Percy Jackson's Sister

I Prefer the Monster Cruise to This Ship

           "You are in so much trouble," Clarisse had finished her tour and by the look on Tyson's face, this was quite the warship.

         Percy had pulled me aside to ask me what had happened.

      "We're cool," I said. "I told her, about, you know-"
     He nodded and I was hoping we were talking about the same thing.

     When we walked back to Clarisse, she was going on about how Mr. D was going to turn us into squirrels and run us over. I wasn't sure that was any worse than this quest so far.

      "Did they give you this ship?" Percy asked.

      "Course not. My dad did," Clarisse bragged.

       "Ares?" I asked.

       "Your daddy's not the only one with ocean power, princess.  The spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to Ares. That's their curse for being defeated. I prayed to my father for a naval transport and here it is. These guys will do anything I tell them. Won't you, Captain?"

       An undead soldier fixed a cold, hungry stare. "If it means ending this infernal war, ma'am, peace at last, we'll do anything. Destroy anyone."

      Great, I thought, even the god of war aids his children. I just wanted to understand why I wasn't good enough for Poseidon to notice me. He seemed to have claimed me and then thought that was enough. The whisper in my head was still there, poking at the back of my brain. You should've joined Luke when you had the chance. I told myself to shut up.

         "Clarisse," Annabeth said, "Luke might be after the Fleece, too. We saw him. He's got the coordinates and he's heading south. He has a cruise ship full of monsters-"

      "Good, I'll blow him out of the water."

      Her cockiness might just be what gets us killed.

    "We," I corrected her. "Strength in numbers."

    "Yeah, when the numbers have any strength. What do you know about fighting, newbie?" She scowled at me.

     "I know enough. Like the fact that I could take you."
     A dangerous, stupid move, I know. She had had years of training and I barely knew how to hold my sword properly, but someone had to put her in her place.

     "Is that a challenge, you-"

     "Guys!" Annabeth interrupted. "We can't be fighting, we have to combine forces and-"

    "No!" Clarisse shouted. "This is my quest, I'm not not letting you losers steal it from me."

    "Where are your cabin mates?" Percy asked. "You're allowed to bring two friends."

    "They didn't want to- I let them stay. To protect them," she started to get a little nervous.

     "Not even your own siblings would help you?"

    "Shut up, Prissy!" She put her angry facade back up. "I don't need them, and I especially don't need you."

      "Clarisse," Percy said, "Tantalus is using you. He doesn't care about the camp. He'd love to see it destroyed. He's setting you up to fail."

       "No! I don't care what the Oracle—" She stopped herself.

       "What?" Percy said. "What did the Oracle tell you?"

       "What's the Oracle?" I asked. No one offered an answer.

        "Nothing!" Clarisse had now turned a shade of pink and quickly changed the subject. "All you need to know is that im finishing this quest, without your help. I can't let you go though."

      "So we're your prisoners?" Annabeth asked.

     "Guests." She glanced over at me, sizing me up. "For now.

      Clarisse sat down and propped her feet up on the table, opening a can of Dr. Pepper. "Captain, take them below. Assign them hammocks on the berth deck. If they don't mind their manners, show them how we deal with enemy spies."