▃▃▃ ᴅᴏɴᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴏꜰ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰᴏᴏʟ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴇ ɪꜱ ꜰᴜʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ʙᴀᴅ-ᴊ ɪʀᴏɴ ᴡᴏʀᴅ
▃▃ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 1 ▃▃ In which the only daughter of Persephone sneaks on a quest to see the world for the first time since she's been at camp. The daughter of wisdom...
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𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⭑ ‧₊˚ ⋅ જ⁀➴๋࣭ ⭑๋࣭ ⭑
"You are in so much trouble," Clarisse said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.
They had just endured a ship tour they never wanted, through dim, claustrophobic rooms overcrowded with the spectral forms of dead sailors. They'd seen the coal bunker, the boilers and engine, which huffed and groaned as if it might explode at any moment. The pilot house, the powder magazine, and the gunnery deck-Clarisse's favorite-were all part of the tour. The deck boasted two Dahlgren smoothbore cannons on the port and starboard sides and a Brooke nine-inch rifled gun fore and aft, all specially refitted to fire celestial bronze cannonballs.
Everywhere they went, the dead Confederate sailors stared at them, their ghostly, bearded faces shimmering over their skulls. They seemed to approve of Annabeth because she mentioned she was from Virginia. They were intrigued by Percy, too, because his last name was Jackson, like the Southern general. However, he ruined it by admitting he was from New York, which led to hissing and muttered curses about Yankees.
Tyson was terrified of them. Throughout the tour, he insisted Annabeth hold his hand, which she did reluctantly. The ghosts didn't seem to bother Elara much; she couldn't decide whether to be offended or relieved by their indifference.
Finally, they were escorted to dinner. The captain's quarters of the CSS Birmingham were about the size of a walk-in closet but still larger than any other room on board. The table was set with white linen and china. Skeletal crewmen served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, and Dr Peppers. Elara didn't want to eat anything served by ghosts, but her hunger overruled her fear.
"Tantalus expelled you for eternity," Clarisse told them smugly. "Mr. D said if any of you show your face at camp again, he'll turn you into squirrels and run you over with his SUV."
"How lovely," Elara commented, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Did they give you this ship?" Percy asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
"Course not. My father did," Clarisse replied, her tone filled with pride.
"Ares?" Percy guessed.
Clarisse sneered. "You think your daddy is the only one with sea power? The spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to Ares. That's their curse for being defeated. I prayed to my father for a naval transport, and here it is. These guys will do anything I tell them. Won't you, Captain?"
The captain stood behind her, looking stiff and angry. His glowing green eyes fixed them with a hungry stare. "If it means an end to this infernal war, ma'am, peace at last, we'll do anything. Destroy anyone-"
