The boys were pretty miserable at dinner that night. Not that it was because the food was bad. Far from it. That was excellent as usual. One can't go wrong with barbecue, pizza, and never-empty soda goblets.
Thalia sat alone at the Zeus table, but they couldn't sit together. Camp rules. Technically, Gohan shouldn't have sat at Percy's table. But, he wasn't a demigod. He was an Otherworlder. So technically, Gohan was free to sit at any table he wanted. Thus, he mainly sat with Percy. At least the Hephaestus, Ares, and Hermes cabins had a few people each. Nico sat with the Stoll brothers, since new campers always got stuck in the Hermes cabin if their Olympian parent was unknown. The Stoll brothers seemed to be trying to convince Nico that poker was a much better game than Mythomagic.
Even through he was in a bad mood, Gohan never ignored his stomach, proceeding to inhale a massive amount of food. Percy groaned as he watched Gohan eat.
"I can't get used to this. I… just can't." he shook his head, looking wistfully at the pizza in his hand. Gohan shrugged, letting out a series of muffled noises, as his mouth was full at that moment.
"M're mot hengry?"
"Don't do that either!"
The torches and braziers kept the outdoor pavilion warm. The only table that really seemed to be having a good time was the Artemis table. The Hunters drank and ate and laughed like one big happy family. Zoe sat at the head like she was the mama. She didn't laugh as much as the others, but she did smile from time to time. Her silver lieutenant's band glittered in the dark braids of her hair. Bianca di Angelo seemed to be having a great time as well. She was trying to learn how to arm wrestle from the big girl who'd picked a fight with the Ares kid on the basketball court. The bigger girl was beating her every time, but Bianca didn't seem to mind. The only thing that made Percy laugh was the disgusted reactions that the Hunters gave Gohan when they first saw him began to eat, such as inhaling an entire full rack of ribs and spit out bones.
"Disgusting." One of them spat. Gohan response by drinking an entire gallon of soda in one gulp.
"You know, I should enter you in a food eating contest. We could make a ton of money."
"Mney?"
When they'd finished eating, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty halfhearted. Then he announced the "good will" capture-the-flag game for tomorrow night, which got a lot better reception.
Afterward, they all trailed back to their cabins for an early, winter lights out. Percy and Gohan managed to catch up with Thalia and suggest their idea for Capture the Flag. Predictably, Thalia was less than thrilled with the idea of having a trio of captains, but agreed to it anyway. Percy suspected that this was due to her being as tired as they were, and in no mood for an argument. When the boys got back to the cabin, however, something had clearly changed while they were at dinner. It was impossible to miss, to say the least.
At the back of the cabin was now a big basin of gray sea rock, with a spout like the head of a fish carved in stone. Out of its mouth burst a stream of water, a saltwater spring that trickled into the pool. The water must've been hot, because it sent mist into the cold winter air like a sauna. It made the room feel warm and summery, fresh with the smell of the sea.
"Yay! It's a hot tub!" Gohan grinned.
"No, it's not!"
Percy stepped up to the pool, not even bothering to respond to Gohan's statement. Partly because he wouldn't mind having those things either. As he looked into the water, he suddenly knew it could only be a gift from Poseidon.
He looked into the water and said, "Thanks, Dad."
The surface rippled. At the bottom of the pool, coins shimmered—a dozen or so golden drachma. He realized what the fountain was for. It was a reminder to keep in touch with his family.
"Hey Gohan, can I ask a favor?
"Sure."
"Mind making me a light? I need to make a call." Gohan frowned, but held his hand up. A bright yellow ki ball shot up from his hand, casting a dazzle of light to fill the room. He focused the ball to float over the pool, casting a rainbow in the mist. Then he fished a coin out of the hot water.
"Iris, O Goddess of the Rainbow," Percy said, "accept my offering."
Percy tossed a coin into the mist and it disappeared.
"So, who are you gonna contact? Your mom?" Gohan asked, causing Percy to realize that he didn't know who to contact first. Should he message his mom? That would've been the "good son" thing to do, but she wouldn't be worried about him yet.
"Nah. She's used to me disappearing for days or weeks at a time."
Percy hesitated. Then he made up his mind.
"Show me Tyson," Percy requested. "At the forges of the Cyclopes."
The mist shimmered, and the image of his half brother appeared. He was surrounded in fire, which would've been a problem if he weren't a Cyclops. He was bent over an anvil, hammering a red-hot sword blade. Sparks flew and flames swirled around his body. There was a marble-framed window behind him, and it looked out onto dark blue water—the bottom of the ocean.
