★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖚𝖋:
BELLE GROWS PLANTS
FROM THE SEA

★ 。／｜＼。★

AS MORE AND more Romans tried to approach the Argo II, Belle, Percy, Piper, Hazel, Jason, Frank, and Leo tried harder to keep them away. Jason had apparently seen Annabeth on the battlefield and she had told him to retreat without her. However, they all knew that wasn't happening. They weren't going anywhere without every Demigod of the Prophecy.

Belle had Sunflower out now, although her sword-fighting skills weren't what she was using. Even though they weren't close to the land, Belle could sense the amount of grass on Fort Sumter. She raised her hand higher, and the plant immediately bent to her will. Belle willed it to grow taller, and even had it wrap around the ankles of some Roman Demigods so they would stop approaching the ship.

"Kill them!" the voice of Octavian shrieked. "Kill them all!"

She cursed under her breath. Apparently had survived his swim in the harbor. He was crouching behind his two guards, screaming encouragement to the other Roman Demigods as they struggled to the ship. They were holding up their shields like it would deflect the storm raging all around them.

Speaking of that storm, it was being caused by two Demigods of the Argo II. Percy and Jason were standing on the deck with their swords crossed. They were working together, summoning both the sky and the sea to do their bidding. Water and wind churned together and waves slammed against the ramparts while lightning flashed. Giant eagles were being knocked out of the sky, the wreckage of the flying chariot burned in the water, and Coach Hedge was swinging a mounted crossbow at the Roman eagles.

The grass Belle was growing was pretty tall now. With a flick of her hand, she willed it to grow thicker to the point where it made a wall. Roman Demigods stopped and tried to cut through it with their weapons, which made an excellent distraction. However, just like every time she used too much of her power, she began to feel herself get more tired.

Suddenly, through the large crowd, Belle spotted a familiar head of blonde hair sprinting through the Roman lines.

"Leo, I see Annabeth!" Belle shouted. "Start pulling away! Piper, go help her up!"

The two obeyed. Leo began to pull away from the dock while Piper ran to the gangplank. Annabeth leaped up and grabbed Piper's hand. The gangplank fell into the sea, and the two of them tumbled onto the deck.

"Go!" Annabeth screamed. "Go, go, go!"

Belle dropped her hand, deeming her job done. The engines rumbled beneath them and the oars churned. While Jason changed the course of the wind, Percy called up a massive wave that lifted the ship higher than the fort's walls and pushed it out to sea. By the time the Argo II reached its top speed, Fort Sumter was nothing but a blot in the distance, and the eight Demigods were racing across the waves towards the ancient lands.

"Beauty!" Percy yelled over the wind. "Can you tell Leo the coordinates I got from a Nereid in Charleston Harbor? He said we should try and get help from Chiron's brothers!"

She nodded. Belle stumbled over to Leo, who was at the helm. The wind was still going crazy outside thanks to Jason.

Belle stood next to him so he could hear her. "Hey, Leo!"

"I'm a little busy right now, Princess Belle!" Leo responded.

She rolled her eyes. "I can see that. But Percy said he talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor who said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers."

"Do you mean the Party Ponies?"

Belle shrugged. "I don't know, but he gave me some coordinates. Are you able to put latitude and longitude in here?"

"I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want. Of course I can do latitude and longitude!"

She told him the numbers. Somehow, Leo managed to put them in with one hand while holding the wheel with the other. A red dot then appeared on the bronze display screen.

"That location is in the middle of the Atlantic," Leo announced. "Do the Party Ponies have a yacht?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they did," Belle replied. "Just try and hold the ship together until we're able to get farther away from Charleston, okay? Jason and Percy will keep up the winds!"

"Happy fun time!"

After literally two hours of the ship sailing at top speed, Jason and Percy deemed they were far enough away from Charleston. Not to mention the two looked utterly exhausted. Percy calmed the sea while Jason made the winds die. Both of them slumped against the mast and hung their heads in exhaustion.

"Hey, Annabeth, can you go grab them some water, please?" Belle asked.

