A/N: Told you I'd make it longer. Hopefully, this lives up to the action I had promised. Some of it coordinates with the book, but it is obviously much different. Not sure if I like the way I wrote Thalia and Luke, but it's what I came up with.

Anyway, after reading some reviews, I noticed that I had made it seem kind of one-sided between Percy and Thalia. That wasn't my intention-I suppose I just wanted to make Thalia seem slightly more oblivious to it. I hope I managed to alleviate it somewhat in this chapter. Also, I used linebreaks to indicate a dream sequence, because I found that it worked out a little better for me than using italics. Sorry if it is confusing in any way.

Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated.

Disclaimer: I'm not Rick.

Rock Bottom

Thalia stared up at the ceiling, listening to Percy's annoying snores. She wasn't sure how long she had been up, but the moon continued to shine eerily through the large porthole. A sudden movement beside her caused her to jolt upward. Percy's arms wrapped around her stomach, and he settled into her side. Crimson traveled from her cheeks to her neck as she tried to subtly remove herself.

After failing three or four times, she gave up. Her shirt was riding halfway up her chest, and his black hair tickled her abdomen. Not quite realizing what she was doing, she ran her fingers through his soft messy locks. She toyed with the strands, not willing to stop once she discovered that it calmed her.

She moved her hands and eyes lower, and surprise, surprise—he wasn't wearing a shirt. That wasn't fair. If she took her uncomfortable shirt off, she would be judged for it. Before she moved in with her cousins, all she slept in was a pair of boxers. Amy had firmly fixed that habit, though.

The tense muscles of his tan back flexed beneath her touch, almost immediately relaxing. He had a few freckles, she noticed. She smiled. He didn't have nearly as many as she did, but she strangely liked the handful that speckled his back.

He mumbled a few words in his sleep, pulling her closer to him. The smell of Old Spice filled her nostrils, and she closed her eyes. Her fingers continued to soothe through his hair, and she relaxed against the soft sheets. Percy started murmuring again, but she failed to decipher what he was saying. He was most likely having a nightmare. Her fingertips protectively curled around his shoulders.

She liked him. She liked him so much. But, something was always holding her back whenever she was around him. It was so much easier to express some sort of affection when he was slumbering. That way she wasn't vulnerable. He wasn't aware of her walls metaphorically crashing for him. Thalia sneered, shaking her head at her thoughts. She was really growing too soft.

"Thalia?" a drowsy voice sounded.

Thalia froze, removing her hands from his shoulders, turning a fiery red. Was Percy still dreaming? She blushed even further—that meant he was dreaming of her! She didn't know if she'd rather have him awake or sleeping now.

When he said her name once again, she gulped. "Yeah, Percy?"

"Can you massage my back?" he slurred against her stomach. Thalia scoffed, flinging him forcefully off of her. He laughed sleepily, accidentally knocking his head into the board behind them. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing the back of his skull.

"Oh, hush, you giant baby," she snapped. "You shouldn't have been laughing at me!"

"I wasn't laughing at you," he lied, failing to keep the smile from his face. "So, you have no reason to be angry."

"Well, I am!"

A devious smile grew on his face, and she involuntarily scooted further away from him. "Is that so?" he asked mischievously. She nodded slowly in reply, instantly suspicious. "Then, you're only angry because you're jealous."

"Jealous?" she shrieked. "Jealous of what exactly?"

Percy tapped his chin in mock-thought. "The fact that I'm laughing and you aren't."

"That's ridiculous—"

"Here, allow me to help!" he chirped brightly, throwing himself at her. His fingers ruthlessly tickled her sides, and try as she might, she wasn't able to suppress her laughter.

Thalia tried so hard to fight off the urge to thrash around the bed, but she had always been extremely ticklish. He laughed at her when she accidentally snorted, and she instantly responded by kicking him in the chest. He nearly fell of the bed, his fingers far from her body. She took the moment to catch her breath, wanting to cherish every intake of air she could get before he went back to tickling her. He never got the chance.

Tyson stumbled from his room, frowning and wiping sleep from his eyes. "Brother, you are loud."

