This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―v. clarisse jacks their quest

THAT NIGHT AT THE CAMPFIRE, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along. They tried to get everyone's spirits up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. Everyone 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.

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 the campers sang, the higher it rose, changing color and heat with the mood of the crowd. On a good night, it got twenty feet high, bright purple, and so hot the whole front row's marshmallows burst into flames. Tonight, the fire was only a few feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the color of lint. 

Mr. D 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 swan-dove straight into the flames.

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

"Sir," Percy spoke up. 

Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has something to say?" 

Some of the Ares campers snickered. Percy stood and looked at Annabeth and Naomi. Annabeth stood up with him, pulling a reluctant Naomi up with her. 

"We have an idea to save the camp," Percy declared.

Dead silence,  but Naomi could tell that that had gotten everyone's attention, because the campfire flared bright yellow. 

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

"The Golden Fleece," Percy said. "We know where it is."

The flames burned orange. Before Tantalus could stop him, Percy blurted out his dream about Grover and Polyphemus's island. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everyone what the Fleece could do. Naomi loved Percy, but it definitely sounded more convincing coming from the daughter of Athena. 

"The Fleece can save the camp," Annabeth 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. 

Naomi leaned forward toward him and whispered, "You would?" 

Percy nodded. "Thirty, thirty-one, seventy-five, twelve." 

"Ooo-kay," Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers." 

"They're sailing coordinates," Percy said. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies."

Even Annabeth looked impressed. "Thirty degrees, thirty-one minutes north, seventy-five degrees, twelve 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!"