Charmolypi

Chapter 102

Annabeth had insisted to IM Chiron and tell him what they had uncovered on the boat. The wind from the thermos stirred up a nice sea spray that made a rainbow in the sunlight-perfect for an Iris-message-but our connection was still poor. When Annabeth threw a gold drachma into the mist and prayed for the rainbow goddess to show them Chiron, his face appeared all right, but there was some kind of weird strobe light flashing in the background and rock music blaring, like he was at a dance club.

"Retirement agrees with Chiron," Sirius jokes, trying to divert the attention away from the uncomfortable reality of what they had uncovered.

They told him about sneaking away from camp, and Luke and the Princess Andromeda and the golden box for Kronos's remains, but between the noise on his end and the rushing wind and water, they couldn't be sure how much of their message Chiron had been able to understand.

"Thea, Percy," Chiron yelled, "you have to watch out for-" His voice was drowned out by loud shouting behind him-a bunch of voices whooping it up like Comanche warriors.

"What?" Percy yelled.

"Curse my relatives!" Chiron ducked as a plate flew over his head and shattered somewhere out of sight. "Annabeth, you shouldn't have let Percy leave camp! But if you do get the Fleece-"

    "Yeah, baby!" somebody behind Chiron yelled. "Woo-hoooooo!" The music got cranked up, subwoofers so loud it made the boat vibrate.

"-Miami," Chiron was yelling. "I'll try to keep watch-" The misty screen smashed apart like someone on the other side had thrown a bottle at it, and Chiron was gone.

"The centaurs that are in the forbidden forest aren't that friendly," one of the older students said.

"How would you know?"

"Care of magical creatures, of course," the student said smugly.

The professor of care of magical creatures, Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, smiled proudly that his students were able to retain crucial information.

An hour later they spotted land-a long stretch of beach lined with high-rise hotels. The water became crowded with fishing boats and tankers. A coast guard cruiser passed on our starboard side, then turned like it wanted a second look.

"That's Virginia Beach!" Annabeth said as the boat approached the shoreline. "Oh my gods, how did the Princess Andromeda travel so far overnight? That's like-"

"Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy said without a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"That's extremely precise," Lily said, frowning.

Annabeth stared at him. "How did you know that?"

"I-I'm not sure."

"Percy, what's our position?" Thea asked, not looking up from where she was controlling the winds.

"36 degrees, 44 minutes north, 76 degrees, 2 minutes west," he answered immediately. He looked stunned, shaking his head. "Whoa. How did I know that?"

"I would say it's one of his abilities as the son of Poseidon," Regulus guessed.

"Because of your dad," Annabeth guessed. "When you're at sea, you have perfect bearings. That is so cool."

Before Percy could pretest, Tyson tapped his shoulder. "Other boat is coming."

The group looked back and realized that the coast guard was following them. The boat's lights were flashing, and they were gaining speed.

"We can't let them catch us," Percy said. "They'll ask too many questions."