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i woke up to a ship's whistle.
i tensed for a little bit, until i remembered the events of last night. we snuck out of camp. now, we're on the princess andromeda.
an australian voice sounded over the intercom. it sounded way too cheery for the morning. "good morning, passengers! we'll be at sea all day today. excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! don't forget million-dollar bingo in the kraken lounge at one o'clock, and for our special guests, disemboweling practice on the promenade!"
i looked at annabeth. "disemboweling?"
"i heard it too," she confirmed.
i knocked and stuck my head into percy and tyson's room. "disemboweling practise?"
percy nodded, and i sighed, returning to my room. we'd all gotten changed. i switched my pajamas for black leggings, and a purple t-shirt.
we ventured out into the ship and i was definitely surprised to see other people. a dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast. a dad was taking his kids to the pool for a morning swim. crew members in crisp white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.
nobody asked who we were. nobody paid us much attention. but there was something wrong. it felt like the calm before a storm.
as the family of swimmers passed us, the dad told his kids: "we are on a cruise. we are having fun."
"yes," his three kids said in unison, their expressions blank. "we are having a blast. we will swim in the pool."
they wandered off.
"good morning," a crew member told us, his eyes glazed. "we are all enjoying ourselves aboard the princess andromeda. have a nice day." he drifted away.
"percy, this is weird," i whispered, gripping his arm. "they're all in some kind of trance."
then we passed a cafeteria and saw our first monster. it was a hellhound — a black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet line and its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. it must've been young, because it was small compared to most — no bigger than a grizzly bear. still, my blood turned cold.
