Chapter 36 – Off-course

Jason stared down at the mahogany table between his hands as he felt the storm raging around them, battering at the trireme with a vengeance as if it were alive and angry. Thunder rumbled, shaking the entire ship as lightning flashed around them in all directions – only one deity could form a storm with such accuracy. Next to him Piper was sullen, staring at the images of Camp Half-Blood that flashed across the walls.

Nico, Hazel and Frank crowded one of the longer sides of the table, and Leo sat at the other end to Jason.

"The storm has blown us off-course," Leo said quietly, fiddling with little pieces of metal and wiring that he pulled out of his toolbelt. "We're about two-hundred miles off the north coast of Libya."

The son of Jupiter pressed his lips together, wanting to curse, but knowing it would get them nowhere.

"Closer to Crete than to Epirus," Nico muttered.

Jason sighed. "Dad wants us to go to Crete," he guessed. Either that, or Jupiter had found out that Kronos had played him for a fool since last August and had spirited off Percy Jackson to somewhere unknown, and he was taking it out on the demigods. The storm had sprung up out of nowhere soon after, flinging the Argo II southward.

"Kronos wanted us to go there too," Piper pointed out. The Titan's name had the temperature dropping slightly, and Piper grimaced.

"But why would both he and Jupiter want us to go there?"

"You said you met those nymphs, remember?" Leo asked, his eyes furrowed. "The ones that had helped raise baby Zeus?"

"Hagno," Piper recalled. She frowned down at the table, recalling what the nymph had said to her and Jason, but not Percy – "I must return to Mount Ida, I fear Amalthea will require our help. Perhaps we may meet again." "Amalthea," Piper murmured.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Amalthea?" Nico frowned. "She was the goat that fed Zeus her milk, right? What about her?"

"I think she's in danger," Piper realised. "And Hagno knew we'd be going there. She knew – she knew that… Kronos wasn't really helping us. But she didn't say anything."

Jason frowned when the temperature once again dropped, and the light flickered overhead. "Let's not say his name," Jason suggested. "Just… for peace of mind."

Piper nodded. "Good idea," she said.

"So what's going on at Mount Ida then?" Leo asked. "If both the Titans and Zeus want us there…"

"That's something that we've got to find out," Jason said. "Hopefully my dad quits with the storm soon, or at least he could give us a lift right up to Mount Ida."

"The Titans." Frank's eyebrows furrowed as he thought. "You remember we said we ran into one in Phorcys' aquarium?" He asked.

"Yes," Jason said. Koios.

"The constellations," Piper breathed, her eyes widening. "Isn't there a Titan that controls the constellations?"

Jason fisted his hands against the table. "Yes," he realised, one that he had already faced. How hadn't he put it together before? Krios was well-known for his control over the stars. It wasn't too much of a stretch of the imagination that he could drag the constellations out of the night sky and resurrect them at will. "The oldest Titan, Percy said he'd blessed the Vamari." Oceanus.

"They've been working against us all this time," Piper said angrily. "Those backstabbing bastards!"

Her words, for some reason, made Nico freeze where he sat. "Backstabbing," he echoed, his eyes widening. "Oh gods – Annabeth."

"What about her?" Leo frowned. "Why's she a backstabber?"

"She's not," Nico said grimly. "But Luke is."

Piper shut her eyes. "I knew it. Luke, I picked up on it months ago! He's so fanatically loyal to Kronos…"

"And Annabeth is trapped in Tartarus with him," Nico finished grimly.

"Well, that's it," Frank murmured. "A male and a female demigod. Gaea's got Percy and Annabeth," he said.

"Maybe not," Nico said.

"He took Percy," Jason said sharply. "How is that maybe not?" And, after seeing all the blood splattered over the bedsheet, the crumbled wall and shattered plumbing, Jason doubted that Percy could have survived Kronos' attack.

"Luke's been playing along with us," Piper reminded Jason. "He helped with the giant twins and rescuing Nico. Maybe he doesn't want to break his cover."

"Annabeth's still down there with him," Leo pointed out.

"Maybe," Nico conceded. "But if there's one person whom can get out of that safe, it's Annabeth. It's not a good situation, but… maybe I can try to get a message to her? Maybe we can warn her."

"How? She's stuck in Tartarus. IMs don't go down there," Jason said. "We've already tried."

"I… might have an idea," Nico said, suddenly looking more animated as he leant forward. "Have any of you ever heard the Story of Bob?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "The story of Bob?"

"Who's Bob?" Leo asked.

Nico smiled.

Annabeth stumbled along behind Luke, the other demigod's blade gleaming in the red mist that hung over them. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but a giant cavern at least the size of Manhattan wasn't it.

Her ankle throbbed, her lungs were screaming from inhaling the poisonous air around them, and she was so tired that the thought of simply stopping to take a quick nap was astonishingly appealing.

Luke glanced back at her, his blue eyes clouded with an emotion that made her worried. He seemed to know where he was going – apparently there was a shrine to Hermes close by where they could rest. Annabeth wasn't sure that rest existed in Tartarus, but she wasn't about to complain. It was, however, odd that neither of them had seen a single monster since Arachne had tried to kill them.

The demigoddess had lost both her bronze knife and Daedalus' laptop at some point between falling and landing, and she felt nearly naked without them. She knew that Luke had always done his best to protect her, but still wanted her own weapon to protect herself with. If they were attacked, she'd rather be prepared and ready.

As it turned out, even with a knife she'd have been unable to do anything. After all, what good was an injured demigod without a weapon against a Titan?

So just a small chapter here, to split up the chapters a bit. Kind of like an interlude between Act 2 and Act 3 of a play (which is where this would be if it were a play).

Percy chapter next chapter, so prepare yourselves for an angst-filled confrontation between Kronos and Percy. Neither of them will be holding back xD.

LilithAztecs: Yes. I will :)

1234booklover (chap 24): I hope not, I'd rather not be arrested xD. Yup, that's capricorn.

Thatgremlinbitch: Ohhh yes, Sally is going to come after Kronos with a frying pan for this lol.

ghostfall: That is the reaction I was looking for! I'd never!

1234booklover: Kronos betrayed Percy because he's a confused little asshole who just wants cuddles xD.

BlueFireRunes: Thanks :)

itsshantyboo: Yeah, Kronos is a bit of a dick lol