Percy Jackson: New Friends

Chapter 29: Earth's POV

Chapter 29: Earth's POV

I laughed at Duke and Megan. They were crazy, the wreckage was crazy, everything was crazy. I walked over to Darci. She smelled and looked awful.

"That's awful you are dirty. Maybe we can get Duke to make a shower or something," I said. Darci tried to glare at me and laughed.

"Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. I used the gift Poseidon gave me. I used the hook and some rope and attached it and made it hook on to Charbydis' braces." I stared at her with wide eyes.

"You what?!"

"Yeah. It was no big deal."

"But..You're the hero! You saved us. Tell me the whole story of how you used the hook. And what's with the Poseidon gift thing?" I asked. I was full of questions.

"Well, when all the mess was going on I got my 'backpack' and it transformed into a hook. I knew it was the right time to use it. With the rain and terror in my eyes, I used part of my magic and some aim to make the hook latch onto Charybdis' braces and used my power and managed to steer the ship back to south. I then went below deck to tell everyone it was safe and found Alexandria in the bathrooms. I slipped and fell right next to her where it looked like I was there all along. I mean, it was no big deal. And about the Poseidon gift thing. When Notus sent us on that island, Poseidon visited and gave us gifts. Kat got a necklace which transforms into a deck of cards, and Derek got a Stygian Iron knife that he has already used once."

"Whoa. That's lot to take in. Darci, we should at least acknowledge you helped save the ship. I mean, you did a lot," I said. She smiled.

"I guess so." We walked up to the upper deck. I gasped. It was awful. The once beautiful ship was almost completely destroyed.

"How the Hades are we going to fix this?" I asked Duke. He sighed.

"I don't know, Earth. We need supplies. I don't think we have any money, do we? Anyway, if we did, it most likely won't be enough to fix this whole ship. But we have no other option," he replied. He looked pretty down in the dumps. I touched his shoulder lightly.

"We can do this," I said determined. He gave me a pained smile.

"I hope so."

***

"Alright, everyone! Welcome to the awards ceremony! We are here to honor our fellow demigods. Some have joined the group and one has passed," Maika said. Ralph sniffled. I felt so bad for him. For some reason, Xenia glared at him. What's up with them? I wondered.

"Two people have joined this quest. Megan and Derek please stand," Maika commanded nicely. Derek and Megan stood. "These newbies are now greatly respected and have proven their worth aboard this ship and on this quest," Maika paused. Duke went over to them and gave them makeshift medals. "Ah. The medals will be replaced once we are back to Camp Half-Blood where we will have Celestial Bronze."

"The next person who is awarded is Destania." Ralph wheeled in a big crate/coffin thing and set it next to the wall. People gasped. "Yes, here is Destania. She was great and brave on this quest. Let's applaud." Everyone did. Maika set a medal on top of the coffin and smiled. "Thank you for coming to this. It is appreciated." I stood up.

"Wait! Darci helped save the ship! If it wasn't for her, we would've had a sunken ship," I stated. Some people nodded their heads.

Maika cleared her throat. "Well, I also appreciate Darci! She was brave and cunning. Cheers to her!" Duke put a medal on her. He must've known she was going to be getting one.

"Let's clap for all of them!" Maika said. They did. I turned around to say something to Alexandria when I saw an Iris message. It was Apollo watching. He caught my eye but didn't smile. I turned back around and frowned. What was going on?

When the awards ceremony was over, I started to walk with Xenia back to our room. She looked troubled.

"Are you ok?" I asked, concerned.

"Well, not really."

"Why?"

"Because. It's just about Ralph." I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you like him?" I asked.

"No! The opposite, really. He lied about liking Destania and pretended to be sad about her death. Destania died with her thinking Ralph liked her."

Part of me wondered why Aphrodite didn't say anything about Ralph lying since she is the love goddess. She would've known. The other half of me started to dislike Ralph. I shook my head. "That's sick. Who would do such a thing?"

"Apparently Ralph," Xenia muttered. I still felt pity on him.

"Look, Xenia. Ralph isn't that bad. I mean, yeah, he lied and all, but maybe he has insecurities that we don't know about."

"Insecurities are not an excuse! Right now, he's fake crying about her death. Don't you think that's a little messed up or are you believing the lies like the rest of them?" she replied harshly.

"Calm down. It's ok."

"No, it's not ok. We have to stop Ralph. We have to expose him and show them who he really is," Xenia said.

"That's not on our top priority list right now. Let's get to bed." I yawned. I was pretty tired. Xenia sighed.

"I guess so. Goodnight," she started to walk off.

"Night," I walked over to my bed. Something was strange. I was right. On my bed written in gold letters were two words:

Avenge me