Annabeth nodded and went to the mess hall to get some water. Almost instantly, Frank and Hazel walked off to the side and began to have an argument that involved a lot of arm waving and head shaking. Sharing a confused look with Piper for a moment, Belle crouched down next to Percy and put her hand on his cheek gently. He raised his head to reveal his green eyes were bloodshot and droopy.

"You did great," Belle reassured him, rubbing her thumb back and forth on his cheek. "You and Jason got us out of there."

He leaned into her hand. "I'm so tired."

Belle laughed softly. "I know. It took a lot of strength to create that storm."

"Here," Annabeth voiced, now back from the mess hall with two bottles of water.

Both Belle and Piper took them from her. They then began to try and get the two boys to drink some, but they were both too exhausted to do pretty much anything.

Leo then came out onto the deck after Coach Hedge went to go pry him away from the wheel. Hazel and Frank's argument immediately stopped and everyone gathered around Percy and Jason. Belle moved to sit down next to Percy and put his arm around his waist, him resting his head on top of hers.

"No sign of pursuit," Frank voiced, though there was a scowl on his face.

"Or land," Hazel added, looking a little green.

That was true. There was nothing but ocean in every direction. This was what their quest was about, but now they were actually sailing to the ancient lands.

Leo turned to Annabeth. "Did you find the map you wanted?"

Annabeth nodded, yet she looked pale. "I'll have to study it."

Belle frowned. She wondered what had shaken Annabeth up so badly at Fort Sumter. However, Annabeth made it clear she didn't want to talk about it, so Belle moved on.

"Leo, how far are we from those coordinates?" Belle questioned.

"At top rowing speed, about an hour," Leo answered. "Any idea what we're looking for?"

"Not a clue. Percy?"

Percy slowly raised his head. "The Nereid said Chiron's brothers were there, and they'd want to hear about that aquarium in Atlanta. I don't know what she meant, but . . ." He paused like talking was using up all his energy. "She also warned me to be careful. Keto, the Goddess at the aquarium: she's the mother of sea monsters. She might be stuck in Atlanta, but she can still send her children after us. The Nereid said we should expect an attack."

"Wonderful," Frank muttered.

Jason tried to stand up, which definitely wasn't a good idea because he almost fell. Piper caught him in her arms and helped him slide back down the mast.

"Can we get the ship aloft?" Jason inquired. "If we could fly—"

"That'd be great," Leo cut in. "Except Festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter."

"We were in a hurry," Annabeth revealed. "Trying to save you."

"And saving me is a very noble cause. I'm just saying, it'll take some time to fix. Until then, we're not flying anywhere."

Percy straightened up a bit and winced. "Fine with me. The sea is good."

"Speak for yourself," Hazel responded, glancing to the evening sun which was almost to the horizon. "We need to go fast. We've burned another day, and Nico only has three more left."

"We can do it," Leo promised. "We can make it to Rome in three days — assuming, you know, nothing unexpected happens."

"Is there any good news?" Frank asked.

"Actually, yes. According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, made it back safely while we were in Charleston, so those eagles didn't get him. Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants."

"Dang it!"

Belle raised an eyebrow. Frank seemed utterly irritated. She wondered if it was because he was shot down from the sky or his argument with Hazel. However, she was snapped out of her thoughts by Percy doubling over and groaning.

"Did the world just turn upside down?" Percy asked.

Jason pressed his hands to his head. "Yeah, and it's spinning. Everything is yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?"

Belle and Piper exchanged a look of concern. That definitely wasn't good.

"Summoning that storm really sapped your strength," Piper said to the boys. "You've got to rest."

Belle nodded in agreement. "She's right. Annabeth, Frank, do you mind helping us get Percy and Jason belowdecks?"

Frank glanced at Leo, obviously reluctant to leave him alone with Hazel.

"It's fine, man," Leo reassured him. "Just try not to drop them on the way down the stairs."

Belle guided Percy to stand up with her, her arm still around his waist. Annabeth put her arm around his shoulders and the two of them led Percy belowdecks while Frank helped Piper. They brought him to his cabin and maneuvered him to lay down on his bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, his eyes immediately shut and he fell asleep.

Annabeth shook her head. "Typical."

"Come on, let's just let him rest," Belle told her.

