𝙼𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚊 (𝙇𝙚𝙤 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯 𝙓 𝙊𝙘)

είκοσι τέσσερα

"Let me get this straight," Elena asked snickering, "Annabeth got grounded by Gleeson and now we're going to an aquarium to look for Phorcys?" Frank nodded.

"Why am I here again?" She asked.

"Hedge wants to keep an eye on Annabeth and he picked you as the most capable to be here with us." Percy grumbled.

"That's hilarious actually, couldn't you keep your hands to yourself Percy?" She teased.

"Hey-"

"We're here." Esther, the librarian who had driven them to the aquarium, said parking near the main entrance.

"Thank you so much Esther," Elena said as Esther loaded them up with peach preserves, "You're a
Life saver."

"It's no problem darling,"she responded, "here's my phone number in case of emergencies and here's some cash for a ride back to the Carter Centre."

"It's really not necessary-"

"I insist honey," Esther replied sweetly, "it's the least I could do for sweet kids like you."

"Oh- um in that case thank you." Elena replied, waving off the librarian, "take care."

"You sure she's not a super helpful monster from Tartarus?" Percy asked once more.

Elena shook her head, "not at all, just a really friendly lady who lives in Atlanta."

"Cool," Frank said as they queued up to go in, "anyone have cash? I have three denarii and five Canadian dollars."

"I have-" Elena announced, "three dollars, one drachma and- a pot of mushy peas?"

"So we're broke?" Percy asked.

"Seems so. Maybe we could sneak in?" Elena suggested wondering how to when a woman in a blue-and-green Georgia Aquarium shirt came up to them, smiling brightly.