"Sorry, Tyson," Percy apologized, but his amused eyes were on Thalia. "Go on to bed. It won't happen again. We'll keep it down."

The Cyclops nodded childishly, before dragging himself back into his room. He shut the door, and the daughter of Zeus could have sworn that the action had caused the entire ship to rock.

Percy propped his body up with his elbow, staring down at her. He gave a small smile. "How long have you been up?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep? If it's your paranoia that's keeping you awake, you don't have to worry about anything. I can stay up and keep watch," he said helpfully. "I won't be able to fall asleep again."

Thalia wanted to argue, but her eyes once again grew unbearably heavy. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? She had just been fully awake. "Hmm, okay," she mumbled. "Wake me if there is any trouble at all."

"You betcha," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Get some sleep, Lightning Dolt."

Dreams, as usual, found the daughter of Zeus. She was on a ship, one much older than the Princess Andromeda. Oars framed the entire vessel, each manned by a sweaty man in ancient armor. The captain—with the shiniest armor and the best appearance of them all—walked up to her. Thalia recognized him almost immediately as the God of the Sea.

"Lord Poseidon," she acknowledge, trying to keep the worry from her voice. The last time he had visited her in a dream, it had been immensely confusing. She knew he didn't like her at all. He would never approve of her. She was the daughter of one of his largest rivals.

Poseidon didn't smile. His facial expression was one of intended indifference. "You dare to venture across my domain, without so much as earning my favor."

His deep voice was full of unadulterated outrage. It frightened Thalia, but when she tried to open her mouth to speak, she found that she could not. He wasn't looking at her anymore. His eyes traced his great sea, his body appearing to grow even taller and mightier. Thalia wanted nothing more than to wake up. She wasn't a coward, but Poseidon was definitely a god she never wished to disturb.

"I do not seek to kill you, half-blood," he admitted through gritted teeth. "But, let it be known that you have shown great negligence and disrespect. As long as you remain at sea, the waters will work against you. Be grateful that you are assisting my son."

Thalia found her voice, although her words were shaky and deserving of mockery. "Lord." His harsh, calculating gaze prevented her from making any form of excuse. He wasn't going to forgive her, and it was easy to see that he wanted her to know that. "May I earn your favor? I'll do anything, please."

It wasn't in her blood to beg, but she had no other choice. They needed for the quest to go as smoothly as possible, and a god against her would not do anything to help them.

"Anything?" Poseidon repeated, his voice heightening in interest. "A child of my brother so eager to earn my approval?"

Thalia swallowed, noticing how dry her throat had grown. She nodded hastily, not wanting to seem as if she wasn't sincere. "Anything."

Poseidon glared out at the turbulent waves. "You will be the first to know whenever I decide what I require of you, Daughter of Zeus."

Her dream faded out until she was left standing in a stark white room. The single light above was dull, dying. It blinked slowly above her, flashing bits of inadequate illumination every three seconds. She went to move, and then realized that she was bound to the wall. Her arms were chained high above her head, held by iron cuffs and sturdy chains.

A dark chuckle resonated through the room, sending a chill down her spine. Thalia rattled the chains as she lurched away from the rough colorless wall. Snakes melted out from the wall directly across from her, and slithered toward her slowly and mockingly. It seemed they were laughing at her, as the cruel and raspy voice sounded once more.

If it isn't the biggest pawn of the gods, it remarked snidely. You will only fail them. You and the sea spawn both. Perhaps once this quest has failed, you will realize the price of slaving to the Olympians.

"Who are you?" she croaked.

I am the ruler of the Golden Age, the voice remarked as the snakes neared closer. A Golden Age that will soon arrive again, demigod.

Thalia was shaken awake by Percy, who looked like he had seen better nights. She was covered in sweat, certainly as a result of her nightmares. The son of Poseidon appeared deathly pale, and his body was shaking anxiously.

"Get up!" he commanded hurriedly. He sprang from the bed, pulling a new shirt from his duffel bag and quickly tugging it on. "There is something wrong about this ship."

"What do you mean?" she asked, bewildered. Trusting him, she instantly slid out of bed and began to change her clothes. "Turn around."

