Lassa
The next week we spend training. Well, for the most part. Annabeth spends a lot of time puking over the deck rail. And we get to spend some time relaxing on the deck or in our cabins, even watching some DVDs on the TV in the master room. Percy's right. This is a cushy quest. But we have plenty of danger waiting for us.
It's not a total breeze. A major storm hits us on the fourth day that was so fierce Annabeth and Jesse had to both go below deck while Percy and I manned the ship from above. It took so much of our focus to keep the ship in one piece, we couldn't even stay dry.
Percy ends up diving overboard, and a few minutes later the storm abruptly stops. Apparently it was our sister Kym. She sensed Percy was near and decided to throw the storm as a prank. Gods really have no concept of mortality.
We also get attacked every other day by sea monsters that don't respect Poseidon's domain, remnants of Kronos' and Gaea's minions. They smell 4 half bloods on a small boat, and I guess think we're easy prey. They don't count on two children of Poseidon and one child of Hermes who isn't afraid to Dive into the ocean sword first. Much to Annabeth's annoyance, Percy makes her stay out of the fighting, even once dragging her by her arm against her will while Jesse and I held back the monster and locking her in the downstairs cabin until the fight was over. Percy slept on the extra bed in me and Jesse's room that night, but I'm honestly glad he did it. I'm starting to get the feeling I shouldn't have let Annabeth come on the quest after all. If something happens to the baby, part of that is on me.
On the fifth day of sailing, I wake up and stretch out in my bed. I smile seeing Jesse is sleeping on his stomach on the top bunk, with his arm hanging over the side. His breathing is deep and heavy, and I can tell he's not waking up anytime soon. I smile and reach up, tangling my fingers with his. In his sleep, he smiles a little and squeezes his hand.
I get up and grab some clothes, deciding on some hunter green cargo capris, a loose black Camp Half Blood shirt I cut into a crop top and some black converse. Slipping into the bathroom I wash up and braid my hair, in one Dutch braid instead of two this time. Heading up to the deck, I See Percy's already up and sitting on the boat railing. He hears me come up and looks back.
"Hey," He smiles. "Good Morning."
"Good Morning to you too." I say and go sit next to him and lean into his side. I'm glad I have an older brother. Even though we just met last year, I feel like I've known him my whole life.
The view of the sunrise over the sea is so beautiful it almost takes my breath away. The sky is an amazing Red, yellow, and orange with a bit of blue and wispy clouds giving more detail. The light shines over the water and the land far off from us.
"Is that?" I ask.
"The pillars of Hercules? Yes. He'll be able to sense us when we're closer, then I'll swim to shore and meet him." He says. I hesitate, but decide to speak.
"I'm still not sure you meeting him is such a good idea. Like Jesse said, you don't have the mark of Achilles anymore."
"It's sweet that you're worried. But this is something I have to do for Zoe. I should have done it on our last quest to the Mediterranean, but they thought Piper and Jason would be better ambassadors. That didn't end up going so well anyways."
"If I told you not to as the leader of the quest, would you listen?" I ask. He looks at me.
"Would you do that?"
"No," I admit. "I'm tempted to though. I don't think this is Wise."
"I'll be okay." He says and leans forward and kisses my forehead. "Thanks for thinking of me though."
"Always." I say. "This really is a beautiful sunrise. Maybe the most beautiful I've ever seen."
"It's a warning." He shrugs.
"I know. Red sky at morning, Sailors take warning and all that. That doesn't mean it isn't pretty."
"True. Not sure anything's as beautiful as watching the sun rise between the pillars of Hercules. But pretty things can hide disasters."
…
A couple hours later, Jesse and Annabeth wake up and we all have breakfast on the deck. After a prayer time together, and Annabeth puking up most of her breakfast, Percy dives in and swims to meet Hercules.
"Think he'll be okay?" I ask Annabeth.
"I think he's a Seaweed Brain." She says. "But he's not a total idiot. He can win."
"Do you know if you're having a son or daughter?" I ask her, not wanting to think about the fight. She looks over at me and smiles.
"Will says it's a boy. We haven't picked a name yet." She sighs and starts heading towards the stairs. "He'll be okay, Lassa. I'm going to take a nap. This baby is tired." She smiles. "Tell Percy to wake me up when he gets back, so I can tell him again what a Seaweed Brain he is." She tells me then goes below deck right as Jesse is coming back upstairs. He gets to the top and smiles at me, running his hand through his blonde hair. I blush, seeing he's not wearing a shirt and where most guys would either be pale or have a farmers tan he's tan all over with a six pack. He doesn't look like most scrawny 15 year old boys. I guess it has to do with over a year's training at Camp. He sees the way I'm staring and smirks.
"I can put on a shirt if I'm distracting you too much."
