LAST TIME:

Chugging toward us down the river was the strangest ship I'd ever seen. It rode low in the water like a submarine, its deck plated with iron. In the middle was a trapezoid-shaped casemate with slats on each side for cannons. A flag waved from the top: a Wild boar and spear on a bloodred field. Lining the decks were zombies in gray uniforms- dead soldiers with shimmering faces that only partially covered their skulls, like the ghouls I'd seen in the Underworld Guarding Hades' palace.

The ship was an ironclad. A Civil War battle cruiser. I could just make out the name along the prow in moss-covered letters: CSS Birmingham.

"The gift from my father," Clarisse said, coming to stand next to me. "The spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to Ares. That's their curse for being defeated. They are one of them."

The ship docked and we climbed aboard.

16. The Sea of Monsters

As soon as I hit the sack, which was even before the ship entered the sea, my sleep was full of dreams.

My first dream was centered around Grover. Bless his soul, he sensed me as soon as I entered his dream and he started questioning Polyphemus about the security on his island and confirmed the fact that Polyphemus was the one who held the Golden Fleece. He then turned to look directly and me and said, "Please hurry Percy."

And, then the dream shifted.

Suddenly I was at Camp Half-Blood. What I saw, sent chills down my spine. A Draco Aionius, which was a big-bad fire-breathing lizard was destroying the arts and craft building as the campers tried to kill it. One of Clarisse's brothers was leading the charge against the monster while Lee Fletcher led the archers... So, the head of Apollo cabin, who was still in the mortal world in the first week of summer had returned.

That was good as Lee was the best archer in the camp and his skills with archery and making enchanted arrows that could do... myriad things as he needed. His presence would be a great boon to the camp.

I saw the campers successfully kill the Draco Aionius and medics rushed into the field to carry the wounded campers away.

The dream shifted again and then I was with Chiron who looked to be at a party... with other centaurs. The music was blaring as Chiron seemed to be trying to converse with another centaur who had a long, white beard. The centaurs around them were wearing T-shirts proclaiming "PARTY PONIES".

Suddenly an alarm started wailing and I woke up with a start.

The door of my room slammed open and Annabeth burst in. "Oh good, you are up Percy. Come upstairs to the deck. We're nearing the entrance to the sea of monsters."

I immediately got to my feet and followed Annabeth up the stairs as Dead confederate soldiers yelled orders to ready the canon. Just what the hell were they doing up there?

I saw Clarisse peering down the horizon with a pair of Binoculars. I looked in the same direction as she was, but I couldn't see much. The sky was overcast. The air was hazy and humid, like steam from an iron. If I squinted real hard, I could just make out a couple of dark fuzzy splotches in the distance. My nautical senses told me we were somewhere off the coast of northern Florida, so we'd come a long way overnight, farther than any mortal ship should've been able to travel

#Charybdis and Scylla up ahead Percy. I say you blow Scylla up with canons... like you won't be able to kill her but the canon should be enough to make her retreat to her caves. Charybdis is a bad idea.# Alexander told me.

"Full Steam ahead captain!" Clarisse yelled. The engine groaned as we increased speed.

Tyson muttered nervously beside me, "Too much strain on the pistons. Not meant for deep water."

After a few more minutes, the dark splotches ahead of us came into focus. To the north, a huge mass of rock rose out of the sea-an island with cliffs at least a hundred feet tall. About half a mile south of that, the other patch of darkness was a storm brewing. The sky and sea boiled together in a roaring mass.

"Hurricane?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Clarisse said. "Charybdis."

Annabeth paled. "Are you crazy?"

"Only way into the Sea of Monsters. Straight between Charybdis and her sister Scylla." Clarisse pointed to the top of the cliffs.

"What do you mean the only way?" Annabeth asked. "The sea is wide open! Just sail around them."

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Don't you know anything? If I tried to sail around them, they would just appear in my path again. If you want to get into the Sea of Monsters, you have to sail through them."

"What about the Clashing Rocks?" Annabeth said. "That's another gateway. Jason used it."

"I can't blow apart rocks with my cannons," Clarisse said. "Monsters, on the other hand…"

"You are crazy," Annabeth decided.

"Watch and learn, Wise Girl." Clarisse turned to the captain. "Set course for Charybdis!"

"Aye—"

"No," I said firmly. "Set course for Scylla."

"Scylla is too high to make a good target. My cannons can't shoot straight up. Charybdis just sits there at the center of her whirlwind. We're going to steam straight toward her, train our guns on her, and blow her to Tartarus!" Clarisse said it with such relish I almost wanted to believe her. Almost.

"Yes. While you guys are in control you can not shoot that high. But I can." I said with a grin as my Trident appeared. "And Charybdis can't be blown apart with what we have here and neither can we blow up Scylla. But, we can force Scylla to retreat to her caves with heavy fire while Charybdis is unmovable and her mouth is bigger than this ship. The ship won't survive Charybdis. " I explained.

Saying so, I tapped the trident on the floor and felt the control of the whole ship shift to me. I knew I could now control the ship as easily as I controlled my left hand.

A dead soldier came running towards us and said, "Sir, Sir. We lost- We cannot control the ship."

I smirked and willed the ship to set the course for Scylla.

"Captain! Load the cannons fully and tell you, Soldiers, to hold tight." I ordered putting war command into my voice. The Captain saluted and ran while shouting orders.

I turned to my friends. "Clarisse, Tyson, go to the rear of the ship with this," I said tossing Clarisse the thermos that Hermes had given me. According to Annabeth, they hadn't even turned it half to escape from Princess Andromeda. "When I give you the go, you uncap the whole flask which will propel the ship and give it enough lift to shoot the canon properly to attack Scylla."

"Percy, how will we gain height though? The winds will propel us forward not higher."

"Not if I tilt the ship while lifting it with the water," I replied. "We will be propelled like a missile. Also, we will be going very fast giving Scylla less time to attack us."

"Oh, and what when it lands?" Annabeth asked. "Will it survive the crash?"

I pondered over her question while Tyson replied, "Too much strain on the pistons. No, it would go ka-boom!"

#He is right. The ship will likely be reduced to pieces as soon as it hits the ocean.#

"Then be near the lifeboats. As soon as we cross Scylla and are about to crash, escape with the lifeboats. Clarisse, stay with Tyson. Annabeth with me. So, none of us will get lost at the sea."

"Wait," Clarisse said. "I understand that you're like a human GPS at the sea but how am I going to be—"

"Tyson is a son of Poseidon too, Clarisse. While he cannot control the sea as I or a demigod can, he still has all the passive abilities like talking to aquatic animals and horses, breathing underwater, water healing, and sensing the location while at the sea, etc. The only powers Tyson is unable to use are water manipulation, storm powers, and Earth-shaker powers. So he'll guide you to Polyphemus's island in case we don't find each other."

"What about the skeleton soldiers?" Tyson asked.

"They gain their freedom from service if they sacrifice themself to a worthy cause. It will free them of the war." Clarisse answered in a solemn tone.

