Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER THIRTY xxx. you only grieve when someone's really gone _______
Percy had spent hours searching the sea for his missing friends. Frank, Leo and Hazel had all ended up being thrown overboard by the monster. And Sebastian... Annabeth had told Percy what had happened. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he'd cried a little.
He knew Sebastian would come back. Currently, he'd be regenerating in Tartarus and then, when his body was ready, his subconscious would return to his body. But Sebastian was stuck underwater. Once he was healed, he'd just continue to drown over and over. Unless Percy found his body. He had to.
But he couldn't. He couldn't find any of them. He felt utterly useless. What point was a son of Poseidon if his powers weren't useful when they needed them the most?
Soon enough, the sun was rising and Percy was forced to give up his search.
The good news was that the Argo II was no longer in danger of sinking. Though, without Leo, they wouldn't be able to do repairs. They were stuck where they were. But it wasn't like they'd be leaving without the rest of them anyway. Percy managed to do something useful when he and Annabeth sent a message to Chiron, warning him of the Roman army heading their way. And Percy was glad to hear that Tyson and Ella had got their safely, even if they wouldn't be safe for much longer.
After the Iris-message, the demigods paced the deck in silence, staring at the water and hoping for a miracle.
When it finally came - three giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank, Hazel, and Leo - everyone was relieved. Piper even dove straight into the water without a rope or a life vest or anything.
And though he was over the moon that those three were safe and sound, he couldn't stop thinking about Sebastian. Whatever had saved those three from drowning must not have found Sebastian. Meaning he could be anywhere. Lost at sea.
Once they got on board and changed into dry clothes, the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for breakfast - though Leo was off manning the helm once more - while Hazel and Frank recounted the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp. Percy was a bit bummed that they didn't want to meet him, but he had bigger things to worry about.
"And Sebastian wasn't there?" Percy asked once they'd finished going through the highlight reel of their little journey.
Hazel looked down at her plate sadly. "No. When I asked about him, they said that they wouldn't bring a monster into their camp."
"He's not a monster-" Percy defended him.
"Technically, he is," Annabeth told him in a calm voice, not wanting to make him angrier than he already was. And if Percy would listen to reason from anybody, it would be the daughter of Athena who had stood by him for years. "He's a vampire, Percy. He'll be regenerating in Tartarus right now, which is the basic description of what a monster is in this world."
