"THERMOS!" Percy yelled as they plummeted down toward the open ocean.

  "What?" Annabeth knew he must've gone insane. She held onto the boat straps like her life depended on it (which, it kind of did), and her hair was bolted straight up like she was being electrocuted.

  It seemed Tyson got the memo. He somehow managed to grab Hermes's magical canister from Percy's bag without losing hold of the boat.

  More arrows flew by them.

  Percy clutched the thermos and prayed that he was doing this right. "Hang on!"

  "What do you think I'm doing?" Magdalena yelled.

  "Tighter!"

  Percy latched his feet under the inflatable bench on the boat, and while Tyson grabbed Annabeth in one hand, and Percy and Lena in the other by the backs of their shirts, Percy turned the lid off the canister by an inch.

  A large blast of wind suddenly burst out of the canister and flung the demigods horizontal, switching them from a direct plummet into a forty-five degree crash landing.

  As they hit the ocean, they crashed against the water like skipping stones, then they steadied, and were flying along the sea like a jetski, with nothing but salt in their faces and the ocean ahead.

  There was a cry of anger from the Princess Andromeda, which was quickly fall behind them, but they were already too far out of range for their weapons. The boat continued to fade into the distance until it was completely gone.

  As they traveled, they attempted to send an Iris-message to Chiron to tell him about Luke's plans, as they truly didn't know who else to trust.

  They debated on messaging Magnus, but they figured it was too dangerous. Tantalus could easily be watching over him and see what they were up to if the message got through. They couldn't take the risk, no matter how much they wanted to.

  The wind gave a nice sea spray that made it easy for them to connect the message through a rainbow, but their signal was horrible. Chiron's face seemed to appear fine, but there was some sort of strobe light flashing behind him with rock music drumming, like he was at a rave.

  They told him how they escaped camp and about Luke, the Princess Andromeda, and the coffin holding Kronos's remains, but they weren't sure how much of it he heard due to the surrounding noise.

  "Percy," Chiron yelled, "you must look out for— "

  His voice was swallowed by shouting from behind him, a bunch of whooping and hollering, like he was partying with some Comanche warriors.

  "Huh?" Percy yelled.

  "Curse my brothers!" Chiron yelled. "Annabeth, how did you agree to having Percy leave camp! Completely outrageous! But if you do manage to find the Fleece— "

  "Yeah, baby!" Someone yelled from Chiron's screen. "Yeaaaahhhhhhh!"

  "— Miami," Chiron was trying to say. "I will do my best to keep watch— "

  Their screen smashed into particles as if someone on Chiron's end had thrown a punch at it, and Chiron disappeared.

  It took time and hour before they finally reached land— a wide horizon of beach lined with hotels. There were tourists flooding the waters, along with fishing boats and cruisers.

  "Virginia Beach!" Annabeth announced as they neared the shoreline. "How in the world did the Princess Andromeda sail that far overnight? That's like— "

  "Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy blurted out.

  Magdalena blinked at him. "How did you know that?"

  "Uh . . . I dunno."

  Annabeth was silent in thought for a moment. "Percy, what's our exact position?"

  "36 degrees, 44 minutes north, 76 degrees, 2 minutes west," Percy replied instantly. He shook his head. "Hold up. How do I know that?"

  "It's your dad," Lena guessed. "You have perfect bearings when you're at sea. That is awesome."

  Percy could've argued that. He wasn't sure he wanted to be a living GPS unit.

  Tyson spoke up. "More boats are coming."

  Percy turned backward. The coastguard boat that had seen them earlier was definitely onto them now. Their lights were flashing and were approaching fast.

  "We can't be caught by them," Percy said. "They'll interrogate us."

  "Go into Chesapeake Bay," Annabeth said. "I know somewhere we can hide."

  Percy chose not to ask what she meant by that, and opened the thermos a little more, sending them rocketing into the Bay. The coast guard fell behind them fast, and they didn't slow down until they entered the narrow bay away from the beach. They'd entered the mouth of a river.

  Percy instantly felt his strength fizzling out. He had no sense of direction anymore, so it was a good thing Annabeth was guiding him.

  "Over there," she told him. "Past the sandbar."

  They entered a marsh filled with sea grass. Percy beached the inflatable boat at the foot of a cypress.

  "Let's move," Annabeth said. "We're almost there."

  "Where are we going?" Percy asked.

  "Just follow." She grabbed her bag. "We should cover the boat so we don't draw attention."

  They buried the boat vines and branches, then followed Annabeth down the shore. Their feet sunk into the mud and a snake slithered by Percy's foot, disappearing into the water.

  "Bad place," Tyson said as he swatted at the mosquito flying around him.

  "Here," Annabeth finally said after a few more minutes of trudging through sludge.

  For a moment, all Magdalena saw was branches. Then, Annabeth pushed them aside and revealed a woven door, sliding it open. They were at a camouflaged shelter.

  There was barely enough room for them in the shelter, but they made it work. The walls were all natural and waterproof, with any essentials they may need stacked in the corner. Sleeping mats, blankets, and ice chest, a lamp. There were also javelin tips, arrows, a sword, and a box of ambrosia. The place smelled and looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.

  "A demigod hideout." Percy looked at Annabeth, awestruck. "You made this place?"

  "Thalia and I," she said softly. "And Luke."

  That seemed to bother Percy a little, but he hid it well. He just didn't like how much Luke had changed. He used to be so kind and caring . . . and now, he was nothing short of evil.

  "You don't think Luke will try to find us here?"

  Annabeth shook her head. "We made several of these places. I hardly think Luke remembers where we put them. Or cares."

  She sat down on the pile of blankets and began to rummage through her bag. It was clear that she wasn't up for talking.

  It seemed Magdalena wasn't either. It seemed to have finally hit her how much Luke has changed. She'd accepted it a long time ago, but she'd never actually seen it for herself how cruel and cold he'd become. But now she had. And it was starting to weigh down on her like bricks falling from the sky, sitting directly on her shoulders.

