A/N. Reviews!

"it's fine, I get it lol

you get something new and you take a break from the old" -allisonj1008

Yeah, that's literally it.

"WHY DIDNT THEY SHARE A BED?!" -allisonj1008

Because they aren't at that point yet. Don't worry, they'll share a hammock at some point.

"Great update!" -PhantomFuryJP

Thank you!

Onto the chapter.

Chapter Nine

"Land Ho!" Percy yelled from the crow's mast. The island was hard to see in the darkness of the night, but the light from the torches lit up the distant horizon. He lowered his spyglass, the light disappearing over the horizon.

He climbed down the rigging and hopped onto the deck. Percy collapsed his spyglass and put it in his pocket.

Zoë walked up to him. How long?"

"A couple of hours at most. Where's Leo?"

"Below deck."

Percy nodded. "Good."

"What's going to happen when we get there?"

"I'm going to go aboard and get us a crew."

"I want to go."

Percy shook his head. "No. These pirates… they won't treat you like a woman. These are the pirates you heard about. They'll use you like a common whore and discard you on the side of the road. Probably wouldn't even pay you either."

Zoë seemed to be a little shaken up, but she settled her resolve. "I want to go."

"I won't allow it."

"I want to go ashore, Percy."

Percy was starting to feel a little agitated. "I said no. I am your captain, and that is an order, sailor."

Zoë crossed her arms. "I can handle myself. I have a knife."

Percy rolled his eyes. "They have swords."

"I want to go."

Percy laughed without humor. Why couldn't she see that he was trying to protect her? It was for her own benefit. If she wanted to be stubborn about this, then fuck it. "You wanna come, fine. But I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Zoë nodded. "Alright. Thank you, captain."

Percy shook his head. "Whatever."

A couple of hours into the night, the Argo II sailed into the harbor. Percy sent for Leo. The mechanic walked above deck. "Yes, cap'n?"

"Me and Zoë are going ashore. You will remain on ship in order to defend it. If pirates try to steal it, use this." Percy handed Leo a flintlock pistol.

"Aye aye, cap'n. I'll defend the ship with my life."

"Good."

Percy placed the gangplank on the dock and walked down, Zoë following behind him.

"See, he listens to his captain." He said, not looking back.

Zoë rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see it.

He turned around and faced her. "Look at me and heed my words. This place isn't like what you've seen before. You might think I'm being rude but these guys… these guys are bad news. A bunch of bad, misshapen apples. There's a couple of good ones, and those are the ones we want to find. Don't say a word unless I tell you too, and stay by my side."

Zoë nodded.

"So you can follow orders."

Zoë rolled her eyes again.

They followed the dock to the island. The island seemed to be the top of an underwater mountain. Stairs were carved into the mountain, spiraling up until the top, where a small town sat. On the way up, bars, farms, and other buildings made of shoddy materials sat by the roads.

Large braziers lit up the stairs and roads. Percy and Zoë walked past one. The heat emanating from the large fire warmed their faces. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes?" He asked.

"You said that this is a pirate haven, why?"

Percy sighed. "Long ago, this was an English colony. Same as your Othrys, under the king and all that. But one day, pirates raided and ended up claiming it for themselves. The Royal Navy tried to take it back, but…" He shrugged. "They decided it was a lost cause and now it's a lawless land under no flag. Pirates come here all the time to spend their earnings. Plenty of rum and women who won't turn down decent coinage."

Zoë nodded. "And you said there are some good pirates here?" She asked, looking at a man who had passed out on the road face. He was lying face down in a puddle of his own piss.

Percy looked at the man with distaste. "Sometimes. I found Apollo here."

"Apollo?"

"The first pirate captain I sailed under." He explained. "He was… well he was better than most pirates at least. Respectable most of the time. He did have the flaw of falling in love with women a lot. I needn't speak of the problems he had there. But yeah, he was a 'good' pirate."

"What are the chances of us finding a crew here?"

Percy scratched the stubble on his chin. He would have to shave soon. "Honestly? Not too high. I don't have a lot of hope. Most people here are like…" He paused and pointed at the man to the right of them. "Like that."

The man was obviously drunk. He was sitting naked in a pig pen bent over trying to suck his own penis. The pigs slept next to him.

