chapter thirteen!
013. sponsored by: monster doughnut

savreen

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    FOR ONCE, just once, Savreen wanted it to be a nice water spirit. 

    Kate was a walking sprite of energy. She had to keep pushing her thick-framed glasses up her nose every time they slipped down with the skips in her steps, and her bushy black hair bounced in her pigtails. Her smile was so bright it was almost alarming, and Savreen shared an uneasy, incredulous look with Frank▬because she felt like that smile was staring deep into her soul. She was glad he also seemed to feel the same way. 

    "Right this way!" chirped Kate as she got them past the ticket queue and into the aquarium with no problem. She grinned at Percy. "It's a wonderful exhibit. You won't be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs."

    Frank scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, having to duck underneath the low-hanging VIP ENTRANCE sign. "Uh ... you mean demigods?"

    Kate giggled as if he had said a hilarious joke. She winked at him and tapped her finger against her mouth. Then, she spun on her heel and skipped down the ramp hallway. Savreen couldn't help but pause and gawk at some of the first set of tanks. They were the smaller, more common saltwater fish that grabbed the attention of visitors when they first stepped into the aquarium and were just enough to tease the more 'tourist-worthy' attractions deeper in the building. But Savreen adored them all the same, dragging in her step to peer around the rocks and the underwater plants to find the colourful fish and species of turtles. In her defence, the last time she had been to an aquarium was when she was little, before she lost her Dadi and Dada. And she couldn't remember anything except the penguins. After that, it was foster home after foster home. And she never stayed in a school long enough before she was expelled to go on an aquarium excursion. 

    She pointed at the small school of clownfish to Percy. "It's like Nemo. Piper told me that they have these super cool social hierarchies."

    Percy paused and frowned, tilting his head at the tank. He pursed his lips. While she looked so excited, the sight of these sea creatures being locked away in small tanks made him pale and uneasy. "They don't like being called Nemo," he told her gently. "They actually hate the representation of their species in that movie."

    Savreen's grin dropped, incredulous. "Wait, how do you know that?"

    He shrugged. "I can hear them."

    "You speak fish?" 

    They continued through the opening exhibits, weaving through tourist groups, families, couples, influencers taking pictures and recordings, and the casual, curious aquarium visitor. Kate waved dismissively to the gaping tunnel that twisted to their right. "So over here is the cold-water experience, with your penguins and beluga whales and whatnot." 

    Savreen peered through it and hitched her breath to see the floor-to-ceiling glass tanks with schools of fish swimming with the beluga whales. But Kate led them right past it without a word. She knew they weren't here for a tour, not really, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed. "And over there ..." continued Kate as they passed a few more tanks of small seawater fish. She shrugged. "Well, those are some fish, obviously."

    For an aquarium worker, she knew very little, or rather, cared nothing for the sea animals she was working with. They passed one huge tank full of tropical species. Frank pointed to a group of bright yellow fish swimming between the coral. He asked what species they were, and Kate just said, "Oh, those are the yellow ones."

    "Lemonpeel Angelfish," murmured Percy to Frank as Kate continued, skipping down the hallway and whistling a little tune without a care in the world.

    Savreen was a little taken aback. It made sense that the son of Poseidon would know a lot about the ocean and about the species living in it, but she▬like many others▬had created this image of who Percy Jackson was during her time at Camp Half-Blood. She couldn't help it! She had heard so many stories, listened to campers boast about knowing him over the campfire and comforted Claire during those months she kept trying to search for him at Camp Jupiter, even though everyone told her he had to go through whatever Hera had planned for him alone. She had always pictured the son of Poseidon as this great, heroic figure, much like the heroes of Ancient Greece she read about in her Ancient Greek classes. She always pictured him being very much like Jason, except maybe a little more silly and cheeky from the 'Seaweed Brain' tales Claire and Annabeth had told her. And there were times where she could see that version of him▬the heroic version that could hold back water nymphs with the tide, who fought Titans and giants, and wielded a hurricane in his eyes when he was angry. But then, she also saw this Percy, who was a little awkward and a lot smarter than he looked, who ate blue pancakes for breakfast with whipped cream and knew random marine biology facts. It made him seem a little less scary and a little more real.

    They passed the gift shop. Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys. 

    "Take what you want," Kate told him.

    He blinked. "Really?"

    "Of course! You're a VIP!"

    Frank hesitated. Then he stuffed some T-shirts into his backpack.

    Percy watched him, incredulous. "Dude," he whispered. "What are you doing?"

    "She said I could," whispered Frank, hunching up sheepishly. "Besides, I need more clothes. I didn't pack for a long trip!"

