★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖉𝖎𝖝:
NOT A PRINCESS:
VOLUME TWO

★ 。／｜＼。★

ACCORDING TO PIPER and Jason, Hercules turned out to not be a very nice person, and their trip to the pillars ended with burying him underneath a pile out food that had sprouted from Piper's new cornucopia (or the horn that she had cut off from the river God, Achelous.)

Not to mention, the ship kept getting attacked several times an hour now that they were in the Mediterranean. Festus torched a flock of flesh-eating Stymphalian birds. Jason blasted storm spirits swirling around the mast with lighning. A wild Pegasus had stampeded over Coach Hedge's enchiladas. They had started to take shifts to defend the ship. It was currently Jason's turn.

And yet, it was another time Belle was awoken from her sleep. Percy had appeared in her cabin for his watch shift, saying he had a dream that he needed to discuss with her and Annabeth, but more so Annabeth. Belle agreed. Now the three of them stood on the deck very early, staring at the sea while the night was still dark. Belle had taken Sunflower's keychain (since she wasn't wearing jeans, it didn't have the ability to appear back on her belt loops) just in case anything went wrong, which was very likely.

The only one who was still awake with them was Leo. He stood at the helm, insisting he didn't want any more Shrimpzilla surprises. All of them had tried to convince him that the Skolopendra — the name of the huge monster that had attacked them — wasn't his fault. However, he wouldn't listen.

It was about four in the morning, and the weather was utterly miserable. There was thick fog and the sky rained a warm drizzle. The Argo II sailed into twenty-foot swells as the sea heaved underneath them. Belle could also hear poor Hazel down in her cabin trying to control her seasickness.

The three of them stood at the forward rail while Percy told them about his dream. Belle's eyebrows knit in thought as he described that the twin Giants, Ephialtes and Otis, were talking to someone whom they called Your Ladyship in a cavern with a crumbling floor.

Annabeth didn't seem very surprised as she looked into the fog. "Percy, Belle, you have to promise me something. Don't tell the others about this dream."

"Don't what?" Percy repeated. "Annabeth—"

"She's right," Belle admitted quietly, looking up at Percy.

"What you saw was about the Mark of Athena," Annabeth added. "It won't help the others to know. It'll only make them worry, and it'll make it harder for me to go off on my own."

"Beauty, Annabeth, you can't be serious," Percy argued. "That thing in the dark, the big chamber with the crumbling floor—"

"I know," Annabeth replied, her face unnaturally pale. "But I have to do this alone."

Belle could tell that Percy was getting angry now. Sure, he was protective over her because she was his girlfriend, but Annabeth was one of his longest friends (besides Grover — Gods, how Belle missed him.) She knew he just didn't want Annabeth to get hurt.

"You know what's in that cavern," Percy guessed. "Does it have to do with spiders?"

"Yes," Annabeth answered in a small voice.

"Then how can you even . . .?"

Percy's question died in the air. Both him and Belle were incredibly worried about Annabeth, but it would do no good to argue with her. She had already made up her mind.

The three of them stood in silence. Belle took took this time to ponder. She had put on this front that none of them could help Annabeth, because that was the truth. They couldn't. But when it came time for Annabeth to actually face this quest, how could Belle possibly let her go? Belle had already lost Percy for six months. She couldn't lose Annabeth, too.

"We're not far from the Italian coast," Percy announced, breaking the silence. "Maybe a hundred nautical miles to the mouth of the Tiber."

"Good," Annabeth responded. "By daybreak, we should—"

Percy suddenly froze. "Stop. We have to stop."

Belle straightened up and looked at him in concern. "Percy, what's the matter?"

"Leo, stop!" he yelled.

Suddenly, another boat appeared out of the fog and rammed them head-on. Belle looked up to see it was another trireme with black sails painted with a Gorgon's head and hulking warriors that didn't quite look human with their swords and spears ready at the front of the boat. A bronze ram was at water level, slamming against the hull of the Argo II. Belle, Percy, and Annabeth were almost thrown overboard.

