Blood Of Poseidon

XII. The Confession

Percy saw his demigod friends except Annabeth swimming towards the Miami beach with Golden Fleece leaving him with Grover and Tyson. He had given them the money or the card from Lotus hotel to buy ticket and fly to New York. It was the fastest way. Something in back of his mind warned him that they have no enough time left to heal Thalia's pine tree. Besides he had something more to worry. "Percy," Annabeth said, "that was so-" "Generous?" Grover offered. "Insane," Annabeth corrected. "You're betting the lives of everybody at camp that Clarisse will get the Fleece safely back by tonight?" "It's her quest," Percy said. "She deserves a chance." "Percy is nice," Tyson said. "Percy is too nice," Annabeth grumbled. As they were talking, Suddenly a sword's point at Percy's throat. He turned to see Luke and his friends holding his friends hostage. Tyson was putting up pretty much resistance. "Percy," Luke said calmly, "tell your giant to back down or I'll have Oreius bash your friends' heads together." "What do you want, Luke?" Percy growled. "Why, Percy," Luke said, "I want to extend my hospitality, of course." A dozen of Luke's assorted goons-snake people, Laistrygonians, demigods in battle armor-had gathered to watch them get some "hospitality." "And so, the Fleece," Luke mused. "Where is it?" He looked them over, prodding Percy's shirt with the tip of his sword, poking Grover's jeans. "Hey!" Grover yelled. "That's real goat fur under there!" "Sorry, old friend." Luke smiled. "Just give me the Fleece and I'll leave you to return to your, ah, little nature quest." "Blaa-ha-ha!" Grover protested. "Some old friend!" "Maybe you didn't hear me." Luke's voice was dangerously calm. "Where-is-the-Fleece?" "Not here," I said. "We sent it on ahead of us. You messed up." Luke's eyes narrowed. "You're lying. You couldn't have ..." His face reddened as a horrible possibility occurred to him. "Clarisse?" Percy nodded. "You trusted ... you gave ..." "Yeah." "Agrius!" The bear giant flinched. "Y-yes?" "Go back to our ship and prepare my steed. I need to fly to the Miami Airport, fast.'" "But, boss-" "Do it!" Luke screamed. "Or I'll feed you to the drakon!" Percy saw the sun was glinting brightly. Perfect to make rainbow.

With a plan in mind, Percy made Luke walk closer to the side of the ship. And as trained during his sail, Percy successfully got the waves to spray mist which in turn had produced rainbow. "You've been toying with us all along," he said. "You wanted us to bring you the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it." Luke scowled. "Of course, you idiot! And you've messed everything up!" "Traitor!" Percy dug his last gold drachma out of his pocket and threw it at Luke. As expected, he dodged it easily. The coin sailed into the spray of rainbow-colored mist. Percy thought with all his heart wishing the goddess would hear him: 'O goddess, accept my offering'. He saw the coin disappear and the mist shimmer. "You tricked all of us!" Percy yelled at Luke. "Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!" He uncapped Riptide. Luke just sneered. "This is no time for heroics, Percy. Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later." "Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?" "I did, of course," Luke snarled. "I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus." "Chiron had nothing to do with it?" "Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool wouldn't have the guts." "You call it guts? Betraying your friends? Endangering the whole camp?" Luke raised his sword. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece ... once I was done with it." Percy knew Luke was lying. "You were going to heal Kronos," He said. "Yes! The Fleece's magic would've sped his mending process by tenfold. But you haven't stopped us, Percy. You've only slowed us down a little." "And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up-all to help Kronos destroy the gods." Luke gritted his teeth. "You know that! Why do you keep asking me? ""Because I want everybody in the audience to hear you." "What audience?" Then his eyes narrowed. He looked behind him and his goons did the same. They gasped and stumbled back. Above the crashing waves, shimmering in the rainbow mist, was an Iris-message, vision of Dionysus, Tantalus, and the whole camp in the dining pavilion. They sat in stunned silence, watching them. "Well," said Dionysus dryly, "some unplanned dinner entertainment."" Mr. D, you heard him," Percy said. "You all heard Luke. The poisoning of the tree wasn't Chiron's fault." Mr. D sighed. "I suppose not." "The Iris-message could be a trick," Tantalus suggested, but his attention was mostly on his cheeseburger, which he was trying to corner with both hands. "I fear not," Mr. D said, looking with distaste at Tantalus. "It appears I shall have to reinstate Chiron as activities director. I suppose I do miss the old horse's pinochle games." Tantalus grabbed the cheeseburger. It didn't bolt away from him. He lifted it from the plate and stared at it in amazement, as if it were the largest diamond in the world. "I got it!" he cackled. "We are no longer in need of your services, Tantalus," Mr. D announced. Tantalus looked stunned. "What? But-""You may return to the Underworld. You are dismissed." "No! But- Nooooooooooo!" As he dissolved into mist, his fingers clutched at the cheeseburger, trying to bring it to his mouth. But it was too late. He disappeared and the cheeseburger fell back onto its plate. The campers exploded into cheering.