  Percy watched as her entire body language changed from adrenaline filled to absolutely drained. She walked over to the other side of the room and sat down quietly, grabbing a blanket for her to sit on as she unpacked her duffel bag. Her face was hard to decipher, but he could tell her mind was racing at a mile a minute.

  "Hey, Tyson, would you mind scouting around for a store or something?" Percy asked.

  "Store?"

  "Yeah, for snacks and stuff. Powdered donuts, maybe. Just don't go far."

  "Powdered donuts," Tyson said dreamily. "I will scout out powdered donuts." He walked out and called out, "Here, donuts!"

  Once he left, Percy walked over to Magdalena, Annabeth not far from them. He sat down a few feet away from her.

  "I'm sorry about Luke," he said.

  "Don't be," she said quietly as she took out an emerald-studded dagger from her bag and started to clean it with a towel. "It isn't your fault."

  "He let us go too easily."

  Beside him, Annabeth nodded. "I was thinking that too. What we heard him say about a gamble, and us falling right into the trap . . . He was probably talking about us."

  "The bait being the Fleece? Or Grover?"

  Magdalena twisted her knife in her fingers, studying it. "I'm not sure. He might want the Fleece for himself. He's probably hoping we do the dirty work for him so he can just steal it from us. I just can't believe he poisoned Thalia's tree."

  Her grip hardened on her dagger, like she was imagining putting the blade right through Luke's heart.

  "What was he talking about," Percy inquired, "when he said Thalia would've joined him."

  "He's a liar."

  "You sound unsure."

  Magdalena glared at him, and he started to regret bringing this up when she was holding a knife.

  "You know who you remind me of more than anyone else?" Annabeth cut in, looking angry as well. "Thalia. You guys are so similar it scares me. You would've either been best friends or wanted to rip each other's heads off."

  "I say we stick with besties."

  "Thalia would get angry with Zeus sometimes, like you do with your dad. Does that mean you would turn your back on Olympus?"

  Percy stared away from her. "No."

  "Okay, then. Thalia wouldn't either. Luke's wrong."

  Percy was silent for a while. He wanted to ask her about the prophecy Luke was telling him about, and what it had to do with him turning sixteen. But, he knew it'd be pointless. Chiron had made it very clear he wasn't going to hear of it until the gods deemed it fit.

  "What did Luke mean about Cyclopes?" Percy asked. "He was saying how you of all people— "

  "I know what he said. He . . . He was referring to what really caused Thalia's death."

  Percy waited silently.

  Annabeth took a shaky breath. Magdalena sat there silently, choosing not to interject.

  "Cyclopes can never be trusted, Percy. The night that Grover was leading us back to camp— "

  She was cut off by the door swinging open. Tyson crawled in.

  "Powdered donuts!" He said proudly, holding up a box of white donuts.

  Annabeth looked shocked. "Where did you find those? We're nowhere near anything that would possibly have— "

  "Fifty feet, just over the hill," Tyson said. "Monster Donut shop!"

  "WE ARE so screwed," Magdalena declared.

  They were staring at a donut shop smack-dab in the middle of the forest. It looked like it'd just been built, but there was nothing but trees around it. There was a singular employee sitting behind the host-stand through the window reading a magazine. In huge back letters on the front of the shop, it read:

MONSTER DONUT

  Can't lie, the place smelled really good, like freshly baked pastries.

  "This should not be here," Annabeth muttered.

  "What?" Percy asked. "It's a donut shop."

  "In the middle of the forest!" Lena hissed, glaring at the boy. Percy just shrugged.

  "Quiet!" Annabeth said.

  "Why do we have to be quiet? Tyson just got a dozen donuts from them. He's fine."

  "He's a monster."

  "Lighten up, Annabeth. Monster Donut doesn't have to mean monsters! It's a chain. There's tons of them in New York."

  "Yeah, a chain," Lena agreed. "And isn't it a bit strange that one just happened to be fifty feet from us after you told Tyson to get donuts?"

  Percy pondered this. It was a bit odd, but donut shops really weren't high on his list of deadly places.

  "Possibly a nest," Annabeth said.

  Tyson looked scared. He'd already plowed through half a dozen of the donuts in the box, making it look like he stuck his face in snow with all the powdered sugar around his mouth.

  "Nest for what?" Percy asked.

  "Have you ever wondered why merchandise stores appear so fast?" Lena questioned. "There's nothing in one place then suddenly there's dozens of new stores popping up all around? Exact replicas spreading all across the country?"

  "Um, not really."

  "Percy, the chains multiply so quick because their locations are linked to a monster's life force. A couple of Hermes' kids figured out how to do it half a century ago. They breed— "

  She froze.

  "Go on," Percy demanded. "Breeding?"

  "Don't—move," Magdalena said, looking dead serious. "All of you, turn around very quietly."

  Good news! They were all about to die.

  Behind them was a large thing moving through the brush, hissing and its front half writhing every which-way. It had seven necks, all topped with the head of a reptile-looking thing. Under each neck, the beast wore a bib that read: I'M A MONSTER DONUT KID!

  Percy began to take his pen from his pocket, but Magdalena grabbed his wrist before he could. He hadn't noticed before, but her nails had a full set of French-tips on them, perfectly manicured. That kind of through him off. How could she fight so hard with a full manicure?

  They locked eyes, and Lena gave him a silent warning: Not yet.

  There was a chance the Hydra may not see them. Monsters are practically blind, after all. If Percy uncapped his sword now, the reflection would give them away.

  They sat in silence, waiting.

  The Hydra was close, barely five feet from them. It seemed like it was hunting for something. Then Lena saw that it two of its heads were tearing apart one of their yellow duffel bags. That meant it had already been to their hideout. It was hunting them.

