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Percy doodled on the page. It was his mid-term Maths test on Algebra, and all he could think about was how much he wished the pen he held was Riptide.
"5 minutes left," Mrs Peterson declared. She was old, with a crooked back and eyes that could see through your soul.
Percy sighed once more as he scanned his paper half-heartedly. His mind had been too focused on the prophecy to study for this test, and his exhaustion combined with dyslexia made the numbers swim in front of his eyes.
The Prophecy. The Great Prophecy, that is. Percy's 16th birthday was nearing; it was already May. When he turned 16, the prophecy supposedly stated that he would either save or destroy Olympus.
Just the usual pressure every teenager carried.
Just a month ago, Percy and Grover had had an emergency mission to San Fransisco. Percy's friend Annabeth had been at threat from some monsters. It had only been a few weeks, but Percy really, really missed his friends.
"And, please put your pens d-"
Mrs Peterson's crooning voice was interrupted by a sudden blast of song. "The seaweed is always greener, in somebody else's lake..."
The music rang loudly, making all the students exchange whispers and swivel their heads.
Percy sat in his seat, his cheeks blossoming red, wishing he could jump out the window. It was his phone ringtone - set by Annabeth as a joke. He'd forgotten to change it back.
"Uh," Percy raised a hand timidly. Mrs Peterson's terrifying gaze landed on him. "That's mine, miss. I'm sorry."
She glared at him, but shooed him towards the door.
Percy grabbed his bag and phone, and hurried out of the classroom. He took a deep breath of relief once he exited the door, and quickly pulled his phone out.
Who would call him? His mother and Paul knew never to call him by phone, because the signal was like a red flag waving monsters over.
The contact name "Annabeth 🦉🙃" was displayed across his screen, and it made Percy's eyebrows shoot upwards.
She was the last person he'd expected to be calling him.
He swiped across his screens and held it to his ear. "Annabeth?"
"Seaweed Brain!" her voice sounded cheerful. "I've been trying to call you for ages!"
"It's 1 in the afternoon! You knew that that the ringtone would blast in the middle of class!" Percy said accusatorially.
The other end of the line went quiet, but Percy swore he could hear her grinning.
"Well, it doesn't matter," she said. "Chiron's got a mission for us. Super important."
Percy nodded understandingly. So far, he'd been on quite a few demigod missions, and it wasn't been summer yet! "Okay, what's the briefing? Any monsters we need to kill?"
"It's an undercover mission, actually. We've got a few demigods missing, and Chiron needs as many demigods as we can gather searching for them."
Percy frowned. "Missing? Like kidnapped? Or dead?"
"Kidnapped, I think. It's definitely the work of L-Kronos."
Percy could sense her tone darkening.
"Luke - you almost said 'Luke'."
"Percy, I've got to hang up now. Monsters'll attack you any second if we don't end the signal."
"Okay, b-"
He was interrupted by the end tone. Percy sighed and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. Luke has always been a touchy subject with Annabeth, and now that Kronos had, somehow or other, possessed him, it was even worse. She still respected him despite him betraying her countless of times. Percy didn't get it.
However, this mission did give him an excuse to ditch school, so he silently thanked the gods for this blessing.
Percy shouldered his backpack and hurried to the front of the school, where he waved down a taxi to his mum's apartment.
"Hey, Paul." Percy nodded his head in greeting.
Paul nearly did a double take when he saw his soon-to-be-stepson walk through the door. "P-Percy?"
Percy waved his phone in the air. "Demigod duties call. I had to ditch school."
"Don't try to make excuses, Percy," his mother called as she strolled out of the kitchen with the laundry basket tucked under her arm.
Percy grinned at her. "Don't worry, Mum. My grades won't take too big a hit from missing one day."
"Yeah, simply because your grades can't be any lower," Sally muttered, but the jab seemed half-hearted. She exchanged a look with Percy. "Okay, I'll drive you."
"No, I'll drive," Paul insisted, kissing Sally on the cheek. "You've been so stressed with all the wedding planning and all." He turned to Percy. "Is it urgent?"
"Yeah." Percy grabbed a few pairs of shorts and a couple of shirts from the laundry basket and stuffed it into his bag. "Annabeth said that some demigods have been captured."
Sally raised her eyebrows. "Oh, Annabeth is going to be there."
Percy ducked his head to hide is furiously flaming cheeks. "Uh, yeah, so?"
Sally shook her head in an expression that resembled amusement. "Nothing. Just that she'll probably save your life a few more times."
Paul pushed his chair back and stood up with a yawn. "Shall we get going then?"
Percy nodded. His clothes were all crushed and crumpled inside his bag. "Yeah." He pushes he front door open. "See you, Mum."
"Please don't kill yourself before my wedding!" Sally waved to him as the door closed behind the two of them.
The car ride to camp was less awkward than usual, to Percy's surprise. He and Paul had never been that close, but since he had decided to propose to Percy's Mum, Percy had become a lot closer to him.
"So, Annabeth," Paul remarked. "She's the girl trouble?"
"Wh-what?" Percy stammered. "Why would you-why would you say that?"
Paul chuckled. "Don't worry, Percy. We've all been there."
"It's not like that," Percy insisted. "She's one of my best friends."
Paul took his eyes off the road for a second and glanced at him. "So there's nothing between you two?"
"Exactly." Percy purposefully stared out the window. All the memories of her flooded into his mind. Last summer, when she'd kissed him at Mt. Saint Helen's. Or last month, when he'd pretended to be her girlfriend - he never really understood that.
But then there was also Rachel. Red-haired, crazy Rachel. He hadn't seen her since the Labyrinth, but Percy often found himself muttering her phone number under his breath. He made a mental note to call her up sometime.
"Well, this isn't really related, but you can bring a plus one to the wedding," Paul said. "Your mum told me to remind you."
Percy shrugged. "I'll probably end up going alone." He quickly changed the subject. "So, how's the wedding planning coming along? The big day's in a week. Are you nervous?"
Paul gripped the wheel even tighter. "That would be an understatement. Sally keeps asking me which flowers look better with which tablecloth, and I just don't see a difference between the colours!"
Percy laughed at his expense.
Paul frowned. "You're supposed to be the supportive son."
"My only job is to walk her down the aisle," Percy reminded him. "Mum thinks I'm so incapable of anything that I'll mess everything up. The trick is to set the expectations at rock bottom."
They arrived at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill within an hour.
"When should I pick you up?" Paul asked.
Percy thought for a second. "It depends whether we find them. Or if I die. I'll give you a call."
"Don't die," Paul said. "Be careful."
"I'll try," Percy promised, before starting his hike up the hill.
