The war council gathered, as every good war council should, around a ping pong table with chips and cheese whiz. Most of the current camp counselors were there, the only exception being Katie Gardner, who had taken to her new role as the pine's caretaker with gusto. She had only come by just long enough to retrieve the key to the gardening supply shed, then went right to work.
Clarisse arrived, coming down the stairs several minutes after the rest had. She looked ashen, and a little green. Alexa was quick to help her over to her seat.
"Well, I can only assume you met the oracle." Alexa said after a second or two of silence. Clarisse nodded shakily.
"It…wasn't good." The daughter of Ares muttered. "But…I know where I have to start. I have to ask my father for a ship."
"Do you have a heading?" Alexa asked.
"A what?" Clarisse asked, blankly. Alexa sighed and shook her head sadly.
"Do you know where you're going?" She clarified.
"I've been having dreams about it for the past few days…it's gotta be in the Sea of Monsters." Clarisse growled, a bit of the fire and determination returning to her face. Alexa winced internally. She had never even considered going to the Sea of Monsters, her curse would probably kill her if she went anywhere near the place.
"Well, do you want to talk to your friends, see who'd be best to take with you?" This was the wrong question. Clarisse's face flushed, and she chose to glare at the Pacman machine in the corner.
"We talked when I started having dreams. We all decided it'd be best if they stuck around here to protect the wimps." Everyone present could hear the bitterness in her voice, and everyone valued their limbs too much to point it out.
"Alright…Percy, would you be willing to-?" Before Alexa could even fully voice the request, Clarisse cut in.
"I'm not going anywhere with that punk!" Snapped the daughter of Ares, her face flushing.
"Why not? He's-" Alexa began to say, only to once again have her voice drowned out by Clarisse.
"He's a stringy twerp who disrespected my father! I'm not going anywhere with him!" Clarisse growled. That was about the time Percy lost control of his own temper.
"Your dad is an overly muscled jerk who let a titan whisper in his ear!" Percy shot back, his hand traveling down to his pocket.
"Take that back! My dad doesn't take orders from anyone!" Clarisse yelled, shooting to her feet.
"Oh, then he stabbed the other gods in the back on his own? That's way better!" Percy shot back.
"You don't-!" Clarisse began to growl, but Alexa finally made her voice heard.
"Enough!" She barked, using the same hard voice she had used last summer. Clarisse immediately snapped to attention. Had it been any other situation she would've put money on one of the Stoll brothers cracking a joke, but it was a little difficult to show wit when a six-foot seven woman capable of lifting a truck used that sort of tone.
"La Rue, what is rule number 5?" Alexa asked, glaring down at the girl.
"Don't throw away a sword just because you prefer a spear." Clarisse rattled off quickly. Alexa nodded; Clarisse wasn't exactly her best student, but she had at least picked up some things, eventually.
"Exactly. Now, you have been given a quest that is going to take you into the Sea of Monsters. Percy is not only someone capable of holding his own in a fight, but also someone who gets stronger in and around water. Now you tell me, does that sound like a good asset to have on your sea journey or not?" Alexa asked in what she hoped was a rhetorical way. No dice.
"He's just going to get in my way and try to steal my thunder!" Clarisse harumphed.
"I'm more worried about the camp and Grover." Percy pointed out. Alexa's head swiveled in Percy's direction.
"Grover?" she asked, surprised.
"I've been having dreams too…" Percy said by way of explanation. Alexa frowned but didn't push the subject. She'd have to ask later.
"Well, if Percy promises to follow your lead, it should be fine, shouldn't it? I mean besides," Alexa allowed herself a small smirk. "If Percy's not there, who's going to believe how good of a job you've done?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Clarisse growled, stepping closer to Alexa before a raised eyebrow got her to return to her previous position.
"Think about it. If you go on your own and come back successful, Percy can just roll his eyes and call it a big fish story…but if you had an audience to the show…" Alexa let the statement hang. It was a blatant ploy, and they all knew it, but if there was one thing all demigods shared it was a certain amount of ego, and the children of Ares had more than most. Clarisse gritted her teeth before finally relenting.
