𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊.

i stood on the ship blasting energy at romans who got too close. percy and jason combined their powers, creating a massive storm that pushed the romans back. my irises began to glow pink as i added energy to their storm. pale pink lightning flashed, destroying the romans' ranks.

"i have an idea!" i yelled to percy. "cover for me!"

i didn't hear percy's response because i ran below deck and into my room. shuffling through my things, i looked for it.

"where is it? where is it? where is — found it!" i held it in the air triumphantly.

clipping it around my wrists, i made my way back up. 

leo, theo, jason, and frank had made it safely onto the ship, and we were holding off the romans for as long as they could.

"tink!" percy called, his voice strained from the amount of energy he was using for the storm. "a little help over here!"

"i got you!" i called back. 

tapping my wrists together, the bracelets glowed a bright blue. i held my hand out in the distance, and aimed at a group of romans. and i fired.

a non-harmful disc shot out, carrying electromagnetic energy. the disc fell at the foot of one of the romans, before opening up and binding two of the closest romans together with an electrocharged rope. nothing harmful, just wouldn't come off until i turned the widow bite's off.

"sweet!" i grinned.

i let my powers flow back into the storm and shot at any romans who got too close.

"ship!" piper yelled. "someone's on the ship!"

"i got it!" i called, running towards the roman that had made it on.

her eyes blazed as i made my way towards her and she looked ready to kill me. 

she swung at me, and i ducked. i grabbed her shoulder, and using the wall as a step, swung my legs around her. remembering natasha's teachings, i shoved my elbow into her shoulder, causing her to fall forward. with one well-placed punch to the nose, she fell unconscious.

"theo!" i called, motioning to the unconscious person.

he nodded, understanding what i was trying to say. with a quick chant, purple magic wrapped around her and carried her back to the romans where she sat up, dazed.

i looked into the crowd, just able to see a blonde head in the distance.

"leo, get the ship ready to leave," i told him. "annabeth's on her way."

using my powers, i threw an energy dome around annabeth that hurt anyone who got too close to her.

the ship shuddered as we got ready to go.

"annabeth!" i called, holding out my hand.

she grabbed it, the two of us tumbling onto the deck.

"go! go!" annabeth yelled. "get out of here!"

the oars churned, jason changed the direction of the wind, and percy summoned a giant wave that sent us away.

i sat on the deck for a few minutes, breathing heavily as i tried to process what just happened.

an outstretched hand appeared in front of me, and i looked up to see percy. i took it, hauling myself up.

percy was still cooking up a small storm, but he didn't need to pay attention to it too much.

"thanks," i muttered, brushing myself off.

"tink, that was... hot," was all he said.

i blushed, hitting his shoulder lightly, "shut up."

"i'm serious," he protested. "like, that was avengers level shit. the other girl had no idea what was happening."

"yes, your girlfriend is sexy," annabeth interrupted in a bored tone, still laying on the deck. she stuck her hands in the air, "now, one of you losers wanna help me up?"

i rolled my eyes, pulling annabeth to her feet.

"where's the map?" i asked her. "you got it, didn't you?"

she nodded, patting her backpack. "i'll bring it out in the mess hall. right now, i wanna see how much i can get out of it."

i nodded, watching her walk away.

"she'll be okay, right?" i asked aloud.

"of course she will," percy said, only a little distracted by continuing the storm. "she's annabeth. you know she'll be okay. remember that time she beat up connor for putting a spider in her bunk, then threw a book at travis."

"to be fair, the two are built like sticks," i shrugged.

percy smiled, "okay, how about that time she held up the sky for days? i held it for a few minutes and nearly died."

i sighed, "yeah, you're right. she's strong."

"course she is," percy said, before nearly falling over.

"percy!" i exclaimed, catching him.

"i'm okay," he muttered, regaining his footing. "need to keep the storm going. wasn't paying attention."

"are you sure?" i asked.

he nodded, taking my hand in his and passing his finger over my knuckles, "i'm sure."

he stared at my arc reactor ring with a pained expression. the storm churned stronger around us.

"perce," i said, putting a hand on his chest. "i'm okay. i don't need it anymore. it's just a relic, and unlike my dad, i am nostalgic."

"i know. that's why annabeth gets away with getting you a scrapbook for your birthday every year," he muttered.

i laughed, and even percy smiled slightly.

"what — did the nerieds say anything?" i asked him.

"not too much," he said, sounding disappointed. "they said we should seek chiron's brothers?"

"centaur america!" i gasped, already getting excited.

