The Beginning of the End (J. Grace)

XII: I'm denied a fight... again

Who the hell is Kate and Porky?

I sprinted out of the room the moment Teddy Bear had told us we were being followed and teleported myself to above deck where I was met with the sight of Seaweed Brain and Hedge sprawled out on the floor, looking shattered.

Also, Coach was missing his shoes. Despite this, he was grinning at the sky muttering: "Awesome. Awesome." While Guineapig was covered in nicks and scratched like he'd jumped through a window.

Wise Girl was soon above deck with me, Lightning Boy hot on her heels, followed by Hazelnut, then Dove and finally a panting Frank. Annabeth darted forwards and Percy reached up to take her hand in a silent message only meant for her.

"What're we being followed by?" Jason demanded, scanning the horizon for threat.

"I don't know!" Teddy Bear managed to get out through gasps for air, which seemed even more terrifying than knowing. What could it possibly be? The list is endless! "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!"

"Who?!" I yelled through the wind which had picked up. Probably Lightning Boy's doing, but also probably by accident.

Also, who names their child Porky? That's just brutal.

Wise Girl rushed for the crossbow as we took off, the Argo II lurching forwards, making me stumble into Dove, who then tried to push me into Jason. Thanks a lot.

I dashed for the rail on the side and leaned over, desperate to find some killer whales or sea monsters or even Kate and Porky (whoever they are). Honestly, I just wanna fight stuff.

But there was nothing. But Seaweed Brain, Frank and Hedge didn't start to recover until the Atlanta was too far away to even see: just a smudge in the distance.

Percy began hopping around the deck like an old man and I had to supress the urge to laugh at him, because he was clearly shaken up. "Charleston." He decided, turning to Leo. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Lightning Boy echoed, his voice guarded and he spat the word as though it were a horrible thing. "Why? What'd you find in Atlanta, exactly?"

Frank went to his knees and started unpacking his rucksack, bringing out... souvenirs. Honestly, could've been weirder. "Peach preserves, a couple of T-shirts, snow globe, and... these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."

Wise Girl looked like she wanted to strangle the poor guy as she rubbed her temples in circular motions with her index fingers and glared down at the bag. "Why don't you start from the top... of the story, I mean. Not the rucksack."

"Group meeting?" Percy offered and I groaned in annoyance. We have way too many meetings. It's honestly getting so boring: I just wanna fight stuff! Is that too much to ask for? Especially as a demigod, come on.

Much to my disappointment, everyone else agreed, so we gathered on the quarterdeck (so that Iron Man could hear while steering the ship) and Seaweed Barin and Teddy Bear took turns retelling their story of "Porky and Kate at the Georgia Aquarium" with Hedge sometimes interjecting with: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"

"That's terrible." Wise Girl sympathised once they were finished, clearly thinking of the captive sea creatures. "We need to help them."

"We will." Guineapig and I decided in unison, then turned to each other, a small smile playing on both our faces before Percy turned back and continued. "In time, but I have to figure how. I wish..." He shook his head, expelling the thought. "Never mind. First we have to deal with the bounty on our heads."

Hedge had lost interest quite quickly and had wondered off and below deck. Can't blame him.

"A bounty on our heads?" Bethy Baby grumbled, though her grip on her dagger tightened. "As if we didn't get attacked by monsters enough."