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The quest came in the mail.
Mind you, the mail was not the normal mortal mail. The USPS didn’t actually deliver to Camp Half-Blood. Neither did Fedex, UPS, or even Pirate Ship.
But the quest came in the mail all the same. The mail being Triton, who hand delivered the envelope with the quest in it.
He did it coolly, studying Percy the way he always did. Percy’s Godly brother perpetually unsure what to think of their father’s favorite child.
Percy politely nodded, thanked his brother in Halmaheran (Havua) and studied the letter.
His father, Poseidon God of the Seas, did not send him letters often. Percy usually got a dream message. Or a quick airomo (braided seaweed which told stories) to let Percy practice reading them.
But this letter looked very official. Made of tepote (undersea paper, very hard to make and thus very expensive) with Percy’s name written on it in a shimmery green ink (another expensive item in the sea) with an official Aifovi (think seal except totally different because wax doesn’t work in the ocean) with his trident embossed in silver on it.
I opened the letter, pulling out more tepote with writing in the same shimmery green ink. There were several pages.
Very fancy.
Dear Percy,
The letter said.
Swift winds and gentle currents to you and yours on this anniversary of great grief. Today I write to you as I have been reminded of a task I had wished to complete many years ago: to right a wrong that was committed many years prior.
For you to understand this wrong that occurred and why I wish for it to be righted, I must first tell you a story. It is a long one, but I beg of you to read it in its entirety for it is vital for you to understand the request that I make of you.
It begins with the sinking of the Titanic.
Mortals and demigods alike have joked for many years that the Titanic sinking was a God, perhaps me specifically, angered by the claim of an “unsinkable ship”. But truly, I had little care for the ship. Many a ship has crossed my waters, and many tried to claim at some point that they were unsinkable. Some reached a natural end of retirement while some found they were not so unsinkable.
No, I had no need to sink them. The Titanic sinking was a result of simple human arrogance, lack of knowledge, and unfortunate circumstances.
And yet, the wrong I wish to make right is not the Titanic sinking. But what the Titanic summoned with its calls of distress.
OO OO OO OO
Percy didn’t need to go to Rachel for this quest, so he just let the camp know that he was heading out on a quest assigned by Poseidon. He had the official letter so Mr. D waved him off and Khiron let him make a team for the quest.
Percy, obviously, was the leader.
Annabeth was there to assist as the Architect.
Nyssa from the Hephaestus cabin was there as the biggest ship nerd.
And Percy also made a request to Nico to let them interview some of the original builders and crew of the ship via Iris Message. It would speed up their search and repair greatly.
They had a lot of work to do. Thankfully, Poseidon had supplied them with the rough coordinates for the ship. But that was still a large area.
And they still had to do the repairs.
OO OO OO OO
The Titanic knew there were icebergs in the area it was headed but did not reduce their speed. This was the norm at the time, for all that I consider it blatant arrogance. Some ships had hit icebergs and were still able to complete their journeys and thus humans considered the threat negligible.
They did not realize the danger an iceberg could pose and it was this arrogance that was their doom.
First Officer Murdoch ordered “hard a-starboard” with the follow up order of “full astern”. If they had only done “hard a-starboard” the Titanic may have survived. Alas, calling “full astern” meant the ship tried to reverse course. This is a long and slow process and one that slows turns as much as forward movement.
This decision was their undoing as the Titanic swung around the iceberg too closely and scraped against an underwater spur of ice. Even just six seconds of scraping was enough to sink the unsinkable.
With twelve square feet of damage across six compartments, roughly three hundred feet, there was no chance for the ship to survive longer than a few hours. Barely nine minutes after they hit the iceberg the ship was realized to be sinking, though to what degree was uncertain. Captain Smith erred on the side of caution however and the rescue attempt began.
Unfortunately, most did not realize the ship was sinking. Even when the stewards rushed to and fro, informing the passengers to head to the ship deck, the passengers did not realize the threat. The stewards had no time to explain, too many people to tell. And as you well know, the Titanic was declared unsinkable. None of the passengers thought this was a serious problem. Many even considered it an outright joke.
Yet, within forty-five minutes of the collision the Captain knew that the ship was doomed. With only half the lifeboats they would need to save the over two thousand people on the boat, mass casualties were inevitable.