They stopped watching the man who was trying to perform autofellatio and continued their journey up the mountain. The braziers continued to pass them by as they walked down the lonely street.

Zoë tapped Percy's shoulder again. "Yes?" He asked, his eyes darting around, looking for anything that posed a threat.

"This is a pirate haven. But where is everyone? We've only passed two people, and one of them was sleeping."

Percy smiled and put a hand to his ear. She did the same. She didn't hear anything until a few seconds later. The sound of chaos.

"That's called a party." Percy said. "That's where everyone is."

Zoë stared up the road. That was a party? Since when was a party that loud where you could hear it a half mile away if you cupped your ear? Parties were sophisticated affairs, where a bunch of people with sticks up their asses talked to each other and ate while a small band played soft music. She hated parties.

A light from ahead of them began to emerge. The closer they got to the top, the more the light appeared.

At the top of the mountain was the colony that Zoë presumed was the one the English had set up. It didn't look English though. The designs of the buildings didn't match the ones from Othrys. These incorporated columns more and opened buildings. Each building even seemed to be larger than it actually was.

All of the people who Zoë was wondering the whereabouts of were here. Lit by the braziers and torches, pirates fought, sang, danced, and slept. Most of the people were men who looked like they hadn't seen bathwater their entire lives. In the crowds were a couple of women who walked around in dresses that revealed their cleavage and pushed their breasts up. Men would ogle them as they passed by. The prostitutes would wink back, hoping to get paycheck for the night.

As Zoë watched a man yell vulgar things at one of the women, she was striked by the juxtaposition of him and Percy. Both men were the same in job only. But while this man was vile, drunk, and violent, Percy was everything but. He was respectable, didn't drink as far as she had seen, and seemed to fight when it was necessary. Hell, Percy seemed to be a better man than most she had known in her previous life. Orion had assaulted her, and while Percy looked the same as him, he was, again, the opposite.

She felt safe with Percy. He seemed to have her best interests at heart. She could see why he had tried to keep her on the boat. She cursed her stubbornness.

Percy walked through the chaos, avoiding contact with any of the pirates. Zoë followed closely behind him. The smell of body odor and booze suffocated her as she pushed through the crowd.

They entered a tavern, where the smell of booze overpowered the scent of dirty bodies. She wrinkled her nose. Percy waved to the bartender, who looked disinterested at him. He made his way to a table in the back of the tavern and sat himself in the seat with walls to his back. His seat gave him a vantage point that allowed him to study the entire room.

Zoë sat next to him and scooted her chair next to him. Better to see the people who would approach them rather than have her back to them. Especially in a place like this.

Percy reached into his pocket and produced a piece of paper. He pulled out a knife from pants. Where he was keeping it, Zoë didn't know. She didn't think he had any other weapon other than his sword. Though she had seen a gun on him sometimes. He pinned the paper on the wall next to him. In dark lettering, the paper read, "Looking for crew members for the Argo II. Please see Captain Percy Jackson for inquiries."

The first man to approach them came after only a few minutes of waiting. He was a large man, ripped with muscle. His hands were large and callous. His dark skin glistened in the fire light. A scowl was etched on his face.

"What can I do for you?" Percy asked.

"Looking for work. I saw your paper." The man said, pointing at the paper. His voice was deeper. Way deeper than it should have been for a man his age, which looked to be only a couple of years older than Percy.

Percy smiled. "What's your name?"

"Beckendorf."

"Well, Beckendorf, I am looking for a crew. Tell me, do you have any experience with shooting cannons?"

He shook his head. "No."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Percy said. He pulled out another piece of paper and a pen from his pocket. "Sign the code and you're a part of the crew."

He offered the pen to Beckendorf. Beckendorf reached for it, before hesitating. Only for a moment though, as he resolved himself and grabbed the pen. He signed his name underneath the section called 'Crew'. It already had three names there.

"Welcome to the crew, gunner." Percy smiled. He reached into his pocket to reveal the last thing he had stashed there. A pouch of coins. He pulled one out and tossed it to Beckendorf, who caught it easily.

"Is this…"

"Real gold?" Percy finished. He smiled. "Yes. That's your signing bonus. Don't spend it all at once. We leave in the morning on the ship called the Argo II."

"Aye, Captain." Beckendorf said, before walking off.

"That went well." Zoë said.