    The thought of getting free stuff tickled an interest in Savreen. She awkwardly glanced around, and even though Kate told her they could take whatever they wanted without a fee, she still felt like she was doing something wrong. She saw one of those metal wire square puzzles and snatched it up, thinking that it would be a perfect fidget toy for Leo. Savreen slipped it into her pocket. 

    Frank also grabbed a snow globe and a braided cylinder about the size of a candy bar▬neither was clothing. He frowned at the braided cylinder, squinting. "What is▬?"

    "Chinese handcuffs," said Percy.

    Slowly, Frank turned to him. He looked positively mortified. "How is this Chinese?" he grumbled. 

    At his sheer offence over the object, Percy grew a little awkward. He hunched up. "I don't know, man. That's just what it's called. It's a gag gift."

    Savreen was busy finding little trinkets for Jason, Piper and Claire▬and then felt bad about not getting anyone else on the Argo II anything, so she grabbed snow globes for Cain, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy and then a little fish magnet for Frank (because he already had a snow globe)▬when she noticed Coach Hedge chewing through the postcard collection. "Coach!" she scolded in a whisper, smacking him lightly. "Manners."

    He grumbled, but listened to her. Savreen glanced down at the small pile in her arms and then glanced at Hedge stomping back over to Percy and Frank, before grabbing a few postcards for him to eat later. 

    She lugged her things out of the gift shop, blushing underneath the incredulous stare from Percy. Savreen awkwardly dropped her things into Frank's overfilled backpack because she forgot to bring her own. "Uh, thanks, um..."

    "Come along!" Kate called from across the hall.

    Savreen quickly helped squash Frank's backpack together so he could zip it up, before they hurried after Kate and kept walking. 

   They passed underneath an acrylic tunnel, and she gawked up at the fish that swam over their heads. 

    Though her awe and excitement were short-lived, this was likely a trap, and it was very likely Kate was cheerfully leading them to their deaths. Hedge had already detected that she wasn't human. At any moment, Kate could turn into some monster and attack them. That thought sobered Savreen. She fiddled with her ring, twisting it around. She felt her necklace burn underneath her shirt, surging with the heat of her anxieties. Savreen took a deep breath and forced herself to focus and to be calm. She was on this quest with the son of Poseidon, and they were surrounded by water; this was the perfect environment.

    But she still didn't feel so reassured as they emerged into a viewing room, bathed in deep blue light that shadowed Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge into silhouettes. A large glass wall stood opposite them, towering from floor to ceiling. Behind the glass wall, dozens of fish▬large and small▬darted to and fro, frolicked amongst the underwater plants and rocks, and cruised by the glass. Among them were two spotted sharks, and they were each twice the size of Percy, which meant they could possibly eat Savreen whole, except they were fat and slow, with open mouths and no teeth.

    "Whale sharks," growled Coach Hedge. "Now we shall battle to the death!"

    Savreen face-palmed. Her hand dragged down the side of her face. She sent a quick prayer to her mother, Harmonia, to give her the strength not to yell at her aggressive satyr friend.

    Kate giggled. "Silly satyr. Whale sharks are peaceful. They only eat plankton."

    Alarm bells went off in Sav's mind. She shared a subtle, shocked look with Percy and Frank. How could Kate know that Gleeson Hedge was a satyr when he was wearing trousers and fitted shoes over his hooves, and a baseball cap to cover his horns? First, she had accepted Frank's denarii, and now, she recognised the coach's true form. Savreen fiddled with her ring again, watching Kate warily, but Coach Hedge didn't seem fazed at all. But at Percy's scowl, she knew she had to be ready for an attack at any minute.

    "Peaceful sharks?" he scoffed, as if this were the worst news possible. "What's the point of that?"

    Frank shuffled closer to the plaque. He was one of the only demigods▬if not the only demigod, other than Savreen▬on the Argo II, who didn't have Dyslexia or ADHD. "The only whale sharks in captivity in the world," he mused. "That's kind of amazing."

    "Is it?" muttered Percy, watching the way the whale sharks moved in lazy circles with a sad look in his eyes.

    "Yes, and these are small," said Kate, either not hearing Percy's comment or choosing to ignore it. "You should see some of my other babies out in the wild."

    More alarm bells. Savreen frowned. "Your babies?" she spoke up.

    That wicked glint in Kate's eyes made her nervous. It made her feel as though she was being quite literal in her comment▬and that also made Savreen never want to meet her babies. She narrowed her eyes slightly in thought, trying to figure out who Kate might be. She figured the name she wasn't using wasn't her real name, but as Savreen tried to think of all the mythological tales, deities and creatures, she came up blank in the ocean department. 

    Percy decided to finally get to the point as to why they were here. "So, Kate," he began, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "we're looking for a guy ... I mean a god, named Phorcys. Would you happen to know him?"