Once he passed the barrier, Percy could see the strawberry fields change into the usual camp. The Big House stood in the middle, and the cabins surrounded it in a U-shape. He refrained from patting Ladon the dragon on the head when he saw the teeth.
"Percy!" It was Malcolm, a son of Athena. He was standing by the archery ranges with his siblings, with Chiron instructing one of the other demigods.
Percy waved. "Have you seen Annabeth?"
Malcolm glanced around and shrugged. "She should be here. Maybe she's still in the cabin?"
Percy shot him a thumbs-up sign and continued on his way to the cabins.
He knocked on the door of the Athena cabin. There was no reply. Cautiously, he pushed the door open.
"Hey, Annabeth, are you in h-"
"I saw another spider," Annabeth's voice came from somewhere in the cabin. Percy rolled his eyes and delved inside.
"Nowhere is safe. We'll rendez-vous in Nova Scotia. I'm burning the cabin down."
Percy glanced up at her incredulously. Annabeth was sitting on the top of the bookshelf with her legs dangling off the side, an enormous encyclopaedia held over her head.
He sighed and kneaded his forehead. "...again?"
Percy crouched down and peered at the tiny black spot on the ground. It was a spider, probably the size of a hair's width. He uncapped Riptide and let it crawl onto the tip of his sword. He then flicked the tiny insect out of the window. "Annabeth, daughter of Athena, perfectly capable of fighting Titans and horrifying monsters, but bows down to a spider."
Annabeth slowly descended from the book shelf. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain. I'm glad you're here."
They locked eyes for a moment. Annabeth swallowed and averted her gaze. "We should go talk to Chiron. He'll want to know that you're here."
The two of them walked to the archery range. Percy asked her about life in San Francisco. Annabeth said that the bullies never bothered her again after Percy had confronted them.
"I told them we broke up," Annabeth explained. "Didn't want that lie to get any worse."
For some weird reason, Percy was disappointed, even though they'd never actually dated in the first place.
"Seen any good monuments lately?" Percy asked, and instantly regretted it.
Her grey eyes lit up and she started talking about some Pioneer Monument. Percy stared at her in false understanding, and occasionally nodded his head so it looked like he was listening.
Annabeth's blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders today. It was unbrushed and tangled, what with all the missions she must've been doing lately, and the spider fiasco probably distracted her from tying it up in her usual ponytail.
Percy had to admit that she didn't look completely repulsive.
"Percy!" Chiron galloped towards them.
"Chiron!" Percy cheered, hurrying away from Annabeth and her dreaded architecture. "I heard you've got a mission for us."
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Percy," Chiron said gratefully. His expression turned grave. "I guess Annabeth told you the worst of it over the phone."
Annabeth caught up to them. "Yes, I told him about the kidnappings."
"Who's gone?" Percy asked. "Is it Clarisse?" He hoped he didn't sound too hopeful.
Annabeth shot him a withering look.
Chiron shook his head. "Clarisse is out on search with Chris. We've been sending off demigods in pairs to look for the missing demigods, but we haven't had any luck."
"I guess we're together then," Percy said to Annabeth. He raised his hand for a high-five.
She rolled her eyes.
"Connor and Drew were the first ones," Chiron explained. "Then Travis and Katie went to look for them, but they disappeared. Last week, Silena and Beckendorf were the next to go."
"Who's Drew?" Percy whispered to Annabeth.
Annabeth frowned distastefully. "Daughter of Aphrodite," she said out of the corner of her mouth.
"So you want us to rescue them?" Percy guessed.
Chiron nodded. "And hopefully, we won't have to send another party to search for the two of you."
Percy ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, so where are they?"
Annabeth looked down at her feet. "We don't know." She kicked a stone. "I hate not knowing."
"Don't we know the location of some of Kronos' bases?" Percy asked.
Chiron shook his head. "We've already checked those. All obliterated and abandoned. They must've known that Chris would tell us everything."
"And the Princess Andromeda? Luke's cruise ship?"
"We have no way of knowing where it is," Annabeth said.
"Ah," Percy understood. "That's why you called me."
"You're our water expert," Chiron said. "And one of our best fighters. You're our best bet, Percy."
Percy grinned at the compliment. He cleared his throat. "Okay, but finding the boat won't be that easy. Poseidon said that he's already fighting a war in the oceans, so we can't ask him for help."
"Can't you just sense it?" Annabeth asked.
Percy snorted. "It's not like the Force, Annabeth."
She rolled her eyes. "I've seen you do it before. Your senses at sea are much more heightened than you think." When he returned an uncertain look, she pleaded, "Just try it."
A few hours later, Percy found himself meditating by the beach. Never in a million years had ever expected to be doing that. Sitting still wasn't that easy for an ADHD teenager.
Percy heard the sand crunching underfoot behind him.
"How's it going?" It was Annabeth. She sat down next to him with her legs crossed and passed him the sandwich and can of coke she'd brought.
Percy took a sip. "Absolutely amazing. I defeated Kronos an hour ago and decided to just sit here."
Annabeth clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You'll find it. Just search your senses."
"Now you're just stealing lines from Star Wars." But he closed his eyes anyway.
Percy tried to call to his dad, but there was no reply. He could feel the fish in the bay of Long Island Sound, the larger aquatic creatures lurking closer to the sea bed. The kelp pieces drifting in the ocean current; the schools of fish eaten by larger animals; some sea monsters slithering across the floor and-
His eyebrows furrowed. There was something strange further out to sea. He could feel the fishes' discomfort at the massive shadow that rippled across the ocean, blocking out their sunlight. That cold feeling that chased the sea creatures away and kept them at bay.
The Princess Andromeda.
"What is it?" Annabeth seemed to sense his sudden change in feeling. "Did you find it?"
Percy's eyes flew open. "20 miles out to sea, travelling at 30 knots - if we leave now we can just catch it."
Annabeth's mouth dropped open, but she scrambled to her feet. "Okay-okay, I'll get Chiron and Argus can drive us-"
Percy groaned. Something was wrong. The pull in his gut was getting more painful, like it took more effort to reach his senses out that far. He trembled for a moment, his eyes squeezed shut.
Then it snapped back. Something pushed him back, forcing him to jump. It was like a rubber band that had stretched out and snapped back at him. His mind went blank.
Percy opened his eyes in frustration. "I can't see it anymore. Kronos must be blocking me." He glanced at Annabeth. "We need to leave now. There's no time to tell Chiron. The ship is moving faster than normal; if we don't follow it now we'll never find it again."
Annabeth hesitated. "Okay, let's go. How'll we get there?"
Percy put a hand to his mouth and did his best taxi cab whistle. It only took a few seconds for his trusty pegasus Blackjack to swoop down in front of them.
