"I can't believe he still let you go up." Grover muttered. "You've seen these stars like, a thousand times."

"Yep, and it doesn't get any less beautiful." I stole a glance at Grover's pouting face. "Oh come on. I bet Dad comes up here all the time."

"No he doesn't! That would make him a terrible king! You know, breaking his own rules and stuff."

"Not unless anyone caught him."

Grover huffed in annoyance. "Can we go back down yet? It's getting cold up here."

I elbowed him in the side. "Oh please, toughen up a bit would ya? It's not going to kill you if–"

Grover's eyes widened. "Get down!" He hissed, and dove underwater.

At first I was confused, but then I followed his gaze and my eyes widened. "Woah." I breathed. "Is that…"

Grover grabbed my fins and yanked me under with a yelp. "Those are humans!" He hissed. "On a big, gigantic boat!" I twisted out of his grip.

"I know! Isn't that so cool? We gotta check it out."

Before Grover could protest, I darted back to the surface and made my way towards the boat. The ship looked much grander than any of measly vessels I'd seen in the harbor, and it was decked out in flowers and glowing orange lights.

"Percy!" Grover whispered. "Get back here!"

I ignored him and kept swimming for the ship. As I got closer, I started to hear voices. There was also the chorus of a kind of string intrument, accompanied by the sweet sound of laughter.

I swam right up to the hull–close enough to see a girl standing on the railing. She was extremely beautiful, even without makeup. Her blonde hair was golden and curly and it was pulled back tight with a blue ribbon. Her face was soft, like she smiled often. Her eyes though, were the most striking. They were a gray fiercer than any storm cloud, ready to zap you with lightning.

But she was smiling now, her eyes skimming over the leaves of paper in her hands. A book. I realized, she was reading a book. I couldn't read the text from this far away, but she seemed fairly fixated.

"Annabeth!" A voice called.

I made to dive underwater, but stopped short when I saw a man turned the corner. He had bright blue eyes, and sandy blonde hair. His tan skin made a scar on his left cheek stand out. The girl looked up from her book for the briefest moment, before turning back to it, ignoring the man.

"Oh Annabeth, there you are!" He laughed, sidling up next to her. "When are you going to join the party?"

Her brow twitched, like she was trying to frown but had forgotten how. "When are you going to stop pestering me about it?" She asked, still not looking up.

"Aww, that's no way to be!" He reached across and snatched the book away, holding it high above his head.

"Luke!" Annabeth yelled, now scowling fiercely. "Give it back!" She tried to reach for it, but he was taller than her by a head at least.

"What are you reading now?" He asked, totally unfazed by her outburst. "Of the Palace?" He looked bewildered. "Wise girl, you read this five times already!"

"I know." Annabeth snapped. "Now give it back!" She lunged for her treasure, but Luke was quick. He dodged out of the way, grinning maniacally.

"Not unless you join the party!"

"Di immortales! GIVE ME THE BOOK YOU VLACAS!" She screamed, chasing him around the corner and out of sight.

It wasn't until Grover reached over and closed my mouth that I realized I'd been drooling.

"And I thought you only did that in your sleep." He muttered.

I quickly mopped the spittle off my chin. "Guess not."

Grover took my arm. "Come on, we've seen it, we even got to see some humans. Now let's go."

"I want to stay a little longer though! Come on Grover, please?"

He scowled. "Percy, I'm your protector, okay? I'm not supposed to let you do dangerous stuff."

"Grover, these are humans we're talking about. They're hardly dangerous."

Grover's shoulders tensed, like he was thinking something, and it wasn't good.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his next words were cut off by an electric popping sound. Both of us nearly jumped out of the water. "What is that?" I demanded.

Grover looked up and his eyes widened. "Woah."

I followed his gaze and my heart jolted. It looked as if someone had taken a cluster of sea lilies and smashed them into the sky, brightening it with color.

"Fireworks." Grover muttered. "Never thought I'd see them in real life."