He rolled his eyes and huffed, but did as he was instructed. "Thalia, you don't understand. We don't have any time!"

"How do you know that something is wrong?"

Before he could answer her, the ship's whistle sounded and the intercom snapped on. A guy with an Australian accent excitedly announced, "Good morning, passengers! We'll be at sea all day today, so there aren't many sights so see. Sorry, folks! However, the weather is excellent for a pool party on the main deck! Don't forget the million-dollar Bingo in the Kraken Lounge, and for our special guests, disemboweling practice in the Promenade!"

Thalia's eyes widened, and Percy flashed a sarcastic smile. "That answer your question, Sparky?" he asked rhetorically. "Grab your stuff! I'll go get Tyson up."

The daughter of Zeus slung her duffel bag over a shoulder. Spotting the bottle of red wine on the nightstand, she stuffed it into the bag. They didn't know if they would run out of food or drink, and it was always good to be prepared. She didn't care that it was illegal.

She quickly stepped into her boots, tying the laces hurriedly as Tyson and Percy rushed from the second room. The three of them fast-walked out of the suite, and were surprised to see people walking to the main deck. They followed the crowd of people, failing to really blend in.

A crew member with a crisp white suit eyed their bags strangely, as if he could not believe that they appeared as if they wanted to leave. He tipped his hat respectively nonetheless. "Good morning," he said, with a blank expression. "We are all enjoying ourselves. Have a nice day."

"We are on a cruise," a father was telling his children near the pool. "We are having fun."

"Yes," his three kids said collectively. "This is fun. We are having fun. We will swim in the pool."

Percy shot Thalia a look of disbelief. The three continued to venture through the ship, noticing the strange behaviors and comments of every passenger. "This is weird," the son of Poseidon muttered. "I don't like this. It's almost as if they're brainwashed."

Passing a cafeteria, they stopped at the sight of a hellhound. It wasn't harming any of the humans on board. The only thing it was assaulting was the tray of scrambled eggs in the breakfast line. People peacefully ignored the monster's presence as they fetched their own food.

"Not hungry anymore," Tyson announced to them, nearly whimpering.

Thalia wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Definitely not going for the scrambled eggs."

"Sssix more joined yesssterday."

The demigods froze at the sound of the reptilian voice, instantly recognizing that it had to be some sort of monster. Thalia remembered the snakes vividly in her dreams, and she urged her two companions into the woman's restroom. Two figures slithered past the bathroom door, the movement sounding anything but human.

"Yesss," a second serpent-like voice, slightly different than the other, said. "He drawssss them. Sssooon we will be sssstrong." Hissing chillingly, they monsters entered the cafeteria.

"We have to get out of here," Thalia whispered. "We'll get into one of those lifeboats, like we planned."

Percy nodded. "I'm getting kind of embarrassed now that we've been chilling in the women's bathroom for longer than necessary."

Tyson frowned. "Smells bad," he commented. "Zeus girl is right. The food is bad. It smells bad. We must leave."

Zeus girl? Again with that?

"—only a matter of time. Don't push me Agrius!"

Thalia held her breath. That was a voice she hadn't heard in years. It was slightly different than it had once been, but she couldn't forget it if she tried.

"Luke," she whispered shakily.

Percy met her gaze, but she couldn't decipher what he was possibly thinking. His eyes were cold and unintelligible, much like Poseidon's had been in her nightmare. She forced herself to look at anything but him as talking continued on the other side of the door.

"I'm not pushing you!" an enraged, frightfully deep voice growled. "I'm just saying, if this gamble doesn't pay off—"

"It'll pay off," Luke snapped in response, and Thalia closed her eyes tightly. She had never heard him sound so hateful and bitter…except when he had been talking with his father. "They'll take the bait. Now, come, we've got to get to the admiralty suite and check on the casket."

Their voices traveled down the corridor, and the demigods involuntarily released relieved breaths of air.

Tyson whimpered, and Thalia felt slight pity for the Cyclops. He was young. It was to be expected that he would be scared easily. "Can we leave now?"