"Ok, we will be approaching Scylla in about five minutes. Hold tight and once I give the command uncap the whole thermos. Oh, and Tyson, here is something for you brother." I said taking a huge baseball bat made of celestial bronze out of my bag and handing it to him. It was something I had found in the vault of Lotus Hotel and Casino. The bat could increase the force of a blow by ten percent. While it was not much, it made a decent difference when used by a cyclops as the race was known for its brute strength. He had taken the bat out of his tent before he went to sleep to give it to Tyson as he had noticed that his half-brother didn't have a weapon while they fought the Hydra.

So, he had thought that Tyson needed to have a weapon to call his own and the best thing that fit him was the baseball bat which was five feet in length and perfect for the Cyclops to use. Of course, he had a few other options like a war hammer, a huge double-sided Axe, a spiked club, etc. but I thought that the baseball suited Tyson the best.

"Big stick?" Tyson asked swinging the baseball a few times.

"Yes, it is made of celestial bronze and is better for fighting monsters," I replied. Without preamble, Tyson pulled me into a rib-crushing hug which nearly made me lose concentration on the ship for a moment.

"Easy there big guy." I gasped and Tyson thankfully loosened his hold on me. Once I was released, I realized that we would soon be in Scylla's range.

"Go fast! And give me the announcement mic here!" I shouted. Clarisse tossed me a walkie-talkie-like object and grabbed Tyson's arm before going towards the rear of the ship.

"Annabeth, ready the lifeboat. And hold tight. Things are about to get a bit rocky." I said before taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. The sea beneath us churned responding to my will. We gained even more speed. The ship soon started rising higher on a huge wave and tilted at thirty degrees. I opened my eyes which were glowing and willed the ship to rise even higher and nullified the resistance that Charybdis was causing which was admittedly less because we were as close to Scylla as possible. Thankfully, this was possible cause I had recovered significantly from the fight with Tethys whilst I slept for several hours on the ship.

"Load the cannons! Clarisse, be ready." I said, and my voice echoed through the ship's speakers installed. We were almost in Scylla's range now. A fourth of a mile more and Scylla was likely to attack our ship.

#On my mark, Percy.# Alexander told me and I readied myself by gripping my trident tightly. #Three... two... one, NOW!#

I gave out a grunt as I felt a painful tug in my gut and the ship tilted even more before shooting twenty meters higher.

"CLARISSE, NOW!" My senses tingled and I held on to the railing as the ship shot up like a missile. If I hadn't grabbed the railing, I would've completely fallen off my feet. As we went airborne, I could see Scylla in the distance as her ugly face stared at the ship. A score of Tentacles with what looked like a Serpent-shark hybrid's face sprouted from her back and glared hungrily towards us as they extended in our direction to devour us.

A second later, I yelled, "FIRE!" And, the canons went off and thankfully, hit the mark. About three or four of Scylla's serpent-shark-faced tentacles dissolved into golden dust as the cannonballs hit them while some impacted the cliff and one hit near Scylla's feet which sent her stumbling back a bit. She gave a hideous wail/ roar before a dozen of her tentacles lunged at us.

"FIRE!" I yelled once more and gained a similar result. But, this time after the wail/ roar, Scylla didn't attack us. She had lost half her tentacles and thankfully had enough sense to retreat into the cave. But, we had a bigger problem. We were airborne and currently soaring about two hundred and fifty feet above the sea... which was like a falling from a hundred-floor high building, and we were about to start descending without any means of cushioning or slowing the fall.

Annabeth let out a scream as we descended into a fall and the ocean sped towards us at high speed. I somehow ran towards Annabeth and pulled her into a lifeboat just as the CSS Birmingham hit the water and I could hear the metal cracking as the ship bounced on the water like a skipping stone and spun at the same time. It took all my will to keep the ship from capsizing as Annabeth cut the ropes. The good thing was, Tyson and Clarisse had escaped as I could no longer feel them on the ship.

Suddenly the rope holding the lifeboat was cut and the boat was launched into the sea due to the inertia. We were barely fifty meters away when my senses tingled and I instinctively erected a wall of water just as the CSS Birmingham went Ka-boom. The wall of water protected Annabeth and me from the shrapnel but the force of the explosion sent our boat deeper into the sea of monsters while we had no idea where our companions were.

Three hours later, or should I say three hours later according to me, Annabeth and I were still sailing in the sea of monsters. Time traveled differently in the sea of monsters as far as I knew. I used my sea powers to set the ship's course towards 30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. We were still pretty far from that currently and would take several hours to reach there.

Also, I had no idea where Tyson and Clarisse were. I couldn't sense them and neither could I see them even with my binoculars. For as far as I could see, there was only glittering green water which I didn't like. It was like I was traveling in a tainted ocean... which I was. The wind smelled fresh and salty, but it carried a strange metallic scent, too-as if a thunderstorm were coming. Or something even more dangerous. That put me on edge.

Also, no matter which way we sat, the sun seemed to shine straight into my eyes. We took turns sipping from a Dr. Pepper that Annabeth had picked from the ship, shading ourselves with the sail as best we could. And we talked about my latest dream of Grover and the camp. I also talked in detail about what had exactly happened aboard Princess Andromeda and afterward in my fight against Tethys.

"This is bad Percy. We need to get this word to your father that the titans of the sea have joined the crooked one. In the Titanomachy, the two of them stayed neutral and willingly gave up the rule of the sea to Poseidon in exchange for freedom from restrictions like the other Titans were put under."

"I can only talk with my father in detail when we meet Annabeth. I can not IM him... well not while we are here in the sea of monsters."

Just then a seagull swooped down out of nowhere and landed on our makeshift mast. Annabeth looked startled as the bird dropped a small cluster of leaves into her lap. "Land," she said. "There's land nearby!"

"So? This is probably some monster island or a trap Annabeth and you know it. We can not dock and go around asking for help." I said.

"But we can sneak around and see if we can find a better boat than this. You cannot use your power continuously to guide this boat to Polyphemus's island Percy. That is like a hundred miles away!"

"One hundred and twenty-six" I replied absent-mindedly as I peered over the horizon to see a line of blue and brown in the distance.

"Exactly my point! If you keep going you'll tire yourself out, Percy. And we need a sturdier ship I think. A ship would increase our travel speed too!" Annabeth said.

#She isn't wrong.# Alexander chimed in. #Listen to her. We will face whatever we have to there.#

"Alright," I replied as I saw an island with a small mountain in the center, a dazzling white collection of buildings, a beach dotted with palm trees, and a harbor filled with a strange assortment of boats.

#And there are so many boats! We can find something better than this fragile lifeboat. A proper boat will be tons better. And, we can just steal one.#

I willed the boat to go towards the island which looked like a tropical paradise. As soon as our boat docked, a lady came towards us.

"Welcome!" said the lady with the clipboard.

She looked like a flight attendant-blue business suit, perfect makeup, hair pulled back in a ponytail. She shook our hands as we stepped onto the dock. With the dazzling smile she gave us, you would've thought we'd just gotten off a costly cruise ship rather than a banged-up rowboat. Then again, our rowboat wasn't the weirdest ship in port. Along with a bunch of pleasure yachts, there was a U.S. Navy submarine, several dugout canoes, and an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship. There was a helipad with a Channel Five Fort Lauderdale helicopter on it, and a short runway with a Learjet and a propeller plane that looked like a World War II fighter.