She pressed a soft kiss to her boyfriend's forehead before leaving his cabin to go to hers. Belle immediately grabbed The Maze Runner and settled down onto her bed.

Just like every time she read, Belle immediately began to get lost in the words on the pages. There was no doubt that reading was favorite activity. When Percy disappeared, she had stopped for a while because all of her time was consumed with searching for him and preparing for their quest. Now that she was back with him, she was finally able to read again. There was a lot of it to catch up on.

Belle didn't know how long she had been reading, but all of the sudden, the ship lurched to one side. Her book flew out of her hands and she pressed her hands onto her bed to stop herself from falling. She heard Festus blowing flames outside and the ship's alarm bell ringing.

She stumbled out of her cabin to be met with everyone else doing the same, including Percy and Jason, who still looked very exhausted. Percy immediately took Belle's hands in his to stabilize them as the ship tilted to starboard.

"What's going on?" Jason questioned groggily.

"I think we're under attack," Annabeth answered. "Come on, we gotta get up there."

The six Demigods immediately stumbled up the stairs. However, once they arrived up on the deck, Belle's eyes immediately widened.

"What's going — gah! Shrimpzilla!" Percy screamed.

The monster of as the length of the Argo II. It had a pink chitinous shell, a flat crayfish tale, and millipede-type legs. It scraped against the hull of the Argo II and knocked some things out of line. However, the head was the worst part. It was a slimy pink face of a huge catfish with glassy dead eyes, a gaping toothless maw, and tentacles sprouting from its nose.

Frank immediately ran to Hazel, who was clutching onto the rigging, looking very sick. The monster then rammed into the ship again and the hull groaned. Annabeth, Piper, and Jason tumbled to starboard and almost rolled overboard. Meanwhile, Leo was at the helm, trying to get control of the ship.

"How did it get so close?" Annabeth shouted while she tried to pull herself up on one of the rail shields.

"I don't know!" Coach Hedge responded, trying to get his baseball bat back.

"I'm stupid!" Leo yelled. "Stupid, stupid! I forgot the sonar!"

The ship tilted farther to starboard. Belle stumbled, and Percy wrapped his arms around her waist so she wouldn't fall. She looked up, breathing heavily and sending a gracious look to him as she untangled herself.

"Sonar?" Hedge demanded. "Pan's pipes, Valdez! Maybe if you hadn't been staring into Hazel's eyes, holding hands for so long—"

"What?" Frank asked loudly.

"It wasn't like that!" Hazel protested.

"It doesn't matter!" Piper interrupted. "Jason, can you call some lightning?"

Jason struggled to his feet. "I—"

He only managed to shake his head. Jason was still weak after using a lot of his power to create that storm. Percy looked the about same.

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Can you talk to that thing? Do you know what it is?"

He shook his head, clearly mystified. "Maybe it's just curious about the ship. Maybe—"

The monster's tendrils lashed out across the deck so fast none of them had time to say anything. One slammed Percy in the chest and sent him crashing down the steps. Belle gasped and her hand flew to her mouth in shock. Another wrapped around Piper's legs and dragged her towards the rail while she screamed. Dozens of more tendrils curled around the masts of the ship.

Coach Hedge began to hit the tendrils with his baseball bat, but it bounced harmlessly off of them. "Nose hair attack!"

The rest of them immediately sprung into action. Jason drew his sword and tried to free Piper, but as soon as his gold blade cut through some, more took their place. Annabeth unsheathed her dagger and began to stab and dodge at whatever she could as she ran through the tendrils. Frank pulled out his bow and began to fire arrows into the chinks of the monster's shell, but it only seemed to annoy it more. It bellowed and rocked the ship.

Belle took a deep breath. She got Sunflower's keychain and flipped it, immediately gripping the green hilt of her sword tightly when it appeared. As soon as some tendrils came towards her, she slashed her sword in a wide arc and cut them all. Percy still hadn't appeared from down below, but as horrible as it was, she couldn't save him right now.

Jason looked over to her. "Belle! Can't you use some of your plant powers?"

She glared at him for a second. "Do you see any plants around right now?"

"I meant the plants underwater!"

Belle shook her head. "Jason, I've never done that before. I've only grown plants on land."

