Renee POV
Clara nudged me. "Renee, it's time to get up."
"Uh?"
"We've reached land. Miami, I think. But the hippocampi are acting funny."
Sure enough, our rides were splashing around in circles. I glanced at the others. "This is as far as they'll take us," Percy said to no one in particular. "We'll have to swim or beam the rest of the way.
"Does anyone need my assistance?" Clara asked, looking around. Nobody seemed to, but she offered her hand to me anyway.
"Really, Clara, you don't have to-"
"Nonsense. We've been apart for too long."
We took off and landed on the shore, Percy and the others not far behind.
"Now how about those clothes?" Clarisse asked.
"I don't know, Clarisse, I'm sorry. I thought…."
But her clothing was transforming into a deep red dress sundress. "Not my first choice," she commented. "But dry."
Annabeth's and Grover's were also transformed. Percy and Tyson would dry off, and I realized mine and Clara's were also changing. I grinned, but then Annabeth picked up the Miami Herald.
"July eighteenth? We need to get the Fleece back tonight!"
"No way! That can't be possible!" Clarisse moaned. But timed traveled differently in monstrous places. She sank to the ground. "Stranded. No transportation. No money. This is exactly what the Oracle said would happen! It's all your fault, Jackson!"
Annabeth and I rounded on her. "Percy's fault? How?" Annabeth demanded.
"You're so mean, Clarisse!" I added.
"Well if you hadn't interfered-"
"Stop it!" Percy yelled. "Clarisse, what did the Oracle say?"
Clarisse glared at him. "Fine, I'll tell you." She said at last.
"You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone
You shall find what you seek and make it your own
But despair for your life entombed within stone
And fail without friends, to fly home alone."
"Ouch," Grover murmured.
I could see Percy's brain working. "No, Clarisse, that's not it at all."
She looked at him, shocked. "Really? Then what-?"
"Does anyone have cash?"
Annabeth, Grover, Clara, Clarisse, and I searched our pockets and came up empty. Percy sighed.
"Cash?" Tyson asked. "You mean like, green paper?"
"Yeah."
"Like in duffel bags?"
"We lost those bags days a-g-g….how?"
"I held on to mine. Remember, Clara? The food."
She nodded slowly. "I thought it was a feed bag for Rainbow," he said. "But no food. Only paper."
Percy rushed to the nearest taxi. "Clarisse, get yourself to Miami airport right away!" He took the Fleece, which had transformed into a university jacket with a golden Omega on it, from Annabeth and thrust it into Clarisse's arms.
"But-" Clarisse stuttered. She looked shocked, and so did Annabeth.
"It's your quest. It meant that you'd fail without having friends there, meaning you'd need us, but that you'd have to fly home alone. Go!"
"I won't fail."
"Not failing would be good."
The taxi sped off, and Annabeth looked at Percy in shock. "You're going to trust her?"
"Percy is nice," Tyson said.
"Percy is too nice."
Clara POV
"Come on," I urged. "Let's find another way home." I was about to start walking when I found a sword at my throat. Renee screamed.
"Hey, cuz," Luke sneered. "Welcome back to the States."
Percy snarled. He was being threatened by….Allison, the Laistrygonian from my elementary school. My heart sank.
Luke's bear thugs appeared next to him. One grabbed Renee and Grover in one arm and Annabeth in the other. The other bear tried to snatch up Tyson, but he roared and threw a suitcase at him.
"Percy, tell your giant to back down, or I'll have Oreius bash your friends' heads together."
The bear grinned and raised Annabeth, Grover, and Renee, a little higher. They kicked and screamed.
"What do you want, Luke?" Percy growled.
Luke gestured, and I saw what should have been obvious: the Princess Andromeda was the largest ship in the port. "Why, to offer my hospitality, of course." He grinned evilly
We followed him. It's not like we had much choice. It was either that or watch our friends die.
"So," Luke said, once he was sure we were surrounded by all his monstrous friends, "the Fleece. Where is it?" He poked Grover's jeans with the tip of his sword.
"Hey! That's real goat fur under there!"
"Sorry, old friend. Just give me the Fleece and you can go back to your little nature quest."
"Blaa-ha-ha!" Grover protested. "Some old friend!"
Luke ignored him and turned calmly to me. He and Allison had switched places, so now it was Allison ready to attack me. "Maybe you didn't hear me, Sunshine Girl. Where. Is. The. Fleece?"
I smirked, unable to resist myself. "We sent it ahead."
"Yeah. You're too late!" Renee piped up.
"What? You couldn't have…." he paused to think about it. "Wait….Clarisse?"
Percy nodded resiliently.
"You trusted….you gave….?"
Percy locked eyes with him. "Yep."
"Agrius!"
The bear twin who wasn't holding my friends jumped. "What?"