"Is this your first time with us?" the clipboard lady inquired.

Annabeth and I exchanged looks. My senses said that the lady was a half-blood and not a monster.

Annabeth said, "Umm…"

"First-time-at-spa," the lady said as she wrote on her clipboard.

'Spa?' I thought incredulously. 'A spa in the middle of the sea of monsters?'

#Definitely a trap of some sort.#

"Let's see…" She looked us up and down critically. "Mmm. An herbal wrap to start for the young lady. And of course, a complete makeover for the young gentleman."

"A what?" I asked. She was too busy jotting down notes to answer.

"Right!" She said with a breezy smile. "Well, I'm sure C.C. will want to speak with you personally before the luau. Come, please."

#C.C.# Alexander muttered. #That's Circe, the sorceress known for men into animals. This means we are on the island of Aeaea.#

'Fantastic' I thought sarcastically.

#Well, let us meet her then! Oh, and take one of Hermes's multivitamins before you face her. It'll make you immune to magic.#

I discreetly popped a multivitamin in my mouth and gave Annabeth one who did the same unquestioningly. The multivitamin I ate tasted like a cross between lemon-flavored and strawberry-flavored candy. And I knew that I was ready to face Circe and her lieutenants.

Despite what I was about to face, I had to admit one thing: The place was amazing. There was white marble and blue water everywhere I looked. Terraces climbed up the side of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level, connected by watersides and waterfalls and underwater tubes you could swim through. Fountains sprayed water into the air, forming impossible shapes, like flying eagles and galloping horses.

We passed all kinds of tame animals. A sea turtle napped in a stack of beach towels. A leopard stretched out asleep on the diving board. The resort guests-only young women, as far as I could see lounged in deck chairs, drinking fruit smoothies or reading magazines while herbal gunk dried on their faces and manicurists in white uniforms did their nails.

As we headed up a staircase toward what looked like the main building, I heard a woman singing. Her voice drifted through the air like a lullaby. Her words were in some language other than Ancient Greek, but just as old-Minoan, maybe, or something like that. I could understand what she sang about moonlight in the olive groves, the colors of the sunrise. And magic.

Her words had magic in them, but Annabeth and I didn't fall under its thrall due to the multivitamins.

We came into a big room where the whole front wall was windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, so the room seemed to go on forever. There was a bunch of expensive-looking white furniture, and on a table in one corner was a large wire pet cage. The cage seemed out of place, but I didn't think about it too much, because just then I saw the lady who'd been singing… and whoa.

She sat at a loom the size of a big-screen TV, her hands weaving colored thread back and forth with amazing skill. The tapestry shimmered like it was three-dimensional: a waterfall scene so real I could see the water moving and clouds drifting across a fabric sky. Annabeth caught her breath. "It's beautiful."

The woman turned. She was even prettier than her fabric. Her long dark hair was braided with threads of gold. She had piercing green eyes and she wore a silky black dress with shapes that seemed to move in the fabric: animal shadows, black upon black, like deer running through a forest at night.

#Percy, I know she is hot and all but you mustn't fall prey to your hormones. Cause if you do, you will end up dead as she won't be able to transfigure you into a guinea pig.#

"You appreciate weaving, my dear?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yes, ma'am!" Annabeth said. "My mother is—"

She stopped herself. You couldn't just go around announcing that your mom was Athena, the goddess who invented the loom. Most people would lock you in a rubber room.

The witch just smiled. "You have good taste, my dear. I'm so glad you've come. My name is C.C."

The guinea pigs started squealing.

I ignored them and we introduced ourselves to Circe. She looked me over with a twinge of disapproval as if I'd failed some kind of test. But, I was unfazed by it.

"Oh, dear," she sighed. "You do need my help."

"Pardon!?" I asked.

Circe called to the demigoddess in the business suit. "Hylla, take Annabeth on a tour, will you? Show her what we have available. The clothing will need to change. And the hair, my goodness. We will do a full image consultation after I've spoken with this young gentleman."

"But…" Annabeth's voice sounded hurt. "What's wrong with my hair?"

C.C. smiled benevolently. "My dear, you are lovely. Really! But you're not showing off yourself or your talents at all. So much wasted potential!"

"Wasted?" Annabeth asked in an insulted tone.

"Well, surely you're not happy the way you are! My goodness, there's not a single person who is. But don't worry. We can improve anyone here at the spa. Hylla will show you what I mean. You, my dear, need to unlock your true self!" Annabeth's eyes glowed with longing. I'd never seen her so much at a loss for words. "But … what about Percy?"

"Oh, definitely," C.C. said, giving me a sad look. "Percy requires my personal attention. He needs much more work than you."

Okay, confession time: I felt pretty insulted at that. I may not be in the best of attires currently considering I had been in a fight with a Titaness and a Hydra and hadn't had a shower for a day or so, but I wasn't that bad.

The guinea pigs squealed like they were hungry. "Well …" Annabeth said. "I suppose…"

"Right this way, dear," Hylla said. And Annabeth allowed herself to be led away into the waterfall-laced gardens of the spa. Circe took my arm and guided me toward the mirrored wall. I pretended that I was under her influence

"You see, Percy… to unlock your potential, you'll need serious help. The first step is admitting that you're not happy the way you are." She made me sit in front of a mirror which seemed to amplify any faults that I had in my looks.

"There, there," Circe said in a consoling voice. "How about we try… this."

She snapped her fingers and a sky-blue curtain rolled down over the mirror. It shimmered like the fabric on her loom. "What do you see?" the witch asked. I looked at the blue cloth, not sure what she meant. "I don't—"

I stopped in mid-sentence as it changed colors. I saw myself... a reflection, but not a reflection. It was me but a little older, more tanned, and a bit hotter wearing a royal-blue tuxedo.

"I see no difference beyond the fact that I look a bit older and better dressed and clean up than I currently am," I replied.

"What?" Circe asked with a little shock.

"I see no difference beyond the fact that I look a bit older and better dressed and clean up than I currently am," I repeated as if talking to a particularly dumb child.

"Oh... well, give me a little time to make it better. Till then would you like a strawberry shake to drink?" Circe said.

#This is likely to be a potion of some sort. But, it'll not affect you.#

"Sure," I replied. I needed her to fall into a false sense of security.

She smiled dazzlingly at me before going behind the counter and fetching a glass full of a strawberry milkshake... or specifically a glass full of a potion that looked like a strawberry milkshake.

"Here you go, my dear."

"Nice. umm... can you get me a few pieces of strawberries? I sort of like that." I said.

"...Yes, dear. I will... check if we have them." Circe said after a moment of bewilderment and walked back to the counter.

As her back was turned to me, I changed the potion to a real strawberry milkshake... perks of being a champion of Hestia. I knew the potion wouldn't affect me but I wasn't taking chances.