"We can't," the son of Poseidon stated firmly. "We have to find out what Luke is up to. Find out what he has up his sleeve."

"What do you think he meant by 'take the bait'? Who is he trying to trick?" the daughter of Zeus inquired. "Think the Titan Lord is setting us up again?"

Percy bit his bottom lip hard. "Gods, I really hope not."

"I'll find out what's going on," Thalia said, her tone making no room for argument. Percy didn't let her out of the restroom. "Percy. No. I'm going."

"Together," he insisted stubbornly.

Tyson bit at his grubby fingernails nervously, and the daughter of Zeus scowled at him. She strung off her bag, handing it to the Cyclops and asking if he would mind holding it. If it would get him to stop biting his nails, she wasn't opposed to asking a favor of him. She persuaded Percy to do the same, knowing that the two of them needed their hands free in case they had to fight.

Quietly, they followed the colorful arrows that led to the admiralty suite. Percy had suggested that she try and use the ring her father gave her in order to scout ahead, but she was far too wary to use it at the time. As they snuck across the deck that the suite was on, they began to hear two boys talking.

"We need to hide," Percy said, slinging open the nearest door. He and Tyson rushed into the small supply closet, and as hard as they tried to, they couldn't make enough room for Thalia to squeeze in with them. "Hurry! The door behind you!"

Thalia turned around and opened the white door, immediately entering and softly closing it behind her. She pressed her back against the door, trying to regulate her breathing. She didn't think sneaking around on a ship could be so exhilarating.

Thalia frowned as she started to gasp and wheeze. That was odd…she didn't even feel herself doing it. A moan sounded through the air, and that's when she realized that it hadn't been her. Her blue eyes widened and, despite not wanting to see such a horrible sight, she found herself looking up from the floor.

Two figures slithered beneath the heavy comforter, moaning and groaning and…

Thalia clasped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Leave it to her to walk in on two people having sex. Out of all the suites on the floor, Percy had told her to go into this one? She couldn't see anything because the blankets covered them, but she still wanted so desperately to look away. Unfortunately, she couldn't, because she didn't want to have her back to someone who could possibly be working alongside Luke.

The daughter of Zeus ignored the loud, obscene noises emitting from the male's throat, clenching her fists tightly and looking to an abstract painting that hung on the wall. Thalia instantly found herself distracted, and she tilted her head to the side like a curious animal. It was a very nice painting. Colorful, too.

The door opened behind her, and she wasn't able to stop herself from stumbling backwards. Percy's strong arms caught her by her hips, and swiftly tugged her from the room completely. He let go of her, and the look he was giving her made her think he was seconds away from delivering bad news. Thalia closed the door, thanking every single god that the noise fell on the deaf ears of the couple.

Percy sighed. "Chris Rodriguez is working with Luke."

"Who?"

"From Cabin Eleven," the son of Poseidon added. "You don't remember him?"

Thalia shrugged. "I don't remember if I don't remember him." Tyson stared at her blankly, but Percy simply rolled his eyes. "I have even worse news," she whispered as they continued along down the corridor.

"What's that?"

"More monsters?" the young Cyclops asked innocently.

Thalia snickered. "Luke's friends are procreating in order to produce more men for their cause."

Percy gaped at her. "Thalia!" He gestured to Tyson, as if he were worried about the Cyclops finding out about sex. Tyson simply continued to follow them, not commenting at all. "What do you mean by that? And, please, speak in code."

"Oh my gods," Thalia sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Two," she blew a raspberry, "people," and again, "are," and again, "doing," and once more, "it."

"Not the kind of code I was looking for, Spongebob," Percy responded.

"Doing," Tyson copied as she had done, his huge tongue flinging spit all over his companions, "what?"

"Never mind," Thalia replied, grimacing, wiping her face. "Doing a puzzle."

They walked further ahead, neither of the demigods neglecting the feel of cold, unadulterated evil lingering in the corridor's atmosphere.

"We're getting close."

Thalia wasn't sure if she had said it, or if Percy had, but they were both thinking it. They both sensed it.

Tyson whimpered. "Monsters."

