Harry paced up and down the deck of the Queen Anne's Revenge. He rubbed his temples trying to fight off an impending headache. The boy deadpanned, "So let me get this straight. You want to hear the Sirens' singing? According to the rumours, they sing the truth about your desires. They tell you things about yourself, things you didn't even realize. That's what's so enchanting. If you survive, you become wiser."

Annabeth looked back at him defiantly, with her hands on her hips, her gaze never leaving his own. He groaned, "Beth… have you gone mad? Do you have any idea what would happen if this went to pot?"

Clarisse also interjected, "He's got a point, Wise Girl. For a daughter of Athena, this has got to be the stupidest idea ever!"

She argued back, "Come on! When else am I going to get this chance? Listen, we don't have time! Just tie me to the mast and don't untie me, no matter what."

Clarisse raised her arms to the heavens in an 'I give up' gesture. She grumbled, "Your funeral. F**k! Fine, we'll do it your way, then!"

Before long, they tied her up firmly, before grabbing wads of candle wax. They kneaded the wax into makeshift earplugs and stuffed them in their ears. Then, Harry had a thought, he turned to Clarisse and mimed his hands running down an invisible body. Luckily, she got the message, gave a quick pat down and relieved the bound girl of her Celestial Bronze knife.

Soon, the island came into view, a rocky black mass on the horizon. Percy steered the ship, while Harry and Clarisse kept an eye on Annabeth. For a while, she was normal, but then she got a puzzled look on her face and her eyes widened. As he steered, Percy kept well clear of the jagged rocks looming out of the fog.

Annabeth strained against the ropes, calling for them. Except, the only sound they heard was the rush of blood in their ears. She looked absolutely miserable, but Percy willed the ship to go faster. At one point, Percy reached for his ears, but Harry reacted by pulling out his wand and raising it threateningly. He mouthed, 'Do that, and I will not hesitate to put you in a Full Body-Bind Curse.'

The island was mostly obscured by a thick mist for a long time. However, it soon cleared and everyone got a better look at what awaited Annabeth, should she get free. The sirens resembled a flock of human-sized vultures, with dirty black plumage, grey talons and wrinkled pink necks. On top of the necks were human heads, that were constantly changing. The sight was grotesque, as their mouths were greasy and caked with remnants of old meals. They kept shifting, taking on the faces of his friends and loved ones, Sirius, Remus, his mortal parents, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Zoe, Mother Artemis, and so many more. Despite all that, their greasy mouths ruined the image.

By now, Annabeth was pleading, with tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, with a massive effort, she heaved and tore through the ropes binding her. Annabeth made a break for the side of the ship, only for Harry to tackle her to the ground. Then girl struggled and kicked him off, but he recovered quickly and pointed his wand at her. He bellowed, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Instantly, she froze up and toppled to the ground. Harry and Percy grabbed her to try and haul her back to the mast. However, as soon as they touched her, the scene changed drastically. There were three people on a picnic blanket at Central Park. A man in his 40s, with sandy hair and an athletic body. He was holding hands with a beautiful woman, who largely resembled Annabeth.

The woman wore blue jeans, a denim shirt, and hiking boots. The last person was none other than Luke. All three were talking and laughing, and when they spotted Annabeth, beckoned her to join them. In the background, was the city of Manhattan, but greatly revamped. The buildings were made of dazzling white marble, golden windows and rooftop gardens, It was almost as if Annabeth had rebuilt the entire city with her own hands.

Then, Harry blinked and the image was gone. With renewed strength, he and Percy dragged her back and secured her once again. The girl was kicking, screaming and thrashing around, and even Clarisse came rushing over to help. All the while, the Queen Anne's Revenge continued to sail past the island at top speed. Eventually, she began to sob and she sounded absolutely heartbroken. She rested her head on Percy's shoulder and cried her eyes out. The two boys rubbed her back reassuringly all the way and remained like that for a long time.

At last, she glanced up at them and mouthed 'Safe'. Harry glanced around him, and the island was out of sight. Hesitantly, he plucked out his earplug, and sure enough, there was no singing. Percy and Clarisse followed suit and they finally untied her.

She mumbled, "I never realized… How powerful the temptation must be."

