Chapter Eighteen: Nempe Adsiduaque Vigilantia

Disclaimer: Woe is me for I am not Rick Riordan. But also I'm wayyyy younger than him so…..good…? At least I won't die earlier. Gasp. I'll be alive when Rick Riordan dies. Nuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Author's Note: Well everyone, thanks a ton for all your support and your love. We crossed 100 reviews last chapter (I may have said this before but let me have my moment.)

The name of this chapter is kind of a joke. After you read the story, head over to google translate if you don't speak Latin and check out the title.

So, lets get on with the story! Also, anyone who has any questions regarding my story and anyone who thinks I suddenly shoved Percabeth together, please PM and I'll try to explain my thought process to you.

1234 Booklover – Sigh, we all will be pitying them soon enough. The quest is gonna be BRUTAL.

Hailey – Man, writing this was EXTREME STRESS. I can only imagine what waiting for updates must be like. Oh wait, as a dedicated ff reader, I know. It sucks. Sorry :(

Captain McShizzl – Yep, you're number 100 YAY! Also, that was a horrible pun. So as far as I'm concerned, we're best friends now.

Callum Runchman – Yeah, there will be additional scenes, but you may not like all of them. *foreshadowing 100*

GodZeus – Hahahaha thanks! I knew I had to appease you somehow.

CalRedEss – Glad you liked it :) Also man when are you going to update? I'm waiting on both stories :(

Remember, the more you review, the happier I'll be and the more I'll write (yes, write, not right.)

P.S. – Read, review, enjoy and promote!

P.P.S – Take care and Stay safe!

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

Percy's POV:

After we talked, I realized just how much I had missed this. Being with Annabeth, not having things be awkward, or sad, or melancholic. It really did feel like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders.

Of course, then I remembered what the Nereids at Charleston Harbor had told me and I shot up.

"Hey Seaweed Brain. You okay? You look like you got hit with the business end of Zeus' master bolt." Annabeth asked me.

"I need to go find Leo. I talked to the Nereids and they told me some stuff." I explained.

"Should I come with you?" she asked me.

I looked at her. She had kept me company while I had been sleeping, talked to Aphrodite, retrieved that godforsaken map for her godforsaken quest and had apparently also engineered our escape. I could see that she wasn't rested enough, and yet she wasn't willing to sleep.

"What happened Annabeth?" I asked.

She looked a little confused, so I elaborated.

"When you got that map, what happened? I was barely conscious, but you looked like you'd seen a ghost or something. And even though you know the prudent thing for you to do would be to sleep, you're avoiding it. Why?"

"Have I ever mentioned that you know me too well? Like scary well?"

"Don't try to distract me Wise Girl, it won't work."

"It's just that…..well, when I got to the armory, there were these….spiders there. And there were so many of them that I- I almost gave up. Had it not been for Athena, I wouldn't have gotten out of there."

"Yes you would have."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Because it's you. Do you remember that time during our first quest? Retrieving Aphrodite's scarf from that tunnel?"

She smiled.

"I was pretty much useless then too you know. You were the one who got us out of there."

"Yeah, but it was because of you that we did not end up as a splatter on hard concrete. Even though you were scared, you got your head in the game because it was what needed to be done. And you were twelve then."

She still looked a little apprehensive.

"Annabeth you have faced fear before. And you have won. Plus, we are by your side you know. Maybe we can't be with you for the quest, but we'll be waiting for you. And you better believe that when you've found whatever it is you have to find, we'll blow up the place sky high and get you out."

"What if I fail?"

"You're too smart to fail Annabeth, it's just who you are. Besides, even if you do, we'll manage somehow. We always do."

"Besides" I continued, "if you're ever in trouble, just remember our team strategy."

"What team strategy?"

"Antagonize the hell out of your opponents and when they're so mad they can't see straight you run like hell."

She snorted, and then cracked up, laughing and clutching her stomach.

"Thanks Perce."

"Thank me by getting into bed."

She wordlessly climbed into my bed as I was lacing up my sneakers.

I raised my eyebrow at her.

"What? Your bed was closer."

"Yeah right."

"Oh shut up Seaweed Brain. It's not like you're sleeping here with me, are you?"

Since I definitely had no response to that, I elected to ignore her and go meet Leo.

As I walked onto the deck, I saw him slouched over the wheel, looking like hell.

"Hey man did you get any sleep at all?" I called out.

"After you and Jason decided to catch up on your beauty rest, how could I? Besides Annabeth and Piper basically stayed with you the whole time. Someone had to hold down the fort."

My eyes widened.

"Whoa Leo you need to sleep."

"Yeah yeah. So did you come here to mother me or did you want to talk about something?"

"Oh uhmm actually yeah. I talked to the Nereids in the Charleston Harbor."

"Good for you!" Leo said sarcastically.
"The Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers."
"What does that mean? The Party Ponies?" Leo had never met Chiron's crazy centaur relatives, but he'd heard rumors of Nerf sword-fights, root beer–chugging contests, and Super Soakers filled with pressurized whipped cream.

"Not sure," I said. "But I've got coordinates. Can you input latitude and longitude in this thing?"
"I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want. Of course I can do latitude and longitude!"
I rattled off the numbers. Leo somehow managed to punch them in while holding the wheel with one hand. A red dot popped up on the bronze display screen.
"That location is in the middle of the Atlantic," he said. "Do the Party Ponies have a yacht?"

"You know what, I don't know. But the ship can drive itself there right?" I asked.

"Man it can belly-flop there if you want it to."

"Okay then, how about you go take a nap. I'll keep up the winds and I'll wake you when we get there." I offered.

"Percy?"
"Yeah?"
"I can't unclench my hands."

It was true. Leo's fingers felt like they had turned to stone. His eyes burned from staring at the horizon. His knees were marshmallows. I managed to pry him from the wheel.

Leo took one last look at the console, listening to Festus chatter and whir a status report. Leo felt like he was forgetting something. He stared at the controls, trying to think, but it was no good. His eyes could hardly focus. "Just watch for monsters," he told me. "And be careful with the damaged stabilizer. And—"

"I've got it covered," I promised. "Son of Poseidon powers and all. Now, go away!"

Leo nodded wearily. He staggered across the deck toward his bunk.

After what felt like an hour, my eyes started drooping. Apparently Jason and Piper were still out of it and Annabeth was sleeping. Leo needed to rest for way longer and Frank and Hazel were probably below deck.

Later, I would blame my sheer inattentiveness and stupidity and fatigue, but at the time, with the lull of the waves and the sound of the wind in the sail, the sound the ship made as it cut through the water put me in a sort of mindless trance till I was barely paying attention.

Little by little, my eyes closed and sleep claimed me, Annabeth's words still echoing in my ears.

"So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost"

Author's Note – I'm REALLY sorry about not updating, I had a huge 6 hour test today (which sucked) and I had to prepare for it (no use). After the thorough disappointment of scoring horribly, I needed to cheer up and since I was finally free after 5 days of non-stop study, I decided to finish this chapter.

Hope you like it.

Please read, review, enjoy and promote!