Safe Port

iv

    I was woken by the sounds of dull thuds on glass, I blink open my eyes and wince as my headache peaks for a moment before returning to the barely-noticeable ache. I look towards Socrates tank and catch a glimpse of the dolphin himself before he rolls in his tank then dives out of it, back out the chute to the open ocean. He's gone for a few moments before returning and repeating the same ritual.
    Figuring he wants me to follow, I quickly get ready and pull on my bikini before running up through the Nautilus and on to the Camp Half-blood dock. It's dawn, so there isn't many, if any people around. I take this as a good sign and take a deep breath before diving into the water and equalising the pressure in my ears before swimming forward.
   I swim under the Nautilus, flattening my palm against her metal hull as I do so. She creaks in response and I smile before swimming out more, flanking her hull till I find Socrates.
   I freeze in the water, Socrates was once again swimming and playing around Percy Jackson, chittering and squeaking in conversation. He sees me over Percy's shoulder and quickly torpedos, rubbing up against my side, looking for a squid to snack on.
   Percy turns around, notices me then a bubble starts to grow behind him, getting bigger until it encases me, I take a deep breath, able to do so and blink in shock for a few moments.
   "Handy trick.." I mutter, my voice echoing somewhat in the air bubble.
    "I've always thought so." He responds, his voice as clear as if we were speaking on dry land. I choose to not let this bother me. He swam around the bubble once before Socrates nudged against him and started to chitter urgently. "I'll show her don't worry." Percy calmed him.
    "Show me what?"
    "Catch your breath Ana, there's a problem you should see." I take another deep breath and a moment later the bubble bursts and I'm back in the water. It wasn't exactly necessary for the bubble in the first place but I wasn't going to complain. Percy leads me around the hull, Socrates spinning around both of us until we come to a place just off the Nautilus's tail there was a number of harpoon-like weapons wedged deep into the metal. The ends bristling out like thorns. Socrates squeaks in urgency to Percy. 
    He looks at me then nods up to the surface and begins to swim upwards, I follow him and we both break through the water. He was once again bone dry, where as I was a dripping mess.
    "Socrates, he told me the basics when the Nautilus first came through the sound, about Harding-Pencroft academy, about Land academy, about you and Lincoln base and of course, about the Nautilus." I look to the Dolphin in alarm, a lot of that was information we did not want in the general public. Percy gestured over his shoulder for me to follow again and we make our way to the dock. We climb up and he continues.
   "He has since told me that a-lot of your crew is sceptical about us."
  "I-" I begin to try and explain.
  "Relax." He soothes, "no one here is going to blame you for your scepticism or distrust. Sounds like you guys have been through a lot in not a very long time. I'll be honest with you, we all- both Camp Halfblood, Camp Jupiter and New Rome knew about the fall of Harding-Pencroft Academy. Not to the extent we know now, of course."
   "How?"
   "Camp Jupiter is in Oakland Hills. Such large scale damage so close alerted us, so myself along with Annabeth and  the Praetors of New Rome- Frank and Hazel, went to check it out. We couldn't find any sign of monsters, well at least no more then what's usual for us so we just let the matter drop, coined it to a landslide or earthquake."
    I don't say anything in response to this, merely watch Socrates dancing in the water, sticking his nose into crevices beneath the pier.
   "I'm sorry, if we had known what it really was we might've been able to help people escape.."
   "Some people might've." I say quickly, "we don't know for sure but we can't just give up."
    "And no one is saying you have to." Percy held his hands in reassuring surrender. "I know you don't trust us and I know there's nothing anyone here at Camp can say that'll make you. But we know what you're going through, that hope, that desire to find your friends and make sure they're safe, give them a place where they can be safe. All of us can understand that. We're willing to help you fix The Nautilus, Cabin Nine is especially eager. But they understand that she's intelligent, and if they did help it wouldn't be just working on a machine, it'd be helping a living, sentient being."
   The Nautilus creaked and a few notes sounded from the pipe organ on the bridge. I hazard a smile as I look towards the gleaming vessel. "She wouldn't have brought us here if she didn't think you guys would help.." I lament, "but I can't help but wonder why she thought you would."
    "I can answer that." Sounds a voice behind us, I turn and I freeze, slowly turning more around and standing up in awe. The man smiles kindly and behind him, his horse tail swishes. I could recognise him as a centaur, our brief classes in ancient history and legend had taught us of them. "Ana Dakkar." He smiles more, his eyes twinkling, "I am Chiron."
    His human half wore a tweed jumper under a leather jacket, he had a scruffy beard and messy brown hair, his back half was a white stallion. "You see.." he begins, "I met your ancestor, Captain Nemo. After all.. 150 years is merely a blink of the eye for an immortal. I took interest in his work and his mission, I was devastated to hear of his disappearance and his subsequent death." He looks down sadly for a moment.
     "But when I met him he was a young man, I offered him Camp Halfblood as a safe-port and gave the Nautilus a homing device so that she would always be able to find us if needed." He looks towards the ship, silhouetted against the rising sun.
    "When I heard of Nemo's passing, I never thought I'd see her again." He walks forward a few steps, then bowes down on his front legs before the ship. "Truely a magnificent vessel. It's good to see you again, old friend."
    "You knew Prince Dakkar?" I ask.
    "We were friends." Chiron confirms. "I admired his drive." Chiron smiles adoringly at the Nautilus. "And his skill." He turns back around and looks at Percy and I. "I've spent my entire life training heroes Miss Dakkar. And although Nemo wasn't among those I trained he was certainly one I aspired my trainee's to be like. But every hero is different, I'm sure Percy can vouch for that." Percy looks away shyly and rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment.
    "Thanks Chiron."
    "Miss Dakkar," Chiron turns to me, "while I can understand you may be a bit uncertain; our head mechanic, Leo, he's interested in talking to you about The Nautilus at your earliest convenience and Percy, Annabeth is looking for you."