantalus landed in a heap of too-thin limbs.
Chrysa sighed.
"I don't have all day, you know. Up you get. Don't trip on anything."
She was almost certain that Tantalus was sneering at her as soon as she turned her back.
They made it all the way to the Big House, Chrysa tugging on Tantalus' chain and causing him to trip all the while.
Dionysus was on the porch, as usually, playing pinochle with invisible players.
"Hello, Dionysus," Chrysa called cheerfully. "I've brought our brother to replace Chiron. Father really is trying to fill every position with his offspring, isn't he?"
"Hello, Chrysa," Dionysus drawled. "I see you've got him a bit chained up. You can control him?"
Chrysa yanked on the chain again as an example causing the undead man to fall sideways and glare angrily at her.
"He's stuck with me," Chrysa confirmed. "I'm the warden and the parole officer, and I can send him back at any time I want to, for any reason I deem necessary. I'm sure we've got some other relations in the Fields of Punishment somewhere that would like a short break. If I'm not mistaken, Sisyphus is your second cousin, thrice removed."
"He'd figure out some way to slip the chains and we'd be hunting him down for the next decade," Dionysus grumbled. "No, we can deal with this one. At least it's not Hitler or Mussolini."
"Or any of the other, frankly terrifying, members of the family," Chrysa added. "Why don't you try to teach Tantalus pinochle? I'm going to go talk to Chiron."
"What about the chains?" Dionysus asked idly.
"They extend," Chrysa shrugged. "Proximity isn't really an issue."
She continued into the Big House, going straight to Chiron's apartment. The centaur was in the midst of packing. His back was towards her, but he turned around when she knocked on the doorframe to announce her entrance.
He smiled sadly at her.
"Hello, Chrysa. I assume my replacement has arrived?" he asked.
Chrysa snorted.
"I give him two weeks. Tops. Then you'll be back here and everything will be hunky-dory."
"Chrysa, child, I hate to tell you this, but no one says hunky-dory anymore," Chiron told her.
Chrysa rolled her eyes.
"I don't care. You'll be back here before you know it. Look at it like a vacation."
The centaur laughed and moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders in a slight embrace.
"I'll do that. Thank you, Chrysa. You'll keep an eye on things?"
"Of course," she replied. "I'll do whatever I can for Thalia. Maybe my summer job will give me some insight into the poison that you haven't found."
"Would you like to see what I have found?" the centaur asked.
"Very much so."
Despite their hard work, Chiron and Chrysa could do nothing more for Thalia's tree that night. The next morning, Chiron informed Chrysa at breakfast that he had contacted Sally Jackson and advised that Percy not come to camp.
Chrysa scoffed and told him, "He loves Camp. He won't see why. He'll be here this afternoon."
She turned out to be right.
She was in the middle of a pinochle game with Dionysus and Tantalus when the wards flared at the act of someone granting someone else – or something else – passage into the camp. Chrysa reached out through the shadows in order to discover what was going on.
It turned out that the border patrol was facing two mechanical bronze bulls – forged by Hephaestus, if the Eta on their flanks said anything. Alongside the border patrol were Annabeth, Percy, and a baby Cyclops. With the help of the Cyclops, the group managed to dispatch the bulls. Clarisse told Annabeth and Clarisse the bare bones of what had happened, using the image of Thalia's dying tree as proof.
Chrysa continued to watch as Annabeth, Percy, and the baby Cyclops traveled through camp. They ended up in Chiron's apartments.
"Pony!" the Cyclops exclaimed.
Chiron turned to face them.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked, offended.
Annabeth ran up and hugged him.
"Chiron, what's happening? You're not…leaving?" she asked shakily.
Chiron ruffled her hair and smiled kindly at her.
"Hello, child. And Percy, my goodness. You've grown over the year!"
Percy swallowed, looking nervous.
"Clarisse said that you were…"
"Fired," Chiron said. He didn't sound angry, merely resigned. "Ah, well, someone had to take the blame. Lord Zeus was most upset. The tree he'd created from the spirit of his daughter, poisoned! Mr. D. had to punish someone."
"Besides himself, you mean," Percy growled.
"But this is crazy!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Chiron, you couldn't have had anything to do with poisoning Thalia's tree!"
"Nevertheless," Chiron sighed, "some in Olympus do not trust me now, under the circumstances."
"What circumstances?" Percy asked, looking confused.
Chiron's face darkened. The baby Cyclops interrupted the dark mood by asking, "Pony?"
"My dear young Cyclops," Chiron sniffed haughtily. "I am a centaur."
"Chiron," Percy said gravely. "What about the tree? What happened?"
The old centaur shook his head.
"The poison used on Thalia's pine is something from the Underworld, Percy. Some venom even I have never seen. It must have come from a monster quite deep in the pits of Tartarus."
