A web of fates | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

II| bombed ships

It was almost dark by the time they spotted their target. The Princess Andromeda glowed on the horizon—a huge cruise ship lit up yellow and white.

From a distance, you'd think it was just a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan lord. Then as you got closer, you might notice the giant figurehead—a dark-haired maiden in a Greek chiton, wrapped in chains with a look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of all the monsters she was being forced to carry.

Seeing the ship again twisted Percy's gut into knots. He had almost died twice on the Princess Andromeda.

Now it was heading straight for New York. His home. His city.

"You know what to do?" Beckendorf yelled over the wind.

Percy nodded.

They had done dry runs at the dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as their targets. Percy knew how little time they would have.

But he also knew this was their best chance to end Kronos's invasion before it ever started.

"Blackjack," Percy said, "set us down on the lowest stern deck."

Gotcha, boss, he said. Man, I hate seeing that boat.

Three years ago, Blackjack had been enslaved on the Princess Andromeda until he'd escaped with a little help from his friends and Percy.

Percy figured he'd rather have his mane braided like My Little Pony than be back here again.

"Don't wait for us," Percy told him.

But, boss—

"Trust me," He said. "We'll get out by ourselves."

Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted toward the boat like a black comet. The wind whistled in Percy's ears.

He saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship-dracaenae snake-women, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid seal-demons known as telkhines— but they zipped by so fast, none of them raised the alarm.

They shot down the stern of the boat, and Blackjack spread his wings, lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. Percy climbed off, feeling queasy.

Reality had began to hit him. What would he do if he saw Daphne? The girl was bound to be somewhere on the bus.

Good luck, boss, Blackjack said. Don't let 'em turn you into horse meat!

With that, their old friend flew off into the night. Percy took his pen out of his pocket and uncapped it, and Riptide sprang to full size-three feet of deadly Celestial bronze glowing in the dusk.

Beckendorf pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Percy thought it was a map or something. Then he realized it was a photograph.

He stared at it in the dim light-the smiling face of Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. They'd started going out last summer, after years of the rest of them saying, "Duh, you guys like each other!"

Even with all the dangerous missions, Beckendorf had been happier this summer than Percy had ever seen him. It reminded Percy of when Theo and Daphne had began to date.

He quickly shook that thought, remembering how the daughter of Hermes had fooled each and every one of them for years. For many people at camp, including Percy, the topic of Daphne Evans was a sore subject.

The girl had been one of Percy's quest mates for years - since his very first quest - and she was a person he would have never guessed to be a liar and a traitor.

Then again, she was like her older brother in every way.

"We'll make it back to camp," Percy promised.