And made all the more inevitable due to the lack of preparation made, to the point that not all the lifeboats even made it to release.
Still, an effort was made. At the Captains call of “women and children” the officers of the port and starboard decks began herding their passengers aboard the lifeboats… those willing to go at least. Even now many resisted the efforts made to save their lives, especially as one of the officers only allowed women and children rather than prioritizing them as the other officer did.
Lack of preparation, lack of clear orders, and lack of willingness to climb aboard the lifeboats led to the first two boats being sent out with only twenty-eight people apiece. Each capable of carrying sixty-five when full, another thirty-seven people who could have been saved. The rest of the lifeboats were not much more filled.
The Titanic sank, and as it did it sent out desperate distress calls.
OO OO OO OO
Nico was a big help in starting their research. Poseidon had provided the rough area of the ship, but not the exact coordinates. He’d added a little note under that saying that he thought they might enjoy the whole process.
With Nico’s help they were able to summon forth the spirits who built the ship originally along with those who had helped retrofit it and learn the exact specs.
Annabeth was able to pull copies of the blueprints to sit down with the dead and take notes on what was changed but not specified on documents. Things that might’ve been forgotten, tricks and tips for fixing up areas or repair jobs done on the fly.
Knowledge on the ship, on the spirit present which made the ship what it was.
“She’s a beauty,” Cottam said fondly. “Did the impossible that night. She had spirit, a strong one. She kept us and thousands of others safe even till her end.”
“If we’d given her a little longer,” Captain Rostron said, “she may have shown everyone that spirit.”
Nyssa and Annabeth had their heads bent over the designs but Percy listened more to the stories. The adventures and travels of the ship. The war she faced. The lives she saved.
He listened until Captain Prothero finished his tale of the end of the ship and then nodded.
He knew the Carpathia’s final resting place.
And he would raise her anew.
OO OO OO OO
The distress call was eventually picked up by others, but none were as near as the RMS Carpathia.
At first, it was missed, due to typical ship tasks. It was only due to Harold Cottam, the wireless operator on the ship, who stayed up late and continued to listen to the radio that the Titanic survivors were saved.
He took the message and he raced to the bridge, and then to the Captain, to ensure the seriousness was understood. And the Captain did understand.
He leapt forth, sending orders immediately to turn the ship around and then to the chief engineer to call another watch of stokers so that they could make haste to the Titanic at once. All non-essential functions were ceased to give the engines as much power as possible. At this time, they were fifty-eight and a fourth knots from the Titanic, a distance that ought to have taken more than four hours to reach.
The Carpathia was a fourteen-knot ship, but that night for three-and-a-half hours she worked up to seventeen knots.
The way there was filled with preparations. Doctors were prepared, blankets, ladders, and mail sacks were at the gangway doors. The passengers made sure everything was up to snuff for the incoming rescuees.
The first hour and a half was clear sailing, but with two hours to go the Carpathia reached iceberg alley.
OO OO OO OO
Percy dove deep into the ocean, annoyed with Premier Exhibitions Inc.
They owned the Carpathia wreck yet never did anything for it. The wreck was left there to rot.
Not anymore.
Percy confirmed the exact location, five-hundred and thirty-one feet deep, one-hundred-and-twenty miles West and fifteen miles South of Fastnet, Ireland.
The ship was indeed there. Some stuff had been salvaged, according the Annabeth a little under a hundred artifacts.
“Most of what they took was broken china, coal, a handful of brownware, some linolium tiles, a few port windows,” Annabeth explained. “There were a few parts like the engine telegraph taken as well.”
Annabeth had looked into what was salvaged, as it could impact the repair plans. But nothing major was removed.
Percy saw the ship, straight ahead and up as it balanced impressively upon the stone.
He swam around the ship, checking the details. The name plate was one of the first things removed (discreetly, secretly), so Percy had to confirm the ship via other methods. He did so promptly as he studied the area and the ship carefully to make sure it was the ship they had come for.
Three holes, large and gaping, left the ship open to the ocean. A clear sign of what had brought the fierce lady down.
Despite that… she was beautiful.
Percy didn’t know ships from study, but he knew them all the same. He knew them in his heart and bones, in his blood. And this was a beautiful ship. Steady and strong in her prime, willing to go to war for her passengers. She was an incredible ship, even left in ruins on the ocean floor.
