It was sundown when Blackjack and I got back to the Princess Andromeda. Luke must have ordered the crew to sail closer to Camp Half-Blood before we left, because my bearings told me we were nowhere near the Delaware Bay where we departed from that morning.

I could feel Blackjack's breathing grow heavy underneath me, and his head began to droop over the last stretch of the flight. I had to give him credit. He'd flown back and forth from the ship all day long. It was incredible that he still had any energy left in him at all, but I supposed that's what a sudden rush of freedom would do to you.

We descended lazily over the water until we touched down on the main deck, Blackjack stumbling slightly on the landing.

Whew, maybe I overdid it a little on the flight this morning, boss. I'm spent.

"You did great today, Blackjack. I'll be sure to bring you extra sugar cubes next time."

Even the promise of extra food didn't seem to rejuvenate him that much.

Think I'll go relax for a bit in the hot tub. I'm sore as all Hades.

As I watched Blackjack mosey away, I realized how tired I was myself. Riding a hyperactive pegasus and fighting legendary monsters wasn't exactly a walk in the park. I tried to shake the heaviness out of my muscles. There were still things I needed to do.

30, 31, 75, 12.

Those were the numbers that had been bouncing around my head since our taxi ride earlier that day. They were coordinates, no doubt about it. I needed to figure out where they pointed. Thanks to my heritage, I could tell what coordinates marked our current location, but that didn't help me figure out where our destination was.

I took the elevator up to the bridge, where I remembered a large map hanging up on the wall. Hecate wasn't there. She'd finished working on her illusion contraption months ago and hadn't returned to the ship since. She was a titaness, so there was little doubt that Kronos had much more important work for her.

The map was displayed up on a bulletin board, several pushpins having already been stuck into it. There was one at the tip of Long Island that marked Camp Half-Blood, another poking a hole through New York City (or Olympus, more likely), and also several pins that marked spots that I didn't know the significance of. One was in the middle of California somewhere, another in Washington, and one out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Grabbing another pushpin from the box, I traced my finger along the longitudinal and latitudinal lines until I found where they intersected. The paper crinkled as I stuck the pin in at 30°31'N, 75°12'W, smack dab in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.

I almost laughed, not believing my luck. The Golden Fleece was on some uncharted island in the middle of the ocean. With my powers over water, getting it would be a cinch. And Luke thought going after it ourselves would've been too dangerous? He couldn't have been further from the truth. Even if the Princess Andromeda were a regular cruise ship that didn't have magical bursts of speed, we'd still be able to make it to those coordinates and have the Fleece by the end of the week. What was he so worried about?

I looked over at the controls for the ship, wondering if I could set its navigation system to take us there right now. But then, I remembered with a pang of guilt that I'd left Luke behind on Long Island. I couldn't just jack his ship and leave without him. I'd have to wait for him to get back.

Heading into the elevator, I went back to the main deck. My next stop was the infirmary. Several rows of cots had been set up, but only a few were occupied on the account that we still weren't close to max capacity, despite all the recruiting we'd done. Still, those few who were in the infirmary had to be a pain in the neck to take care of, considering a couple of them were actually monsters.

A hellhound the size of a bear snoozed in the corner of the room, one of its paws wrapped up in a pink bandage with hearts all over it and a scrawl that read, 'No chew!'

The other monster was so big it took up four cots. It was a Laistrygonian giant, curled up on his side, thick hands clutching at his stomach as he moaned in pain.

There were also a few demigods currently resting up. Most were sporting injuries from training accidents and the like, but the one I was here to see was currently being treated for a pretty gnarly wound given to him by the Elder Python.

"Percy!" Chris grinned toothily when he saw me, but then he hissed in pain.

"Sit still," the lady treating him commanded, wrapping a bandage around his leg. "And Percy, you can take the cot next to Chris."

I grinned, amused that she assumed I was injured. "I'm just visiting this time, Adri."

She looked up from her work at bandaging Chris's leg to eye me skeptically.

"No broken bones?" she asked.

"Nope."

"No concussions?"

"Uh-uh."

"You're not bleeding? Not even a little bit?"

"I'm fine," I said, chuckling.

"Well, that's certainly surprising, considering Chris just got done telling me you guys fought the Elder freaking Python today. Honestly, are you kids insane? The only person that ever succeeded in killing it before was—well… my father."