The half-bloods swiveled their heads in his direction, their eyes following his big hand as he pointed through a glass wall. Below them, they were able to see an array of vicious monsters—all of whom they had faced before, yet they had no name for some. Demonic women with two serpent tails, replacing where their legs would usually be, caught the demigoddess' attention. What had Annabeth called them again?

Dracaenae.

The three of them watched in morbid fascination as a figure in Greek armor slashed and hacked at a practice dummy with his blade. It was only when they noticed what the dummy was wearing that they pulled themselves away from the glass. A Camp Half-Blood shirt was in tatters on the stuffed straw form.

When they reached the end of the hallway, they stood within the sight of oak double-doors. When they were still a good distance away, Tyson made a noise in the back of his throat. The demigods looked to him alarmingly.

"Voices inside," the Cyclops answered their stunned expressions. Tyson's eye flickered closed. Thalia swallowed roughly, mentally preparing herself for the creepy thing he was about to do. "—the prophecy ourselves. The fools won't know which way to turn." He had sounded exactly like Luke, just as the Cyclops that had captured them while on the run.

Tyson began speaking again, this time assuming the voice of the angrier man they had heard in the cafeteria. "You really think the old horseman is gone for good?"

Thalia arched her left brow. They were talking about Chiron.

Tyson imitated Luke's laugh, which sent a chill through the daughter of Zeus. That wasn't Luke's laugh. It wasn't. "They can't trust him. Not with the skeletons in his closet. The poisoning of the tree was the last straw."

The son of Hermes had poisoned her pine. She knew he had. Percy tensed beside her, but chose to say nothing. Thalia didn't know if the son of Poseidon was bothered by the mention of Chiron, or of her tree. Knowing him, it was most likely both.

"Quiet!" Tyson commanded in the gruffer man's voice. Then, in Luke's voice, the Cyclops whispered, "Are you sure?" Switching back to the other man, he said, "Yes. Right outside."

"Fuck," Thalia cursed, making to run. Before any of them had time to react, though, the doors slung open.

Javelin points prodded at the demigods' chests, manned by two hairy giants. Luke's smirk dropped from his face the moment he saw his old friend, his crystal blue eyes taking in the very sight of her.

"Thalia," the son of Hermes said, as if he had been stunned. "You're here."

The daughter of Zeus didn't like the way he looked. He didn't dress as he had before, and his hair was different. He used to have shaggy blonde hair, and she used to make fun of him every time he girlishly flipped his bangs from his forehead.

Now, however, his hair was clipped short in an almost militaristic style. His clothes—consisting of a white dress shirt and kakis—made him resemble some kind of stereotypical Ivy League college boy. A frightful scar ran underneath his eye, and it made Thalia wonder just what had happened to him. He hadn't had that while they were on the run.

"Leave her alone, Luke," Percy growled, managing to look intimidating even though a javelin tip was pressed to his chest.

Luke turned away from her with reluctance, sneering at the sight of the son of Poseidon. "If it isn't my favorite cousin. Come on in."

The stateroom was more elegant that their suite had been, but a certain feature ruined the image completely. At the back of the room, on a velvet dais, there was a ten-foot-long golden casket, engraved with tragic Ancient Greek scenes. The evil they had felt in the air before seemed to originate in the sarcophagus.

"Little better than our shelters," Luke remarked, spreading his arms wide in mock-welcome. "Wouldn't you say so, Thalia?" It took her a few seconds to realize that he had been directing the question to her. He grumbled, "Sit."

With a wave of his hand, three dining chairs slid across the floor and into the center of the room. To put it lightly, Thalia didn't do well with directions. She remained standing, knowing that it would only further frustrate Luke. He had always hated for his orders to go ignored.

The javelins were still pressed to their chests, and Luke's hairy bear friends were growling at the demigods, revealing their sharp, canine teeth. Claws folded around the shafts of the javelins, and they both had identical snout-like noses. The monsters were nearly two feet taller than Thalia was, so she found herself eye-to-fur with their carpeted pectorals.

