Sunburn- phoebus apollo

--x. annabeth tries to swim home

RHEA FOUND OUT THAT SHE LOVED SAILING. 

No surprise there, she was the daughter of the sea god. Percy seemed to agree with her. The Queen Anne's Revenge responded to their every command. They knew which ropes to hoist, which sails to raise, which direction to steer. They plowed through the waves at what Rhea figured was about ten knots. She even understood how fast that was. For a sailing ship, pretty darn fast.

It all felt perfect--the wind in Rhea's face, the waves breaking over the prow.

But now that they were out of danger, all Rhea could think about was how much she missed Tyson, and how worried she was about Grover.

"Hey," Rhea said, nudging her brother who looked bothered. He glanced at her. "It's not your fault you got turned into a guinea pig."

Percy mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?" Rhea asked.

"Nothing." Percy grumbled. "But, thanks for saving me."

"Of course," Rhea said. "Even though you're annoying, I wouldn't leave you to become a sorceress."

"How did you manage to get your hair straight?" Percy asked in awe, taking a strand of her hair and admiring it.

Rhea shrugged. "Whatever they used, I need it."

"Same here," Percy agreed. "Have you seen this mess?" he ruffled his hair as if to prove his point.

Rhea snorted. "Your hair is even worse than mine."

"Not my fault."

"Sure it isn't."

"It's not!"

"Whatever you say."

****

Sometime after midnight, Annabeth came up on deck. They were just passing a smoking volcano island. The sea bubbled and steamed around the shore.

"One of the forges of Hephaestus," Annabeth said. "Where he makes his metal monsters."

"Like the bronze bulls?" Percy asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Go around. Far around."

Rhea and Percy didn't need to be told twice. They steered clear of the island, and soon it was just a red patch of haze behind them.

Percy looked at Annabeth. "The reason you hate Cyclopes so much... the story about how Thalia really died. What happened?"

It was hard to see Annabeth's expression in the dark.

"I guess you both deserve to know," she said finally. "The night Grover was escorting us to camp, he got confused, took some wrong turns. You remember he told you that once?"

Percy nodded.

"Well, the worst wrong turn was into a Cyclops's lair in Brooklyn."

"They've got Cyclopes in Brooklyn?" Percy asked.

"You wouldn't believe how many, but that's not the point. This Cyclopes, he tricked us. He managed to split us up inside this maze of corridors in an old house in Flatbush. And he could sound like anyone, Percy. Just the way Tyson did aboard the Princess Andromeda. He lured us, one at a time. Thalia thought she was running to save Luke. Luke thought he heard me scream for help. And me... I was alone in the dark. I was seven years old. I couldn't even find the exit."