Harry hesitantly spoke up, "Hey Annabeth… Sorry if this seems a bit personal, but…"

Percy finished for him, "We saw the way you rebuilt Manhattan. We also saw Luke, and your parents."

Her cheeks flushed, "You two saw all of that?"

Percy continued, "When Luke said that spiel about starting the world from scratch. That really got to you, didn't it?"

She curled into herself, "My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is Hubris."

Harry clarified, "That's deadly pride, isn't it?"

Annabeth nodded, "Precisely, thinking that you could do better than everyone else. Even the Gods themselves. Don't you ever feel like, if the world really is messed up? What if we could do it all from scratch. No wars, no homeless, no bad things happening in the world?"

They agreed and she continued, "The West is supposed to represent the best things mankind has to offer, like The American Dream. That's why the fire is still burning. That explains why Olympus is still around. But sometimes, the bad outweighs the good. Then you start thinking like Luke: 'If I could tear this all down, I would do it better.' Don't you ever feel that way? Like you could do a better job if you ran the world?"

Percy shook his head, "Nope! Me running the world sounds like a nightmare."

Harry was a bit thoughtful, "I will admit, there are a lot of things in the Wizarding world that I despise. However, I don't think I have the power to change all of that. Heck, there is so much of bigotry ingrained in the system, but I don't think I can root it out. Not all on my own."

She mused, "You two are lucky. Hubris isn't either of your fatal flaws. Harry, I think I can guess yours. You despise disloyalty and can hold grudges against that. I think it festered ever since your father's supposed friend betrayed him and your mortal mother. Not only did it result in their deaths, but it almost ruined the life of another friend. I mean, when Luke betrayed us, you took it pretty badly, even more than I did."

Harry found a spot on the floor fairly interesting to look at. He mumbled, "Yeah… I guess you're pretty spot on."

She continued, "Percy, I don't know what yours is, but every hero has one. If you don't find it and learn to control it… well, they don't call it fatal for nothing."

None of them said anything for a while, then Percy wadded up his lump of wax and was about to throw it. However, Harry stopped him, "Wait! Give it to me. Might still come in handy for me. Ron and Neville snore like freaking machine guns."

Percy shrugged, and Harry stuffed a few more lumpy balls of wax into his backpack. Just then, Clarisse called out from the crow's nest, "Land Ho!"

They looked up and Percy caught his breath, "We're here! Thirty degrees, thirty-one minutes north, seventy-five degrees, twelve minutes west. We've reached the lair of Polyphemus!"

At first glance, the island did not scream 'Monster Island'. Except for a rope bridge over a chasm, it seemed like a typical tropical island. The landscape was filled with lush green fields, tropical fruit trees and white beaches.

Annabeth took a deep breath, "This is the work of the Fleece, I'm sure of it!"

Clarisse spotted a small cove and pointed to it, "There! Drop me off over there and wait! If I'm not back soon, assume that something happened and I've been captured. Then you have my permission to save my butt."

Harry was a bit unsure, "Mate, I'm not doubting your abilities, but this is Polyphemus, we're talking about. I'm not having someone die on my watch."

However, Percy cut in, "Have it your way, this is your quest."

With a nod, she hiked up the cliff, making her way to find the Fleece. In the meantime, the other three sailed on, searching for another cove. Eventually, they docked the Queen Anne's Revenge by some steep cliffs. The trio took a lifeboat to the craggy beach and began the slow torturous climb up. Soon, they found themselves at the top of a ravine, overlooking a lush meadow. On the meadow, they could see several flocks of sheep wandering around. It was also worth mentioning that even though they were watching from a distance, they could tell that the sheep were massive. Just past the sheep was a path leading up into a set of hills. At the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was a massive oak with something gold glittered in its branches.

Percy murmured, "This looks way too easy. Clarisse could just hike up there and take it."

That was when Murphy's Law decided to remind him that it still exists. A deer suddenly emerged from some nearby bushes and ambled into the meadow, looking for some fresh grass. The next thing that everyone knew, the sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. It happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves.

Grass and tufts of fur flew into the air.