  Lena's heart was pounding. She's only seen a Hydra once, and that was on her quest last summer. But she hadn't fought it. Her, Magnus, and their other quest mate had evaded it before it noticed them. This time, she knew they needed a miracle.

  Tyson was shaking. He took a step back and a twig snapped beneath his foot. All seven heads of the beast turned and hissed.

  "Scatter!" Annabeth screamed, diving to the right.

  Percy went left, and Lena lunged backwards. An arc of green acid blew past Percy and hit an elm behind him. The acid was disintegrating the entire tree. The tree began to fall forward right where Tyson was standing, frozen and petrified as he stared at the monster.

  "Tyson!" Percy used all of his might to shove the Cyclopes out of the way, tackling him away as the monster lunged two heads where he was previously standing, getting stuck under the elm.

  The Hydra yanked its heads out of the tree and all seven mouths spit acid at the tree, completely turning the tree to nothing but smoke.

  "Go!" Percy yelled to Tyson. He uncapped his sword, planning to draw the monster's attention away.

  It worked, unfortunately.

  Celestial bronze is the most deadly thing to monsters, so naturally, they hate it more than anything. The Hydra saw it and bared its teeth.

  Good news was that Tyson was out of harms way for now. Bad news: He was about to be turned into a puddle of Percy-soup.

  Without thinking, Percy swung his sword at one of the heads that snapped at him.

  "Percy, don't!" Magdalena cried, but it was too late.

  The head rolled off clean. Within seconds, the neck spit out two new heads in its place. The Hydra now had eight razor-sharp, deadly heads staring at Percy.

  "Oops," Percy squeaked.

  "Percy!" Annabeth said angrily. "Another Monster Donut just opened somewhere because of you!"

  "Oh, I'm sorry!" Percy said sarcastically, dodging an acid spray. "I'm about to die and that's your biggest concern? How do we kill it?"

  "We need fire!" Annabeth said.

  Magdalena's heart thumped. She knew there was a chance she could save them. She'd never done it before, not with this bit of a monster, but maybe . . .

  "Percy, distract it!" Lena commanded, turning her sword back into its silver band and putting it on her finger.

  "What do you think I've been doing?" Percy yelled. "Playing Marco-Polo with it?"

  "Just keep it busy!" Lena said, ignoring his retort. Annabeth looked at her, confused on why she sheathed her weapon. But when she saw the veins in her hand start to glow, it hit her.

  "Lena, you can't," Annabeth said, trying to rush toward her. "The Hydra's too big! You haven't practiced enough!"

  "I have to try," Lena said hardly, putting all of her focus into her hands, watching as they began to glow softly in her palms.

  Percy was too distracted playing hide-and-seek with his eight-headed friend to notice what was happening, but he knew Lena had to act fast or else he was going to die.

  Her hands started to glow brighter, small orbs of light emerging from her palms. About two years ago, one of her powers had started to reveal itself to ber. Her father controlled all of the stars and planets in the galaxy. That meant he controlled the light that they give off. Magdalena had the same ability— light manipulation. She could create it and manipulate it in any form around her.

  But she hadn't practiced it enough to grow into her full potential. She didn't know how well she would fair against a Hydra with what little ability she had. But she had an idea: one that involved setting the ground beneath the beast on fire.

  "Lena, be careful," Annabeth warned, watching as the light grew bigger and brighter in her hands. There were golden lines streaming through the veins in her arms, reaching into her hands. Her eyes were alert, sapping her strength as she continued to conjure as much power as she could.

  "Grab the mirror in my back pocket," Lena commanded to Annabeth.

  "Why do you have— "

  "In case of emergencies!" Magdalena snapped. "Now grab it and angle it at the ground!"

  "Lena, you gotta hurry up!" Percy yelled as he ducked behind a tree, acid firing into the branches above him. "You've got about thirty seconds before I'm swimming in acid!"

  The lights in each of her hands were the size of baseballs now, flickering in a bright fluorescent aura. Magdalena felt her strength quickly weakening the more she kept it lingering, but Annabeth quickly pulled out the small portable mirror from her pocket and angled it perfectly where Lena needed it.

  They were so close. She turned her hands so that now the light was reflecting off the mirror and onto the ground. After a few moments, smoke began to billow from the underbrush. She was almost there. All she had to do was just—

  "LENA, NO!"

  Slam. Lena's body flew back twenty feet, crashing straight into the truck of an elm tree. Her head knocked against the rough bark, causing stars to dance in her line of vision. She instantly felt her body begin to ache, and she faintly felt blood trailing down the side of her face. She tried to force her body away from the Hydra's next kill-shot, but she couldn't move. Her body was completely paralyzed.

  "Lena!" Annabeth cried, her blurry figure starting to sprint over to the girl, Percy not far behind.

  "Run," Lena said, her voice weak. "Don't . . . Help . . . "

  Blood trickled out of her mouth as she coughed, her voice dead as she laid there, the Hydra and its eight heads all staring down at her. Its mouths were all open, preparing to douse her in acid, killing her painfully. But, the Hydra was distracted. Her friends could escape if they ran now.

  "Lena, roll over!" Percy yelled as he raced toward her. "Move!"

  She couldn't move. The force of the impact had completely knocked her body out of commission. She was sure she'd cracked a rib or two from how hard the Hydra had hit her. She figured the beast had seen what she was planning and completely ditched Percy to kill her instead. It was smart, she couldn't deny that. But, that also meant that she was about to die.

  The Hydra cranked its heads back, preparing to fire at her. Magdalena sat there, helpless, ready for the impact.

  But, the feeling of hot acid dousing her body never came. Instead came the feeling of arms wrapping around her body, throwing her and themselves out of the Hydra's line of fire just before it blasted the tree to nothing but steam.

  "I've got you," a voice said breathlessly. A voice that sounded like Percy Jackson's.

  All Magdalena felt in that moment of clarity was a boiling hot pain on her shin, just above her ankle on her left leg. She let out a cry so loud it echoed throughout the trees. Her vision went white from the anguishing pain. And that was all she could feel before she went completely unconscious.

