The Pirate of Greece

Chapter XXIII (Annabeth)

                  

"So let me get this straight. You and him are sailing Greece looking for information on a subject that may or may not exist while your country is already at war with Rome and is potentially defenceless now because their General is frolicking with a pirate and their Queen decided to retire. Not to mention you have a friendly cyclops on your ship. Have I missed anything?"

Thalia folded her arms, leaning her hip against the makeshift wooden table that held a map of the land. Phoebe was opposite her, hands planted on the edges of the table as she studied the map. For what? Annabeth wasn't sure. Probably a Hunters of Artemis thing.

Percy and she were standing side by side near the tent's entrance. She assumed the son of Poseidon had chosen that particular spot for a quick exit, seeing as the hunters still looked at him like game. But now he looked at Thalia with incredibility.

"Yeah. Your breath."

Annabeth cut Thalia off before she could respond. "Look, I know it looks bad, but we have solid proof. Those people that attacked us, before your hunters came, were part of the Titan Legion."

"Ethan Nakumura, Lieutenant of Kronos," Percy recounted, "He's a demigod. Connor and Travis said he worked for the Titan Army."

Phoebe grunted. "Sounds like a knock off of Lieutenant of Artemis."

"We had reason to believe that this enemy was gathering their forces here in Prasiae," Annabeth said, forcing the conversation to stay on track, "My assumption is that they're trying to build an army in the shadows. If successful, they could sweep out the victor of the current war, seeing as they'd be weak and defenceless from another attack."

The General half expected Thalia to laugh it off, but she was surprised when she sighed and walked around the table, coming to a stop right in the middle so she had a clear view of the map.

"I didn't want to believe you," she mumbled, "but I fear you're right."

Annabeth had always thought she'd been right, but Thalia's confirmation stunned her. All she'd been going on was a rumour, but now the theory had been proven fact. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"That's good to know, but why are you so certain?" Percy said curiously.

Phoebe leant back and moved aside so Thalia could walk around.

"You think our presence in this town was just a coincidence?" the red-headed hunter questioned.

"You knew about the gathering as well?" Annabeth asked Thalia.

The daughter of Zeus nodded. "I sent a couple of scouts out one night to secure our route. When only one came back, bruised and battered, spouting something about an ambush and Titans, I knew something was up. Our best trackers lead the group to Prasiae, and we've been camped here for a while, analysing the 'Titan Army', as you so put it."

Annabeth's interest was at an all-time high. "And what have you discovered?"

"Nothing good," Thalia said, "we know they're working with monsters, and that they're capturing demigods who don't willingly sign up."

"Working with monsters?" Percy said, sounding aghast, "but they're the exact things we're meant to be fighting against. Not fighting aside. Are you sure you didn't read the situation wrong?"

Phoebe shot him a deadly glare. "Trust a male to doubt our skills."

"That's not at all what-."

Thalia raised a hand at Phoebe to stop, just as Annabeth cut over the Pirate.

"Percy, they are the Hunters of Artemis. Their judgement is basically the word of Artemis. They wouldn't get it wrong."