𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔 • Percy Jackson.

II-11

            THERE'S A SHARP RINGING IN HIS EAR. It blared into his ears and his consciousness is back again from its momentary black out. There's ghosts floating around and footsteps shuffling. It wasn't the best alarm to wake up to, frankly, it scared the shit out of Amani.

He overheard a yell, clashing against the sirens, "All hands on deck! Find Lady Clarisse! Where is that girl?" He rubs his eyes, making his way above. He sees annabeth, "what's going on?" He asks her, his throat dry. "We're at the entrance." She said pointing out towards the sea.

"That's just the ocean." Percy pointed out, stepping into the spar deck. Though his form looked tired–weak even. "No–well yes, but it's the sea of monsters." Annabeth clarified..

She asked him, "another dream?" The words are said quietly, as if a secret, the boy in turn nods and says nothing more.  Wish I could dream, he thinks. Or maybe he does but he doesn't remember. He really has no clue. The thought is fleeting as Clarisse comes up the stairs.

She grabbed a pair of binoculars from a zombie officer and peered towards the horizon. "At last. Captain, full steam ahead!" She ordered, her gaze still set on the overcast sky with a front of haze. A gaze set cold and determined.

The engine groaned as the boat increased in speed.
Tyson muttered nervously, "Too much strain on the pistons. Not meant for deep water." Amani listens with a stupor, how does he know that? He thinks in surprise. Though he doesn't question it, if Percy could become a gps at sea and he could blurt out shit without knowing prior, than Tyson could be some genius mechanic guy. Anything was possible.

After a few more minutes, the hazy blobs came into focus. To the north, a huge mass of rock rose out of the sea – an island with cliffs at least thirty meters tall. About half a mile south of that, the other patch of darkness was a storm brewing. The sky and sea boiled together in a roaring mass.

"Hurricane?" Annabeth asked. "No," Clarisse said, face slightly grim, "Charybdis." She paled. "Are you crazy?!" She asked in an uproar. Clarisse looked calm, "only way into the Sea of Monsters. Straight between Charybdis and her sister Scylla." Clarisse pointed to the top of the cliffs, and even if Amani didn't know what that was, from where Clarrise pointed to, he had a vague feeling.

"What do you mean the only way?" Percy asked. "The sea is wide open! Just sail around them." Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Don’t you know anything? If I tried to sail around them, they would just appear in my path again. If you want to get into the Sea of Monsters, you have to sail through them." She explained, it didn't clear up anything.

"What about the Clashing Rocks?" Annabeth asked, "that’s another gateway. Jason used it." She said trying to find another option. "I can’t blow apart rocks with my cannons," Clarisse said, a grin forming on her face. "Monsters, on the other hand…" she trailed off.

"You are crazy," Annabeth decided. Amani snickered, "you finding that out now?" He asked. Clarisse scoffed, "Watch and learn, Wise Girl."  Clarisse turned to the captain. "Set course for Charybdis!" She ordered.

"Aye, m’lady!" The engine groaned, the iron plating rattled, and the ship began to pick up speed. "Clarisse," Percy said, "Charybdis sucks up the sea. Isn’t that the story?" He asks. "And spits it back out again, yeah." Clarisse answers, eyes still set out on the sea. "What about Scylla?" He asks, Amani listens in.

"She lives in a cave, up on those cliffs. If we get too close, her snaky heads will come down and start plucking sailors off the ship." Clarisse explains and Percy's shoulders straighten up. "Choose Scylla then," he said. "Everybody goes below deck and we chug right past." He explained, but Clarrise shook her head.