Circe came back with a plate of strawberry pieces and handed it to me as I took a casual sip of my milkshake. I reminded myself to thank Hestia later for this amazing power.

Circe just stared at me. I decided to play her a bit. "This is really tasty, I must say!" I exclaimed and took a bigger sip of my milkshake.

"W... well yes, thank you. It is a special recipe." She replied with traces of shock adorning her face.

"Why are you standing miss Circe? Have a seat please." I said. Circe nodded and moved towards a seat but froze inches before her butt touched the chair. Her head snapped towards me.

"What-what did you say?"

I smiled and drained my glass before standing up and stretching.

"Why?" I asked with a gentle tilt of my head as amusement shone in my eyes.

"What did you call me"

"Circe. That is your name, isn't it? Circe, the sorceress, daughter of Hecate and Aeetes."

"So, you recognize me, Perseus Jackson. And yet you drank that potion." Circe said with raised eyebrows.

"And yet, it had no effect on me." I drawled. Circe narrowed her eyes. But, before she could say anything I continued, "But enough of the abysmal potion. I wanted to ask if you can do Expelliarmus or not."

"What?"

"Expelliarmus... the disarming spell..." I said.

"There is no such thing!"

"You don't know what Expelliarmus is? What type of F-grade sorceress are you!?"

"Mind your tongue demigod!"

"Or else what?" I asked.

"THIS!" She shouted and thrust her hand towards me and blue fire coiled from her fingers curling like serpents around me.

I gave her an incredulous look. The flame wouldn't affect me even without Hermes's multivitamins.

I snorted at her shocked expression. "Let me show you how it is done." saying so, I thrust my hand out and a ball of Greek fire sped towards the sorceress.

Circe dove out of the way and the fireball blasted the counter behind Circe to nothing.

She looked at me with both anger and fear before snapping her fingers. The alarms blared and a dozen girls carrying staves flooded into the room and formed a circle around me. Circe herself stood up and her staff appeared in her hand.

In response, I willed my battle attire and trident to appear.

"You're outnumbered, Percy. Surrender. We will peacefully convert you into a Guinea pig and let you live. Men are pigs, Percy Jackson. I used to turn them into real pigs, but they were so smelly and large and difficult to keep. Not much different than they were before. Guinea pigs are much more convenient! I will help you gain your true form! It is better than dying, isn't it?"

"I have three things to say, one, you think that your offer is tempting but it isn't. Two, you would get along wonderfully with the hunters of Artemis. And three, I have a counter offer. Let me and my friend go and I won't destroy this island. I fought a Tethys a few hours ago and stabbed her but before I could kill her, she fled by going nuclear, so I am not exactly in a good mood."

Circe snorted but before she could say anything, the door slammed open and Annabeth rushed in with her spear drawn. I almost didn't recognize her. She was wearing a sleeveless silk dress like Circe's, only white. Her blond hair was newly washed and combed and braided with gold. Worst of all, she was wearing makeup, which I never thought Annabeth would be caught dead in.

"What's going on here?" She asked looking around the room.

"I was—" I began but was interrupted by Circe.

"Annabeth, my dear girl. Do not worry. Percy was just refusing a makeover that we were offering and he got a little agitated. By the way, you look wonderful! What did you think of your tour? Did you like our library?"

"It's good," Annabeth replied cautiously.

"Yes, indeed," Circe said, "The best knowledge of the past three millennia. Anything you want to study, anything you want to be, my dear. If you take my advice, You have the makings of a sorceress. Like me."

Annabeth took a step back. "A sorceress?"

"Yes, my dear." C.C. held up her hand. A flame appeared in her palm and danced across her fingertips. "My mother is Hecate, the goddess of magic. I know a daughter of Athena when I see one. We are not so different, you and I. We both seek knowledge. We both admire greatness. Neither of us needs to stand in the shadow of men."

"My fire is tons more impressive," I muttered.

"I-I don't understand," Annabeth said.

"Stay with me," Circe told Annabeth. "Study with me. You can join our staff, become a sorceress, learn to bend others to your will. You will become immortal!"

"But-"

"You are too intelligent, my dear," Circe said. "You know better than to trust that silly camp for heroes. How many great female half-blood heroes can you name?"

I nearly snorted when Annabeth answered, "Um, Atalanta, Amelia Earhart,—"

"Bah!" Circe exclaimed cutting her short. "Men get all the glory throughout history. The only way to power for women is sorcery. Medea, Calypso, now there were powerful women! And me, of course. The greatest of all."

"You call yourself a sorceress when you don't know what Expelliarmus is? Hermione is better than you!" I half-yelled.

"WHO THE HELL IS HERMIONE AND WHAT THE FUCK IS EXPELLIARMUS!" Circe roared, her eyes glowing with magic. From the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth hide her snort of laughter, disguising it as a cough.

"Even Annabeth knows what it is. And she doesn't even do sorcery! What type of F-grade witch are you?" I asked as Annabeth casually walked and stood beside me.

Circe narrowed her eyes at us. "You chose your fate then." She said and ordered her... cronies to attack. They all let out all sorts of beams of different color light which I could've dodged but didn't.

All the sorceresses gaped at me as they saw Annabeth and me standing there unharmed. Then, I moved in the blink of an eye and stood in front of Circe as the tips of my trident dug into her neck.

"How!" She yelped.

I just held up my bottle of vitamins for the sorceress to see.

Circe howled in frustration. "Curse Hermes and his multivitamins! Those are such a fad! They do nothing for you."

"But they worked and your magic didn't affect me. Now, I offer you again. Let us go peacefully and we will not harm you. I don't see you as an enemy Circe. I know you gave these girls a home and trained them. As the champion of the goddess of the hearth, I respect that. Let us leave and you all will be left unharmed."

A few of Circe's attendants stepped forward, but their mistress said, "Get back! they're immune to magic until that cursed vitamin wears off."

"That's right!" I said. "Now, your answer Circe. Will you let us out peacefully, or do we have to fight our way out?"

"We'll let you leave. We will stand down." She said raising her hands in surrender.

"Swear it," Annabeth said. "Swear it on the Styx that you or your apprentices won't attack us."

"I swear it on Styx that I will let you leave the island peacefully and none of us will attack you unless provoked," Circe said and thunder rumbled in the sky. I retracted my trident and stepped back.

"Well, thank you. I will be grateful if you let me take a shower by the way. And then we'll take a ship and be on our way for our quest."

"Very well," Circe said. "Hylla, lead the boy to the showers and give him whatever is necessary. I want them out of my hair as soon as possible."

The girl who had led us in led us inside came forward and nodded before gesturing towards me.

Before I followed the girl, I turned to Annabeth and said, "Annabeth, change into something proper for fighting. I am not sailing in the sea of monsters while you wear a wedding dress." I said before following Hylla who led me to a nice bath area and gave me a fluffy towel with soap and all to use.

Half an hour later, Annabeth and I were led back to the dock by one of Circe's attendants. She left us where all the ships were after informing us that we could take any ship as they had no use for any of them.