 
  WHEN MAGDALENA woke up, she wasn't in Virginia.

  She was laying in a dimly-lit room, on a hard twin-sized bed. She was on a ship— she could tell from the rocking beneath her. But . . . How? And why? What even happened?

  "Hey."

  Magdalena's head snapped towards the sound, but she instantly regretted it when her head began to pound. She groaned, pushing a hand against her forehead.

  "Take it easy," the voice said again. It was masculine, but soft. It was quiet in the room except for the voice, which helped with Lena's pounding skull. "You have a concussion."

  "Gods . . . " Lena mumbled, finally gaining the strength to open her eyes. In front of her sat Percy Jackson, a worried frown adorning his tan face as he stared at her. He was sitting on a wooden chair beside her bed. It looked like he'd been there for a while with how stiff he was. "Percy?"

  Percy managed a small smile. "Hey, sunshine."

Magdalena adjusted to her surroundings, attempting to sit up a little in her bed. But, her body fought her as she did so, a sharp pain in her side stopping her.

  Percy reached his hand out to her arm. "You have a broken rib," he explained softly to her. "You need to rest."

  Magdalena shook her head. "Where are we?" She asked, scooting up a little bit more, pain shooting through her as she did so. "How did we— "

  "Clarisse saved us," Percy said, which only made her more confused. "After you passed out, she found us on the shoreline and blew the Hydra to shreds. This is her ship."

  "How did she . . . " Lena trailed off. "I am really confused."

  Percy laughed a little, which was nice to hear. In the dim lit, his sea green eyes glittered. He looked exhausted. "Trust me, I am too," he reassured. "She was sailing to find the Fleece on her own quest, as we have been. She rescued us and took us in."

  Magdalena looked pleasantly surprised. "That was . . . Kind of her."

  "I'm not so sure," Percy said quietly, looking nervous. "I don't know what she has planned for us. But, we're figuring that out now. We are going to talk at dinner."

  Magdalena nodded slowly. She was starting to remember her interaction with the Hydra, and the moments leading up to her falling unconscious. "Percy," she said softly. "Were you the one who pulled me away from the Hydra?"

  Percy's cheeks turned a little red. He shrugged. "I may have turned you in the right direction."

  Magdalena stared at him, which made Percy unsure whether or not she was going to chew him out for saving her, or if she was going to start crying from how thankful she was.

  "Thank you," she finally said, her voice weak, but completely serious. "You saved my life when it wasn't necessary."

  Percy breathed out a small laugh. "I think pulling you away from drowning in Hydra-acid is kind of necessary."

  "You could've run," she continued. "I wanted you to run. But you didn't."

  Percy shook his head, looking in her eyes. "How could I?" He said. "Your brother would've put my head on a stake and paraded it around camp."

  Magdalena laughed quietly, which relaxed Percy's nerves. "Your fear of him was the only reason you saved me, then?"

  "Partly," Percy said, smirking a little, to which Lena rolled her eyes. "But . . . The other part was because I didn't want you to die."

  Magdalena smiled fondly at him. "Thanks, Percy," she said. "I . . . I'm sorry if I've been rude to you these past couple of days. I haven't been fair to you."

  Percy shook his head. "You had every right to be pissed at me for accusing you of joining Luke," he said honestly. "I should've never assumed that of you. And, I shouldn't have let Magnus stay at camp over Tyson."

  "Magnus is stronger than Tyson," Magdalena admitted. "Mentally, I mean. Tyson wouldn't have been able to endure what Tantalus would've done to him psychologically. Magnus can handle it."

  Percy felt as if a weight had been lifted over their friendship. There had been unspoken tension between the two of them throughout this entire quest, and it had been eating away at him because he knew he was the cause of it. But now, the air between them felt clear and new.

  "How do you feel?" Percy asked, changing the subject.

  "Like I got slammed into a tree by a Hydra," Magdalena responded, to which Percy smiled weakly.

  "You were trying to save our lives and ended up almost losing yours," Percy said. "Your brother was right about you."

  Magdalena's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

  "When he pulled me aside before we left, he made me promise to protect you," Percy explained quietly. "The only reason he said this is because you always put others before yourself, risking your life in order to save everyone else's. I didn't doubt him then, but now . . . Now I really know that he was telling the truth."

  Magdalena was silent, processing his words. "Did he have you swear on the Styx?" She asked.

  Percy hesitated for a moment. "Yeah," he whispered, looking at her nervously.

  Her jaw clenched. "Curse him," she muttered. "You would've died if you hadn't saved me in time from the Hydra. He should've never made you swear your life for me."

  "I did it willingly, Lena," Percy reassured. "You're too important for him to lose. I understand that. I only hesitated a little wee bit before making the vow."

  His tone lightened on his last words towards her, trying to make her feel better, but it didn't help much. She felt guilty. Very guilty.

  "I'm sorry he made you do that, Percy," Magdalena said guiltily. "That was unfair of him. When I see him again, I am going to— "

  "Give him a big hug and tell him you love him," Percy interjected with a smile. "Because that's why he did it. He cares about you more than anything, and needs you alive. You'd do the same for him, and you know it, too."

  He was right, of course. But it still didn't make her any less angry.

  Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a gong going off in the room across the ship. The dinner bell.

  "Dinner's ready, I guess," Percy said sarcastically, getting up out of his chair. "You should get some more rest. We still have a lot more ground to cover, and you're still recovering."

  "No," Magdalena said, pulling the blankets off of her. On her left shin, white medical tape was wrapped around her tight where the Hydra's acid had burned off. She didn't feel too much pain since she presumably had lots of ambrosia and nectar in her system at the moment, but she knew it was going to hurt for the rest of the quest, along with her other injuries. "Help me up."

  "Lena, I really don't think— "

  "I wasn't asking," she cut him off. "Help me get to the dining hall, or I'll get there myself."