"i don't think they meant the party ponies," percy said, repeating the co-ordinates they gave. "that's in the middle of the atlantic."

"how did you — oh right, human gps," i muttered, remembering our trip to the sea of monsters.

percy grinned, not even arguing with the nickname anymore, "human gps."

"i'll go tell leo," i said, motioning to leo, who was steering the ship.

"hurry back," percy said.

i pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, "got it."

making my way to leo, i told him, "percy said he talked to the nereids from the harbor."

"good for him!" leo yelled back.

i rolled my eyes slightly, "they said we should see chiron's brothers! move so i can input the co-ordinates!"

leo did so, asking, "the party ponies? how's root beer gonna help us?"

i shook my head as i input the co-ordinates, "you'd be surprised. they've got boxing arrows, and a buncha classic cartoon moves. one's dressed like captain america!"

a red dot pinged in the middle of the atlantic.

"do they have a yacht?" he asked. 

"dunno!" i shrugged. "just keep the ship together as we get further away! theo'll help you with his spells! percy and jason are keeping the storm up!"

"woo!" leo grinned as i walked away.

i shook my head slightly, reaching percy and jason. 

charleston harbor was far in the distance, but we could still see it.

i didn't have time to talk to percy anymore as he kept all his energy on cooking up one last storm with jason. the two worked together incredibly, wind and sea clashing against the distance.

after what seemed like forever, the sounds of the storm silenced.

percy and jason stumbled as they leaned against the mast. theo followed them, looking a little pale as well from the amount of magic he just used.

"hedge," i said, grabbing a glass of water for percy, theo and jason. "why don't you take the wheel from leo? it's been two hours."

"got it," he rushed off to grab it from leo.

i used energy platforms to balance the glasses of water. piper took one from me, going to theo, while annabeth grabbed one and went to jason. i took the last one to percy.

"perce," i muttered, sitting next to him. "want some water?"

his eyes were unfocused, and his breathing heavy. he opened his mouth to talk, but nothing came out. so he just nodded.

i gave him water, small sips at a time so he didn't throw it all up.

leo arrived a minute later, and we all gathered at the mast.

frank scowled, "no sign of pursuit."

"or land," hazel muttered, looking a little green.

the two had been fighting using animated hand gestures for the past few minute or so. it made me curious, but there were slightly more important things going on.

leo looked to annabeth, "did you find the map you wanted?"

she nodded, a little pale. "i'll have to study it."

"how far are we from the co-ordinates?" i asked leo.

"at top rowing speed, about... an hour," he guessed. "any idea what we're looking for?"

he sat next to theo, taking the glass of water from piper. theo's head dropped on leo's shoulder, and leo felt for a fever.

"not sure," i admitted. "perce?"

percy raised his head. his eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was a mere croak, "the nereid said chiron's brothers were there, and they'd want to hear about that aquarium in atlanta. i don't know what she meant, but..." he paused, like he'd used up all his energy saying that much. i rubbed his hand as he continued speaking, "she also warned me to be careful. keto, the goddess at the aquarium: she's the mother of sea monsters. she might be stuck in atlanta, but she can still send her children after us. the nereid said we should expect an attack."

"wonderful," frank grumbled.

"can we get the ship aloft?" jason asked.

"that'd be great," leo said. "except festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at fort sumter."

"we were in a hurry," i said, wincing. "you know, trying to save you." 

"and saving me is a very noble cause," leo agreed. "i'm just saying, it'll take some time to fix. until then, we're not flying anywhere." 

percy flexed his shoulders and winced. "fine with me. the sea is good." 

"speak for yourself." hazel glanced at the evening sun, which was almost to the horizon. "we need to go fast. we've burned another day, and nico only has three more left." 

i sighed, rubbing my temples.

"we can do it," leo promised. "we can make it to rome in three days — assuming, you know, nothing unexpected happens." 

frank grunted. "is there any good news?" 

"actually, yes," leo said. "according to festus, our flying table, buford, made it back safely while we were in charleston, so those eagles didn't get him. unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants."

"dang it!" frank barked.

"i told you before," i said to him, "don't worry about it."

frank opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by percy, who doubled over and groaned.

"did the world just turn upside down?" he asked.

"yeah," jason agreed. "and it's yellow. is it supposed to be yellow?"

"i can see dots dancing in the air," theo added, his french accent heavier than usual.

leo and i shared nervous glances with the rest of the group.

"summoning that storm really took your strength," piper noted. "you guys need to rest."