"Okay, that's pretty cool." Gohan stared, his eyes wide as dinner plates, and full of awe.
He turned, and his one enormous eye widened. His face broke into a crooked yellow grin. "Percy!"
He dropped the sword blade and ran at Percy, trying to give him a hug. The vision blurred and Percy instinctively lurched back. "Tyson, it's an Iris-message. I'm not really here."
"Oh." He came back into view, looking embarrassed. "Oh, I knew that. Yes."
"Hi Tyson! Long time no see!" Gohan waved from over Percy's shoulder, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Gohan says hi." Tyson beamed.
"Yaayyy! Gohan! Shiny golden man! Tell him I am making him his shield in my free time!" Percy gave Gohan an accusatory glare.
"You asked him to make a shield for you?"
"What? You have one! Er… had." Percy glared at Gohan.
"What? He seems more than happy to do it!" Percy wanted to smack Gohan, but knowing what that would do to his hand, simply turned back to Tyson.
"So… how are you?"
His eye lit up. "Love the job! Look!" He picked up the hot sword blade with his bare hands. "I made this!"
"That's really cool." "I wrote my name on it. Right there." "Awesome.
"Say, you think you could make me one?" Gohan butted in. Percy gave him a scathing glare.
"You already have a sword!"
"I know, but maybe I could dual wield!"
"You haven't even master one handed combat yet!" Percy stopped himself, pressed his hand to his temple in frustration, before turning back to Tyson.
"Listen, do you talk to Dad much?" Tyson's smile faded. "Not much. Daddy is busy. He is worried about the war." "What do you mean?"
Tyson sighed. He stuck the sword blade out the window, where it made a cloud of boiling bubbles.
"Old sea spirits making trouble. Aigaios. Oceanus. Those guys."
"Who is he talking about?" Gohan whispered. "He's talking about the immortals who ruled the oceans back in the days of the Titans. Before the Olympians, like my dad, took over."
"Oh. Okay. I really need to catch up on my Greek mythology."
"I though Annabeth gave you a book!"
"Yeah... I've been busy."
Tyson perked up, at the mention of Annabeth's name. "Annabeth! Is she there?"
"Oh, well..." Percy and Gohan winched at the mention of Annabeth's name. Tyson thought Annabeth was just about the coolest thing since peanut butter (and he seriously loved peanut butter), even though Annabeth had initially been very cold to him due to a grudge against Cyclopses. Percy didn't have the heart to tell him she was missing. He'd start crying so bad he'd probably put out his fires. "Well, no... she's not here right now."
"Tell her hello!" He beamed. "Hello to Annabeth!" "Okay
"We'll do that." "And, Percy, don't worry about the bad boat. It is going away." "What do you mean?" "Panama Canal! Very far away."
"Panama Canal?" Gohan asked
"It's far. Central America." Percy answered.
He frowned. Why would Luke take his demon-infested cruise ship all the way down there? The last time they'd seen him, he'd been cruising along the East Coast, recruiting half- bloods into his monstrous army.
Tyson shook his head sadly. "We are arming the mermaids. They need a thousand more swords by tomorrow." He looked at his sword blade and sighed. "Old spirits are protecting the bad boat."
"The Princess Andromeda?" Percy said. "Luke's boat?" "Yes. They make it hard to find. Protect it from Daddy's storms. Otherwise he would smash it." "Smashing it would be good." Gohan chimed in.
"All right," Percy said, not feeling reassured. Then, a deep voice bellowed something they couldn't make out. Tyson flinched. "Got to get back to work. Boss will be mad! Good luck!"
"Okay, tell Dad—"
But before Percy could finish, the image faded. Gohan's ki ball burst, fizzing away into nothing.
"Well, that was helpful." Percy shook his head in frustration. Then, he was snapped out of his musings by a loud splash, whirling to see Gohan sitting in the pool in his underwear, a look of delight on his face as he stretched back.
"Ahhhhhhh… so warm. This is nice!"
"GET OUT OF THERE!"
One wouldn't think that one's day could get even worse if they were already asleep. Percy, unfortunately, was proven wrong. He had a nightmare. And by the gods, it was a doozy.
Annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog. It almost seemed like the Underworld, because Percy immediately felt claustrophobic and he couldn't see the sky above—just a close, heavy darkness, like being in a cave. However, Percy was far more concerned with the predicament she was in. Her hands were tied behind her back, and was being forced along by their old friends, Amortentia and Abigail. To make things worse, Annabeth looked like she had been in a fight, and lost. She grunted as she struggled up the hill. Old broken Greek columns of black marble were scattered around, as though something had blasted a huge building to rums. Annabeth grunted as she stumbled, almost falling back down the hill.
