❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝒳𝐼. 𝒢𝒽𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒞𝓇𝓊𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝒮𝒽𝒾𝓅

𝒫𝑒𝓇𝒸𝓎 was staring at the waves when Annabeth and Tyson found them.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked. "I heard Zoe calling for help!"

"Me, too!" Tyson said. "Heard Percy yell, 'Bad things are attacking!'"

"We didn't call you guys," Percy said. "I'm fine."

"But then who..." Annabeth noticed the four yellow duffel bags, then the thermos Zoe was holding and the bottle of vitamins in Percy's hand.

"What—"

"Just listen," the son of Poseidon said. "We don't have much time."

Percy and Zoe told them about their conversation with Hermes. By the time they were finished, the quartet could hear screeching in the distance—patrol harpies picking up their scent.

"Percy," Annabeth said, "we have to do the quest."

"That's what I'm trying to convince him to do!" Zoe whispered harshly.

"We'll get expelled, you know. Trust me, I'm an expert at getting expelled." Percy stressed.

"So? If we fail, there won't be any camp to come back to."

"Yeah, but you promised Chiron—"

"I promised I'd keep you two from danger. I can only do that by coming with you! Tyson can stay behind and tell them—"

"I want to go," Tyson said.

"No!" Annabeth's voice sounded close to panic. "I mean...Percy, come on. You know that's impossible."

She and Tyson both looked at Percy, waiting for an answer. Zoe had been silent since her exclamation. Meanwhile, the cruise ship was getting farther and farther away.

"We can't leave him," Percy decided. "Tantalus will punish him for us being gone."

"Percy," Annabeth said, trying to keep her cool, "we're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is an S-i-k...a C-y-k..." She stamped her foot in frustration. As smart as she was, Annabeth was dyslexic, too. Even with Zoe's help they could've been there all night while she tried to spell Cyclops.

"You know what I mean!"

"Tyson can go," Percy insisted, "if he wants to."

Tyson clapped his hands. "Want to!"

Annabeth gave Percy the evil eye, but didn't say anything else.

"All right," she said. "How do we get to that ship?"

"Hermes said my father would help."

"Well then, Seaweed Brain," Zoe raised a brow. "What are you waiting for?"

"Um, Dad?" Percy called. "How's it going?"

"Percy!" Annabeth whispered. "We're in a hurry!"

"We need your help," he called a little louder. "We need to get to that ship, like, before we get eaten and stuff, so..."

At first, nothing happened. Waves crashed against the shore like normal. The harpies sounded like they were right behind the sand dunes. Then, about a hundred yards out to sea, four white lines appeared on the surface. They moved fast toward the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean.

As they neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the heads of four white stallions reared out of the waves.

Tyson caught his breath. "Fish ponies!"

As the creatures pulled themselves onto the sand, Zoe saw that they were only horses in the front; their back halves were silvery fish bodies, with glistening scales and rainbow tail fins.