    Kate snorted. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, suddenly not looking so happy. "Know him? Ugh, he's my brother. That's where we're going, sillies," that smile was back on her face. "The real exhibits are right through here."

    Brother? Savreen still couldn't picture the myth of Phorcys. She looked to Percy for an answer, but he looked like he was trying to remember as well. Kate gestured to the far wall, where the solid black surface rippled and another tunnel appeared, leading through a luminous purple tank. Kate shot them a smile before strolling inside. 

    Savreen hesitated. Her heart pounded. She knew following would be a bad idea. Who knows what was waiting for them on the other side of that hallway? But from the glances Frank and Percy shared and sent her way, she knew they had no choice but to follow if they wanted to find Phorcys. All of them were waiting on someone to make the first move, even Coach Hedge, who was never hesitant about anything. 

    In the end, Percy frowned to himself and took a deep breath. His shoulders tensed as he looked at the tunnel, and Savreen thought she saw the confidence in his eyes fracture, and there was a flicker of fear. But he hid it as soon as he realised it showed. He rolled his shoulders back and pulled his hands out of his pockets. She noticed his pen that would magically transform into his sword when he took off the cap, clutched tight in his right palm. He glanced back at them with a cheeky grin and shrugged. "Who's ready for the next exhibit? This one's titled Certain Death."

    Savreen bit back an amused smile. The joke was terrible, but it settled the tense air and made her feel a little braver. It was the kind of stupid joke Leo would make. With that thought in mind, she jogged to catch up with the son of Poseidon, and she took the first steps into the tunnel to Certain Death at his side. Frank and Coach Hedge soon followed.

    As soon as he stepped into the luminescent purple swirl of a corridor, Coach Hedge let out a surprised whistle. "Now, that's interesting."

    Savreen craned her neck to see. Her jaw fell slack. Gliding above them were large jellyfish that stretched to half of Percy's size, each with hundreds of tentacles like silky barbed wire. But the most beautiful thing about them was their colours. It wasn't the light of the tunnel that washed them in purple; it was the jellyfish. They turned the tunnel into a spiral of purples, pinks and oranges, and it was like walking through a sunset. But that beauty was riddled with danger. Savreen swallowed thickly when she noticed a paralysed swordfish in the clutches of one of the jellyfish, its tendrils slowly wrapping tighter and tighter around its prey. 

    Kate beamed at Coach Hedge, positively delighted by his comment. "You see? Forget the whale sharks! And there's much more."

    They continued through the hallway, and it opened up to an even larger chamber, lined with ginormous aquariums. She noticed Percy come to a sudden halt, looking as though he had been stung with the same jellyfish paralysis as that swordfish. She frowned and walked over to him, following his gaze to the glowing red sign on the wall in front of them: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! Sponsored by Monster Doughnut.

    Savreen made a face. "Monster Doughnut?" she read, very confused.

    "Oh, yes," Kate waved back at her, distracted. "One of our corporate sponsors."

    The aquariums around them were not filled with normal sea creatures▬there were no whale sharks and no tropical fish, but rather, Savreen was staring at mythological creatures. Her breath hitched, startled to see a dozen hippocampi. She had never seen hippocampi before, and she felt a little sick to see them for the first time in such a way, with them drifting aimlessly in circles with their horse heads held low and the scales of their tails dull in colour. 

    Another, smaller tank, was situated beside it. At the bottom were two female sea spirits, Nereids, sitting cross-legged across from one another, playing a game of Go Fish. Savreen remembered the Nereids back at Camp. They were cheeky spirits, always so energetic with a coy smile and lovers of good-natured tricks against campers (and always down for a canoe race). These weren't the same spirits that Savreen was all too familiar with. The bright and mischievous look in their eyes was gone, and a dull haze replaced it. There were no smiles upon their pretty faces, and their beautiful, long green hair was without the shells and coral beads they loved to decorate the strands with.

    Percy stepped around her and approached the aquarium. He looked sick. He watched the hippocampi float around and occasionally bump against the glass, his hands clenching. A scary scowl settled on his brow. "This isn't right," he muttered. He took a few deep breaths, and Savreen noticed some of the water churn from behind the glass, startling the Nereids from their game briefly. She was suddenly worried the water would burst through the glass and flood them all. 

    The son of Poseidon spun to Kate, furious. "How can you keep them here?"

    She sighed, and his anger swept right over her head. She didn't care. "I know," she shook her head, tsking with disappointment at the Nereids. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid. I think you'll like this tank over here much better."

    Percy went to protest, but Kate had already moved on. 

    Savreen felt sick to the stomach, too. She watched the Nereids return to their card game, feeling like a fist had closed around her heart. She was startled by Coach Hedge's, "Holy mother of goats!"