"Get below and prepare my steed! I need to fly to Miami Airport, fast!"
"B-but boss-"
"Do it or I'll feed you to the drakon!"
The giant bear scurried down the stairs. His crew looked around strangely. And I saw the fountains creating rainbows against the sun behind us and suddenly had an idea. I fished around in my pocket because I knew it had been there….one single Drachma. I was going to expose Luke in the best way possible.
"You've been toying with us all along," I said, surprising him. "You wanted us to find the Fleece and bring it to you, so that you wouldn't have to do the dirty work!"
I chucked the Drachma at him, and he ducked it easily, just as I knew he would. I hoped Iris would accept a silent prayer. Oh goddess, accept my offering.
It seemed to work, so I continued. "You tricked us all, Luke. Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"
"This is no time for heroics, Clarissa! Now drop your puny little stick and don't summon your arrows; I can have you killed sooner rather than later!"
Renee had caught on to what I was doing. "Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?"
"I did, of course! But I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus!"
"So Chiron had nothing to do with it?" Percy had caught on as well.
"Of course not! You know he'd never do that. The old fool wouldn't have had the guts!"
"You call it guts," I hissed. "Endangering the whole camp and putting everyone at risk?"
"You don't understand the half of it! I was going to let you use the Fleece….after I was done with it."
Percy glanced at me, but I wouldn't let that puzzling piece of information deter me right now. "You were going to heal Kronos."
"It would have made the process a lot faster, would have multiplied the rate by a tenfold. But you and your pathetic little team have only slowed us down a bit. You'll never stop us."
"And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up," Renee seethed, "just so you could go and help Kronos destroy the gods?"
"I've already told you this! Why do you keep asking?" Luke demanded.
"Because," I said, "we want the whole audience to hear you."
"Audience? What audience?" Luke slowly turned around.
Just above the pool, there was an Iris-message version of Dionysus, Chiron, and the whole camp at dinner.
"Well," Mr. D. said, "it appears we're having some unplanned dinner entertainment."
"Mr. D., you heard Luke! You heard him say he poisoned the tree, not Chiron."
"Yes…."
"The Iris message could be a trick," Tantalus warned.
"I fear not. It appears that I will have to reinstate Chiron as our activities director. I suppose I do miss the old horse's pinochle games."
Tantalus grabbed at his cheeseburger, and it didn't bolt away. "I got it," he said in amazement.
"Tantalus, we are no longer in need of your services. You may leave now."
"B-but….no!" He cried as the underworld sucked him up and the cheeseburger flew out of his hand.
The whole camp clapped. But then Luke and Allison rounded on us. "Kronos was right. You're an unreliable weapon, Percy. You and Clara need to be replaced."
Someone pressed a button, and the reinforcements showed up instantly. Luke grinned. "You'll never leave this boat alive!"
"Stop," Percy called. "There's two of us. And there's two of you. Why not take us on alone? You know you're capable of it."
Luke curled his lip. The soldiers, who had been about to attack, waited for his order. Agrius burst onto the deck. "Your steed is ready, sir."
The pegasus whinnied and kicked. I could tell she hated it here, and I wished I could rescue her. But I had to focus on the matter at hand.
Luke looked at us. "I told you last summer, Percy. You can't bait me into a fight."
"And you keep avoiding one."
Luke looked at his men, and I saw we had him trapped. If he backed down, he would look weak. But if he stayed and fought us, he would lose valuable time chasing after Clarisse. Finally he said, "I'll kill you quickly, then. Allison, show them your true form!"
Ugh. Allison was about to get ugly.
I watched as the girl changed, but she didn't get taller like she had the last time. Instead, she became shorter, a smug look growing on her face.
"I'm not really a Laistrygonian, Clara. But I can morph into one quite easily, just as I can change form between Allison-" she shifted back- "and Ariana."
"And let me guess," Renee yelled. "'Melissa is really Morgana?"
"Correct. But you see, we can't attack you at school, you see. Kaylee knows it could blow our cover. But if we kill you now…."
She whipped out her wand. "Morgana and I," she said slowly, "are what you would call Metamorphmagi. It means we can change our bodies at will. And once Luke found us, he showed us how to become Laestrygonians, as well as so many other types of monsters. So which form would you like to fight?"
"I'd like to fight Ariana. Just you. No strings attached."
"Well, that's just too bad for you then, isn't it." She morphed into a harpy.
I had an idea. If I could just keep the focus on Ariana, the others might be able to escape. But at that moment, Renee stepped up to join me.
"You're twelve, right Ali?"
"Yes. Stop with those old stupid nicknames, Rennie."
"Juniper came when we were seven. So you've been involved in this for….since you were….how?"
