This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―xiii. naomi breaks more bones

THE BEAR-MAN TWINS HERDED THEM ABOARD THE PRINCESS ANDROMEDA. They threw everyone but Naomi down on the aft deck in front of a swimming pool with sparkling fountains that sprayed into the air. Agrius kept a hold on Naomi, despite her numerous struggles to wiggle out of his grip.

"Her hand," Luke told the bear-twin.

Naomi had no idea what he was talking about, but she got her answer a second later as Agrius grabbed her hand and squeezed until pain flared like fire from her palm to the tips of her fingers. Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her bones break one by one. 

"What are you doing?" Annabeth yelled.

The bear giant dropped Naomi's now broken hand as Luke smirked. "Can't summon your sword now, can you?"

"Screw you," Naomi seethed, gritting her teeth against the throbbing pain.

"So, the Fleece," Luke mused. "Where is it?"

He looked them over, prodding Percy's shirt with the tip of his sword, poking Grover's jeans.

"Hey!" Grover yelled. "That's real goat fur under there!"

"Sorry, old friend." Luke smiled. "Just give me the Fleece and I'll leave you to return to your, ah, little nature quest."

"Blaa-ha-ha!" Grover protested. "Some old friend!"

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Luke's voice was dangerously calm. "Where—is—the—Fleece?"

"Not here," Percy said. "We sent it on ahead of us. You messed up."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "You're lying. You couldn't have..." His face reddened as a horrible possibility occurred to him. "Clarisse?"

Percy nodded.

"You trusted... you gave..."

"Yeah."

"Agrius!"

The bear giant flinched. Naomi hissed as he tightened his grip on her. "Y—yes?"

"Get below and prepare my steed. Bring it to the deck. I need to fly to the Miami Airport, fast!"

"But, boss—" Agrius nodded nervously down at Naomi.

Luke muttered something under his breath, grabbing Naomi's other arm and practically snatching her away from the bear. "Go—or I'll feed you to the drakon!"

The bear-man gulped and lumbered down.

Naomi fought against Luke's grip. "Get your hands off of me, traitor!"

"Careful, Naomi," he warned. "The Lord wants you alive, but he never said unharmed."

Luke shoved her at one of the demigods on the deck—Chris Rodriguez.

"Don't let her out of your sight," Luke hissed at him. "Got it?"

Chris nodded, tightening his grip as Naomi tried to catch him in the gut with her elbow.

"Stop fighting," he hissed as Luke walked away.

"Go to Hades, traitor," Naomi snarled.

"You'll understand soon enough," Chris told her. "This is what has to be done."

"You can shove your stupid Kronos propaganda up your puga."

"You've been toying with us all along," Percy said, glaring at Luke. "You wanted us to bring you the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it."

Luke scowled. "Of course, you idiot! And you've messed everything up!"

"Traitor!" Percy threw his gold drachma at Luke, who, expectedly, dodged it with ease. The coin sailed into the spray of rainbow-colored water.