  Percy just rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Like brother, like sister.

  "You really can be a pain in my butt sometimes, you know that?" Percy asked as he began to help the girl off the bed slowly.

  Lena just smiled. "Better get used to it, Shark Boy. We've still got a long journey ahead of us."

"TANTALUS EXPELLED you losers for the rest of time, Clarisse said with a smirk. "Dionysus said if any of you show your puny little faces in camp again, he'll make you all into squirrels and run you over in his SUV."

Magdalena managed to make it to dinner, but not without a mouthful of curses and squeezing Percy's arm so tight she almost broke his bone. She wouldn't let him support her more than keeping his arm out for her to hold, and she almost clocked him in the jaw when he suggested he carry her there.

"I've already carried you before," Percy tried to reason.

"Yeah, I was unconscious, and had no way to argue against it," Magdalena snapped.

That quickly ended the conversation.

"Did they get this ship for you?" Percy asked.

She scoffed. "No. My dad did."

"Ares?"

Clarisse sneered. "You think your daddy's the only god with power over the sea? Every spirit on the losing side of every war owes tribute to my father. It's their curse for being bested. I prayed for passage across the sea and here it is. These guys are at my beck and call. Aren't you, Captain?"

The captain lingered behind her, looking angry. His glowing green eyes stared at Percy hungrily. "If it means ending this infernal war, your majesty, peace at least, we will do anything. Destroy anyone."

Clarisse smiled. "Destroy anyone. That's nice."

Tyson gulped.

"Clarisse," Annabeth said. She had a hand on Lena's chair, relieved that she was finally awake. She'd been worried sick ever since they'd gotten aboard the ship. Clarisse had been too, but she'd go to the grave before she'd ever admit that. "We think Luke's after the Fleece as well. We saw him. He has the coordinates and is heading that way. He has a ship filled with monsters— "

"Perfect! I'll blow him out of the water."

"You're not listening," Annabeth said. "If we combine forces, we may have a chance. Let us help you— "

"No!" Clarisse banged her fist on the table, shaking it. "This is my quest! I get to be the hero for once, not you guys! I am not going to let you three steal my chances."

"You can have your glory, Clare," Magdalena said. "But you need our help to get it."

"No I don't," Clarisse snapped. "I don't need you. Any of you!"

"Where's the rest of your crew?" Percy asked. "You're allowed two other quest mates, aren't you?"

"I let them stay behind. They didn't . . . They had to protect camp."

"You're saying even your own cabin wouldn't help you?"

"Shut up, Prissy! I didn't need their help! Or yours!"

"Tantalus is using you," Percy pressed. "He could care less about what happens to camp. He wants it to be destroyed! He set you up for failure. A death sentence."

"No! I don't care what the Oracle— " she cut herself off.

"What?" Percy asked. "What was your prophecy?"

"Irrelevant," Clarisse looked flushed. "What you need to hear is that I'm doing this quest on my own, without your help. But, on top of that, I can't let you go . . . "

"So were prisoners?" Magdalena deducted.

"Guests. As of now." Clarisse propped her legs on the table, opening a can of Dr. Pepper. "Captain, take our guests below. Assign them hammocks on berth deck. Help Magdalena back to her room, as she is unfit to rest in a hammock, unlike the others. But, if any of them chose to be unmannered, feel free to show them how we deal with our enemies."

MAGDALENA WOKE up to an alarm blaring across the ship. Annabeth was already at her side when she opened her eyes.

"Get up, Lena," Annabeth said. "We're almost at the entrance."

"Entrance to what?" Magdalena asked, still groggy.

"The Sea of Monsters," she explained, looking nervous. "Come on, I'll help you get changed."

Once Lena was ready, they headed up to the spar deck with Tyson, Percy joining them shortly after, looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" Lena asked him. "Another nightmare?"

Percy nodded, but said nothing. Lena chose not to press it further.

Clarisse joined them just after Percy, grabbing binoculars and looking out at the horizon. "Finally. Captain, full steam ahead!"

The sky was overcast, the air hazy and humid. There wasn't much to see other than a few minuscule specs in the distance.

The engine hummed as they sped up.

"Too much strain on the pistons," Tyson mumbled anxiously. "Not good for deep water."

That certainly spiked Lena's nerves.

As they went further, they saw an island with large cliff over a hundred feet tall to the north, and another large mass just south of it— a large storm brewing. The sky and sea meshed together in a rumbling mass.

"Hurricane?" Annabeth guessed.

"No," Clarisse said. "Charybdis."

Magdalena paled. "You're kidding."

"It's the only way into the Sea of Monsters. Between Charybdis and her sister Scylla." She pointed to the mountain top on the island.

"Why don't we just sail around them?" Percy asked.

Clarisse huffed and shook her head. "You know absolutely nothing. If I did that, they'd still appear in my path. You have to sail through them to get in. It's the only way."

"Clashing Rocks, maybe?" Annabeth said. "Jason used that as his gateway."

"My cannons won't blow apart rocks," Clarisse said. "But, monsters . . . "

"Yeah, you're crazy," Annabeth decided.

"Keep your eyes open, Wise Girl." Clarisse turned to her ghostly captain. "To Charydbis!"

"Aye, m'lady."

"Clarisse," Percy said as they picked up speed, "Charydbis suck up the sea. That's the story, isn't it?"

"And spits it back out, yeah."

"And Scylla?"

"She's up on the cliffs in a cave. We get too close, she'll start plucking off crewmates on our ship with her snake heads."

"Sail through Scylla," Percy said. "We all go below deck and go straight through."

"No!" Clarisse demanded. "She may take the whole ship if she doesn't get what she wants. My cannons also can't shoot that high. Charybids is an easier target, just sitting in the middle of her storm. We'll head straight in, blow her up, and send her straight to Tartarus!"

