Chapter Thirty-One:
A Sorceress' Island of Magic.
— Feeling more human and hooked
on her flesh,      I lay my heart down
with the rest                      at her feet !

They were a Greek Tragedy.

Everything that occurred on their quests only proved such a profound statement. Annabeth Chase wept silently as she realized it. She'd managed to find Percy within the water after the explosion on the CSS Birmingham, but she'd been sailing aimlessly trying to find her best friend and Tyson. Her vision was silently obscured by the blurring tears that flooded her waterline, but she had a keen eye for the blonde hair she loved to braid and run her fingers through. She knew if she found Colette, Tyson couldn't be too far from the Sun's Daughter (right?). It was a while before she did find her best friend. Percy was still unconscious. Her breathing staggered in relief at the sight of a body floating right beside the rowboat she'd managed to get on. She was quick to reach out, her fingers trembling as she used every bit of her strength to pull the blonde onto the boat. She sniffled, slightly shocked to see Colette's dark blue and soaked backpack still latched onto the blonde's drenched body.

Percy had been the first of the two to wake.

               Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "Rest," she rasped out quietly, "you're going to need as much of it as you can get."

               "Lettie?" Percy coughed out.

               "I found her not that long ago, but she hasn't woken up yet." She knew the relief in her face was evident at her own declaration, but her eyes still darted to her best friend worriedly every now and then.

               "Tyson?"

               "Percy, I'm really sorry." She shook her head in a tactic to avoid looking at him. She hated that Colette being found gave him hope for Tyson, just to have it be crushed. "He may have survived," she tried to revive his optimism, "fire can't kill kim."

He only nodded and the two found themselves trapped in hopeless silence. Annabeth wasn't quite sure what to do either. Colette was usually their mediator. Without her, they were lost. It was a fact the brunette was slowly accepting. It was also dawning on her that she wasn't the only person in Colette's eyes.

She was going to have to share her best friend with Percy. And, as reluctant as she seemed about expressing it the way Colette did, she knew had feelings for him, too. They weren't as strong as they were for the blonde, but they were slowly blooming within her heart — no matter how hard she protested against it.

Colette gasped awake, immediately choking on all the water she'd nearly drowned in. She spluttered, coughing out heaps of ocean water back into the sea. Percy, despite being sluggish, rushed to pat her back in hopes of getting all the liquid out of her lungs.

               "Putain," Fuck, she managed to croak out the curse through her dried and hoarse voicebox, "I hate the water." Her eyes were bloodshot from the salt in the ocean. Her hair was slicked back from how wet it was, and her clothes were clinging to her body for the same reason. Her eyes glanced up, not even squinting at the harsh sun that glared above them. The sunbeams only softened when she made direct eye contact with the enormous star. And, in a quick flash of light, she was dry again.

               Annabeth felt the tears falling again. She threw herself into the blonde's arms, sobbing. "You have no idea how terrified I was." She blubbered through her cries. "I didn't know if you were gonna be okay!"

Another cough left Colette's lips, but one of her hands rested on Annabeth's waist. The ringed hand had snuck underneath the brunette's shirt, rubbing quick and comforting circles on the small of her back. Annabeth was the slightest bit confused on where her best friend's other hand was, but with a quick glance over the blonde's shoulder, she found the other locked with Percy's — rubbing circles on the back of his hand.

               "I'm—" Colette cut herself off and cleared her throat. "—I'm okay." After she caught her breath, she looked around the rowboat. She'd finally noticed there were only three of them. "Where's Tyson?" And again, Annabeth had to deliver the news.

Once all three of them were deemed "okay," Annabeth was distracted by the waves that lapped at the boat. She remembered to show her companions the things she'd managed to salvage from the wreckage: Hermes' thermos (emptied then), a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia, a couple of sailors' shirts, and a bottle of Dr. Pepper. Most of Percy's stuff had floated away, but even he did an inventory of his things: Hermes' bottle of multivitamins and his sword. When they both turned to Colette, she raised an eyebrow — almost incredulous by their silent question. Nothing had escaped her magic backpack.

               "Everything my dad packed for me is still in here." The blonde said, almost snarkish. She was telling the truth, obviously, but there was a clear weight on her back that only further proved her (sassy) statement.