"frank," i called, "can you help us take them below deck?"

frank nodded, slinging an arm over percy and jason. leo and piper grabbed theo, while annabeth and i helped frank. we lay them on the cots in sickbay, and they all seemed beyond tired. jason passed out as soon as his head hit the cot.

"nectar and ambrosia, frank," i said to him. "can you pass some?"

"we're almost out," he muttered, grabbing the last few bags.

"i can help with that," a familiar voice sounded at the door. 

i couldn't help but grin as i turned to see clint at the door. 

"someone order a giant stash of nectar and ambrosia for a quest to save the world?" he asked, walking in.

"clint," i muttered, getting up and giving him a hug.

"got your message, kiddo," he said, taking his backpack off. he handed it over, "got your supplies in there. and looking at these three, yeah, you'll need it."

percy, in his delirious state, managed a grin and wave, "nice to see you too, clint."

"how — what — festus is — how did you get on here?" leo finally managed. "we're in the middle of the ocean! does S.H.I.E.L.D. have a submarine or something?"

"you'll never know," clint grinned.

"you're hawkeye," frank finally said. "you're — like, you're actually hawkeye!"

"nice to meet you too," clint said.

"that's frank," i introduced him. "roman demigod, son of mars, ares in greek form. frank, this is clint. son of apollo, and yeah. he's hawkeye."

"oh my gods," was all frank said.

theo said something to leo as he fed him ambrosia. leo shook his head, but theo said it again. sighing, leo gave in as he went upstairs.

"hiya, clint," theo greeted. 

"hey frenchie," clint gave him a two-fingered salute. "you good?"

"a little delirious, but i'm fine," he replied.

"how did they all even get like this?" clint asked. "some giant attack or something?"

"some giant attack," i agreed as i fed percy some ambrosia. "eidolons possessed one of us, fired on new rome, now we're being hunted. they're going to go for camp half-blood now that we're out of range. can you help protect it?"

clint was silent for a few minutes, "camp half-blood was home for many of us agents. for most of us, still the only place that ever felt like home. i'll convince fury."

"get natasha to help you," i told him. "i swear, she's his favorite."

"she is," he confirmed. "why else do you think i befriended her?"

"she's not gonna be happy if i tell her that," i laughed. 

"i'm kidding," he said, hands raised in surrender. "i gotta go. convincing fury might take a while. and i'll try to recruit some agents to slow them down."

"don't kill anyone," i told him.

"i'll try my best," he promised, bidding everyone farewell, before leaving sickbay.

"no one else thinks it's crazy that hawkeye just came in, dropped off ambrosia, had a conversation with riley, knows our names, promised to protect your camp, and just... left?" frank asked after a minute of silence.

"riley's a literal avenger," piper said, a small smile on her face. "of course she knows hawkeye. and he's a demigod. riley convinced him to drop into camp a couple of times. that's how he knows us."

frank shook his head, still a little confused. "how's he going to get off the ship?"

"he got on while we were in the middle of the ocean," i told him. "he'll find a way to get off."

frank opened his mouth to argue, then decided to think better of it. we all fed the three boys nectar and ambrosia. jason slowly came back to his senses.

"rise and shine," piper muttered.

"how long was i out?" he asked.

"well, you missed clint who delivered some nectar and ambrosia," percy said. "besides that, not too much."

jason groaned, "i swear, i'm always out during the good parts."

we all laughed, only to be cut off by the ship suddenly tilting. theo nearly fell out of his cot. everyone got up immediately, trying to stay on their feet.

a siren wailed a second later, and i could hear festus over the intercom.

"what the hell is that?" theo asked, trying to keep his footing. 

piper steading him, "i don't know!"

we all ran upstairs, the ship continuing to tilt dangerously.

"what's going — gah! shrimpzilla!" percy yelled, finally making it to the top of the stairs.

he wasn't wrong. the monster was the size of the ship, it's face a cross between a shrimp and a catfish. tentacles sprouted from it's nostrils. (i was suddenly glad i don't eat seafood).

frank ran to hazel, who was still clutching the rigging. she motioned that she was alright.

leo clutched the port rail and tried to make his way to the helm.

the monster rammed into the ship again, sending annabeth, piper, and jason tumbling to the starboard rail. they almost fell overboard.

"how did it get so close?!" i asked, gripping the railing as i brought myself closer to the helm.

"i don't know!" hedge growled, chasing his bat which was rolling around the quarterdeck.

"i'm stupid!" leo scolded himself. "stupid, stupid! i forgot the sonar!"