His hooves made indents in the sand.
Hey, Boss! Where's our next adventure to? Is the lady coming with us?
"Yeah, we're heading to the Princess Andromeda," Percy explained. Blackjack made a face. "I'll point you in the right direction."
Annabeth nodded. "Okay, we shouldn't waste any time."
Percy watched as she hoisted herself onto Blackjack's back. "Wait..."
Annabeth swung her leg over the other side and adjusted herself so she was comfortably seated. "You didn't seriously think I would let you go without me?"
"Blackjack can't carry both of us," Percy protested. It sounded dangerous, considering that six demigods had been captured. He didn't want to risk Kronos getting to Annabeth.
Blackjack neighed. Don't underestimate me, Boss.
"No excuses, Percy. I'm not leaving you this time."
"Well, if we're doing everything the same as last time..."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, just get on, Seaweed Brain."
Percy gripped Blackjack's mane and pulled himself up. He sat in front of Annabeth, and he tried to keep himself from hyperventilating as Annabeth wrapped her arms around his waist to secure herself.
When Percy patted him as the signal, Blackjack reared back on his hind legs - making Annabeth cling on to Percy even tighter - and shot off into the sky, his wings cutting through the clouds.
"It's so weird," Annabeth noted. Her right hand was outstretched, her fingers brushing against the clouds. "They look fluffy, but science says that clouds are just suspended water droplets."
Percy glanced behind. Her smile lit up her features and reminded Percy of when they were younger, and a war wasn't looming overhead.
He reached out a hand and touched the clouds. They were wet against his fingers. "Strange. When I was a kid, I always wanted to eat clouds. Probably because they were fluffy and looked blue against the sky."
Percy caught her eye, and promptly looked away, hoping that she would take the redness in his cheeks for the wind whipping past them.
He kept his eyes firmly on Blackjack's mane.
"How's your mum?" Annabeth asked. "I haven't seen her since winter two years ago."
"Oh, she misses you. Always talks about how you're the responsible one. The only reason she lets me go on missions is because she's thinks that you constantly save my life or something."
"Well, she's not wrong," Annabeth pointed out with a laugh. "I love your mum. I should visit her sometime."
"Definitely," Percy agreed. "She's getting married to Paul next week."
"Married?" Annabeth did a double take. "I had no idea."
"I guess I forgot to mention it," Percy said sheepishly. He could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "Paul's a really great guy - he's the English teacher at my high school. He treats her well, and he makes her happy, so that's good enough for me."
"That's good," Annabeth said. "Your mum deserves someone like that."
Percy took a deep breath and mustered up the most courage he could manage. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. For the wedding, Paul asked me to bring-"
Annabeth gasped, furiously shaking his shoulder. "Percy, it's there! The Princess Andromeda!"
Percy followed her gaze to see the familiar outline of the white cruise ship gliding along the blue weathers. They were too high to see anything specific, but Percy assumed that the dark spots strolling across the deck were Kronos' army of monsters.
Blackjack shuddered at the sight of his old prison.
You sure you want to go down there, Boss?
Percy ruffled his mane. "Positive."
Blackjack seemed to sigh (could horses sigh?), but he nose-dived down towards the water a couple of feet away from the boat.
Annabeth glanced down at the water warily. "This is going to sound stupid, but are there any sharks?"
Percy could feel a sand tiger shark a few feet below the surface. "Nah." He repositioned himself so both of his legs were on Blackjack's left side. "We'll have to swim from here."
Annabeth pulled a face.
Percy slowly slid off Blackjack's back and plunged into the water. He stayed afloat easily, and paddled over to Annabeth's side.
She sighed, but pushed herself off of Blackjack's back and landed next to Percy with a splash.
"It's so far," she said, squinting to see the ocean liner speeding away.
"Don't worry, I've got an idea," Percy assured her.
Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Should I be worried?"
He stuck his tongue out in reply. Percy willed the ocean currents to swirl at his command. "Um, I kind of have to..." Percy trailed off awkwardly, not sure where to keep a hold of her.
"Oh, right." Annabeth was blushing too.
Percy tentatively slid an arm around her waist, pulling her into her side. He was a few inches taller than her this year, so it made it easier to keep his grip.
Trying his best to avoid her gaze, Percy willed the water to push them forward, so that they were speeding through the ocean.
When they neared the Princess Andromeda, Percy halted the ocean currents, and the two of them swam towards the diving plank at the back of the ship.
Percy got there first, pleased that he'd finally found the one thing he was better than Annabeth at, and hoisted himself onto the platform. He grabbed Annabeth's arm and pulled her up next to him.
Being the son of Poseidon, Percy had been able to will himself dry. He touched Annabeth in the shoulder, and the water instantly evaporated off her hair and clothes.
"Handy," Annabeth remarked. She pushed the wooden door open and beckoned for Percy to follow her into the ship.
It wasn't their first time on the Princess Andromeda, and Percy had the nagging sense that it wouldn't be their last.
They followed the carpeted path, but Percy didn't see any blurry-eyed mortals like they had in the Sea of Monsters. Maybe they'd got rid of them to make space for a larger army.
That thought didn't exactly comfort him.
"I doubt Kronos would keep them in the nice rooms," Annabeth muttered, spotting a sign that read 'Deluxe Suites' with an arrow. She was tying her hair up into a ponytail.
Percy caught a glimpse of the furnished interior with a temptingly comfortable bed. "Are you sure?" he asked hopefully.
Annabeth grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.
When they turned the next corner, there was a telkhine on his tablet, jamming his fingers on the buttons.
"Curses!" the telkhine complained as the words 'Game Over' flashed across his screen. He looked up at the demigods, and his surprised expression quickly exploded into dust as Percy sliced him in half with Riptide.
He capped his sword again and dropped the pen into his pocket. "I think my reflexes are getting better."
Annabeth didn't even look at him. "Just keep walking."
They went down another flight do spiral staircase which led to a more drab part of the ship, with cement flooring and mound growing on the stone walls.
Annabeth wrinkled her nose at the damp smell.
"What should we do with this one?" A growling voice echoed around the room.
Percy pulled Annabeth behind the wall, and they pressed themselves up against it, waiting with bated breath.
"Can we eat him?" Another monster said, in the same tone but of different pitch.
"Nah, demigods give me terrible indigestion."
Percy shot Annabeth a knowing glance. It had to be one of their missing friends.
Annabeth pulled her bronze dagger out from her belt loop and held it at the ready. She mouthed, on three.
One, Two, Three.
The two of them jumped into action.
Percy had been fighting alongside her for so many years that he could practically predict her moves.
They jumped into the clearing, where two old ladies with wrinkled wings hovered above a tied-up Charlie Beckendorf.