The trio sailed for hours. Since they were in the Sea of Monsters, the water glittered a more brilliant green. (Annabeth noticed that Percy's eyes had shifted to the exact same shade as the water — it was almost pretty.) The wind smelled fresh and salty, but there was the scent of rain — signaling an incoming storm. Or something with more dangerous potential. They took turns sipping the Dr. Pepper, and discussed Percy's latest dream about Grover. With Annabeth's estimate, they had less than twenty-four hours to find Grover, assuming Percy's dream was completely accurate — and assuming Polyphemus didn't change his mind and attempt to marry Grover earlier than negotiated.

               There was another short silence before Percy broke it. "Guys, what's Chiron's prophecy?" His eyes were looking between the girls, but lingered more on Colette because he must've thought she'd give in.

               Annabeth pursed her lips at the sudden question. "Percy, I shouldn't—"

               He cut her off. "—I know Chiron promised the gods he wouldn't tell me. But you guys ain't promise, right?"

               "I cannot disclose," Colette paused and licked her lips — clearly trying to find the right wording, "unless the receiver of the prophecy has allowed me to."

               "Yeah," Annabeth tacked on, "and sometimes knowledge isn't good for you."

               Percy seemed understanding of Colette's reasoning, but his eyes narrowed incredulously at Annabeth's excuse. She even winced at how lame it was compared to the blonde's. "Ya' mom's the fuckin' wisdom goddess!"

               "I know! But every time heroes learn the future, they try to change it, and it never — ever! — works out for them."

               "The gods is worried 'bout somethin' Ima' do when I get older?" He guessed. "Somethin' when I turn eighteen?"

               Annabeth twisted her Yankees cap in her hands nervously. "Percy, I don't know the full prophecy, but it warms about a Half-Blood child of the Big Three — the next one who lives to the age of seventeen. That's the real reason Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades swore a pact after World War II not to have any more kids. The next child of the Big Three who reaches eighteen will be a dangerous weapon."

               "Why?"

               "Because that hero will decide the fate of Olympus." Annabeth noticed the way Colette snapped her head down to look at her shoes because of that announcement, clenching her fists tightly. Annabeth narrowed her eyes suspiciously for a second, but moved on. "They will make a decision that will either save the Age of the Gods, or destroy it."

               He paled. "That's why Kronos ain't kill me last summa'."

               She nodded solemnly. "You could be very useful to him. If he can get you on his side, the gods will be in serious trouble."

               "But if it's me in the prophecy—"

               "—we'll only know if you survive three more years." A quick slap to her shoulder made her wince, sending him an apologetic look for how blunt and toneless that statement had sounded. "That can be a long time for a Half-Blood. When Chiron first learned about Thalia, he assumed she was the one in the prophecy. That's why he was so desperate to get her safely to camp. Then she went down fighting and got turned into a pine tree and none of us knew what to think. Until you came along."

               "This kid in the prophecy ... they couldn't be like, a Cyclops?" Percy asked, cowering at the appalled look Colette sent him.

               Annabeth shook her head. "The Oracle specifically said, 'Half-Blood.' That always means half-human, half-god. There's really no one alive who it could be, expect you."

               "Then why the fuck do the gods even let me live?" He looked so baffled. "It'd be hella easia' — and safa' —  to kill me."

               "You're right."

               He deadpanned. "Thanks."

               "Percy," Colette finally interjected — eyes overly knowing about everything, "the gods know better than to make a move that would offend your father. You saw how he defended you against Zeus, imagine what he would do to someone in less power?"

               Annabeth looked between them in confusion (yet another thing she didn't know) when Percy nodded and glanced downward after Colette's impactful words, but moved on. "The real question is: What will you do in three years? What decision will you make?"

               He bit his bottom lip, and Annabeth cursed her eyes for tracking the movement. "Did the prophecy give any hints?"

The brunette hesitated for a second, then a seagull swooped down out of nowhere and landed on the trio's makeshift mast. She was so (rightfully) startled as the bird dropped a small cluster of leaves onto her lap.

               "Look," she pointed outward excitedly, "there's land nearby!"

Both Percy and Colette straightened up at that. Annabeth had seen a line of blue and brown in the distance. Within the next minute, the island with a small mountain in the center was easier to see. It also had a dazzling collection of white buildings, a beach dotted with palm trees, and a harbor filled with a strange assortment of boats. (Annabeth wanted to comment on just how harshly Colette was squinting to see the land, but bit her tongue.)