The very word made me itch. "What's fire?" Grover looked equally uncomfortable. "It's a human invention, very dangerous. It's only weakness is water." I shuddered, sending ripples out into the water. "That... doesn't sound very good."

"It's not."

I wasn't even sure how he knew what that was, but I wasn't going to question him.

"Well, fire or no, I want a closer look. Come on!"

Grover's eyes widened, and he threw his hands in the air. "How much closer can you get? We're literally right–oh no you don't, get back here!" He chased after me as I swam up to the ship and grabbed one of the rigging.

"Percy!" Grover hissed, watching half in fear, half in anger as I hauled myself up. "This is stupid! What if they see you?"

I smirked at him. "Never underestimate the stealth of someone who trolls his father's palace guard on a daily basis."

Grover crossed his arms and scowled. "That's the palace, Percy. This is a human ship. Those are two very different things!"

I swung off the rope and landed on a curved shelf that seemed to be part of the ship's elegant decoration. Before I could slip off, I hooked my tail around the edge and carefully crawled my way up. "Yeah, if you keep yelling like that, they will see me." I shot Grover a pointed look.

"Percy, I swear, if you don't come down right now–"

"You'll what? Tell my father?"

Grover paled. "N-no. I just don't want you get hurt."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, I'm fine." I flapped my tail against the shelf and pulled myself higher.

"What happens if you fall?"

"I'll fall into the water."

"What if you don't?"

I jumped up and grabbed another ledge, right under the railing. I turned and made a face at Grover. "I won't fall okay? I'll be really careful."

"As careful as you can get on a human ship!"

I waved my hand at him. "Shh! Keep it down!" A wave of laughter drowned out his response, and I turned to peer through a gap in the railing. I nearly balked at the sight of all the humans I saw, but Grover's taunting comments helped me hold the railing tightly. There had to be at least thirty young men and women scattered across the deck.

There was a cleared space in the center, where about five or six couples were dancing to the lively tune of a tube-like instrument. I saw Annabeth and Luke as one of the pairs that twirled around in the circle. Annabeth's hair was spinning wildly, and her eyes sparkled in the faint light of the lanterns.

"Still wanting to read, m'lady?" Luke asked with a grin. He spun Annabeth around. "Why of course good sir!" She answered, skillfully managing to step on his toes with her thick sailor's boots. "The book has more adventure than this dreadful party!"

Luke laughed at that. "Oh come now, Wise girl. I know you're enjoying yourself." She made a face that told him she agreed. "Oh hardly."

I didn't have time to see what happened next, because just then, a wall of black blocked my view.

"AROOF!"

I jerked back so hard that I nearly fell off my perch. When I came to my bearings, I found myself staring into big, happy eyes the shade of red coral

"WOOF!"

The creature opened its mouth and proceeded to slobber all over my face. Despite myself, laughed. It was a dog. I remembered seeing one before, a few years back.

"Hey!" I whispered, as the dog barked again. "Quiet now, we can't let them see us!"

The dog didn't seem to get the memo. Instead, she barked even louder, and dropped down onto her elbows, her back end waggling in excitement.

"WOOF! WOOF!"

I made suppressing motions with my hands. "Shh! Quiet! We can't–"

"Mrs. O'Leary?" Annabeth's voice called.

My eyes widened and I ducked to the side of the rail, pressing my back against the solid wood.

"Whatcha barking at, huh girl?"

"WOOF!"

I stole a glimpse at Annabeth from under the railing. She peered out at the dark water, her gray eyes dancing curiously. I had to hold my breath to to keep it from hitching. Annabeth was a whole lot more beautiful up close.

"WOOF! WOOF!" The dog barked. She was staring straight at me. Fortunately, Annabeth did seem to notice. She smiled fondly at the dog. "Come on girl! You want to play fetch? Come on! Let's go play fetch!"

"AROOF!"

