a story as endless as the ocean . pjo / allie jackson

0.7 the princess andromeda

0.7 We Board the Most Murder-Boat Murder Boat to Ever Murder Boat

I was staring at the waves with crossed arms and a brooding expression when Luke and Tyson found me.

"What's going on?" Luke asked, pulling me to him with one arm and giving me a worried once-over. His sword was out and once he established that I wasn't hurt, he scanned the area for threats. "I heard you calling for help!"

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

Okay, I loved Tyson, but surely he knew that I would never phrase anything like that? Maybe he was paraphrasing, not quoting me.

"I didn't call you guys," I told them reassuringly, though distantly, still trying to figure out what I was going to do. "I'm fine."

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

"Just listen," I cut him off. "We don't have much time."

I told them about my conversation with Hermes (Luke's expression went tight as soon as I mentioned him). By the time I was finished, I could hear screeching in the distance— patrol harpies picking up our scent.

"Allie," Luke said seriously. "We have to do the quest. Travis and Conner overheard Mark and Sherman talking about how Tantalus wouldn't let Clarisse select any companions. She needs our help."

That made my decision for me. If there was one thing about me everyone could agree on, it was my fierce loyalty towards my friends. I couldn't stand back and let Clarisse be hurt, or Camp be destroyed. I nodded, but Luke didn't notice, and was still trying to convince me.

"Camp is our home, we can't let it be destroyed, and that's what'll happen if we don't go, not to mention Grover! Tyson can stay behind and tell them—"

"I want to go," Tyson said suddenly.

"No!" Luke's voice sounded close to panic. "I mean... Angel, come on. You know that's impossible. Three people per quest, that's the rule. You, me and Clarisse make three. Tyson can't come."

I bit my lip in thought. Somewhere over the past year, I had noticed that the campers had cast in me the role of a leader for them. It was a heavy weight, and I often felt lost in it. But I wasn't going to let them down, not if I could help it. Part of that meant making decisions properly, with my head and not my heart. Even if I hated to think things through.

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

The thing was, part of me didn't want Tyson along. I loved him, and quests were dangerous. 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 picture 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, Hermes had evidently intended for Tyson to come too, otherwise, he wouldn't have called him over to me.

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

"Angel," Luke said, trying to keep his cool. "we're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is an S-i-k ... a C-y-k..." He flung his hands up in frustration. Luke 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. But we're about to get eaten, so we can argue later."

Tyson clapped his hands. "Want to!"