LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE . . . pjo

XXXI.

THE BEAR TWINS herded them aboard the Princess Andromeda. They threw them down on the aft deck in front of a swimming pool with sparkling fountains that sprayed into the air. A dozen of Luke's assorted goons — snake people, Laistrygonians, demigods in battle armor — had gathered to watch them get some "hospitality."

"And 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. Mia wanted to slap him in the face. "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 . . ."

"Well, technically it was Mia's idea, but yeah."

Mia seriously wanted to pummel Percy.

"Agrius!" Luke called, sending Mia a glare.

The bear giant flinched. "Y-yes?"

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

"But, boss—"

"Do it!" Luke screamed. "Or I'll feed you to the drakon!"

The bear-man gulped and lumbered down the stairs. Luke paced in front of the swimming pool, cursing in Ancient Greek, gripping his sword so tight his knuckles turned white.

The rest of Luke's crew looked uneasy. Maybe they'd never seen their boss so unhinged before.

"You've been toying with us all along," Percy said. "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 dug his last gold drachma out of my pocket and threw it at Luke. He dodged it easily.

The coin sailed into the spray of rainbow-colored water.

"You tricked all of us!" Percy yelled at Luke. "Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"

Behind Luke, the fountain began to shimmer. Percy uncapped Riptide to distract everyone else, but Mia realized what he was doing and inwardly grinned. She didn't want to slap him anymore, at least.

Luke just sneered. "This is no time for heroics, Percy. Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later."

"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?"

"I did, of course," he snarled. "I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus."

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?"

"Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool wouldn't have the guts."

"You call it guts? Betraying your friends? Endangering the whole camp?"

Luke raised his sword. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece . . . once I was done with it."

"You were going to heal Kronos," Percy said.