"Which ship?" Annabeth asked once the Lady left. I looked around to see my options. We couldn't very well take our rowboat. We had to get off the island fast, but what else could we use? A sub? A fighter jet? I couldn't pilot any of those things. And then I saw it.

"There," I said pointing at an old sailing vessel. Something out of all the ships here, my best option was the old pirate ship which I would be able to control with ease.

#The ship looks sturdy. And it is a pirate ship. Perfect for sailing such waters.# Alexander said.

I grabbed Annabeth's hand and pulled her toward the three-mast ship. Painted on its prow was the name: Queen Anne's Revenge. Black Beard's famous ship.

I climbed aboard with Annabeth and looked around at the hopeless maze of sail and ropes. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the waves lapping against the hull, the ocean currents, the winds all around me. Suddenly, the right word appeared in my mind. "Mizzenmast!" I yelled.

Annabeth looked at me like I was nuts, but in the next second, the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and wooden pulleys creaking. Annabeth ducked as a cable flew over her head and wrapped itself around the bowsprit. "Percy, how…"

I just smirked in response. I could feel the ship responding to me as if it were part of my body. I willed the sails to rise as easily as if I were flexing my arm. I willed the rudder to turn. The Queen Anne's Revenge lurched away from the dock and we were underway, sailing into the Sea of Monsters.

Annabeth shook me awake. "Wake up Percy."

My eyes fluttered open and saw Annabeth standing next to the bed I had taken in the captain's quarters of the ship. I groaned, "What happened Annabeth?"

"Nothing. I was hungry and decided you have slept enough. I think it is past midnight already so it is your turn to take the watch after we have food." Annabeth replied.

"Huh. I slept for more than five hours?" I asked. My time powers were somehow refusing to tell me the time since I had entered the Sea of monsters. Alexander had said that it was because time flow varied here on its whims and there was no way to calculate it.

"Try seven kelp-head... or at least I think it was more than seven hours judging from the sand clock I found here, assuming it still works properly," Annabeth replied with a frown.

"Damn. Ok. I will freshen up in five minutes and come to eat," I said and Annabeth nodded and left.

Soon Annabeth and I were sitting on the deck and eating a plate of steak. Annabeth was understandably worried about Clarisse and Tyson and so was I. We didn't know where the two of our friends were or even if they were alive or not. Annabeth also told me why she was wary of cyclopes.

Cyclopes were the actual reason that Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth were delayed allowing Hades' forces to catch up with them. Annabeth was getting emotional and I finally told her to go below the deck and get some sleep. So, I was left alone on the deck looking around for threats and talking with Alexander.

#Percy, I have decided to teach you to use and manipulate divine energy in its pure form after this quest ends.#

'What?' I asked in confusion.

#You know how gods can shoot energy beams, make shields of energy to protect themselves? Well, I am going to teach you how to do that yourself.#

'Wait, demigods can do that?'

#If they have sufficient power and practice the skill, they can do it too like us gods. I have told you before, demigods have the advantage of unlimited potential. That is what makes them dangerous and so important. They can ascend to godly levels of power too and so can do what we gods can... hypothetically speaking of course. It hasn't been exactly achieved before. Achilles, Heracles, Dionysus, Theseus, and a few others came close to the power levels of a minor god at the height of their demigod lives but, they never used pure divine energy while they were demigods.#

'You mean that literally, no one has done this before?'

#Yes. No demigod in history has been able to shoot energy beams or make shields of pure divine power to date. Most don't have enough power to do it and those who do, don't know how to do it or never even tried it. You're powerful enough being a kid of Poseidon along with being mine and Hestia's champion. Your power levels already rival what Dionysus, Heracles, and Achilles had at their prime of Demigod lives. I think with me teaching you, you will be doing it before the year ends.#

'Nice.' I said imagining myself shooting sea-green beams around and disintegrating monsters with them.

#Also, we will be practicing the stunt you pulled on Princess Andromeda. Just think of the possibilities if you can direct the shockwave. It shouldn't be too hard... we just need to find a secluded place to practice it. This is judging from the destruction it waged on Princess Andromeda, a ship that is made sturdier than it looks by the Titans themselves. I think it would probably be able to level Olympus's Royal Arena if you unleash it there.# Alexander said.

'Alright. So we've something new to work on now.'

#Definitely.# Alexander replied in affirmative.

I watched the horizon. More than once I spotted monsters. A plume of water as tall as a skyscraper spewed into the moonlight. A row of green spines slithered across the waves-something maybe a hundred feet long, reptilian. I didn't want to know.

Once I saw Nereids, the glowing lady spirits of the sea. I tried to wave at them, but they disappeared into the depths, leaving me unsure whether they'd seen me or not. Sometime after dawn, Annabeth came up on deck. We were just passing a smoking volcano island. The sea bubbled and steamed around the shore. "One of the forges of Hephaestus," Annabeth said. "Where he makes his metal monsters. Go around. Far around."

I didn't argue. We steered clear of the island, and soon it was just a red patch of haze behind us as we had a sandwich and orange juice summoned by my powers for breakfast.

"How far are we Percy?" Annabeth asked after she finished her juice.

"We'll still take three or so hours to reach our destination."

"Then have a nap. You are continuously using your powers. You need to rest a bit as you need to be in top form before facing Polyphemus. I will wake you."

I was about to say that I didn't need it but Alexander said, #Listen to her Percy. You never know what you may need to face.#

"Alright. If there is any trouble—"

"I'll wake you up. I know seaweed brain."

"What's up with the nicknames?" I asked but Annabeth just smirked in response. I rolled my eyes and said, "Don't do anything stupid then, owl-head. See you soon."

I went to the captain's quarters and drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, I found myself back in Luke's stateroom aboard Princess Andromeda. The curtains were open. It was nighttime outside. The air swirled with shadows. Voices whispered all around me: spirits of the dead. 'Beware', they whispered. 'Traps. Trickery.'

Kronos's golden sarcophagus glowed faintly-the only source of light in the room. A cold laugh startled me. It seemed to come from miles below the ship. 'You don't have the courage, young one. You can't stop me.'

I knew what I had to do. I had to open that coffin. I willed the storm-rider in my hands. Ghosts whirled around me like a tornado. 'Beware!'

My heart pounded. I couldn't make my feet move for some reason, but I had to stop Kronos. I had to destroy whatever was in that box.

Then a girl spoke right next to me: "Well, Seaweed Brain?" I looked over, expecting to see Annabeth, but the girl wasn't Annabeth. She wore punk-style clothes with silver chains on her wrists. She had spiky black hair, dark eyeliner around her stormy blue eyes, and a spray of freckles across her nose. She looked familiar, but I wasn't sure why.

"Well?" she asked. "Are we going to stop him or not?"

I couldn't answer. I couldn't move.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Fine. Leave it to me and Aegis." She tapped her wrist and her silver chains transformed- flattening and expanding into a huge shield. It was silver and bronze, with the monstrous face of Medusa protruding from the center. It looked like a death mask as if the gorgon's real head had been pressed into the metal. It was a replica of what Athena had.

The girl drew her spear and advanced on the sarcophagus. The shadowy ghosts parted for her, scattering before the terrible aura of her shield.

