❛007❜

"FITZY," SAID A familiar voice. they were shaking her gently.

blinking away the drowsiness, ivy managed to open her eyes. "what?" she croaked. her voice raspy with sleep.

percy opened his mouth to answer when annabeth's voice carried through the air. "what's going on? i heard you calling for help!"

"me, too!" tyson said. "heard you yell, "bad things are attacking!'"

"i didn't call you guys," percy said. "i'm fine."

"and i was sleeping," ivy said bluntly. she frowned at the son of poseidon, annoyed. "why did you wake me up?"

annabeth visibly fought a smirk. "you were sleeping? outside? and... together?"

"no!" percy turned red at the insinuation. "we were just– i was– ah!"

ivy was too sleep deprived to tease him or to tell annabeth to get her head out of the horrible gutter it was in.

"if you apparently didn't scream for help then who..." ivy noticed the three yellow duffel bags, then the flask and the bottle of vitamins percy was holding. "what –"

"just listen," percy said impatiently. "we don't have much time."

he told them about his conversation with hermes. by the time he was done, ivy could hear screeching in the distance – patrol harpies picking up their scent.

"percy," annabeth said, "we have to do the quest."

percy shook his head. "we'll get expelled, you know. trust me, i'm an expert at getting expelled."

"so? if we fail, there won't be any camp to come back to," annabeth reasoned.

"we have to try," ivy insisted. "we all know tantalus set clarisse for failure, no matter how hard she tried."

"yeah, but fitzy, you promised chiron –"

"i promised him i'd keep you safe. i can't do that if we're separated! tyson can stay behind and tell them –"

"i want to go,"yson said.

"no!" annabeth's voice sounded close to panic. "i mean... come on, you know that's impossible."

ivy chuckled nervously. her throat closed in fear, she scooted away from tyson. "you – percy, you can't be thinking of bringing him."

she hasn't been open to percy about why she felt the way she did about cyclops. it was only a matter of time before she had to be honest, but that didn't mean she was opposed to delaying it.

ivy, annabeth and tyson waited for percy's answer. meanwhile, the cruise ship was getting further and further away.

even if percy was attached to tyson, she didn't see how the cyclops could be... useful. sure, he was strong, but he was a little kid on cyclops terms. they'd waste more time and energy keeping him safe than anything else.

"we can't leave him," percy decided. "tantalus will punish him for us being gone."

"percy," annabeth said, trying to keep her cool, "we're going to polyphemus's island! polyphemus is a s-i-k... a c-y-k..." she threw her arms up in frustration. as smart as she was, annabeth was dyslexic, too. they could've been there all night while she tried to spell cyclops.

"we know what you mean, annie." ivy's voice was tight, a mix between holding back tears and screams.

"tyson can go," percy insisted. "if he wants to."

tyson clapped his hands. "want to!"

annabeth gave percy the evil eye. ivy wished there was time to argue with percy, but the harpies were getting closer and closer.

"all right," the blonde relented. "how do we get to that ship?"

percy ran a hand through his hair in a stressful manner, "hermes said my father would help."

"that's great," ivy tapped on her foot impatiently. "what the hell are you waiting for, seaweed brain? the harpies are getting angsty."

awkwardly, percy stepped into the waves and called, "um, dad? how's it going?"

"percy!" annabeth whispered. "we're in a hurry!"

"we need your help," he called a little louder. "we need to get to that ship, like, before we get eaten and stuff, so..."

at first, nothing happened. waves crashed against the shore like normal. the harpies sounded like they were right behind the sand dunes. then, about a hundred metres out to sea, four white lines appeared on the surface. they moved fast towards the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean.

as they neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the heads of four white stallions reared out of the waves.

tyson caught his breath. "fish ponies!"

he was right. as the creatures pulled themselves onto the sand, ivy saw that they were only horses in the front; their back halves were silvery fish bodies, with glistening scales and rainbow-tail fins.

"hippocampi!" annabeth said.

ivy reached her hand out, eyes wide in attempt to drink up their beauty. "they're beautiful," she breathed out.

the nearest one whinnied in appreciation and nuzzled ivy, who laughed in delight.

"we'll admire them later," percy said. "come on!"

