This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―vii. percy opens up a new chain-store on accident

AS THEY RACED OVER THE SEA, they tried to send an Iris-message to Chiron. They figured it was important to let somebody know what Luke was doing, and they weren't sure who else to trust. 

The wind from the flask stirred up a nice sea spray that made a rainbow in the sunlight—perfect for an Iris-message—but their connection was still poor. When Annabeth threw a gold drachma into the mist and prayed for the rainbow goddess to show them Chiron, his face appeared all right, but there was some kind of weird strobe light flashing in the background and rock music blaring, like he was in a nightclub.

They told him about sneaking away from camp, and Luke and the Princess Andromeda and the golden box for Kronos's remains, but between the noise on his end and the rushing wind and water on their end, Naomi wasn't sure how much he heard.

"Percy," Chiron yelled, "you have to watch out for—" 

His voice was drowned out by loud shouting behind him—a bunch of voices whooping.

"What?" Percy yelled. 

"Curse my relatives!" Chiron ducked as a plate flew over his head and shattered somewhere out of sight. "Annabeth, you shouldn't have let Percy and Naomi leave camp! But if you do get the Fleece—" 

"Yeah, baby!" somebody behind Chiron yelled. "Woo-hoooooo!" 

The music got cranked up, subwoofers so loud it made their lifeboat vibrate. 

"—Miami," Chiron was yelling. "I'll try to keep watch—" 

Their misty screen smashed apart like someone on the other side had thrown a bottle at it, and Chiron was gone.

❊

An hour later they spotted land—a long stretch of beach lined with high-rise hotels. The water became crowded with fishing boats and tankers. A coastguard cruiser passed on their starboard side, then turned like it wanted a second look. Maybe it wasn't every day they saw a yellow lifeboat with no engine going a hundred knots an hour, manned by four kids.

"That's Virginia Beach!" Annabeth said as they approached the shoreline. "Oh my gods, how did the Princess Andromeda travel so far overnight? That's like—" 

"Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy said. 

Annabeth stared at him. "How did you know that?"

"I—I'm not sure."

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Percy, what's our position?"

"Thirty-six degrees, forty-four minutes north, seventy-six degrees, two minutes west," he said immediately. Then he shook his head. "Whoa. How did I know that?"

"Because of your dad," Annabeth guessed. "When you're at sea, you have perfect bearings. That is so cool."

Tyson tapped Percy's shoulder. "Other boat is coming." 

Naomi looked back. The coastguard vessel was definitely on their tail now. Its lights were flashing and it was gaining speed. 

"We can't let them catch us," Percy said. "They'll ask too many questions." 

"Keep going into Chesapeake Bay," Annabeth said. "I know a place we can hide."

Percy loosened the flask cap a little more, and a fresh burst of wind sent them rocketing around the northern tip of Virginia Beach into Chesapeake Bay. The coastguard boat fell further and further behind. Their little lifeboat didn't slow down until the shores of the bay narrowed on either side. They'd entered the mouth of a river.