First chapter of the new year! And it also makes one year since the release of The Hawk and the Dove. Meaning Transformers Amalgamation is offically one year old!

I don't own Transformers or the Riordanverse; they belong to their owners.

Chapter 41: Eight Armed Freaks.

After everyone was healed up from the siren encounter and had all managed to more or less recover from the mental trauma, Ratchet went to inspect the damage the Ark-27 had taken from the crash.

After a couple of hours, he met with everyone in the briefing room.

"So how bad is it Ratchet?" asked Optimus.

"It's not as bad as it could have been," Ratchet said cautiously. "If we work together, we should be able to patch the holes in the hull the jagged rocks created."

"And what's the bad news?" asked Luke.

"Engines are fried. It's going to take a couple of days to get them repaired to the point we can hover." Ratchet explained.

"I can probably use my earth powers to free the ship from the rocks, so we won't need to worry about that," Nightprowler added.

All this talk caused Sideswipe to look down at the ground. "Sorry guys…"

"It's not your fault, Sideswipe," assured Hound. "We all fell under the siren's control."

"Yes, no one is blaming you, Sideswipe; do not worry," Optimus said supportively.

"Yeah, so this time it really wasn't your fault." Sunstreaker.

"Thanks guys…" Sideswipe said gratefully. Then his eyebrow raised. "Wait. This time?" he asked.

Sunstreaker was about to say something before Chromia wordlessly shushed him.

"Alright everyone, let's get to work," ordered Prowl. Everyone got up and started heading to get their jobs done.

The next couple of days amounted to a massive and slow slog. With the Ark-27 unable to fly, the Autobots were forced to do it the old-fashioned way, by floating in the water like a traditional boat.

Fortunately, the plates they used to seal the hull were holding well, so there were no leakage concerns or issues, but the Autobots were still miserable.

Things were finally starting to break out of the haze everyone was in when one day, Hot Rod and Thalia went to check on Ratchet, who was still hard at work fixing the engines with Hound and Chromia's help.

"Ratchet, have you got them fixed now?" a miserable Hot Rod asked.

Ratchet gave an annoyed sigh. "Be patient, kid; these things take time!" he replied. "At our current rate, we should be done in three days."

"But we've been floating for three days now!" Thalia pointed out.

"Exactly. We're right on schedule." Ratchet said.

Hot Rod sighed.

Just then Sunstreaker walked into the room. "Hey, I got good news," he said. "We're finally getting close to the coordinates Galen gave us."

"Finally…" Hot Rod sighed in relief.

"Maybe Nemo's lab will have some tech that will help us fix these damn engines," Chromia remarked.

"If what we read about the guy is true, then I think it should—" Hound was interrupted when the Ark-27 jerked to a sudden stop. Everyone staggered from the out of unexpected halt. Chromia fell backward onto the ground, Thala slipped and fell flat on her face, and Ratchet was about to fall and hit the floor but he caught himself on a nearby wall before he could.

"What happened!?" asked Hot Rod as he steadied himself carefully.

"Let me go check," Sunstreaker said. He raced back to the bridge and checked the readings on the pilot's monitor. He heard Hot Rod, Nightprowler, and Sideswipe come up behind him.

"Well?" asked Sideswipe.

"I don't know, we just stopped!" Sunstreaker said.

"We must have hit a reef." Nightprowler guessed. "I've seen it happen to a few ships back in Atlantis."

"Let's go up top and investigate," suggested Hot Rod.

The four bots went up to the top of the Ark-27. They all stood on the roof of the ship and took a look at their surroundings. There was nothing but open ocean for miles.

Sunstreaker looked down at the water. There was no sign of any reef. Especially not one big enough to halt the Ark-27.

"Where's your reef Nightprowler?" He asked semi-mockingly.

Nightprowler shrugged.

"Hey guys, look!" shouted Hot Rod.

Sideswipe and Nightprowler turned while Sunstreaker kept looking for whatever caused the ship to halt.

Sideswipe and Nightprowler walked over to Hot Rod, and he pointed at something in the distance. It was hard to make out over the horizon, but it looked like a small island.

"You think it's Nemo's lab?" asked Hot Rod.

"Could be…" Nightprowler surmised as he heard a small splash behind him. "Sunstreaker did say we were getting closer."

"What do you think, bro?" Sideswipe asked as he turned to face Sunstreaker... but Sunstreaker was gone.

"Sunstreaker?" asked Sideswipe, confused.

"Did he fall off the side?" asked Hot Rod.

The three bots looked around, but there was no sign of him.

"Okay, Sunstreaker, if you're trying to get back at me, this isn't funny!" said Sideswipe.

Suddenly, a massive burst of water erupted as something emerged from the ocean. Hot Rod, Nightprowler, and Sideswipe's optics widened in shock as they realized what it was: the enormous tentacle of an octopus.

And in the grip of that tentacle was Sunstreaker.

"HEEEEEELP! Cried Sunstreaker right before the tentacle sucked him back underwater.

"What the!?" Hot Rod exclaimed.