"Of course, because no hero who's sailed through here has ever thought of that," Lena muttered to herself, her gaze falling to the impending storm ahead of them.

The sound of Charybdis got louder the closer they got— a terrible roar like the planet's largest toilet being flushed. The ship lurched and shuddered with every breath in the monster took. With every exhale, they rose and were launched with big swells.

Annabeth, Lena, and Percy stood together at the rail. "You still have that thermos?" Annabeth asked Percy.

He nodded. "It's too risky to use with a whirlpool like that, though. Adding more wind could make things worse."

"What about controlling it?" Magdalena asked. "You're a son of Poseidon. I know you've done it before."

She was right. Percy's eyes closed and he attempted to calm the waters, but he couldn't focus. Charybdis was too powerful, and the waves wouldn't answer him.

"I— I can't," he said miserably.

"We're going to need a plan B," Annabeth said. "This ship is set for failure."

"Engine no good," Tyson agreed.

"What are you saying?" Annabeth asked.

"Pressure. Pistons are shot. Need to be fixed."

He couldn't explain further, because the whirlpool released a loud roaaar! The ship lurched and they were thrown onto the deck. They had entered the storm.

"Full reverse!" Clarisse shouted. "Get us within range for fire! Ready the starboard cannons!"

Dead soldiers raced to and fro. The ship fell into reverse, planning to slow the ship, but the vortex kept sucking them in.

"Boiler room overheating!" A soldier yelled as he burst from the hold. "She's about to blow!"

"Why aren't you down there fixing it?"

"We're vaporizing in the heat!"

"I just need a few minutes more," Clarisse yelled. "Only to get within range!"

"We're going in too quick," the captain informed grimly. "Prepare for death, everybody."

"No!" Tyson bellowed. "I will fix it."

Clarisse looked miffed. "You?"

"Cyclopes are immune to fire," Annabeth said. "He can get down there. And he is skilled in mechanics."

"Go!" Instructed Clarisse.

"No, Tyson!" Percy stopped him. "That's too risky!"

Tyson patted him on the arm. "Only way, brother." He was determined— maybe even confident. He'd never looked so certain before. "I will fix it and return."

Charybdis appeared only moments later. There was a reef to start— a black fixture of coral with a fig tree perched on top, which was very out of place. Then, her enormous, disgusting from came into view. A huge mouth with slimy lips and teeth the size of kayaks. They were filled with scummy metal, fish, and all sorts of other garbage.

The entire sea around her was sucked into the void— all types of marine life and more. Within seconds, this shop would be its next victim.

"Lady Clarisse!" The captain shouted. "Guns are within range!"

"Fire!"

Three rounds fired right into the maw of the beast. But it hardly did much except annoy the monster.

"Another!" Clarisse demanded. It was a hopeless cause. It would take hundreds of rounds to even do any true damage to Charybdis, they didn't have that sort of time.

Just then, the entire engine of the boat changed. The hum of it strengthened and steadied. The entire ship lurched as it began to suck away from the mouth of the monster.

"He fixed it!" Annabeth exclaimed.

  "Hold on!" Clarisse said. "We have to keep close!"

  "If you want to die, yeah!" Percy said. "We need to pull back."

   They weren't progress, but they were holding their own. Tyson had given them just enough strength to keep them from getting sucked into the whirlpool.

  The mouth suddenly clamped shut. The waters went still, and water washed over Charybdis.

  "Oh, gods," Magdalena said. She gripped Annabeth's hand.

  The mouth snapped open, ejecting gallons of water and everything that came with it, including their own cannonballs, one of them smashing into the ship.

  They were launched backward on a forty foot wave, at least. Percy used everything in his power to keep them from capsizing, but they were completely out of control, heading straight for the cliffs on the other side.

  Another smoking sailor burst from the hold. "Engine is about to burst!"

  "Where is Tyson?" Percy demanded.

  "Holding it together, somehow. But I don't know how much longer he's got."

  "We must abandon ship," the captain said.

  "No!" Clarisse refused.

  "There is no choice. The hull is almost completely gone! She can't— "

  He never got to finish. Quicker than lightning, the captain was plucked off the ship and lifted away from a green streak that shot from the sky. Only his boots remained.

  "Scylla!" A sailor cried. He got taken only moments later. It was happening so fast it was like a laser beam rather than a monster. It was completely undistinguishable.

  "Get below!" Percy yelled.

  "No!" Clarisse drew her weapon. "Everything down there is in flames."

  "Lifeboats!" Annabeth said.

  "We'll never make it past the cliffs," Clarisse. "We'll get swallowed whole."

  "We can't just stay here! We have to try. Get the thermos, Percy."

  "I'm not leaving Tyson!"

  "We need to prepare the boats!"

  Clarisse followed Annabeth's word. Her and her crew began uncovering the lifeboats while Scylla continued to pluck off dead soldiers one after another.

  "Get the other boat, and get Lena on there." Percy tossed the thermos to Annabeth. "I'm getting Tyson."

  "That's suicide!" Lena said. "You'll die in the flames!"

  He ignored her and ran for the boiler room. But he didn't make far before he was plucked into the air, flying straight to the side of the cliffs.

  Scylla had caught him by his bag, and was dragging him straight into her lair. Percy, acting instinctively, swiped his sword behind him and jabbed the monster right in its yellow eye. Percy plummeted straight back down.

  The fall would've instantly killed him, but as he dropped, the CSS Birmingham exploded right in front of his eyes.

  "Tyson!" He cried.

  The lifeboats were far from the ship at that point, but not enough. Wreckage was falling everywhere. Lena, Clarisse, and Annabeth would be either smashed or burned or sucked into Charybdis's vortex if Scylla didn't get to them first.

  Then, another explosion detonated. Hermes's thermos sucked him straight across the sea, going hundred of miles per hour.

  He couldn't even see. He flew through the air, then got knocked in the head by something hard, and smashed into the water so hard that he would've died on impact if he weren't a son of the sea god.