The current was pulling their rowboat toward a tropical paradise.

               "Welcome!" A beautiful young woman with a clipboard greeted them.

She looked like a flight attendant — blue business suit, perfect makeup, hair pulled back into a ponytail. She shook the trio's hands as they stepped onto the dock. With the dazzling smile she gave them, you would've thought they'd just gotten off a ship of the same caliber as the Princess Andromeda rather than their banged up rowboat. Then again, their rowboat definitely wasn't the weirdest ship in the port.

Along with a bunch of pleasure yachts, there was a U.S. Navy submarine, several dugout canoes, and an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship. There was a helipad with a "Channel Five Fort Lauderdale" helicopter on it, and a short runway with a Learjet and a propeller plane that looked like a World War II fighter.

               "Is this your first time with us?" The young woman asked.

The trio shared a look, but even the quick thinker of the group was stumped by the question. Annabeth could only stammer out the makings of an incomplete sentence.

               "First — time — at — spa." The lady said aloud as she wrote it down on her clipboard. "Let's see ..." She looked them up and down critically, eyebrows shooting up to where her hairline had been slicked back into the ponytail — almost impressed — when she looked at Colette. But her face grimaced at the sight of the blonde's overly intimidating scowl. She hummed to herself. "An herbal wrap to start for the young ladies. And, of course, a complete makeover for the young gentleman."

               "Huh?" Percy breathed out.

               She was too busy jotting down notes to answer him. "Right!" She looked back up from the clipboard with a breezy smile. "Well, I'm sure C.C. will want to speak with you personally before the luau. Come with me, please."

               "I guess it couldn't hurt." Annabeth murmured, clutching Colette's hand.

The island was incredible. There was white marble and blue water everywhere Annabeth looked. Terraces climbed up the side of the mounts, with swimming pools on every level, connected by water slides and waterfalls and underwater tubs you could swim through. Fountains sprayed water into the air, forming impossible shapes, like flying eagles and galloping horses. For a second there, she noticed the way Percy paled again. Before she could say anything, Colette reached her other hand out to him and squeezed it when he took it from where she was walking in between him and Annabeth.

               "Are you okay, Percy?" Colette didn't mention his complexion the way Annabeth would've. She only cared for his well-being.

               "I'm 'ight." Percy answered, but the telltale sign of Colette's eyes narrowing told Annabeth he'd lied. "Let's jus' keep walkin'."

It was clear Colette wanted to press a bit more, but Annabeth squeezed her hand warningly. He'd tell them if he wanted to.

The trio passed all kinds of tame animals. A sea turtle napped in a stack of beach towels. A leopard stretched out asleep on the diving board. The resort guests — only young women, as far as Annabeth could notice — lounged in deck chairs, drinking fruit smoothies or reading magazines while herbal masks dried on their faces and manicurists in white uniforms did their nails. (Annabeth was getting many flashbacks to the inside Cabin Ten.)

As the trio walked up a staircase toward — what looked like — the main building, there was the sound of a woman singing. Her voice drifted through the air like a lullaby. Her words were in a language similar to Minoan. Annabeth could just barely make out the lyrics, but her posture softened at the way Colette's mouth parted slightly in awe of the angelic voice. That was when the words made sense: Moonlight in the olive groves, the colors of the sunrise, and magic. The soothing nature of the woman's voice felt like it was lifting Annabeth from the steps and attempting to carry her toward the voice, but Colette's hand kept her grounded.

The trio walked into a big room where the whole front wall was made of windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, so the room seemed to go on forever. There was a bunch of expensive white furniture, and on the table in one corner, was a large wire pet cage. The cage seemed out of place, but before Annabeth could really question it, her eyes were drawn toward the singing woman and — wow.

She sat at a loom the size of a big screen T.V., her hands weaving colored thread back and forth with amazing skill. The tapestry shimmered like it was three dimensional — a waterfall scene so real the water seemed like it was ebbing, flowing even, and the clouds looked like they were drifting across the fabric-made sky.

               Annabeth's breath caught in her throat. "It's beautiful."