"Then we know who's responsible," Percy said. "Kro…"
"DO not invoke the Titan Lord's name, Percy. Especially not here, not now," Chiron warned.
"But last summer he tried to cause a civil war in Olympus! This has to be his idea. He'd get Luke to do it, that traitor," Percy growled.
"Perhaps," Chiron said. "But I fear I am being held responsible because I did not prevent it and I cannot cure it. The tree has only a few weeks of life left unless…"
"Unless what?" Annabeth asked, perking up slightly.
"No," Chiron said. "A foolish thought. The whole valley is feeling the shock of the poison. The magical borders are deteriorating. The camp itself is dying. Only one source of magic would be strong enough to reverse the poison, and it was lost centuries ago."
"What is it?" Percy asked. "We'll go find it!"
Chiron closed his saddlebag and turned off his boombox. He turned and rested a hand on Percy's shoulder.
"Percy, you must promise me that you will not act rashly. I told your mother I did not want you to come here at all this summer. It's much too dangerous. But now that you are here, stay here. Train hard. Learn to fight. But do not leave."
"Why?" Percy asked. "I want to do something! I can't just let the borders fail. The whole camp will be…"
"Overrun by monsters," Chiron said. "Yes, I fear so. But you must not let yourself be baited into hasty action! This could be a trap of the Titan Lord. Remember last summer! He almost took your life!"
Chiron brushed a tear from Annabeth's cheek.
"Stay with Percy, child," he said. "Keep him safe. The prophecy – remember it!"
"I-I will," Annabeth promised.
"Um…" Percy said, raising his hand. "Would this be the super-dangerous prophecy that has me in it, but the gods have forbidden you to tell me about?"
Chiron and Annabeth were both silent.
"Right," Percy muttered. "Just checking."
"Chiron…" Annabeth said. "You told me the gods made you immortal only so long as you were needed to train heroes. If they dismiss you from camp…"
"Swear you will do your best to keep Percy from danger," Chiron insisted, changing the subject. "Swear upon the River Styx."
"I-I swear it upon the River Styx," Annabeth replied shakily.
Thunder rumbled in response to her promise.
"Very well," Chiron said, relaxing slightly. "Perhaps my name will be cleared and I shall return. Chrysa certainly seems to think so. We have money riding on it. Until then, I go to visit my wild kinsmen in the Everglades. It's possible they know of some cure for the poisoned tree that I have forgotten. In any event, I will stay in exile until this matter is resolved…one way or another."
Annabeth stifled a sob, and Chiron patted her shoulder.
"There, now, child. I must entrust your safety to Mr. D and the new activities director. We must hope… well, with Chrysa watching them, perhaps they won't destroy the camp as quickly as I fear," Chiron said.
"Who is this Tantalus guy, anyway?" Percy demanded. "Where does he get off taking your job? Wait…did you say Chrysa was here?"
The conch horn blew for dinner.
"Go," Chiron told them. "Tantalus and Chrysa will both be in the pavilion. I will contact your mother, Percy, and let her know you're safe. No doubt she'll be worried by now. Just remember my warning! You are in grave danger. Do not think for a moment that the Titan Lord has forgotten you!"
Chiron clopped out of the apartment and down the hall, the baby Cyclops calling after him, "Pony! Don't go!"
Chrysa jerked back into her body and stood up. Dionysus and Tantalus were watching her expectantly.
"You lost," Tantalus jeered, gesturing towards the pinochle hands on the table.
Chrysa glanced down at her cards.
"Actually, I win," she said, laying down her perfect hand. Dionysus grumbled good-naturedly and passed over the laurels.
Despite the fact that they left from the same place, Chrysa, Dionysus, and Tantalus still managed to make it to the head table in the dining pavilion before Percy, Annabeth, and the baby Cyclops got close. Several whispers from the campers erupted as Percy led the baby Cyclops to the center of the pavilion.
"Well, well," Dionysus drawled, "if it isn't Peter Johnson. My millennium is complete."
"Percy Jackson…sir," Percy said behind gritted teeth.
Chrysa subtly elbowed him beneath the table.
"This boy," Dionysus said, turning to Tantalus, "you need to watch. Poseidon's child, you know."
"Ah!" Tantalus said. "That one!" His cold eyes narrowed on Percy. "I am Tantalus," he said with a cold smile. "On special assignment here until, well, my Lord Dionysus decides otherwise. And you, Perseus Jackson, I do expect you to refrain from causing any more trouble."
"Trouble?" Percy demanded.
Dionysus snapped his fingers and caused the front page of the New York Post to appear on the table. Percy's yearbook picture was on it and the article announced how Percy had blown up his school gymnasium.
"Yes, trouble," Tantalus said, smiling like the cat who got the canary. "You caused plenty of it last summer, I understand."
"Brother dear," Chrysa purred dangerously. Anyone who had known Leuke would have known that that tone of voice meant someone was either going to start dying, running, or blubbering in very short order.