  The last thing he remembered was floating down in the open ocean, flames all around him, with the realization that Tyson was dead, and that he wished that he were able to drown.

  PERCY WOKE up on a rowboat with a sail weaved from old soldier-uniform fabric. Annabeth laid on a small bench in front of him, asleep, and Magdalena sat beside him, staring off into the distance.

  Percy attempted to sit up but regretted it almost immediately. He almost chucked right off the side of the boat.

  "Rest," Lena said. "You're going to need it."

  "Tyson . . . ?"

  Magdalena swallowed. Her eyes were rimmed red, which showed that she'd been crying. "I'm sorry, Percy."

  That sat in silence was the waves rocked them.

  "There is a chance he's alive," she said quietly. "Fire wouldn't kill him."

  Percy nodded, but.he knew there was no chance. And all he could think about was that Tyson risked his life to save them, and how Percy had always felt embarrassed about him and the fact that they were related. He felt like the biggest loser on the planet.

  Magdalena showed Percy the few things she'd managed to salvage from the wreckage. Ambrosia, Hermes's thermos (which was now empty), some sailor shirts, and one bottle of Dr. Pepper. She'd grabbed him out of the water and collected his knapsack, sliced in half by Scylla.

"How's your leg?" Percy asked tentatively. "And your ribs. And well, your head too."

Magdalena found it in her to laugh a little. From the way Percy said it, she sounded like she was a hot mess. Which, in reality, she wasn't far from it.

"Hurts, but I'm okay," she responded. Clearly an understatement, but she didn't want him to worry about anything more than he had to. Her injuries were the least of their worries.

"Take some more ambrosia," Percy suggested, reaching for the ziplock bag by his feet.

Magdalena shook her head. "We need to save it for when we'll really need it."

"This is when we really need it," Percy said, looking at her. "Lena, you have a broken rib, third-degree chemical burn, and a concussion. You need the ambrosia."

"No," she said with finality. "I'll take it when I need to. But, for now, I'm managing."

Percy's jaw clenched and he shook his head. "On top of being a pain in my butt, you're also annoyingly stubborn."

Lena smiled lightly. "Sorry, Shark Boy."

Percy set the bag of ambrosia back by his feet and relaxed as well as he could manage on the bench beside Magdalena. They sat for a while in silence, staring out at the open sea.

"Chiron mentioned you and Magnus's quest back when we first arrived at camp," Percy said casually. "What did you guys do that was so important?"

Magdalena tongue pushed against the inside of her cheek, her eyes still trained on the horizon. "It wasn't very important," she replied. "We just accepted a few requests from the gods. Returned a couple of things that had been stolen from them."

It was hard for Percy to tell when Magdalena was lying, since she was really good at it. But, her vagueness was what led Percy to believe that she wasn't telling him everything. He didn't want to pry, but with everything going on in the godly world, he felt like whatever mission Magdalena and her brother were specifically sent on, it had to have been more important than just returning a few stolen possessions back to the gods.

"Chiron made it seem like it was," Percy shrugged. "I don't know, I just thought maybe you guys did some majorly heroic and life-changing deed that would blow my mind."

Magdalena smiled and turned to him. "I'm not very heroic," she admitted. "I just do what I think is best for the greater good. Magnus has always been the brave one between the two of us."

Percy looked at her like she was crazy. "Seriously?" He asked, genuinely shocked. "You been nothing but brave and heroic on this quest. You're crazy for thinking you're not."

Magdalena shook her head. The wind blew softly in her light brown hair, the silly strands flowing like melted milk-chocolate in the sea breeze. "You don't know me well enough, Percy," she said softly. "You haven't seen me when it matters most."

Percy didn't exactly know what she meant by that, but he had a feeling she wasn't talking about quests and demigods when she said it. This ran a little deeper than the godly world.

"You're right," he said. "I don't know you. But, I feel like I should start trying to after everything we've done through together in the past couple days."

Magdalena agreed with him on that. They really had been through hell and back these last few days, and she's known Percy for hardly three weeks.

"Where in the city do you live?" Magdalena asked, trying to switch the topic around.

"Manhattan. You?"

"Me too, in the Upper East Side."

Percy whistled. He lived in a small dinky apartment near Queensboro Bridge, bordering the Upper East Side. They lived relatively close, but he knew that she definitely didn't live in the same size apartment as him. "We are definitely in two different tax-brackets."

Magdalena shrugged. "I'm grateful," she said. "But, it's not as nice as you may think. It's luxury living, but it doesn't feel much like home."

Magdalena had layers, that was for certain. Percy wanted to dissect each and every one of them one at a time, but he knew he'd have to wait for that. It could take months, years even. But, he wanted to know her. He wanted to figure her out. And she really was making that difficult for him.

"Does camp feel like home to you?" Percy asked.

Magdalena nodded. "Yeah," she said. "But, it's just temporary. I just . . . I just wish— "

The girl cut herself off, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter," she said quickly, turning her head away from Percy.

"Go on," Percy urged softly. "I'm listening."

"It doesn't matter, really," Magdalena said, brushing it off.

"So? Tell me anyway."

Magdalena turned to him, her lips pursed slightly. "I just wish I had a comfortable home to go back to after the summer ends," she admitted. "My parents . . . Well, they're not exactly around much. And, when they are . . . "

Percy nodded, showing her that he was listening.

Magdalena sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Percy. I don't know why I'm telling you this. It— it's stupid."

"It's not stupid," Percy replied. "Not at all."

"I don't want to bore you with my personal problems," Lena said. "I'd be wasting your time."

"Lena, does it look like we're in any rush?" Percy asked rhetorically, gesturing to the open ocean all around them. "I have nothing but time right now."

Magdalena smiled because he was right. They really did have all the time in the world.

"My adopted father's just a little . . . Hard, sometimes," Lena explained. "He's a military sergeant." She paused, chuckling lightly. "Very fitting for a son of Ares, right?"

