Umbra

Chapter 32

The other quest was fruitless.

The boys reported, thoroughly disappointed, that they'd found nothing in the Civil War sub or elsewhere in the museum; just a few elderly tourists, a dozing security guard, and– when they tried to inspect the artifacts– a whole battalion of glowing zombies in gray uniforms. Frank had had no luck in controlling them. When Piper had Iris-messaged them, they'd already been running back to the ship.

Leo had been stressed as he told the story, and was now even more stress trying to keep the ship in one piece as Percy and Jason's combined storm guided them away from the Romans. Percy had spoken to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor that told them to seek help from Chiron's brothers– which of the many, they had no idea. Leo punched in the latitude and longitude and went back to steering.

Hazel surprisingly hadn't retreated into her cabin. She and Frank had moved off to the side to talk, and it was very quickly growing heated. The others stood close to Leo, Jason, and Percy, trying to be supportive with only their presence. Emilia used the darkness swallowing them to form a shield of dark energy over the deck, keeping them all from being pelted by the rain and brittle wind.

Coach Hedge finally pried Leo off of the steering wheel after two hours, once the sea calmed and the winds died– they were far enough away from Charleston and the boys were exhausted. Emilia guided him to take a seat, giving him a few crumbs of nectar for his stiff hands along with a full glass of water while Annabeth and Piper tended to Percy and Jason.

Hazel and Frank were still arguing– Emilia was surprised that Hazel's seasickness hadn't kicked in by now. They didn't quiet down until they saw Leo staring. Frank scowled as they met at the mast, "No sign of a pursuit."

"Or land," added Hazel. They were now in the middle of the ocean. Open sea in all directions, a course toward the Mare Nostrum, no one able to help them but themselves.

Leo glanced at Emilia as if not wanting to think about what this would mean. He cleared his throat and turned to Annabeth, "Did you find the map you wanted?"

Annabeth nodded, though visibly pale. "I'll have to study it. How far are we from those coordinates?"

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

"No," she admitted. "Percy?"

He raised his head, green eyes 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 is the mother of sea monsters and can still send her children after us. The Nereid said we should expect an attack."

"Wonderful," muttered Frank.

Jason tried to stand, but sank back against the mast, supported by Piper. "Can we get the ship aloft? If we could fly–"

"That'd be great," said Leo, "except Festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter. 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," said Hazel, already a bit queasy. "We need to go fast. We've burned another day, and Nico only has three more left."

"We can do it," promised Leo.

"If we have an hour," offered Emilia, "we should rest. Percy and Jason, you two need a nap– you look like you're about to throw up and cry at the same time. You used all your strength for that... terrifying storm. Go to your cabins."