Annabeth Chase and the Sea of Monsters

Chapter 8: We Aboard the Princess Andromeda

I was staring at the waves when Percy and Tyson found me.

"What's going on?" Percy asked. "I heard you calling for help!"

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

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

"But then who..." Percy noticed the three yellow duffel bags, then the thermos and the bottle of vitamins I was holding. "What—"

"Just listen," I said. "We don't have much time."

I told them about my conversation with Hermes. By the time I was finished, I could hear screeching in the distance—patrol harpies picking up our scent.

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

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

"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 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!" Percy's voice sounded close to panic. "I mean...Annabeth, come on. You know that's impossible."

I wondered again why he had such a grudge against Cyclopes. There was something he wasn't telling me.

He and Tyson both looked at me, waiting for an answer. Meanwhile, the cruise ship was getting farther and farther away.

The thing was, part of me didn't want Tyson along. I'd spent the last three days in close quarters with the guy, getting razzed by the other campers and embarrassed a million times a day, constantly reminded that I was related to him. I needed some space.

Plus, I didn't know how much help he'd be, or how I'd keep him safe. Sure, he was strong, but Tyson was a little kid in Cyclops terms, maybe seven or eight years old, mentally. I could see him freaking out and starting to cry while we were trying to sneak past a monster or something. He'd get us all killed.

On the other hand, the sound of the harpies was getting closer....

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

"Annabeth," Percy said, trying to keep his cool, "we're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is an S-i-k...a C-y-k..." He stamped his foot in frustration. As smart as he was, Percy was dyslexic, too. We could've been there all night while he tried to spell Cyclops. "You know what I mean!"

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

Tyson clapped his hands. "Want to!"

Percy gave me the evil eye, but I guess he could tell I wasn't going to change my mind. Or maybe he just knew we didn't have time to argue.

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

"Hermes said my father would help."

"Well then, Seaweed Brain? What are you waiting for?"

I'd always had a hard time calling on my father, or praying, or whatever you want to call it, but I stepped into the waves.
"Um, Dad?" I called. "How's it going?"

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

"We need your help," I 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, three 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 three white stallions reared out of the waves.