But she would sail again. Now that he knew where she was, he could retrieve Annabeth and Nyssa and they could get to work.
OO OO OO OO
Despite the speed the Carpathia sailed at and the icebergs which filled the alley, the Carpathia sailed safely through. She dodged the worst icebergs and allowed minor ones to crash against her hull, shattering on the steel.
Perhaps I was inclined to offer her a touch of aid, but truly she did not need much. She was a fierce one.
It was four AM when she arrived at the location the Titanic went down, with a bit of guidance from myself as the Titanic had estimated their location wrongly in their distress call.
Seven-hundred-and-five survivors were pulled onto the Carpathia, barely a quarter of those who had been on the Titanic.
But they were the only sruvivors.
Doctors treated them for injuries and illness while the crew assisted in hauling the survivors up to the deck of the Carpathia. The passengers on the ship assisted in providing blankets, beverages, warm food, accomodations, and words of comfort.
The rescue took five hours, but every survivor left was hauled up on deck by nine AM. And the Carpathia headed to shore.
OO OO OO OO
Percy maintained a bubble around Annabeth and Nyssa, carefully manipulating it to give them as much space as possible. At some points he had to separate it as the two worked carefully and meticulously across the hull of the ship.
On top of upholding the bubble, Percy also had to help the Carpathia raise herself up. To clamp metal back together with sheer willpower. To fashion broken pieces into working ones anew.
Bit by bit the ship was fixed.
Nyssa painstakingly replacing whole sections of the hull, particularly those damaged by icebergs or war. Especially the war. It seemed like half the hull sustained damage in the war.
Annabeth examined the inside and got to work on revamping it, restoring the beautiful library (now empty of surviving books), the lovely dining room, the kitchen, and other such useful and beautiful spaces. Additionally, she worked hard to fix up the cabins for a temporary repair that would allow more in depth designs later.
The Captains cabin was gorgeous though, soft greens with gray touches. He didn’t know where Annabeth had found the silver or shining coral to make the bed and chests but it was incredible. Percy had to leave a big air bubble there for the rest of their work though and that was a bit stressful.
Nyssa’s work was less pretty and more functional, but she made the ship workable again. Annabeth prepared the spaces, cleaned out the damage and fixed the less specialty sections up. She built walls and bedrooms and kitchens and made tables and chairs and shelves and beautiful ceiling work- somehow she got materials to weave as well.
Nyssa dove into the bowels of the ship once she finished with the hull and took over the engine room for quite some time. Percy ended up joining her for awhile, his own powers coaxing the Carpathia to life anew.
Bit by bit the ship came together again.
OO OO OO OO
Alas, all good things come to an end.
The Great War, also known as World War One, came about and the Carpathia was pressed into service.
She was a passenger ship, and thus was used well to transport Expeditionary Forces from the Americas to Europe. She wasn’t always alone in her journeys, but she took many.
She was repainted as well, her red funnel painted a battle gray. The rest of the ship was painted in a wartime dazzle camouflage as well. Every change made meant to offer her protection in the war.
This was not enough to save her though.
On July fifteenth, 1918, the Carpathia departed from Liverpool as part of a convoy headed towards Boston. She held fifty-seven passengers and one-hundred-and-sixty-six crew. They traveled in a strategic zig-zag pattern to minimize the risk of submarine attacks.
They had an escort, but it only stayed with them for two days. When it left the convoy was down to seven ships. Carpathia was the biggest of the ships and so she was the commodore.
She saved lives, taking point and a torpedo right next to the No. 3 hatch on the port side of her hull. A second torpedo followed and penetrated her hull, straight into the engine room with a grand explosion. Three firemen and two trimmers died as the torpedo destroyed her ability to escape further attack.
The Carpathia was moored in the ocean, with no means to communicate electronically due to the explosion.
They used flags then, alerting the convoy of the threat and what to do. And rockets, to catch the attention of patrol boats.
The rest of the convoy escaped even as the Carpathia was evacuated.
Only the five in the engine room died, all the rest of the two-hundred-and-twenty-three passengers, now two-hundred-and-eighteen, survived and abandoned ship onto the lifeboats when ordered by the ship’s new Captain, Prothero.