The woman turned, and she was even prettier than the fabric. Her long, dark hair was breaded with threads of gold. She had piercing green eyes and she wore a silky black dress with shapes that seemed to move in the fabric: Animal shadows, black upon black, like deer running through a forest at night.

               "You appreciate weaving, my dear?" The woman tilted her head delicately.

               "Oh, yes, ma'am!" Annabeth nodded. "My mother is—" She stopped herself, realizing what she was going to do. She curled her lips inward in lieu of continuing her sentence. She couldn't say Athena was her mother so openly.

               Their hostess only smiled slyly at the cut off. "You have good taste, my dear. I'm so glad you've come. My name is C.C."

The animals in the corner cage started squealing then. They had to have been guinea pigs.

The trio introduced themselves to C.C. She'd been delighted by Annabeth's small and polite conversation, smiling even wider when Colette made a few comments, but she looked at Percy with a twinge of disapproval — as if he'd failed an unspoken test.

               "Oh, dear," she sighed out tiredly, "you do need my help."

               "Ma'am?" Percy questioned the comment, looking sad.

               C.C. called to the young woman in the business suit. "Hylla, take Annabeth and Colette on a tour, will you? Show them what we have available. The clothing will need to change on both of them. And the hair, my goodness. We will do a full image consultation after I've spoken to the young gentleman."

Colette recoiled at the comment, as if she'd been slapped. Her hands reached up to tentatively touch her blonde hair, but the way her lips pursed gave away the fact that she'd agreed with C.C. about her hair.

Annabeth cursed under her breath. She'd not been able to wear her bonnet recently and she hadn't been checking her braids. Her own hands reached up to touch the roots of her braids, realizing how much regrowth and frizz was occurring because of the weather and how the time near magical beings was different.

               C.C. smiled sympathetically at both girls. "My dears, you're both lovely. Really! But you're not showing off yourself or your talents at all. So much wasted potential!"

               "Wasted?" Colette seemed more offended by that comment than the one about her hair.

               "Well, surely you're not happy the way you are! My goodness, there's not a single person who is. But don't worry. We can improve anyone here at the spa. After the tour, Hylla will show you, Annabeth — and Reyna will show you, Colette — what I mean. You, my dears, need to unlock your true selves!"

               Annabeth had always been an expressive person, especially as a child. She knew her facial expression gave away her longing for that. "But ... What about Percy?"

               "Oh, definitely." C.C. agreed with the half-hearted question, giving Percy a sad look. "Percy requires my personal attention. He needs much more work than either of you."

The guinea pigs squealed again, louder.

               "Well," Annabeth considered the option silently as her eyes locked on with her best friends', "we suppose ..."

               "Right this way, mis niñas." My girls. Hylla guided them, and the girls allowed themselves to be led away into the waterfall-laced gardens of the spa.

Once they'd left the room Percy had been in, Hylla led the girls around. But when the tour around the building started aligning more with Annabeth's interests, another girl with similar features to Hylla showed up. Reyna, she introduced herself with a wide smile and locked her arm around Colette's. Her eyes shone brightly as she stared at the blonde.

Annabeth stared so longingly at where Colette had been taken off to. Hylla must've noticed it, too. Especially when Annabeth's expression dropped into something harsher when the blonde started laughing — nearly giggling — at the things Reyna was saying.

When they'd finally finished the tour, and gone to sit at the actual spa. Hylla started the process. Her fingers worked quickly and expertly at undoing the braids that were already in Annabeth's hair. She was gentle with each strand of hair, removing each bead.

Since it was only the two them. Hylla seemed more eager to make conversation. "You like Colette, eh?" Annabeth blinked in shock at the callout. She hadn't thought her adoration for her best friend was that obvious. She stammered a bit, but Hylla only laughed gently. She massaged the roots of Annabeth's hair in a way that made Wisdom's Daughter relax her entire body. It had been a while since she had someone take care of her hair so thoroughly. Aphrodite's kids were only so qualified when none of them had Annabeth's hair type. "It's quite clear, bonita." Pretty.

"Yeah." Annabeth breathed out as Hylla started washing her hair. "I'm ..." she pursed her lips, "I'm so gone for her."

Hylla nodded with a warm smile. "I noticed, chiquita." Little one.

Just as the older girl was going to start drying Annabeth's hair, the sound of Colette's voice backed by a delicate piano made her freeze. Even Hylla seemed taken aback by the sheer beauty in it and turned the hair dryer off.

               "I like your curls, and I like your eyes. I look up at you, and just see the sky. Through streetlights I danced with ... my heaven at night ..." Colette seemed to hum for a second between lines. "I never knew what I felt like, but I feel like her more because of you ... because of you. In the black and white, you paint the world, and I ask if colors knew it's 'cause of you, now love is true because of you."

               "Wow." Hylla breathed out before nodding slowly, looking down at Annabeth's enamored eyes. "Yeah, hold onto that one."

               The older girl dried Annabeth's hair as quickly as possible, but Colette's voice seemed louder in the second verse compared to the thrumming of the hair dryer. "I like your heart, and I like its size. If two hands are open, would both intertwine? Please, be mine." She seemed to cry out the last word so prettily.

               "She's unbelievable." Annabeth shook her head slightly before going back to remaining still as Hylla applied a herbal mask to her face. "Her voice is beyond mortal."

               Hylla smirked slyly. "It's a good thing neither of you are, hm?"

Before Annabeth could stammer out nervously again, Reyna and Colette walked in — arms still intertwined with each other's.

               "¡La voz de ella es increíble, 'mana!" Her voice is incredible, sis! Reyna beamed brightly at Hylla, leading Colette to another salon chair to wash the blonde's hair.

               Colette smiled slightly at the compliment. "Thank you, Rey."

               Hylla looked at the blonde with complete and total shock. "¿Entiendes español?" You understand Spanish?

               "Eh, so-so." Colette moved her hand slightly to emphasize her answer. "I am from France, so most Latin languages are easier to understand for me. I also speak Italian, so Spanish has never been overly difficult."

               "Lettie's quick to pick up languages." Annabeth tacked on lovingly.

               Hylla snorted at the input, but nodded. "Good to know." She was cryptic, but no one said anything about it.

Soon enough, both girls were seated next to each other. Reyna and Hylla set to work. The Hispanic girls applied minimal makeup to their clients' faces after removing the herbal face masks before setting on doing their hair. Annabeth was ready to protest because she wasn't overly confident in a girl not that much older than her attempting at working with her hair type, but when Hylla pulled out the braiding hair, the stand for the long hair, the gel, the rat tail comb, other brushes, and hair jewelry, Annabeth knew she was in good hands — especially when she noticed how quickly Hylla's hands moved in her hair.

Reyna had started adding product to Colette's hair to emphasize the waves that the blonde had always had, but never had the time to take care of. The Hispanic girl moved strands from the front of Colette's hair and weaved them into intricate patterns near the base of the blonde's skull. It was obvious Colette's hair was done quicker, but seeing Reyna add a final touch made Annabeth smile. A gold clip with a sun and dangling stars was adding to the braid running down the length of the back of Colette's hair.

Colette was turned toward the mirror in front of her. All of the muscles in her face seemed to soften at her own reflection. Rightfully so. It had been a long time since Colette had taken care of herself so thoroughly. Annabeth had witnessed Silena attempt to drag the blonde into the Aphrodite Cabin so many times, but never quite succeeded in the task.

Colette looked more god-like than ever.

She always had the traits for it, both internally and externally, but seeing all those external traits enhanced and made to be shown off made her seem so much more so. Her resemblance to Apollo was so strong.

               "You look ..." Annabeth's eyes had grown bigger, wider in their awe of her best friend. "... gorgeous, like actual sunshine."

It wasn't often that Colette was blushing because of a compliment given to her, but Annabeth felt proud of the bright pink hue that took over her cheeks and nose and ears.

               Reyna ruined the moment. "Come with me, Sol." Sun. She beckoned the blonde. "Vamos a escoger tu ropa, hermosa." We're gonna pick your clothes, beautiful. When Colette followed wordlessly, Reyna sent Annabeth a look of both envy and arrogance.

               "Por los dioses." By the gods. Hylla rolled her eyes when Annabeth looked offended. "Ignore my sister, she's catty."

               "Yeah," Annabeth scoffed, "I can tell."

By the time Hylla was done with Annabeth's braids, she soaked them in boiling water before styling Annabeth's edges. When she was done, she spun the knowledgeable girl's chair so Annabeth could see her own refined reflection. Much like Colette, Annabeth was in awe of herself. Ironically enough, Hylla had taken it upon herself to give her goddess braids with gold jewelry on the braids. The curls added made her features seem more defined.

              "Thank you, Hylla." Annabeth breathed out. "Thank you so much."

              "Oh," Hylla waved a dismissive hand, "it was nothing, querida." Dear. "Vamos," come, "we're gonna pick out your outfit."

Both Colette and Annabeth walked out of the fitting rooms at the same time, turning toward each other; Their first instinct was to admire each other and the changes.

Annabeth immediately felt frozen in time by the sight before her. Colette had adorned a two piece set. White linen covered her top and bottom half. The top was short, only covering her chest, but linking the top and back from around her neck — a halter top. It was form fitting, enhancing her gorgeous shape, and showing off the muscle of her upper body. The skirt on her lower half sat comfortably — snuggly — on her hips, aligning with the sort of muscular v-line, and highlighting the muscle of her abs. The skirt was long, reaching her ankles, with a slit down the side. Her muscled left leg was shown off beautifully. Gold jewelry had been added to her arsenal, complimenting her skin tone and hair. There was a gold anklet around her left ankle where her sandals tied together in gold silk up her calves, more gold rings were added to her fingers — some chunky, some dainty — as well as laurel shaped leaf cuffs around her biceps.

Annabeth felt as though she was in the presence of an actual goddess.

Though the beauty in front of her entranced her, such an intense gaze on her flustered her out of the trance. Her nose turned pink, and she couldn't keep her eyes up.

She'd loved her outfit more than anything. Hylla had picked out a typical, Ancient Greek, white, linen dress and adjusted it to Annabeth's liking. She'd wanted something a bit more modern. The neckline dipped downward, exposing the top half of her chest, but keeping her covered enough to be considered "modest." There weren't sleeves, just fabric going over her shoulders and filling out onto her back. The dress was cinched in by a gold chain that extended longer on one side to hang by her covered leg. Her right leg was slightly revealed by the small slit on that side of the dress. Her feet adorned the same sandals her best friend did — typical Greek footwear. She was in similar jewelry as well. She had one laurel cuff on her left bicep instead of two on both arms, a few gold bangles on her right forearm, gold wave earrings, and a golden sun necklace dangling from her neck — falling into the center of her chest where the dress parted.

Hylla smiled proudly. "You both look beautiful." She complimented them, turning to her sister with a proud look. "We did good."

"You did perfectly." Colette added, not once taking her eyes off Annabeth who kept her eyes down shyly.

Reyna approached the blonde again, trying to gather her attention, and linking arms with her again. "Let me show you our instruments, ¿sí?" Yes? The blonde didn't seem to want to, but was led away anyway.

"She's being catty, Annabeth. Don't worry," Hylla assured the brunette, "Colette's just as gone for you as you are for her."

Annabeth bit her lip excitedly, remembering their moment on the Princess Andromeda. "I know."

Time was different there. Of that much, Annabeth was sure of. No matter how much time she spent in the library, the hours didn't seem to pass. She could've sworn she'd read a third of the books, and it'd only been ten minutes. That was literally impossible. Unless, the place was made up of magic — the same magic that kept the Lotus Casino going. It made her suspicious. Especially that Colette hadn't found her yet. She didn't like that Reyna was spending so much time with her best friend either.

Hylla had left her to her devices in the library, but she was growing worried. She found her way out and tried to retrace her steps to find the room she'd originally been in when the trio had been brought in. It surprised her to run into a familiar muscled shoulder.

               "Lettie!" Annabeth exclaimed in relief. "I was going to look for you if I didn't run into you at some point."

               Colette gave her a quick, halfhearted twitch of her lips, but those blue eyes were looking around suspiciously. "There is something wrong with this place, Annie."

               "Oh, thank the gods, it's not just me! We need to find Percy and leave."

They made their way back to the room, but their eyebrows furrowed at the sight of C.C. alone. They shared a look, planning.

               "Where's Percy?" Colette frowned.

               C.C. smiled. "He's having one of our treatments, my dear. Not to worry. You both look wonderful! What did you think of the tour?"

               Annabeth brightened falsely. "Your library is amazing!"

               "So is your music studio." Colette added, nodding along with their words.