    She spun around, annoyed. Only to realise what he was looking at. "Look at these beauties!" he pointed up at the next tank, gawking at the two sea serpents. They were at least thirty feet long with glowing blue scales and gaping jaws. Savreen wandered over to the large tank beside it, and her breath hitched, horrified to see a squid the size of an eighteen-wheeler poke its head from its cement cave, with a beak like a giant bolt cutter. Its long arm curled out and suddenly smacked at the glass in front of her. She gasped and jumped away, her heart pounding. 

    She turned her attention to a third tank, which held a dozen humanoid creatures she had never seen before in her life, or read about. They all had sleek, seal bodies, doglike faces and human hands. All of them were seated at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Lego. They seemed just as dazed as the Nereids.

    Percy seemed to know what they were. He struggled to get his words out, "Are those▬?" 

    "Telkhines?" Kate finished his sentence. "Yes! The only ones in captivity."

    He scoffed, unable to believe his eyes. "But▬" he glared at her, "▬they fought for Kronos in the last war! They're dangerous!"

    At those words, Frank immediately stepped away from the tank. 

    Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we wouldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous. Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."

    That seemed to hit Percy like an arrow to his chest. He shook his head, turning back to the Telkhines in the aquarium with a pained expression. 

    "Sedated?" asked Frank, troubled. "Is that legal?"

    Kate brushed past him and kept walking, pretending like she did not hear. Savreen's gaze narrowed, and her eyes flashed with the surge of power from her necklace underneath her shirt with anger. "And these sea monsters," she narrated up ahead, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favourite food is demigod▬"

    "Demigod?" yelped Frank.

    "▬But they will eat whales or small boats, too," Kate turned to Percy. She blushed. "Sorry ... I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon and all."

    Percy's gaze darkened. Savreen felt her hair stand up on the back of her neck at the sight of it. She grew uneasy and felt like she was standing on the shore within the eye of a hurricane, with the waves crashing at her feet and hitting the rocks with shattering force. "Who are you?" demanded the son of Poseidon. "Does Kate stand for something?"

    She looked momentarily confused. "Kate?" she glanced down at her name tag. "Oh ..." she laughed. "No, it's▬"

    "HELLO!"

    A booming voice echoed through the aquarium. Savreen, Percy, Frank and Coach Hedge all spun around. From the shadows, a small man appeared. He scuttled towards them, walking sideways at a crouch, his back hunched, and his hands held up like he was holding up an imaginary force above him. 

    "What the fuck?" muttered Percy Jackson.

    What the fuck, indeed, thought Savreen.

    The stranger wore a wet suit that was a gradient of every horrible shade of green in existence. Down the side, the words PORKY'S FOLLIES were printed on the fabric in silver glitter and rhinestones. Clamped over his greasy, wiry hair was a headset dazzled in more of the same rhinestones, and they glinted with a blinding light in the spotlights that suddenly dawned from above. When he smiled, his face looked like it was peeled back in a wind tunnel, showing teeth coated in barnacles.

    "Visitors!" his deep voice thundered through his microphone so loud that there was feedback. Savreen cringed. "Welcome to Phorcys's Follies!"

    He swept out his arms in one direction. Savreen tilted her head and slowly looked over in the direction he gestured. Nothing happened.

    "Curse it!" he grumbled. "Telkhines, that's your cue! I wave my hands▬" he repeated the gesture, comically larger than before, "▬and you leap energetically in your tank, do a synchronised double spin and land in a pyramid formation! We practised this!"

    The Telkhines just continued to build with their Legos and paid him no mind.

    Coach Hedge leaned towards the stranger and sniffed his wetsuit. "Nice outfit."

    Savreen was very embarrassed. Sometimes, she wondered whether Hedge did this to her on purpose. "Coach!" she chided him in a whisper and yanked him back by his sports jacket. "You need to stop sniffing strangers' outfits▬it's rude."

    But the stranger wasn't offended. He just glanced down at his glittery wetsuit and beamed. "Thank you!" he exclaimed. Then, he gestured with his hands and gave them a dramatic bow. "I am Phorcys."

    Frank shifted his weight from foot to foot. He chewed on the inside of his cheek before raising a shy hand like he was in class. "Why does your suit say Porky?"

    Phorcys glanced down at the glittery lettering on the side of his suit. He stamped his foot. "Stupid uniform company! They can't get anything right!"

    Kate tapped her name tag. "I told them my name was Keto. They misspelled it as Kate. My brother ... well, now he's Porky."

    "I am not!" snapped Phorcys. "I am not even a little porky! The name doesn't work with Follies, either. What kind of show is called Porky's Follies?" Savreen shared an incredulous look with Frank and Percy. "But you folks don't want to hear us complain. Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid!"

