【  𝓢𝓐𝓛𝓣 & 𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓢𝓔𝓐  】

. . . . . ⌗ 019! ───── NOT INVOLVED! 𖤐 ‧₊˚

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... 𝐏andora had been sentenced to cleaning jail with Percy, Annabeth and Tyson. Tantalus was currently the bane of her existence, and if she had the powers of a God, she would have him obliterated immediately. The four of them were forced to scrub pots and pans in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies. The only issue was with this is that the harpies cleaned with lava. Like, literal, hot burning lava, instead of water. So, while Tyson was having the time of his life, elbow-deep in burning magma, the other three were wearing asbestos gloves and aprons. Pandora complained every night about how awfully the gloves fit her arms, and how unflattering they are. Tantalus shut the door on them every time she went to open her mouth.

Percy, Annabeth and Pandora were suffering through hours of hot, dangerous work, while Tyson played about with the cups and plates. One of the nights was particularly bad, when Tantalus had held a celebratory banquet for Clarisse and her heroism. That night, Percy had shoved Tyson out of the way and replaced his spot besides Pandora, sharing the same cleaning basin.

He watched as her body visibly stiffened and she seemed to stop mumbling under her breath about how uncomfortable she was. He striked up the conversation at first by talking about Tantalus being their common enemy. Percy bad-mouthed the 'Camp Director' for a good thirty minutes, making her chuckle a few times under her breath. His pathetic attempts at restoring their friendship made Annabeth grumble under her breath — not from jealousy but pure annoyance. He was so desperate.

After listening to Percy rant about Tantalus and his tacky clothes, her ears perked up at the dream he'd had about Grover. Apparently, the satyr had been dressed in a wedding gown while sitting in a dank cave while bleating on about how Polyphemus having trapped him. Grover told Percy that he was in the Sea of Monsters, and the demi-god was completely clueless.

Annabeth had seemingly been listening in on the conversation as well, as she spoke up. "If he's really found it. . ." She murmured, "And if we could retrieve it—"

"Hold on," Percy said. "You act like this . . . whatever-it-is Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"

"I'll give you a hint. What do you get when you skin a ram?" Annabeth and her damn puzzles.

"Messy?" Percy replied smartly. He seemed proud of himself as a smirk grew on his face when he saw Pandora smile and shake her head.

Annabeth sighed at the boys stupidity. "A fleece. The coat of a ram is called a fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool—"

"The Golden Fleece. Are you serious?" Percy raised her eyebrows as if she had just told a really bad joke.

Annabeth scrapped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava. "Percy, remember the Gray Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason. Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "That old movie with the clay skeletons."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh my gods, Percy! You are so hopeless."

Even Pandora had to admit, Percy was beginning to get a bit annoying.

"What?" Percy demanded, acting like Annabeth was the one being annoying.

"Just listen. The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices, when they prayed to Zeus to save them. So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, actually it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important." Annabeth ranted, as if she had the entire story memorised in her mind.

Pandora side-eyed the girl as she rambled on, genuine concern on her face. How boring must your life be to know all of this stuff? Yet, she kept quiet, letting the blonde girl speak.

"It was probably important to her." Percy shrugged.

"The point is, when Cadmus got to Colchis, he sacrificed the golden ram to the gods and hung the Fleece in a tree in the middle of the kingdom. The Fleece brought prosperity to the land. Animals stopped getting sick. Plants grew better. Farmers had bumper crops. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution—" Annabeth continued, still scrubbing plates as she spoke.

"It could cure Thalia's tree." Percy realised, interrupting the daughter of Athena again.

Annabeth nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. But Percy, the Fleece has been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."

"But Grover found it," Percy said, trying to think positively. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic. It makes sense, guys. We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. It's perfect!"

Pandora frowned at the way Percy said 'guys'. The last thing she wanted to do was make him think that she was coming with them. There was no way that Pandora was having the same summer as last year. Questing, fighting, bleeding, crying. The endless cycle of what occurred when you left the safety of Camp Half-Bloods boundaries.