               "Yes, indeed." C.C. agreed with a warm smile. "The best knowledge and instruments in the past millennia. Anything you want to study — anything you want to be, my dears."

               "An architect?"

               "A musician?"

               C.C. scoffed. "You, my dears, have the makings of sorcery! Like me." Annabeth took a step back, and Colette's eyes took on a wary sheen. "Yes, my dears." C.C. held up her hand and a flame appeared in her arm, dancing upon her fingertips. "My mother is Hecate, the goddess of magic. I know daughters of Athena and Apollo when I see them. We're not so different, the three of us. We seek and admire knowledge. We seek and admire greatness. None of us need to stand in the shadow of men."

               "Stay with me!" C.C. kept up her pitch. "Study with me. Sing with me." She tried to appeal to both of them. "You can join our staff, become sorceress', learn to bend others to your will. You will become immortal!"

               "But—"

               "—you're both so intelligent." C.C. complimented them. "You know better than to trust that silly camp for heroes. How many great, female Half-Blood heroes can you name?"

               "Um, Atalanta, Amelia Earhart—" the list could go on, really.

               "—bah! Men get all the glory." C.C. seemed disgusted by it, closing her fist, and extinguishing the flame. "The only way to power for women is sorcery. Medea, Calypso — now they were powerful women. And me, of course, the greatest of all."

               "Circe." Colette gritted out.

               "Yes, my dear." C.C. smiled broadly. The girls backed up the slightest bit, and the sorceress laughed. "You need not worry. I do not mean either of you harm."

               "What have you done to Percy?" Annabeth demanded that time.

               "Only helped him realize his true form." It was so cryptic.

Annabeth scanned the room. Then her eyes landed on the cage, her eyes widening at the hoard of guinea pigs. She tapped Colette rapidly to make her follow her eye-line.

               "Forget him." C.C. interjected. "Join me, and learn the ways of sorcery."

               "But—"

               "—your friend will be well cared for. He'll be shipped to a wonderful new home on the mainland. The kindergarteners will adore him. Meanwhile, you both will be wise and powerful. You'll have all you've ever wanted."

The girls were still staring at the guinea pigs, but they'd put on a dreamy front.

               "Let us think about it." Annabeth murmured. "Just give us a minute alone ... to say goodbye to him."

               "Of course, my dears." Circe cooed. "One minute. Oh ... and so you have absolute privacy ..." she waved her hand and iron bars slammed down over the windows. She swept out of the room, and the locks on the doors clicked behind her as she walked out.

The dreamy looks melted off the girls faces. They both rushed over to the cage.

               "All right," Annabeth hummed. "Which one is you?"

All the guinea pigs squealed. Her eyes shone with desperation and frustration. Colette took the time to scan the room. She spotted the cuff of Percy's jeans sticking out from under the loom at the same time as Annabeth. The blonde rushed over and rummaged through his pockets. Instead of taking out his sword, she brought out Hermes' multivitamins. She popped a lemon flavored one, tossing another toward Annabeth who was on the same page.

Immediately the door flew open and Circe swept back in, flanked by Hylla and Reyna.

               "Well," Circe sighed, "how fast a minute passes. What are your answers, my dears?"

               "This." Annabeth answered, bringing out her bronze dagger.

               The sorceress stepped back, but her surprise washed away quickly. She sneered. "Really, little girl, a knife against my magic? Is that truly wise?"

               "How about an axe?" Colette asked rhetorically, spinning her ring, and swinging her axe onto her shoulder.

Circe took another few steps back, more fearful of the gold blade. She looked back at Hylla and Reyna, who smiled and raised their hands, as if preparing to cast a spell.

               "What will your makeovers be?" Circe mused, but her bravado was faked. "Some small and ill-tempered things? I know ... shrews!"

Blue fire coiled from her fingers, curling like serpents around the girls. Unfortunately for Circe, the girls were still girls — just a lot angrier than they had already been.

               Annabeth leaped forward first, sticking the point of her knife against Circe's neck. "How 'bout turning me to a panther instead? One that has her claws at your throat!"

               "How!" Circe yelped. Colette held up the bottle of multivitamins smugly for the sorceress to see. Circe howled in frustration. "Curse Hermes and his multivitamins! Those are such a fad! They do nothing for you!"