"Easy. It was really the Parkinsons who did everything. Pansy has no idea, of course, she's just a brat. And her Death Eater parents were too clueless to really figure anything out. So it was Kaylee, when her dad had business with the American ministry. They came to New York, and fifteen year old Luke had six year old Kaylee entranced. From then on, Luke flew out to England often, and two years later, Luke made an alliance with Kronos against the gods. By the time we entered Hogwarts last year, we were fully involved in the plan."
"Why are you saying this?" Luke, who had been fighting Percy, screeched in alarm. "Kill her!"
"Of course. Gladly. Can't have them blabbing to all their little friends, now, can we?" She pointed her wand at me.
I pulled out mine and called my bow. I hadn't had much of a chance to use it, but it felt right in my hands.
"Avada-" she yelled, but before she could finish the spell, she found an arrow lodged in her arm. She looked around, shocked. Another arrow had landed straight in Oreius' mouth, saving Annabeth from certain death. Ariana immediately rounded on me, but I was just as shocked as she was.
There was a ferocious clattering of hooves, and I heard Tyson delightedly yell, "Ponies!" I looked up to see about a dozen centaurs, Chiron in the lead, attacking Luke and his posse.
My mind had trouble processing everything, so I grabbed for Renee's hand. She took it, just like old times. We were surrounded by centaurs of all different colors and coats. Some wore brightly colored T-shirts with Day-Glo letters spelling out, "Party Ponies: South Florida Chapter." Some had googly eye glasses or peace sign necklaces. One had his face painted like a comanche warrior. Another was bare chested and painted entirely green. It was so much to take in.
A centaur shot a custom made arrow with a fist on the end at Luke. It punched him over and over. Monsters screamed as they were hit by paintball guns. Ariana got a facefull of green goo. Morgana, who had been disguised as "Melissa," was shot with something pink and spiky. We watched, gaping.
Percy dove into the pool, baiting Luke. A golden palomino hoisted us onto his back as Percy came back up. Luke followed him.
"Attack, you fools!" He cried, and I knew that even with Tyson, we'd be surrounded if we didn't move fast.
A centaur had ran up to Percy. "Dude, get your large friend!"
"Tyson!" The cyclops stopped trying to tie two of Luke's men together, and bounded onto the centaur, who groaned from the weight.
"Dude, do the words, 'low carb diet' mean anything to you?"
Renee laughed. Then we were off, speeding through the Miami streets, and everything was blurred. This was my sunbeams on my best days. I have no idea what the mortals thought as we gallopped past. It was totally exhilarating.
Finally, we found ourselves at a trailer park. All the trailers were horse trailers, and they were decked out with televisions, radios, mini refrigerators, and mosquito netting. This was the home of the Party Ponies, no doubt about it.
"Dude," the green centaur said, "did you see that bear dude? He was all like, woah, I have an arrow in my mouth!"
"Yeah man, that was awesome! Head Slam!" The two centaurs rushed at each other full force, and Chiron shook his head, depositing Annabeth and Grover next to me on the ground.
"I do wish my cousins wouldn't slam their heads together like that. They don't have the brain cells to spare."
I giggled. Percy looked stunned. "You saved us."
He gave a dry smile. "Well, I couldn't very well let you die. Especially not after you've cleared my name?"
"But how did you know where we were?" I puzzled.
"Advance planning, my dear. I figured you would wash up near Miami if you made it out of the Sea of Monsters. All strange things do."
Grover looked affronted. "Gee, thanks."
"No, no," Chiron said. "I didn't mean….well, never mind. It is good to see you, my young satyr. The point is, I was able to eavesdrop on Clara's Iris-Message and trace the signal. Iris and I have been friends for centuries, and I asked her to alert me if there were any communications in this area. It then took no effort for me to convince my brethren to come to your aid. As you see, we can travel quite fast when we want to. Distance for us is not the same as it is for humans."
I glanced over at the campfire, where the Party Ponies were teaching Tyson how to operate a paintball gun. I rolled my eyes and hoped they knew what they were getting into.
Percy and I exchanged a look. He had seen that too.
"But Chiron," he said, "we're just going to let Luke get away? He's got Kronos on that ship, or some of him anyway."
"Yeah," Renee put in, "and he has witches from school working for him. We already hated them before they tried to kill us, but…."
"I'm afraid today has been a bit of a draw. We did not have the strength in numbers to take on that ship. But Luke wasn't prepared, either. So, nobody won."
"But we got the Fleece!" Annabeth said excitedly. "Clarisse is on her way back with it right now."
Chiron nodded. "You are all true heroes. As soon as we get Percy's leg fixed up, we must get you back to camp. The centaurs will carry you."
"You're coming too?" I asked.
"Of course. I'll be relieved to get home. My brethren here simply do not appreciate Dean Martin's music. And I'm excited to see….I'm curious about the Fleece."
