Percy Jackson, the Son of Olympus: The Sea of Monsters

| Chapter XIX || The Way Back Home |

*August 28 XXXX*

***

To say the least, the trip back was uneventful. It seemed way easier to get out of the Sea of Monsters than it did to get in, but maybe Percy was just acclimatised much more than he was before. Also, there wasn't a monster waiting to keep them in, only out, so their ship was untouched across the border and back out to Poseidon's domain.

After leaving Polyphemus' island, they'd taken the Queen Anne's Revenge out to sea. As soon as Artemis and Percy deposited Annabeth into a bed below deck, the daughter of Athena muttered a quiet, "We did it," before passing out on the pillows. Grover was the next to collapse into bed, leaving Tyson to raid the kitchen for food and Artemis and Percy alone on the upper deck to steer the ship.

With his hands on the wheel, Percy felt the strength of the ocean fill him, the scent of salt and fish sending waves – pardon the pun – of relaxation through him. The cool wind sent shivers down his spine, but he didn't mind, welcoming the breeze as it lifted the hem of his shirt and ruffled his hair.

"So," Artemis said as she sidled up to him, "How was your trip through the Sea of Monsters? Tyson and I washed up on an island and met a terrifying monster, but most of the time, we were out at sea, nothing but water around us for miles."

Percy shrugged, smiling at her for a moment, before returning his attention to the vast sea of blue in front of them. Only crests of white broken waves interrupted the everlasting cobalt. "We met Circe. She turned me into a guinea pig. I had white and orange fur, for some reason," he replied nonchalantly, though, on the inside, he felt like blushing crimson.

Artemis burst out laughing, which was exactly the reaction Percy was expecting, he just hadn't thought she would laugh this hard. Now, he was blushing. The red stained his cheeks the darkest and travelled all the way up to his eyebrows and even started crawling down his neck. It was as if his face had decided: you're going to be embarrassed? Well, let's make it as obvious as possible.

"She turned you into a guinea pig? Really?" she asked, trying to control the laughs as they spilled from her lips. "I think you'd make a cute guinea pig. To be honest, I've contemplated doing it, just to see how you'd look." Leaning close, she rubbed her nose against his.

Percy looked startled, jumping away just enough so that his hands remained on the wheel. He obviously hadn't been expecting her to say that. "You what? Don't ever do that! I don't care if you think I'd look cute as a guinea pig, I don't ever want to experience that again! I'm scarred for life!" he shouted dramatically, though the smile on his face told her that he was joking. He'd removed one hand from steering to place it over his heart, a scandalised look in his eyes.

True to his expectation, she laughed again, though this time it was more controlled. "Okay. I promise. Cross my heart." To prove it, she used her finger to cross an X over her chest, on the left side. She giggled while doing it, though, which caused Percy to pout.

"Great, thanks. I feel so much better now," he said sarcastically. He glanced over at her for another moment before focusing on steering the ship as the ocean current tried to pry it out of his hands.

After a few moments of silence, Artemis sighed. "I think Tyson had the right idea. I'm going to go get something to eat," she said, "Hopefully he hasn't eaten everything, yet."

Thankfully, Tyson hadn't eaten everything, and they could enjoy a nice dinner before nightfall. Despite the obvious need to talk about everything and catch up, Percy and Artemis ate in silence – well, to the sounds of Tyson's loud chewing, but silence nonetheless. Afterward, he walked her to her room, right next to Annabeth's, and bid her goodnight before crossing the hall to his own quarters, which had finally stopped stinking of a sweaty pirate.

***

Percy awoke to a hand tapping on his cheek. His eyes fluttered open. Looking around blurrily, his eyes focused on a city skyline through the porthole near his bed before landing on Artemis' face, which hovered above his own.

"Miami, I think," Artemis answered his question before he could voice it. "We're going to pull up to a dock soon; Annabeth's handling the wheel."

This statement caused Percy to shoot up into a sitting position. "Annabeth's up? Should she be up already?" In his panic, he didn't notice the slightly jealous glint in Artemis' eyes before she answered.

"She's fine. With the fleece on her, all she needed was a good night's sleep. She woke up this morning with a little too much energy if you ask me." The goddess rolled her eyes, standing. "Now get up." She threw a clean blue shirt in his direction, then left the room.

Giving a breathy chuckle, Percy sat up in bed and glanced out the porthole once more, his eyes falling over the tall buildings, each a structure a picket in the fence that bordered the long white-sand beach. Pulling on some jeans and the blue shirt, he stumbled to the door and moved upstairs, still slightly tired. Had he slept well? He couldn't remember any dreams. Maybe a few flashes, an image and some colours becoming ghosts behind his eyelids, but there was nothing tying them together.

Upstairs, he saw Annabeth slung over the wheel. She still looked slightly tipsy, despite Artemis' claims that she was fine. Artemis, Grover, and Tyson were eating breakfast. The clattering of cutlery and plates mingled with the whooshing of the waves before they reached Percy's ears, and he felt the burn of sea salt, but also the warm buttery smell of pancakes and syrup. He followed his nose until he found himself sitting at the table, another plate being stacked with food in front of him.

There was a loud rumble from his stomach, and Percy didn't hesitate to begin stuffing his face. They were warm and fluffy, and Percy almost melted like the syrup that he'd drowned them in.

"We're almost ready to dock. Percy, can you guide us in?" Annabeth called over to them tentatively. Her face was a little green, and as Percy approached her, he placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"I'm fine," she insisted, "Just a little seasick. I'm glad that we'll be on solid ground again."

"Don't worry. Only a few minutes longer and your wish shall be granted," Percy said with a boyishly charming smile on his face.

"Stop it, Percy! That's so corny!"

"Alright," he replied as he guided her to sit on a crate nearby. She sat without much protest and Percy took the wheel. With a practiced ease, he brought the ship in, and it came to a stop, the old wooden side resting against the barnacle-encrusted dock.

Surprisingly, the ship didn't draw many strange looks – maybe people thought it was a special pirate tour or something because they walked past, went about their business, and didn't spare the five young people a second glance as they laid down the plank and walked ashore.

"Welcome to Miami," Percy said, spreading his arms as he caught a glimpse of a sign that said something similar. The dock was long, and it took several minutes for them to actually reach the sand, but once they did, hands grasped hands as to not lose each other in the crowd of swimsuit-wearing tourists with they huge umbrellas and overstuffed beach bags.

"Stay close," Percy called over the sea of people. Di immortals, he thought they'd left the ocean. No, they'd traded one for another.

"Where are you?" Artemis called, and all Percy could see of her were the delicate fingers entrapped in his own.

Once they squeezed their way out onto the road above, Percy wished they'd stayed back. Luke was there, on the road, and behind him, several dozen monsters stood, blocking traffic. The son of Poseidon had no idea what the Miamians saw, but it was enough to honk their horns angrily, but not flee in terror.

"Hello, cousin," Luke said, "Fancy meeting you here. Now give me the fleece."

***

Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018

~CSP2708~