A second later the sheep all moved away, back to their regular peaceful wanderings. Where the deer had been was a pile of clean white bones.

Harry smacked Percy on the back of his head, "Damn it Jackson! You jinxed us! Never ever say some shite like that again! Hey Beth, a very big If here, suppose we get the fleece back and successfully heal Thalia's tree, what happens to the island?"

Annabeth shrugged, "Don't know. I'm guessing that all of this will fade with time."

Having had enough of the scene, they continued exploring. After a small dip in the terrain, they found that they had to climb even more. At one point, Percy lost his grip and was dangling off a ledge by one hand. Later on, Annabeth stepped on a slippery patch of moss, but found another foothold. The bad news was that the foothold was Percy's face.

She sheepishly murmured, "Sorry…"

He grunted back, "It's okay."

Finally, the trio lugged themselves onto a ledge and rested their burning muscles. Suddenly, a loud, gruff voice bellowed, "Garrr!"

They kept quiet and Harry quickly draped his cloak over them. Below them, the voice bellowed, "You're a feisty one!"

Clarisse's voice shot back, "Challenge me! Give me back my sword and I'll fight you!"

Harry muttered under his breath, "Oh bollocks… Everything's gone tits up. We've got to improvise."

They crept over to the edge and saw Clarisse tied up and dangling upside-down, over a cauldron of boiling water. They also got their first look at Polyphemus. He was a massive being, and like Tyson, he had one eye. The only different was that the eye was milky white. Polyphemus scratched his chin, "Hmm… Eat loudmouth girl now? Or wait for wedding feast? What does my bride think?"

Grover, who was trying not to cower, stammered, "Oh… Umm… I'm not hungry right now, dear."

Fortunately, Clarisse did not blow his cover, as they had filled her in on Grover's predicament. Polyphemus grinned, "Does bride know good recipe?"

Grover blurted, "Mango chutney! I think there may be mangoes in the woods! You go, I'll stay and make the other preparations."

Clarisse roared, "Untie me so that I can rip your arms off! I'll stuff them down your throat!"

The Cyclops grinned, "You wait here. Have to graze sheep now. Be back in 10 minutes. Wedding postponed until dinner tonight and there will be two brides!"

Her eyes widened and choked out a strangled sound, "Oh no! You're not serious!"

Percy muttered, "I think I just threw up in my mouth."

Harry mused, "Huh… Didn't know that Cyclopes practiced polygamy. Or maybe Polyphemus is just a randy bastard."

Annabeth whispered harshly, "Harry! Don't be crude!"

Polyphemus plucked her off from the rope and chucked her body towards Grover. He grinned, "Make yourselves comfortable! I come back soon to prepare for the main event."

Then the Cyclops whistled, and a flock of goats and sheep – smaller than the man-eaters – flooded out of the cave and past their master. As they went to pasture, Polyphemus patted some on the back and called them by name. Harry had to suppress a snigger when he found out that one of them was named Lockhart.

When the last sheep had waddled out, Polyphemus rolled a boulder in front of the doorway. He grumbled to himself, "Mangoes… What are mangoes?"

As soon as he was out of sight, Harry took off the cloak and stuffed it back in his backpack. By then, Annabeth and Percy were trying to move the boulder. Harry gestured for them to move out of the way, then he pointed his wand and ordered, "Locomotor!"

It took a bit of effort, but he was able to move it enough for them to slip inside and he soon put it back in its place. They ventured into the cave, and near the back of it, they found their targets. Grover looked thrilled, "Percy! Annabeth! Harry! Man am I glad to see you all!"

Harry turned his wand into a sword and cut Clarisse free. She fumed, "Stupid cyclops got the jump on me. I was so damn close to taking the Fleece!"

Suddenly they heard bleating, getting closer. Harry quickly threw the cloak over himself, Annabeth and Percy. Just in time too, as the stone doorway was hauled aside and Polyphemus stepped back in. Just as he was about to roll the stone back, Harry had an idea. He yelled, "Oi! Ugly!"

The Cyclops stiffened, "Who said that!?"

He continued, "Lord Voldemort!"

Polyphemus roared, "Rargh! I'm not ugly!"

Harry continued taunting, "Yes you are! Nobody told me about you. Said that you were the ugliest thing he ever met!"

