A/N. Reviews!

"This is quite fun to read, I'll say." -Le Connoisseur

Glad you're enjoying it man! I'm having fun writing this one.

":O I never thought I'd love this story more, but then nico joined and my joy has gone threw the roof lol" -allisonj1008

Lmao. Yeah, Nico's here. I don't know if he's really gonna do anything outside of sea battles, but he's there.

"also, this chapter was so cute- I mean like, when you think about, Zoe really trusts Percy to be able to sleep around him, even if she was drunk- lol" -allisonj1008

I mean, she did sleep in the same room as him back at CHB, so it's definitely not the first time.

Onto the chapter!

Chapter Eleven

Olympus was a small dot behind them, and it was only getting smaller. The sun was only halfway to noon when it disappeared entirely. The boat rocked as waves battered the bow of the ship.

The ship ran a lot smoother with a crew on deck. Not that Percy did a terrible job, because he didn't. He did more than was previously thought possible. But with more people to take on responsibilities, the change was noticeable.

Zoë didn't have a job, so she just helped out wherever she could. Sometimes she would scrub the deck, other times she would Nico with the cannons. But most of the time, she would sit in the crow's nest with a spyglass, just watching the endless sea that surrounded them. She saw a whale once. When she wasn't doing that, she was practicing with her knife. She had gotten quite good with it.

Percy spent most of his time on the poop deck, behind the wheel. He would make course corrections based on where Grover said they were, but most of his job was just standing there. He would stand there with his hat off. His hair and his shirt would move in the wind while the rest of his body was as still as a statue.

The Captain hadn't told the crew where they were going. He hadn't given Grover a heading, just taken their current position and adjusted accordingly. No one asked him where they were going. They were curious, but no one wanted to gather the courage to ask him.

After a couple days of sailing, Percy went below deck to find Leo. The Boatswain was tapping each wooden plank, making sure that they were all in good condition.

"If one breaks, what are you going to do?" Percy asked.

Leo jumped and turned around before sighing in relief. "Then I'll replace it. Easy as that."

"Replace it while we're at sea? Wouldn't that let water in?"

"Not enough to sink us. And we have buckets."

Percy cracked a grin. "Alright. That's not why I'm here though. I wanted to know, how much food did you pack?"

Leo scratched his chin. "About… enough for a couple of months?"

"For how many people?"

Leo looked at him confused, before his eyes widened. "Shit. One person."

Percy started to mutter to himself. "So if… divided by… About two weeks." He turned to Leo. "Yeah. We're gonna need more food. I'll get on that."

Percy turned and walked back down the hallway and knocked on the door with Grover's name carved in it. The door opened to reveal the Argo II's Navigator.

"Yes captain?"

"I need you to find our current position and the nearest port."

"Is it daylight out?"

Percy nodded.

Grover sighed. "It will be harder to make out our position, but I might be able to do it."

The navigator disappeared into his room and reemerged a moment later with a map and a spyglass in his hands.

They walked up to the deck. Grover laid the map down on the ground. The wind was starting back up, so he asked Percy to stand on it to keep the map from flying away, which he did.

Grover extended the spyglass and trained it on the sky. He gazed through it and started to mutter what sounded like nonsense to Percy. Grover would stare at the sky then mutter something and trace along the map.

Grover sucked in his teeth. So we're about here." He said, tapping the map out in the middle of the ocean. "At least horizontally. Vertically, I could be off by a lot." He muttered to himself. "Anyways, the closest place should be… La Martinise."

"How far are we?"

Grover sighed and shrugged. "A couple days out, at least."

Percy's face turned grim. "Then let's hope food lasts that long."

LINE BREAK

There was a slight panic on the ship the next two days as they traveled to La Martinise. Slight as in everyone tried to seem calm, but there was an underlying tension in the air. Everyone ate as little as they possibly could. Percy wasn't spared the common anxiety, as he would stand at the bow of the ship, eyes searching for the land that would mark their savior.

Finally deciding to get a better look from a better vantage point, he climbed the rigging of the ship and climbed into the crow's nest. Unsurprisingly, since she practically made it her daytime home, Zoë was sitting up there. She was standing with her back to Percy as she gazed out to the open sea with her spyglass.

"Don't fall." Percy said, a teasing note in his voice.

