╔═══════════════╗

chapter xviii.
( the sea of monsters )
❝ haunting of the past ❞

╚═══════════════╝

      "COME ON! WE GOTTA KEEP ON GOING!"

      Claire's legs were on fire. They starting hurting at least an hour ago, back where she wanted to give up running the first time. But Luke had taken her hand and dragged her on, pushing for her to continue.

      "We're almost there!" Grover shouted, glancing back at them.

      The monsters were gaining on them. Horrible, giant beings with one eye. Three leathery bats with whips that burned with fire. And hellhounds larger than any dog Claire had ever seen. Her cheeks were wet with fresh tears, her arms and legs were filled with scratches and scathes. She wanted to lie down and sleep, but with Luke dragging her along, she had no choice but to continue.

      Annabeth ran beside her, her princess blonde curls dirty with mud and filled with leaves and twigs. Her grey eyes were frantic, her bottom lip trembling. She held her dagger in her hand, not that she could do that much with it at the moment.

      Grover led them, his furry legs were covered in the blackness of the night. "The patrol will see us—come on!"

      He had talked so highly of Camp Half-Blood. A place where they could be safe. A place for people especially like them. Where they could train, live, sleep. As a distant thought, Claire wondered whether they had cookies...

      Thalia was behind Annabeth and Claire, her spear brandished in her hand. The daughter of Zeus, alongside Luke, was the best monster fighter she had seen. Claire knew, that with them, they will survive this fight. But will they ever get there quick enough?

      The hill was steep for she and Annabeth's little seven-year-old legs. Each step made her lungs burn and her calves ache. Claire knew as well that she couldn't keep going for much longer.

      The monsters hid in the trees. They were so tall that they sheltered them from their view. The only way they knew they were behind them was the shadows of their figures that danced across the grass. Terrifying pictures that made Claire cry even more. She just wanted to sleep. She wanted to wake up and see that this was all just a dream. The cyclops den, the hellhounds, the Furies. She wished it had never happened.

      Something caught against her foot, and Claire let out a scream as she went tumbling to the ground. Pain seared up her ankle. Luke stopped immediately and went to pull her to her feet.

      "Claire! Come on!"

      But when she tried to stand, all she felt was horrible pain. She cried out and shook her head. "No, it hurts, it hurts!" She started sobbing.

      Annabeth tried to help, pulling her up but Claire just kept screaming. Luke stopped her, "No, she's sprained her ankle."

      Grover's eyes were in slits with fear. "We're almost there! Can you carry her?!"

      Thalia gave a nervous glance behind her. Their roars were getting closer. Luke gently took hold underneath Claire's arm and Grover the other and they slowly pulled her to her feet. Claire bit her lip to stop her screams. She wanted to sleep. She wanted all this to stop.

      Annabeth had tears in her eyes. "They're getting closer!"

      "Come on, we can make it!" Grover and Luke started to continue their way to the top of the hill, Claire hobbling in between them.

      "We won't make it," Thalia said. "It's too far."

      "Yes, yes we can," Luke told Thalia. Annabeth hovered around them, unsure on what to do.

      Thalia looked in thought. Her dark brows creasing over her electric blue eyes, like lightning. She glanced back once more, then took a deep breath, as if making her decision.

      Claire watched with her eyes wide, her stomach twisting into knots as Thalia turned around. She spun her spear around and readied herself into a stance.

      "You guys go! I'll hold them off!"

      "Thalia, no!" Luke shouted. "Are you insane?"

      "Just go!"

      Claire started sobbing as Luke and Grover continued. Luke had to grab Annabeth's hand and drag her along too, as she screamed after Thalia.

     Behind them, Thalia Grace stood tall in front of the monsters. The Furies attacked first from above, she blocked the first Furies' whip, twisting it around her spear and pulling. The monster screeched as it fell forward onto the ground. Thalia stabbed the creature in the back, and it shrivelled to dust.

      Claire tried to glance back as they neared to top of the hill. Thalia ducked a second swipe by the next Fury, but behind her, a hellhound raked its claws along her back. "THALIA!" Claire cried out in alarm.

      The daughter of Zeus swayed to the side, her back arching at the pain. When Claire thought she would be killed, a cracking filled the air. The hair's on the back of her neck tingled, the air around her smelled metallic.

      Then Thalia raised her spear to the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck down onto the tip of her weapon and she pointed it towards the Furies and Hellhounds. Claire watched in awe as the lightning burned them to dust.

      But summoning a lightning strike took the energy out of Thalia. She looked exhausted, and Claire was worried about the claw marks on her back.

      "Thalia, come on!" Grover yelled. "Come on!"

      Claire looked back once more, watching Thalia run towards them. She remembered he being so close ... close enough that she could have made it.

      Then a large, hairy hand came out of nowhere and took hold of Thalia. She ascended into the air and with a mighty roar, she was thrown.

      "THALIA! NO!"

      Their screams flared to a stop when she landed. A sickening crack filled Claire's ears, and tears streamed down all their faces as their friend took one last shuddering breath before her face went pale, her eyes lost their electric spark.

      Annabeth cried out, and she tried to run towards her but Luke held her back.

      Claire knew it then that they were going to die. As she stared up into the darkness and saw a one, large green eye.

      But then something extraordinary happened. Thunder rolled above them, and even the monsters turned to look as Thalia's fingers stretched out and into the ground. Her skin turned to bark and moss, and out of her torso, sprouted a pine tree. It rose, higher and higher until it was taller than any of the other trees in the forest around them.