"It won't hurt to try!" Jason encouraged. "B, you can do it. I know you can."

Swallowing nervously, she sent a timid nod to him. She faced the ocean and held her sword hand out. Almost instantly, she could sense plants underneath the water — sea grass, kelp, seaweed, algae, and so much more.

She lifted her hand up, and immediately, all of the plants shot out of the sea. Belle blinked amazement. She had no idea she could do this. Pointing Sunflower at the monster, all of the plants wrapped around it and attempted to pull it away from the ship. Belle felt a deep pulling in her stomach as she gave everything she got into this.

Her friends continued fighting all around her, but Belle didn't focus on them. She could sense she was getting weaker and more tired as she controlled the plants. The monster was slowly being pulled away from the ship as more plants answered Belle's call.

And suddenly, in an explosion of Greek fire that lit up the sky, the monster sunk underneath the waves. Belle, feeling extremely weak, lowered her arm while breathing heavily. She glanced around her. The ship was slightly in shambles, but the monster was gone.

She locked eyes with Jason. Despite his exhaustion, but he managed to give her a thumbs up. Belle shook her head with a small laugh.

"Uh, guys . . ." Annabeth interrupted. "Where's Frank, Hazel, and Leo?"

Sure enough, the three of them weren't on the ship. All of them shared panicked glances. Oh no.

⭒  ☆  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━  ☆  ⭒

BELLE HADN'T REPAIRED many things in her life. She was no child of Hephaestus or Athena, but in order to keep the ship from sinking, she ran around the ship fixing things with Annabeth, Coach Hedge, and Buford the table despite still feeling weak. Percy, still exhausted and bruised from his stumble down the stairs, dove into the ocean to search for Frank, Hazel, and Leo. Jason, also still exhausted, flew around the rigging of the ship and put out fires from that Greek fire explosion. Piper was left to look into Katoptris to try and find their missing friends through visions.

The sun rose, and none of them had slept. Percy had found nothing when he scouted the ocean floor. The Argo II was no longer in danger of sinking, but full repairs couldn't be done without Leo. It was capable of sailing, but they wouldn't leave the area without their friends.

Belle, Annabeth, and Piper had sent an Iris-message to Camp Half-Blood to warn Chiron of what had happened with the Romans at Fort Sumter. Annabeth relayed her exchange of words with Reyna. Piper explained her vision from Katoptris about black SUV's racing north towards Camp. Belle told Chiron about how Aphrodite had said war was coming and their fight with the Romans.

Chiron's face seemed to another thirty years during their conversation, but he assured them he would organize defenses. Tyson, Mrs. O'Leary, and Ella had arrived safely. If necessary, Tyson could summon a Cyclops army, and Ella and Rachel Elizabeth Dare were comparing Prophecies to try and learn what the future held. Chiron then reminded them that the eight Demigods of the Argo II's mission was to finish the quest and come back safely.

After their Iris-message, the remaining five Demigods stayed on the deck in silence, staring at the water and hoping for a miracle to happen. Belle was resting comfortably against Percy's chest with his arm around her shoulder — their usual position — when three giant pink bubbles bursted at the surface of the water at the starboard bow. She glanced over to see that they had ejected Frank, Hazel, and Leo.

Belle's eyes widened. She untangled herself from Percy and ran towards them just as Piper dove straight into the water. Belle placed her hands on the rails and looked down at them. She watched as Piper paddled over to Leo and kissed him on the cheek.

Leo laughed. "Miss me?"

"Where were you?" Piper demanded. "How are you guys alive?"

"Long story." A picnic basket then bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"

Annabeth placed her hand up. "Okay, we have a lot of things to discuss. Come on board and we'll talk."

Once Frank, Hazel, and Leo got on board and changed into dry clothes (with Frank having to borrow a pair of too small pants from Jason), the eight Demigods gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast. Well, except for Coach Hedge, who went to go hammer out some dents in the hull because he claimed the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for him. While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and Frank told the rest the story of the fish Centaurs and their training camp.

"Incredible," Jason commented. "These are really good brownies."

Belle rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That's your only comment?" Piper asked.