Taken by surprise, the second demon lady only managed to parry Percy's first strike, but his second one dispelled her back to the Underworld with an unearthly shriek.
Annabeth took care of the other one, stabbing her straight through the back. She glanced at the ceiling. "They might've heard that. We should go."
Percy knelt down and untied Beckendorf's gag. The son of Hephaestus had his hands and feet bound, and had been forced into a kneeling position. He didn't seem too scratched up, though there were a couple of claw marks down the side of his right bicep.
When he was ungagged, Beckendorf's first words were, "Where's Silena?"
Percy raised an eyebrow. "We don't know, man. We're looking for her too." Silena and Beckendorf had started last summer, when he'd finally got the guts to ask her to the fourth of July fireworks after a little incident with the Myrmekes.
"Weren't the two of you a pair?" Annabeth asked.
Beckendorf nodded miserably. "We got separated after Luke's monsters captured us. I don't know what they've done with her."
"Any ideas where they might've taken her and the other demigods?" Annabeth asked.
Beckendorf shook his head. "There are some cells downstairs, but they also might've taken her above deck."
Percy gestured to the exit. "Well, there's only one way to find out."
Beckendorf dashes out into the corridor, where he ran headfirst into a hellhound.
Percy gulped and backed up into the wall, Annabeth at his side with her face ashen.
Beckendorf slowly retreated, holding his hand out as if to stop the approaching monster.
"Nice doggie," a sickly sweet voice cooed. A girl wearing a short dress with her hair in two blonde ponytails stepped into view.
"Empousai," Annabeth hissed.
Percy winced. He'd never had good experiences with the vampire ladies. Last summer, one of them - Kelli - had almost ripped his throat open, and probably would've if Annabeth hadn't killed her first.
"Yes, dear Annie," the empousai said with a smug smile. She had a name tag on her dress that might've read 'veytte', but Percy assumed it was 'Yvette'. "We've heard a lot about you."
The empousa behind Yvette bared their fangs.
Yvette pretended to examine her nails. "I say you'll find that I'm much harder to dispel than Kelli."
The empousa rounded the three of them up, the hellhounds growling and snapping at the demigods as they were marched down the corridor.
"Do you have a plan?" Percy muttered out of her corner of his mouth.
Annabeth glared at him. "Why do you always think I have a plan?"
"Because you're Annabeth," Percy said like it was a perfectly alright explanation.
Annabeth snorted incredulously. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She didn't get an answer, for the empousa nudged them through a metal door and into what looked like jail cells. There were multiple cells in rows, and in one of them were Travis, Silena and a girl Percy didn't recognise.
"Not you too," Silena said in despair, though she seemed to relieved to see Beckendorf. He grinned at her apologetically.
The empousa shoved Percy, Annabeth and Beckendorf into the jail cell next to their demigod friends, confiscated their weapons, and locked the cell door.
"We'll check on you in a bit," Yvette sneered. "If Kronos orders it...or if I'm feeling hungry."
Annabeth snarled ferociously and made for the cell lock, but the monsters had already disappeared behind the door. She fell back in defeat. "This is turning out to be the greatest rescue mission ever."
Percy was reminded of the last rescue mission he'd been on - to get Annabeth and Artemis back. Even though the circumstances this time were more hopeless, Percy couldn't help but be glad that, at least, Annabeth was with him.
He glanced around the cell. Travis had his wrists shackled together with Silena, and the third demigod whom Percy didn't recall knowing sat sulking in a corner.
The last Percy had seen Silena, her hair had been ebony black, and her eyes chocolate brown, and she had been chasing Annabeth around camp trying to give her a makeover. Now, she had blue eyes and brown streaks in her wavy hair. Maybe children of Aphrodite could change their appearance at will, he didn't know.
"Have we met?" Percy asked the Asian girl, trying his best to make conversation.
"Listen, I'm not in the mood-" She cut herself off and raised her eyebrows when she caught sight of Percy. "Well, hello."
"Um, hi," Percy said, confused at her sudden change of attitude. He could've sworn he saw Silena roll her eyes. "I'm Percy."
She gave him a dazzling smile. "I'm Drew Tanaka, daughter of love."
Ah, an Aphrodite kid. Percy vaguely recalled Annabeth mentioning Drew earlier.
"How come I've never seen you around camp before?" Percy asked.
Drew laughed. It was a tinkling sound, like bells chiming. "Oh, well, you were far too busy off saving the world."
Percy blushed. Honestly, it sounded weird when people told him that, because most of the time, his quests involved a lot of guesswork and internal screaming.
Drew shuffled closer to the cell bars that separated them. Percy was suddenly hyperaware of her pretty brown eyes and black curls.
"Well, Drew," Annabeth's voice interrupted. Percy blinked. Was it just him or did Annabeth sound like she wanted to punch someone? "Aren't you slightly overdressed for a rescue mission? Who are you dressed to impress?"
Percy then realised that she was, in fact, overdressed. He suddenly took note of the fact that Drew had eyeliner on, and shimmering lip gloss. She was wearing a pink silk blouse, a skirt, and a necklace of pearls.
Drew sniffed. "Please, I don't dress to impress. I dress to depress. I want to look so good that other people hate themselves."
Percy's eyebrows shot upwards. That was forward.
"Hold on," Beckendorf interjected. "Sorry to interrupt your little fashion rendezvous, but where are Connor and Katie?"
"Above deck," Travis said miserably. "The monsters are using them for target practise."
Percy sent him a sympathetic look. Travis' younger brother Connor was basically Travis' best friend. "Don't worry, we'll rescue them."
"How? We can even rescue ourselves. At this rate, Katie will probably die before we even get out." Travis seemed to realise his mistake when Beckendorf turned a suspicious look on him. "I mean, Connor too."
Silena suppressed a smile, and exchanged knowing glances with Drew.
Percy looked between them. "Wait, what's going on?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes and smacked him on the head. "You're so dense sometimes."
"Travis likes Katie," Beckendorf explained.
Percy's eyes widened. "Katie, like, Katie Gardner?"
Travis blushed and purposefully stared at the ceiling light.
Percy thought back to last summer and suddenly remembered how Travis used to prank the Demeter cabin all the time. And how he always looked like he'd actually put in effort to take a shower whenever Katie was around. "When you think about, it's so obvious."
Travis snorted incredulously. "Yeah, that's obvious."
Percy didn't really get it, and when he turned to Annabeth, she seemed confused too. Yet the others were grinning and nudging one another. "Wait, what?"
Beckendorf shook his head with a low chuckle. "Forget it, Percy. I'll tell you another time."
Percy opened his mouth to ask again, but he suddenly felt Riptide reappear in his pocket.