Zoë spun around and put her hand on her heart. "Jesus Christ!"

"Whoa! Taking the Lord's name in vain! Not very ladylike of you, Miss Nightshade."

Zoë scoffed. "Please. You know I'm not ladylike in any way."

Percy had to concede there. Zoë wasn't what one thought of when they thought of a Governor's daughter. A prim and proper, dainty, doll, maybe, but not Zoë. She was crass with a fury that turned her knife into a deadly tool that she could use with precision. He had seen her practicing first hand.

"I didn't know you were religious like that though." Zoë said. "I would've thought that it would come up at some point."

Percy shrugged and pulled out his own spyglass. He began to scan the horizon all around them as he began to talk. "I can't really be. I've committed too many sins to be allowed in Heaven. Besides, only two Gods out here matter on the Sea."

"Who?"

Percy put down the spyglass and turned to her. He put up one finger. "One, Poseidon. God of the Sea. I feel like this goes without saying. He controls the sea. Piss him off, and you get a bad storm, or caught in a whirlpool, or just straight up swallowed by a large wave. Bad thing is that he's very temperamental."

"And the other?"

Percy held up a second finger. "Well, let's say you piss off Poseidon and get sent to a watery death. It doesn't end there. You get to meet the next God. Hades. He takes all the souls lost at Sea and carries them on his ship. Depending on the life you lived, you either become part of his crew, or get to sail on his ship until he drops you off at the Underworld. And if you piss Hades off…" Percy chuckled darkly.

Zoë gulped. "I guess most pirates would become part of the crew?"

"I never said that other pirates believe this."

"Just you?"

Percy nodded. "And my dad, I think. Maybe." He shrugged.

That piqued Zoë's interest. It was hard to remember that the people around her were all like her in the fact that they had parents and childhoods and hopes and dreams and things that they liked and things they didn't. She wondered what Percy's answer to those questions would be.

"Some other pirates too, probably." Percy continued. He put the spyglass back up to his eye as he looked to the horizon.

Zoë went back to looking at the sea. "What the hell is that?" She asked.

Percy walked the small distance between them and looked down with his own spyglass. The smell of the sea filled Zoë's nose as he stood next to her. They were standing so close, they were almost touching arms. Had his arms been hanging at his side rather than holding his spyglass.

Just below the water, swam a large beast. It was as big as a whale, and had white spots all along its back in rows. Its skin was green, though it could have been a trick of the light by the ocean.

Percy's face split into a grin. "Aww." He said, like he was looking at a puppy. "It's a whale shark." He said with wonder and adoration in his voice.

Zoë looked at him like he was crazy.

He turned to her and saw her expression. "What?" He asked. "They're harmless. They only eat plankton. They're gentle creatures. I love them."

Zoë looked at him weirdly before shaking her head. Everyone had their quirks, she guessed.

Percy continued to look down at the whale shark, watching with a small smile on his face, the way a man would look at a puppy playing in the dirt.

Zoë ran a finger along the railing of the crow's nest. Finally, she decided to ask the question she was putting off. "Are we really going to run out of food, Percy?"

Percy lowered his spyglass once again, sighed, and turned to Zoë. "Yes, I have us heading to La Martinise so we can get some more. However…" He looked off.

"However?" Zoë pressed.

"I'm going to need your help, and it might not be something you're comfortable with. You can say no, absolutely, I'm not going to make you or anything." He said quickly.

"Percy." Zoë stopped him. "How about you tell me what you need my help with. Then let me decide, hm?"

He nodded. "So, I figured that, with nine people, we would need a lot of food to keep us fed for a long time. However, it would be suspicious if one person was buying that. But if you and I went, people would assume…" He trailed off and bit his lip anxiously, expecting her to be able to figure out the rest.

And figure it out she did. Her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened. "Oh."

Percy nodded. "Yeah. Again, you don't, don't have to say yes, I can do it m-m-myself and just look suspicious. I don't want you to be uncomfortable and all." He was speaking so fast, and tripping over his words. He continued to speak.

"Percy."

He didn't stop.

"Percy."

He still didn't stop.

"Percy!"

He paused mid sentence, his mouth hanging open.

"I'll do it. I'll do it."

Percy nodded. "Okay." He let out a grateful breath and smiled. "I'll have to run onshore and get us outfits so we can blend in and play the part."