"Where have my manners gone?" Luke questioned smoothly and rhetorically. It took all of her will to prevent the escape of the many sarcastic comments that were bubbling in her brain. "These are my assistants, Agrius and Oreius. Perhaps you've heard of them."

None of them said anything.

"You don't know Agrius and Oreius's story?" Luke asked. "Their mother ... well, it's sad, really. Aphrodite ordered the young woman to fall in love. She refused and ran to Artemis for help. Artemis let her become one of her maiden huntresses, but Aphrodite got her revenge. She bewitched the young woman into falling in love with a bear," he continued, flashing a cruel smirk.

"When Artemis found out, she abandoned the girl in disgust. Typical of the gods, wouldn't you say? They fight with one another and the poor humans get caught in the middle. The girl's twin sons here have no love for Olympus. They like half-bloods well enough, though…"

"For lunch," Agrius agreed, eyeing Thalia and Percy menacingly.

If he liked to eat demigods, why the hell hadn't he devoured Luke? Because he's supposed to be on their side, stupid.

Oreius giggled embarrassingly, licking his fur-framed lips. He laughed himself into a near respiratory fit.

"Shut up, idiot!" Agrius yelled at his brother. "Go punish yourself!"

Oreius whimpered, but dragged himself over to the corner of the room. After slumping down onto a stool, he began to violently throw his face against the table. Thalia scowled. That was no way to treat a sibling…even if they were monstrous and slow—

Her eyes flickered to Tyson. How could she manage to be so critical of Agrius, whenever she had done her best to avoid associating with the young Cyclops? In the end, she was really no better. Tyson had shown them nothing but compliance and friendship. He had helped the demigods without protest, and assisted them whenever possible.

Luke sat down on the sofa. "Well, Percy, we let you survive another year. I hope you appreciated it. How's your mom? How's school?"

Thalia knew what he was playing at. He didn't want to talk to her in fear of showing his vulnerability and surprise, and he sought to get beneath Percy's skin. Well, she wasn't about to sit back and let that happen.

"You poisoned my tree," she stated coldly, meeting his eyes bravely. It had always been a talent of hers—staring at people directly and unwaveringly. Luke had hated it.

"So what?" the son of Hermes challenged, narrowing his eyes. "You weren't in it."

"How could you?" Thalia asked quietly, venomously. "After everything, how could you do something so goddamn stupid, Luke?"

"The gods dishonored you, Thalia!" he argued. "You were making a sacrifice for us, for Annabeth. And what happened to you? Zeus somehow hid you from everyone else, and didn't even let you see Annabeth and me. Your real family! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Real family?" she repeated angrily. "That's golden coming from you, princess! I asked you one thing before I sacrificed myself. Do you remember that?" He clenched his jaw. "I told you to fucking take care of Annabeth, and you turn away from everyone who has ever meant anything to you."

"If you knew what was coming, you would understand."

"What I understand," she snarled, "is that you aren't the same. You aren't the Luke I had grown to trust. You aren't my best friend."

Luke shook his head vigorously. "No, you're wrong, Thalia," he snapped. "I am me, finally." He scoffed. "The gods have blinded you, just as they have every loyal slave at that stupid camp. Imagine a world without them. You are hanging onto three thousand years of bullshit! The West is rotten to the core. It is our duty to abolish this age, and begin the world anew. You could help us, Thalia. We could use your courage and strength—"

"Because you don't have any?" she proposed, arching a black eyebrow. "You are all cowards. Hiding behind a fucking sarcophagus."

"I know you better than anyone," Luke challenged.

This truly wasn't her Luke. He was far from it now. She wasn't sure what had changed him—on second thought, his hatred had always been festering below the surface. He just hadn't realized his desire to defeat the gods—his father in particular—at the time. Her time away had given him the opportunity to allow the thoughts to dominate his mind.

Thalia shook her head. "No," she denied. "No, you really don't, Luke. Face it. You've changed. I've changed. I don't know who you are anymore."

The blonde demigod was angered even more by her last statement. His cheeks burned a fiery crimson. "You know what baffles me? The fact that you're traveling with the very thing that cost you a safe passage to camp. A Cyclops."

"Hey!" Percy cried indignantly, but it fell on deaf ears.