"there!" a voice screeched behind them. "bad children out of cabins! snack time for lucky harpies!"

five of them were fluttering over the top of the dunes – plump little hags with pinched faces and talons and feathery wings too small for their bodies. they reminded her of miniature cafeteria ladies who'd been crossbred with dodo birds. they weren't very fast, thank the gods, but they were vicious if they caught you.

"tyson!" percy said. "grab a duffel bag!"

the cyclops stared at the hippocampi with his mouth hanging open.

"tyson!"

"uh?"

"come on!"

the three demigods got him moving. they gathered the bags and mounted their steeds. poseidon must've known tyson was one of the passengers, because one hippocampus was much larger than the other two – just right for carrying a cyclops.

"giddy-up!" percy ordered. his hippocampus turned and plunged into the waves. ivy's followed right behind, annabeth's and tyson in tow.

the harpies cursed at them, wailing for their snacks to come back, but the hippocampi raced over the water at the speed of jet skis. the harpies fell behind, and soon the shore of camp half-blood was nothing but a dark smudge. ivy wondered if she'd ever see the place again. but right then she had other problems.

the cruise ship was now looming in front of them – their ride towards florida and the sea of monsters.

riding the hippocampus was even easier than riding a pegasus. they zipped along with the wind in their faces, speeding through the waves so smoothly and steadily ivy hardly needed to hold on at all.

as they got closer to the cruise ship, ivy realized just how huge it was. she felt as though she were looking up at a building in Manhattan. the white hull was at least ten storeys tall, topped with another dozen levels of decks with brightly lit balconies and portholes. the ship's name was painted just above the bow line in black letters, lit with a spotlight. it took her a few seconds to decipher it:

princess andromeda

attached to the bow was a huge masthead – a three-story-tall woman wearing a white greek chiton, sculpted to look as if she were chained to the front of the ship. she was young and beautiful, with flowing black hair, but her expression was one of absolute terror. why anybody would want a screaming princess on the front of their vacation ship, ivy had no idea.

ivy knew the myth about andromeda and how she had been chained to a rock by her own parents as a sacrifice to a sea monster. percy's namesake, perseus, had saved her just in time and turned the sea monster to stone using the head of medusa.

"how do we get aboard?" annabeth shouted over the noise of the waves, but the hippocampi seemed to know what they needed. they skimmed along the starboard side of the ship, riding easily through its huge wake, and pulled up next to a service ladder riveted to the side of the hull.

"you first," percy told the two girls.

annabeth slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed the bottom rung. once she'd hoisted herself onto the ladder, her hippocampus whinnied a farewell and dived underwater. annabeth began to climb. after she was a few rungs up, ivy mimicked her actions, percy followed soon after.

finally it was just tyson in the water. his hippocampus was treating him to 360° aerials and backwards ollies, and tyson was laughing so hysterically, the sound echoed up the side of the ship.

"tyson, shhh!" percy said. "come on, big guy!"

"can't we take rainbow?" the cyclops asked, his smile fading.

ivy stared at him. blinked. "rainbow."

the hippocampus whinnied as if he liked his new name.

"um, we have to go," percy said. "rainbow... well, he can't climb ladders."

tyson sniffled. he buried his face in the hippocampus's mane. "i will miss you, rainbow!"

the hippocampus made a neighing sound ivy could've sworn was crying.

"maybe we'll see him again sometime," percy suggested.

"oh, please!" tyson said, perking up immediately. "tomorrow!"

none of them made any promises, but percy finally convinced tyson to say his farewells and grab hold of the ladder. with a final sad whinny, rainbow the hippocampus did a backflip and dived into the sea.

the ladder led to a maintenance deck stacked with yellow lifeboats. there was a set of locked double doors, which annabeth tried to prise open with her knife and cursing in ancient greek. the door didn't open until ivy actually put to use all of the little tricks travis had taught her, who knew picking locks could be so useful.

ivy figured they'd have to sneak around, being stowaways and all, but after checking a few corridors and peering over a balcony into a huge central promenade lined with closed shops, she began to realize there was nobody to hide from. like sure, it was the middle of the night, but they walked half the length of the boat and met absolutely no one. they passed forty or fifty cabin doors and heard no sound behind any of them.