The Cyclops was now enraged. He screamed, "I hate Nobody! Nobody made my life miserable! One day! One day I will get my revenge! Voldemort! You are next because you are Nobody's friend!"

Polyphemus picked up the nearest object, the stone slab door, and threw it at the voice's direction. By then, the invisible trio had moved safely out of harm's way.

Harry spoke up again, "Nobody also told me that your throwing sucks arse. Good to see that he was right!"

Polyphemus howled. "Come here! Let me kill you! Then I'll kill Nobody!'

Annabeth donned her cap from under the cloak and then slipped out. She quipped back, "You can't kill Nobody, you stupid oaf. Come find me!"

Polyphemus barrelled down the hill towards where her voice was supposed to be. As soon as he was gone, she turned visible once again, while Harry threw off his cloak. Percy snickered, "You'd think he's realise that there were two voices, right? And that the last Nobody was male?"

Harry quipped back, "Considering that he thought that Grover was a female Cyclops, it's safe to say that Polyphemus is a dim-witted fruitcake."

Suddenly, they heard some heavy clumping getting closer. The five of them scurried over to a large cot and hid under it. Harry unsheathed his sword, turning it back into a wand.

The footsteps grew closer and closer, until they came into view, a few inches away from the cot. Harry gripped his wand tighter, and suddenly Polyphemus' ugly face filled their vision, "Got youAARRGHHHH!"

No sooner had he peeped under the cot, Harry thrust his wand in the Cyclops' face. He bellowed, "LUMOS SOLEM MAXIMA!"

Needless to say, the monster was not expecting a large bright light flash point blank. He staggered back, clutching his eye in agony, "RARGH! MY EYE! BRIGHT! TOO BRIGHT!"

The five wasted no time and bolted out from under the bed. After a few minutes of running, Grover led everyone out of the cave and straight to a rope bridge. They booked it down the hill, all the while, Polyphemus was screaming, "I'll grind you into sheep chow! Curse you Nobody and Voldemort!"

Percy and Harry were the last ones across the bridge, and they doubled back to cut the ropes. Unfortunately, it was too late, as Polyphemus was on their side of the bridge. He grinned nastily, "Failed! Nobody and Voldemort failed!"

Percy went ballistic at the taunting. He raised his sword and leaped into the fray. With Riptide, he jabbed the Cyclops in the belly, forcing the baby blue tuxedo-clad monster to double over. Then, he bonked the monster on the nose with his sword hilt. He went down like a sack of potatoes, and Percy towered over him, his sword inches from the milky white eye.

Polyphemus sobbed, "Please, noooo! M-m-my sheepies need me. Only trying to protect my sheep!"

Clarisse and Grover were egging Percy on to kill the monster. Annabeth started forward, but Harry held her back, "Wait… Let him make the choice."

Percy levelled the sword at the monster's face, "We only want the Fleece. Will you agree to let us take it?"

The monster sniffed. "My beautiful Fleece. Prize of my collection. Take it, cruel human. Take it and go in peace."

Percy began to slowly lower his sword, "I'm going to step back slowly. One false move…"

Polyphemus nodded like he understood. But as soon as Percy stepped back, Polyphemus struck as fast as a cobra. He smacked the demigod to the edge of the cliff.

He bellowed, "Foolish mortal! Take my Fleece? Ha! I eat you first."

Before anyone could react, a basketball-sized rock sailed into Polyphemus's throat. The shot was so beautiful that it would have made Michael Jordan shed a tear in pride. The Cyclops choked, and staggered backwards, but there was no place to stagger. His heel slipped, the edge of the cliff crumbled, and the great Polyphemus tumbled into the chasm.

Everyone turned and Harry sported a broad grin at the sight in front of him. Halfway down the path to the beach, standing completely unharmed in the midst of a flock of killer sheep, was an old friend. Tyson wagged a finger and scolded, "Bad Polyphemus. Not all Cyclopes as nice as we look."

Harry wanted to rush over and throw his arms around the friendly Cyclops. He cheered, "You big lug! Good to see you mini-Hagrid! How did you make it out alive? Not that I'm complaining."