My grin died quickly, as I knew we had hit a sore spot. Over the past couple of months, I'd been in and out of the infirmary enough times that I had gotten to know the one and only doctor aboard the Princess Andromeda. Her name was Adrianna, and she was a daughter of Apollo. An older demigod, probably mid to late twenties, though I had thought she was much older at first on account of the age lines on her face. Whether they were from stress or getting too much sun, I couldn't tell, but I learned my lesson about assuming her age after I'd once jokingly called her an old hag.

She had been a regular at Camp Half-Blood until she turned 18, and then left to become a med student. School wasn't that bad, she'd told me. There was the occasional monster to deal with, but it was nothing her years at camp hadn't taught her to handle. During her time at school, she fell in love with another student, a mortal man, and they married soon after their graduation.

They lived happily together, for a while. Obviously, she'd told him about her parentage before they'd married and warned him of the dangers of being around her. He'd thought she was playing a prank on him at first, but it didn't take much convincing after the first monster attack.

One day, about a year later, she came home early to find her husband in bed with another woman. She'd nearly flown into a rage at the sight until she saw how pale her husband was. Then she noticed the bronze prosthetic leg and donkey hoof sticking out from under the covers, and the long fangs currently sunken into her husband's neck.

She'd caught the empousa by surprise, and was able to make short work of it. By the time she was done, however, her husband was already knocking on death's door. He was mortal, so she couldn't give him ambrosia, and he was injured beyond what her healing powers could handle. She'd rushed him to the emergency room, but there was nothing any of the staff there could do. He'd lost too much blood. She prayed to her father, Apollo, to save him, but her prayers went unanswered. Apollo didn't give her so much as a whisper.

Her husband died in the hospital that night, and it had been the last straw in an already rocky relationship with her father. Kronos came to her in a dream and opened her eyes to the backwards ways of the gods. That was how she ended up on the Princess Andromeda running an infirmary for monsters and demigods alike, though she had a strict no-empousa policy for obvious reasons.

The Laistrygonian giant in the next row of cots made a noise that sounded like a dying humpback whale.

"Gonna be sick," it said.

Adri rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You might not want to hang around long," she told me. "Unless you want to know what a Laistrygonian with food poisoning smells like. What are they even feeding these guys?"

She paused for a moment before shaking her head. "You know what? I don't even want to know. Chris, that healing salve should work quickly. Just don't walk on that leg for at least a couple days. And Percy—"

"Stay out of trouble," I finished for her. "No promises."

She smiled. "I don't want to see you back here for at least another month, you hear me?"

Another moan escaped the giant, prompting her to get up. "I'm coming, I'm coming. For such a big guy, you sure act like a baby."

As Adri fetched a bucket for the giant, I sat down on the side of Chris's cot, making sure not to disturb his injury.

"How's the leg?" I asked.

He glanced down at the bandages. "Well, you heard her. Not too bad, but I'm not gonna be able to fight any more dragon-monsters with you this week," he said. His face turned serious, and he lowered his voice. "Did you and Luke… um…"

"Poison the tree?" I finished for him.

He nodded.

"Nope," I said, a grin snaking its way onto my face.

His eyes widened. "You didn't?" He was definitely surprised, but I detected a hint of relief in his voice, too. It seemed he didn't really want to go through with the original plan, either.

I filled him in on what happened since Blackjack took him back to the ship. The ride with the Gray Sisters, learning the coordinates, and then my disagreement with Luke.

"You just left him there?" he asked in shock. "I guess that explains why he isn't here right now. Jeez, you've got some cojones, man. He's gonna be pissed at you."

"Yeah, well… the important thing is that the camp is safe."

I told him about the coordinates I'd received from the Gray Sisters, and how I'd found where they pointed.

"It shouldn't be too hard to get there," I said. "At the rate this ship has been going, we could be there in a few days. Then, once we have the Fleece, we can bring it back to camp and see if it revives Thalia."

Chris regarded me with a hesitant expression. "I don't know if it'll really be that easy, Percy. There's gotta be a reason no one's stumbled across the Fleece in the past 2000 years. If you go looking for it, you'll have to be careful."

"Well, we are on a floating military base with an army of demigods and monsters at our backs, so I kind of like our odds. What could possibly stop us from taking it?" I asked.

"I don't know," Chris said. "Maybe we do stand a better chance than others have in the past. Just don't get overconfident. That's how most heroes end up biting it."

"Hmm. Fair enough," I said, remembering all the grim stories I'd learned during my Ancient Greek lessons with Annabeth.