"Just let me know when you're ready to, okay?" She said, giving him an easygoing smile.

LINE BREAK

Zoë looked at the dress with disdain. It was laid out on Percy's hammock, teasing her. It was almost exactly like the dresses she would wear in the past. It was like her past life was popping in and teasing her.

Percy had come back to the ship dressed in his new attire already, and a dress in his bag. He had given it to her and told her she could change in his room so she had privacy. And so now, she stood before his hammock, the dress laid out, mocking her.

She began to undress and slowly put the dress on in the same process she had practiced her entire life. At this point she could've put it on with her eyes closed. She kept them open, if only to give the dress two stink eyes as she put it on.

She slipped her shoes on and walked out of the Captain's Quarters. Percy was waiting on the deck. He seemed to be sweating underneath all of his layers. His justacorp seemed to make him look a lot bigger than he actually was.

When his door opened, he turned and felt his breath catch in his throat. Zoë looked stunning in her dress. Well, she looked stunning most of the time, no matter what she wore. But there was something about seeing her in a dress. It wasn't even the first time either. She had been in a dress when they escaped from Othrys.

But as good as she looked, he felt bad. Her face, though she tried to hide it, showed her discomfort in it. She obviously didn't like being back in the formal wear. She walked up to him.

"Ready?" She asked.

"You don't have to do this Zoë. You can say no." He said, giving her another chance to get out of it. "This isn't like Olympus where I was telling you what to do for your safety."

"Percy. I said I was doing this, so let's go."

Percy sighed and motioned for Zoë to walk down the gangplank. She nodded once and stood up straighter before stepping on the deck. Percy followed behind her.

They walked in step into the town. As they began to enter the town, Zoë pulled Percy's arm and interlocked their arms. Percy looked at her confused as his cheeks began to heat up.

"We have to look the part." She said pointedly.

They continued to walk until they reached the town square. Booths were set up in the square, each one selling something. Some sold dried meat, others fruit, and others vegetables.

They approached the first booth they saw, which seemed to be selling apples. A sign on the stand read the price for each apple. Percy spoke up first, addressing the woman behind the booth. "Hello, can I buy these in bulk?" He asked.

The woman laughed. "You could, but it'd be very expensive."

"We can pay." Zoë said, giving the woman her most polite smile.

"How many are you looking for?"

"Enough for nine people." Percy answered.

The saleswoman's eyes widened. "My, you have seven?"

They nodded.

"May god bless you." She said. "I couldn't imagine having seven."

"Well, someone…" She paused and gave Percy a pointed look. "... Doesn't know many other ways of having fun."

"I didn't hear you complaining." Percy said through cheeks that felt like they were on fire.

"In front of the nice woman, really, Edward?"

"You started it, Alice!"

"I'm sorry, but that'd be twenty pieces of silver." The woman cut in. Her cheeks were just as red as Zoë and Percy's. Percy handed her the money and apologized for Zoë's words. The woman wordlessly handed them a bag full of apples.

And so they went, from booth to booth, grabbing all kinds of food. Percy seemed to grab a lot of certain food items. When Zoë asked about it, he said that he was planning to have a feast tonight for them.

"Is that the best idea?" She asked. "Since we just came off of a starvation scare?"

"Is being a pirate the best idea? No, but we did it anyway. Besides, I'm buying more food than normal. We'll be fine, trust me. Only reason we almost ran out of food was because Leo only packed months of food for one person. We're not doing that."

"Remind me to kill him when we get back."

"No, no killing Leo." He said. He was mostly joking.

They walked up to another booth. The vendor was selling local spices.

"How much?" Percy asked.

"Ah, hello young man! I am selling Jimin. Very cheap, very affordable, yes."

"Can I get a pound?" Percy asked.

"Of course!" As the man weighed out the spice on the scale, he talked to fill the silence. "You have a beautiful wife. Is she bountiful?"

Percy stared at him as Zoë began to frown. Suddenly, Percy understood what he was saying. "Oh, yes. We have seven."

Zoë cooled her face so as to not betray the illusion they were making.

The man's eyes widened before a sly grin came across his face.

"Lot of fun, ya?"

Zoë curled into Percy's side, hiding her face.