Festus blew fire, which sent a dozen warriors screaming and diving into the sea. However, more just kept swarming aboard the Argo II. Grappling lines wrapped around the mails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks. Annabeth unsheathed her knife while Percy drew Riptide. Belle flipped Sunflower in the air and held the green hilt of her sword once it appeared.

The enemy was everywhere. It was still hard to see through the fog and the dark, but the invaders seemed to be half-human half-dolphin. Some had gray snouts, others held their swords in stunted flippers, some waddled on partially fused legs, and others had flippers for feet.

Leo sounded the alarm bell and made a dash for the nearest ballista. However, he went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors. Meanwhile, just like in the Battle of Manhattan, Belle stood on the left side of Percy while Annabeth stood on the right of him, all with their weapons drawn. However, the three of them were hopelessly outnumbered. Belle gripped onto Sunflower tightly and glanced around anxiously. The dolphin-men were opening their snouts and making popping noises. There wasn't much they could do.

The warriors, however, didn't seem interested in killing them immediately. While Belle, Percy, and Annabeth stayed contained, more of warriors flooded belowdecks and secured the hull. The sounds of cabin doors being broken down and fighting was heard. Belle felt her heart sink. Even if the other Demigods hadn't been sleeping, they wouldn't have stood a chance against so many warriors.

Leo was dragged across the deck. He was half-conscious and groaning in pain when the dolphin warriors dumped him on a pile of ropes. The sounds of fighting ceased from below. Either the others had been subdued or . . . no. Belle couldn't afford to think like that.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. Their leader seemed to be fully human. He was dressed in full Greek combat armor — sandals, a kilt, greaves, and a breastplate decorated with detailed sea monster designs — and everything he wore was gold. Even his blade, a Greek blade like Sunflower and Riptide, was Imperial Gold instead of Celestial Bronze.

However, what made Belle nervous the most was his mask. It was fashioned like a Gorgon's head Belle had seen in books — curved tusks, horrible features forming a snarl, and golden hair made of snakes curling around the face. Belle had never met Gorgons before, but Percy had.

Both Belle and Annabeth faced forwards so they were shoulder-to-shoulder with Percy. Percy immediately moved his left shoulder in front of Belle's. She knew that he wanted to protect her. However, they couldn't let the enemy know they together. That would just give them more leverage.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded. "What do you want?"

The golden warrior chuckled. Within the blink of an eye, he flicked his blade and smacked Riptide out of Percy's hand. Belle's eyes widened as she watched it fly into the ocean. Her grip tightened on Sunflower. She immediately cursed herself for not wearing jeans. Belle didn't know if she lost Sunflower that it would reappear if she was wearing pajama pants.

"Hello, brother," the golden warrior greeted, his voice rich and velvety with a Middle Eastern accent. "Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want . . ." He turned his metal mask towards Belle, making her swallow nervously. "Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

Belle felt her heart began to beat against her chest as Chrysaor began to walk back and forth, inspecting them like prizes. About a dozen of his dolphin warriors were still in a ring around them with spears leveled at Percy's chest while the rest ransacked the ship. One of them carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs while another carried an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.

"Careful with that!" Annabeth warned. "It'll blow up both our ships."

"Ha!" Chrysaor replied. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."

"Your accent sounds familiar," Percy voiced. "Have we met?"

"I haven't had the pleasure." Chrysaor's golden gorgon mask snarled at them. "But I've heard all about you, Percy Jackson. Oh, yes, the young man who saved Olympus. And his faithful sidekick, Annabeth Chase, and his little princess, Belle Adair."

Belle gritted her teeth and raised Sunflower higher. "I am not a princess."

Chrysoar placed his blade under Belle's chin and raised it higher. "I've heard of the things you can do. Growing plants with that sword of yours . . . very powerful indeed. I wouldn't pull that trick with me."

"And I'm nobody's sidekick," Annabeth added, trying to divert his attention away from Belle. "And, Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey."

Percy frowned. "I'm pretty sure that accent isn't New Jersey. Who's his—? Oh."