"No, No. That's okay. Why are you not wearing a shirt, though?"
"Because While we wait for Percy, I thought maybe you and I could go swimming."
"Swimming?"
"Yeah. I mean the boat's anchored for now. Percy's going to be gone for a bit and Annabeth's napping. I've never seen water this clear and beautiful. How about we go for a swim?" He asks. I smile.
"Sounds fun." I say, then walk over to the rail and dive in. Jesse cannonballs in after me.
We spend the next hour or so in the ocean, swimming and diving and just playing around. During that time, a storm rolls in like the sky predicted. We're about to get out when we get hit by a powerful surge of water. It doesn't bother me, but it knocks Jesse away from me and out of the air bubble we were in.
"Jesse!" I shout, swimming towards him. It takes me a couple of minutes to find him, minutes I'm worried I don't have. "Oh gods!" I say when I finally see his body sinking in the ocean. That surge must have been Percy calling or sending back the water during his fight. It knocked the wind clean out of Jesse's lungs and he must have started swallowing water.
Grabbing him under his arms, I will a current to take us to the surface and shoot us back to the Wavecrest as fast as I can. Using a water geyser to get us back on deck, I summon the water out of his lungs while the rain pelts down on us.
"Jesse, Come on!" I say. Even though the water is gone, he's still not breathing. "Shit!" I say and start doing chest compressions. I have to use most of my weight and feel his ribs crack under me, but that's not important. Nectar can heal that. I open his mouth and pinch his nose closed, then blow air into his lungs. After a few terrifying repetitions, he finally opens his eyes and takes in a breath of his own.
"Jesse!" I say and wrap my arms around him, holding him as tight as I can.
"Ow. Lassa. Ribs!" He says, and I let go and pull back.
"Sorry. You really scared me!" I say. "I think Percy caused a title wave, You almost drowned. Your heart stopped!"
"It's okay. It's working now." He smiles at me. "But you really aren't supposed to kiss me for another 3 days." He jokes, and I lightly shove him back.
"That's what you're worried about? You just almost drowned!"
"Just trying to lighten the mood." He says, then winces and holds his chest. "C'mon, let's get out of the rain. Can you get me some ambrosia and nectar, please?"
"Of course." I say help downstairs to our cabin, then go and get the first aid kit. "Here you go." I say, handing him the nectar. He takes a long drink of it. "Careful!" I say, snatching it after a few seconds.
"I'll be okay, Lassa!" He says with a light laugh, reaching for the flask. I hold it out of reach.
"Drink too much and you'll burn up, you know that!"
"Lassa." He says, and grabs my free hand in both of his. "What's really wrong?"
"You just almost drowned while swimming with me, a daughter of Poseidon. How is that even possible? You could have died and it would have been my fault!"
"No. I'm going to stop you right there. You saved me. I'm alive because of you. If you hadn't been able to find me fast enough, that wouldn't have been your fault. Or Percy's fault, if you're right about him causing that wave. It just would have happened, an accident. But you saved me, so it's a mute point."
"Jesse, I…"
"Lassa, what day is it?" He asks.
"Tuesday."
"No, what's the date?" He smiles at me, reaching with one of his hands to take the flask from me and down another gulp of nectar. "Ah." He sighs. That's better. Ribs are good."
"It's July 2." I answer him. He leans forward and skims his thumb across my cheek.
"Hopefully, in two days We'll be done reversing the curse and be on our way back to Tybee. And I'll finally be able to lean forward and kiss that worried frown of yours. Except by then, maybe it'll be a smile again." He teases me, clearly trying to take some pressure off my shoulders. It doesn't work.
"I shouldn't have brought you and Annabeth. It should have just been Me, Percy, and Hazel or maybe Lou Ellen. They know the most about magic, which is what this quest is surrounded with. Instead you and Annabeth, who's pregnant, are risking your lives."
"Hey, I signed up for this. You didn't force me along. And Annabeth coming was between her and Percy, and honestly, I don't think there's a way you could have stopped her besides tying her up at camp. No matter what happens, I'm here and I'm glad I am. Don't think I can't handle it."
"You told my dad you'd die to protect me, Jesse."
"And I wasn't lying or exaggerating. I meant what I said."
"That's the problem! I don't want you to die for me. If it comes down to one of us, I want you to live. So don't think about throwing away your life even if I am in trouble."
"That's bullshit, Lassa, and you know it."
"I'm serious!"
"So am I. Hopefully, we all go home safe. But if we don't, you need to make peace with the fact that if I die saving you it's what I want."
"Jesse-" I growl.
"Looks like Percy's swimming back. Guess he survived his fight. I'll go get Annabeth up." He says and gets up, kisses my cheek, and goes below deck. I let out a frustrated growl and go over to the rail in the rain as Percy shoots himself over it, drenched in sweat.