The captain and his chief officer, first and second officers, and gunners remained on the ship however and ensured all the confidential books and documents were destroyed and thrown overboard. Only once they were safe did the captain and his remaining crew leap from the boat to a lifeboat.
Just in time for the U-55 submarine to surface and fire a third torpedo into the ship near the gunner’s rooms.
The ship exploded.
The Carpathia sunk beneath the waves.
OO OO OO OO
The Carpathia rose above the waves.
Percy, Annabeth, and Nyssa were on her deck, Percy releasing the bubble giving the other two air as they breached the surface and watching in awe as the hundred year old ship took her first breath of air.
Percy felt the joy in the ship as her engine hummed, her kitchen clanked with tools, her wireless came online for the first time since that second torpedo strike.
She sang as the waves rocked her, subtle movements that displayed her strength stability as a ship. Water sprayed out as the ocean steadied once more.
Percy breathed in and grinned, this was a fun quest.
OO OO OO OO
And this brings me to my quest for you. One that I have wished to complete for a long time, yet been unable to for various reasons.
Raise the Carpathia.
Bring her back to the world.
She was a fierce ship, a wondrous ship. She deserves to shine once more.
Truly, her and her crew loved the sea. They lived for it.
She died for it.
Bring the Carpathia back, repair her hull and restore her engine room. Let her sail across the waves once more.
I know you are capable of it.
May your load be light and your water moon-bright, beloved son of mine.
Your Father,
Poseidon
Another official Aifovi was at the bottom of the last sheet of paper. Very official and beautiful.
Percy smiled, feeling Annabeth come lean against him as they perched on a box on the Carpathia’s deck.
“You should write a response,” Annabeth suggested. “We’re having a fun trip right now.”
“Yeah,” Percy murmured. “I should.”
But normal printer paper wouldn’t do.
Luckily, Percy had Annabeth and she was happy to source Percy some obnoxiously fancy paper from land and the two practiced making a fancy seal just for Percy to send.
Percy and Annabeth grinned under the moonlight as they finished his seal. It was pretty. He couldn’t wait to send it to his dad.
OO OO OO OO
Dear Dad,
May your tides be gentle and your waves calm. I am sending this letter to inform you of the status of the quest you assigned me, though I’m sure you know some of the details already.
OO OO OO OO
They brought the Carpathia to New York first, in honor of the Titanic survivors that had been delivered to New York. And also because Camp was there.
It was funny seeing reactions to the old steam ship. Most didn’t recognize her, but there were a few who knew the name and stared wide eyed at the steam ship.
Percy and Annabeth disembarked there and headed to camp, leaving Nyssa to guard the old ship while they spoke to Chiron and Mr. D and informed them of the quest success.
Chiron was pleased but Mr. D suddenly perked up.
“I have an excellent idea,” he said in a tone that made Percy wary. “You should make sure the ship is really fully functioning. Why not take her around? Let her see the world anew?”
Percy paused, that actually… wasn’t a bad idea. He still didn’t have much to do this summer and the Carpathia was alive in an undeniable way. She shouldn’t sit at a port. But she also didn’t know this world like she did the one a hundred years ago.
“I like that idea,” Percy decided.
“We should bring Nico and Hazel,” Annabeth added. “They know the past too and might be good for Carpathia.”
“Good for…” Chiron frowned. “You make it sound like the boat is alive.”
“The boat is alive,” Percy declared. “She nearly was before she was sunk but now she definitely is.”
“I… see… then perhaps you don’t need to-”
“No!” Annabeth cried. “Of course we need to go with her around the world a bit. She’s been gone so long, and she’s so sweet. She’ll be lonely!”
“And she’s been alone so long,” Percy added.
“I’ll go get Leilani, she can join us!” Annabeth said. “And I’ll see if anyone else wants to come too!”
OO OO OO OO
Mr. D had a great idea to take Carpathia around the world, especially to the sites that she once knew. So we’ve decided to do that! New York was our first stop, partially because we were there for camp. But it wasn’t our last.
Annabeth collected several campers and friends. Jake Mason, Leilani Pono, Nico Di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Drew Tanaka, Katie Gardner, Travis Stoll, and Kayla Knowles. The ship could carry many more people, but between Katie and Kayla we had the majority of supplies handled. All excess was arranged by Annabeth.