    He made jazz hands towards the squid tank. Savreen jumped when fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue, sending up geysers of golden sparkles. Loud music swelled and pounded painfully in their ears from the loudspeakers. Light sprang from the base of the tank in a disco swirl of pinks and yellows, revealing an empty tank. 

    "Curse it!" yelled the ancient sea god again. He swivelled to face his sister. "Keto! Training the squid was your job. Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?!"

    Keto narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "He's shy!" she said defensively. "Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily." A thought struck her, and she gasped with delight. She turned to them. "Did you know the monstrous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armour and all, without getting indigestion? It's true!"

    Frank stumbled away from her. He clutched at his stomach as if to ensure he was still in one piece. 

    "Keto!" Phorcys snapped his fingers furiously to grab his sister's attention. "You'll bore our guests with so much information. Less education, more entertainment! We've discussed this."

    "But▬"

    "No buts! We're here to present 'Death in the Deep Seas!' Sponsored by Monster Doughnut!"

    The last words echoed with too much reverb for Savreen to feel comfortable. She jumped again as lights flashed and smoke clouds billowed from the floor, making doughnut-shaped rings. 

    "Available at the concession stand," advised Phorcys, "but you've spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour and you shall! Come with me!"

    Savreen was over the show and tell. She glanced at Percy, took a deep breath to calm herself down and then stepped forward. "Um, actually, Mr. Phorcys?"

    The ancient sea god's smile melted. "Yes?" he answered curtly. 

    She tried her best to come off as calm and collected. She felt her necklace surge underneath her neckline, and she put on a sweet smile. "I hear you're an ancient sea god, the son of Gaea?"

    He sighed. Savreen felt like she had said the wrong thing, and her confidence faltered slightly. "Five thousand years, and I'm still known as Gaea's little boy. Never mind that I'm one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than your upstart father, by the way!" he added to Percy. "I'm god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no ... nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I'm exiled from the ocean▬to Atlanta, of all places!"

    "We thought the Olympians said Atlantis," explained Keto. "Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead."

    Percy narrowed his eyes. "And you're a goddess?"

    "Keto, yes!" She looked so happy to hear that. "Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. "Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It's true!"

    Frank looked like he was going to be sick.

    Coach Hedge, however, whistled. "Six years? That's fascinating."

    Keto beamed. "I know!"

    "And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims? I love nature."

    "Oh, well▬"

    "Stop!" demanded Phorcys. "You're ruining the show! Now, witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!"

    A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, and the water danced with multicoloured light. Savreen was disgusted to see two swords fall to the bottom, hitting the sand with a plunk. The Nereids ignored them and continued to play Go Fish, but the thought of making them fight to the death made Savreen furious. 

    "Curse it!" cried out Phorcys, stomping his leg sideways.

    Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge, looking very embarrassed by her brother. "Don't mind Porky. He's such a windbag. Come with me, my fine satyr. I'll show you the full-colour diagrams of the monsters' hunting habits."

    "Excellent!"

    Savreen hitched her breath. "Wait, Coach▬Coach!" she whispered his name harshly, but it was too late. Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving Savreen, Frank and Percy alone with the ancient sea god. She huffed an exasperated breath, throwing her gaze up to the ceiling. "This is like Midas's mansion all over again," she grumbled under her breath.

    Phorcys heard her. "Oh, it's fine!" he assured her. "Keto might be a little boring, but she'll take good care of your friend. And, honestly, the best part of the tour is still to come!"

    Percy gritted his teeth. She didn't need to know him well to tell what he was thinking. They were being separated▬it was easy to figure out what was going on. Keto had pulled Coach Hedge away from them. Savreen grew a little nervous, and she could see that Frank and Percy felt the same way. She fiddled with her ring, twisting it over and over again. They needed to speak with Phorcys and get the information about the Twins▬that was non-negotiable. They couldn't attack this god, and Savreen could tell that Percy wanted to. Yet if they attacked this ancient god now, that still left them with no idea where Coach was going, and where he would end up, and how to get back to the exit. They were being separated, and they had no escape plan. This wasn't the time to start a fight.

    She figured that if she let Percy Jackson get himself killed by trying to fight an ancient sea god, no matter how powerful he was, Claire would be very upset. (A small guess). 

    And so, Savreen knew she had to take point. She stepped closer to Phorcys and hoped he couldn't tell how nervous she was. "Mr. Phorcys, Dionysus actually sent us here to find you."

    "Bacchus," corrected Frank.

    She glanced back at him, a little incredulous. "Yes. Well," she turned back to the sea god. "Bacchus said you may know what Gaea's plan is, or what she is up to right now, and about your brothers, the twins, Ephialtes and Otis▬"

    "And the Mark of Athena," Percy cut in, stepping in beside her. She sent him a look that even surprised her, sharply telling him, Let me handle this. 