Tantalus twitched. Even if he didn't know how much danger he was it, he did know there was something.
"Yes?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"Don't forget who holds the chains here," Chrysa purred. "And don't forget who can send you back to your little lake with just a snap of her fingers." She held her hand up, fingers poised to snap.
Tantalus paled.
"Now, why don't we stop tormenting my favorite cousin and move on?" Chrysa asked, yanking the chain around Tantalus' neck again for good measure.
The prisoner jerked towards her, then nodded and turned back to his plate, rubbing his neck in the meantime. A satyr had just set down a plate of barbeque in front of him.
Tantalus looked at his goblet and ordered, "Root beer. Barq's special stock. 1967."
His glass filled with foamy liquid. Tantalus hesitantly stretched out his hand toward the goblet.
"Go on, then, old fellow," Dionysus said, a glimmer of mischief in his eye. Over the past few hours, he and Chrysa has bonded further over their mutual fun in tormenting Prisoner 0001. "Perhaps now it will work," Dionysus offered.
He glanced at Chrysa, who shook her head slightly.
Tantalus grabbed for the glass, but it scooted away before he could touch it. A few drops of root beer spilled, and he tried to dab them up with his fingers, but the drops rolled away like quicksilver before he could touch them. He growled and turned toward the plate of barbeque. He picked up a fork and tried to stab a piece of brisket, but the plate skittered down the table and flew off the end, straight into the coals of the brazier.
"To our father, Lord Zeus," Chrysa called out merrily.
"Blast!" Tantalus muttered.
"Ah, well," Dionysus said with false sympathy. "Perhaps a few more days. Believe me, old chap, working at this camp will be torture enough. I'm sure your old curse will fade eventually."
"Eventually," Chrysa agreed cheerfully. "Once you've proven yourself."
"Eventually," Tantalus repeated. His eyes were locked on Dionysus' Diet Coke. "Do you have any idea how dry one's throat gets after three thousand years?"
"Enough that it's surprising you can still talk," Chrysa quipped.
Dionysus snorted into his glass.
"You're that spirit from the Fields of Punishment," Percy said. "The one who stands in the lake with the fruit tree hanging over you, but you can't eat or drink."
Tantalus sneered at him, until Chrysa pulled his chain warningly. He looked pained about it, but he schooled his features into something more neutral.
"A real scholar, aren't you, boy?" he asked.
"You must've done something really horrible when you were alive," Percy said. "What was it?"
Tantalus' eyes narrowed. Before he could say anything, Chrysa did.
"He killed his son and tried to feed him to the gods," Chrysa said in a bored tone. "Cannibalism and kin-slaying are both big no-nos. That's why I'm here. I'm the warden. And the parole officer. If my dear older brother steps one foot out of line, he's back in Hades before he can blink."
Tantalus glared at her, then nearly fell out of his chair as she pulled on his chain. Once he righted himself, he sniffed haughtily toward Percy and said, "I'll be watching you, Percy Jackson. I don't want any problems at my camp."
"Your camp has problems already…sir."
"Oh, go sit down, Johnson," Dionysus sighed. "I believe that table over there is yours – the one where no one else ever wants to sit at."
Percy's face turned red. He looked like he was trying very hard not to talk back.
Chrysa elbowed Dionysus in the ribs hard enough that it was obvious to the campers.
"Behave!" she ordered.
Dionysus turned to look at her.
"That hurt!" he complained.
"It was supposed to," Chrysa drawled.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't smite you right now," Dionysus threatened.
"I'll give you one and let you figure out the second on your own," Chrysa said, raising her eyebrows at her half-brother.
She raised one finger. "Daddy."
She raised a second finger and waited.
Dionysus thought a moment, and then paled drastically. He obviously figured out that Hades was the second reason.
"Fine," he groaned.
"Go sit down, Percy," Chrysa said gently.
"Come on, Tyson," Percy said to the baby Cyclops.
"Oh, no," Tantalus said. "The monster stays here. We must decide what to do with it."
"Him," Percy snapped. "His name is Tyson."
Tantalus raised an eyebrow.
"Tyson saved the camp," Percy continued. "He pounded those bronze bulls. Otherwise they would've burned down this whole place."
"Yes," Tantalus sighed, "and what a pity that would've been."
Dionysus snickered.
Chrysa retaliated by pulling Tantalus' chain with both hands and stomping on Dionysus' foot.
The god hissed, and the undead demigod fell out of his chair.
Chrysa sat patiently while they composed themselves. Percy looked like he was holding back a laugh.
"Go sit down, Percy," Chrysa repeated. "We'll take care of this."
"You can't let them hurt him!" Percy insisted.
"I won't," Chrysa soothed. "Go sit down."
Percy turned to the baby Cyclops – Tyson – who looked terrified.
