Percy Jackson and the Emerald Pearl; Thalia Grace and the Mirror of Aphrodite

The Transformation

     We were speeding along the Atlantic. The motor was a little too loud, so we had to scream over it.

     "What do you think Atlantis is going to be like?" I shouted to Annabeth.

     "I don't know! In all the legends I've read, the buildings are made of White pearl, and it's crumbled and been rebuilt at least 50 times!" Annabeth explained.

     I chuckled. "With any luck, the city will collapse on us as soon as we take a step behind the border."

     "Thanks, you just jinxed us, Mr. Optimistic," Annabeth said, punching me.

     "Ow!" I said, rubbing my arm.

     "Wimp."

     "Annoying!"

     "Seaweed Brain!"

     "Wisegirl!"

     "Okay, wait, let's stop! If we want to retrieve the emerald pearl, we can't fight. We have to work as a team," I reasoned. Annabeth mumbled something under her breath. "What was that?"

     "I said, "Wow, that's a first"," Annabeth explained.

     "What, so I can't have an idea once in a while?"

     "I never said that, I just meant that you rarely have good ideas," she told me.

     "That makes me feel so much better!" I snapped, sarcasm dripping from the sentence. Annabeth, of course, rolled her eyes at me. In response, I did the same thing.

     We arrived at our destination an hour later. I reluctantly looked at my girlfriend. "Well, how are we going to swim all the way to the ocean floor?"

     "Let me think for moment, would ya?" she asked. She was in her DTM, or Deep Thinking Mode. She looked around the boat and paused at something near me. "Are you serious, Percy? You brought breath mints on a quest?"

     "Huh?" I looked behind me. Sure enough, a pack of IceBreakers was sitting on the bench next to me. "I didn't bring them on the quest! I know I'm not that smart, but I'm not so stupid as to bring mints on--What? Why are you staring at me?" Annabeth looked confused.

     "The mints...they're glowing." She picked up the mints. I could see a soft glow to the pack. It was peculiar indeed.

     "My dad probably put them there for some reason." I decided. I snatched the IceBreakers away from her, and popped one in my mouth.

     "Percy! You don't even know what they do! For all we know, they'll kill us! You really need to...need to..." Annabeth faltered. She was looking at my legs in utter confusion. I looked down. My legs...they were becoming...scaly. Like a fish. And my skin--it was developing a sea-green tint that matched my eyes. I sat down. My legs, they were melding into...into a fish tail? What was happening? "Percy, you're a...I think you're a merman!"

     "A merman? Is that what you said?" I screamed.

     "Yes, you're a merman!" Annabeth clarified.

     "Why? What significance does being a merman have to the quest?" I inquired.

     "Maybe it's just a disguise, for when we're inside the Lost City. I mean, no mortals are allowed inside the city, are they?"

      "I don't think so. When I visited Poseidon's Palace, all I saw were mermaids and mermen."

     "See? Now, give me a mermint!"

     "Really? Mermint?"

     "Just give me the mints, Seaweed Brain!" I handed my girlfriend the IceBreakers. She popped one in her mouth. Instead of her skin turning green, it turned gray, the color of a bottle-nose dolphin. Her feet melded into a fish tail, as mine had. Seconds later, we were both fish-people.

     "Okay, now what?" I asked.

     "We need to swim all the way to the ocean floor. I hope your backpack is water proof?"

     "What do you mean? I never brought a backpack with me."

     "There's one on your shoulder. I don't know how you managed to miss that."

     I felt for a strap. I found one, and un-slung the backpack that hadn't been there a moment ago. Another gift from my father. I opened it, and found: Riptide, who I'd left at home; a knife, which was almost an exact duplicate of the one Annabeth had lost in Tartarus; a canteen full of ambrosia squares; 2 water bottles full of nectar; 2 granola bars, and, finally, some PB&J sandwiches. Wow, my dad had thought of everything.

     I assured Annabeth, "It probably will be waterproof. Now, let's go!"

     With that, we dove into the Atlantic.