"Ah, VIP visitors!" She had perky dimpled cheeks, thick-framed glasses, braces, and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails, so that even though she was probably in her late twenties, she looked like a schoolgirl nerd—sort of cute, but sort of odd. Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt, she wore dark slacks and black sneakers, and she bounced on the balls of her feet like she simply couldn't contain her energy. Her name tag read KATE.
"You have your payment, I see," she said. "Excellent!"
"What?" Percy asked.
Kate scooped the three denarii out of Frank's hand. "Yes, that's fine. Right this way!"
She went off toward the main entrance.
"A trap?" Percy asked.
"Most definitely," Elena responded, "she's not mortal that's for sure."
"Great." Frank muttered.
"Could be worse." Elena grinned at him, it felt good to be back in action.
"Right this way." Kate grinned at Percy. "It's a wonderful exhibit. You won't be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs."
"Uh, you mean demigods?" Frank asked.
Kate winked at him impishly and put a finger to her mouth. "So over here is the cold-water experience, with your penguins and beluga whales and whatnot. And over there...well, those are some fish, obviously."
For an aquarium worker, she didn't seem to know much or care much about the smaller fish. They passed one huge tank full of tropical species, and when Frank pointed to a particular fish and asked what it was, Kate said, "Oh, those are the yellow ones."
They passed the gift shop. Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys.
"Take what you want," Kate told him.
Frank blinked. "Really?"
"Of course! You're a VIP!"
Frank hesitated. Then he stuffed some T-shirts in his backpack.
"Dude," Percy said, "what are you doing?"
"She said I could," Frank whispered. "Besides, I need more clothes. I didn't pack for a long trip!"
Then he added a snow globe, which was obviously not clothing. Then he picked up a Chinese handcuff and inspected it.
He squinted at it. "What is—?"
"Chinese handcuffs," Percy said.
Frank, who was Chinese Canadian, looked offended. "How is this Chinese?"
"I don't know," Percy said. "That's just what it's called. It's like a gag gift. I'll show you later."
They followed Kate through an acrylic tunnel and emerged in a viewing room. Kate talked to them as they followed her through another tunnel.
"So Phorcys is her brother?" Frank said.
Elena nodded, "they could be helpful but it doesn't mean we should fully trust them."
Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! Sponsored by Monster Donut.
"Monster Donut?" Elena asked, "I could use a snack right about now."
"Oh, yes," Kate said. "One of our corporate sponsors."
In one aquarium, a dozen hippocampi—horses with the tails of fish—drifted aimlessly.
"This isn't right," Percy muttered before turning to see something even worse. worse. At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids—female sea spirits—sat cross-legged, facing each other, playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored. Their long green hair floated listlessly around their faces. Their eyes were half closed. Elena gasped in horror and turned to Percy who seemed to become angrier.
He glared at Kate. "How can you keep them here?"
"I know." Kate sighed. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid. I think you'll like this tank over here much better."
Elena gawked in horror at two sea serpents—thirty-foot-long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could have bitten a whale shark in half. In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size of an eighteen-wheeler, with a beak like a giant bolt cutter.
A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands. They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Legos, though the creatures seemed just as dazed as the Nereids.
"Are those—?" Percy struggled to form the question.
"Telkhines?" Kate said. "Yes! The only ones in captivity.
"But they fought for Kronos in the last war!" Percy said. "They're dangerous!"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we couldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous. Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."
"Sedated?" Frank asked. "Is that legal?"
"Immortals hardly care about legality." Elena whispered to the boy as they kept on walking, "We'd have a lot of godly lawsuits if they did." Frank nodded in agreement.
"And these sea monsters," Kate narrated up ahead, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod—"
"Demigod?" Frank yelped.
"But they will eat whales or small boats, too." Kate turned to Percy and blushed. "Sorry...I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon, and all."
Elena didn't like how much Kate knew about her cousin, it felt risky and she definitely didn't like how casual Kate was about drugging sea monsters or which of her babies liked devouring demigods. Her babies- oh my gods, they're all her babies-
"Who are you?" Percy demanded. "Does Kate stand for something?"
"Kate?" She looked momentarily confused. Then she glanced at her name tag. "Oh..." She laughed. "No, it's—" Keto, Elena thought, mother of sea monsters. She had to tell the others.
"Hello!" said a new voice, booming through the aquarium.
A small man scuttled out of the darkness. He walked sideways on bowed legs like a crab, his back hunched, his arms raised on either side like he was holding invisible plates.
He wore a wet suit that was several horrible shades of green. Glittery silver words printed down the side read: PORKY'S FOLLIES.
"Hi." Elena smiled as friendly as she could, "Great entrance." She lied as she remembered his awkward attempt to get the telkhines to move.
"Thank you!" The man beamed. "I am Phorcys."
Frank shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Why does your suit say Porky?"