Jake and Nyssa would be in charge of the engine room, any wireless communication would be handled by Travis. Katie ruled the kitchen but others were allowed to help too. Drinks were in the camp’s magic cups. Kayla would be the medic as needed and Drew was gleefully helping Annabeth decorate the ship.
Nico, Hazel, and Leilani were assigned with me, our job to keep the ship running strong and make sure the Carpathia knew she wasn’t alone.
OO OO OO OO
The second stop was Rijeka, in Croatia. This is where the Carpathia was supposed to be going when the Titanic sank. Since we’d gone to another Titanic location, that seemed to be a good follow up point.
Percy didn’t know what it had been like before, when Carpathia knew the city, but it was pretty now.
Annabeth happily informed everyone that Rijeka was the Croatian city in on Kvarner bay in the northern Adriatic Sea. It was known as a gateway to Croatia’s islands. It still held a number of buildings from the Habsburg-era and a 19th century Ivan pl.
They didn’t explore the city for too long, because they didn’t want Carpathia to be lonely.
But they did get to see the Trsat Castle, take a quick stop in the Peek & Poke Computer Museum (Kayla insisted), and got lunch at the Rijeka Central Market. It was all very pretty and they made sure to bring back souvenirs for everyone back home.
And Percy took care to note the trip down in the letter to his dad as they sat at a cafe admiring the blue sea in front of them.
OO OO OO OO
Next we headed towards Wallsand England, which we’d ignored in favor of heading to Croatia earlier. But the trip was more treacherous than expected.
Massive storms raged in the sea and we ended up having to rescue several ships, or at least their passengers.
Thankfully, between our crew we had everything we needed to help them. I spent hours ferrying passengers from the sea to the boat and tracking down anyone still alive. Leilani hoisted them all to the boat deck, using her sand to steady them and to give me a place to drop them quickly without injuring them. Annabeth ran the rescue efforts and made sure everyone helped got to safety.
A few wanted to stay actually, and we accepted them because Carpathia wasn’t always going to have us. And if people (homeless people it seemed, a few who were traveling with no destination, two immigrants seeking asylum- we let them all claim a home on Carpathia) wanted to find a home on this ship who sank for her crew, for the sea, for the world?
That was what she was here for.
We were just south of Italy then, so decided to go to port there to drop off our rescuees.
That was a bit difficult thanks to customs and a bunch of other things we’d ignored in Croatia (thank you Mist) but at the end of the day they were okay and arrangements were made to send them home.
And the news that the Carpathia was out and about was spread once more.
OO OO OO OO
Wallsend was pretty, and the place where Carpathia was built (born). Her current crew was happy to explore the area, to try local pubs, and buy some more souvenirs.
They got to see an old Roman fort, Hadrian’s wall, a casino (thank you Mist), and Annabeth had even booked herself and Percy a nice Massage at the Oasis Thai Massage Therapy Spa. The rest used that time to get some food.
They ended up ending their trip around by meeting Carpathia at the CS Swan & Hunter Shipyard. It was really cool, really illegal, and totally worth it to steal the original nameplate from the room where it had been kept.
Those jerks had claimed it had never been found when they’d stolen it themselves! Completely not right. And Carpathia had longed for her nameplate back.
Percy gently placed it back in its spot of honor on the ship, letting Nyssa step forward to weld it into place.
And she was whole again.
OO OO OO OO
Our journey wasn’t done yet though. First we headed to Liverpool, swinging South around the bottom of the UK then gliding North through the strait to pause at Liverpool.
We didn’t stay there for long.
While Liverpool is a notable location for music and sports, it just wasn’t really our thing.
Nico and Hazel did convince us to try a ghost tour, since it was late when we arrived. Kayla happily got us a tour of the Beatles haunts in the morning as well. We ended at lunch by getting food and headed back to Carpathia.
Thus began our trip to Boston.
This was the final journey that Carpathia took but with no war you might think the journey would be easier. And well, the sailing was smooth but we ended up taking a number of detours. There were several islands with stranded groups on them that we helped out.
These cut into our travel time greatly as we stopped to bring them aboard, letting Kayla and Katie treat them and feed them with help from our new crew members.