"No," I tried to warn her. But she didn't listen. She marched straight up to the sarcophagus and pushed aside the golden lid. For a moment she stood there, gazing down at whatever was in the box. The coffin began to glow.

"No." The girl's voice trembled. "It can't be." From the depths of the ocean, Kronos laughed so loudly the whole ship trembled. "No!" The girl screamed as the sarcophagus engulfed her in a blast of golden light.

"AH!" I sat bolt upright in my hammock. Annabeth was shaking me. "Percy, you were having a nightmare. You need to get up."

"Wh-what is it? We're still a few miles away from the island." I rubbed my eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Land," she said grimly. "We're approaching the island of the Sirens."

"So?" I asked.

"I want you to do me a favor," Annabeth said. "The Sirens… we'll be in the range of their singing soon."

I remembered stories about the Sirens. They sang so sweetly their voices enchanted sailors and lured them to their death. But, they were also said to impart great wisdom to those who survived the experience.

"No problem," I assured her. "We can just stop up our ears. There's a big tub of candle wax below deck—"

"I want to hear them." Annabeth interrupted

I blinked. "Why?"

"They say the Sirens sing the truth about what you desire. They tell you things about yourself you didn't even realize. That's what's so enchanting. If you survive … you become wiser. I want to hear them. How often will I get that chance?"

"If. You. Survive." I said emphasizing each word. "I am not taking risks here Annabeth."

"But I won't get off the ship. You tie me up tightly so I will not move and just hear them." Annabeth said in a pleading tone.

"No."

"Please."

Annabeth spent the next five minutes doing various tricks to make me comply with her wish and finally I relented.

"Don't untie me," she said as we reached near the foremast, "no matter what happens or how much I plead. I'll want to go straight over the edge and drown myself."

"I know," I said picking up the rope.

#Wait.# Alexander said before I could tie her. #Disarm her or she will free herself.#

I wanted to slap myself for overlooking such a big flaw.

"Annabeth, your knife and spear, please. Can't have you cut yourself free, can I?" I said, heeding Alexander's words. Annabeth nodded and handed over the said items to me along with her invisibility cap.

"Do you have anything else? Any other weapon?" I asked and Annabeth shook her head. "Good. I am going to tie you up." Saying so, I tied her to the foremast tightly and double-checked that the ropes were secure and tight so that the stupid girl couldn't escape.

Then I took two large wads of candle wax, kneaded them into earplugs, and stuffed my ears. Annabeth nodded sarcastically, letting me know the earplugs were a real fashion statement. I made a face at her and turned to the pilot's wheel.

The silence was eerie. I couldn't hear anything but the rush of blood in my head. As we approached the island, jagged rocks loomed out of the fog. I willed the Queen Anne's Revenge to skirt around them. If we sailed any closer, those rocks would shred our hull-like blender blades.

I glanced back. At first, Annabeth seemed normal. Then she got a puzzled look on her face. Her eyes widened. She strained against the ropes. She called my name-I could tell just from reading her lips. Her expression was clear: She had to get out. This was life or death. I had to let her out of the ropes right now. She seemed so miserable it was hard not to cut her free. I forced myself to look away. I urged the Queen Anne's Revenge to go faster.

Of course, I kept my senses on alert, sensing that the girl was constantly tied to the foremast. I still couldn't see much of the island-just mist and rocks-but floating in the water were pieces of wood and fiberglass, the wreckage of old ships, even some flotation cushions from airplanes.

I could feel the Sirens' voices vibrating in the timbers of the ship, pulsing along with the roar of blood in my ears. Annabeth was pleading with me. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She strained against the ropes as if they were holding her back from everything she cared about.

Finally, after a wait of ten minutes, I knew it was over. I cautiously removed an earplug to confirm it before hurrying towards Annabeth, who was sobbing. Like heart-broken sobbing. It took her another five minutes to calm down a bit.

"My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is—"

"Hubris," I said before she could complete her sentence. "Deadly pride. That is your fatal flaw."

She nodded.

"They showed me a vision. The thing I most desired in a single scene. I saw... I saw my dad and Athena sitting with-with Lu-Luke. A happy family. They were sitting on a picnic blanket in Manhattan... a Manhattan designed by me. It was beautiful. I was the architect for a whole new world. I had reunited my dad and Athena. I had saved Luke. I had achieved everything I'd ever wanted."

I let Annabeth sob over my shoulder as she let everything out.

"You know, a great person once said, it doesn't do well to dwell on—"

"— dreams and forget to live. I know. But, don't you ever feel like, what if the world really is messed up? What if we could do it all over again from scratch? No more war. Nobody is homeless. No more summer reading homework."

"I'm listening."

"I mean, the West represents a lot of the best things mankind ever did. That's why the fire is still burning. That's why Olympus is still around. But sometimes you just see the bad stuff, you know? And you start thinking the way Luke does: '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 run the world?"

"Not exactly. It did be a nightmare for me to be honest." I replied.

"Then you're lucky. Hubris isn't your fatal flaw."

"Personal Loyalty is," I replied.

"So was it worth it?" I asked Annabeth. "Do you feel… wiser?"

She gazed into the distance. "I'm not sure. But we have to save the camp. If we don't stop Luke…" She didn't need to finish. If Luke's way of thinking could even tempt an intelligent girl Annabeth, there was no telling how many other half-bloods might join him... but then again, Annabeth probably had the deepest connection with Luke in probably the whole world. It just showed how far had Luke fallen that he had even betrayed Annabeth.

Suddenly Annabeth's eyes widened. "Percy."

I turned. Up ahead was another blotch of land. A saddle-shaped island with forested hills and white beaches and green meadows-just like I'd seen in my dreams. My nautical senses confirmed it. 30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. We had reached the home of the Cyclops.

I could feel the power of the fleece from where I stood and I hadn't even stepped foot on the island. I could smell the intoxicating power of nature in the air.

"The Fleece," Annabeth breathed beside me.

In the meadow at the base of the ravine, several dozen sheep were milling around. They looked peaceful enough, but they were huge... the size of hippos. Just past them was a path that led up into the hills. At the top of the path, near the edge of the canyon, was the massive oak tree I'd seen in my dreams. Something gold glittered in its branches.

"This looks too easy," I said. "We could just hike up there and take it?"

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "There's supposed to be a guardian. A dragon or…"

That's when a deer emerged from the bushes. It trotted into the meadow, probably looking for grass to eat when 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. Annabeth and I exchanged looks.

"They're like piranhas," she said. "Piranhas with wool. How will we—"

She stopped short as I gasped. She followed my line of vision and saw what I had seen: down the beach, to just below the sheep meadow, where a small boat had been run aground… the other lifeboat from the CSS Birmingham.

Tyson and Clarisse were alive and had reached the island before us.

We moored the Queen Anne's Revenge on the backside of the island where the cliffs rose straight up a good two hundred feet. I figured the ship was less likely to be seen there. The cliffs looked climbable, barely about as difficult as the lava wall back at camp. At least it was free of sheep. I hoped that Polyphemus did not also keep carnivorous mountain goats.