"Keep moving. Or I'll stick a knife in your back." Abigail ordered, clearly enjoying herself.
"You know, I'd be able to navigate this much easier if my hands were free." Abigail kicked her in the back, sending her tumbling face-forward into the crest of the hill. Amortentia let out a peal of giggling laughter as she kicked Annabeth in the stomach, causing her to grunt in pain.
"Stupid! Little! Bitch! You! Think! You're! Pretty?! YOU'RE NOT! She screamed as she kicked Annabeth over and over. Annabeth let out a gasp as she curled up, clenching her teeth.
"ENOUGH!" Abigail pulled Amortentia back, pushing her away.
"You forget they want her alive?" Amortentia snorted in annoyance. Annabeth groaned as she sat up, spitting out a glob of blood.
"So… why did you bring me here?" The girls smiled in response.
"I told them to." a new voice cut in, causing Annabeth to whirl and see a figure standing in front of her, covered in a cloak. Percy's blood went cold. It was him. Luke's partner. The figure from the ship. Annabeth seemed to shrink back in fear, actually trembling. Percy couldn't blame her. He remembered full well what it was like to be in that… thing's presence.
"Annabeth Chase. We meet again. I can't tell you how long I've been looking forward to this." It announced in a deep, commanding voice. She seemed to shiver.
"You." She whispered softly.
"Are you afraid? Good. You should be."
"And as for the reason you're here? Right over there." He pointed, looking like the Ghost of Christmas Future.
She followed his finger and gasped. There was Luke. And he was in pain.
He was crumpled on the rocky ground, trying to rise. The blackness seemed to be thicker around him, fog swirling hungrily. His clothes were in tatters and his face was scratched and drenched with sweat,
"Annabeth!" he called. "Help me! Please!"
She stumbled forward, ignoring everyone else.
Percy tried to cry out: He's a traitor! Don't trust him!
But his voice didn't work in the dream.
Annabeth had tears in her eyes. She reached down like she wanted to touch Luke's face, but at the last second she hesitated.
"What happened?" she asked. She whirled to look at the three, her eyes blazing.
"What did you do to him? I thought you were partners!"
"They put me here," Luke groaned. "Please. It's killing me."
Percy couldn't see what was wrong with him. He seemed to be struggling against some invisible curse, as though the fog were squeezing him to death.
"You want to free him? Take it yourself."
"Why should I trust any of you?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was filled with hurt.
"You shouldn't," Luke said. "I've been terrible to you. But if you don't help me, I'll die."
Let him die, Percy wanted to scream. Luke had tried to kill everyone in cold blood too many times. He didn't deserve anything from Annabeth.
Then the darkness above Luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. Huge chunks of black rock began falling.
Annabeth had a conflicted look on her face. After what seemed like seconds, her face morphed into one of resolve, before whirling back to the trio.
"Free me!" she roared, holding up her hands. Abigail smiled as she notched an arrow and fired, slicing clean through Annabeth's bonds. She rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehow—tons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her and Luke just with her own strength. It was impossible. She shouldn't have been able to do that.
Luke rolled free, gasping. "Thanks," he managed.
"Help me hold it," Annabeth groaned.
Luke caught his breath. His face was covered in grime and sweat. He rose unsteadily as the air filled with laughter from the observing trio.
"I knew we could count on you." He began to walk away as the trembling blackness threatened to crush Annabeth. Amortentia giggled as she pranced up to Luke and wrapped her hands around his neck.
"Well done, you sneaky little demigod! Daddy's gonna be so pleased with you!"
"HELP ME!" Annabeth pleaded,
"Oh, don't worry," Luke said, turning back to look at her. "Your help is on the way. It's all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die."
The ceiling of darkness began to crumble again, pushing Annabeth against the ground. The cloaked figure chuckled as he walked over to her, bending down to look at her face. Annabeth looked up, and a look of immense horror came across her face. Percy couldn't tell what she was seeing, but it must have been a very disturbing image.
"So… how does it feel to be outsmarted for once?"
"Fuck off!" Annabeth spat. He grinned.
"I am so looking forward to all the things I have in store for you."
Percy sat bolt upright in bed, clawing at the sheets. There was no sound in my cabin except the gurgle of the saltwater spring and Gohan's snores. The clock on his nightstand read just after midnight.
Only a dream, but Percy was sure of two things: Annabeth was in terrible danger. And Luke was responsible.