I felt the corners of my mouth involuntarily curl downwards. I'd hated those lessons at the time. They were simultaneously boring and frustrating, and I'd have rather butted heads with Clarisse all day than sit through another lecture during summer break.

But now, I found myself missing those times. I wanted nothing more than to sit down with Annabeth and listen to her rattle off myths and epics about ancient Greece. All of the architecture stuff she was into went straight over my head (no pun intended), but listening to her recite stories about the heroes of legend always filled me with a sense of wonder. She really was an amazing storyteller.

Eventually, I said goodbye to Chris and left the infirmary, making my way back to my cabin. As I headed up the elevator, I resolved to find Luke first thing in the morning and make amends. As mad as I was at him, I knew we couldn't stay on bad terms. He was technically my superior, and Kronos wouldn't allow me to continue to disobey him. Besides, if this uprising was going to be a success, we had to learn to work together, not against each other.

The elevator chimed and its doors slid open, revealing the ornate hallway leading to my room. My mind raced as I walked, wondering how I would approach him tomorrow, until I halted at the mahogany door that led to Kronos's stateroom. With his army having increased in number, his presence had grown so strong that I could feel him even outside the room.

Kronos's door was the only other room in the hallway my keycard could open. I stood there for a moment, hands clasped nervously, and debated on whether to go in or not. I'd never spoken to him without Luke present before. As his lieutenant, it was always Luke's job to report to the Titan king and receive orders. The only times I was ever brought along were when Kronos wanted to speak with me directly.

But Luke wasn't here right now, and Kronos would be expecting a report of our mission. One way or another, he'd hear about the disagreement we had, as well as my insubordination. That is, if he didn't know already. It was always hard to gauge how much the Titan king was able to see.

Letting out a sigh, I steeled myself and approached the door. Was I supposed to knock first? Was it rude to barge in on a sarcophagus unannounced? As I raised my fist up to the door, I froze. There were voices on the other side of the frame. One was unmistakably the deep metallic roughness of the Titan king's voice. The other…

Without thinking, I turned the handle and shoved it open. Luke's head spun to look at me, and his eyes flashed in anger. I stood there for a moment, stunned. I knew he was fast, but to think he got back to the ship this quickly… He may have even gotten here before I did.

"You're interrupting. Wait outside," he commanded tersely.

The room dimmed, yet the golden sarcophagus glowed as brilliantly as ever.

No, the deep voice pervaded the room. He shall come forth and kneel. I wish to hear what the boy has to say.

"My lord—"

Silence, Luke. I would hear his side before passing judgement. Approach, boy.

Welp, I'm in trouble. Slowly, I approached Luke and the dais, swallowing down my nervousness. I could feel Luke glaring a hole in the side of my face as I knelt. Kronos's presence loomed over me, making me feel like I was on Olympus again, kneeling before an angry Zeus, only this sensation was much more ancient.

Luke informed me of your deliberate act of sabotage in order to protect your precious camp. Need I remind you of the oath you swore to me on the River Styx? Don't tell me you mean to betray me so soon after joining.

It took me a minute to find my voice under Kronos's withering focus. "My lord, I have no intention of betraying you. Our goals are still the same. We'll get the Golden Fleece, revive Thalia, and we'll convince her to join us. It's just… We came across some new information on our way to Camp Half-Blood. Information that I thought called for a change in strategy."

Information? Luke failed to mention this new information to me. Elaborate.

Beside me, Luke shifted, but remained silent. I pressed on.

"We learned the location of the Golden Fleece, which was the only thing stopping us from getting it ourselves. If we'd gone ahead and poisoned the tree, we would have been putting ourselves on a time limit, and entrusting the success of our quest to a few inexperienced campers. I believe if we do it my way and get it ourselves, we have a much better chance of succeeding."

Kronos was silent for a moment, digesting this new information. And, pray tell, where exactly is the Golden Fleece located?

"We were given coordinates, and I looked them up as soon as I got back. It's on a remote island somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. Let me search for it, and I'm sure I could get it myself."

Luke scoffed and swivelled his head to stare out the window. I heard him mutter under his breath, "Told you so." I looked at him curiously, about to ask what he meant by that, when the room filled with a shrill grating sound that I soon recognized as laughter from the sarcophagus.

How naive. I have half a mind to allow you to sail there only to find that this plan you staked so much on is not as easy as it sounds.