Annabeth hesitated. "A little too perfect, don't you think? What if it's a trap?"

"What choice do we have?" Percy asked, determined to break the rules of camp. "Are you going to help me rescue Grover or not?"

She glanced at Tyson, who'd lost interest in our conversation and was happily making toy boats out of cups and spoons in the lava. "Percy," she said under her breath, "we'll have to fight a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of the Cyclopes. And there's only one place his island could be. The Sea of Monsters."

"Where's that?" Percy asked.

She stared at him like she thought he was playing dumb. "The Sea of Monsters. The same sea Odysseus sailed through, and Jason, and Aeneas, and all the others."

"You mean the Mediterranean?"

"No. Well, yes. . . but no."

"Another straight answer. Thanks." Percy sassed, making Annabeth clench her fists in annoyance.

"Look, Percy, the Sea of Monsters is the sea all heroes sail through on their adventures. It used to be in the Mediterranean, yes. But like everything else, it shifts locations as the West's centre of power shifts."

"Like Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building," Percy said. "And Hades being under Los Angeles."

"Right." Annabeth nodded, seemingly happy that he was finally understanding.

"But a whole sea full of monsters— how could you hide something like that? Wouldn't the mortals notice weird things happening. . . like, ships getting eaten and stuff?"

"Of course they notice. They don't understand, but they know something is strange about that part of the ocean. The Sea of Monsters is off the east coast of the U.S. now, just northeast of Florida. The mortals even have a name for it." Annabeth tried to hint, hoping he would catch on.

"The Bermuda Triangle." Pandora spoke up, noticing Percy's millionth confused glare.

"Exactly." Annabeth smiled at the girl, though it was wary. She didn't know if they were still friends or not.

"Okay. . ." Percy moved his head slowly, trying to grasp an understanding. "So at least we know where to look."

"It's still a huge area, Percy. Searching for one tiny island in monster-infested waters—" Annabeth argued, trying to bring some sense into the plan.

"Hey, I'm the son of the sea god. This is my home turf. How hard can it be?" Percy smirked cockily.

Pandora knit her eyebrows. "You'll have to talk to Tantalus, get approval for a quest. He'll say no."

"Not if we tell him tonight at the campfire in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear. They'll pressure him. He won't be able to refuse." Percy emphasised, staring at the brunette.

"Maybe." A little bit of hope crept into Annabeth's voice. "We'd better get these dishes done. Hand me the lava spray gun, will you?"

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... 𝐓hat night at the campfire, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along. They tried to get everybody's spirits up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. The entire camp sat around a semicircle of stone steps, singing half-heartedly and watching the bonfire blaze while the Apollo guys strummed their guitars and picked their lyres. Elio was playing the guitar, meanwhile staring at the grass like he'd rather be anywhere but there.

They did all the standard camp numbers: "Down by the Aegean.", "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa.", This Land is Minos's Land." The bonfire was enchanted, so the louder you sang, the higher it rose, changing colour and heat with the mood of the crowd. On a good night, it had been twenty feet high, bright purple, and so hot the whole front row's marshmallows burst into the flames. Tonight, the fire was only five feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the colour of lint.

Dionysus left early. After suffering through a few songs, he muttered something about how even pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting than this. Then, he gave Tantalus a distasteful look and headed back toward the Big House.

When the last song was over, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!"

He came forward with a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it off, real casual-like. But before he could touch it, the marshmallow flew off the stick. Tantalus made a wild grab, but the marshmallow committed suicide, diving into the flames.

Tantalus turned back toward us, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."

"Sir," Percy spoke up, and Pandora swore her head had never moved faster.

Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has some-thing to say?"

Some of the Ares campers snickered, but Percy stood and looked at Annabeth. She rose with him.

He continued. "We have an idea to save the camp."

Dead silence, but he'd gotten everybody's interest, because the campfire flared bright yellow.

"Indeed," Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots—"

"The Golden Fleece," Percy interrupted him. "We know where it is. Me, Annabeth. . . and Pandora. We know."

