According to Snowstorm, the ship was massive. Like, billionaire massive. It was called the Princess Andromeda and had a rather disconcerting statue of a beautiful but chained woman attached to the bow. A little too authentic, if you ask me. Anyway, Snowstorm kept as low to the surface of the ocean as she could, practically galloping over the waves along with the hippocampi and although Tyson gave a loud whoop which made me laugh, I warned him to be quiet and told him we were playing the 'hush-hush' game. Tyson immediately went silent. The ship was so large that Snowstorm was able to land on the maintenance deck which was completely clear and let me slide off, both the duffel bag and my backpack in tow as Percy and the others climbed up the ladder, Snow quickly filling me in with a snappy explanation of the ship's layout and appearance, though surprisingly when I set foot on the boat, I seemed to naturally know where everything was. I knew how wide it was, how many floors, the layout of each area…it was kind of disconcerting. I somehow instinctively knew that there were yellow lifeboats on the deck where we stood – yes, I somehow even knew they were yellow – and that there was also a set of double doors which were locked. This was when I pulled out my lock-picking set. I had to hand it to Luke, he had taught me it was a useful tool set to have, and rather than trying to pry open the door with Annabeth's knife, I keenly listened to the tumbler locks and had the door open in just a few seconds, smiling rather proudly at myself as even Percy seemed impressed. Well, I was already being useful. How about that? We walked around the ship for a while but didn't across anyone, which struck us as odd. "Lils, you sense anything?"
"There's people here, but I think they're just asleep." I said, sounding more hopeful than certain. "We shouldn't stay out here too long though. Tyson was adamant that there was a bad smell on board and I was not inclined to disbelieve him." We found somewhere to sleep, an empty suite, then opened up the bags that Hermes had gifted us. Mine was smaller because I had already partially packed, though I had to wonder how he knew this kind of stuff. There was extra money, some clothes for me, but as my hands dug around, I found a few extra items. One of them was what I believed was some kind of plastic pouch. It was Annabeth who told me it was a case for my iPod, one that would keep it waterproof so I grinned and hastily asked her to help me put it on. There was something else, though, and to be honest I was relieved to find it. My fingers had brushed against something cool and metal, making me go back and pick it up. It was a baton of some kind, making me frown as I felt it through my fingers and closed my eyes to envision it. It was smooth and light in my hand, however when I lifted it up and squeezed it slightly I felt a whirring and clicking within before a rushing sound, making Tyson squeak in shock and drop his tools which he had unpacked from his own bag.
"Oh my gods!" Annabeth breathed as I frowned, already trying to feel what had happened.
"What? What is it?"
"Lily…it's a trident!" I balked at this, my hand snatching back just as I had reached the head of the spear. At first I wanted to throw the trident away but I held myself in check. Taking a deep breath, I returned to feeling every shape and indentation. It remained light even in its extended form, the weight not changing as I felt the smooth curve as the prongs became three with sharp hooks pointed inwards on the outer two, whilst the centre prong which was longer had more of an arrowhead shape, or a harpoon. Where the three prongs met there was some shaping and patterning, swirling designs with gaps and spinning discs which I somehow instinctively knew was to make it faster in the water so that water could pass through. I tried not to think about ever being in water, let along having to ever fight in it. At the base of the trident's head was a bar about two fists' long, with more patterns and textures to make for an easier grip, the same again at around the middle where I naturally held the staff however just above my fingers, there were two rings with a space in between, something like a gear and when I twisted it once to the left, it shortened again and became a perfectly balanced celestial bronze sword. Judging from the length it was shorter than Percy's sword but longer than Annabeth's knife, comfortably somewhere in between and as I flexed my fingers and rolled the hilt so that the sword slashed and thrust at my whim, I couldn't deny that it felt wonderful. Out of curiosity, I flicked the dial again however this time the sword disappeared from my hand completely and I felt something small weigh itself in my palm. I opened my fingers to show the others, and Percy told me that it had turned into a little trident charm. No sooner had he spoken, the charm flew out of my hand in order to attach itself to my magic bracelet, and there it stayed though when I pulled it off, it turned into a sword in my hand again.
"That's amazing! I've never seen an interchangeable weapon like that! Did Hermes really give you that Lils?" Percy gushed like a total nerd as I switched between the trident and the sword, still not certain how I felt about this.
"I'm not sure if he did…it's generally frowned upon for a god to give a gift in the form of another god's symbol. However if Hermes had your father's permission…or maybe your dad knew what Hermes was up to and asked him to put this weapon in your bag for you…?" Annabeth suggested, but it was clear from my expression I despised the idea of it being a gift from my dad so she hastily backtracked. "But it was most likely Hermes. He's usually doing these kind of things, and he must have known you needed a weapon of your own. Does it have a name? Shall I look for you?" She offered and after a moment, I let it go to her. "You know, celestial bronze does tend to glow a little, but your blade seems to be more icy blue and white rather than bronze. I wonder why? Oh! That might explain it. Lily, touch something with the blade tip."
"What are you talking about?" I asked but she excitedly encouraged me to just do as she instructed. Feeling around, my hand came to rest upon a table where I found a bottle of something amongst some food. Clicking the trident to become a sword, I placed the bottle down and touched the sword with the sharp point. I then started to hear something crackle, like glass beginning to break and I immediately pulled it back. "What's happening?!"
"Cool! Lily your sword just froze the bottle of sparkling cider! There's frost and ice on it all over. Feel it!" Percy told me so I reached out and sure enough, the bottle was now encased in frost and had become freezing to the touch. "That's a pretty cool gift. I guess Hermes must have liked all the offerings you've made to him." I severely hope that was the case. "What was the name, Annabeth?" From across the room, I could feel her broad grin as I continued to hold my sword in a tight grip in my hand, listening to her as she finally spoke up as if purposefully holding us in suspense.
"Amaryllis. It's called Amaryllis, and it's a type of flower. A lily." Heat pooled at my cheeks slightly as I lowered the sword, biting on my lip before I clicked it away and it immediately returned to my bracelet as another charm beside the pearls and seashell. "I thought it might freeze things because it felt really cold when I touched it. Didn't you feel it Lily? Perhaps it doesn't affect you as a wielder. I'd hold onto it, you're going to need a weapon eventually, and it seems like that one was made especially for you." I knew she was right, but that didn't necessarily mean that I had to like it. Still, I was grateful to Hermes, though I also couldn't help but wonder if this was a pre-emptive apology gift for all the trouble I was about to go through for his son. I tried not to think about that too much and instead changed the subject, deciding to go to sleep for a little while so that we could at least put our heads down and rest, too tired to worry about much else other than sleep.