Phorcys snarled. "Stupid uniform company! They can't get anything right."
Kate tapped her name tag. "I told them my name was Keto. They misspelled it as Kate. My brother...well, now he's Porky."
"I am not!" the man snapped. "I'm not even a little porky. The name doesn't work with Follies, either. What kind of show is called Porky's Follies? But you folks don't want to hear us complain. Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid!"
He gestured dramatically toward the squid tank. This time, fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue, sending up geysers of golden sparkles. Music swelled from the loudspeakers. The lights brightened and revealed the wondrous majesty of an empty tank.
The squid had apparently skulked back into its cave.
"Curse it!" Phorcys yelled again. He wheeled on his sister. "Keto, training the squid was your job. Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?"
"He's shy," Keto said defensively. "Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily." She turned toward Frank. "Did you know the monstrous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armor and all, without getting indigestion? It's true!"
Frank stumbled away from her, hugging his gut as if making sure he was still in one piece.
"Keto!" Porky snapped—literally, since he clicked his fingers to his thumbs like crab claws. "You'll bore our guests with so much information. Less education, more entertainment! We've discussed this."
"But—"
"No buts! We're here to present 'Death in the Deep Seas!' Sponsored by Monster Donut!"
The last words reverberated through the room with extra echo. Lights flashed. Smoke clouds billowed from the floor, making donut-shaped rings that smelled like real donuts. Elena's stomach rumbled appreciatively.
"Available at the concession stand," Phorcys advised. "But you've spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour, and so you shall! Come with me!"
"Um, hold it," Percy said.
Phorcys's smile melted in an ugly way. "Yes?"
"You're a sea god, aren't you?" Percy asked. "Son of Gaea?"
The crab man sighed. "Five thousand years, and I'm still known as Gaea's little boy. Never mind that I'm one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than your upstart father, by the way. I'm god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no...nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I'm exiled from the ocean—to Atlanta, of all places."
"We thought the Olympians said Atlantis," Keto explained. "Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead."
Percy narrowed his eyes. "And you're a goddess?"
"Keto, yes!" She smiled happily. "Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It's true!"
Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick. Elena thought that Gleeson Hedge was missing out, he would have loved this whole experience.
"I'm gonna go now." Keto said looking bored, "so many babies to take care of not enough time."
"So," Percy started, "Dionysus sent us here."
"Bacchus." Frank corrected. Percy nodded.
"Bacchus said you might know what your mom Gaea is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours—Ephialtes and Otis. And if you happen to know anything about this Mark of Athena—"
"Bacchus thought I would help you?" Phorcys asked.
"Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, you're Phorcys. Everybody talks about you."
Phorcys tilted his head so that his mismatched eyes almost lined up. "They do?"
"Of course. Don't they, Frank?" Elena added.
"Oh...sure!" Frank said. "People talk about you all the time."
"What do they say?" the god asked.
Frank looked uncomfortable. "Well, you have great pyrotechnics. And a good announcer's voice. And, um, a disco ball—"
"It's true!" Phorcys clacked his fingers and thumbs excitedly. "I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world!"
"You also know stuff," Elena said, hoping to butter him up enough, "you're intelligent and know stuff about the twins and what they're up to don't you?"
Phorcys gave a snort of disapproval as he talked about the giant twins. Elena listened carefully hoping he'd away something that could save Nico.
"—And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!'"
"Good advice," Percy agreed. "And now the twins are—"
"Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome," Phorcys sneered. "It's one of Mother's silly ideas. They're keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar." He turned toward Frank. "You're a child of Ares, aren't you? You've got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once."
"Child of Mars," Frank corrected. "Wait...these giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?" Phorcys snorted as he continued his rambling
"You said this—this doomsday show was Gaea's idea?" Elena asked wanting to get straight to the point.
"Well...Mother's plans always have lots of layers." He laughed. "The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!"
"Uh-huh," Percy said. "And so her plan..."
"Oh, she's put out a general bounty on some group of demigods," Phorcys said. "She doesn't really care who kills them, as long as they're killed. Well...I take that back. She was very specific that two must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such. That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena." Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. "Ha! Good luck with that, eh?"
Frank laughed nervously. "Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb because, uh..."
Phorcys narrowed his eyes.
Elena slipped her hands into her pocket and closed her hand around her Swiss knife. Even this old sea god must be smart enough to realize they were the demigods with the bounty on their heads.
But Phorcys just grinned and elbowed Frank again. "Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you're right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston, they'd never make it to Rome alive!"
"Yes, the map in Charleston," Elena said to Percy who nodded as Phorcys rambled on, "this way please."
Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel.
Frank scratched his head. "Do we have to—?" He turned sideways.
"It's just a figure of speech, man," Percy said. "Come on."
******
They went into a large exhibit that looked suspiciously like a fish tank.
"What do you keep in here?" Frank asked. "Giant killer goldfish?"
Phorcys raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish."
At descendant of Poseidon, Frank flinched. He stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing. Elena took out her Swiss knife and watched as it transformed into a sword. She held it against Phorcys' neck and looked at Percy for confirmation. This was so clearly a trap.
"How do you know Frank's last name?" he demanded. "How do you know he's descended from Poseidon?"
"Well..." Phorcys shrugged, trying to look modest. "It was probably in the descriptions Gaea provided. You know, for the bounty, Percy Jackson." Elena pressed the sword closer to the god's neck.
Percy uncapped his pen. Instantly, Riptide appeared in his hand. "Don't double-cross me, Phorcys. You promised me answers."
"After the VIP treatment, yes," Phorcys agreed. "I promised to tell you everything you need to know. The thing is, however, you don't really need to know anything." His grotesque smile stretched wide. "You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is quite unlikely, you'd never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you? So I have a better plan. You're not leaving. You're VIPs—Very Important Prisoners!"
Elena swung her sword as if to take off his head and Frank hurled his backpack at the sea god's head. Phorcys simply disappeared.
The god's voice reverberated through the aquarium's sound system, echoing down the tunnel. "Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she did agree that I could keep anything I caught. You two will make an excellent exhibit—the only demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity. 'Demigod Terrors'—yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM."
"You're crazy!" Frank yelled.
"Don't sell yourself short!" Phorcys said. "You'll be our biggest draw!"
Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well. Their tunnel had become a bubble. He put his hand against the glass and realized it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in.
"We won't cooperate, Phorcys!" Elena  shouted.
"Oh, I'm optimistic," the sea god's voice boomed. "If you won't fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you'll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you'll come to love your new home."
Over their heads, the glass dome cracked and began to leak. Percy yelled at Phorcys but to no avail. The glass dome shattered and water crashed in. Elena began to panic, she couldn't breathe underwater, she couldn't turn into a giant koi the way she had just seen Frank do.
She called for Percy. No response.
"Percy!" She called choking on salt water.
What was she going to do? The mark of Achilles didn't cover drowning in their insurance policy. Think Elena, think!! She closed her eyes and waited for the water to envelop her.
Become one with the shadows, become a ghost.  A familiar voice said. Erebus! Grandfather.
What? Elena asked into the darkness, the water was up to her neck now, she was going to drown.
Become a ghost!
How?! She yelled into the void.
Concentrate.
How can I concentrate when I'm actively drowning??! She was holding her breath now, her head fully submerged in the water. ARE YOU TELLING ME TO DIE?!
NO! You stupid child, think. Relax your body and separate your soul from your body.
YOU'RE BASICALLY TELLING ME TO DIE. GREAT! I'M GONNA DIE! AGAIN!!
You will not die, your body will be inanimate but your soul can always go back in, it's like getting in and out of a jacket.
Yeah but the jacket just happens to be MY DEAD BODY!! What if I can't get back in?
Then you will be stuck as a spirit forever. You'll fail your quest and the world will end. You watch your friends die and that's the end of that.
That's great, real great. Elena thought. She physically couldn't hold her breath anymore, she was floating in an abyss. Push your soul out of your body, no big deal. She clamped her mouth shut and envisioned herself being pushed out her body, a sensation of being shoved came from behind her. She felt the oxygen leave her lungs and her heart slow down, in a last desperate attempt, she opened her eyes and saw Percy's panicked expression as her body sank lower and lower. Leave the body, like taking off a jacket. She felt her eyelids flutter and when she looked once more she was standing at the bottom of the tank. She could see Percy clutching her body and shaking her begging her to wake up.
Silently she glided up to him and tried to grab his shoulder. Her hand passed through his body and for the first time, Elena found out what it was like to be a ghost. Unable to touch the people she loved.
"Percy." She said expecting to see oxygen bubbles come out of her mouth. When nothing came out she panicked but then realised it was nothing because the dead didn't need oxygen.
"Percy." She tried again. Percy said nothing but looked at Goldfish Frank next to him and held her body tightly.
"I think I'm hearing things Frank." He said. "It's like she's here with us now."
"That's because I am." Elena said louder, "Perseus Jackson turn around I'm right here."
Percy whirled around to look for her. Instead he looked the wrong way.
"Percy, I'm here, can you not see me?" Elena asked. This time he looked at her.
"I can almost see you," Percy replied, focusing his eyes. "It's like an outline almost like someone traced you into the water."
"That's great." Elena said satisfied with her first attempt.