Annabeth noticed too, and she shuffled forward, her "I have a plan" expression taking over. "Okay, we need to get out of here. Percy's got his sword now, so we should be able to bust ourselves out."
Percy blinked. How had she known? "Um, okay. But they have Connor and Katie, and they'll probably kill them before we can even get to the deck."
Annabeth nodded. "I thought of that. And I figured, the monsters will probably want to switch for another pair of demigods as target practice."
"You want two of us to go up there instead because we know the plan," Silena said in understanding.
"I'll go," Percy volunteered. He didn't think Drew or Silena could fight their way out in hand-to-hand combat, and he didn't want Annabeth up there in so much danger.
Beckendorf nodded. "Me too."
"Well," Annabeth said hesitantly. "I suppose we could do it that way."
"There's no other way to do it," Silena pointed out.
"There's three ways to do things; the right way, the wrong way, and the Percy way."
"Isn't that just the wrong way?" Travis said.
"Really feeling the love, guys," Percy grumbled.
"Yes," Annabeth answered, ignoring Percy. "Just with more sarcasm."
"Do you have any special talents that can help us out?" Drew asked Percy in a sweet voice.
He shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, I'm good at distraction, I guess."
"You're good at distracting people?" Drew asked, impressed.
"No, I'm good at getting distracted."
"Focus!" Annabeth reminded him.
Percy assured her, "We'll be fine. When the monsters bring us and leave Connor and Katie, you need to break the lock with Riptide."
He passed her his pen, and Annabeth held it gingerly. "Won't it just return to your pocket?"
Percy shrugged. He stared at the pen. "Stay." He tried to say it as a command, but it came out more and a question.
"It's not a dog, Percy."
The metal door suddenly creaked open, and Yvette sauntered back in with Connor and Katie in tow. Two hellhounds stood at either side of her. "We've come for an exchange."
Percy sent Annabeth a knowing look. She nodded infinitesimally.
"Of clothes?" Percy tried lamely. "That shirt you have is kind of unflattering."
He could hear Annabeth slap her forehead behind him.
"Couldn't you have come up with a better insult?" Beckendorf murmured.
Fortunately, Yvette looked offended. "Excuse me? I handpicked this from a mortal after I killed her." She glared at Percy. "We'll see how insolent you can get." She opened the door and threw Connor and Katie into Percy's cell.
Connor landed against the bars, but Katie smashed on the ground with a groan. Travis let out a shout, and rammed his body against the bars.
The two hellhounds jumped forward and dragged Percy and Beckendorf out of the cell.
"Any last goodbyes?" Yvette sneered. "Our aim is improving."
Percy didn't hear what Silena said to Beckendorf. He had caught Annabeth's eye, and tried to send her a reassuring glance.
Don't die, Seaweed Brain, she mouthed at him.
Percy tried for a grin, but the hellhound that had a grip on his shirt pulled him out of the door and slammed it shut behind him.
Beckendorf and Percy were forced up the stairs and onto the deck, where Kronos' army of monsters was. Percy scanned the deck for the Titan, but Kronos wasn't anywhere to be seen. Percy let out a sigh of relief; he would be dead meat if Kronos saw him. He figured he had a few minutes before news of his arrival reached Kronos and he was killed.
The two of them were chained to target boards and pulled so that their heart rested above the bullseye.
"Not how I wanted to spend my Friday night," Beckendorf shouted to Percy. The sun was setting, casting a glow into the lapping waves. Percy took comfort in the fact that, if anything went wrong, he could probably capsize the boat and kill all the monsters.
The targets they were chained to were at least 15 metres away from the queue of monsters ready to shoot them down.
Now, Percy knew the four area of beings. demigod.
Step1: Make a plan.
Step 2: Execute the plan.
Step 3: Expect the plan to go horribly wrong.
Step 4: Wing the hell out of it.
But he wasn't sure if he was at Step 3 or 4 yet. The first monster fired an arrow, and fortunately, he had terrible aim, so the arrow skittered along the deck floor.
Most of the arrows didn't even hit the target board. But occasionally, one would come close to piercing either Percy or Beckendorf. Percy yelped as an arrow protruded just inches away from his arm.
"Annabeth, where are you?" he murmured anxiously.
"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Beckendorf told him. Another arrow struck the space between his neck and arm.
"About what?"
"Annabeth."
Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "What about her?"
Beckendorf chuckled. "Percy, it's so obvious."
"What's so obvious?" Percy asked. He was genuinely confused. What on Earth was Beckendorf talking about? "That we fight a lot? Well, yeah."
Beckendorf rolled his eyes. "That you like her, Percy."
Percy felt the heat instantly rushing to his cheeks. "NO!" His voice came out at least 36 octaves higher than usual.
A swooshing noise momentarily distracted him. Percy glanced to his right to see the monster letting his arrow fly. The arrow sliced through the air, aiming straight for Percy, and he closed his eyes as he braced himself for impact.
When it didn't happen, Percy slowly opened his eyes. Annabeth was standing in front of him, the arrow in two pieces on the ground, Riptide in one hand and her dagger in the other. She cut it right out of the air.
A loud whooping sound reached Percy's ears as his friends exploded from belowdeck and started attacking the legions of monsters.
Annabeth stopped forward and slashed the lock off the chains that held Percy and Beckendorf to the target boards. "No, what?"
Percy froze in his tracks. "Uh-well-see-I-he-" He was a stuttering mess.
Percy had never been so red in his entire life. He sent Beckendorf an S.O.S. look.
Beckendorf simply crossed his arms, his expression a completely straight face. "Yeah, Percy. No, what?"
A giant cane flying their way, and Annabeth tackled both of them out of the way. Percy thanked the gods for the flying blue butt.
Annabeth threw Riptide towards Percy, and he caught it by the hilt in a running start. He channeled the momentum from his movement and the power from the ocean into the one strike, and Riptide sliced cleanly through the giant's midriff.
The giant only had a moment to look down at his severed lower body in surprise before he crumbled into ice shards.
Just as the giant was destroyed, a group of hellhounds pounced on them. Percy fenced off the first two with his sword and ducked under their claws. He jabbed at the hellhound's underneath and impaled it straight through, before whirling around and slashing the second monster to ribbons.
As Percy leaped onto a third hellhound's back, he caught a flying glimpse of Beckendorf punching one of Kronos' demigods in the face and grabbing his sword.
Annabeth was taking care of another two hellhounds, but they were backing her up against the ship's railing.
Percy quickly ran his sword through his hellhound's neck, where a normal dog would've kept its collar. He swiftly rolled off he monster as it crumbled into dust.
He sprinted towards Annabeth, who was practically over the side of the ship.