Belle's eyes widened. Percy had told her the story of meeting the Gorgon Medusa in New Jersey on his first quest, where Percy had cut off her head and sent it to Mount Olympus.

"Medusa is your mom?" Percy continued. "Dude, that sucks for you."

"You are as arrogant as the first Perseus," Chrysaor responded. "But, yes, Percy Jackson. Poseidon was my father. Medusa was my mother. After Medusa was changed into a monster by that so-called Goddess of wisdom . . ." The golden mask turned to Annabeth. "That would be your mother, I believe . . . Medusa's two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born. When the original Perseus cut off Medusa's head—"

"Two children sprang out," Annabeth finished. "Pegasus and you."

Percy blinked. "So your brother is a winged horse. But you're also my half brother, which means all the flying horses in the world are my . . . you know what? Let's forget it. But if you're Medusa's kid, why haven't I ever heard of you?"

Chrysaor sighed. "When your brother is Pegasus, you get used to being forgotten. Oh, look, a winged horse! Does anyone care about me? No!" He moved his sword from underneath Belle's chin to pointing the tip to in between Percy's eyes. "But don't underestimate me. My name means the Golden Sword for a reason."

"Oh, you mean Imperial Gold," Belle stated.

"Bah! Enchanted Gold, yes. Later on, the Romans called it Imperial Gold, but I was the first to ever wield such a blade. I should have been the most
famous hero of all time! Since the legend-tellers decided to ignore me, I became a villain instead. I resolved to put my heritage to use. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"

"You became a pirate," Annabeth summed up.

Chrysaor spread his arms. "The best pirate. I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any Demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."

One of the dolphin warriors then dragged Coach Hedge up from below.

"Let me go, you tuna fish!" Coach Hedge yelled.

He attempted to kick the warrior, but his hoof clanged off of his armor. However, judging from the several other hoof prints, he had done this many times before.

"Ah, a Satyr," Chrysaor commented. "A little old and stringy, but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."

"I'm nobody's goat meat!" Coach Hedge protested.

"Gag him as well."

"Why you gilded little—"

Coach Hedge's insult was cut short by a dolphin warrior putting a greasy wad of canvas. Soon, he was tied off and dumped with the other loot the dolphin warriors had gathered — crates of food, extra weapons, and even the magical ice chest from the mess hall.

"You can't do this!" Annabeth shouted.

Chrysoar laughed, and it reverberated inside his golden mask. "I can do anything I want. My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat—"

"Dolphins," Percy noted.

Chrysaor shrugged. "Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned completely into dolphins. Others went mad. But these . . . these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!"

One of the warriors chattered something at him nervously.

"Yes, yes. They fear one thing, but it hardly matters. He's not here."

Belle's eyebrows knit in thought. Somebody turning others into dolphins? That sounded strangely familiar. However, before she could think more about it, more of the dolphin warriors climbed up the stairs while hauling the rest of their friends. Jason was unconscious in with bruises all over his place. Belle sighed and shook her head. Typical. Meanwhile, Hazel and Piper were bound hand and foot. The dolphins had apparently discovered Piper could charmspeak since there was a gag in her mouth. Frank was the only one missing.

However, two of the dolphins had bee stings covering their faces. Belle didn't know if Frank could turn into a swarm of bees, but if he was somewhere on the ship, they could possibly try and get him to help them.

"Excellent!" Chrysaor exclaimed. He directed the warriors to dump Jason by the crossbows and then examined Hazel and Piper like they were prizes. Belle tried her best not to attack him at once. "The boy is no use to me, but we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women — either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill. But not you, lovely Belle."

Belle slightly lowered her arms. "What do you mean?"

Annabeth took a step forwards. "You are not taking her anywhere."

Chrysoar tutted. "I don't care for you, Annabeth. But oh, sadly, Belle, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain Goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture — alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed."