Percy nodded, just barely holding back how uncomfortable he felt. He was glad he had the coat. Made the perfect excuse for his red cheeks.

The man handed them the spices and the fake couple left as quickly as they could. Zoë pulled her face out of Percy's side and fanned her face with her hand.

They walked around, trying to look like a couple going on their weekly grocery shop. They sort of succeeded. At one point, to keep the charade up, Zoë leaned up and placed a kiss on Percy's cheek. His mind short circuited and he literally froze right then and there.

Deciding that they had enough groceries to last them a while, they started the journey back to the docks.

"How do you have so much money?" Zoë asked. It was something that she had wondered about for a while. Ever since she met him, he seemed to have a limitless supply of money.

"I stole it." Percy's answer was short, blunt, and was the truth. "I stole it and when I paid Leo to build the Argo II, I gave him most of my money to hold on to. I had a bad feeling about the future, so I left it in his hands. Thank Poseidon, because I was right."

"You trusted Leo with your money?"

Percy nodded. "He's trustworthy, Zoë."

They reached the ship shortly after that. It wouldn't be until later that night when Percy would realize that the entire walk back, they still had their arms locked together. Even though no one was around them.

LINE BREAK

Percy stood up at the head of the table. He raised his glass and waited. The room slowly got quiet as the crew turned to the Captain. Percy cleared his throat and began to speak. "Thank you all for deciding to join me on this adventure. I hope that you'll find it worth it in the end. We might not be a large crew, but we're certainly one of the best!" Percy lifted his drink to his lips and took a swig.

His crew cheered and drank to the toast as well.

Percy smiled and sat down. The table in front of him was filled with food that was bought specifically for this meal. As Zoë said, maybe it wasn't the best idea, but he felt that after a starvation scare, it was important for everyone to eat so they could get their full strength back. And on top of that, it seemed to bring the ship's morale up.

Suddenly, the room got quiet again. A whisper of, 'Ask him, Zoë' permeated through the air.

Percy eyed his crew. "You have a question?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, Captain-" Jason started.

"They want to know where we're going." Zoë interrupted. "There, was that so hard?" She directed the last statement to the crew.

Percy chuckled. "You just could've asked."

"So?" Beckendorf asked.

Percy sighed and began to tilt his cup in his hand. "We're going somewhere that's location is only in my head. I had a map to it once, before I was mutinied against—"

"You were mutinied against?" Jason asked, his eyes narrowed. "Why are we sailing with a captain who was mutinied?" He asked the crew.

"I was mutinied because of the rules I put in place. Rules you all signed the morning we left Olympus. If you have a problem with them, then I'll drop you off at the closest town."

"Then who would be Quartermaster, hm?"

"Zoë." Percy said simply.

Her name caused silence so quiet you could hear a feather hit the ground. Every head turned to her. She kept her eyes trained on Percy, not letting the attention bother her.

"Do you want to hear where we're going? What treasure we're hunting?" Percy asked the silent crew.

After a couple of hesitant nods, Percy continued. "We're hunting a mythological item, one that many don't even believe to be real. But it is. I've found the map to it, where it has laid for centuries." He observed the looks of his crew. "Well, not the map to the treasure. I know where the map is. The resting place of Jason of the Argonauts. When he died, he was buried with the map to the Golden Fleece."

"Bullshit. The Golden Fleece isn't real." Jason said.

"And how do you know? How do you know, for sure, that the Golden Fleece isn't real?"

Jason opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't form an answer. He sat back in his chair.

"Does anyone want to vote to change course?" Percy asked. "We are still pirates. You can vote to go after something different."

Everyone's eyes shifted to each other, but no one raised any complaints. Percy smiled. "Well then." He raised his glass again. "To the Golden Fleece."

Everyone took a swig.

A/N. I meant to clarify this last chapter but forgot, lol. The Gods are real, but Percy and his crew are mortal. As is Kronos. Apollo and Ares, mentioned in chapter 1 "Piracy", are mortals named after the Gods. Basically, while the Gods are real, they aren't really going to show up.

Also, I'm active in both the Pertemis and Emerald Library Discord Servers, so if you wanna talk in there, it's pretty chill.

Emerald Library: discord . gg / elibrary

Pertemis: discord . gg / 7wkRXK6zez

Thoughts?