I let out a sigh of relief when the two of them turned away. "That was close." I muttered. I probably should have gone down then, but something made me turn back to the railing. I peered through the gap once more.

On the far side of the deck, Annabeth was tossing a makeshift toy for Mrs. O'Leary. It didn't look much like a game to me, but the two of them seemed to be enjoying it. Every time Annabeth threw the toy, Mrs. O'Leary would run and bring it back to her, occasionally knocking over tables and party guests in the process.

To my left, in the near corner, Luke stood with his back to the wood of the cabin. He watched Annabeth with a sort of brotherly affection. His eyes sparkled fondly, and a soft smile pulled on his lips.

"Luke!" A scrawny boy with wild, curly hair, bounded down the stairs with some kind of device in his hand. He nodded towards the bow, a look of concern on his elvish face. I followed his gaze, and startled to see an angry patch of clouds churning not but a league out. Every few seconds, the clouds would flash, and a faint rumble could be heard.

"It's headed our way." The boy said, holding up his device. Luke scowled at it. "How far away from land are we?" He asked.

The boy bit his lip. "Hard to say with this dark of a sky, but if I had to guess I'd say five leagues." Luke cursed. "Five?"

The boy gave a helpless shrug.

"We could try to turn back now, but we could get blown off course. You do know the harbor is flanked by coves. It would take a miracle to dock before we were smashed against the rocks."

Luke glanced up at the storm, it was moving fast. "What do you suggest?"

The boy slipped the device into his belt. "Get the princess and her ladies down below. We need to secure everything and drop anchor."

Luke nodded, turning to Annabeth, who was now wrestling Mrs. O'Leary on the deck. The dog had grabbed hold of the girl's pant leg and was shaking violently. Annabeth just laughed and lunged for the toy, which they apparently seemed to be fighting over.

"Your Majesty!" Luke called. Annabeth looked up. Wait...she was the princess?

"We need to get you belowdecks. There is a storm coming and–"

"Storm?" Annabeth was instantly on her feet. The first gusts of wind had started whipping her hair about. The lanterns flickered. "I can help, you know I've studied sailing."

Luke shook his head. "No, we need to make sure you're safe! If you got hurt–"

"If I got hurt. Luke, I want help!"

"That won't be necessary."

"Please Luke! I–"

An ear splitting crack of thunder cut her off. Before either of them could act, a bolt of lightning dove from the clouds above and struck the top mast. Ghostly orange apparitions blazed to life as they danced across the beams and licked up the sail. A powerful gust of wind swept past and made them expand until they were climbing down the mast.

The guests screamed and began running around. The men were herding everyone to the smaller boats strapped to the side of the ship. Through the chaos, I saw Annabeth dodge past Luke and run for the captain's wheel.

I didn't see what happened next, because a huge wave crashed in the side of the boat, making it pitch starboard. I yelped as the ship leaned dangerously, and scrambled for something to grab as the tilt nearly made me slide off the shelf. But my perch was already slippery with spray and I slipped off, landing with a splash in the frothing water.

I came up with a sputter, turning to swim for the ship again.

"Percy!"

I turned around and saw Grover fighting his way towards me. "We need to get you back to the palace! It isn't safe up here!" He had to shout to be heard over the wind.

I ignored him. "What is that?" I yelled, pointing to the bright orange apparatus. Rain began to pour down in torrents.

Grover's eyes widened when he followed my finger. "That… is fire."

"I thought you said it was a human invention!"

Grover held up his hand, as if trying to shield his eyes from the rain. "Scratch that! It's a human tool. Happens is nature all the time."

A huge wave picked the ship up and seemed to toss it in the air.

"Why isn't the rain putting it out?" I demanded, struggling to reach the ship. "You said water was it's weakness!"

"It's probably too hot… Percy where are you going?!"

I ignored Grover's pleas and pushed onward. Wave after gigantic wave pounded the ship, too low to put the fire out, but high enough to sweep sailors, and party guests alike off the deck.