"He's a demigod?" Percy asked.

Magdalena nodded. "My father, my real father, Astraeus, wanted Magnus and I to already be familiar with the godly world when we finally went to camp. Magnus's mom is a daughter of Demeter. My dad is a son of Ares."

"Gods, that's so unfortunate," Percy muttered, shaking his head. He hated that guy, truly.

Magdalena scoffed a light laugh, but it wasn't very amusing. "Tell me about it," she said quietly.

"Is he a jerk?" Percy asked knowingly. He was pretty well-acquainted in the jerk-for-a-step-father department. He knew what it was like to deal with shitty parents that weren't your true blood.

"He's just . . . Complicated." Magdalena figured that was a good word to describe him. "I never really know what mood he's going to be in when he comes home."

Percy nodded. "I understand," he said truthfully. He did, he really did. That didn't happen very often.

"My mom is kind," Magdalena offered. "But she isn't home much. Both of them work for weeks at a time, usually they're only at home together for the holidays. So, I'm usually just with one or the other when they are at home."

"You're mostly by yourself then?"

Magdalena nodded. "I don't mind. My house is calm when it's just me around. Sometimes it gets lonely, but I manage."

Percy swallowed. "Well, if you ever need someone to keep you company, my doors always open," he offered hesitantly. He didn't want to overstep her boundaries. He thought back to what Connor Stoll had told him that day in the sword-fighting arena: She never lets anyone too far into her personal atmosphere. Percy didn't want her to pull back and put her walls back up like she had that day in the strawberry fields.

But, surprisingly, Magdalena smiled. "Lower Manhattan is a bit of a walk from the Upper East Side."

Percy shrugged, cracking a boyish smile. "There's always a bike," he offered. "Or an electric scooter. And, you know, New York City has an excellent subway system— "

"Shut up, Percy," Magdalena laughed, her blue eyes glittering against the ocean's reflection.

"I'm just saying," Percy put out his hands in surrender. "The lines extend through all the boroughs."

"Thank you for that very new and useful information," Magdalena commented. "I'll remember that."

Percy just smiled and turned back towards the horizon. "You're welcome, Sunshine."

Then, just as if the tides had settled after a long storm, the two demigods relaxed. They settled into comfortable silence.

  They sailed for hours, Annabeth eventually rising after the second hour. Percy told them about his dream of Grover as they all took turns sipping from their shared soda.

  Annabeth estimated they had just about a day to save Grover, assuming Percy's dream was real and Polyphemus didn't decide to kill Grover instead of marrying him.

  "Yeah, guess you were right," Percy said bitterly to Annabeth. "Never can trust a Cyclops."

  "I'm sorry, okay?" Annabeth said. "I was wrong about Tyson. I know that now, and I wish I could tell him that myself."

  Magdalena stayed awfully silent throughout the journey after their conversation. Percy figured it was because of the pain she was in, but he didn't want to ask her. She was pretty beat up, and was still acting like she was fine. She had an acid-burn on her leg, a cracked rib, and a concussion. Now, Percy may not have known Magdalena Caelestis for long, but if there's one thing that he knew for certain about her, was that she was one of the toughest demigods he'd ever met.

"Annabeth, what's Chiron's prophecy?"

Annabeth looked down. "Percy . . . "

"I know Chiron swore to the gods you wouldn't tell me. But you didn't, did you?"

"Knowledge isn't always power, Percy."

"Your mom is the wisdom goddess!"

"I get that! But, like clockwork, heroes who discover their future try to change it, and it always fails."

"The gods are nervous about something I'm going to do when I turn sixteen," Percy guessed.

Annabeth fiddled with her Yankees cap. "I don't know the entire thing, Percy. It warns about a child of the Big Three— the first one who lives to sixteen. That is the reason they swore a pact to never have children after World War II. That next child will be a weapon. A dangerous one."

"Why?"

"That child will determine the fate of Olympus. He or she will make the final decision that will either revive the Age of the Gods, or crush it."

Percy ingested that. He never got seasick, but suddenly he felt the urge to throw up. "That's why Kronos spared me last year."

Annabeth nodded. "You have extreme potential for him. If he can get you to join him, the gods will be doomed."

"But if it's me in this prophecy— "

"Time will tell whether it is you or not. We will know if you survive another three years. That is long for a demigod. Chiron was certain Thalia was the one the prophecy spoke for. That was why he was so urgent to get her to camp safely. And when she died, we were at a loss. Until you showed up."

"Couldn't this kid in the prophecy be . . . I don't know, a Cyclops?" Percy asked. "The gods have lots of monster children."

Annabeth denied him. "The Oracle said 'half-blood'. That will always refer to half-human, half-god. There is nobody else alive who fits the role, except you."

"Why don't the gods just kill me then? It would be safer if I was dead, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, it would be."

"Gee, thanks."

"Percy, I really don't know. Some of the gods probably do want to kill you, but they never will out of fear of offending Poseidon. While the others gods . . . Maybe they are still figuring you out, deciding the type of hero you'll become. But the real question is . . . What're you going to do in these next three years? What decisions will you make?"

"Did the prophecy have any hints?"

Annabeth faltered.

Percy would never know if she was going to say more, because a seagull swooped below out of nowhere and perched on their mast, drawing their attention.

"We are near land," Magdalena said, the first words she'd spoken in over an hour.

And she was right. In the distance, they saw a line of blue and brown. An island began to appear, with a small mountain and a collection of pristine white buildings along a beach scattered with palm trees, and a a boat-filled harbor.

The current pulled their boat toward their tropical paradise, the three demigods having no idea what they were in for.

ANNA'S NOTES!
Im thinking Perlena is our ship name for Percy and Lena... comment any other ones that you can think of🫶🫶
Also HIIIII Percy saving Lena and HIIIII lore drop on Magdalena's powers HIIIIIII so much content in this chapter I was lowkey choking