Just then, more giant tentacles started climbing up the sides of the hull. The tentacles rose up and began to squeeze the hull in their grip; others began swinging at Hot Rod, Sideswipe, and NIghtprowler.

"What is this!?" Sideswipe asked alarmed

"Giant octopus attack obviously!" Nightrprowler said. He brought out his sword and started slicing at a tentacle that got too close for him.

Hot Rod's shocked expression faded, and he took on a determined one. "Nightprowler, keep slashing!" he ordered. "Sideswipe, save Sunstreaker; I'll get everyone else!"

"Got it"! Yelled Sideswipe. He threw his arms to his side, extending two blades from his wrists, and turned his jet pack on. He started flying through the air, right into the middle of the tentacles, where he started slicing and dicing them.

Nightprowler kept doing what he had been doing and started fighting the other tentacles off, struggling to free the ship from their grasp.

Hot Rod ran toward the rooftop hatch to get everyone, but he needn't have worried; the second he got there, Prowl was bursting through the hatch with his sword in one hand and his rifle in the other.

"Autobots move!" he ordered. He activated the jets on the wing doors on his back and started flying through the air and sliced the tentacles.

Then Chromia and Optimus emerged from the hatch as well, their weapons ready. The kids, Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth, emerged soon afterward.

"Autobots! Be careful!" Optimus advised as he brought out his energon axe. "Don't fall over the side!" He swung his axe at one of the tentacles, slicing it clean off.

"Why the heck are these guys even attacking us!?" Chromia asked as she fired her rifle at one of the tentacles.

"Maybe they're being affectionate!" Annabeth proposed bringing out her dagger.

"Unlikely." Thalia muttered as she pressed down on her mace canister, extending her spear. "Cover your eyes!" she yelled as she slammed the spear down on the ground, sending lightning flying everywhere.

Hot Rod got into action as he brought out his twin pistols and started shooting at the tentacles. "Where are Hound and Ratchet!?" he asked.

Luke swung at a nearby tentacle with his sword and made a clear slice through it. "Ratchet's still trying to fix the engines!" he answered. "Hound's guarding him in case these things—" he was interrupted when one of the tentacles wrapped around his leg and dragged him into the air. "WHOOAAAA!"

"LUKE!" cried Annabeth. She lept at the tentacle that was holding him up and swung at it with her dagger, but it was too quick.

Prowl, meanwhile, was both firing and slicing at the tentacles in midair with his sword and rifle when one of them wrapped around his back wing doors and crushed it. "GAAH!" Prowl cried in pain. The tentacle kept holding onto the door, then slammed Prowl onto the hull of the Ark-27 over and over again.

"These things are nasty!" Prowl coughed out. He twisted and turned and barely was able to slice the tentacle that was holding onto him. He moved to get back in the air, but the tentacle had crushed his booster.

"Sideswipe!" he called.

Sideswipe cut through a nearby tentacle as he flew in midair. "Yeah!?" he asked.

"Get underwater!" Prowl ordered. "See if you can get a good view of how many of them there are!"

"On it!" Sideswipe responded. With that, he changed his flight path and dove straight into the water.

When Sideswipe's vision cleared he looked around. There at the bottom of the Ark-27 were three massive Octopi, all grabbing hold of the ship and not budging. One of them held Sunstreaker in one of it's tentacles. Sunstreaker was trying to futility to shoot at the octopus using his gun, but the refraction in the water made it impossible.

The octopus seemed to have enough of Sunstreaker's antics because it started to squeeze and tighten his grip on him. Sunstreaker hollered in pain as the grip of the tentacle strengthened around him. At any moment, he felt like he was going to be chopped in half.

Right when Sunstreaker thought he couldn't take it anymore, Sideswipe swam up and, using his wrist blades, sliced right through the tentacle, squeezing him. The pressure came off of Sunstreaker instantly, and the octopus let out of a cry of pain

Sunstreaker groaned in relief and pain. "Thanks, Swipe," he muttered in gratitude.

"Save it for when we get out of here!" Sideswipe said. He grabbed Sunstreaker in his arms and activated his jetpack again. He flew out of the water, still carrying Sunstreaker, and the two landed on the hull. When Sideswipe's vision started clearing up, he saw a tentacle holding Chromia by the waist with Hot Rod desperately trying to keep her from being dragged away by holding her by the arms and tugging.

"GRRRRRRRRR," Chromia growled. "These things have a mean grip!"

"Hang on!" cried Sunstreaker. He brought out his pistol and shot the tentacle right above where it was holding Chromia. The shot left a burn mark and caused the octopus to flinch in pain, giving Chromia the opening to get herself free. She kicked the tentacle with her leg, and it released her, dropping her right on Hot Rod; the two collapsed in a heap on the hull of the ship.

Hot Rod giggled. "I don't think Ironhide will be happy about this."

Chromia groaned. "Hot Rod, not now…" she pleaded.

Sunstreaker scowled as he looked all around at the octopus's still holding onto the Ark-27. "I officially hate octopuss" he growled.

"Octopi," Annabeth corrected as she stabbed her dagger into the tentacle that was grabbing Luke, freeing him.