He excitedly said, "As I was sinking, I was picked up by Rainbow the fish pony! Tried to find you ever since! Then I caught the smell of sheep and found this island."

Then Percy hollered, "Tyson! The Fleece! Can you get it for us!"

He looked around at the sheep, that were beginning to gather around him and nuzzle him. Harry pointed, "The gold one in the tree!"

"Oh… Pretty! Yes!"

He carefully waded through the bleating sea of wool, lifted the Golden Fleece off its branch and began his slow return. As soon as the fleece left the branch, the tree it was on, began to wither and the leaves turned yellow. However, the sheep began to slow his progress, so Tyson though fast and flung it towards them with all his might.

Percy reached up and managed to pluck it out from mid-air. He slung it over his shoulder and waiting for Tyson to make it back. Unfortunately, the cannibal sheep slowed him down even further. A few began to sniff in their direction, but Tyson successfully distracted them.

Harry hollered out, "Oi, Tyson! You think you can lead the flock away from us? We've got to get to our ship! Meet us back there!"

He nodded and whistled. 'Come, sheepies! Um, people food this way!'. With that, the Cyclops jogged off into the meadow, the sheep in pursuit.

Soon, they reached the water's edge and Percy willed the Queen Anne's Revenge to raise anchor and come to them. After a few anxious minutes, they spotted the ship rounding the tip of the island.

Then they heard hurried footsteps and saw Tyson barrelling towards them, yelling, 'Incoming!'. He was bounding down the path to join the group, the sheep about fifty metres behind, bleating in frustration as their Cyclops friend ran away without feeding them.

Harry and Percy exchanged glances, "Swim?", "Swim!"

They almost made it to the ship, when they heard an enraged roar behind. Apparently, Polyphemus was still alive, and he was wading towards them with a boulder in each hand.

The good news was that the monster's attention wasn't on the Fleece. The bad news was that his attention was on his compatriot. Polyphemus roared in anger, "You, young Cyclops!. Traitor to your kind!"

Tyson froze, and Percy pleaded with him to not listen. The younger Cyclops glared defiantly at the older Cyclops. "I am not a traitor."

"You serve mortals!" Polyphemus shouted. "Thieving humans!"

He lobbed a boulder, but Tyson swatted it aside with his bare fist. He charged at them, but had a visible limp, leading Harry to guess that he injured his foot in the fall. Tyson ordered, "Go! I will hold of Big Ugly!"

However, Percy insisted, "Together! We fight him together!"

Polyphemus advanced carefully, limping worse than ever. But there was nothing wrong with his throwing arm. He chucked his second boulder, forcing Percy to dodge. Then, Percy caused a six metre wave to bring him towards the killer Cyclops. The impact blast him back towards the beach.

Polyphemus coughed, "Destroy you!. Fleece stealer!"

Percy yelled back, "You stole the Fleece! You've been using it to lure satyrs to their deaths!"

"So? Satyrs good eating!"

"The Fleece should be used to heal! It belongs to the children of the gods!"

He bellowed, "I am a child of the gods! Father Poseidon, curse this thief."

Percy evidently figured out that Harry's spell blinded the Cyclops even further. He backed up as Polyphemus lunged in his general direction. Percy retorted, "Poseidon won't curse me. I'm his son, too. He won't play favourites."

Tyson managed to sneak up behind him, but froze when Polyphemus called out to him. He hollered, "Young one! Where are you? Help me! You weren't raised right! Poor orphaned brother! Help me!"

No one moved. No sound but the ocean. Then Tyson stepped forward, raising his hands defensively. 'Don't fight, Cyclops brother. Put down the –"

In an instant, Polyphemus grabbed a nearby olive tree and swung it at the unsuspecting Tyson. The younger Cyclops flew backwards upon impact and Polyphemus charged after him. Percy retaliated, and somehow managed to stab him in the back.

Polyphemus swung the tree, but Percy grabbed it and was sent skywards. Eventually, he landed on Polyphemus' face, specifically on his milky white eye. Percy recovered and got away from the thrashing Cyclops. He soon raised his sword for the kill, but hesitated. Instead, he and Tyson made a break for the ship. As they boarded, Clarisse hooted, "WHOOO! Yeah Jackson! In your face, Cyclops!"

