Annabeth had a plan ready to go for their heist. She also had a plan ready to go about ten seconds after Luke found them.

Unfortunately, she couldn't put either of them into motion, because before she knew it, they were being herded by Luke's half-bear friends onto the pool deck of the Princess Andromeda.

There seemed to be an audience of assorted monsters and half-bloods who had come to watch the drama. Wasn't that wonderful.

"Okay," Luke said. "Let's make this quick. Where is the Fleece?"

"We don't have it," Percy said.

"I know you do," Luke growled. "You wouldn't have left the Sea of Monsters without it. Where is it?"

"We don't have it," Grover said. "Where the heck would it be?"

"I think we need to be the one asking questions here," Bdubs said, looking equally angry. "Where's Grian?"

Luke smiled coldly, and sharp fear ran down Annabeth's spine.

"I'll trade you," he said.

A couple of snake ladies - dracanea - pushed a familiar son of Hermes forward.

"Grian!" Several people cried at the same time.

All Annabeth could think was that he was alive. She could work with that.

His hands were tied behind his back and he was staring at the ground, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, not even the other Hermits'. Annabeth took out her knife, and she saw the glint of Celestial Bronze in several others' hands as well.

"None of that," Luke said casually. "He's fine. I haven't hurt him. See? But I can, if you don't give it to me."

Percy was aggravated. "We..." he said. "We don't have it. We sent it ahead of us."

For a split second, Luke looked confused. "There's no way you could have..." then he cursed. "Clarisse."

Percy smirked and nodded.

"AGRIUS," Luke yelled. "Fetch me my steed. NOW!"

Grian's eyes widened, maybe with fear, maybe with hope. Maybe a little bit of both. Annabeth couldn't tell.

"You and me," Percy challenged. "One on one. If I win, you let us and Grian go."

"I'm not Ares," Luke snorted. "You can't provoke me into a fight. Even if you could, you certainly wouldn't win."

Ren squeaked angrily.

"What the heck is that? Did you find yourself a hamster?" Luke laughed.

"NO!" Bdubs yelled. "That's Ren."

Grian, despite the situation, couldn't hold back his laughter. "Ren?! How the heck did you get turned into a hamster?"

"He's a guinea pig," Grover protested. "Not a hamster."

Ren ducked back into Percy's pocket and sulked.

Luke was smiling, and it actually seemed genuine for the first time since... well, probably last year before he betrayed everyone, but Annabeth couldn't remember exactly when.

It was incredibly disturbing.

"You've been toying with us all along," Zedaph accused. "You let the others go earlier, so we would bring the Fleece right to you. And you kept Grian as a bargaining chip."

From the look on Grian's face, it was the truth.

Annabeth saw Zedaph's idea. They needed time. They needed to stall Luke and get him to start ranting about his plans. That worked in all the other books, why shouldn't it work in this one?

"Of course I did," Luke said. "And you messed everything up!"

Percy was looking behind Luke, at the swimming pool. Annabeth thought she knew his plan. It had worked before.

But he didn't seem to be looking at the pool itself.

Annabeth's eyes drifted up a little, following the son of Posideon 's gaze to the fountains. Light shone through them to make a rainbow.

Oh!

"TRAITOR!" Bdubs screamed, as Percy dug a drachma out of his pocket and angrily threw it at Luke. Luke dodged easily, looking slightly amused at the feeble attempt. And thankfully, he didn't look behind him, or he would have watched it sail into the rainbow and disappear.

"You fooled all of us," Percy said, uncapping Riptide. "Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"

The rainbow shimmered and an image was starting to appear. Bdubs noticed and was about to say something when Zedaph clapped a hand over his mouth. Tango drew his sword. Grover held his panpipes, ready to play. Grian flashed an empty hand - a free hand, that his guards hadn't noticed - at them. Just a little more time before he could steal a weapon and help.

Ren poked his head out from behind Grian, where he appeared to be being held by the hand that was still behind Grian's back. Annabeth hadn't noticed him climb out of Percy's pocket. But he had probably chewed through the ropes.

Maybe they actually had a chance.

"Who poisoned the tree, Luke?" Percy demanded.

"I did, of course," Luke gloated. "Who else would have done it? Agrius? I used Elder Python venom, straight from Tartarus."

Agrius looked offended.

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?"

"That horse man wouldn't have the guts," Luke snorted.

"You call it guts? Betraying your friends and endangering the entire camp?"

"You don't understand," Luke said. "I was going to let you have the Fleece, after I was done with it."

"You're trying to bring back Kronos," Percy accused.

Grian, although now free, had made no move to cause chaos yet. He looked too stricken, and had a face that said something like what have I done?

Annabeth studied him. Something was off.

"Yes! It would make the process so much quicker! But you haven't stopped us. You've only slowed us down."

"You poisoned the tree, betrayed Thalia, set us up, all so you could revive Kronos."

Luke glared at him.

"I've told you," he said. "Quit making me repeat myself?"

"Sorry," Percy said. "I just wanted the audience to hear you."

He gestured at the Iris-Message.

Demigods and monsters alike turned to stare at the glittering rainbow, where the entirety of Camp Half-Blood was mid-meal. Every face was turned to the IM on their side.

"Well," Dionysus said. "Some unexpected dinnertime entertainment."

Tango and Tyson waved. The Hephaestus cabin and a few other campers, after a brief confused hesitation, waved back.

"See?" Percy said to Dionysus. "It wasn't Chiron."

Tantalus wasn't listening. He was trying to corner a cheeseburger.

"I suppose it wasn't," Dionysus sighed. "That means we have no need for our new activities director."

Tantalus looked up at him. "What?"

Then he finally caught the cheeseburger.

"I- I did it!" he gasped.

"I said, we don't have a need for you anymore," Dionysus said."

Tantalus yelled, trying desperately to bring the cheeseburger to his mouth, but it passed right through him. He became translucent.

With a final moan of hunger and anger, Tantalus disappeared completely.

Dionysus smiled wryly as the campers erupted into cheers.

Luke let out a roar not unlike Agrius's and slashed his sword through the rainbow, making it disappear, but the damage had already been done.

Percy seemed to be feeling pretty good about himself. Until Luke lunged at him with his sword out.

Percy blocked and started fighting back. Tango tried to run in, but Zedaph held him back. Grover bleated. Grian still had his hands behind his back.

Percy tried to reach the water of the pool. But Annabeth knew he wouldn't. Luke was the best swordfighter she knew, and he wasn't about to let Percy get to where he was most powerful.

The fight didn't last long. Percy dodged Luke's next bow and went for the son of Hermes' left shoulder. Luke parried and used his trademark disarming strategy.

Riptide clattered to the floor.

Percy, with a blade at his throat, said nothing. Neither of the demigods, Cyclops, and satyr went forward to try and save him. Luke would kill Percy if they did.

Slowly, trembling, Percy put his hands up in surrender.

And then an arrow with a cartoonish red fist on the end hit Luke, making him fly screaming over the railing and into the ocean.