Piper then caused a disturbance. She wailed so loud it was heard through her gag. Then she fainted against the nearest guard and knocked him over. Hazel got the same idea and crumpled to the deck. She kicked her legs and thrashed around like she was having a fit.

Before Belle could even do anything, Percy lashed out with Riptide. Belle's eyes widened and she went to go join, but a Dolphin warrior pressed the tip of their spear onto her back so she couldn't move. Chrysoar dodged Riptide by his neck and parried. The rest of the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives while simultaneously giving their leader room to fight. They shattered and squeaked to egg him on.

Percy knew his way with a sword. Belle knew that. Chrysaor, however, had been using a sword for eons. Percy and Chrysaor continued to battle back and forth until Percy feinted and thrust at Chrysaor's gut. Chrysaor unfortunately anticipated the move and knocked Riptide into the sea once more.

Chrysaor laughed and pressed the tip of his sword against Percy's sternum. "A good try, but now you'll be chained and transported to Gaea's minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the Goddess."

They needed to come up with a plan, and fast. Belle couldn't give Percy Sunflower because Chrysaor would just beat him again. She began to look around anxiously. Belle saw Percy studying his surroundings, which told her he was also trying to figure something out. They couldn't talk to each other about it, but Belle, Percy, and Annabeth had fought enough together that they knew what each other was thinking.

Apparently, Belle's thoughts earlier about somebody turning people into dolphins made her realize who it was. That person had threatened to turn Percy into a dolphin many times. And when she looked at the stern and spotted Frank hiding behind a ballista, Belle knew Percy had an idea.

"Fine!" Percy yelled so it got everyone's attention. "Take us away, if our captain will let you."

Chrysaor's mask turned towards him. "What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one else."

Percy raised his hands dramatically. "The God appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader. He runs our Camp for Demigods. Doesn't he, Beauty?"

Belle nodded convincingly. "Oh, yep. Definitely! Mr. D — the great Dionysus!"

There was a ripple of uneasiness that passed throughout the dolphin warriors. One even dropped his sword.

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor told them. "There is no God on this ship. They are trying to scare you."

"You should be scared!" Percy replied, looking at the crew with sympathy. "Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine God's madness?"

Piper and Hazel had stopped their shaking firs and were sitting on the deck staring at Percy. He glared at them pointedly, and they started trembling and flopping around again. The dolphin warriors fell over themselves in effort to get away from them.

"Fakes!" Chrysaor yelled. "Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your Camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."

"So you admit Dionysus is our director!" Percy stated.

"He was. Everyone knows that."

Percy pointed to Chrysaor like he had betrayed himself. "You see? We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest!"

He stormed over to the magical ice chest. None of them attempted to stop him as he knocked the lid open. Belle hoped there was one in there.

Finally, Percy turned and showed the dolphin warriors a familiar silver and red can of soda. "Behold! The God's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"

The dolphin warriors began to panic. Belle let out a breath of relief at the feeling of a spear tip no longer being on her back.

"The God will take your ship," Percy warned. "He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"

"Ridiculous!" Chrysaor cried, his voice shrill as he struggled to know if he should point his sword at his crew or at Percy.

"Save yourselves! It is too late for us!" Percy then gasped and pointed to the spot where Frank was hiding. "Oh, no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

Nothing happened.

"I said, Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!" Percy repeated.

Frank stumbled out of nowhere and made a big show of grabbing his throat as he spoke in a monotone voice. "Oh, no. I am turning into a crazy dolphin."

He began to change. Frank's nose elongated into a snow and his skin became sleek and gray. He then fell to the deck as a dolphin with his tail thumping against the boards.

Pandemonium broke. The dolphin warriors disbanded in terror, chattering and clicking as they struggled to escape. They dropped their weapons, forgot about the captives, ignored Chrysaor's orders, and jumped overboard. In the confusion, Annabeth moved quickly to cut the bonds on Hazel, Piper, and Coach Hedge.