"I'll be right over there, big guy," Percy told him. "Don't worry. We'll find you a good place to sleep tonight."
The baby Cyclops nodded.
"I believe you. You are my friend."
Percy trudged over to his table, accepted his pizza from a wood nymph, and dumped the customary portion into the brazier.
Tantalus ordered a satyr to blow the conch horn for announcements, as if the entire camp wasn't already watching them.
"Yes, well," Tantalus said, "another fine meal! Or so I am told."
As he spoke, he inched his hand toward his refilled dinner plate, as if the food would not notice what he was doing. The plate shot down the table as soon as Tantalus got within six inches.
"And here on my first day of authority," Tantalus continued, "I'd like to say what a pleasant form of punishment it is to be here. Over the course of the summer, I hope to torture, er, interact with each and every one of you children. You all look good enough to eat."
Chrysa stood up swiftly, walked over to Tantalus' chair, grabbed his ear, leaned down, and growled, loudly enough for the entire pavilion to hear, "What did we say about eating children, Tantalus?"
"Eating children means Fields of Punishment," the prisoner sighed.
"And what other interactions with children have we forbidden?" Chrysa asked sweetly.
Tantalus looked out at the campers.
Chrysa grabbed the chain right next to his neck and pulled upwards. Tantalus' hands scrabbled helplessly at the collar around his neck. It probably looked very odd to outsiders, seeing as the chain could only be seen by gods and Underworld denizens. Chrysa only held it for a few more seconds before dropping it. Tantalus gasped for air.
"No stabbing…children…no…chopping up…children, no…cooking children," Tantalus choked out.
"That's right," Chrysa said sweetly. "You're here for redemption. Act like it, and Lord Hades may be merciful enough to let you go spend time in Asphodel instead."
"Yes…la- sister," Tantalus said, correcting himself last-minute.
Dionysus clapped as Chrysa returned to her seat, followed by several of the campers. The rest still seemed too shocked to do anything.
"And now some changes!" Tantalus said, faking recovery with a crooked smile. "We are reinstituting the chariot races!"
Murmuring broke out at all the tables – excitement, fear, disbelief.
"Now I know," Tantalus continued, raising his voice, "that these races were discontinued some years ago due to, ah, technical problems."
"Three deaths and twenty-six maimings," Michael Yew from Apollo Cabin called.
"Yes, yes!" Tantalus said. "But I know that you will all join me in welcoming the return of this camp tradition. Golden laurels will go to the winning charioteers each month. Teams may register in the morning! The first race will be held in three days' time. We will release you from most of your regular activities to prepare your chariots and choose your horses. Oh, and did I mention, the victorious team's cabin will have no chores for the month in which they win?"
There was an explosion of excited conversation at all the tables. The campers seemed excited at the prospect of no kitchen patrol or stable cleaning. It didn't really matter to Chrysa. When she was here, she simply did the chores with magic. When she and Percy were here at the same time, their cabins were paired together, so neither of them had to do much. The only true chore they had was working in the strawberry fields, because picking strawberries had to be done by hand. However, neither of them was good with plants, and Demeter and Dionysus cabin both preferred them to stay away from their fields.
"But, sir!" Clarisse said, looking nervous as she stood up to speak from Ares table. "What about patrol duty? I mean, if we drop everything to ready our chariots…"
"Ah, the hero of the day!" Tantalus exclaimed. "Brave Clarisse, who single-handedly bested the bronze bulls!"
Clarisse blinked, the blushed and said, "Um, I didn't…"
"And modest, too," Tantalus said with a grin. "Not to worry, my dear! This is a summer camp. We are here to enjoy ourselves, yes?"
"But the tree…" Clarisse said, shooting Chrysa a helpless look.
Chrysa could only shrug. She really couldn't do anything to counteract Tantalus' orders. She could just threaten him into compliance with her ideas.
"And now," Tantalus said, even as Clarisse's half-siblings pulled her back into her seat, "Before we proceed to the campfire and sing-along, one slight housekeeping issue. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase have seen fit, for some reason, to bring this here."
Tantalus waved a hand toward Tyson.
Uneasy murmuring spread across the campers. Chrysa kept her face impassive. She knew several good Cyclopes: Brontes, Steropes, and Arges chief among them. Honestly, they were probably her favorite uncles as Leuke. The rest were jerks.
"Now, of course," Tantalus continued, "Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters with a very small brain capacity. Under normal circumstances, I would release this beast into the woods and have you hunt it down with torches and pointed sticks. But who knows? Perhaps this Cyclops is not as horrible as its brethren. Until it proves worthy of destruction, we need a place to keep it! I've thought about the stables, but that will make the horses nervous. Hermes' cabin, perhaps?"
Travis and Connor Stoll developed a sudden interest in the tablecloth.