    "▬Yes," huffed Savreen, forcing a smile on her face, "and we are also wondering if you might know anything about the Mark of Athena▬?"

    "Bacchus thought I would help you?"

    Phorcys's sudden question made Savreen stammer for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "Of course," she said delightfully. She felt Percy and Frank's eyes on her, and the room around them all seemed to fall into a slight pinkish haze. The breaths they let out next seemed to expel them of all anxious and tense feelings. "I mean, you're Phorcys," she gestured to the ancient sea god. "You're so famous. Everybody talks about you. Even the son of Poseidon, here," she held a hand out to Percy, "chose to come to you for answers over his own father."

    When she glanced at Percy, she thought he almost looked impressed at her way with words, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Savreen never liked the thought that her powers left her manipulating others to tell her what she wanted them to. She never harmed anyone; she gave people a feeling of peace▬and some might call that a gift. But it was that feeling of peace that entrapped them, and made them trust her, and she used that trust to her own advantage▬she controlled them. 

    She swallowed down her bitter resentments. She couldn't think about that right now. She had to focus on getting the information they needed from Phorcys before he realised what she was doing and killed them.

    Phorcys tilted his head, taken aback. He seemed so happy at the thought of being spoken about that Savreen almost felt bad about lying. "They do?"

    "I mean, you're the father of the most monstrous sea monsters and ferocious demigod killers," continued Savreen. "You are the talk of the town amongst us demigods. Even the Roman demigods fear and respect you. Isn't that right, Frank?"

    Frank blinked, startled to be suddenly brought into the conversation. "Oh ... sure!" he managed. She tried not to cringe at his delayed response. "People talk about you all the time."

    "What do they say?" asked the god.

    The son of Mars looked uncomfortable. "Well ... uh ... you have great pyrotechnics," he offered. Savreen subtly nodded, telling him to continue. "And a good announcer's voice. And, um, a disco ball▬"

    "It's true!" Phorcys clicked his fingers excitedly. "I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world!"

    "And you know stuff," added Percy. "Like about the twins and what they're up to."

    "The twins!" the god's voice echoed with that horrible reverb throughout the room. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea-serpent tank. "Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabes! They never fitted in with the other giants. Too puny▬and those snakes for feet!"

    "Snakes for feet?"

    "Yes, yes," said Phorcys impatiently. "They knew they couldn't get by on their strength, so they decided to go for drama▬illusions, stage tricks, that sort of thing. You see, Gaea shaped her giant children with specific enemies in mind. Each giant was born to kill a certain god. Ephilates and Otis ... well, together they were sort of the anti-Dionysus."

     That made sense. So far, all of the giants they had faced had some form of duty and purpose to be the opponent of a certain god▬they were born to destroy them. Enceladus called himself Athena's nemesis, and Porphyrion, the King of the Giants, had been Zeus's. Percy fought the giant Polybotes, who was meant to destroy Poseidon, and Frank and Hazel battled Alcyoneus, the anti-Hades. 

    "So ..." Percy tilted his head. "They want to replace all wine with cranberry juice or something?"

    Savreen shared an estranged look with Frank. He shrugged to tell her, You get used to it. 

    The sea god snorted. He laughed. "Nothing like that! Ephialtes and Otis always wanted to do things better, flashier, more spectacular! Oh, of course, they wanted to kill Dionysus. But first, they wanted to humiliate him by making his revelries look tame!"

    The daughter of Harmonia crossed her arms, curious. They needed to know more. There was so much they had to understand, and so very little time. She glanced at the light rig and spark machines. "And they used dramatics like fireworks and disco balls?"

     "YES!" Phorcys's mouth stretched into a wind tunnel smile. Savreen almost winced at his loud, ecstatic cry. "Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know, or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top of one another!" he laughed. "It was just an illusion, of course. I told them it was ridiculous. 'You should start small,' I said. 'Sawing each other in half, pulling gorgons out of a hat'." Savreen nodded, listening along as if she agreed that this was all very reasonable. "'That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!'"

    "Naturally," she agreed. "And now the twins are▬?"

    "Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome," sneered the ancient god of the seas. "It's one of Mother's silly ideas. They're keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar." He turned towards Frank. "You're a child of Ares, aren't you? You've got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once."

    "Child of Mars," corrected Frank. "Wait ... those giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?"

    "Yes," scoffed Phorcys, "another stupid stunt. How can you show off your prisoner if he's in a bronze jar? No entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimens!"

    He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bumping their heads against the glass, so durgged up and legarthic that they barely even noticed their surroundings. Savreen glanced at Percy, and she saw the way the colour drained from his face▬it was almost as if the lethargy of the addled sea creatures was making him dreary, too. 