Confused, I racked my brain, wondering what could be so difficult about going to this remote island. Of course, I'd heard the stories of ships that mysteriously disappeared while sailing through the Bermuda Triangle, but I'd always associated those with freak storms and ocean currents, things that wouldn't be a problem for me. What else could possibly get in the way? It wasn't like that stretch of water was cursed or anything. That was just a myth, right?

But even as the thought crossed my mind, I realized that was stupid. Over the last year, I'd nearly been killed by plenty of things that I would've previously considered 'just myths'.

Luke shook his head. "What, did you think you'd just be able to sail up to this island, waltz up the beach, and find the Fleece just laying there?"

I hadn't really thought about what would happen after we reached the island. "Um," I stuttered. "Well... kinda?"

"It's not that easy. The Fleece is in the Sea of Monsters, Percy."

I blinked, my eyes darting from Luke to the sarcophagus and back to Luke.

Luke stared at me, waiting for me to react in some way, but seeing my blank face made him roll his eyes. "You know, the Clashing Rocks? Charybdis? Scylla? Sea serpents galore? The Sea of Monsters! It was a notoriously difficult stretch of water to navigate in Ancient Greece, and it migrated here with the rest of Western Civilization. It's in the Bermuda Triangle now."

It suddenly made sense to me why we'd been avoiding that area when we sailed up and down the coast during our recruitment runs. At the time, I'd chalked it up to it simply being out of our way, but now I understood. So, it wouldn't be as easy as I'd thought it would be, but I vaguely remembered one of the stories Annabeth had told me during my Greek lessons about a group of heroes who'd done it before.

"But it's not impossible to navigate, right?" I asked. "The astronauts did it."

Luke's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I assume you mean the Argonauts. And yes, they sailed through the Sea of Monsters, but they had the most powerful ship of their time and an all-star team of Greek heroes. Jason, Oedipus, and Hercules just to name a few. We wouldn't even make it past the Clashing Rocks with a ship this size."

"Then we'll find a smaller ship," I said. "Sea of Monsters or not, the fact still remains that we're the best suited demigods for this task." I turned back to the sarcophagus, where Kronos had been silently observing our exchange. "Lord Kronos, please, grant us the quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Sea of Monsters."

The sarcophagus thrummed with power as the Titan king deliberated, luminating the otherwise dark room in a golden light. Luke stared resolutely at the casket, his scar becoming more pronounced in the glow. Finally, the Titan king's voice rumbled from below.

No. I cannot send my lieutenant and the hero of the prophecy on a quest as dangerous as this. Not with your level of training. You're both vital to the war effort. Permission denied..

"B-but, my lord—" I stuttered. His response came as a shock to me. My level of training wasn't enough? I'd perfected my control over water, and I was just as skilled a sword fighter as Luke. I even had the ability to command freaking thunderstorms in my arsenal. How was my training not sufficient for a task like this?

Kronos silenced me immediately. I have spoken. You will not be leaving this ship. And do not think that I've forgotten about your disobedience today. This is an army, not a round table. You must follow orders, and you will learn your place. Am I understood?

I wanted to press further, ask him to reconsider. I felt like I had to prove myself, show him that I was capable of succeeding on this quest. But instead, I bit my lip and lowered my head.

"Yes, Lord Kronos. But… If we're not allowed to go after the Fleece, then who will you send?"

Nobody, the disembodied voice rasped.

Nobody… but then—the plan was off? We weren't going after the Golden Fleece anymore? Had I really messed up our plans that badly that we could no longer continue?

I sense your confusion. Do not worry. The original plan is still in motion. The little heroes of Camp Half-Blood will retrieve the Fleece and bring it back to their camp.

Kronos's explanation only raised more questions, more confusion. My head began to hurt. It felt like I was missing something, like Luke and Kronos were one step ahead of me. "But why would they do that?" I asked. "We didn't poison Thalia's tree. They don't have an incentive to get the Fleece."

Fortunately, my lieutenant here anticipated your behavior, and had the foresight to safeguard the plan.

Bewildered, I turned to Luke, who had produced something from his pocket. He held it out so I could see what it was. My eyes widened when I recognized it.

It was the vial he'd given to Chris when we came across the Elder Python. I thought it had been lost during our hasty retreat to the river, but Chris must've held onto it somehow and given it back to Luke.

A single drop still remained at the bottom of the glass. Luke must have filled it with venom from the fang when I wasn't paying attention. I cursed myself for not having sensed it. I guess my mastery over my powers wasn't as fine-tuned as I'd thought.

Thalia's tree had been poisoned.