"LET ME GO YOU LITTLE SKATÁ!"

I whipped my head to the sound, and saw Luke darting across the slippery ship, Annabeth held tightly in his right arm. He carried her, kicking and screaming toward one of the last small boats still up. About five or six people were already inside, frantically trying to unfasten it. Regardless, Luke jumped in and drew a sword, slicing the bindings with one fluid swing. The boat fell towards the water.

No sooner had they landed, than the mother ship went up in flames. The whole deck was on fire. No way was it going to survive.

"WOOF! WOOF!" A dog's panicked barking rang out through the storm.

I turned to gape at the black figure near the cabin of the ship. She cowered, as the ring of fire closed around her.

"Mrs. O'Leary!" Annabeth yelled. The curly haired princess kicked out of Luke's arms and dove into the foaming water. "Annabeth wait!" Luke cried. He tried to grab her but she was already out of his reach. He could only watch as she plowed her way towards the ship and clambered up the ladder, disappearing into the inferno.

I stared at the ship, willing Annabeth to appear with Mrs. O'Leary in her arms, climb back down the ladder, and… nothing happened.

"Annabeth!" Luke yelled. He looked about ready to jump in after her, but the people in the boat held him back.

There was an enormous CRRRRAAACK! From the ship, and the mast split at the base, toppling over. It spread the fire everywhere.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the railing. It was Annabeth, with Mrs. O'Leary wrapped tightly in her arms. Mrs. O'Leary was a huge dog, Annabeth must've been stronger than I'd thought. The wind tore at her hair, and accented her wide eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at the burning ship.

"Annabeth!" Luke called. "Come on! You have to jump!"

She took a step forward, as if to comply, but suddenly, her foot dipped. She gave a pained shriek in response to the sound of splintering wood. She staggered on the deck, but couldn't seem to move her left leg. It was stuck.

She looked over her shoulder again, and her jaw went slack. She turned back to the water with an expression of panic. The ship pitched, and groaned dangerously. Annabeth lost her balance, and her grip. She slammed into the railing, and Mrs. O'Leary flew over the edge, landing near Luke's boat with a yelp and a huge splash.

Annabeth wasn't so lucky. No sooner had Mrs. O'Leary been released, than a foreboding tremor resonated from inside the boat. A moment later, the ship exploded.

"ANNABETH!" Luke screamed. His blue eyes were wide with panic, and his shipmates could barely hold him down.

Debris was everywhere, and I had to duck underwater to avoid getting nailed with a plank.

"Percy!" I turned and found Grover navigating his way towards me. Somehow we'd been separated by the waves. "Percy, we need to go. Now!" His tone reminded me of my father. "It isn't safe up here!"

I bit my lip. "I… I can't! I–" Before I could make up a logical excuse, a flash of blonde caught my eye. I turned just in time to see Annabeth's unconscious body slip underwater.

My eyes widened, and without thinking, I dove after her.

"Percy wait–!"

Grover's words were drowned out by the ringing in my ears. Searching frantically, I dodged past debris, whipping my head this way and that. The water was dark, and foamed with bubbles rising to the surface. Finally, I spotted Annabeth.

Her limp form was sinking slowly trough the water, blonde hair floating around her face like a halo. I shot towards her, gently wrapping my arms around her waist, and hauled her to the surface.

My first thought was to find Luke and bring her to him. But none of the boats were in sight, and I wondered that they'd probably been swept away by the currents. No, even if I did find him, there wasn't a huge chance that Annabeth would survive.

My inner compass was spinning wildly, but finally, I got my gut to settle. Slightly surprised, I turned west. The beach. That was an option. And it was closer than I'd originally thought. I swam like the world depended on it.

A/N:

*dives under table*

*cowers*

I know I know! I'm sorry! It took me forever to update! Really sorry guys, I've just been really busy, and haven't found a lot of time to work on this fic. But seriously tho, this was pretty long chapter regardless, so... yeah. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and please review!

-Amy