Everyone shot her a death glare as Polyphemus recovered and lobbed a boulder. Luckily it fell short, and she resumed taunting, "Yeah, yeah! You throw like a wimp! Teach you to try to marry me, you idiot!"

Percy yelled, "Shut up Clarisse!"

Polyphemus flung another boulder, and it would have sunken the ship, if Harry hadn't brought out his wand and yelled, "PROTEGO!"

Amazingly, a massive translucent shield formed around the ship and the boulder bounced off of it. Percy wasted no time in gaining control of the ship and sailing out of there. All other chucked boulders missed, but Harry was not taking any chances and kept up the shield. Finally, he slumped over, exhausted, leaning heavily on the side of the railing. He was just in time to hear Polyphemus scream, "I curse you, Voldemort! You will die a quick and early death! I curse you to the depths of Tartarus!"

Clarisse came over and dragged him down, "You okay, Potter?"

He panted, "Yeah… Just some magical exhaustion. I've never made that big of a shield before. That took a lot out of me."

The other three gathered around him and Annabeth said, "Hey, good call on the Voldemort thing. I was going to go with Nobody, again."

He grinned weakly, "Yeah, I remember the story of Ulysses too. Except, he made the mistake of revealing his real name, and Polyphemus cursed him. Figured that if he was going to do the same thing, might as well happen to my enemy."

An hour later, Harry had recovered enough strength to move around. Then he had a thought, "Hey… How are we going to return the Queen Anne's Revenge back to Blackbeard?"

Clarisse shrugged, "We'll probably leave it on a nearby island, provided it isn't full of monsters. Jackson, you think you can arrange for some transport?"

Harry quickly interjected, "It had better not be some kind of sea monster. Hedwig was nearly eaten by a bloody megalodon!"

Fortunately, the next island they reached, was abandoned, so they left the ship there. Then, Tyson gave a piercing whistle, and soon, there were six lines zipping towards them and five hippocampi and one kelpie burst forth. Tyson rushed over and hugged one of them, "Rainbow!"

Very soon, they were zipping across the ocean. All the while, Percy tightened his grip on the Golden Fleece. The journey took hours, so they all took turns to keep watch while the others slept. Later on, close to sunset, Annabeth woke everyone up, noting that they were nearing Miami. A couple of miles away from the harbour, the hippocampi and kelpie slowed down and stopped.

Percy called out, "This is as far as they will go. Too many humans and too much pollution. We're going to have to swim the rest of the way."

Finally, they were back on dry land, but oddly didn't get any curious looks. In an alleyway, Harry used his wand to cast Drying Charms on everyone. When they exited, Annabeth spotted a nearby Miami Herald newspaper. Her face paled, "June 18th! We've been away from camp for nearly 10 days. The Fleece has to be back in camp by tonight!"

Clarisse grunted, "Got any ideas?"

Harry perked up, "We can take the Knight Bus!"

He casually checked the street and noticed that no one was there. He raised his wand, and in an instant, there was a loud bang and a familiar purple bus stopped in front of him. Percy handed the Fleece to her, which had transformed into a jacket. The daughter of Ares moaned, "This was supposed to be my quest. I never should have let you idiots tag along!"

Annabeth was fuming, "Damnit Clarisse! You are the biggest-"

Percy snapped, "Stop it! Clarisse, what did the Oracle tell you?"

She hesitantly recited, "You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone. You shall find what you seek and make it your own. But despair for your life entombed within stone. And fail without friends, to go home alone"

Grover winced, "Ouch…"

However, Percy perked up, "No, wait. Clarisse, you go and take the bus alone. It's your quest. I have a feeling that Luke won't give up. As long as he thinks we have the Fleece, he'll leave you alone and go after us."

Harry grinned, "Divide and conquer. Brilliant!"

With a nod, Clarisse boarded the bus, but not before Harry handed her a bunch of Galleons. After another bang, the bus was gone, leaving the five of them alone. Harry turned his wand back into a sword and began walking, "Come on. Let's find the nearest Wizarding District and use the Floo."