"You look like Hell." I tell him. He smiles at me.
"Harder than I thought. I'll be ok though."
"Percy!" Annabeth says, coming up the stairs and joining us. Percy stands up and kisses her. He doesn't break away for a while, long enough for me to start blushing and staring at my shoes. He finally does after maybe 30 seconds.
"Needed to do that." He smiles at Annabeth, who's gasping for breath now, and puts one hand on her stomach. "Alright, Lassa, we're cleared to enter the Mediterranean. Anchor up, let's go to Libya."
…
A few minutes later, we pull up the anchor and the boat responds to me as I tell it where to go. We all go below deck and wait out the storm, and I pray to God that he keeps everyone else safe. And if someone has to die, Life is Lost, it's me. Not Percy, Not Jesse, and Not Annabeth.
After a couple hours, I go to the kitchen area for Lunch. Everyone else is already at the table.
"Annabeth, there's no way that can be healthy!" Percy complains. I smile, seeing Annabeth's lunch is a plate of peanut butter chocolate covered pretzels.
"It's for the baby, Percy! He wants Salty Sweet, so he'll get Salty sweet!" She tell him.
"Okay, but what about protein and iron? That's really important!"
"I'll get around to it! Hey, Lassa!" Annabeth laughs and winks when she sees me. Despite us arguing earlier, Jesse still smiles at me warmly and gestures to the seat next to him. I sit down and he grabs my hand under the table, squeezes it, then lets go. I reach for a plate and cup.
"Salmon patties, Rice and diced tomatoes, Sister Schubert Rolls." I tell my plate. "Blue Gatorade Zero." I say, and it shows up in my cup. I see Percy and Jesse are both eating a burger and fries with cokes. Percy also has a slice of Pizza he hasn't gotten to yet. "Not exactly battle food, Y'all?" I look at them questioningly. Percy shrugs.
"I thrive on burgers and Pizza. Maybe it's just different for demigods." He says. "I guess the fates decided Their lives are going to be ridiculous and dangerous and in general really crappy, might as well let them eat greasy food without cramping up!"
"Makes Sense." Jesse nods.
"Fair enough." I say, and change my food to a burger, fries and coke as well.
"So anyways, man, tell us about your fight with Hercules! How'd you beat the god of strength in a swordfight?" Jesse asks.
"He thought it was hilarious I'd even challenge him, so he didn't even try at first. When he realized he actually would have to try to beat me, I summoned a hurricane, knocked him into a tree with the wind and water vapor. Then I summoned a title wave and knocked him down again when he tried to get up, and while he was down put a knee on his chest and slit his throat. He's immortal, of course, so I didn't kill him. But It didn't feel good." He says. "I made him swear on the styx we'd have safe passage into the Mediterranean, he gave it."
"What did he say about Zoe?" I ask. Percy reaches over and squeezes Annabeth's hand.
"He didn't recognize Riptide until it was against his throat. I just told him he was a dick for what he did to her. That she died a hero as a hunter, and was more of a hero than he ever was or ever will be. I left without waiting for him to respond."
"She'd be proud of you." Annabeth tells him.
"I hope so." Percy says. "Anyways, now that we're all down here we need to talk about the next stage of the quest. Lassa?" He gestures to me. I swallow my food and clear my throat.
"The Wavecrest is going about 15 knots, so That means we'll be in Libya by about 9 or 10 o'clock tomorrow. We need to be on guard for monsters now that we're in the ancient sea of monsters. We'll be under a lot more attack now. Harpies, Gryphons, Sea monsters not obedient to Poseidon. So be ready. We'll switch on and off guard duty throughout the night. Tomorrow morning at dawn, we'll dock the boat and run like hell to get to the ruins of the palace. If what Alabaster told us is true, then we'll be swarmed with hundreds of monsters. Y'all hold them back while I get on the altar to Hecate and say the reverse incantation. Then we fight our way out and run like Hell back to The Wavecrest."
"Sounds like a plan." Jesse says.
"Simple. Won't be easy, but it's good it's simple." Annabeth says.
"Annabeth?" I ask.
"Yeah?"
"I think it might be a good idea for you to stay on the boat. Guard it. Make sure no monsters attack it." I say. She narrows her eyes.
"Why, because I'm pregnant?"
"Honestly, yes." I say.
"I've been through this with Percy several times already, Lassa. I can still fight."
"Well let's go through it again, Wise Girl. I agree with Lassa." Percy says
"Percy! You're going into the Den of Monsters here! You'll need every fighter you can get! Besides if all of us are off the boat no monsters will attack it. They'll be tracking us." She says, then looks back at me. "You know I'm right about this, Lassa. You need all of us. I'm not sitting it out while Y'all risk your lives." She says. Percy looks like he wants to say something more but before he can the boat lurches and sends all of us sprawling.