It wasn’t only one deserted island we came across. Carpathia ended up having a knack for sensing those in need. Perhaps a result of her prowess and dedication in saving lives before. Whatever the reason, if Carpathia turned suddenly we knew she’d sensed someone in need.
We did need to stock up on supplies some more though, so Annabeth had Travis send a wireless message to Camp informing them of the supplies we needed in Boston when we arrived.
OO OO OO OO
Boston was a nice city, he supposed. It was a bit odd that Annabeth’s cousin was semi-dead though. Nico and Hazel were hiding behind Percy, eyes wide as they stared at him.
“I knew the Norse worked different,” Nico muttered. “But that’s so freaky what-”
“He’s like an illusion on top of energy- there aren’t even bones.”
Suffice to say, Magnus was not allowed to join them on their ship. But Percy was still nice to him and they traded info on the Carpathia with Samirah who knew lots about planes.
Otherwise, Magnus and Samirah acted as tour guides for a bit.
The group got a harbor cruise (on the Carpathia, superior in every way to the typical boats), excitedly equipped Carpathia with duck decorations so she could show off to the duck boats, explored the Freedom Trail, and everyone got together to throw tea off of Carpathia before Annabeth dragged everyone to the museum for the Boston Tea Party.
Kayla insisted on exploring the Museum of Fine Arts as well and Katie wanted to see the Public Garden and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (which was owned by her aunt). Even Percy was excited to see the Boston Public library, despite how hard reading was.
Finally they were satisfied with their time in Boston, Hazel and Nico had relaxed, and there was only one stop left on their world (North Western part of the globe) tour.
OO OO OO OO
The trip to Germany required us to go up into icy waters. Carpathia had done so before of course, most notably to rescue the Titanic Survivors. And she did it again over the next two days.
We sped through iceberg alley, dodging icebergs and surrounded by fog. It was a rush, incredible to experience. And according to the ship we found sinking and the survivors we rescued, it was incredible to see as well.
She cut a swath from the mist like a knife.
It was incredible.
The survivors were delivered to Germany when we arrived, but it was another few days as we took a relaxing and round about path for the last bit of the journey.
Carpathia wanted to show Germany that she was back. That she survived.
And she was stronger than ever before.
OO OO OO OO
They didn’t leave Carpathia in Germany, except the survivors they rescued. Carpathia was too worried to allow anyone else off.
All the lectures in the world couldn’t reassure her, especially with Nico and Hazel also being from a time when Germany was an enemy. You could know something intellectually but emotionally? That was a different story. It would take longer for Carpathia to see things were okay now.
Nonetheless, the group watched German ships scramble, listening in on their confused and shocked radio transmissions. With the mirage affect and the mildly scrambled memories of the survivors people were convinced that Carpathia was a ghost ship.
And her new Captain? The Undersea Ghost King: Perseus.
None of them minded, Nico kept snickering and congratulating Percy. Percy was wondering if he could ask that one Norse Goddess for help.
At least Carpathia was happy, Percy could feel the thrum of her joy through his feet and into his chest.
This was good. This was better. The Carpathia was happy.
OO OO OO OO
I’d love to tell you more about our journeys but that was the last bit planned for this summer. I’ll try to share more in the future as well.
I hope this letter finds you well.
Swift currents and moon-bright nights, dad.
Your son,
Perseus Jackson
Poseidon smiled at the seal beneath the letter. Blue with silver filling the complicated P which looked like half a trident.
It was the first of many letters regarding the Carpathia, and Poseidon kept every single one. Triton was the only one trusted with these letters, especially as the Carpathia rose in status to a Goddess in her own right.
With Perseus as her Priest and Immortal Captain and the rest of the crew gaining their own roles upon her the ship continued her journey and mission for many years beyond the expected.
He flipped through the letters, dozens on their undersea battles with submarines and rescue missions with other submarines. Something as minor as water couldn’t beat the Carpathia. She could dive deep now, not to the bottom of the ocean but deep enough.
Even battles in the air, facing off with space ships and destroying dangerous meteors seeking to destroy countries. It was a new threat, but one that the Carpathia was ready and willing to face.
And to rescue.
Perhaps one day she would leave the oceans’ of Earth and soar the heavens. But right now she continued to sail the ocean’s.
And Poseidon was pleased. She’d done well.
She deserved to sail eternally.