MATT
The cab dropped us at the harbor.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” I told Rory and Amber as we got off the cab. “We sneak in where they put the luggage and hold stay there until the boat leaves. Then one of us have to distract everyone in the ship while the other two go get the emergency lifeboat—”
“Wait, you want us to row ourselves all the way to the Sea of Monsters?” Rory interrupted. “Are you insane?”
I frowned. “Hello, we’re on a dangerous mission here! These no time to be choosy.”
“Can’t we just get ourselves a motor boat?” He suggested.
I snorted. “Let’s see if you have the money for buying that.”
“Or…we could just rent one.” Amber pointed at the motor boats beside the ships.
Rory stared at the motor boats. “Oooooh! I want the blue one—no wait orange—I mean red.”
“Seriously, how old are you, Rory?” I said.
“Two, I think,” Amber said.
Rory dashed to the small hut that rented the motor boats. “The red motor boat!” He told the shop keeper as he handed the money.
“Which brand?” The shop keeper asked.
He scratched his head. “I don’t know…Red?”
Amber chuckled as we walked to the hut. “He’s definitely younger than two.”
The shop keeper looked at Rory confused. “Sir, there are three red motor boats and we don’t usually allow kids under eighteen to drive any motor boats.”
Rory muttered a silent curse. “Oh yeah? Says who?” He asked the shop keeper.
“Uh, the plaque that you’re standing beside, rule No.12.”
We looked at the plaque beside Rory.
“It says…One moist be at last teeneight or have dental guyance to runt a motor bait?” Amber read, uncertainly.
The shop keeper raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“Um…I have dyslexia, sorry.” She apologized.
“I’m sure your friends over here could read it for you,” He said.
I nudged Rory. “You read it,”
“On mush be at leash…eight—eighty….eightyteen or have mental guidance to rent a moisture bait…” Rory read. “Ugh! Matt, you do it.”
I didn’t want to embarrass myself so I read it three times mentally then said, “One must be at least…eighteen or have parental guiding—I mean guidance to rent a motor boat.”
I sighed in relief after the last word came out of my mouth.
The shop keeper clapped his hands. “At least one of you finally read it. Now, get out of my shop!”
“Jeez,” Rory said. “C’mon guys, let’s leave this puny mortal’s shop before he incinerates us with his Gorgon-like face.”
“Dude, shut up!” I told him.
“Aw,” Amber said when we got out of the shop. “And Rory really had his heart set on the red Donzi Z-5.”
“How’d you know that it was a Donzi Z-5?” Rory wondered.
“My uncle owns a shipping company, so I get to go at the beach often.” She replied.
He smirked. “You’re such a rich kid. Maybe you could invite me to a masquerade by the beach sometime.”
Amber blushed. “I’m not that rich.”
Rory snorted. “Yeah, right. What other companies does your uncle own?”
“That’s none of your business,” Amber scowled at him. “Let’s concentrate on the quest.”
“Sure, sure,” The son of Ares hopped on the red motor boat.
I followed him and put on my seat belt. “Amber, you coming?”
“But, the shop keeper said—” She said.
“Bah! Who cares what that moron says?” Rory said. “Hop on!”
Amber looked uneasy. “Isn’t this stealing?”
I shrugged. “We stole Annabeth’s invisibility cap. We not steal a motor boat?”
“But we can still return the cap, this I’m not sure of.” She said.
“Yeah, yeah,” Rory said, impatiently. “I can feel my soul burning at the Fields of Punishment. No let’s go.”
Amber didn’t look convinced. But she went in the boat, anyway. “So, where’s the keys?”
Rory grinned. “Who needs keys when there’s a daughter of Poseidon in this boat?”
“I told you guys before, I can’t.”