"What was that?!" Jesse says, getting up.
"Our first ancient lands monster." I say and get my swords ready then rush up to the top deck. "C'mon, Lets go!
…
The night is not as restful as I wanted it to be. Over the rest of the day and night, we're attacked half a dozen times at least. Percy and I start having to just dive in the ocean after fights just to keep from collapsing while Annabeth and Jesse sip on nectar and take small bites of ambrosia. It's a bad idea to use it as an energy drink, but with the bombardment of attacks they don't have much of a choice.
"This is worse than when we were on the Argo II." Percy says when we get back on board. "At least then it was one attack a day, one attack a night, more or less."
"It was way more than that, Seaweed brain." Annabeth tells him from the couch she's sitting on. "But You're right, the Argo II didn't get attacked as much as we have today. It was because Leo put multiple magical protections on it to shield us as much as he could. This is a mortal boat, it doesn't have any of those."
"Well let's hope that's all the ones in the area for now." I say, then look up at the sky. It's dark out now, with more stars than I've ever seen. Looking back at my friends, I sigh. "It's dark now. The three of Y'all go rest before morning. That includes you, Percy." I say to them. "If more monsters attack, I'll wake you up for the fight." I say, then go to the stern. In my peripheral, I see Percy walking with his arm around Annabeth below deck, and Jesse walking over to me.
"I'll wake you for your watch, I promise." I tell him. "Please go get some sleep, Jess."
"I will. I just wanted to make sure you're really okay."
"Yes, I'm fine!" I snap, then take a breath. "Sorry. Yes, I'm really okay. I promise. Go get some sleep." I tell him. He smiles and kisses my cheek, lingering a second longer than he needs to.
"Day after tomorrow, these good night kisses will be on your mouth."
If we live that long. I think but don't say as he walks below deck. As soon as he's out of sight I drop to my ass. I'm exhausted.
"Please, God." I pray. "No more attacks tonight. We've got 12 hours until we get there. Please protect us and help us to get some rest until then." I plead. "And Please, God. Protect us tomorrow. The prophecy says Life will be lost to save the rest, please don't let it be one of my friends. And if it is me, help my family to grieve then move on. I beg you that it isn't any of us. But if it is, then not our will, but yours be done. Help me to trust you no matter what happens tomorrow. Don't let me forget in the darkness what I know now in the light. Amen." As soon as the last words are out of my mouth, I feel a peace and rest wash over me. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. But somehow, I know there won't be any more attacks tonight.
...
We get to the Libyan shore the next morning right at 9am. Anchoring the ship then Jumping overboard, Percy and I will the currents to bring the 4 of us to the beach. Willing ourselves dry, we double check all of our armor and weapons then take off. It isn't ten minutes before we face our first monster. A cyclops. Percy makes short work of him. Another couple of minutes and we get attacked by three hellhounds. Percy and Jesse each take one, then Annabeth and I take the third. Once they're dispatched to Tartarus, we keep sprinting. It feels like every few hundred yards we meet more and more monsters. Lots of them seem to recognize Percy. I stop thinking. It's just slash, stab, blast with water vapor, run, repeat. By the time we get to the castle ruins I'd say between the four of us we've killed at least 200 monsters. We're all out of breath, bleeding and bruised, and covered in monster dust.
"We're here!" Jesse says, folding and putting away the map. "But…I don't understand. This is supposed to be ruins. Instead it's just…nothing."
"These ruins are from a time almost older than the olympians. From before half bloods were hunted by monsters." Annabeth says. "There's nothing left. At least not above ground. Look at Alabaster's map. Where does it say the altar is?" She asks him, and he pulls the map back out. Next to me, Percy grasps Riptide tighter.
"We can't stay here. We're too exposed. We have to keep moving."
"You're right, Annabeth!" Jesse says. "The altar is deep underground in a cave system. It was created by magic, and there's only three entrances. Because of the magic, it's probably still sustained and preserved today. Hecate powers don't exactly have an expiration date. The entrance closest to us should be the Southern one. Right…" he says and jogs about a hundred feet to the right of us. "Here! Incantare: ᾰ̓νοίγω!" He shouts in ancient Greek. Immediately, the ground shakes, and the ground falls away to reveal the entrance to a cave.
"No turning back." I say and run over to Jesse, giving him a smile and then jumping in feet first.
…
I wish I could say it was easy. I can practically hear the fates laughing at me. There are hundreds of monsters in the cavern, and just like Alabaster said, the ones from above ground are tracking us fast. We tear our way though, killing probably another hundred monsters and wounding more before we get to the right place. We fight through one last hoard then get to the entrance.
"This is it."