She parried a hellhound's claws, but the second one swiped at her torso. Her cry spurred Percy even faster.
At the last second, Annabeth managed to stab the first hellhound in the eye, dispelling it back to the Underworld. Bad news: the second hellhound's paw shoved her backwards. Annabeth's back bent and she flipped over the railing.
Percy wasn't sure what happened next. He jumped forward and grasped Annabeth's outstretched hand, their fingers entwining for a good second.
He yanked her up, and Annabeth collapsed on top of him, trembling from her close brush with death.
"You okay?" Percy asked timidly. He focused on the blueness of the sky and the fluffy clouds floating past. Anything that would stop him from reaching out brushing the loose strand of hair dangling in front of Annabeth's eyes behind her ear.
Annabeth quickly rolled off of him, panting as she lay on her back. "Thanks."
Percy was breathing heavily too. He turned to her. "You owe me one."
Annabeth snorted. "Did you forget the Labyrinth?"
Percy struggled to his feet and held out his hand. "Call it even?"
Annabeth smile. She grasped his hand and pulled herself up. "C'mon, Seaweed Brain." She sprinted off towards their other demigod friends, leaving Percy shaking his head and sighing.
By the time, Percy had regained his senses, his friends had been overwhelmed by Kronos' army. Every monster they destroyed was replaced by another dozen. There was just an endless supply of them on this ship.
"We can't beat them!" Annabeth shouted over the commotion. Her hair whipped around as she spun to protect herself.
Percy scanned the deck for an exit. "There!" He pointed to a glass door with a sign that read "All-Star Lounge".
Silena finished off the dracanae she was duelling and pulled Beckendorf towards the door. Drew momentarily ceased her shrieking to follow her sister, ducking her head to avoid flying projectiles.
"Go!" Percy shouted to Travis. "I'll hold them off!"
Annabeth urged Katie to follow the Stolls. The three of them disappeared behind the glass door and turned the corridor.
"Follow them," Percy told her. "I've got an idea."
She paused for a moment, her eyes flickering between the glass door and the oncoming monsters. "I'm staying with you."
Percy groaned internally. Sometimes, she was too stubborn for her own good.
Percy raised Riptide towards the monsters, and a tidal wave rose beside the ship and engulfed the deck in water. Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and they raced towards the glass door, water crashing behind them.
Once they were safely inside, Percy held urged the wave back and away from the door. He quickly let go of Annabeth's hand and suddenly felt very empty.
"This way," she whispers in a hushed tone.
Percy followed her. The floor was carpeted red with patterns, and the painting hung on the walls.
They entered the door and found themselves in the ship lounge. Percy realised that this must've been where all the mortals were. There were families and couples, sitting around and chatting. However, their eyes didn't seem so blurred this time.
"Ah! You must be the rest of the musicians!" a middle-aged woman said cheerfully, clapping her hands together.
Percy exchanged a look with Annabeth. The only thing he was worse at than paying attention was singing.
Their demigods friends stood off to the side. Silena looked at them helplessly. We ran out of ideas, she mouthed at Percy.
Annabeth nudged Percy towards the grand piano on the risen stage at the front of the room. He shuffled towards it nervously.
"Um, I'm going to play you a song called 'My Life So Far'," Percy announced. He stared at the black and white keys on the piano that already gave him a headache.
He plays the only chord he remembered from music classes years ago and took a deep breath. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The door to the lounge flew open and off its hinges, revealing a very Yvette and her empousa friends, backed by harpies.
"Run!" Drew screamed.
Percy leaped off the stage and sprinted towards the exit. He made it just as Annabeth slammed the door shut.
Beckendorf was already dragging chairs and tables to barricade the door, but that wouldn't hold the monsters for long.
"What do we do?" Katie asked desperately. Percy realised that he hadn't seen her yet today, and he sent her a friendly wave. Her curly brown hair was all over the place and freckles dotted her face, evidence of her summer vacation.
"There's no backdoor," Connor said suddenly. "We've locked ourselves in."
As if on cue, banging started on the door. The monsters were trying to ram their way in. Together, Beckendorf and Travis shifted a refrigerator to block the door.
"There's a window!" Silena yelped.
Percy followed her gaze. She was right. There was a small circular window that showed the water lapping outside the kitchen.
Annabeth peered through the window. "I think we can climb onto the deck from here."
Percy stepped towards her. "Allow me. Locks are my specialty."
He grabbed the nearest bowl and smashed it against the window. The fragile glass broke in pieces and scattered onto the kitchen floor.
Drew let out a dreamy sigh. "That was so brave, Percy!"
Annabeth coughed. "Yes, Percy, I'm truly amazed at your incredibly subtle lock-picking abilities."
Percy sent her a lopsided grin. "Hey, don't question the methods if they work."
"Just go already!" Beckendorf shouted at them.
"I'll go first, at least if I drop, the sharks won't eat me," Percy explained. He hoisted himself up towards the window and swung his legs through.
"Shakes?" Annabeth paled. "I thought you said there weren't any sharks?"
Percy winked at her and threw himself through the window. He clung onto the railing that ran around the outside of the ship and pulled himself up. It was just like doing normal pull-ups.
He pulled himself up onto the deck and rolled along the floor. "It's safe!" he called out to his friends.
One by one, they pulled themselves up. Annabeth was first, and as an expert on monkey bars, she was able to make it up with little help from Percy. On the other hand, Connor required a lot of huffing and panting as they pulled him up.
Once they were all up, Percy told them the plan. "We need lifeboats to escape because we can't swim all the way back to land and I doubt I can summon enough hippocampi to transport all of us."
"I saw the keys to the lifeboat downstairs," Travis recalled. "Knew I should've stolen those."
"Okay, so who will go-" Percy was interrupted by thunderous footsteps that rattled the ship deck. Silena stumbled and fell into Beckendorf.
Percy slowly pivoted until he faced no other than the Titan Kronos. It was still Luke, though, and Percy clenched his fists at the sight of his old friend.
"Jackson," Kronos snarled. He was twirling Backbiter - a ferocious sword made out of Celestial Bronze and mortal steel - with a smirk. "I'm starting to think that you have a death wish."
"Stand back, Kronos," Beckendorf warned. Percy didn't understand how his voice didn't shake in fear.
Luke's features rearranged into a sneer, and Kronos raised his sword, his eyes flashing golden.
Roars and howls erupted from behind him, and a hundred monsters burst out of the stairwell.
The demigods levelled their weapons.
"Is anyone else scared?" Silena asked in a small voice. She held her sword awkwardly.
"Not really, Percy said miserably. "I've already lived longer than I expected."
Connor and Travis let out a battle cry, and the eight of them charged the army.