"sonar?" hedge demanded. "pan's pipes, valdez! maybe if you hadn't been staring into hazel's eyes, holding hands fors o long—"

"what?" frank yelped. 

"it wasn't like that!" theo said, assuring frank. 

"it doesn't matter!" piper said. "jason, can you call some lightning?"

jason struggled to his feet. "i—" he only managed to shake his head.

"percy!" annabeth said. "can you talk to that thing? do you know what it is?" 

he shook his head, clearly mystified. "maybe it's just curious about the ship. maybe—" 

the monster's tendrils lashed across the deck so fast, i barely had time to process what had happened. one slammed percy in the chest and sent him crashing down the steps. another wrapped around piper's legs and dragged her, screaming, toward the rail. dozens more tendrils curled around the masts, encircling the crossbows and ripping down the rigging. 

"percy!" i cried out, trying to go after him.

"m'okay!" he called back. "fight the thing. i'm coming!"

i didn't want to, but i turned my attention back to the monster

"nose-hair attack!" hedge snatched up his bat and leaped into action; but his hits just bounced harmlessly off the tendrils. 

jason drew his sword. he tried to free piper, but he was still weak. his gold blade cut through the tendrils with no problem, but faster than he could sever them, more took their place. theo muttered a quick spell, the tentacles burning when they got close to piper, but collapsed due to the effort.

"tay!" leo called out, stuck at the helm.

i placed a dome of energy around him, protecting him.

i summoned two energy whips, lashing whenever a tentacle got too close to someone. but there were just so many.

annabeth unsheathed her dagger. she ran through the forest of tentacles, dodging and stabbing at whatever target she could find.  

frank pulled out his bow. he fired over the side at the creature's body, lodging arrows in the chinks of its shell; but that only seemed to annoy the monster.

it bellowed, and rocked the ship. the mast creaked like it might snap off. 

"theo!" i heard leo's voice as i saw my brother get to his feet. "the box!"

i tuned out the conversation, only paying attention to the shrimpzilla. one of it's tentacles wrapped around me, lifting me in the air.

"shit," i cursed.

i pulled out my dagger from bracelet form, and lashed out, the tentacle dying. i fell like a rock, crashing onto the deck.

groaning as i got up, i rubbed my back slightly. 

"ow," i muttered.

i made some throwing knives using my powers. i looked for chinks in it's armor as i ran along the ship, trying to get a few hits. 

"oh my — fucknuggets!"

i looked up to see theo and leo up in the air, the shrimpzilla's tentacle locked around the two of them.

"this is not fun," i muttered, holding out my hand and willing for my bow to appear.

taking aim, i embedded two arrows into the tentacle holding leo and theo in the air. something orange erupted from leo's palm — a blast of fire — and it spread down the tentacle.

the shrimpzilla roared in agony, and leo chucked a green vial down it's throat.

"please don't be what i think it is," i muttered, shooting another couple arrows at it's tentacles.

the shrimpzilla let go of them, and theo chucked his own green vial as he fell to the ocean.

green light flashed, and i lost sight of the two of them. i ran to the edge, only in time for the giant shrimpzilla to explode.

i barely had time to throw up the largest energy shield i'd ever conjured. it covered the length of the argo ii, and i did everything i could to hold it against the volley of shrimpzilla guts and greek fire.

once it was over, i collapsed with the shields.

annabeth helped me up, "that was insane."

"theo," i said, trying to catch my breath. "the monster had theo and leo, and he dropped them."

"frank and hazel are missing too," annabeth said, looking around. 

"they were knocked overboard," jason told us, struggling to regain his footing. "i couldn't — i tried to catch them—"

"we'll find them," annabeth promised. "where's percy?"

"here," percy said, making his way to us. "i'll look through the sea, try to contact any of the animals."

he gave me a quick kiss, climbed up to the rail, and went over.

"hedge, riley and... where's buford?" annabeth asked.

the steam-table made a sound, and came towards annabeth.

"alright, we need to fix up the ship right now," annabeth said. "boards have been broken, i think the engine's strained. do whatever you can, and do it quickly."

"piper," she turned to my sister, "you need to iris-message chiron and tell him the romans are coming for an attack. and tell him about what clint said also. then help out with fixing the ship."

piper nodded, rushing away.

"jason," annabeth said, "try getting all the small fires out. but don't strain yourself"

he nodded, before summoning a gust of wind and flying higher to put out the fires.

"alright," annabeth turned to me. "let's see what we can fix."

REY WRITES !

thanks for reading !!

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