"Come now," Tantalus chided, "the monster may be able to do some menial chores. Any suggestions as to where such a beast should be kenneled?"
Before Chrysa could say a word on the child's behalf, a glowing green hologram appeared over Tyson's head in the shape of a trident.
Tantalus roared with laughter.
"Well! I think we know where to put the beast now. By the gods, I can see the family resemblance!"
Everyone followed Tantalus' lead and laughed, with the exception of Dionysus, Chrysa, Annabeth, and a few of Percy's other friends.
"I'm seeing a family resemblance as well," Chrysa said thoughtfully to Dionysus. Her voice was loud enough that the entire pavilion could hear her. Everyone fell silent to see if she was really speaking against Percy, whom everyone knew to be her favored cousin.
"I do believe our dear brother inherited Grandfather's sociopathic gene," Chrysa continued conversationally. "And his hatred of Cyclopes. After all, it was Kronos who threw the Elder Cyclopes into Tartarus, from which they were rescued by Father and his siblings. The Elder Cyclopes – Brontes, Steropes, and Arges – then proceeded to construct the greatest weapons of all time: Zeus' Master Bolt, Poseidon's trident, and Hades' Helm of Darkness. Their lesser-known works include Demeter's golden sickle, Hera's spear, Amphitrite's sword, and Leuke's knives. Cyclopes are natural craftsmen, and they often assist Lord Hephaestus in his forges, when they are not at their own forges under the sea."
"What about all the Cyclopes that kill and eat demigods?" Tantalus blustered.
Chrysa smirked at him.
"They also inherited Grandfather's sociopathic gene," she said helpfully. Before he could respond, she turned to Tyson and said gently, "Go sit with Percy, little cousin. He'll help you out."
The Cyclopes went over and sat beside Percy at the Poseidon table. A wood nymph hesitantly brought him some pizza which he accepted with a blush and a quiet, "Thank you."
The dining pavilion remained silent.
"I do think that's quite enough excitement for one evening," Chrysa announced. "So, to recap, chariot races in three days, winner has no chores until they lose the laurels. Also, for those of you who missed the lunchtime announcement, I am here because I am acting as Tantalus' warden and parole officer. He says anything to you about hurting you, killing you, or turning you into stew, you come straight to me. I'll be spending most of my time trying to help Thalia, so I won't be aiding sword lessons this summer. Thank you all, and have a nice evening."
Much to her dismay, she didn't see much of Percy and Annabeth over the next few days. She spent all of her time with Thalia's tree or in her cabin brewing potions to slow the progression of the poison. Between Akhlys and her sponsored profession, she was adept in poisoning people. She was somewhat less adept in curing poisons, but she did know how to delay them long enough to figure out another solution. Due to her busyness, she was only peripherally aware of the argument between Annabeth and Percy. Both of them had come to her to rant about it, but she had not paid too much attention besides that it was teenage drama.
Honestly, it was Ron and Hermione third year all over again.
The morning of the race was hot and humid. Fog lay low on the ground like sauna steam. Millions of birds were roosting in the trees – fat gray-and-white pigeons, except they didn't coo like regular pigeons. They made annoying metallic screeching sounds that were reminiscent of submarine radar.
If Chrysa had gotten more than two hours of sleep the night before, she might have noticed that something was wrong. As it was, she'd been up most of the night working on a potion that had to be begun at midnight and finished before dawn. Most potioneers only made it in the winter, when night was longer, but Chrysa only had five and a half hours. It was a horrendous task, especially since she was doing it alone. She had applied the potion at dawn, and it seemed to slow the poison of Thalia's tree somewhat. She had arrived at the racetrack in an almost trancelike state.
The racetrack had been built in a grassy field between the archery range and the woods. Hephaestus' cabin had used the bronze bulls, which were completely tame since they'd had their heads smashed in, to plow and oval track in a matter of minutes.
There were rows of stone steps for the spectators – Tantalus, Chrysa, the satyrs, a few dryads, and all the campers who weren't participating. Dionysus did not come. He never got up before ten o'clock if he could help it, which forced Chrysa to pass on sleep in order to supervise Tantalus' supervision of the race.
"Right!" Tantalus announced as the teams began to assemble. A naiad had brought him a big platter of pastries, and as Tantalus spoke, his right hand chased a chocolate éclair across the judge's table. Chrysa grabbed it just before it ran off the table and took a large bite, hoping that the sugar might help wake her up.
"You all know the rules!" Tantalus continued. "A quarter-mile track. Twice around to win. Two horses per chariot. Each team will consist of a driver and a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!"
Tantalus smiled at them as though they were all naughty children.
"Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!"
Chrysa lazily cast a Sonorus charm so she didn't have to yell.
"If you kill anyone, you then have to deal with me. Don't expect me to be nice."