Meanwhile, while Chrysaor was busy shouting at his escaping crew, Belle managed to disarm him this time. His Imperial Gold blade clattered out of his hand and fell into the ocean. Chrysaor bellowed in rage and turned to see who had done it, only to be met with Belle doing the exact same thing he did to her. She put Sunflower under his chin with the tip dangerously close to his throat and lifted it up higher. He went to walk backwards, but his back was already pressed up against the rail.

"A princess, huh?" Belle asked. "I'd rethink that."

Chrysaor was doomed. Not only did Belle have her sword by his neck, but the rest of the crew had murderous looks on their faces.

"This isn't over, Jackson," Chrysaor told Percy. "I will have my revenge—"

He was cut of by Frank changing form again. Percy snagged Belle's waist in his arms and pulled her back as Frank charged at Chrysaor in the form of an eight hundred pound grizzly bear. He sideswiped Chrysaor and took the Golden mask off of his helmet. Chrysaor screamed and covered his face with his arms as he tumbled into the water.

All of them ran to the rail. There was no sign of Chrysaor or his dolphin warriors anymore.

Belle laughed slightly and looked up at her boyfriend, kissing him quickly. "That was amazing, Perce."

"It was more desperate than amazing," Percy corrected. "And we need to get rid of this pirate trireme."

"Burn it?" Annabeth suggested.

Percy looked down at Diet Coke can in his hand. "No. I've got another idea."

The first order of business was to tend to their wounded. Leo was back on his feet, thanks to a little nectar. Piper had tended to Jason's wounds, even though he wasn't as badly hurt as he looked. He was mostly just ashamed he was knocked out again.

"You're three for three now," Belle told him.

Jason glared down at her playfully. "Have I ever told you how much I hate you?"

"Hey, you love me, Grace."

They then returned all their own supplies to their proper places and tidied up the ship from the invasion. Meanwhile, Coach Hedge was breaking possibly everything he could find on the enemy ship with his baseball bat. Once he had his fun, Percy put all of the enemy's weapons back on the pirate ship. He also insisted nobody touched the storeroom full of treasure.

"I can sense about six million dollars' worth of gold aboard," Hazel announced. "Plus diamonds, rubies—"

"Six m-million?" Frank stuttered. "Canadian dollars or American?"

"Leave it," Percy voiced. "It's part of the tribute."

"Tribute?" Hazel questioned.

"Oh," Piper realized.

Belle nodded. "Kansas."

Jason grinned, since he was also there when they met Bacchus. "Crazy. But I like it."

Finally, Percy went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves. Leo was more than happy to oblige when Percy asked him to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools. The rest of the crew assembled themselves at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Piper then brought out her new cornucopia and willed it to spew Diet Coke on Percy's direction. The ship sank remarkably fast as it filled with Diet Coke and seawater.

"Dionysus," Percy called as he held up Chrysaor's golden mask. "Or Bacchus — whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren't here. Your enemies trembled at your name . . . or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you. We give this ship to you as tribute. We hope you like it."

"Six million in gold," Leo muttered. "He'd better like it."

"Shh," Hazel scolded him. "Precious metal isn't all that great. Believe me."

Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel. It was now sinking even faster as Diet Coke spewed out of it, turning the sea a frothy brown. Percy then summoned a wave and the enemy ship went completely underwater. Leo steered away the Argo II as it did so.

"Isn't that polluting?" Piper inquired.

"I wouldn't worry," Jason responded. "If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish."

At least they had tried to go through that tribute Dionysus had talked about back in Kansas. And as Belle stood underneath Percy's arm on the deck while the Argo II headed east into the fog, a sinking feeling settled into her stomach. They were approaching Rome, and for some reason, she had an inkling that something terribly wrong was about to happen.

— [  ♡  ]  —

woke up this morning to see somebody plagiarized my books electric love & eight letters 🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼 really thriving out here today love that for me

hey shoutout to --SIRIUSBLACK-- and Imaginebooks for bringing this to my attention love you both mwah

like I read some of her chapters and the things that are written are literally mine or near identical to mine. so hey if you ever see my books get copied or anything please tell me bc plagiarism isn't cool <3333

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !