Rising Heroes Book Four: The Sands of Ouroboros

Chapter Twenty-Four: Of Myths and Men

Disclaimer: I don't own HOO or VE

Chapter Twenty-Four: Of Myths and Men

The Sea of Monsters, sometime in the past

The curse of Triton.

It was given to girls when they refused to go in the water for over a year. If any descendant of Poseidon, Neptune, a Nereid... anything, if they didn't touch salt water then they would begin to crave it. And when they finally did enter the water they grew a tail that would not go away until they were completely dry.

Percy was a son of Poseidon, so of course he would not know this. And Addie visited the sea every year with her parents in New Rome. But for a time, after her brother's quest, Gabi had gone through a rebellious phase. Her brother was moody. He didn't spend time with her any more, not even to tease her. Him and Skye had broken up and he was mad at everyone and everything.

Maybe she just wanted attention, or she was mad too, because for a year she refused to go into the sea.

She could breathe underwater just fine, but she didn't have a control over the waves. It felt like a good rebellion, to refuse to go into something her brother loved and could control.

But it hadn't mattered, because she had begun to crave the sea in the end. Her dad had tried to reverse it, but Gabi actually didn't mind. She liked having a new connection with the water, being able to swim deeper with her father when she wasn't able to before. And the ocean was the perfect escape when she got upset.

The only drawback? If she came into contact with any water at all, she would grow a tail. Every day was a new challenge, a new obstacle course, but she had grown used to it. She definitely didn't need her brother trying to fix it now.

And it turned out his anger was for nothing, because he got together with Skye in the end and apparently had a son.

As they scaled the cliffs, Gale helped Gabi with a few wind bursts whenever he could. The lava wall had never been her favorite at camp. "Thanks," she said, panting, when they reached the top.

They crossed a drawbridge onto one side of the divided island, watching as Polyphemus went through his carnivorous sheep. Adrian tried to pull her aside, but Gabi ignored him.

On the other side Clarisse was tied up beside a pot of boiling stew, Grover beside her. Having heard this story a million times, Gabi thought it was funny to actually see her Uncle Grover in a wedding dress and tell Polyphemus to make "mango chutney."

When the cyclops had lumbered away and the cave was sealed, they waited.

Skye went over to Chase. "Can we talk?" she asked. 

Chase nodded.

"In the future," she asked. "how... are... um, are me and Adrian..."

Chase shook his head. "You guys were kind of on and off. But when I was eight, you got married; and you've been together ever since."

"Really?" Skye bit her lip.

"Yep," Chase said. "You were pregnant, too, before... before..."

"Before what?"

"Before Rhea killed you," Chase admitted. 

Skye glanced at Addie and Calypso. "Her too," Chase said.

Meanwhile, Adrian had finally pulled Gabi aside. "I want to help," he said.

"I don't need your help," Gabi replied. "Get it through your seaweed brain- I don't need anything from you. I'm older now, and I'm not your little kid sister anymore."

"Wait!" Adrian grabbed at her again. "What did I do?"

He looked so sad, so like her brother, that she felt herself sighing and turning to him. "You pushed me away in the future," she said. "You turned mean. So that's why I stayed away from the water. And you didn't even notice, because you knew about Triton's curse and you never told me."

Adrian's face dropped. "I did?" He asked.

Gabi shrugged. "Whatever."

"No, wait," Adrian said. "I'm sorry, Elly. Please. I'll do better, I promise. You're my little sister. And I'm supposed to protect you. Please... let me have another chance."

The Adrian in front of her was different from the Adrian she had known the past few years. She felt her heart crack and open, and before she knew it she was hugging him.

Suddenly there was a bright glow from Adrian's pocket. "What is that?" Gabi asked.

Adrian pulled out the pocketwatch. It was starting to glow, the cracks repairing themselves and the cogs going back to position. "It's fixing itself," Adrian said in amazement. 

"How?" Gabi's eyes were wide as the watch started to move.

Adrian quickly stepped back and the watch stopped glowing. "I think us working together was enough to power it," he said. "We're close enough in relation to Kronos, I guess. But we should make sure we don't back in time accidentally."

"Come on," Skye said, coming over to them. "We have to help them."

They moved behind Percy and Annabeth. "Ok," Annabeth said. "We're gonna pull a reverse Odysseus move. I'll distract him invisibly and the rest of you get on the belies of the sheep."

Gale wrinkled his nose but nodded. They all climbed onto the underbellies of the normal, non people-eating sheep. When the Cyclops rumbled over again and moved the giant rock, letting the sheep pass through, Annabeth shouted out, "hey!"

Polyphemus immediately turned. "Who's there?"

"Nobody!" Annabeth shouted.

Polyphemus immediately turned angry. When he ran after the invisible sound, they fell off the sheep dashed into the deeper parts of the cave.

"Perrrrcy!" Grover bleated. Clarisse looked at the rest of them suspiciously, but let them cut her bonds. But when they stood to run out of the cave, Polyphemus was standing in front of the cave, holding Annabeth by the ankle.

"I caught Nobody!" he said proudly.