               "Turn Percy back to human, or face Colette's wrath!" Annabeth warned, making sure the sorceress could see those golden eyes.

               "I—I can't!"

               "Then you asked for it!"

               Circe's attendants stepped forward. "Get back!" The sorceress warned. "They're immune to magic until those cursed vitamins wear off."

Annabeth and Colette switched places. The blonde put a hand around Circe's neck, the blade of her axe directly against the sorceress' chest — one wrong move and it would go through her. But Colette also moved the sorceress to face what her best friend was going to do. Annabeth moved quickly, going over to the cage and dumping the rest of the bottled multivitamins inside.

               "No!" Circe screamed.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang! that made Annabeth back up. The cage exploded.

Percy was sat on the floor, human again and back into his normal clothes — along with six other men who looked disoriented.

               "No!" Circe screamed again. "You don't understand! Those are the worst!"

One of the men stood up — a huge guy with a long, tangled, pitch-black beard and teeth the same color. He wore mismatched clothes of wool and leather, knee-length boots, and a floppy felt hat. The other men were dressed more simply — in breeches and stained white shirts. All of them were barefoot.

               The bigger man bellowed. "What's the witch done t'me!"

               "No!" Circe groaned.

               Annabeth gasped. "I recognize you! Edward Teach, son of Ares?"

               "Aye, lass," the big man growled, "though most call me Blackbeard! And there's the sorceress that captured us, lads. Run her through, and then I mean to find me a bowl of celery!"

Circe screamed. She and her attendants ran from the room, chased by the pirates.

Annabeth sheathed her knife, and Colette swung her axe back into a ring. Annabeth was glaring at Percy, while Colette was staring at him with intense narrowed eyes.

               "Thanks—" he seemed to falter. "—I'm really sorry—"

Both girls tackled him into a hug. Annabeth pulled away quicker than Colette did. The blonde held on for a little longer, but pulled away from him eventually.

               "I'm glad you're not a guinea pig." Annabeth blurted out.

               "Me, too." Percy's neck and ears had turned red within a few minutes.

               "C'mon, Seaweed Brain. We have to get away while Circe's distracted."

The trio ran down the hillside through the terraces, past screaming spa workers and pirates ransacking the resort.

Blackbeard's men broke the tiki torches for the luau, threw herbal wraps into the swimming pool, and kicked over tables of sauna towels.

               "Which ship?" Annabeth questioned as they reached the dock.

               "There." Percy pointed.

               Annabeth blinked. "But—"

               "I can make it work."

               "How?"

He didn't say a word. He only reached out and grabbed the girls' hands, pulling them toward the three-mast ship. Painted on the prow was the ship's name: Queen Anne's Revenge.

               Blackbeard bellowed something behind the trip. "Those scalawags are a-boarding me vessel. Get 'em, lads!"

               "We'll never get going in time!" Annabeth groaned as the three boarded the ship.

Percy's head looked around the entire ship, as far as his eyes could see. He closed his eyes for a second, seemingly concentrating while the girls shared panicked looks.

               "Mizzenmast!" He yelled suddenly.

The girls shared confused looks, Annabeth was looking at him like he was insane. But then the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and wooden pulleys creaking.

               Colette pulled Annabeth down as a cable flew over their heads and wrapped around the bowsprit. "Percy, how ..."

He didn't seem to have an answer for Annabeth. The Queen Anne's Revenge lurched away from the dock and, by the time the pirates arrived at the water's edge, the trio was already underway — sailing into the Sea of Monsters.

It was truly an interesting trip to a sorceress' island of magic.

ICARUS INQUIRES:

^^^^^^^^life is shit atm, guys. Like, so bad.

Little life update lmao. The last time I updated, I told you guys I had to work four days straight? Yeah, so, that didn't happen. I ended up not working one of those days 'cause I had a panic attack at work ! So fun. My anxiety has been so bad lol. Fun fact, I'm bipolar. So these episodes are normal, but anxiety is my least common. Usually it's manic or depressive, but let's just say I've been feeling like shit recently.

BUTTTTT as a treat, I finished this chapter. You guys have no idea how excited I was to write this one like !!!!!! It's been one of my most anticipated, along with the next one ;))

No debrief today because I am at work !

Please don't forget to vote and comment (mainly comment). Hope you all enjoyed. ILY ALL <333