Jason looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish Centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River God. Got it. But these brownies—"

"I know," Frank agreed with his mouth full. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."

"That is incredibly disgusting," Hazel stated.

"Pass me the jar, man," Jason said.

Belle blinked. Boys, she thought to herself.

Percy, on the other hand, wasn't interested in the brownies. Instead, he wanted to hear everything about the aquatic camp. He kept coming back to only one point.

"They didn't want to meet me?" Percy questioned.

"It wasn't that," Hazel answered. "Just . . . undersea politics, I guess. The Merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."

He nodded absently. "But they didn't want to meet me?"

"Percy, sweetie, not right now," Belle told him.

Annabeth swatted his arm. "Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about."

"They're right," Hazel stated. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish Centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."

Hazel looked around defensively like she was waiting for someone to argue with her. No one did. Belle could only imagine how Nico was feeling, being stuck in a bronze jar with only two pomegranate seeds and not a lot of oxygen, wondering whether he would be rescued. But he would be rescued. They wouldn't let him die.

"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Piper voiced. "We'll save him, Hazel. We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"

"What?" Leo inquired, looking away from the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome, or flying, if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then . . ."

Jason suddenly looked like his brownie with peach preserves didn't taste so good anymore. "Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him — at most."

Percy crossed his legs. "And that's only part of the problem. There's the Mark of Athena, too."

Annabeth didn't seem happy with him changing the topic. She rested her hand on her backpack that she always seemed to have with her since they left Charleston. Annabeth opened it and brought out a thin bronze disk.

"This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's . . ." Annabeth stopped abruptly, staring at the smooth surface of it. "It's blank!"

Belle's eyebrows knit in confusion. "What do you mean?" She took it from her and examined both sides. Sure enough, it was blank. "It wasn't blank earlier?"

"No! I was looking at it in my cabin and . . . it must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other Demigods."

Frank scooted back away from the disk. "What did it have on it? And what is the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."

Annabeth took the disk back from Belle and turned it in the sunlight, but it remained blank. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts . . . the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."

"Maybe that's where you meet the river God Tiberinus," Piper replied. "But what is the Mark?"

"The coin," Annabeth murmured.

Percy frowned at her. "What coin?"

Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma that was familiar to Belle. "I've been carrying this ever since Belle and I saw my mom at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin."

She passed it around and each of them looked at it. Belle declined when it was offered to her, only because her and Annabeth had studied it so many times since seeing Athena.

"An owl," Leo announced. "Well, that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's this inscription, ΑΘΕ — Area Of Effect?"

"It's alpha, theta, epsilon," Annabeth explained. "In Greek it stands for Of The Athenians . . . or you could read it as the children of Athena. It's sort of the Athenian motto."

"Like SPQR for the Romans," Piper added.

Annabeth nodded. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter."

She then described what had happened there — the voice of Gaea, spiders crawling towards her in the garrison, and the Mark of Athena burning them away. Belle frowned at the blonde. She could tell it wasn't easy for her to talk about.

"I'm sorry Percy and I weren't there for you, Annabeth," Belle apologized. "But I don't think we can be this time.

"Exactly, that's the point," Annabeth responded. "No one can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to . . . to the source."

Frank took the coin from Leo and stared at the owl. "The Giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won with pain from a woven jail." He then looked up at Annabeth. "What is it . . . this thing at the source?"

"A statue," Jason replied. "A statue of Athena. At least . . . that's my guess."

Piper frowned at him. "You said you didn't know."

"I don't. But the more I think about it . . . there's only one artifact that could fit the legend." He turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"

"I know," Annabeth interrupted. "I figured it out, Jason. I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together . . . don't you see? It could heal the rift."

"Hold on," Percy interjected, making a time out gesture. "What statue?"

"The Athena Parthenos, or the most famous Greek statue of all time," Belle explained as Annabeth took back her silver coin, remembering what she had read about it. "It stood at forty feet tall and was covered in ivory and gold. The statue used to be in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."

The ship went silent, and the only sound left was the waves lapping against the hull.

"Okay, I'll bite," Leo spoke at last. "What happened to it?"

"It disappeared," Annabeth answered.

Leo frowned. "How does a forty-foot-tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just disappear?"

