𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙨 𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 - 𝙋. 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣

The Princess Andromeda and a pet snake

"Seems I get in my own way
The more I think, the less I say."

Novalie woke to a ship's whistle and a voice on the intercom – some guy with an Australian accent who sounded way too happy. "Good morning, passengers! We'll be at sea all day today. Excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! Don't forget million-dollar bingo in the Kraken Lounge at one o'clock, and for our special guests, disemboweling practice on the Promenade!"

Annabeth looked at Novalie. "What did he say?"

The two girls ran to the Poseidon brothers. Annabeth stuck her head in – her blonde hair in a rat's nest. "Disemboweling practice?"

Once they were all dressed, they ventured out into the ship and were surprised tosee other people. A dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast. A dad was taking his kids to the pool for a morning swim. Crew members in crisp whiteuniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers. Nobody asked who they were. Nobody paid them much attention. But there was something wrong.

As the family of swimmers passed the four, the dad told his kids, "We are on a cruise. We are having fun."

"Yes," his three kids said in unison, their expressions blank. "We are having a blast. We will swim in the pool."

They wandered off.

"Good morning," a crew member told them, his eyes glazed. "We are all enjoying ourselves aboard the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day."

He drifted away.

"Guys, this is weird," Annabeth whispered. "They're all in some kind of trance."

Then they passed a cafeteria and saw their first monster. It was a hellhound – a black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet counter and its muzzle buriedin the scrambled eggs. It must've been young, because it was small compared tomost – no bigger than a grizzly bear. It made Novalie think of Cerberus and how much she missed him.

The weird thing was, a middle-aged couple was standing in the buffet queue right behind the dog, patiently waiting their turn for the eggs. They didn'tseem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Not hungry any more," Tyson murmured.

Before anyone could reply, a reptilian voice came from down the corridor, "Ssssix more joined yesssterday."

Annabeth gestured frantically towards the nearest hiding place – the women's room – and all four of them ducked inside.

Something – or more like two somethings – slithered past the restroom door making sounds like sandpaper against the carpet.

"Yesss," a second reptilian voice said. "He drawssss them. Ssssoon we will be sssstrong."

The things slithered into the cafeteria with a cold hissing that might have been snake laughter.

Annabeth looked at the two demigods. "We have to get out of here."

"You think I want to be in the girls' restroom?"

"She meant the ship, Percy! We have to get off the ship." Novalie facepalmed.

"Smells bad," Tyson agreed. "And dogs eat all the eggs. Annabeth is right. We must leave the restroom and ship."

Novalie was about to tell Annabeth an idea she had when they heard another voice outside – one that was far more worse than any monster's.

"– only a matter of time. Don't push me, Agrius!"

It was Luke, beyond a doubt. They could never forget his voice.

"I'm not pushing you!" another guy growled. His voice was deeper and even angrier than Luke's. "I'm just saying, if this gamble doesn't pay off –"