A Twisted Tale

9) Missing *Red/Annabeth*

Getting onto the boat was surprisingly easy, the security doesn’t seem to be paying much attention because the three of us hopped over the entrance gate and sprinted to the S.S. Anne’s bow without a problem. Once we were on the main deck I turned and looked at Rowland and Percy. “You two stay on the main deck and look for Annabeth and Nico in case they escaped and I’ll check the inside of the ship,” I yelled over the jubilant crowd of people.

They both nodded at me before splitting off in different directions disappearing into the crowd. I began to make my way through the crowd looking around as I made my way towards the door leading inside when I bumped into someone. I looked up and met eyes with Puck, at first I thought I was going to rip his throat out but he patted my shoulder. “Sorry about that, not to good if the host keeps running into all of his guests” he says with a smirk before walking off.

He must not have noticed me, but Puck is the host of this party? That makes everything seem all too suspicious I think to myself, a trap? But I shake my head at it as I finally reach the door making it inside, Don’t think about that just find Annabeth, I yell at myself as I made my way down the hall.

I half wished I had Talonflame with me, but I had sent him to keep a bird's-eye view of the whole boat in case something happens that the three of us don’t see. So I was on my own, my only weapon being Annabeth’s dagger hastily shoved into a sheath strapped along my waist..

Pulling down my hood and taking off my mask I notice how quiet it was inside the ship, surely someone was in one of the many rooms right?  My thoughts about this being a trap only grow as I spot something on one of the door handles. It looked like something red and smudged so I get closer and examined it.

That’s when I notice an all too familiar print, a misshapen hand in blood. I frowned, what does this hand have to do with any of this? Or was this whole thing a lot bigger than any of us knew about? But most importantly what was behind this door?

I sighed and looked up at the sign on the door noticing it was the host’s room, a “Do not disturb” sign just below it. I swear if I walk in on something, I think to myself before turning the door handle and opening the door.

The room was pitch black and I could only make out the outlines of the furniture. Gripping Annabeth’s dagger in my right hand as I step inside my other hand searching for the light as the door slowly closes behind me, a light sweat making the dagger slippery in my hand. Finally I find the switch and flick it up, becoming blinded by the sudden light.

After my eyes adjust to the light I  looked around the room in horror, the twisted hand print was all over the walls in blood just like the one on the door handle. The only piece of furniture that wasn’t destroyed was the queen sized bed in the middle of the room. But the source of the blood lies cold and limp on the bed. Slowly I made my way towards the bed seeing that the man  had a large slit in his throat, his face was colorless and eyes glazed over. He must have been dead for a few hours, but who did this? And why? I made my way closer and noticed the gold name tag on the man’s jacket, but what really caught my eye was the “Captain” engraved into the gold tag.

“You know” Puck’s voice startled me as I jumped and turned looking at him “I hate it when people ignore the Do Not Disturb sign,” he groans, showing me the sign in his hand.

But then a smirk comes to his face, “But I can’t complain, this isn’t the first time I walked into a room with a pretty girl in it.”

I grit my teeth in anger “ I swear Puck if you so much as laid a finger on Annabeth…”

“You’ll what?” he interrupts, “Kill me? She won’t let that happen, no not now that the plan is already in action. The ship has already left the shore and we’re getting farther away with every passing second. Meaning you and everyone else on this ship has fallen into our trap,” he laughs wickedly at his own plan.