Something about that made me uneasy, and I remembered what Luke had said. I was going to let you have the Fleece….after I was done with it. It probably wasn't a lie, though. There always seemed to be a plan within a plan with the Titan Lord.
Over by the campfire, Tyson had just shot a blue paintball at a centaur. It knocked him into the pond, and he came up, grinning and covered in pond scum and blue paint.
"You three wouldn't mind going over to supervise Tyson and my cousins, make sure they don't teach each other too many bat habits?"
A look of understanding passed between Percy and me. Annabeth and Renee noticed it too. "Come on."
"But I don't like paintball!"
"Yes you do," Renee charmspeaked as Annabeth pulled him up.
"Percy, I had a talk with Annabeth on the way here. About the prophecy."
Percy gulped, but I had no idea what was going on. "It wasn't her fault. I made her tell me."
His eyes flickered with irritation, and I felt embarrassed for Percy. But then the look turned to worry. "I suppose we couldn't keep it secret forever. I'm sorry, Clara, this must be confusing for you. The prophecy says that a demigod child of one of the Big Three will eventually have a decision that could make or break Olympus."
"So, Percy?"
"We don't know yet, as he is only twelve now, but if he survives to sixteen, then yes. But there is another part, a part that we only just figured out. This is where Clara comes in."
Percy and I raised our eyebrows. "There's going to be an accomplice. One who has extraordinary powers that none of his or her siblings have."
"But there's got to be a lot of extraordinary powers!" I demanded. "I mean, Renee's got charmspeak, and aren't there some Athena children who can manipulate-"
"I'm sorry, Clara, I should have phrased that more clearly. I meant to say someone with unheard of talents that have been there since birth, because of birth."
"Huh? I've only been able to sunbeam since last year. And what does this have to do with the way I was born?"
"We only found this out recently, but Apollo sped up your growth, both in the womb and out of it."
"What does that have to do with sunbeams?"
"We're still trying to figure it out. It's possible that it has something to do with speed. It's possible that you were even born on a sunbeam. We don't know yet."
"So, what will I do? In the prophecy, I mean?"
"If you are the child of the prophecy, you will make decisions along the road that will make or break the hero of the prophecy. And you already have, when you saved Percy last year, despite being scared. When you went below deck with Tyson. But one day, leading up to the conflict, there's going to be a huge decision, probably involving at least one person you love."
I gasped.
Renee POV
It took us about three hours to get back to New York, which was amazing, considering we were riding horses. Well, okay, centaurs, but still.
I moaned a little when we saw the camp. It had suffered many attacks in the two weeks we had been gone. The largest had been from a Draco Aionius, which was some kind of dragon. The Big House's rooms were filled with wounded kids, and Clara's siblings had been working overtime to try and fix everyone up. The arts and crafts cabin had been destroyed.
The whole camp anxiously awaited our return. The mood was somber and the remaining campers crowded around us. But Clarisse draped the Fleece over Thalia's tree, and the moonlight seemed to brighten, turning from gray to liquid silver. There would be a constant camper guard around the tree until Chiron found a monster who could protect it. He said he'd place an ad in Olympus Weekly right away.
Clarisse's cabin lifted her on their shoulders in celebration, but nobody noticed us. Which was good. Otherwise, we'd have to admit we'd left, and then we'd be in trouble.
Well, that wasn't completely true. That night at the campfire, we sat with all of our friends. Silena repeatedly hugged me, and Ruby wouldn't leave Clara's side.
When the sing-along was in full swing, Silena pulled me aside.
"That was very brave, Renee. And very foolish, to go out there like that."
"I know. I'm sorry if I scared you."
"You did. But as a big sister, I'll just say that I'm really proud. I don't want you to be my second anymore."
"Huh?"
"You know, for when I'm away. I want you to become the counselor. And I'll be your second. What do you say?"
"I mean, I'll still be at school a lot. Are you sure it's a good idea? You've been counselor forever. Are you sure?"
"Positive. After all, I'll still be your second."
I hugged my half-sister tightly. "Thank you, Silena. I'll make sure this works out."
"You won't fail, I know it in my heart."
A/N: So that was that. How did you like the Allison/Ariana thing? I think it's kind of fun to have both sides in both fandoms be kind of intertwined. I'm not sure what will come of it in the future, but I'll do something.
Also, what did you think of how I added Clara to the prophecy? Do you think she'll make the right choices? And Renee's the Aphrodite counselor now, so that's exciting.
So my plan is to have them stay for the chariot races and Thalia, and then go home to the Bradleys for a couple weeks before heading to meet friends and get supplies at Diagon Alley on like August 30th or something, since school starts on September first for them.
More surprises and plot twists coming up. I can't wait to get into Prisoner of Azkaban canon. Anyway please review. Thanks.
~Hufflepufferfish