"it's a ghost ship," she murmured.

"no," tyson said, fiddling with the strap of his duffel bag. "bad smell."

annabeth frowned. "i don't smell anything."

ivy sniffed, all she could smell was the sea and her rosewater perfume. "me neither."

"cyclopes are like satyrs," percy looked towards tyson. "they can smell monsters. isn't that right, tyson?"

he nodded nervously. now that we were away from camp half-blood, the mist had distorted his face again. unless she concentrated very hard, it seemed that he had two eyes instead of one.

"okay," annabeth said. she looked as unsettled as ivy felt. "so what exactly do you smell?"

"something bad," tyson answered.

"wow," ivy grumbled. "really lightening the situation."

they came outside on the swimming pool level. there were rows of empty deckchairs and a bar closed off with a chain curtain. the water in the pool glowed eerily, sloshing back and forth from the motion of the ship.

above them fore and aft were more levels – a climbing wall, a pitch-and-putt golf course, a revolving restaurant, but no sign of life.

"we need a hiding place," percy concluded. "somewhere safe to sleep."

"sleep," annabeth agreed wearily.

they explored a few more corridors until they found an empty suite on the ninth level. the door was open, which struck ivy as weird. there was a basket of chocolate goodies on the table, an iced-down bottle of sparkling cider on the nightstand and a mint on the pillow with a handwritten note that said: enjoy your cruise!

they opened their duffel bags for the first time and found that hermes really had thought of everything – extra clothes (it wasn't they most fashionable but... it'd have to do), toiletries, camp rations, an airtight bag full of cash, a leather pouch full of golden drachmas. he'd even managed to pack tyson's oilcloth with his tools and metal bits, annabeth's cap of invisibility, and both of ivy's weapons, which made them both feel a lot better.

"we'll be next door," annabeth said. "you guys don't drink or eat anything."

"you think this place is enchanted?" percy asked.

ivy frowned. she didn't feel the bad vibes she did in medusa's place, but something was definitely... odd. "i don't know. just be careful and don't do anything stupid."

percy rolled his eyes. "so much faith you have in me, princess."

ivy closed the door behind her. locking it for extra security.

the two best friends settled for the night. each took a side of the king sized bed the room offered.

"oh, thank the gods the bed is big," ivy said as she slipped under the covers.

annabeth frowned, following her actions. "why? i mean, it's just a bed."

ivy put her back towards the blonde, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "you're a kicker, annie. maybe you dream that you're usain bolt everytime we have a sleepover."

she heard an indignation sound from behind her and before ivy could fall sleep annabeth's foot dug into her leg. "ow!" the brunette cried.

"don't mind me, usain bolt kicking you off the bead."

with her eyes closed, a little deliriously in fatigue, ivy slurred, "kick me and we'll see how cute you look with a mohawk."

the daughter of aphrodite didn't get to hear annabeth's reply. a dreamless sleep washing over her.

ivy woke up the next morning completely rested. she stood up from the bed and stretched her limbs with no annabeth-dreaming-she's-usain-bolt-bruises in sight. ivy walked around the bed, to annabeth's side and shook her awake.

annabeth groaned in protest but ivy didn't give her peace. "come on, annie. this place is weird as fuck."

sighing in frustration, the blonde sat up on the bed. "there better be breakfast somewhere. or coffee. preferably coffee."

"we'll get you your coffee," ivy rolled her eyes. "let's get ready, then we'll wake up the boys."

since there weren't that many options for outfits, ivy wore a white shirt with a golden caduceus in the middle, jean shorts, and white converse. not her best look, but could be worse. she washed her face and braided her hair to the side.

half-way through lacing her shoes, annabeth asked abruptly, "did you have any nightmares?"

ivy tensed. she knew why she was asking. no doubt, annabeth thought tyson was triggering bad memories for ivy. he was, actually, but now she remembers so little of what happened... ivy could mostly recall what she felt more than anything. for about two years and a half after her father's death she was plagued with nightmares. she wouldn't sleep because she didn't want to relive it again. when ivy did choose to sleep, she'll wake up screaming. slowly, the nightmares dissipated, and eventually the nightmares weren't there at all. well, they were but she couldn't recall what the nightmare was about in the morning, just the hollow feeling of grief and fear hanging over her.