She cancelled the charm as Beckendorf led the Hephaestus team onto the track. Their chariot was made of bronze and iron – even the horses, which were magical automatons. The chariot most likely had all kinds of mechanical traps and more fancy options than any of Chrysa's luxury cars.
The Ares chariot was blood red, apulled by two grisly horse skeletons. Clarisse climbed aboard with a batch javelins, spiked balls, caltrops, and other nasty toys.
Apollo's chariot was trim and graceful and completely gold, pulled by two graceful palominos. Their fighter – Lee Fletcher – was armed with a bow, though he had promised not to shoot regular pointed arrows at the opposing team's drivers.
Hermes' chariot was green and old-looking, as if it hadn't been out of the garage in years. It didn't look like anything special, but it was manned by the Stoll brothers, who were the masters of dirty tricks.
The last two chariots were Percy's and Annabeth's. Chrysa vaguely noticed that Percy approached Annabeth before the race – possibly to apologize – but she seemed to blow him off, and he returned to his chariot.
By the time the chariots finished lining up, more shiny-eyed, shiny-beaked pigeons had gathered in the woods. They were screeching so loudly that Chrysa knew that her chances of napping through the race were gone. There was something about metallic shrieking birds niggling in the back of her mind, but she was too tired to pursue the thought. The campers were glancing nervously at the trees, but Tantalus didn't seem concerned. However, he had to speak up to be heard over the noise of the birds.
"Charioteers!" he shouted. "Attend your mark!"
He waved his hand, and the starting signal dropped. The chariots roared to life. Hooves thundered against the dirt. The crowd cheered.
Almost immediately, there was a loud, nasty crack! Hermes chariot had rammed into Apollo chariot, causing it to flip over. The riders were thrown free, but the panicked horses dragged the golden chariot diagonally across the track. The Stoll brothers were laughing at their good luck, until the Apollo horses crashed right in front of theirs, and the Hermes chariot flipped as well, leaving a pile of broken wood and four rearing horses in the dust.
Annabeth was by far in the front, followed by Percy, then Beckendorf and Clarisse.
Hephaestus chariot pulled up beside Poseidon's.
"Sorry, Percy!" Beckendorf yelled as he pressed a button on his chariot. A panel opened on the side, and three sets of balls and chains shot straight toward the wheels. Tyson managed to whack them aside with his pole, and then shoved Hephaestus chariot sideways.
The pigeons rose from the trees and began spiraling almost like a tornado, a tornado that was headed directly for the track.
Chrysa glanced up at them and wracked her brain, trying to figure out why this was so familiar. As a precautionary measure, she cast a shield charm around her.
Just because she couldn't die didn't mean it wouldn't hurt if those birds started attacking.
She was just in time. Percy had just made his first turn when the pigeons swarmed and began dive-bombing the spectators, as well as the chariots and their charioteers. Beckendorf's chariot was driven off course and plowed through the strawberry fields, the mechanical horses steaming. Clarisse's fighter – Chrysa was pretty sure it was Mark – managed to throw a screen of camouflage netting over their chariot basket. The birds were pecking and clawing at his hands, but Clarisse just kept driving. As their horses were skeletons, they had no problems there.
The other spectators were not so lucky. The birds were slashing at any bit of exposed skin and driving everyone into a panic. A veritable swarm was targeting Chrysa's shield. Close up, the birds' eyes appeared beady and evil-looking. Their beaks were made of bronze and appeared to be razor-sharp.
"Stymphalian birds!" Chrysa said to herself. Due to the noise, it was quiet to her ears, even though she was speaking normally.
"Everything's under control!" Tantalus yelled. "Not to worry!"
Chrysa wandlessly cast a slightly smaller shield charm right inside the other one, cancelled the outer charm with her wand, muffled her ears, and cast a noise charm loud enough to (figuratively) wake the dead.
The demon pigeons went nuts. They started flying in circles, running into each other like they wanted to bash their own brains out. Then they abandoned the tarck altogether and flew skyward in a huge dark wave.
"Now!" she shouted. "Archers!"
With clear targets, Apollo's archers were much more effective. They had flawless aim, and most of them could nock five or six arrows at once. Even the smallest Apollo camper – eight-year-old Kayla Knowles – could fire three arrows at once and still hit every target. Within minutes, the ground was littered width dead bronze-beaked pigeons, and the survivors were a distant trail of smoke on the horizon.
The camp was saved, but the wreckage wasn't pretty. Most of the chariots had been completely destroyed. Almost everyone was wounded, bleeding from multiple bird pecks. The kids from Aphrodite's cabin were screaming because their hairdos had been ruined and their clothes pooped on.
"Bravo!" Tantalus said, walking towards the finish line. "We have our first winner!"
He awarded the golden laurels to a stunned-looking Clarisse.
Then he turned and glared at Annabeth and Percy.
"And now to punish the troublemakers who disrupted this race."
