NEVER BE THE SAME . . . percy jackson

seventy two: the tiredness.

THEY KEPT UP the storm for literally two hours. Brooklyn had been trained to sustain her energy and use her powers for a long time, yet she was still tired, laying down on deck, her head in Percy's lap. Annabeth and Piper were trying to get them to drink water, but Brooklyn was too tired to even lift her head up right now.

She could see Hazel and Frank standing just out of earshot, having an argument that involved lots of arm waving and head shaking.

The argument stopped abruptly when Hazel saw Leo come over. Everybody gathered at the mast.

Frank scowled like he was trying hard to turn into a bulldog. "No sign of pursuit," he said.

"Or land," Hazel added. She looked a little green, though Brooklyn wasn't sure if that was from the rocking of the boat or from arguing.

Leo turned to Annabeth. "Did you find the map you wanted?"

She nodded, though she looked pale. Brooklyn wondered what she'd seen at Fort Sumter that could have shaken her up so badly. It was probably Aphrodite.

"I'll have to study it," Annabeth said, as if that was the end of the subject. "How far are we from those coordinates?"

"At top rowing speed, about an hour," Leo said. "Any idea what we're looking for?"

"No," she admitted. "Percy?"

Percy raised his head. His green eyes were bloodshot and droopy. "The Nereid said Chiron's brothers were there, and they'd want to hear about that aquarium in Atlanta. I don't know what she meant, but . . ." he paused, like he'd used up all his energy saying that much. "She also warned me to be careful. Keto, the goddess at the aquarium: she's the mother of sea monsters. She might be stuck in Atlanta, but she can still send her children after us. The Nereid said we should expect an attack."

"Wonderful," Frank muttered.

Jason tried to stand, which wasn't a good idea. Piper grabbed him to keep him from falling over, and he slid back down the mast.

"Can we get the ship aloft?" he asked. "If we could fly—"

"That'd be great," Leo said. "Except Festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter."

"We were in a hurry," Annabeth said. "Trying to save you."

"And saving me is a very noble cause," Leo agreed. "I'm just saying, it'll take some time to fix. Until then, we're not flying anywhere."

Percy flexed his shoulders and winced. "Fine with me. The sea is good."

"Speak for yourself." Hazel glanced at the evening sun, which was almost to the horizon. "We need to go fast. We've burned another day, and Nico only has three more left."

"We can do it," Leo promised. "We can make it to Rome in three days — assuming, you know, nothing unexpected happens."

Frank grunted. He looked like he was still working on that bulldog transformation. "Is there any good news?"

"Actually, yes," Leo said. "According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, made it back safely while we were in Charleston, so those eagles didn't get him. Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants."

"Dang it!" Frank barked.

Then Percy doubled over and groaned. Brooklyn quickly rolled away from him in order to avoid his probable vomit.

"Did the world just turn upside down?" he asked.

Jason pressed his hands to his head. "Yeah, and it's spinning. Everything is yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?"