"i'm... okay. for now, at least." it was the truth, mostly. she was probably going to get a nightmare in the next few days.

annabeth didn't seem pleased with her answer. just when she opened her mouth to pray further a ship's whistle and a voice on the intercom – some guy with an australian accent who sounded way too happy.

"good morning, passengers! we'll be at sea all day today. excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! don't forget million-dollar bingo in the kraken lounge at one o'clock, and for our special guests, disembowelling practice on the promenade!"

ivy snapped her head towards annabeth. "that's not right."

both girls rushed to the boy's door. ivy knocked urgently, causing annabeth to roll her eyes.

"why are you knocking?" the blonde asked, taking her knife to pick on the lock.

ivy blushed, remembering how she accidentally caught percy's half naked. how his deep tan skin glistened with sweat in the sun, lean arm muscles, and almost abs... she banged her head on the door.

"let me do it," she said quietly while taking the knife from her.

ivy tried to hide her expression from annabeth. her best friend could see right through her emotions, the blonde would no doubt poke fun at her.

thank hermes the door opened. annabeth stuck her head in, "disembowelling practice?"

once they were all ready to go, they ventured out into the ship and were surprised to see other people. a dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast. a dad was taking his kids to the pool for a morning swim. crew members in crisp white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.

nobody asked who they were. nobody paid them much attention. but there was something wrong.

as the family of swimmers passed them, the dad told his kids, "we are on a cruise. we are having fun."

"yes," his three kids said in unison, their expressions blank. "we are having a blast. we will swim in the pool."

they wandered off.

"good morning," a crew member told the fours campers, his eyes glazed. "we are all enjoying ourselves aboard the princess andromeda. have a nice day." he drifted away.

"this is some supernatural shit," ivy whispered.

annabeth whispered back, "they're all in some kind of weird trance."

then they passed a cafeteria and saw their first monster. it was a hellhound – a black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet counter and its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. it must've been young, because it was small compared to most – no bigger than a grizzly bear.

the weird thing was, a middle-aged couple was standing in the buffet queue right behind the devil dog, patiently waiting their turn for the eggs. they didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"not hungry any more," tyson murmured.

"i'll pass on the coffee," annabeth mumbled.

before ivy could reply, a reptilian voice came from down the corridor, "ssssix more joined yesssterday."

ivy looked around for a hiding place. noticing a bathroom door near, she gestured frantically towards it and all four of them ducked inside.

something – or more like two somethings – slithered past the restroom door, making sounds like sandpaper against the carpet.

"yesss," a second reptilian voice said. "he drawssss them. ssssoon we will be sssstrong."

the things slithered into the cafeteria with a cold hissing that might have been snake laughter.

annabeth looked at her companions. "we have to get out of here."

percy squinted his eyes at her. "you think i want to be in the girls' restroom?"

"she mean the ship, percy!" ivy said. "we have to get off the ship."

"smells bad," tyson agreed. "and dogs eat all the eggs. annabeth and ivy are right. we must leave the restroom and ship."

ivy shuddered. she hid her apprehension on agreeing on anything with a cyclops.

then she heard another voice outside – one that chilled her worse than any monster's.

"– only a matter of time. don't push me, agrius!"

it was luke, beyond a doubt. ivy could never forget his voice.

"i'm not pushing you!" another guy growled. his voice was deeper and even angrier than luke's. "i'm just saying, if this gamble doesn't pay off –"

"it'll pay off," luke snapped. "they'll take the bait. now, come, we've got to get to the admiralty suite and check on the casket."

their voices receded down the corridor.

tyson whimpered. "leave now?"

annabeth, ivy, and percy exchanged looks and came to a silent agreement.

"we can't," percy told tyson.

"we have to find out what luke has been planning," ivy agreed.

annabeth nodded. " then we beat him up, bind him in chains and drag him to mount olympus."

a speaks!

this is me finally being able to focus for more than 10 minutes at the time and actually writing a chapter in once sitting😃😃😃
as a gift to me from me i'll go eat ice cream💃

thoughts???