Somehow, Tantalus had managed to decide that Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth were at fault. He blamed them for aggravating the birds with their bad chariot driving, and claimed that the birds would have left everyone alone otherwise.
It was lousy reasoning, but Chrysa was now doubly exhausted from her sleepless night and the magic usage, and really didn't care enough to argue with him. She didn't have a chance to, though, because Percy told Tantalus to go chase a doughnut, which simply made him angry. He sentenced the three to kitchen patrol that afternoon – after the celebratory feast for Clarisse's victory.
The meal was delicious. Who knew country-fried Stymphalian death-bird could taste so good?
Afterwards, Chrysa continued going to magically aid Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson with the dishes, but decided she was too tired and they needed to talk anyway. She returned to her cabin and slept instead.
She only woke up shortly before dinner ended. She'd managed to get there in time to scarf down another plate of death-bird, before travelling with the rest of the camp to the campfire.
She had never seen the camp so dismal. The fire was only five feet high and the color of lint, when normally it was at least ten feet, and on good nights twenty.
Dionysus left after only a few songs.
"Even pinochle with Chiron was better than this," he muttered as he glared distastefully at Tantalus. He swept off in a huff toward the Big House.
After the last song, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!"
He came forward with a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to casually pluck it off. Before he could touch it, the marshmallow flew off the stick. Tantalus made a wild grab for it, but the marshmallow committed suicide, diving into the flames.
Tantalus turned back to the campers, smiling coldly.
"Now, then!" Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."
"Sir," Percy spoke off.
Tantalus' eye twitched.
"Our kitchen boy has something to say?"
Some of the Ares campers snickered, but Percy didn't seem deterred. He stood up and looked over to Annabeth, who also stood.
"We have an idea to save camp," Percy said.
The campers were dead silent, but the campfire flared a bright yellow.
"Indeed," Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots…"
"The Golden Fleece," Percy said, cutting him off. "We know where it is."
The flames burned orange. Before Tantalus could say anything, Percy blurted out an entire story about his dreams of Grover and Polyphemus' island. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everyone what the Fleece could do. It was a good thing, as she was a more convincing speaker than Percy.
"The Fleece can save the camp," Annabeth concluded. "I'm sure of it."
"Nonsense," Tantalus said. "We don't need saving."
"You're an idiot," Chrysa drawled, adding a bit more of her British accent to her words and sounding remarkably like a Malfoy. "If this is what you're going to say anytime someone suggests a way to save my sister, I am going to recommend that you be returned to your little lake posthaste. Do remember that it is my opinion that is going to determine whether you receive a lesser punishment or not. Arguing against saving my sister is not the way to get in my good books."
Tantalus paled slightly, then said, "The Sea of Monsters his hardly an exact location. They wouldn't even know where to look!"
"Yes, I would," Percy blurted out.
Everyone stared at him, including Annabeth.
"30, 31, 75, 12," Percy said.
"Ooo-kay," Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."
"They're sailing coordinates," Percy said. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies."
Everyone looked impressed, to include Annabeth.
"30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. He's right! The Grey 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 cmapers were already taking up the chant.
"We need a quest!" they yelled. "We need a quest!"
The campfire flames rose higher.
"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted once more.
"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 glared at Annabeth and Percy.
"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 started stomping and cheering.
"CLARISSE! CLARISSE!"
Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride.
"I accept this quest!"
"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."
"Sit down!" Mark yelled. "You had your chance last summer."
"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" Sherman Yang said.
Clarisse glared at Percy.
"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. Everyone else started taking sides – shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. It was nearly to the point of becoming a full-fledged s'more war when Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats!"
His tone stunned the campers into submission. For that, Chrysa decided not to reprimand him.
"Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story."
Tantalus was practically radiating 'evil aura'. It was nearly as bad as Voldemort at the height of the Wizarding War.
"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the gods," Tantalus said, putting his hand on his chest.
Chrysa rolled her eyes.
"This king," he continued, "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, including Percy, Annabeth, and the Stoll brothers.
"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paiad 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 dared answer. The firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus' crooked 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?"
The camp was silent.
Tantalus nodded at Clarisse.
"The Oracle, my dear. Go on."
She shifted uncomfortably, probably not wanting the glor yat the price of being Tantalus' pet. Chrysa couldn't blame her.
"Sir…"
"Go!" Tantalus snarled.
Clarisse bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House.
"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No complaints from our dishwasher?"
Percy remained silent.
"Good," Tantalus said. "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."
Tantalus waved his hand and extinguished the fire before walking back to the Big House with a skip in his step. Chrysa waited, then spoke to the remaining campers – which was most of them, as they seemed to still be in shock.
"He can't hurt you," she said. "That's why I'm here. Father sent me to keep an eye on him, to prevent anything from happening like happened before. He can allow the harpies to hurt you though, so I would suggest staying inside your cabins after dark. I'll try to keep Tantalus on a tighter leash. Good night, everyone. Sweet dreams."