Finally, we climbed to the top of the hill. Annabeth was panting heavily while my breathing was a little deep.

"Ouch," moaned Annabeth.

"Garrr!" bellowed another voice.

I clamped my hand over Annabeth's mouth before she could scream in fright.

The ledge we were sitting on was narrower than I'd realized. It dropped off on the opposite side, and that's where the voice was coming from-right below us. "You're a feisty one!" the deep voice bellowed.

"Challenge me!" Clarisse's voice, no doubt about it. "Give me back my weapons and I'll fight you!" The monster roared with laughter.

Annabeth and I crept to the edge. We were right above the entrance of the Cyclops's cave. Below us stood Polyphemus and Grover, still in his wedding dress. Clarisse was tied up, hanging upside down over a pot of boiling water. I looked around and saw Tyson tied to a huge tree with metal chains.

"Hmm," Polyphemus pondered. "Eat loudmouth girl now or wait for wedding feast? What does my bride think?" He turned to Grover, who backed up and almost tripped over his completed bridal train.

"Oh, um, I'm not hungry right now, dear. Perhaps-"

"Did you say, bride?" Clarisse demanded. "Who- Grover?"

Next to me, Annabeth muttered, "Shut up. She has to shut up."

Polyphemus glowered. "What 'Grover'?"

"The satyr!" Clarisse yelled.

"Oh!" Grover yelped. "The poor thing's brain is boiling from that hot water. Pull her down, dear!"

Polyphemus's eyelids narrowed over his baleful milky eye as if he were trying to see Clarisse more clearly. The Cyclops was an even more horrible sight than he had been in my dreams. Partly because his rancid smell was now up close and personal. Partly because he was dressed in his wedding outfit-a crude kilt and shoulder wrap, stitched together from baby-blue tuxedoes as if he'd skinned an entire wedding party.

"What satyr?" asked Polyphemus. "Satyrs are good eating. You bring me a satyr?"

"No, you big idiot!" bellowed Clarisse. "That satyr! Grover! The one in the wedding dress!"

I wanted to wring Clarisse's neck, but it was too late. All I could do was watch as Polyphemus turned and ripped off Grover's wedding veil-revealing his curly hair, his scruffy adolescent beard, his tiny horns.

Polyphemus breathed heavily, trying to contain his anger. "I don't see very well," he growled. "Not since many years ago when the other hero stabbed me in the eye. But YOU'RE-NO-LADY-CYCLOPS!" The Cyclops grabbed Grover's dress and tore it away. Underneath, the old Grover reappeared in his jeans and T-shirt. He yelped and ducked as the monster swiped over his head.

Polyphemus moved to pick a boulder and I knew that I had to do something.

"Free them while I deal with Polyphemus!" I shouted and charged, leaping from the cliff and straight towards the towering Cyclops, and punched him straight on his face with my Earth-shaker powers. Polyphemus staggered back several feet despite being taller than a four-floor tall building. I used the Cyclops's own body to slide and roll down of the ground and willed my war attire on, bar the Warrior's Helm. I willed my Trident in my hand while simultaneously throwing a knife towards Clarisse which cut the rope tying her right hand.

Polyphemus roared and looked at me, trying to discern who I was.

"WHO DARES!" Polyphemus bellowed.

"Nobody!" I yelled back.

"Nobody!" Polyphemus yelled back. "I remember you!"

"You're too stupid to remember anybody," I taunted. "Much less Nobody!"

Polyphemus lunged at me but I dodged his hands stabbed his thumb with my trident.

"AHH!" Polyphemus roared in pain.

"I will kill you Nobody!"

"You can't kill Nobody, you stupid oaf!" I taunted. In retaliation, Polyphemus picked up a nearby boulder that was as big as a queen-sized bed and threw it towards me. I shot an explosive fireball at the coming projectile which blasted the boulder to pieces moments before I jumped into a shadow and shadow-traveled a few meters away, emerging from the shadow of the tree Tyson was tied to and was struggling to break through the chains.

I immediately raised my sword and channeled power through it before bringing it down and cutting through the chains as if they were made of butter. Tyson threw the chains away and turned to look at me.

"Brother! You came!"

"Of course I did," I said with a smile and turned to see what the girls and Grover were doing. I saw Clarisse crouching low, with her electric spear in her hand, waiting for something. I couldn't see Annabeth and Grover though.

That was when I heard Annabeth's voice, "HEY UGLY!"

Polyphemus whirled towards where her sound had come from and roared, "WHO IS THIS?"

"NOBODY!"

The Cyclops roared again and threw a boulder towards the source of the voice... as he couldn't see Annabeth... nobody could as she was invisible. I prayed to the gods that the daughter of Athena had moved from her spot before the boulder impacted. She was out of my sensing range as I was on land.

For a terrible moment, there was silence. Then Annabeth shouted, "You haven't learned to throw any better, either!" Polyphemus threw another boulder towards Annabeth but that too failed to impact as Annabeth called Polyphemus names again.

After the third boulder, suddenly Grover stepped out from a high pile of rocks several meters behind Clarisse, holding a bone in his hand like a club, and shouted, "HEY DIMWIT!" Polyphemus turned to Grover. "You're such a fool that you mistook a Satyr for a Cyclops. I tricked you. Hahaha!" Grover taunted.

Any sane person would've heard the fakeness and quivering in Grover's voice but, Polyphemus didn't and charged at Grover.

Suddenly I understood what their plan exactly was.

As Polyphemus barreled like a madman towards Grover, Clarisse stepped out and set her spear against the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it. He wailed in pain, and Clarisse dove out of the way to avoid getting trampled.

That was when I and Tyson charged too. Well, I charged while Tyson threw huge stones at the Cyclops, which bounced harmlessly off Polyphemus's skin. I charged and jumped up in the air before driving my sword through his thigh. I withdrew the sword and rolled away while Clarisse charged in. Whatever you may say about Clarisse, she was one brave girl.

Together, Clarisse and I charged in and started stabbing the huge Cyclops at various spots. He tried to grab us but both of us were very quick. Also, Tyson was continuously distracting Polyphemus by throwing huge stones at him. That was when Annabeth also joined the fray and began trying to stab Polyphemus while Grover began playing horrendous music, causing vines to start sprouting from the ground, trying to hold Polyphemus down. But, Polyphemus's strength was too much for the vines. Heck, any normal Cyclops would've been dead a hundred times by now but Polyphemus was a mountain of a Cyclops and our attacks had very less impact on him. The worse part was that I couldn't even use my powers to kill him. As a Cyclops, he was immune to fire and being a son of Poseidon, water would just energize him.

Suddenly, one of his wild grabs hit Annabeth and she went flying back onto an olive tree and smacked it.

My anger swelled. Nobody was going to swat down my friends like that! I mean … nobody, not Nobody. Ah, you know what I mean.

I willed divine energy to course through my body increasing my strength and speed exponentially. I raised my sword and attacked. I jabbed the Cyclops in the belly. When he doubled over I smacked him in the nose with the hilt of my sword. I slashed and kicked and bashed until the next thing I knew, Polyphemus was sprawled on his back, dazed and groaning, and I was standing above him, the tip of my sword hovering over his eye.