    She pursed her lips and turned back to Phorcys. "You're saying that this doomsday show was Gaea's idea?"

    "Well ... Mother's plans always have lots of layers," he laughed. "The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!"

    "And what is her plan?"

    "Oh, she's put out a general bounty on some group of demigods," said Phorcys. "She doesn't really care who kills them, as long as they're killed. Well ... I take that back. She was very specific that two must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why." Savreen did her best not to look at the others to give them away, her heart pounding. She remembered what Claire had told them about the sacrifice Gaea mentioned while she, Percy, Piper, Jason and Cain were in Kansas▬how she asked Claire to choose who would die. "At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such. That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena." The ancient sea god elbowed Frank in the ribs. "Ha! Good luck with that, eh?"

    The alarm bells returned. Savreen's heart pounded, and her fingers hovered over her ring, watching the look in Phorcys's eyes▬he was watching their reactions intently. She tried to look clueless, but it was no use. They were screwed. They had come here asking about the Mark of Athena, and Phorcys wasn't stupid▬even if he acted like it. If he didn't already know that they were the demigods with the bounty on their heads, he was going to realise the truth very soon. 

    While he was distracted with Frank, Savreen shared a subtle exchange with Percy. He nodded at her, his hand closing around his pen. 

    Frank laughed nervously. "Yeah. Ha-ha," he scratched the back of his neck. "That would be really dumb because, uh..."

    Phorcys narrowed his eyes. Savreen grew tense. Then he grinned and elbowed Frank again. "Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you're right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston, they'd never make it to Rome alive!"

    "Yes! The MAP IN CHARLESTON!" said Frank loudly, and the wide-eyed look he sent Savreen and Percy was almost too comical for it to feel real. It was obvious what Phorcys was saying; none of them needed Frank to obnoxiously tell them what they already knew and blow their cover. Savreen subtly told him to shut up, shaking her head.

    "But enough boring educational stuff!" When Phorcys spoke again, Savreen quickly hid her frustration. "You've paid for the VIP treatment. Won't you please let me finish the tour? The three denarii entrance fee is non-refundable, you know."

    That was the last thing any of them wanted to do. Savreen was growing more and more nervous. She tried to breathe through the pounding of her heart, to keep herself calm▬she had to keep the peace. She needed to talk them through this and find a way to find Coach and then get them out of here. And to do that, they had to humour Phorcys. She glanced at Frank and Percy. When they nodded, she could breathe. She nodded, too.

    "Afterwards, can we ask questions?" asked Percy.

    "Of course! I'll tell you everything you need to know."

    Phorcys clapped his hands twice. On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank. "Walk this way!" he scuttled sideways through the tunnel.

    Frank hesitated. He pointed awkwardly after him. "Do we have to▬?" he turned sideways.

    Savreen tilted her head, dubious.

    "It's just a figure of speech, man," said Percy. "Come on."

    He led the way into the next tunnel. Savreen glanced at Frank before following. The hallway ran along the floor of a ginormous-sized tank▬it stretched to about the size of a gymnasium. She hitched her breath, staring up at the thousands of gallons of water hovering over their heads, filled with decorations, but empty of any mythical creatures or monsters. It made her frown, wondering why they would hold such a large tank, and for it to be completely without an exhibit. 

    Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread out his arms proudly. "Beautiful exhibit, isn't it?"

    Was it? Savreen glanced around. She saw a life-sized gingerbread cottage snuggled in a forest of fake kelp in one corner, with bubbles coming out of the chimney. There was a plastic sculpture of a man in an old-fashioned diving suit with the ginourmous fish-bowl shaped helmet on the opposite corner knelt beside a treasure chest. She watched the chest pop open every few seconds, spewing bubbles before it closed again. Glass marbles the size of bowling balls were littered across the white sand floor, and an assortment of weapons like tridents and spearguns were strategically spread out between. Outside the tank's display, Savreen noticed an Ancient Greek-style amphitheatre with seating for several hundred.

    Her necklace burned at her collarbone, and she wondered whether it could burn straight through her skin, through her chest and to her racing heart. Something wasn't right. This didn't feel right. Why was this exhibit empty?

    "What do you keep in here?" asked Frank. "Giant killer goldfish?"

    Phorcys raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish."

    Savreen's gaze shot back to Phorcys, startled. Descendant of Poseidon. How did he know that? How did he know Frank's last name? The son of Mars flinched and stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing. She felt her entire body grow cold. A horrible, chilling feeling of dread ran down her spine, like a thousand little crawling spiders. 

    She didn't think twice. She took off her ring and spun it, and in seconds, she was holding her chakram. She aimed it at Phorcys courageously. He noticed and smirked. "Oh, daughter of Harmonia, I would be careful there."