"I trust him more than I trust you right now," Thalia snapped. "Look at you, Luke. You're just as much as a monster as your two hairy friends."

Luke fumed. "And you're in better company? You're with the son of Poseidon and his monstrous brother! What has happened to you, Thalia?"

"I didn't turn my back on anyone," the daughter of Zeus replied.

"Anyone except me."

"Leave her alone," Percy commanded. "No one wants to throw you a pity-party, Luke."

Luke smirked. "You're quite the little hero now, aren't you? Heard all about your little plan to retrieve the Fleece. What were those coordinates again? Ah, yes. 30, 31, 75, 12. As you can see, I still have friends at your useless camp that keep me informed."

"Spies," Thalia commented dryly. There were fucking spies at Camp Half-Blood.

Luke ignored her, continuing to prod at Percy. "How many insults from your father can you stand, Percy? You think he's grateful to you? You think Poseidon cares for you any more than he cares for this monster?"

Percy scowled. "Our fathers care for us."

The son of Hermes scoffed. "The gods are using you both. Hell, the only reason Zeus saved Thalia was so that he could control the prophecy and get all the fucking glory. Poseidon, naturally, hopes the prophecy is about you. Do you have any idea what is in store for you if you reach your eighteenth birthday? Has Chiron even told you?"

The daughter of Zeus was taken aback by his comments. As much as she wanted to scream and protest and insult him, something he had said caught her incredibly off guard. She hadn't heard the prophecy word-for-word. But, she knew the basic gist of it. A child of the Big Three that reached the age of eighteen would decide the fate of Olympus. Chiron hadn't revealed anything about the prophecy to Percy or her.

"I know enough," Percy retorted. "I know who my enemies are."

"Then you're a fool."

Tyson's mighty hands lifted the nearest dining chair and slammed it against the floor, causing it to break into splinters. "Percy is not a fool!"

Before Thalia or Percy could stop him, he charged for Luke. The two bear twins caught him by his arms, and pushed him hard enough to make him stumble to the floor. The deck rattled. Luke began to say something surely wounding and sarcastic, but Thalia wasn't nearly ready enough to let him have that satisfaction.

"Daddy isn't too proud of you, Castellan," she taunted, her cheeks still flushed in her anger. "He sent us here."

"Don't. Even. Mention. Him," Luke threatened, breathing heavily through his clenched teeth. His crystal eyes boiled with rage as he glared at her.

Thalia outwardly smirked. As always, she had found his weakness. And, as always, she planned to expose it and use it against him. "He wanted us on this ship. Wanted us to find you, tell you that he's sorry, and talk some sense into you. He won't give up on you, no matter how angry you are." She sneered in his face. "You'll always be his little hero."

Luke growled. "He abandoned me! You've seen it for yourself. I thought you bore my pain, Thalia. You were the only one that ever understood! Look at you now, sucking up to your father." She felt a sudden pain in her chest. "I won't stop until I see Olympus destroyed. Every throne crushed to rubble! You tell Hermes that it's going to fucking happen. Each time another pawn of the gods join our cause, the Olympians can only grow even weaker. We are strong, Thalia." He pointed to the golden sarcophagus. "He is strong."

Thalia's eyes drifted to the sarcophagus in shock. She had already suspected that it represented the Titan Lord, but he was speaking as if it held him…or at least, a vital part of his being. She failed to wipe the surprise from her face, and Luke smirked smugly.

"How?" the son of Poseidon asked.

"He is reforming little by little," the son of Hermes replied. "Little by little, we're calling his life force out of the pit. With every recruit who pledges to our cause, another small piece appears—"

"You're fucking sick, Luke," Thalia snapped. "If Kronos truly stood a chance, he wouldn't have been defeated in the first place."

"You're wrong," Luke said, sneering. "As you've always been. Soon there will be enough of our Lord that we can make him whole again. We'll piece together a new body for him."

Thalia tightened her fists, looking to her male companion. Percy shook in anger, failing to hide his obvious emotions from the enemy.