"So, you're not dead?" Percy asked.
"No, well yes but also no?" Elena said, " I pushed my soul out of my body before I could actually die. You're looking at my ghost but since I didn't die, die I can go back into my body again, hopefully."
"Hopefully?" Goldfish Frank asked, looking at her.
"Yes well... I'm not sure how to get back into my body yet." Elena admitted making Percy's eyes widen, "I'll figure this out, I always do. Umm, Since I'm dead, this is a bit awkward, I guess protect my body until we get out. Frank, can you turn into something more...useful?"
Silence. Maybe Frank was concentrating, though it was impossible to tell, since koi don't have many expressions.
"Sorry." Frank sounded embarrassed. "I'm stuck. That happens sometimes when I panic." Well shit.
"Let's figure out how to escape." Elena suggested. She glided around the tank as Frank swam around the other way. Both of them came back with the same bad news.
"No exits." Elena grumbled as she returned to Percy who was guarding her body.
"Let me try," he said. The top was covered with Celestial bronze mesh, like the curtains that roll down over closed storefronts at the mall. Percy tried to cut through with Riptide, but he couldn't make a dent. He tried to smash through the glass wall with his sword hilt—again, no luck. Then he repeated his efforts with several of the weapons lying around the bottom of the tank and managed to break three tridents, a sword, and a speargun.
Finally he tried to control the water. He wanted it to expand and break the tank, or explode out the top. The water didn't obey. Maybe it was enchanted, or under the power of Phorcys. Percy concentrated hard but the best he could do was blow the lid off the plastic treasure chest.
"Well, that's it," he said dejectedly. "I'll have to live in a plastic gingerbread house the rest of my life, fighting my giant goldfish friend and waiting for feeding time."
"Percy," Elena said, "I doubt that Frank will stay a koi forever. Maybe he'll occasionally turn into a squid, keep things interesting once in a while?"
Percy raised his eyebrows looking unimpressed.
"What," Elena shrugged, "Just some fishy humour coming from the dead person in this group."
"I push you had a physical body to shove right now." Percy replied unimpressed.
"Rude. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean you can disrespect me. I'm still pretty strong. I can walk through you, I can walk through Frank, I can walk through the gingerbread house, I can- I could probably walk out this tank." The realisation hit her like a truck.
"Maybe I can try something." She suggested as she reached the edge of the tanks. Elena didn't know what she was expecting, maybe an electric shock or some barrier that forced her back in? Anything really that could have kept her in. Nothing. By the gods did she feel stupid, why didn't she try this earlier?
Percy looked at her from the inside of the tank. "We needed that like ten minutes ago!"
"Ungrateful much-" Elena replied, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue at her cousin, "I forgot I was dead alright?!"
She couldn't physically break the glass but maybe she could get something else to do it. She gave an experimental flick of the wrist and watched in delight as a black tendril of shadow came from the ground. She could still use some of her powers. She tapped the glass with the point of her shadows and sighed in relief as she realised the glass could be shattered.
"Percy," she said, "I'll try from out here, you try from there, break the glass."
Percy nodded and slammed a football sized marble into the glass. From the outside Elena summoned more of the shadows to crack the glass. Perhaps being a ghost made it more difficult than usual, Elena found it a monumentally difficult task to use more force. A little bit more she thought, if this was in her real body, she would have been sweating buckets from the effort. Her concentration broke as she watched one translucent hand faded away entirely. Shit that's not good she thought before returning her focus back to the glass. She needed to get them out. Her hand disappearing would be the last of their problems.
One more aimed jab at the glass and it shattered some more, two more jabs, the glass fractured, the third jab totally cracked the glass and Elena suspected that Percy did something to the water as it gushed forth uncontrollably sweeping Frank and him out the water and into the amphitheatre. Fish Frank flopped around in a panic before turning back into Human Frank who spat out salt water and got to his feet.
"Run." Percy spluttered, taking fake seaweed out his hair. Frank looked towards the door and began to run.
"Wait!" Elena yelled, making the boys freeze. "My body? Where's my gods' forsaken body?"  The boys looked around in a panic before Frank stopped.
"Here! It's here." Frank exclaimed, dragging it out of some netting, "Your body is fine."
"Good!" Elena said, watching Frank easily scoop up her body, "Now run!!"
Alarms blared as they fled the exhibits.
The team fled into the whale shark exhibit and out into the streets with the rest of the panicked mortals.

____________________

I promised more regular uploads but I'm sorry to say that this is one of my most unproductive holidays. I have rotted away. My motivation to do anything has literally decayed to nothing. I'm sorry y'all 😢

On another note, I saw a comment on the previous chapter that the chapter was so sweet it was gonna give them diabetes. I-

It's gonna be cutesy and fluffy before we get to the soul crushing parts. I'm trynna keep things light to avoid the impending doom Elena will face.  Also side note. Elena dying is pretty much a recurring theme. She will on and off like a light switch I'm afraid. Perks of being a demigod (not).

Stay safe, stay in school (?), stay hydrated.