Percy nodded. "He's a good one, I can see. Tragic past it seems though. His shoulders are actually slumping from the weight he bears."

Zoë hadn't noticed that at all. She watched the retreating figure of the newly signed pirate and noticed that his shoulders were slumping. How Percy noticed that…

Percy leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He raised his feet and laid them on the table, the sound of his boots hitting the wood drowned out by an argument happening nearby.

A punch was thrown, the sound of flesh striking flesh made Percy open his eyes and look over. "Oh great." He muttered.

"What?" She asked. She looked over but didn't see anything but a fight between two pirates. One was absolutely built and was easily one of the tallest men in the tavern. Naturally he was the one dominating the fight.

"That man pummeling the other one, the one in the lion skin. You see him?" Percy asked.

"Yeah?"

"That's Heracles. Boastful man. We got in a spat a while back. Wouldn't be surprised if he tries to start something tonight."

Zoë stared at the man with watchful eyes. At least until the sound of footsteps approaching them called her attention. Walking towards them was a woman with lecherous eyes focused on Percy. She seemed to be of Asian descent with warm brown eyes and dark hair. She was tall and had makeup done perfectly. Her dress pushed up her breasts even more than any other woman's Zoë had seen that night.

"Well, hello, handsome." She said. Her voice was silky smooth, like a glass of wine. She leaned across the table, using her arms to push her boobs up even more. If even a millimeter more of her tits were shown, her nipples would have been exposed. "Looking for a good time tonight?" She purred.

"No." Percy said simply, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, like he was going to sleep.

She fluttered her eyelids. "Come on. You know you want to. It'll be… enjoyable."

Percy didn't move anything except for his mouth. "Not interested."

The woman stood up. "I don't even charge much." She tried.

Percy looked her in the eyes. "Leave."

She hmphd and left swiftly, her dress dragging behind her.

Zoë looked at Percy as she fought down the ugly feeling that was spreading through her chest. "She was pretty." She commented.

Percy shrugged. "The pretty ones cost the most."

"That why you reject her?"

He shook his head. "Just wasn't interested. And just giving you a warning." He looked at her pointedly.

Zoë went red. "I'm not… I don't…"

Percy shrugged. "I don't care if you are or not. Doesn't affect your sailing ability, so why would it matter?"

Someone approached the table. He was skinny, with blond hair, and blue eyes that shone with the wrong kind of crazy. He reminded Percy of Luke, and that rubbed him the wrong way.

"You're hiring?" He asked. His voice was nasally, and made Percy's ears feel like they were being shoved through a cheese grater.

"Yes." Percy confirmed against his better judgment.

"And who is this woman next to you?" He asked.

"A member of my crew." Percy's eyes narrowed as his voice gained a hard edge. Defensive as a shield, shard as a knife.

"You sail with a woman?" He asked with a light note in his voice, like he thought Percy was joking and he was entertaining him. "You know they're bad luck on a ship, right? I'd expect any pirate to know that."

"I've been sailing with her for weeks, nothing bad has happened yet. I had more bad things happen on a ship full of men than I've had with her."

"I don't know if I want to sail on a ship with a woman." The man said.

"Then don't sign the contract. That simple. But she's not negotiable. She's part of the crew and has earned her keep. Something you haven't done." Percy stood up and put a hand on his sword in an obvious way. He didn't draw it, nor did he have the intention to.

The man walked away and Percy sat back down.

"Thanks." Zoë said.

"You're part of the crew Zoë. A good captain doesn't let his crew get disrespected like that."

Zoë nodded. A silent beat passed before she spoke up again. "Sorry for insisting to come along."

Percy shook his head. "It's fine. You're curious about your new life and want to know as much as possible." He sighed. "Not your fault our occupation is filled with these assholes."

"Either way, I'll listen to your orders better now."

Percy turned to her. "Know this, Zoë. My orders, for the most part, are to keep you and the rest of my crew safe. You guys are my top priority. Not the treasure, not the ship. I can always get another boat and I can always find some other treasure. But what I can't get—" his voice became quiet. "—Is another you. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

A/N. Rest of the crew will be met in the next chapter.

So obviously, Olympus is the stand in for Tortuga. I changed the history but whatever. I hope you enjoyed the portrayal of it and its pirates.

Thoughts?