Percy flew straight into their ranks, slashing and rolling like a madman. Riptide cut an arc in front of him, killing five snake-women and a shrieking harpy.
He ducked a flying arrow and plunged forward, taking out an empousai about to rake her claws across Katie's back.
His friends were holding up alright, but Silena and Drew were back-to-back and trying to protect themselves.
"Beckendorf!" Percy waved wildly to catch his attention. He pointed towards the daughters of Aphrodite.
Thankfully, Beckendorf got the message and waded through the sea of monsters to help his girlfriend.
Percy glanced up. He had bigger problems to deal with.
As he ran towards Kronos, Percy impaled a telkhine and decapitated another dracanae.
Kronos merely smiled as Percy ran in for the charge.
Backbiter and Riptide met in the middle, creating a metallic clang that made Percy wince. The mere strength of Kronos' strike sent Percy skidding backwards, and he felt a twang in his shoulder.
Kronos advanced calmly, slashing at Percy.
Percy partied the strike and feinted to the left before aiming Riptide for the knees. His sword simply glanced off of Luke's knees.
Kronos scoffed. "Luke always said you were dense."
Percy held back an angry growl. He wouldn't let Kronos antagonise him.
Okay, so Kronos couldn't be harmed by any weapon or a direct hit. But maybe something else would work.
Percy held out a hand, and a geyser hit the bottom of the boat, sending the Princess Andromeda hurtling into the sky.
He heard Katie cry out, and he glanced back to see Travis holding her by the fingers as her legs dangled off the side of the ship.
The momentum pushing them up into the clouds forced everyone on the deck downwards, and most of the monsters flew off the ship.
Annabeth was sprawled in the deck, clinging onto a loose plank for dear life. Connor was lying on the ground too and rapidly slashing at a hellhound's feet. The hellhound lost its grip and the wind blew it off the boat.
Percy tried to keep his balance as best as he could, but eventually, the shaking off the boat knocked him off balance. The geyser had shut off, and the boat was flying upwards from its own momentum.
Kronos seemed to be the only one unaffected. "Ready to die?" he mocked as he approached Percy's fallen figure.
Percy lifted Riptide to stop the incoming strike, but he knew that nothing would help.
In the second, everything happened at once.
First, Annabeth threw her dagger like a throwing knife, making Kronos drop his sword in surprise as it glanced off his hand.
Next, the boat lost its momentum, and the Princess Andromeda started free-falling through the air.
Fortunately, the weight of the boat kept it upright as it fell. But the sudden change of direction forced the ship's passengers upwards this time.
Annabeth was still holding onto the railing, but it had detached, and she had flown into the air, her hair coming out of its ponytail and rippling in the wind.
"Percy!" she yelled over the howl of the rushing wind. "The ship is going to break!"
Percy understood her meaning. They were coming in too fast. If they landed right now, the ship would break into a million pieces. While that would probably destroy Kronos' army, Percy wouldn't risk his friends like that.
For some reason, Percy's mind suddenly filled with the memory of Athena telling him his fatal flaw.
Pushing it from his thoughts, Percy raised and arm and shouted. The ship was a few metres away from the surface of the water, and the sea erupted to swallow the Princess Andromeda.
Water exploded across the deck, swamping monsters and demigods alike. Percy ran around the confusion, using the water to rescue his friends.
Annabeth was pulled behind him by a string of water, and Travis was grabbed back too. Once all of them were safely behind him, Percy drew Riptide.
Kronos started to get up, Backbiter still clutched in his right hand. Sopping monsters rallied behind him and snapped in their direction.
Kronos slowly brought his head up, and when his golden eyes locked with Percy's, Percy could hear his friends stumble back, possibly in fear.
"Get onto a lifeboat," Percy urged them.
Beckendorf hefted his sword. "Not a chance. We've got your back."
Katie nodded, pulling out some seeds from her pocket.
Percy glanced to his left. Annabeth had gone grey, and not the good kind like her eyes. She was paling, and looked slightly ill. His eyes flickered between her and Kronos.
Of course, she was thinking about Luke.
Percy pushed down an irrational swell of anger in his chest. "Annabeth, you need to get the key to the lifeboats. It's the only way we can get out."
Annabeth held her dagger gingerly. "No, I-"
"Please," Percy whispered. He glanced at Kronos, then at her. He didn't want her to get hurt because she got distracted.
Annabeth swallowed. "Okay, okay."
"On three?" Connor asked warily, surveying their enemies again.
"Three," Travis said.
They charged.
Percy headed directly for Kronos. "Hey, Kronos! That armour; it looks like you're wearing a dress!"
Kronos suddenly leaped out from nowhere and struck at Percy.
Percy hit the deck, Backbiter stabbing the wood just by his left shoulder. Percy rolled and slashed upwards, his sword simply glancing off Kronos' thigh.
Percy jumped to his feet, only for Riptide to be met with Backbiter. He pressed forward with all his strength, a bead of sweat trickling past his temple.
"Insults at a time like this, Jackson?" Kronos growled, pushing Percy back. He leaped up, their swords sliding apart and forcing Percy to stumble. "Is that wise?"
Percy whirled his sword behind him and sliced clean through a harpy zooming in for the kill before he struck Kronos again. "Well, when you're being held at swordpoint by a geriatric madman in a skirt, you've kind of hit rock-bottom anyway."
Percy quickly pulled off the disarming technique Luke had taught him so many years ago, and Backbiter clattered to the floor. "It can't really get much worse."
Kronos seemed to recover from his momentary distraction, and Backbiter was in his clutch within split seconds. "I could kill you if I wanted to."
"Yeah?" Percy snorted, backing further up. His fighting arm was starting to get sore. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Annabeth swing past a hellhound and down the staircase. She had to be on the way to the lifeboats. If he could just hold Kronos' attention for a few more minutes... "So could another human being."
Percy felt the ship railing digging into his back, and he quickly propelled himself off the side of the ship and vaulted over Kronos' head. "So could a dedicated duck."
He heard Travis snickering at the side. "You aren't special, Kronos!"
Kronos threw his sword like a boomerang with an angry snarl.
Percy ducked and let it sail aimlessly over his head. For some reason, Backbiter instantly circled back into Kronos' hand.
Percy momentarily wondered if Kronos had the Force.
He was quickly interrupted as Kronos roared and struck down on Percy. Percy winked under the pressure of Backbiter, but he tried his best to parry the blade away with Riptide.
Unfortunately, when Backbiter was pushed away, Riptide was quickly scattered across the deck.
Percy had a brief mental track of uh oh before he started backing up. His eyes flickered from side to side. Riptide was lying on the ground behind Kronos, and it would take a few minutes to return to Percy's pocket. His friends were preoccupied with monsters, and Annabeth wasn't anywhere to be seen.