The flames burned orange. Freyja nudged her sister and sent her a look as if to say 'tell me everything', but she was waved off as Pandora stared at the shaggy-haired boy and the intelligent girl.

Before Tantalus could stop him, Percy had blurted out his dream about Grover and Polyphemus's island. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everybody what the Fleece could do. It sounded more convincing coming from her.

"The Fleece can save the camp," She concluded. "I'm certain of it."

"Nonsense," said Tantalus. "We don't need saving."

Everybody stared at him until Tantalus started looking uncomfortable.

"Besides," He added quickly. "The Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look."

"Yes, I would," Percy said matter-of-factly.

Annabeth leaned towards him and whispered, "You would?"

He nodded and said rather smugly, "30, 31, 75, 12," I said.

"Ooo-kay," Tantalus snorted with a look of amusement on his face. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."

"They're sailing coordinates," Pandora corrected him, not sure why she was standing up for the boy. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, — I learned about it in geography."

Even Annabeth looked impressed. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. He's right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!"

"Wait just a minute." Tantalus held his hands out.

But the campers took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!"

The flames rose higher and higher, challenging the 20 metre record.

"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.

"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"

"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"

"YES!"

"No, they're just chanting it for no reason." Pandora mumbled under her breath, resting her chin in her palm.

"Very well." He agreed. "I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying."

Percy looked at Pandora with a countenance of triumph and success.

"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious." Tantalus looked at Annabeth and me as if he wanted to flay us alive. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defence of the camp. You shall lead this quest. . . Clarisse!"

The fire flickered a thousand different colours, and Pandora thought she was about to have a seizure. The Ares cabin started stomping and cheering, clapping the girl on the back.

"CLARISSE! CLARISSE!"

Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride. "I accept the quest!"

"Wait!" Percy shouted with a frown. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."

"Sit down!" Yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"

"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" Another said, making Percy's cheeks glow an embarrassed shade of red.

Clarisse glared at me. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!"

The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth protested, and the other Athena campers joined in. Everybody else started taking sides — shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. Pandora was sure it was going to turn into a full-fledged s'more war until Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats!" His tone stunned even her.

"Sit down!" He ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story."

Everyone moved reluctantly back to their seats. The evil aura radiating from Tantalus was as strong as any monster the entire camp had ever faced.

"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest, and Pandora got the feeling he was talking about himself. "This king," He said, "Was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe — just one little doggie bag, mind you — the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children — just — like — you."

He pointed a crooked finger at several people in the audience, including Pandora and Percy.

"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"

No one dared answer. The firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus's crooked face.

"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed. But he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumour has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so. . . are there any more complaints, before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"

"I still think Percy should go." Pandora huffed, relaxing back onto the legs of her brother behind her. "I mean, Tantalus couldn't possibly hurt us. Our parents would sentence him to. . . I don't know, something worse than what he's doing now."

Silena nodded and murmured in agreement, but they kept their voices low. There was silence across the entirety of camp. It seemed as if his words had even silenced the grasshoppers.

Clarisse shifted uncomfortably, like even she didn't want glory at the price of being Tantalus's pet. "Sir—"

"Go!" he snarled.

She bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House.

"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No comments from our dishwasher?"

Percy didn't say anything, he just glared like an angry, stroppy child.

"Good." Tantalus said. "And let me remind everyone that no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries. . . well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well."

Pandora thought that it was a ridiculous threat. You can't expel children from the one place that keeps them safe no matter what. But apparently, Tantalus didn't seem to care. With a wave of his bony, skeletal hand, the fire was extinguished, and the campers trailed off toward their cabins in the dark.

— 𝒋𝒂𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒔

i really need to get writing
the next few chapters omds
like i have one of them ready and
the other is half finished but i
have no motivation to write ffs

anyway go listen to preachers daughter
by ethel cain and learn the story so
i can rant about it.

i also might be doing some layout
editing so don't mind that😘😘