"Uhhhhhhhh," Polyphemus moaned.

"Percy!" Grover gasped. "How did you-"

"Please, noooo!" the Cyclops moaned, pitifully staring up at me. His nose was bleeding. A tear welled in the corner of his half-blind eye. "M-m-my sheepies need me. Only trying to protect my sheep!"

He began to sob.

#Kill him! Don't listen. You can't trust him. He's tricking you!# Alexander yelled in my mind and I stabbed Polyphemus with all might. My sword pierced through his brain and Polyphemus turned to golden dust. I fell on my butt due to the sudden turning of the huge Cyclops into golden dust. I heard Alexander chuckle in my head.

"Brother!" I heard Tyson yell as he approached me and gave me a hand. I grasped it and stood up, before pulling him into a manly hug moments before I remembered that Annabeth had been swatted onto an olive tree.

"Tyson, Annabeth!" I said and we both turned and rushed towards our friend. Grover was already beside her, playing some music while Clarisse was leaning on her spear, catching her breath.

"Annabeth! Annabeth! Can you hear me?" I asked shaking her.

"Ow," she said softly and I breathed a sigh of relief before rummaging through my backpack and taking out a packet of Ambrosia cubes, and feeding one to Annabeth who moaned in relief.

"We defeated Polyphemus. But, we still need the fleece. And there are flocks of carnivorous sheep there." Clarisse said.

I looked at Tyson. "Can you distract the sheep?"

"How?"

"You're a cyclops and a son of Poseidon. You'll smell like Polyphemus to them... hopefully. if they allow you in, pick the fleece and throw it to us. If things go south and the sheep recognize you as an intruder, run away."

"If things go south, what next?" Clarisse asked.

"We'll make a new plan... I have one but I have no idea how effective it will be."

"What?" Clarisse asked.

"Earthquake and open fire to make the sheep run away, followed by someone rushing in and taking the fleece."

"It may cause to make the sheep guard the fleece even more tightly," Annabeth said softly. "That is what a competent guardian would do"

"Yes."

So, Tyson lumbered over, careful not to step on the sheep. If any of us had tried to approach the Fleece, we would've been eaten alive, but Tyson smelled like Polyphemus the flock didn't bother him at all. They just cuddled up to him and bleated affectionately, as though they expected to get sheep treats. Tyson reached up and lifted the Fleece off its branch. Immediately the leaves on the oak tree turned yellow. Tyson started wading back toward me, but I yelled, "No! Throw it!"

The gold ram skin sailed through the air like a glittering shag Frisbee. I caught it with a grunt. It was heavier than I'd expected-sixty or seventy pounds of precious gold wool.

Tyson was starting to have trouble with the sheep. "Down!" he told them as they tried to climb him, looking for food. A few were sniffing in our direction. "No, sheepies. This way! Come here!"

"Lead them as far away as possible! To the beach!" I yelled and willed Queen Anne's revenge near our location.

Tyson nodded and started leading them to the location.

I turned to the rest of my friends. "We need to swim to the ship! Then we will pick Tyson!"

They nodded and we swam to the ship. Thankfully, Annabeth was sufficiently healed to swim properly. I willed a rope ladder to drop as we approached and the four of us climbed aboard. Then I willed my ship towards the beach at full speed.

As soon as Tyson saw us approaching, he abandoned the flock of sheep and ran towards us before jumping into the water. Thankfully, the killer sheep didn't follow into the water.

Tyson climbed aboard.

"We made it," Annabeth said.

"You came," Grover said.

"Did you expect any less?" I asked. Grover shook his head and I pulled him into a hug. Annabeth joined us too.

"But, I must say, you looked hilarious as a bride."

"Shut up."

We all laughed as Queen Anne's revenge sailed home.

"Guys. If we sail all the way, we are going to be late." I said as I felt us exiting the sea of monsters a few nautical miles away from Miami beach.

"What?"

"We have been away from the camp for almost eleven days. If we sail home, it will take a couple more."

"Shit. The tree will be dead till then." Annabeth said.

"Yes. I think Clarisse, you and Grover should take a flight. We are near Miami. No, hear me out. Tyson and I can't travel in a plane, Zeus will blast us out of the sky. It is the best that you three go."

"What about the money?" Clarisse asked and in response, I held up a Lotus hotel card.

"Genius," Annabeth said. "You're a genius, Percy."

"What is it?" Clarisse asked

"A card with unlimited money."

"Fucking awesome!"

I grinned. "But, I want it back once I get back to the camp."

"Ok. How do we get to land?" Grover asked. I whistled in response and gestured towards the sea where three Hippocampi were swimming.

"They will drop you at the beach. From there, you all can go to the airport, take a flight to NYC. From there a cab to the camp."

"Okay."

Once the three left, Tyson and I were left alone on the ship.

"Tyson," I said, "Don't freak out now."

"What?"

I clapped my hands and Annabeth emerged from below the deck. Tyson looked at Annabeth in shock before glancing at the one who was riding the Hippocampi in the sea.

"Allow me to introduce you to Lady Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, Reason, Strategy, Warfare, Crafts and Arts and also Annabeth's mother."

And... CUT!

MWAHAHAHA I know I am evil! I left a cliffhanger in there. Also, my update speed is going to take a massive hit from now because of exams and all. I am not abandoning the story but my updates will be less frequent than they were in the year 2022. I will still TRY to update once a month though.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year in advance. I hope the new year brings prosperity to your life and you all stay fit and happy.

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jacobyzuke: Artemis will be there in the next chapter.

Walter Ha: If I do that, it will most definitely be a sequel... I haven't planned it yet and wish to get through the 2nd Titanomachy first before I bring in HoO.

Xerzo LotCN: Clarisse finds Chris in the Labyrinth where he has gone insane while scouring the maze for the Titans. Then he has a change of heart and all due to Clarisse.

Callum Runchman: He hasn't actively used his powers in front of anyone. He fastens time for himself and doesn't freeze people like Kronos does. And he can just label shadow travel as mist travel in front of his friends.

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To all who are interested, there's a Haphne Discord server around. There is new story prompts, mayhem, author discussion, movie nights, and bunnies. If that hasn't piqued your interest, I'm on there as well so if you want to talk to me that'd be one way to do it. Also, we're pretty cool people in there and are pretty open to all types of shippers. In case I've finally gotten you interested, here's the link: discord . gg / pKSdvJQvhU [Remove the space]

I am also on the Pertemis server which is a PJO server where I also have my own update channel along with some other famous authors. Link: discord . gg / YEEsa87B [Remove the space]

Along with this, I am also on another server known as the veiled realm which isn't for any particular fandom as we discuss everything in there. Link: discord . gg / EpPH3vTa [Remove the space]

Hope to see you soon!

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Also, thanks a lot for all the love and compliments that you guys are showering on my story. 1010 favorites and 1273 follows too!

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Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy new year in advance.

Stay Happy! Stay safe! Keep Smiling! Keep reading!

HPfanfictioner66