It had been too long. She should've gotten back by now.
Percy clapped his hands together, and another tsunami wave rocked the boat. Kronos fell onto his side and rolled down the slanted ship into one of his giants. It took a second for him to disappear under the giant's body.
Percy sprinted towards the stairs, grabbing Riptide as he ran, and ducked under the stairwell, hoping that Kronos hadn't seen him.
Hurrying down the corridor, Percy felt the ship stabilise and heard a deafening shout, "WHERE IS JACKSON?"
He let out a shuddering sigh of relief mixed with fear.
"Annabeth!" Percy called out, capping Riptide back into a pen. "Annabeth!"
He ran up to the closest door and slammed it open.
It was the ship's main kitchen, filled with metal appliances and food trays.
Percy' eyes instantly snapped to the sigh in front of him; a brown-haired man lying groaning on the floor, with Annabeth standing over him with a bloody kitchen knife in her hand.
"Why is there blood everywhere?" Percy's voice was at least several octaves higher than usual.
Annabeth glanced up at him. "Uh, I may or may not have aggressively poked someone with a knife."
Percy's hands flew to his face. "You stabbed someone?!"
"No!" Annabeth insisted. "I aggressively poked them with a knife."
Percy's first instinct was to get down on his knees. He quickly checked the man's pulse and could hear his short breaths amidst painful groans.
"He worked for Kronos," Annabeth said helpfully.
The man had a small stab wound on his thigh. Percy figured that he wouldn't die from loss of blood if someone found him within the hour.
Percy clambered to his feet. "Now that I'm significantly more terrified of you, do you have the keys?"
Annabeth held the shining metal key in her right hand. "Let's get off this ship."
The two of them sneaked out of the kitchen and hurried to the back of the lower deck, where they had entered the ship from the water.
They dragged the lifeboat out of its chest and started fixing up the ropes.
"Do the others know where to meet us?" Annabeth asked.
Percy clicked two of the ropes together. "I think so. They should be here any minute." He got to his feet and dusted himself off.
As he took in the silence, Percy realised that he and Annabeth were alone.
She was gazing out at the rocking waves, her grey eyes clouded with something he couldn't recognise, and her eyebrows knitted in an equal combination defiance and concern.
Percy recognised that expression. That was Annabeth's "Luke" face. For once, Percy didn't feel angry that she was thinking about him. All he wanted was to see her smile.
"What type of rock is a really good friend?" As soon as that came out of his mouth, Percy regretted it. It had been the first thing he'd thought of to cheer her up.
His face burned as Annabeth turned around to look at him expectantly.
"An opal," Percy said weakly.
Annabeth made a noise in the back of her throat. "Rocks will be your only friends if you ever use that joke again."
But Percy could see her stifle a laugh, and that made it all worth it.
"Hey, Annabeth," Percy said slowly.
She turned back to him. "Yeah?"
"I've been meaning to ask you - that is, I tried asking before we got interrupted, but next week -" Percy was interrupted by footsteps thundering down the corridor.
Their friends came around the bend, panting and racing towards them. Connor was limping, and Silena was huddled in Beckendorf's arms, a long gash along her right calf and her face a shade of green.
"Go! Go!" Drew shouted.
Percy tore his gaze away from Annabeth and gave the boat a light shove. It slid into the water, bobbing slowly.
Annabeth held the rope taut as Percy helped each of them into the boat.
When it was Drew's turn, she held onto his hand a little too tight, and Percy shifted uncomfortably. Until Annabeth accidentally let go of the rope and the boat shook, and Drew stumbled and fell inside.
Percy could've sworn he saw Annabeth grin.
When his friends were all inside, Percy climbed in before pulling Annabeth inside. The monsters were starting to square in on their location.
Percy reached out a hand and the currents started to pull them out of the Princess Andromeda's dock.
Dracanae roared and hellhounds growled, but nothing could stop them as the lifeboat hurtled out to sea.
After fifteen minutes or so, when Percy was absolutely sure that they were completely out of the Princess Andromeda's range, he slumped onto the lifeboat floor, exhausted.
"You're burning up," Annabeth's voice sounded faraway as she pressed her hand to his forehead.
Percy tried to blink the yellow spots out of his eyes. He tried to tell her that he was fine, but it came out as more of a "uh, duh."
Annabeth pulled out a piece of ambrosia from the pocket of her shorts and fed it to him. Slowly but surely, Percy started to feel better, and as his friends paddled the boat along, they bobbed on the water.
Once Percy had regained all senses and was comfortably at the boat's helm, he directed their course back to Camp Half-Blood's shores.
They were welcomed back with open arms and cheering. The mood at camp visibly lightened, obvious from the roaring orange flames during the campfire.
Percy was huddled between his demigod friends as they sang loudly and out-of-tune to the usual songs.
"I've got one for you."
Percy turned around to see Annabeth padding over to his side with a stick of s'mores in hand.
"We've got to go fix something," Beckendorf said loudly, nudging the Stolls in the side.
"What?" Katie voiced, but Silena yanked her sharply to her feet. "I mean, yeah, we do!"
Beckendorf led them off with a bit-so-discreet wink in Percy's direction. He blushed, recalling their brief conversation on the Princess Andromeda.
"Thanks," Percy told Annabeth as he took the stick of melted marshmallows. He slowly bit off the top one.
Annabeth shifted on the log so that they were face to face. "You wanted to ask me something?" The flames cast shadows across her face so that Percy couldn't read her expression.
"Um, uh," Percy stammered. He couldn't chicken out now. "See, it's my mum's wedding to Paul next weekend, and well, Paul told me I should bring someone with me, and I was wondering if you would be the one?"
Annabeth was silent for a moment.
Percy quickly retraced his words in his mind and wondered what he ha said wrong.
"You mean, you wouldn't rather take Rachel?" Annabeth's voice sounded more curious than angry.
Percy blinked. "Wow, I didn't even think about that." It was true. He hadn't even mildly considered taking Rachel instead.
Annabeth grinned. "Of course, Seaweed Brain." She swiftly plucked off a marshmallow and popped it into her mouth. "Is it formal wear?"
Percy nodded.
She pulled a face. "Guess I'll be borrowing a dress from Silena."
"You'd look great in anything," Percy blurted out before he could rethink his words.
Annabeth laughed and Percy prayed that she couldn't see his red cheeks in the firelight.
"I appreciate it," she said softly, and shuffled closer to him.
Percy swallowed, repeating a mental mantra to calm himself down. It was just Annabeth, anyway, why was he getting so nervous around her?
But even as he sat there beside her, inhaling her lemon shampoo, Percy knew that there was no way he could deny his feelings for the daughter of Athena.