"WHATEVER!" Sunstreaker shouted.

"This is just like that chapter in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!" Thalia noted.

"So you were paying attention!" Annabeth said with a grin

"Yes, and every minute was like spending an hour in the underworld!" Thalia shot back as she swung her spear at one of the tentacles.

"How did they get rid of them in the book again!?" Nightprowler asked.

"I don't know!" Annabeth replied. "They just kept fighting until they drove them off!"

"Yeah, I don't think that's an option here!" Luke said.

Optimus, in between shooting at the tentacles, turned on his comm device. "Ratchet! Is everything okay in the engine room!?" he asked.

"Me and Hound are fine." Ratchet responded. "But the sooner we get out of here, the better! If they keep squeezing the hulls, they might open those holes back up!"

"I got it!" said Thalia. "Let's send them packing with an electric charge!" She took a moment to stab another tentacle. "Water conducts electricity!"

"Great thinking, Thalia!" Prowl said as he slashed and missed a tentacle. "Sideswipe! Get Thalia underwater now!"

"Gah, I have to be the guy taking people underwater again..." muttered Sideswipe.

"It's to make up for you missing the Altantis trip." Sunstreaker teased.

Sideswipe didn't say anything but he smirked. He ran over to Thalia, grabbed her in his arms, and activated his jetpack again, flying straight into the air. Thalia barely had time to hold her breath before they hit the water.

Thalia still couldn't see clearly due to the sea water and not being in her diving suit, but she could still see well enough. She let an internal scream when she saw the fuzzy forms of the giant octopi gripping the Ark-27.

"Thalia, do it!" Sideswipe called.

Thalia took on a look of determination and extended her spear. It crackled and sizzled with electricity, and she directed the electricity straight at the octopi, making sure that none of it hit Sideswipe. The water made the already potent shock of the electricity even worse, and the ocotpi screamed in pain. One let go of the Ark-27 as it went limp and fell to the bottom of the sea; the other two detached and swam off.

"I think we got it!" Sideswipe cheered.

Thalia nodded in agreement, but her face also looked a bit strained, and she pointed upward.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Sideswipe asked.

Thalia pointed at her cheeks.

"Oh right! You need air!" Sideswipe realized. "Sorry". With that, he activated his jetpack again, and the two flew out of the water and back onto the hull of the Ark-27, where everyone else was waiting for them.

"Phew," said Hot Rod. "Glad that's over…"

Sunstreaker didn't seem satisfied though. He took his rifle and started shooting at the water. "NEVER COME BACK YOU HEAR?! NEVER!"!

"Sunstreaker, calm down." Optimus advised. "It's over."

"Right," muttered Sunstreaker as he put his weapon up. "If I see another octopus, it will be too soon…"

Sideswipe landed on the hull and put Thalia down on it. Annabeth and Luke raced over and gave their friend a big hug.

"Nice work, Thalia!" Luke congratulated.

Thalia didn't say anything. She just blushed.

"But wait…I just remembered something." Prowl said, pondering. "In the original book, Nemo wouldn't use electricity against the octopi... because their skin was so soft it wouldn't affect them. Why'd it work here?" he asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "Maybe being in the water strengthened the shock, or maybe it's because Thalia's a child of Zeus, which means her lightning is special," she proposed.

Prowl put his fingers on his chin. "I guess that's a possibility–"

"Who cares!" said an expastered Sunstreaker. "It's over! I say before we get to the island, we spend a good few minutes to drink some energon and catch a break," he pointed his left thumb in the direction of the hull latch. "Who's with me?"

"Yeah. A break sounds good to me too." Chromia agreed.

"I agree with Sunstreaker," said Nightprowler.

"Very well," said Optimus.

After the Autobots had made sure the giant octopi weren't coming back, Sunstreaker had set the ship on autopilot to head for the nearby island.

But exploring the island would come later. Right now, everyone was taking the chance to catch their breath after the harrowing experience they had just been through. They all sat down in the briefing room with either a quart of energon or a soda can.

"Wish I could have seen one of those octopus up close." Hound lamented.

"No. You really didn't." Sideswipe responded.

"But I do!" Hound said. "I want to know all the creatures on this planet."

"Trust me, you didn't miss much." Sunstreaker scoffed as he took a sip of energon. "They're slimy and nasty, and their gunk is worse than the humans gunk."

"You still think we spread gunk months later?" asked a confused Luke.

"I don't think, I know–"

Hot Rod took that as his cue, and he clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention.

"So uh…" Hot Rod began. "Just to try to lighten this convo up, I'd like to propose a toast." He raised his glass of energon up. "If it weren't for her quick thinking and powers, we would probably be octopus chow. To Thalia!"

"To Thalia!" everyone cheered in unison as they raised their cups.

Thalia smirked and leaned back in her seat. "I mean. I did give them a pretty mean shock," she bragged with a confident look on her face.

"Meanest shock ever!" Chromia cheered.

"You're probably the strongest demigod in the whole world, Thalia!" Annabeth said.

"I wouldn't mind that title." Thalia said smugly.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review!