"That's a good question. It's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Some people thought the statue was melted down for its gold, or destroyed by invaders. Athens was sacked a number of times. Some thought the statue was carried off—"

"By Romans," Jason finished. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman Demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally stole Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer Goddess."

"And the children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since. Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the Goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena . . . a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue . . . hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."

Belle was amazed by Annabeth and Jason speaking with each other like that. Since she was close to both to them, she knew the two had really never trusted each other. But now, if they could discuss a problem so huge so calmly — especially since it was the source of the hatred between the Greeks and Romans — maybe there could be hope for the two Camps after all. And maybe, just maybe . . . Percy's vision of the future with Belle at New Rome could come true.

Percy seemed to be thinking the same things as her since he had a surprised expression. "So if we — I mean you — find the statue . . . what would we do with it? Could we even move it?"

"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. "But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two Camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe . . . maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the Giants."

Belle crossed her arms. Concern ultimately overpowered her. There was no doubt Annabeth could take care of herself. Belle knew that all too well. But this was a huge responsibility, and Annabeth had to do it alone. Belle only wished she could help her some way.

"This could change everything," Piper said. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you . . ."

Piper didn't finish, but the question seemed to hang in the air: Was saving the statue even possible?

Annabeth squared her shoulders, and Belle knew her well enough to know she was hiding her fear. "I have to succeed. The risk is worth it."

Hazel twirled her hair around her finger pensively. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman Legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"

"It could kick some serious booty," Leo offered.

"That wasn't the way I'd put it, but yes."

"Except . . ." Percy trailed off, taking Belle's hand nervously as he looked to Annabeth. "No child of Athena has ever found it. Annabeth, what's down there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders—?"

"Won through pain from a woven jail," Frank recalled. "Woven, like webs?"

Annabeth's face turned white. Belle could see that Annabeth either knew what awaited her or had a good idea of what it could be. Annabeth was trying to suppress her wave of panic.

"We'll deal with that when we get to Rome," Piper suggested. "It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You'll see."

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "I learned a long time ago: Never bet against Annabeth."

Belle nodded. "Annabeth can do it. I know she can. I've seen her solve situations under immense pressure before."

Annabeth looked at the three of them gratefully, and Belle sent her a reassuring smile. The others still felt uneasy, judginf off their half-eaten breakfasts, but Leo managed to shake them out of it. He pushed a button, making a loud blast of steam explode from Festus' mouth. Everyone jumped.

"Well!" Leo exclaimed. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your superfun list of chores!"

⭒ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☆ ⭒

BELLE WAS FINALLY able to get some sleep and rest after her stunt with growing plants from the sea and cleaning up the inside of the ship with Percy, but unfortunately, it had to get cut short. A ship's horn blasted so loud it literally made her fall out of bed. She landed on the ground with a groan as the horn boomed again.

There was no time to get dressed. All she was wearing was one of Percy's shirts and a pair of pajama pants, but it was suitable enough. She grabbed Sunflower's keychain from the table next to her bed and ran up to the deck.

The others had already gathered, hastily dressed. Piper's clothes were not quite on right. Frank's Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out. Percy was wearing pajama pants with a bronze breastplate. Hazel's curly hair was all blown to one side. Leo had accidentally set himself on fire and his t-shirt was in charred tatters while his arms were smoking. Jason was wide-eyed and alert in full pajamas like Belle was. Annabeth barely had her eyes open and was grumbling about how she hadn't had any coffee yet.

As it turns out, they weren't under attack. A massive cruise ship glided past them about a hundred yards to port. Tourists waved at them from a multitude of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. Belle didn't know what the Mist was making the Argo II look like, but apparently they were enjoying it. The cruise ship blew its horn once more, making the Argo II shake violently.

Coach Hedge put his hands over his ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're just saying hi," Frank guessed.

"WHAT?"

The ship edged past them and headed out to sea while the tourists kept waving. They certainly didn't let on if they saw the Argo II populated by a bunch of half-asleep kids wearing pajamas an armor with a Satyr as their chaparone.

"Bye!" Leo called, waving his smoking hand.

"Can I man the ballistae?" Coach Hedge asked.

