● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

WHEN SHE WOKE UP, ABDROMEDA WAS ALONE. which sent her brain on high alert. she jerked herself awake and sat up instantly, blurring her vision a little. her defenses reared up.

but there was nothing to defend herself from. she cautiously stood up, trying to keep her balance and made her way to the door, but just then, it opened.

she stepped back, on the other side of it, was percy jackson.

"what are you doing here?"

"checking up on you. you tired yourself out with all that magic. the entire stock on ambrosia from your bag got used," percy stepped back, closing the door behind her as andromeda stepped out.

"you're just in time for dinner, actually."

"where are we, jackson? who's ship is this?"

"the css birmingham. clarisse's ship. we just finished the tour."

andromeda raised an eyebrow. "clarisse gave you guys a tour of her ship? she isn't holding you hostage?"

"shocking isn't it? she's friendly. don't know how long that'll last." percy shrugged.

"don't jinx it,"

they'd made to a metal door.

"captain's quarters," said percy as he popped open the handle.

the rooms was about the size of a walk-in closet. the table was set with white linen and china, snacks were served by skeletal crewmen. meatless bones didn't make the best caterers, but in such famish, andromeda only cared about the food they served.

"'morning witch,"

"knucklehead," andromeda took a sandwhich and sat beside annabeth, who smiled as she saw her friend awake and okay.

"you guys are in big trouble. tantalus expelled you for eternity," clarisse said smugly. "mr. d said if any of you show your face at camp again, he'll turn you into squirrels and run you over with his suv."

"did they give you this ship?"

"'course not. my father did."

"ares?" andromeda asked.

clarisse sneered. "you think his daddy is the only one with sea power?"

"no, i'm just surprised he'd help anyone with his superiority complex,"

"watch your mouth sparkle hands, the spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to ares. that's their curse for being defeated. i prayed to my father for a naval transport and here it is. these guys will do anything i tell them. won't you, captain?"

the captain stood behind her looking stiff and angry. his glowing green eyes fixed them with a hungry stare. "if it means an end to this infernal war, ma'am, peace at last, we'll do anything. destroy anyone."

clarisse smiled. "destroy anyone. i like that."

tyson gulped.

"clarisse," annabeth said, "luke might be after the fleece, too. we saw him. he's got the coordinates and he's heading south. he has a cruise ship full of monsters —"

"good! i'll blow him out of the water."

"you don't understand," annabeth said. "we have to combine forces. let us help you —"

"no!" clarisse pounded the table. "this is my quest, smartass! finally i get to be the hero, and you three won't steal my chance."

"where are your cabin mates?" percy asked. "you were allowed to take two friends with you, weren't you?"

"they didn't. . .i let them stay behind. to protect the camp."

andromeda crossed her arms, looking skeptically at clarisse. "you mean even the people in your own cabin wouldn't help you?"

"shut up, freak! i don't need them! or you!"

"clarisse," percy said, "tantalus is using you. he doesn't care about the camp. he'd love to see it destroyed. he's setting you up to fail."

"no! i don't care what the oracle —" she stopped herself.

"what?" percy urged. "what did the oracle tell you?"

"nothing." clarisse's ears turned pink. "all you need to know is that i'm finishing this quest and you're not helping. on the other hand, i can't let you go. . ."

"so we're prisoners?" annabeth asked.

"guests. for now." clarisse propped her feet up on the table opening another dr. pepper. "captain, take them below. assign them hammocks on the berth deck. if they don't mind their manners, show them how we deal with enemy spies."

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

the morning began with a panicked voice shouting; "all hands on deck! find lady clarisse! where is that girl?"

and after that, andromeda freshened up a little and headed upto the deck. annabeth and tyson already stood by the stairs.

"'morning guys,"

"good morning!" replied tyson.

"we're approaching the entrance," said the captain.

"the entrance to what?" annabeth asked

"the sea of monsters, ofcourse,"

right at that moment, percy came up, looking sullen and discouraged.

"what's wrong?" annabeth asked. "another dream?"

he nodded, but didn't say anything, which made andromeda think he was lying, but she didn't pry.

clarisse came up the stairs right after. she grabbed a pair of binoculars from a zombie officer, peering at the horizon. "at last. captain, full steam ahead!"

andromeda looked in the same direction, but couldn't see much. the sky was overcast. but on squinting really hard, she could make out a few dark, blurred shapes faraway.

"jackson, where are we?" andromeda asked him.

"somewhere off the coast of northern florida, so we've come a long way overnight."

"farther than any mortal ship should be able to travel." annabeth agreed.

the engine groaned as the speed accelerated.

tyson muttered something nervously

after a few minutes, the dark shapes ahead of them became clear. to the north, a huge mass of rock rose from the sea — an island with hundred feet cliffs. about half a mile south of that, the other dark shape was a storm. the sky and sea boiled together in a roaring mass.

"hurricane?" annabeth asked.

"no," clarisse said. "charybdis."

annabeth paled. "are you crazy?"

"only way into the sea of monsters. straight between charybdis and her sister scylla." clarisse pointed to the top of the cliffs.

"what do you mean the only way? the sea is wide open! just sail around them."

"can't, kelp head. if we tried to sail around them, they would just appear in our path again." andromeda explained

clarisse nodded. "if you want to get into the sea of monsters, you have to sail through them."

"what about the clashing rocks?" annabeth suggested. "that's another gateway. jason used it."

"cannons can't blow rocks apart," clarisse said. "monsters, on the other hand. . ."

"you're crazy," annabeth decided.

"watch and learn, nerd." clarisse turned to the captain. "set course for charybdis!"

"aye, m'lady."

the engine groaned, the iron plating rattled, and the ship sped up.

"wait," percy called, "charybdis sucks up the sea. isn't that the story?"

"and spits it back out again, yeah." andromeda confirmed.

"what about scylla?"

"she lives in a cave, up on those cliffs. if we get too close, her snaky heads will come down and start plucking sailors off the ship."

"choose scylla then," he said. "everybody goes below deck and we chug right past."

"no!" clarisse insisted. "if scylla doesn't get her easy meat, she might pick up the whole ship. besides, she's too high to make a good target. my cannons can't shoot straight up. charybdis just sits there at the center of her whirlwind. we're going to steam straight toward her, train our guns on her, and blow her to tartarus!"

andromeda wasn't sure. not only was that highly improbable, but ares kids also had too much pride in themselves.

the engine hummed. she could feel the heat from the boilers warm the soles of her shoes. the smokestacks billowed. ares's flag whipped in the wind.

as they got closer, the sound of charybdis increased — synonymous to a black hole. with each inhale, the ship shuddered and lurched forward. with each exhale, they rose in the water on ten-foot waves.

the motion in the waves made andromeda feel nauseous. she wondered if that's how her dad felt on the cruise, right before he died. maybe she would go the same way. maybe she would despise the sea forever.

undead sailors calmly went about their business on the spar deck. maybe fighting a losing war repeatedly didn't bother them, or they didn't care about dying again. both made her think she would soon be one of them.

"you still have your thermos full of wind?" annabeth asked percy.

he nodded. "but it's too dangerous to use with a whirlpool like that. more wind might just make things worse."

"what about controlling the water, aqua boy?" andromeda asked.

percy closed his eyes in concentration, but he faltered. "i — i can't,"

"we need a backup plan," annabeth advised. "this isn't going to work."

"annabeth is right," tyson said. "engine's no good."

"what do you mean?"

"pressure. pistons need fixing."

before he could explain, another mighty roar lurched the ship forward, entering the whirlpool and andromeda almost puked out her dinner.

"full reverse!" clarisse screamed. the sea churned around them, waves crashed above deck, dousing them all. the iron plating steamed. "get us within firing range! make ready starboard cannons!"

dead confederates rushed about. the propeller grinded into reverse, trying to slow the ship, but they kept sliding toward the center of the vortex. a sailor burst out of the hold, runnniny to clarisse. his gray uniform smoked, his beard burned. "boiler room overheating, ma'am! she's going to blow!"

"well, get down there and fix it!"

"can't! we're vaporizing in the heat."

clarisse pounded the side of the casemate. "all i need is a few more minutes! just enough to get in range!"

"we're going in too fast," the captain said grimly. "prepare yourself for death."

andromeda was prepared. infact, she thought it was overdue.

"no!" tyson bellowed. "i can fix it."

clarisse blinked at him. "you?"

"duh, he's a cyclops," andromeda offered. "he's immune to fire."

"and he knows mechanics." annabeth added.

"go!" yelled clarisse.

"tyson, no!" percy grabbed his arm. "it's too dangerous!"

he patted the boy's hand. "only way, brother. i will fix it. be right back."

the ship lurched again — and only a few hundred yards away, through a swirl of mist and smoke and water, charybdis came into view.

to surmize, she was nothing but a huge black maw with bad teeth and a lack of appetite control, despite doing nothing but eat for centuries. the entire sea funneled around her. and andromeda realized that in a few seconds, the css birmingham would be next.

"lady clarisse," the captain shouted. "starboard and forward guns are in range!"

"fire!"

three rounds were blasted into the monster's jaw. one blew off the edge of an incisor. another disappeared into her gullet. the third hit one of charybdis's bands and shot back, snapping the ares flag off its pole.

"again!" clarisse ordered. the gunners reloaded, evidently hopeless. the monster would have to be hit a hundred more times to do any real damage, and time wasn't in their favour.

then the vibrations in the deck changed. the engine hummed, stronger and steadier. the ship shuddered and they were pulled away from the mouth.

"tyson did it!" annabeth cheered.

"wait!" clarisse urged. "we need to stay close!"

"we'll die!" said percy. "we have to move away."

andromeda gripped the rail as the ship fought against the suction in her stomach. the broken ares flag raced past them, sticking in charybdis's teeth. they weren't advancing, but at least they were holding on, thanks to tyson.

the forward motion of the water and the backward motion of the ship made andromeda double over and throw up in the sea, her insides scrunched like a towel.

"oh gods," percy put a hand on her back. "you okay?"

"just fine, thanks,"

her throat was hoarse, and her head felt dizzy, but she held on. percy rubbed her back, pulling back the sides of her hair as she bent forward, wretching out her guts.

and suddenly, everything went calm. no lurching forward, no stomach twists. the charybdis' mouth had closed.

then, just as swiftly, it opened, spitting out a wall of water, everything inedible. one of their cannonballs slammed into the side of the css birmingham with an agressive bang. they were thrown backward on a wave atleast forty feet high, spinning out of control, hurtling toward the cliffs on the opposite side.

another smoldering sailor burst out of the hold. he stumbled into clarisse, almost knocking them both overboard. "the engine is about to blow!"

"where's tyson?" percy demanded.

"still down there, holding it together somehow, though i don't know for how much longer."

the captain said, "we have to abandon ship."

"no!" clarisse yelled.

"we have no choice, m'lady. the hull is already cracking apart! she can't —"

he never finished his sentence: something brown and green shot from the sky, snatched him up, and lifted him away. only leaving his leather boots.

"scylla!" a sailor yelled, as another column of reptilian flesh shot from the cliffs, snapping him up. it happened as fast as a lightning strike. andromeda couldn't even make out the thing's face, just a flash of teeth and scales.

percy uncapped riptide and tried to swipe at the monster as it carried off another deckhand, but was too slow.

andromeda yanked him away from a meathead. as another arm was about come down, she formulated a shield covering the whole deck crew.

"this is temporary, guys!" she alarmed. "we need a backup plan!"

"everyone get below!" percy yelled.

"we can't!" clarisse drew her own sword. "below deck is in flames."

"lifeboats!" annabeth urged. "quick!"

"they'll never get clear of the cliffs, we'll all be eaten."

"we have to try. percy, the thermos."

"i can't leave tyson!"

"get the boats ready!" andromeda urged, her hands shaking.

andromeda didn't know what was going on behind her, she was too busy focusing on keeping the shield intact against scylla's constantly attacking heads.

"hurry!" she urged the others, jamming her fists to strengthen the shield.

"get the other boat." she heard percy say. "i'll get tyson."

"you can't!" annabeth countered. "the heat will kill you!"

she heard him run for the boiler room. she extended another arm towards percy, freezing him in his place. she pushed a hand back, and he fell into the boat.

"'rome, come on!" annabeth shouted as the shield erupted in cracks.

but there were still people on deck. she couldn't leave them defenseless. she felt her senses open up, her thoughts clear, she calculated every possible outcome from the two choices she had before her. . .

she sent annabeth and percy into the water, without her. she heard both of them call her name — perhaps percy yelled a few obscenities, too.

with the poke of one more head, andromeda's sheild shattered, dissipating as the shards fell.

"come on!" clarisse caught her hand and pulled her forward.

then she jumped off the boat. with andromeda.

and just as soon as they hit the wood of the lifeboat, the ship blasted behind them, sending them off into an utterly bizzare direction.

and andromeda could only watch. watch as the ship blew up, as it's fiery parts fell into the water, as she strayed further from her friends, as she worried about tyson, about grover. and whether it was due to exhaustion, stress, or the giant metal junk that hit her, andromeda fell back and saw the world melt into a black void before her.

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

when she awoke, she saw dark. nothing. total black. which made her think perhaps she was sinking at the bottom of the ocean, but she could still breathe.

she frowned as she remebered everything. she lit a small fire in her hand, enlightening her surroundings.

before her, she saw clarisse, asleep with her head in her hands, looking like she might have dozed off accidentally.

she looked at the sky, and thank the gods she saw the moon. around her, she found nothing she could identify, nothing but the same dark and gloomy water all around. no land, no humans, no animals, even.

she wondered if there were sharks or other aquatic predators in these waters, whichever waters they were in currently. she wished she was assisted by percy, his nautical senses and perfect sea bearings, with a pang to the chest she realized she missed him.

then she missed annabeth. then grover. then her dad. then she stopped. it wasn't like her to sulk. something was influencing this. being the daughter of magic personified, she felt it in the air. she looked up into the sky. there were no birds, so land wasn't anywhere near them.

but she could feel it. she could feel the magic. strong, alluring magic circling in her head. she could hear a faint tune. very mild, but very tempting. she turned to face it. it seemed to be coming from the sea caves. but how could —

oh shit. she said to herself, eyes widening. nopenopenope not today. she took the oars, attempting to row them away; her weak arms did nothing but stir clarisse awake.

"hey!" she shouted, grabbing the oars. "what are you doing?"

andromeda quickly cast a sound bubble around them. "row us away, now."

"what?" clarisse said with confusion. "why? where?"

"anywhere but here!" andromeda urged. "quick, please!"

the plea seemed to get her attention, she rowed them away from the caves, aimlessly. andromeda's magic was already weak, and keeping the sound bubble effective was hard. after she was sure they were far enough, she let go of the spell. and it worked. they could only hear the wind now.

"are you gonna tell me what just happened?" clarisse asked with the usual attitude.

"sirens." andromeda answered dully. she was feeling lightheaded and feverish. "know where we are?"

clarisse looked around. "no idea. i see something over there, in a distance." she looked behind andromeda.

the girl turned to look. it was a lone island. "it could be unsafe,"

"we'll get some food," clarisse shrugged. "if we're lucky." she began rowing that way.

despite her skepticism about the island, andromeda helped with her magic. she was weak and hungry and needed some rest. they could manage some monsters if it meant food.

she looked at the salvage from the wreckage. everything they had right now, clarisse had pulled out of the water. among them was andromeda's spear, her own sword, and a few other items.

"thanks, by the way," andromeda muttered.

clarisse gave her a look of acknowledgment, followed by a nod. "what you did up there was. . .good,"

if andromeda hadn't seen it, she wouldn't believe it. clarisse complimented her. albeit only to return the formality, but still. the girl smiled, not pressing any further.

they sat in the quiet for hours on end. the sea caves became smaller and smaller to see. andromeda struggled to stay awake, she hoped the island was getting nearer and nearer.

"looks like a fine island, if you ask me." clarisse said again.

andromeda turned to look. she was right. there was absolutely nothing evil about it. lush grass and fruits and flora. a herd of sheep grazed by the meadow on the ravine. there was one issue, a chasm was on the island, with nothing but a rope bridge to cross it.

"so, um," clarisse said, suddenly very jittery. "you go up the rocks, with your magic and everything, and look for food. i'll put down this boat and see if there's anything else." her eyes were fixated on a spot on the island.

"okay," andromeda said suspiciously, but she dismissed it. she did judge clarisse too often too soon. "yeah. fine."

she went up the rocks, clarisse taking the route by the sheep. she aced at rockclimbing, but the gaps in the steps were a little too big. so she used her magic, albeit it exhausted her. it would all be worth it in the end. for food.

she went up and up and up until she finally smelled something. something. . .burning? she could see no smoke. she investigated. the smell was coming from behind a big rock, only slightly arched, enough for andromeda to peep through.

she looked in and her heart nearly gave out.

grover was there.

clad in a tattered wedding dress. looking anxiously at the burning pot before him.

"grover!" she called out, excited.

he looked around, before finally seeing her face by the boulder. he hurried over, anxious.

"my gods, finally!" he bleated. "just in time, too!"

but andromeda was more worried about something else. "how are you here? i thought you were at —"

her heart dropped. they were at polyphemus' island.

she internaly cursed herself. how could she not have realized? with the tropical paradise facade the island had up, it was nearly evident it was magical interference. now that she thought about it, she could feel the magic of the fleece around her. she was probably too tired to notice earlier.

she thought of clarisse, gazing intently on the island. telling her to go up the rocks while she goes the other way. to the fleece. she grit her teeth. just when she was starting to not judge her, clarisse gave her a reason to.

"where are percy and annabeth?" grover asked.

"they're not with me," andromeda hissed. she was mad. "we got seperated. while entering the sea, we were on clarisse's ship, it went up in flames. i don't know where, they are."

grover cursed in ancient greek.

"sorry to dissapoint. do you have any observations to give? tips and tricks?" andromeda inquired. he'd been here for a while, he had to have some insight, right?

"i only know that the fleece is here." grover scowled. "he's keeping it guarded with those herd of sheep."

something rumbled behind her. she disregarded it. "isn't that a faulty defense? sheep are no big deal."

"not this kind of sheep," grover shook his head. "they're. . .um, carnivorous?"

before she could question him, she was pulled back,

no, pulled up.

a hand had clamped around her entire body. despite the fact that her stomach was empty, andromeda felt like puking out her intestines. she came face-to-face with the ugliest creature.

rancid smell, dressed in a wedding outfit — a crude kilt and shoulder-wrap, stitched together from baby-blue tuxedoes, formal attire did not suit polyphemus's blemished fleshy skin and malfunctioning single eye.

"another one?" he growled.

another?

he held up clarisse, upside down in his hand, struggling to break free.

"let me go you pile of dung!"

"you're the pile of dung, clarisse!" andromeda shouted, enraged. "why didn't you tell me you knew about the island!"

"i didn't want to!" she yelled. "i wanted to get the fleece myself!"

andromeda wanted to punch her.

"food," said polyphemus, holding up clarisse. "dessert." he held up andromeda.

"i'll run my sword through you before you eat me!" clarisse wiggled.

andromeda managed to use her wits. "you know, you should let the food marinate."

"marinate?" he repeated.

"marinate. you know, keep it alone for a while. it tastes better. you keep the food above a nice hot pot." she glared at clarisse. "overnight atleast. and you let the dessert cool down. keep it in a nice shade."

andromeda noticed he was considering it.

"marinate." he decided.

he opened the cave by pushing the bolder aside as though it were a book, then he tossed clarisse in there. he went down the rocks, taking the cliffs like steps. he stopped before the last one.

"a nice shade, polly, if you want me to taste good."

she nearly gagged out her organs as she said that.

he threw her in a cave. the opening was way on top.

"oh come on!" andromeda whined. she sighed and sat in a corner. "how am i supposed to get out of here?"

she checked around for any triggers, none. maybe some weak rocks? none. defeated, she sat in a corner.

she prayed to all gods she knew that percy and annabeth were on their way. hopefully they would save them while they marinated.

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

andromeda sat in the dark. cold, tired and hungry. she was sure she was on the verge of passing out. but she still had to keep a magic fire lit, to not possibly die from hypothermia. she shrunk closer to herself, by immense misfortune, her jacket had not been one of the items saved from the wreckage.

it had been atleast nightfall outside, and percy and annabeth hadn't arrived, presumably. she wondered how they would even get her out if they came. she tried to make a plan for herself for escape. but nothing so far.

she pulled out her dagger from her jeans. watching her own reflection in it. the silver hilt glinted, and she frowned at the memory of when she received it.

luke pulled out a dagger from the weapons shack. a gleaming silver hilted golden blade. it was the most beautiful weapon she had seen.

"where did you get this?" andromeda marveled at the sight in luke's hand.

"won it from one of the gorgon sisters," luke tossed it in his hands. "she said it used to belong to one of the gods,"

"is. . .is it mine?" andromeda asked, her hands inching forward to touch it.

luke pushed the bade forward. "a little gift from me to you. for trying. if you keep it up, i might just teach you how to use it."

andromeda picked the dagger, and the hilt fit perfectly in her palm. the feeling of holding it was unparalleled. it felt graceful, yet also dangerous. she was afraid she wouldnt do the blade justice by wielding it.

"but, you said knives are only for the most skilled fighters," andromeda faced luke. "smart and nimble."

luke gave her a smile. "i also said skill can be perfected. so i think it's time you harness your potential and use your skills. i have no doubt you're the percect person for this weapon."

she couldn't help but feel flattered. "you really think so?"

luke gave a laugh, taking awsy their swords and pushing them into a corner. he put an arm around her, guiding her to their cabin. "you really need to stop doubting yourself."

she knew he had said it in a casual/off-handed way, but she had taken it to heart. from that day on, she had put effort into learning combat. well. . .up until his betrayal. that had discouraged her immensely. she wasn't sure she could ever learn to fight without thinking of luke.

she stared at her reflection in the blade, feeling pathetic. sunken eyes, pale face illuminated by the purple firelight. she had just enough energy to manage another spell.

but this was an non-verbal one. which was much harder to conjure.

she put out the fire, sighing. she turned back, to face what she assumed would be the front of the cave. she rubbed her hands. put them on the cave wall.

her skull was pounding as if she was being repeatedly hit with an axe, her hands clammy and her throat dry, she could feel herself shaking, her body loosing energy. she pushed through.

cracks erupted in the stone, letting a sliver of sunlight in. not allowing her focus to be diverted, she grabbed the dagger, and pushed it's hilt in the crack, letting her powers subside.

the crack remained open. a ray of light creeped into the cave.

andromeda let her hands soak in the warmth, breathing heavily from the loss of energy. she could split it into a small hole, but she needed more energy for that. more food. she didn't have either. so she settled for soaking in the sun, on the verge of passing out while she waited for her friends.

● _____《°•○ \|/ ○•°》_____ ●

when she woke up, she was drowning.

the water surrounded her. engulfed her. she tried to paddle, survive, swim up. but she didn't have the skills nor the energy. she let the waves consume her.

she felt two hands grasp her wrists.

"i got you." the voice said. "you're okay, i got you."

she could here it clearly. hear him clearly. though she was wet from head to toe, she could breathe perfectly well. she gathered her mind.

"percy?" she called, struggling to look up as he pulled her, the sun hitting his raven locs from behind.

he pulled her up and up and up. she wondered hoe he was managing it, because she wasn't putting in any effort whatsoever. the water currents were assisting him in saving her.

"i'm here." he said again. "i'm right here, andromeda."

"i'm breathing." she observed. "i'm alive."

she had been on the brink of death, really, passed out severely malnourished in a dark cave with only a ray of sunlight. but percy got to her.

the reached the top, andromeda soaking in the fresh air, preparing to feel better. but the cold had worsened with the water acting on it. now the air pricked her skin. she hugged herself.

percy held steadfast to her shoulders as he guided them down, where andromeda saw annabeth, grover and clarisse fighting against polyphemus.

"how did you manage?" she asked, teeth chattering.

"annabeth pretended to be nobody," percy started. "i snuck past polyphemus under a sheep, and got grover and clarisse out. she said you were being marinated." he made a weird face. "i came around here searching for you and saw your dagger through the crack." they stepped over a steep falling, finally reaching the ground. "and i let the water in through it." he pulled out her weapon from his pocket, handed it to her.

she noticed the patterns on the hilt were now smuged with rock, flattened. it didn't hold the right feel in her palms. but maybe it was just because it was a gift from luke, and after his betrayal, it just felt wrong to have something from him.

"luke gifted this to me," she muttered with a frown.

percy frowned, too. andromeda wasn't usually someone to dwell on luke. feel sorry for him, defend him, like annabeth would. so hearing her say it so softly, it made him a little sad.

but not just sad. he could feel the need to change the subject. not to stop her from thinking about it, but because he didn't want to hear her talk about luke like that. speak of him so fondly, say his name like that, when she rarely even spoke his. a twinge of jealousy, he recognized. but he ignored it. this wasn't the time or place.

"right." he said, offhanded. "let's get you to the ship, after that i can help them —"

"what?" andromeda intervened. her throat was dry, so the question came out rough and hoarse. she cleared her throat. "no way. i'm coming along."

she knew she was being unreasonable. afterall, she could barely manage the sweltering sun, but she couldn't very well sit around and watch her friends fight a giant cyclops.

"evans," percy said, irritated already. "no. you're barely in a condition to walk, let alone fight. i'm not — hey!"

but andromeda had already begun her walk to the battlefield, where grover was using his reed pipes to distract the monster, while annabeth still annoyed him invisibly. percy was running behind her

"come back here!"

"i'm helping!"

"you need help!"

"i'm grabbing the fleece. you guys keep that on. we'll be out of here in no time." she tried to use her magic. but it was no good she could barely move a hair of her own in this state. she sighed, started walking on foot.

percy put a hand on her shoulder. "wait," he was saying, no concern lacing his tone, so andromeda listened. "i've got a better plan." andromeda looked back at him, an eyebrow raised. he was looking down at the rope bridge.

she understood immediately.  "looks very unreliable, jackson."

he frowned. his last name again. "we'll use it to our advantage. stay here!" he instructed as he moved to the others.

naturally, andromeda followed suit in running after. but after only a few steps, her heart was thundering in her ears, her breathing heavy and her mind blurring more. she decided to heed him this once and sit down, watching as he defended and explained the plan to the others. she was having trouble focusing on their faces as they moved closer.

annabeth pulled up and into a hug. "thank the gods, you're alright! i thought we'd — that you were —"

"me too!" andromeda reciprocated. "i'm so glad you're here, 'beth."

they were in the position for a moment more, before breaking apart with fond smiles and deciding to run after the other as they crossed the bridge. andromeda held on to annabeth for support, and the blonde let her.

percy had already reached the other end, drawn out his sword as he began sawing the ropes. the two girls were halfway to the other side, the cyclops behind them when the first strap went snap!.

andromeda ran like her life depended on it. because it did. she saw stars and black spots, her knees were wobbly, her head swam (drowned, really) and her limbs shook. but the support from annabeth kept her on her toes and she managed to run, even in such a weak state.

the other rope was half cut, and the two of them leaped onto the ground beside the others. with a slash of percy's sword, the other rope was off, too.

the cyclops went down. but he took her down with him.

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