GOLD RUSH ↬ percy jackson x reader

HERMES CABIN REUNION?

I HAD ANOTHER DREAM THAT NIGHT.

They were more flashes than dreams, and more disturbing than prophetic. For example, a brown eyed, dark haired girl whispering about stars, a hairbrush being thrown, Percy on a tropical island with some girl and finally, a woman whom I'd never seen before, making cookies. Was that my mother?

I 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!"

I rubbed the sleep out of my eye and squinted in Annabeth's direction. "Did he just say—"
She nodded and urgently knocked on the door leading to Percy and Tyson. It was more out of respect, or notice, as she opened the door and stuck her head in—her blond hair in a rat's nest. "Disemboweling practice?"

Once we were all dressed, we ventured out into the ship and were surprised to see 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 white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.

Nobody asked who we were. Nobody paid us much attention. But there was something... wrong.

As the family of swimmers passed us, 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 us, his eyes glazed. "We are all enjoying ourselves aboard the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day."

"You too." I said, but noticing the glaze in his eye, I trailed off awkwardly. He drifted away.
"Percy, this is weird," Annabeth whispered. "They're all in some kind of trance."

Then we passed a cafeteria and saw our first monster. It was a hellhound-a black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet line and its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. It must've been young, because it was small compared to most-no bigger than a grizzly bear.

The weird thing was: a middle-aged couple was standing in the buffet line right behind the devil dog, patiently waiting their turn for the eggs. They didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Not hungry anymore," Tyson murmured.
Before any of us could reply to him, a reptilian voice came from down the corridor, "Ssssix more joined yesssterday."
Annabeth gestured frantically toward the nearest hiding place—the women's room-and all four of us ducked inside.

Something— or more like two somethings— slithered past the bathroom 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 Percy. "We have to get out of here."
"You think I want to be in the girls' restroom?"
"I mean the ship, Percy! We have to get off the ship."

"Smells bad," Tyson agreed. "And dogs eat all the eggs. Annabeth is right. We must leave the restroom and ship."
"What are they?" I whisper–shouted.

Then we heard another voice outside. One that I knew better than anything.
"—only a matter of time. Don't push me, Agrius!"
It was Luke Castellan. I shuddered. That had been my cabin head counselor. He was the one who welcomed me to camp, answered my questions. I glanced to my side and realized Percy probably felt the same, if not worse. I'd heard the stories.