Okay, I already updated today, so this just goes to show how bored I am, but here's chapter three. I hope you like it.

Chapter III:

Annabeth

"No way, Percy! Not happening. Just, no." Annabeth shakes her head vehemently. Percy touches the side of her face and looks into her eyes, smiling gently.

"Annabeth. It'll be fine. What could go wrong?" She opens her mouth to respond, but he covers it with his hand. "Don't answer that. I know it's a risk. But it's the only plan we've got, and Leo's about to be fish food, either way. No way can he sit still for very much longer." They both look at Leo. The strain of not moving shows on his face. Sweat is beading on his forehead. He looks constipated. At any other time, it would be a comical picture. Annabeth looks back at Percy.

"You really think you can do it?" She asks reluctantly.

"I know I can do it. After all, I've been through Tartarus, remember?" He smiles, but it's tinged with sadness this time.

"Yeah, but I was there with you. Remember?" Annabeth mocks. She kisses him, then pushes him on his way. "Better get going then. And be careful. I'd hate for you to be impaled on one of the monster's spikes, or for the monster to notice you before it has a chance to move its head closer."

"Geez, Annabeth." Percy grumbles good-naturedly. "Way to be encouraging." But he scrambles up onto the monster's back, carefully avoiding the spikes as he makes his way to the end. When he reaches it, he turns and gives Annabeth two thumbs up, motioning exaggeratedly for her to get going. She rolls her eyes at him, and shakes her head really slow to make sure he sees. Then she starts inching her way towards Leo, trying not to draw the monster's attention.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can just see Percy as he leans against his sword and fakes a yawn, scoffing at her slow pace. Annabeth has to resist the urge to roll her eyes again.

"You're such an idiot, Percy." She mutters under her breath instead. Even moving at a crawl, though, it isn't long before she judges herself close enough to Leo.

"Leo!" She hisses. He glances over at her, then mumbles out of the corner of his mouth, still not moving his body an inch.

"What? Can't you see I'm trying not to get turned into snake bait?"

"Obviously. That's why I'm here. Percy has a plan."

"Oh, goody. Percy has a plan. That in itself has danger written all over it. But I'm not seeing what that has to do with me." He says, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Don't be sarcastic, Leo." Annabeth chides. "And Percy's plans are usually pretty good. They just don't work out the way they're supposed to."

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Just listen, okay?" Annabeth pleads. When Leo doesn't answer, she quickly fills him in about the plan. The entire time, he shoots her looks that get continually more incredulous until his eyes are so wide they look like they're going to explode.

"What?! You expect me to do what?!" Leo exclaims. The monster rumbles deep in its throat, and he hastily lowers his voice. "No way. You see that thing? That monster right there, with the mouth full of razor sharp teeth? Yeah, that thing wants to kill me. Which is why I'm not moving, and which is also why your plan is insane."

"Exactly! It wants to eat you. So, if you move, it'll move its head closer, which will give us a chance to kill it. It's the only way." Leo looks pointedly away from her. "Come on, Leo! If you stand up and then jump out of the way as soon as you can, I'm sure you'll be fine. The thing can't possibly move that fast." Leo still shows no sign of changing his mind. Annabeth softens her voice. "Please, Leo. For me." Leo looks at her, and she can finally see a grudging agreement in his eyes.

"Fine." He says. "But I'm warning you, if your plan goes wrong, and that thing eats me, I'm coming back from the grave to kill you."

Annabeth smiles warmly at him. "Leo, if you get eaten, you'll have to get in line behind the snake, because if the plan goes that wrong, I have the feeling none of us will be surviving for very much longer. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll all be fine." She adds hastily. Leo just stares at her for a moment. Then he sighs.

"Well, here goes nothing." And then he stands and immediately jumps sideways as the sea monster's head darts forward and hits the deck right where he was seconds ago. Annabeth swings her drakon bone sword at the thing's eyes, but the blade is deflected off of the bony crests and ridges that protect the creature's face. It blinks dazedly, then shakes its head, hissing loudly.

"Percy!" Annabeth yells. "Any day now would be good!" She watches out of the corner of her eye as he prepares himself to jump, but is forced to look away when the monster's head starts acting a little too lucid for her liking. She bashes it on the forehead with the pommel of her sword. It doesn't seem to have much effect, but it confuses the monster enough to give Percy the time he needs to jump.

Annabeth sees him land safely on the back of the creature's head, then has to jump to the side to avoid getting bitten in half. She rolls underneath the monster's first coil, where there's just enough room for someone to crawl, and listens in satisfaction as the monster makes a sound like a dieing cat when it accidentally bites its own body.

"Annabeth!" She hears Percy yelling for her when she doesn't come up again immediately.

"I'm fine!" She yells back. "I'm going to crawl over to the other side and attack it from there!"

"Okay, but hur-" His words are interrupted when he gives a strangled yelp.

"Percy!" Annabeth cries. For a scary moment, there's silence. Then she hears him uttering a string of obscenities that would make a pirate blush.

"I'm okay!" He shouts back to her when he finally stops cursing. "Get going! Maybe see if you can get downstairs and find out where the heck everyone else is!"

"Alright!" She starts crawling forward on hands and knees, trying to avoid touching the monster's body, which is covered in watery slime. Her hand slips in a puddle of salt water, and more of the same drips onto her head from the thing's body above her. But it doesn't suddenly tighten its coils and crush her, so that's a plus.

It only takes a few seconds before she's at the other side. When she sees the way to the bunks wide open, she feels a moment of concern for her friends. She'd been kind of hoping it was blocked, or something, because otherwise, why wouldn't they come?

She holds her sword up in front of her in case of an attack before walking down the hall. It's eerily quiet, with no sound other than the faint yells from Percy and Leo coming from above.

Jason's room is closest. The door is ajar. Annabeth takes a deep breath before ducking inside. What she sees makes her sigh deeply. She sheathes her sword and leans against the wall for a minute, looking at her friends in disbelief.

"You guys really need to sort out your priorities." Jason is laying facedown on his bed, asleep. Piper is too, although she's not on the bed. She's sprawled on the floor. Annabeth comes to the conclusion, looking at Piper's uncomfortable position, that someone, probably the same person blocking the sonar, put them back to sleep. Or kept them asleep, anyway. At least she hopes that's the case.

"JASON!" She roars at him. He wakes with a start and falls out of bed, landing on Piper, who lets out a strangled cry.

"What-?" He starts confusedly.

"Okay, I really appreciate your faith in mine and Percy's abilities, but this is just ridiculous. I mean, I guess Leo is up there too, but really, I can't believe you guys are sleeping while we've been trying to kill a sea monster, which is still up there, by the way. And, Piper, didn't Percy ask you to find the others, not go back to sleep?" They don't answer. They just look more confused. "Okay, guys, I'll make it easier for you. Get your butts up there right now and help us fight the sea monster, or I will haunt you from the grave. Got it?"

They stand up. Jason retrieves his gladius from where it leans against the wall, though how it hasn't fallen, Annabeth doesn't know. Piper's already armed. They make their way out of the room and start up the stairs, but then Annabeth pauses and turns back to the hall. Piper and Jason send questioning looks her way, but she ignores them and breathes in a big breath.

"FRANK! HAZEL! Get up here NOW!" Piper and Jason both flinch at the force of her voice. She listens for a few seconds and is rewarded by two thumps and a yelp. Then she heads upstairs to save her boyfriend.

Review, review, review! Seriously! I need ideas. My most recent stroke of luck isn't going to last forever.