Hooray! Another chapter!

Soo I've kinda been neglecting my other fanfics to write this one...be grateful! If you read my other babies, don't worry, I haven't abandoned them. I just find it hard to write more than one fic at a time. I mean, I start writing about Percy's tail in Maybes and Music. Yeah. Doesn't really work. Anyways, I'll get back to them! Eventually!

Disclaimer: If I owned I'd be off somewhere signing my glorious creations, not at home, being an introvert, writing this.

Ch 16

PIPER

Yeah, it was a little humiliating to be scooped up and carried like a damsel in distress. But Piper was a damsel, and she was definitely in distress. And it wasn't like Piper could walk to the sea herself. Besides, Jason was carrying her. That was definitely a plus.

Annabeth stopped in the doorway and listened. There were the telltale shouts and clangs of battle going on. Piper assumed that the rest of the Argo II crew had arrived.

Annabeth crept forward, trying to hide in the shadows of the hallway, trying to make it past the battle without being noticed.

Unfortunately, that never happened.

"Stop!" Polybotes roared. The clamor of battle stopped. Polybotes walked forward, forcing a girl with long black hair to come with him, his sword at her throat.

"Reyna," Jason breathed.

Panic flashed through Annabeth's eyes, but quickly disappeared as she formulated a plan. "Let her go, Polybotes. Your quarrel is not with her."

"Oh, my dear, but it is with this little traitor. Our quarrel does include the one who led you here, the one who snuck you in, Reyna, does it not?"

Reyna struggled against Polybotes, but he only dug the tip of his sword deeper into her throat. "Kill me if you like, you spoiled little brat, but it won't change the fact that you're a stupid-"

Polybotes cut her off by clamping a hand over her mouth. He turned to Annabeth. "Drop the merman."

Annabeth looked like a deer in headlights. "What?"

"Drop the merman or the girl dies." Polybotes dug the tip of his sword even deeper into Reyna's throat, drawing blood. Reyna grimaced, but refused to whimper.

Annabeth was about to answer, but Percy rolled out of her arms. "There," Percy declared. "Now let her go."

Polybotes shook his head. "Your loyalty is astonishing. But it will also be the death of you and your friends." He nodded to some men, who immediately rounded a corner. They returned with three thrashing people. Will, Grover, and Thalia.

"The rest of you. Drop them," Polybotes ordered.

Jason tightened his grip on Piper. Piper looked at Jason. "I love you," she whispered. Then she rolled out of his arms.

Two more thunks confirmed that Leo and Hazel had dropped onto the ground. Calypso made a strangled shout, like a wounded animal.

Polybotes smirked. "Get them."

Soldiers ran forward and grabbed everyone, then carried them/forced them down back into the torture chamber. The merfolk were dropped unceremoniously (this dropping on the floor thing was getting old) on the floor that was stained with their blood, and the humans were chained down in front of them.

One of the servants had the stupidity to question Polybotes. "Sir, shouldn't we tie the merfolk up?"

Polybotes slapped the servant. "Do not question me! I know what I am doing!" And just because he had to prove the servant wrong, Polybotes left us without any chains or ropes.

That servant's stupidity saved us all.

o.O.o

PERCY

Annabeth tugged at the chains holding her down. She looked at us, then the chains, then the key that was left carelessly on the table. Percy could almost see the gears turning in her head.

"Reyna!" she asked suddenly. "Is there a party or something coming up for the humans so they'll be distracted?"

Reyna furrowed her brow. "I don't think-yes! There is! It's tonight, actually. That's why Luke was over!"

"Perfect. When does it start?"

"As soon as the sun sets."

"When is that?" Jason asked. "If you hadn't noticed, there's no clock or anything in here."

Hazel spoke up. "There's a little window right there," she said, pointing to the tiny window that had been our way of keeping track of time.

Jason frowned. "I don't see anything."

"That's because the sun is down."

Jason's mouth formed an 'o'.

Annabeth nodded. "Okay, this is what we have to do."

o.O.o

CALYPSO

Normally, I don't doubt Annabeth's plans. This time, though, her plan was a little iffy. I mean, it was basically telling the merfolk to stand up and grab the key hanging six feet off the ground. No biggie. Unless, of course, you don't have legs.

Which was why Leo, being the stupid merman he was, was trying to jump up six feet in the air. Without legs.

Percy, of course, was cheering him on. "Come on, Leo! Almost!"

Annabeth groaned. "Seriously?"

The two idiots looked over at her, acting innocent. "What?"

"That's it. We need to get out of here. Now." Annabeth straightened up, then started ordering the merfolk around. "Piper, grab that sword to the left of you. No, not that one. The longer one. Good. Hand it to Percy. Percy, use to sword to hook the key."

The key tipped onto the sword, and Percy lowered it down carefully.

"Percy, hand the key to Hazel." Percy obeyed Annabeth's command. "Hazel, use your powers to control the key and unlock our chains."

Hazel gulped. "I can't. It's not gold. I can only control gold."

Reyna spoke up. "Knowing Polybotes, I'm sure that he at least bedazzled that thing with gold."

Hazel inspected it. Sure enough, she found the gold and set to work.

"Who'd have thought that Polybotes was into bedazzling?" Frank wondered aloud.

Calypso shrugged. "Whatever the reason, it saved our skins. Be grateful he has such a weird hobby."

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