    "How do you know Frank's last name?" Percy demanded. "How do you know he's descended from Poseidon?"

    "Well..." the ancient sea god shrugged, trying to look modest. "It was probably in the descriptions Gaea provided. You know, for the bounty, Percy Jackson."

    The son of Poseidon uncapped his pen. A brilliant, deadly leaf-shaped celestial bronze blade materialised into view. He gripped it masterfully, holding it out towards Phorcys like he was about to declare battle. "Don't double-cross me, Phorcys," he snapped angrily. He looked furious. It was scary. "You promised me answers."

    "After the VIP treatment, yes," agreed the ancient god. "I promised to tell you everything you need to know. The thing is, however, you don't really need to know anything." That grotesque smile would haunt Savreen's dreams. "You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is quite unlikely, you'd never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you? So, I have a better plan. You're not leaving. You're VIPs▬Very Important Prisoners!"

    Savreen gritted her teeth. She aimed and flung her chakram with an angry cry, and it spun dangerously towards Phorcys. It cut right through his smile just as he disappeared, and her weapon hit the other end of the tunnel, clattering to the floor. She never realised she had such anger in her▬or whether she could be so angry, but she felt it swell within her, and it made her breathing laboured. 

    She picked up her chakram and spun it in her grip, returning to the others. Percy held his sword tightly with two hands, crouched in a stance ready for a fight, and Frank held up his backpack as the god's voice echoed through the aquarium's sound system. "Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she did agree that I could keep anything I caught. Frank Zhang and Percy Jackson, you will make an excellent exhibit▬the only demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity. 'Demigod Terrors'▬yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven a.m. and one p.m., with an evening show at seven p.m. It's such a shame, Savreen Arora, that you cannot join the fight. But I believe you'll finally recieve the peace you children of Harmonia always boast about▬or is it that damn curse of tragedy that follows you children around everywhere you go?" he laughed. "I can't remember. Anywho!"

    "You're crazy!" yelled Frank. 

    "Don't sell yourself short!" said Phorcys. "You'll be our biggest draw!"

    Savreen glanced up at the gallons of water above her head. Her heart pounded. Her breathing escalated as she started to realise what was about to happen. She watched Frank and Percy run for the exits, but every exit had been a trick of the mist. The doors had slammed closed and turned into walls of glass. Her necklace was burning. 

    They were trapped inside, and the walls were softening▬they were melting. Soon, the water would come crashing in. 

    She was no child or descendant of Poseidon. That rushing water would hit her like a truck, and she wouldn't be able to breathe. It was going to kill her. 

    "We won't cooperate, Phorcys!" shouted Percy.

    "Oh, I'm optimistic!" the sea god's voice boomed. "If you won't fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the good here, you'll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you'll come to love your new home."

    Right above Savreen's head, the glass dome cracked. Water began to leak. She felt it drop down onto her forehead. 

    She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to fix this. She found it hard to breathe all of a sudden, as if the water had already submerged her.

    Was this it? 

    Was she going to die here? Right now?

    A thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Yet, the one that screamed louder than the most was the realisation that she would never see Leo again. She felt this ache in her chest that was almost overwhelming; it made her heart burn with the desperation to tell him something, and the pain of realising she would never get the chance to tell him ... but what? What was she so desperate to tell him?

    She supposed she would never know.

    "I'm the son of Poseidon!" Percy yelled, though his voice was muffled in her ears. "You can't imprison me in water. This is where I'm the strongest!"

    Phorcys's laugh was nightmarish and cruel, and it echoed all around them. "What a coincidence! It's also where I'm strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun! I'll see you at feeding time!"

    The glass dome shattered. The last thing Savreen remembered was someone calling her name. Percy was lunging towards her. 

    And then the water crashed in. 

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    a/n: percy and frank are such an underrated comedic duo bahahaha. 

   this chapter is very similar to the og chapter and is full of exposition, which i feel bad about since its the first chapter i've posted in a few months, but the next one shouldn't be too long out! sorry again for taking forever, but uni yknow. but i'm back home now so i'll have more time to myself haha. 

    also just randomly thinking about how percy and leo actually parallel one another yet struggle to get along. it's so interesting. 

    please vote and comment! i love to read and see everyone's comments, it helps with motivation so much but i also just love you guys and love to hear your thoughts and everything while reading xx. i also love having conversations and yapping, and I'll have time to while i'm home, so!

    i wanna hear about what everyone's most excited for? what people want to see in this series and like what y'all's predictions are xx tell me everythingggg hehehe. 

    btw savreen and percy's friendship is a thing and its super important to me i can't wait to develop it. they're so similar, too, yet so different. 

    i'm just keen to write everyone's dynamics and delve into them a bit deeper than i feel like rick did in the og series. 

   (limited editing).