"Fine! I'll take both the sea monkeys!" She grumbled.
"Both?" Percy seemed surprised.
"Isn't that what I said, shrimp? Or do you want me to leave you behind and just take the cyclops?" Clarisse snarled. Percy glanced at Annabeth, then shut his mouth.
Alexa, Percy, Tyson and Clarisse stood on the shore looking out at Long Island Sound under moonlight. Clarisse stood ahead of the others, a spear in one hand, a huge tray of food balanced on the other. She cleared her throat and then began to speak to the night.
"Father, I need you! I've been offered a quest and I need naval transport! I offer you this sacrifice and call upon the armies of the defeated! May the dead fight again, for the glory of Ares!" The food all at once burst into flame. The woosh of the fire was so loud Alexa almost didn't catch the whisper Clarisse added under her breath.
"Something awesome, please!" Alexa couldn't help but smirk, but otherwise kept quiet. Clarisse hurled the flaming roast into the water. It hit the surface and floated there, the water spitting and hissing as it came in contact with the blood red flames. Clarisse watched the bobbing flame for a second, then she pulled back her arm and launched the spear like a javelin. She struck the food pier dead center and sent the whole thing beneath the still waters of the sound. For a moment nothing happened, then a red glow began to spread out into the deeper waters of the sound. The water began to boil and roll as if a volcano were forming.
One mast broke the surface, then the other. The moment the first smokestack erupted from the waves it began to spew black smoke into the air. Inch by inch the ship rose, at least 400 feet of cold steel, water spilling off the hull and the decks in buckets. People began flickering into existence on the decks like holograms; dark blue uniforms draped over transparent flesh and starch white bone. As the massive ship finally settled into the water a flag unfurled from one of the masts. White, crossed with black, with some sort of black bird in the center. The upper left corner was banded black, white and red, with another small cross. A massive set of anchors dropped into the water with synchronized splashes. A boat was rapidly lowered into the sound and a trio of sailors rowed to shore. The one in the middle, whose magnificent mustache did nothing to hide the rictus skeleton grin, stood and faced the party on shore.
"Good evening." He said, taking his hat off and bowing his head. He spoke with a thick German accent, but he sounded kind, if a little clipped in his delivery. "Might I ask who summoned us?"
Clarisse stepped forward with a slight smirk, glancing back at Percy and Tyson. While Percy seemed somewhat surprised, Tyson was staring at the ship with his mouth hanging opened in unabashed awe.
"That'd be me." Clarisse said with no small hint of pride. The man dipped his head a little further.
"I am Deckoffiziere Fischer, acting command. The SMS Pommern is at your disposal, Fregattenkapitän." The man returned to a ramrod straight position; his hat tucked under his arm. "What are our orders?"
Clarisse was grinning like a jack-o-lantern, she glanced back at the rest of the group before looking back at Deckoffiziere Fischer.
"Stock some food and get ready for a trip, we leave at dawn!" She then turned to Percy and Tyson. "You both better pack. If you're late I'm leaving without you."
"What do we pack?" Tyson asked as he and Percy headed back to Camp.
"Just the usual stuff, bud. Clothes, food, weapons, that sort of thing." Percy responded. Their voices grew faint as they crested a sand dune and disappeared into the night.
Alexa glanced in the direction of Clarisse.
"You ready for this?" She asked gently. As the demigod turned to face her, Alexa couldn't help but think just how much she looked like Jazz; the set of her jaw, the shape of her nose, even the stubbornness and hint of violence in her eye. There was something else in there, maybe a hint of fear buried deep that Clarisse was struggling not to show.
"I'm ready!" She said with a definitive nod of her head. Alexa gave her a reassuring smile and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
"You'll do great…just breathe, keep your cool, and everything will be fine." Clarisse nodded again and Alexa turned to follow Percy back to Camp, wondering if she was doing the right thing…and worrying she had just sent Jazz's sister to an early grave.