Sun kissed - Apollo.

39: We aboard the Princess Andromeda.

Percy and I were staring at the waves when Annabeth and Tyson found us. I felt a lucid creature brush up against my hand, casting my eyes down to look at Styx. His tongue lopsided and cocking his head sideways as if he was confused.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked. "I heard you two calling for help!"

"Me, too!" Tyson said. "Heard you yell, 'Bad things are attacking!'"

We hadn't called them but a part of me knows that this was Hermes' work. He had send them a sort of message and got them to us. So that the would come on a quest with us. I scratch behind Styx's ear, letting him lean against me as i look at my friends.

"We didn't call you guys," Percy said. "We are fine."

"But then who . . ." Annabeth noticed the three yellow duffel bags, then the thermos and the bottle of vitamins Percy was holding, along with the new dagger in my hand. "What—"

"Just listen," Percy said. "We don't have much time."

We told them about our conversation with Hermes. By the time we were finished, we could hear screeching in the distance—patrol harpies picking up our scent. And we needed to leave asap. Or we would end up being their late night dinner.

"Percy, Daphne," Annabeth said, "we have to do the quest."

"We'll get expelled, you know. Trust me, I'm an expert at getting expelled." My brother replied.

"So? If we fail, there won't be any camp to come back to."

That made me sad, i didn't want to think about it. This place is my favourite place to be. I don't want this place to fall apart and be destroyed. After my mom, who is my home, this is my second home. My summer home. The place that makes me feel ordinary and happy.

"Yeah, but you promised Chiron—"

"I promised I'd keep you two from danger. I can only do that by coming with you! Tyson can stay behind and tell them—"

"I want to go," Tyson said.

"No!" Annabeth's voice sounded close to panic. "I mean . . . Percy, come on. You know that's impossible."

I wondered again why she had such a grudge against Cyclopes. There was something she wasn't telling us.

She and Tyson both looked at us, waiting for an answer. Meanwhile, the cruise ship was getting farther and farther away.

"I say the more the merrier!" I say, petting Styx's head lovingly.

The thing was, part of me knew that Percy didn't want Tyson along. He had spent the last three days in close quarters with the guy, getting razzed by the other campers and embarrassed a million times a day, constantly reminded that he was related to him. That he probably needed some space.

Plus, we didn't know how much help he'd be, or how we would keep him safe. Sure, he was strong, but Tyson was a little kid in Cyclops terms, maybe seven or eight years old, mentally. I could see him freaking out and starting to cry while we were trying to sneak past a monster or something. He'd get us all killed.

But i also didn't want to leave my brother here alone with the campers who didn't seem to like him very much, which saddens me.

On the other hand, the sound of the harpies was getting closer. . . .

"We can't leave him," Percy decided. "Tantalus will punish him for us being gone."

"Percy," Annabeth said, trying to keep her cool, "we're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is an S-i-k . . . a C-y-k . . ." She stamped her foot in frustration. As smart as she was, Annabeth was dyslexic, too. We could've been there all night while she tried to spell Cyclops. "You know what I mean!"