Leo forced a smile. "No."

Hazel rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked across the glittering green water. "Where are — oh . . . wow."

Belle followed her gaze and was immediately met with the most beautiful view she had ever seen. A mountain was jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north. Limestone cliffs that were completely sheer dropped into the sea on one side. On the other, the mountain sloped in tiers that were covered in green forests.

Percy then looked down at Belle and his eyebrows knit in thought. "Is that my shirt?"

"Yes," Belle responded nonchalantly.

He nodded, putting an arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. "Okay, you can keep it."

"I was already planning on it, Aqua Boy."

"It looks better on you than me."

"Probably."

He pushed her shoulder gently. "I was trying to give you a compliment."

Belle smiled. "I'm kidding. Thank you, Perce."

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth announced in awe, ignoring the couple's conversation and seemingly awake now. "At the tip of Spain. And over there—" She pointed south, where there was a distant stretch of red hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

Belle exhaled. They were finally at the Mediterranean. Once they entered the Mare Nostrum, they would be in the ancient lands. If the legends from Camp Jupiter were true, their quest was just about to get a lot more dangerous.

"What now?" Piper questioned. "Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo countered. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."

Annabeth gazed at the Rock of Gibraltar, the brooding expression on her face telling Belle she expected trouble "In the old days, they called this area the pillars of Hercules. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."

"Hercules, huh?" Percy repeated with a frown. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn — there he is."

A thunderous boom shook the Argo II. Belle glanced around. There weren't any other ships and the skies were clear, so what caused it?

"So . . . these Pillars of Hercules," Piper continued. "Are they dangerous?"

Annabeth continued to stare at the white cliffs. "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning—"

"Non plus ultra," Percy finished.

Annabeth looked stunned, clearly not used to him having the answers. "Yeah. Nothing Further Beyond. How did you know?"

Percy pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."

Belle followed to where he was pointing. Directly ahead of them, an island had shimmered into existence in the middle of the straits. Belle was sure it hadn't been there before. The island was a small hilly mass of land that was covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. It wasn't very impressive compared to Gibraltar, but two white Grecian columns were jutting about a hundred yards offshore in front of the island. Between the columns, three huge silver words glittered under the water — NON PLUS ULTRA.

"Guys, do I turn around?" Leo inquired nervously. "Or . . ."

None of them answered, because they all noticed the figure standing on the beach. Belle straightened up and studied him as the ship approached the columns. He had dark hair and was wearing purple robes. His arms were crossed and he was staring intently at the ship like he was expecting them. Judging from his posture, he wasn't too happy about.

Frank took a sharp inhale of breath. "Could that be—?"

"Hercules," Jason completed. "The most powerful Demigod of all time."

The Argo II continued towards the columns. They were only a few hundred yards away now.

"Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again. But I need to know quick—"

"I don't think we can," Belle revealed. "If I'm correct, Hercules is guarding these straits. And if it's really him, he'll want to talk to us, so we wouldn't be able to sail or fly away anyways. We just have to keep going."

"Won't Hercules be on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean . . . he's one of us, right?"

"He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a God," Jason replied. "You can never be sure with Gods."

Percy sighed. "Great. Eight of us against Hercules."

"And a Satyr!" Coach Hedge added. "We can take him."

"I've got a better idea," Annabeth stated. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group — one or two at most. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason offered. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Or maybe he'll hate you," Percy suggested. "Half brothers don't always get along."

Belle looked up at him. "You know, your optimism is one of the many things I admire about you. Have you ever considered being a motivational speaker?"

"Shut up, Beauty."

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth cut in. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words."

All eyes immediately turned to Piper.

"Fine," Piper decided. "Just let me change my clothes."

Piper and Jason walked off to their cabins to get ready for the day. Belle yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly. There was nothing she wanted more than to go back to sleep, but she knew it was time to get up anyways. Sighing, she left Percy's side and went to her cabin to get dressed.

—  [ ♡ ] —

badass baby belle look at her go I'm so proud of her

lol hey remember that date percy and annabeth went on in rome before she went off to go follow the mark of athena ???? hahaha brb making it only belle and annabeth going for a besties trip <3

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !