𝙼𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚊 (𝙇𝙚𝙤 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯 𝙓 𝙊𝙘)

είκοσι εννιά

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They were provided no more than ten extra minutes lazing in bed before shrimpzilla attacked. In hindsight it wasn't the most ridiculous thing Elena had said. It probably wouldn't be the last. They raced to the hull as soon as Hedge had barged in claiming a monster was attacking just as it rammed the ship. The monster rammed the ship again. The hull groaned. Annabeth, Piper, and Jason tumbled to starboard and almost rolled overboard.

Leo reached the helm. His hands flew across the controls. Over the intercom, Festus clacked and clicked about leaks belowdecks, but the ship didn't seem to be in danger of sinking—at least not yet.

Leo toggled the oars. They could convert into spears, which should be enough to drive the creature away. Unfortunately, they were jammed. Shrimpzilla must have knocked them out of alignment, and the monster was in spitting distance, which meant that Leo couldn't use the ballistae without setting the Argo II on fire as well.

"How did it get so close?" Annabeth shouted, pulling herself up on one of the rail shields.

"I don't know!" Hedge snarled. He looked around for his bat, which had rolled across the quarterdeck.

"I'm stupid!" Leo scolded himself. "Stupid, stupid! I forgot the sonar!"

The ship tilted farther to starboard. Either the monster was trying to give them a hug, or it was about to capsize them.

Percy and Jason looked at the shrimp dazed. They wouldn't be any help the storm had taken too much out of them. Ere ( who was still in his playpen) burbled happily.  Elena sighed.

"I'm going to kill it!!" She yelled over the monster's roar.

"Elliie- Ellie- wait." Leo tried to say, "Don't overdo- it." She shot off the ship scythe in hand as she slashed the tendril attempting to reach her friends. Tendrils- she could do one better.

Elena inhaled and concentrated- the ocean contained the most dead bodies in the world. If she could extract the essence of death she could just- A tidal wave of death washed over her, she was connected to the spirits of the dead in the ocean- some victims of shrimpzilla, some less fortunate sailors who'd been lost to the tides and puzzlingly a goldfish. How had that ended up so far from freshwater? Gathering up as much as she could, she formed two black tentacles of smoke that danced over the churning water and chained the monster which struggled helplessly. She let out a loud scream as she lowered her scythe in an arc on its head just as the tentacles split the monster in two. Ichor and goo exploded all around her as shrimpzilla faded out of existence.

She landed back on the ship just as it had stopped its violent rocking.

"Ew, killing monsters never gets any less disgusting and–" She paused, "What are you looking at Annabeth?"

"Don't freak out-" Piper began.

"What about?" Elena sensed that she should prepare to freak out.

"–Ere fell into the sea." Jason started.

"WHAT?!"

"Hazel and Frank fell in as well!" Piper said quickly.

Elena ran to the side, "WHAT?!!!"

"Leo caught Ere." Percy stated. Elena breathed out a sigh of relief.

"So they're just changing clothes I see."

"Actually- they never emerged from the sea. Neither has Frank and Hazel." Annabeth finished.

"WHAT??!" Elena jumped to the railing preparing to dive before being pulled back by Percy.

"They're fine." He said.

"How do you know?" She asked, raising a brow sceptically.

"Son of the sea god. I can't explain it but they're alright."