As soon as she was safely inside Zeus cabin, she stepped into a shadow and fell through to the Underworld. Hades wasn't in their bedroom, so she kicked off her shoes and padded through the corridors with bare feet, following the whispers of the shadows that said that Hades was still in his office.
She leaned on the doorframe of the office and crossed her arms. Hades was busy working on paperwork and hadn't noticed her.
"Hey you," she said softly, a gentle smile on her face. "Fancy seeing you here."
Hades looked up at her, a large smile on her face. He got up quickly and moved to embrace her, pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.
"What are you doing here?" he asked against her lips.
"Tantalus is a first-class jerk and completely deserves to stay within the Fields of Punishment until the end of time," Chrysa said seriously. "I need some stress-relief so I don't automatically murder him the next time I see him.
"The exciting kind of sex relief, or the calming kind of sex relief?" Hades asked gently, his hands moving up to rub her back.
Chrysa practically melted into the pressure.
"The relaxing kind. Preferably with lots of cuddles and some romantic comedy we can make fun of."
It was five hours, seven bags of popcorn, and two rom-coms later that Chrysa finally returned to Zeus Cabin. There was a man in a track suit with salt-and-pepper hair standing in the middle of the room, looking up at the statue of Zeus.
"Lord Hermes," Chrysa greeted, slightly wary as to why there was a god in her cabin at two o'clock in the morning. "May I ask why you're here?"
"I didn't want you to worry in the morning," Hermes said. "I encouraged Percy to go on the quest, along with Annabeth and the Cyclops. I sent them to the ship that Luke's sailing on. I just want…" His voice trailed off.
"You want them to try to save Luke," Chrysa said gently.
Hermes finally turned to look at her, and the look on his face was pained.
"Exactly," he said. "If anyone can do it, Annabeth and Percy can. And they need to go on the quest. The daughter of Ares doesn't have a chance without them, but she won't take them with her."
"She's too proud for that," Chrysa agreed. "So, Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson are gone?"
Hermes nodded.
"I gave them the four winds and special Hermes vitamins. Just in case. They managed to evade the harpies and Tantalus. The guy's a douche."
Chrysa snorted. "Don't I know it. If this wasn't keeping me near Thalia, I would have shipped him back to the Fields of Punishment and gone home already. As it is, I want to stay here until Thalia is either cured, or joins me in the Underworld."
"She'll get Elysium if she dies," Hermes pointed out.
"She'd better," Chrysa agreed. "But I'd prefer her alive. Having spent time as a tree, it's pretty much a state of suspended animation. You are aware that time is passing, you just don't feel the passage of time. I was a tree for what, almost four thousand years?"
"Something like that," Hermes agreed. "You missed three incarnations of the Olympian Council."
Chrysa raised an eyebrow at him.
"You weren't even on the Council yet. You weren't added until Hades left after I died. You've only been on two incarnations of the Olympian Council. And the eighth incarnation barely counts. It took Hades what, a year to decide that he didn't want to be on the Olympian Council without me?"
"Eighteen months," Hermes supplied.
"Still barely counts," Chrysa said. "The fourth Council doesn't count either; Rhea was only there for a short time to fill the void left when Themis stepped down as Zeus' consort. It wasn't long before she stepped away again so Artemis could join."
"Since I hadn't been born yet, I can neither agree nor disagree," Hermes said.
His phone vibrated from his pocket, and he pulled it out to check whatever message had just come through.
"Hello, George, Martha," Chrysa hissed.
"Hello, Lady Chrysocomê," Martha replied.
"She likes to be called Chrysa!" George argued.
Before it could break out into a full-fledged argument between the pair, Chrysa intervened.
"I do normally call myself Chrysa, but as it is summer, Lady Chrysocomê is a proper title. You're both right."
"I've got to go," Hermes said apologetically. "Aphrodite's demanding her new hair care supplies yesterday."
"Have a good night, Hermes," Chrysa said. "I hope everything works out with Luke."
"Good night, little sister," Hermes replied. "I hope everything works out with Thalia."
With that, he disappeared into the night. Chrysa remained standing in the center of ht cabin for a moment, staring up at her father's statue.
"I hope we can save her, Father," she said. "Out of everyone, Percy Jackson has the best chance of finding the Fleece. I'll do everything I can to give him as much time as possible."
AN: Something I realized while writing this chapter: Chiron was born when Kronos took the form of a stallion and slept with the Oceanid Philyra. However, Poseidon invented horses. How did Kronos take the form of an animal that hadn't been invented yet in order to sleep with a nymph and then pop out a half-horse baby? Has that occurred to anyone?
AN 2: This chapter is as long as it is because Chrysa's role in Sea of Monsters has two parts: before the quest, and after the quest. Then it's on to Titan's Curse.