"Join us, and you will be rewarded," the son of Hermes bribed once more. "Percy, you'll never have to worry about your mother again. You'll have everything you've ever wanted. Fame, fortune…you'll be a legend." Luke turned to Thalia. "More power than you can even begin to fathom. We'll give you your own kingdom, Thals. A whole land under your own control. You can lead our armies. You'll have so much under your power that you can decide what to do with."

Thalia leaned in closer. "Fuck you," she spat hatefully.

Whether she wanted to admit to it or not, his words got to her, just as he knew they would. She had always struggled with saying no to power. It was her fatal flaw, something she had inherited from her father. Thalia desired power more than just about anything else in the world. But she wouldn't get it that way, not from him. She absolutely refused to.

Luke frowned, but quickly disguised his disappointment with a mocking sigh. "A shame." He turned to Oreius. "Take them to the Engine Room and tie them up. We'll decide what we will do with them later. I'm sure the Aethiopian dragon must be starved."

Oreius giggled and clapped his hands together. "Hehe! Hehe!"

Agrius grumbled, "Let me go, too. My brother is worthless. That Cyclops—"

"Is no threat," Luke finished. "Agrius, you stay here. We have important matters to discuss."

Oreius used his javelin to force Thalia, Percy, and Tyson out of the stateroom. Two security guards were waiting in the corridor, and assisted the bear twin in prodding them along. After exiting the corridor, they walked out onto an open deck lined with lifeboats.

Percy, turning to face his half-brother, commanded, "Now."

Tyson understood before Thalia, turning and punching Oreius. The hairy giant flew several feet backwards, landing in the middle of the swimming pool. The robotic family from before displayed their first emotion—one of annoyance.

The kids yelled in unison. "We are not having fun in the pool."

One of the guards drew his nightstick, aiming for Percy's head. Thalia grabbed it mid-strike, twisting it out of his grip. When he reached out for it, Thalia swung it back and launched it into his face. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

The other guard ran and activated an alarm, just as the son of Poseidon pulled him back by his shirt. Thalia sent a spinning kick to the back of his head, and he toppled onto the body of his passed out friend. Red lights flashed and a loud, obnoxious siren wailed.

"Lifeboat!" Percy yelled, running for the closest one.

They peeled the cover off, giving monsters and security guards the time they needed to occupy the deck. The demigod in Greek armor that they had seen earlier charged towards them, drawing his sword. Before he could reach them, a drink dropped and spilled to the floor. His boots slipped on the piña colada, and he fell to the deck.

Monstrous archers piled onto the deck above them, and notched their arrows. Thalia drew Thunderbird and activated it, using it to slash apart a hellhound that had lunged for them. Percy sliced the first volley of arrows with Riptide.

"Get in the lifeboat!" Percy yelled as he fought away more creatures.

Tyson climbed inside, obedient to his older brother. Thalia shrugged Percy's hold off her shoulder and ushered him into the boat. She jumped in last, slicing an armored demigod across the face with her blade.

"Cut the release pulley!"

Thalia followed Percy's instruction, instantly ripping the ropes. The boat fell toward the ocean, and an arrow found its way into the demigoddess' shoulder. She winced, falling to the bottom of the lifeboat.

"Thermos!"

Tyson dug the thermos from Percy's duffel bag, handing it over. Thalia sat up in the lifeboat, although it certainly hurt to do so. Her short locks sprung in the air as they hurtled toward the water. Percy grabbed the thermos tightly, and made to open it.

"Hold on, guys," he ordered. "As tight as you can!"

Thalia did all she could, and she flinched whenever Tyson's hand clasped the back of her shirt. He did the same for Percy, but the son of Poseidon didn't even blink. Percy gave the lid of the thermos a small turn.

Wind shot from the thermos, propelling the lifeboat sideways. They quickly hit the ocean surface, and skipped across it as if they were pebbles. The salty water felt like acid when it splashed against Thalia's face. She sputtered, glaring at Percy whenever he held back a laugh. When they settled out, the boat shot smoothly along the waves. The sea was the only thing in sight around them, the Princess Andromeda a mere speck on the horizon.

Thalia released the breath she had been hoarding. She was never, ever doing that again.