Unfortunately, not even two minutes had passed, when Percy rounded a corner and found a sword pointed at his throat. The sword's owner, Luke grinned, "Hey, cuz! Welcome back to the States."

Agrius and Oreius suddenly materialised and restrained Annabeth, Grover and Harry. Before Tyson could retaliate, Luke coolly said, "Percy, tell your monster to back down or I'll have Agrius and Oreius bash your friends' heads together."

Without another word, they were all frog-marched to the Princess Andromeda. The prisoners were herded onto the aft deck, in front of a swimming pool. Luke stood in front of them and mused, "So, the Fleece? Where is it?"

He used his sword to poke Grover, "Hey! That's real goat fur under there!"

Luke smiled, "Sorry, old friend. Just give me the Fleece and I'll leave you to return to your, ah, little nature quest."

"Blaa-ha-ha!' Grover protested. 'Some old friend!"

Luke's voice grew softer and more dangerous, "Maybe you didn't hear me. Where – is – the – Fleece?"

Harry sniped, "How do you know if we even have it, Rat? For all you know, Polyphemus could have given us a choice of either Grover or the Fleece!"

However, Percy evidently decided that honesty was the best policy, "Not here. We sent it on ahead of us. You messed up."

His eyes narrowed, "You're lying. You couldn't have… Clarisse?"

Percy grinned, "As we speak, she's probably booking her flight to New York!"

Luke grit his teeth and snarled, "Agrius! Prepare my steed! I need to fly to Miami Airport, and fast!"

"But, boss –", Agrius tried to protest.

"Do it!' Luke screamed. 'Or I'll feed you to the drakon!"

The crew looked uneasy, having never seen Luke look so unhinged before. Then Percy noticed the swimming pool and the fountains spraying mist in the air, making a rainbow in the sunset. An idea formed in his head, but he needed a distraction.

Percy fumed, "You've been toying with us all along. You wanted us to bring you the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it."

Luke scowled. "Of course, you idiot! And you've messed everything up!"

Percy flung a drachma at Luke, yelling, 'Traitor!". Obviously, he dodged it easily and the coin sailed into the spray of rainbow-coloured water. Harry caught on to what he was doing and silently murmured, "O goddess, accept our offering."

Percy yelled at Luke, "You tricked all of us! Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"

Behind Luke, the fountain began to shimmer, but everyone's attention was still on Percy. To further sell the performance, he uncapped Riptide.

Luke sneered. "This is no time for heroics, Percy. Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later."

Percy ignored him, "Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?"

He gloated, "I did, of course. I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus."

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?"

"Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool wouldn't have the guts."

"You call it guts? Betraying your friends? Endangering the whole camp?"

Luke was starting to lose patience. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece. At least once I was done with it."

It hit the group like a ton of bricks. Harry was aghast, "You were going to heal Kronos!"

"Yes! The Fleece's magic would've sped his mending process by tenfold. But you haven't stopped us. You've only slowed us down a little."

Percy continued, "And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up – all to help Kronos destroy the gods."

Luke finally snapped. "You know that already! Why do you keep asking me? Are you really that stupid?"

Percy ignored the barb, but had a smirk on his face, "Actually, I'm just doing this because I wanted everybody in the audience to hear you."

"What audience?"

His eyes narrowed and he glanced behind him, along with his goons. Seeing their gobsmacked faces was extremely worth it. Above the pool, shimmering in the rainbow mist, was an Iris-message vision of Dionysus, Dumbledore and the whole camp in the dining pavilion.

Dionysus deadpanned, "Well… That was some unplanned dinner entertainment."

"Mr D, you heard him," Percy pleaded. "You all heard Luke. The poisoning of the tree wasn't Chiron's fault."

Mr D sighed. "I suppose not."

Dumbledore had a serene smile, "I daresay Mr. Jackson, this has been a rather clever plan!"

Luke bellowed with rage. He slashed his sword through the fountain and the Iris-message dissolved, but the deed was done. He growled, "Kronos was right, Percy. You're an unreliable weapon. You need to be replaced."

With those words, he took out a brass whistle and blew it. Dozens of warriors burst out and surrounded the five. Luke grinned, "You lot will never leave this boat alive."