      With it, came an explosion. A blue light flashed, spreading around them far to the right and left. It then faded, as if it was never there. But when the Cyclops went to attack, his fist was caught in a barrier of blue. He tried again but was held back once more.

      They all watched the monster for a few more moments out of surprise, before Luke shouted, "Come on!" And he and Grover continued to carry Claire to the camp, with Annabeth running beside them.

      Thalia had saved them. One last time.

*

I WOKE UP TO THE SOUND OF A CAR HORN.

      Hannah's boyfriend, Cory was slamming his hand on the edge of the steering wheel in frustration. "You've got to be kidding me."

      He ran his left hand through his black hair, ruffling it up at the back. Around us was traffic. We were stuck in Upper Manhattan. The morning sun was stuck behind some of the buildings around us. Hannah peered around. "You sure Percy lives around here, Claire?"

      I looked out the window, to the side in the next street were brick apartment buildings, the same for our left. "Uh ... not quite so sure. He said something about this street ...?"

      Whatever you may think. I was not stalking one of my best friends.

      It had been ages since I had dreamt about that night on Half-Blood Hill. I had pushed that memory of Thalia dying far away in the back of my mind. But the recent dreams I've had of Camp in danger. The barrier that kept everyone safe breaking, and the camp overrun with monsters, made me think back to the night where Thalia had saved us all.

      That was why I was looking for Percy. I knew camp was in trouble, and I knew that it would most likely have something to do with him. Not in a finger-pointing-you-did-it! way. But in a more, you're-the-son-of-poseidon-everything-has-been-changing-and-it-relates-to-you-in-one-way-or-another way. I wasn't going to head back to Camp without Percy. He needed to know this as well, or perhaps he already knew something about it.

      So I told Hannah, and she instantly let me have the rest of the last week of school before the summer holidays off. We packed my bag for Camp, pushed Cory to the car and set off to Manhattan to find Percy and tell him what was happening.

      Cory let out another frustrated sigh, "I have no idea what that car is doing but he's not moving any time soon."

      I looked out the window once again up at the apartment buildings, I hope this was the right place. "It's okay," I unclicked my seat belt and slipped the strap of my bag over my shoulder from beside me. "I can go from here."

      Hannah looked back from the front passenger seat. "You sure, Claire?"

      I nodded, "I have to find him." I pulled my dagger from my bag and slipped it into my boot. "I'll be fine."

      Cory pursed his lips, "Are you even allowed a dagger? Is that even legal?"

      Cory was still very new to the idea of me being half god, half mortal. But so far, he was dealing very well. I gave a grin. "Probably not, but how else am I going to kill monsters?"

      He paled for a second.

      "See you after summer," I told them. I wish I had a better chance to say goodbye, but at the moment, Camp came first. I opened the car door slightly and slipped out onto the road. Hannah called out for me to be careful before I closed the door and passed through the dormant cars and ran across the street to the sidewalk.

      I walked down through the back alley next to the fire escapes on either side of me. I tried to think back to what Percy said to me in an iris message not long ago—to the right, three down, fifth floor, second window. I looked up at the fire escape and I quickly jumped up, catching hold of the bar and pushed myself over the handle and onto the rusty steps.

      I stopped about five steps up. I suddenly thought—did I want him to see me? I thought about it, if Percy saw me at his window, he'd probably freak out and think I'd been there long enough to see him dressed—ew—and wouldn't listen. I didn't even know whether this was his apartment, or whether he may already be at his school. I didn't want to completely freak out his mother Sally either.

      I had learnt a new trick over the school term with my powers. While it may have been overly draining when I first tried and still takes a lot of my energy when I do use it. I can manipulate the light so it disguised me, and I would turn invisible to the eye. I closed my eyes and channelled my energy. I wasn't sure how I did it really. All I did was focus on the heat in my body and it would rise in temperature until my hands glowed, and then they would disappear.

      I continued my way up the fire escape. When I reached the second window of the fifth floor, I peered inside and grew excited when I saw Percy Jackson sitting upright in his bed. He hadn't changed much over the year. He was still short, with the same messy black hair and sea-green eyes. But his face was starting to shape, the chubbiness around his cheeks he had last year had lessened.

      But then he looked my way and forgetting that I was invisible, I darted away from the window and placed my back against the brick. His shutters moved by the sudden movement like a breeze had sent them swaying. I could hear Percy slip out of his covers and walk towards his window. He was about to look out when there was a knock on his door and his head popped quickly back into his room.

      His mother's voice called from the other side. "Percy, you're going to be late."

      I slowly peeked back into his room and saw him staring right back at me, a look of suspicion on his face. But he didn't see anything. "Come on, dear," his mother called again. "Last day of school. You should be excited! You almost made it!"

      "Coming," he managed. He walked back over to his bed and pulled his ballpoint pen from under his pillow. Anaklumos, or Riptide. His double-edged celestial bronze sword. He put the pen on his nightstand.

      Before he started to get dressed, I started to make my way back down the rickety old fire escape. I decided that I could wait out the front for him to leave the apartment and follow him to his school. Or perhaps talk to him on the way ...

      My dream kept pestering me as I waited by the bottom of the fire escape, standing in the shadow of the back alley, waiting for Percy to exit the building and start walking his way down the street. I hadn't dreamt about Thalia for a while now, and it made me worried.

      Camp Half-Blood was in danger, and no one has heard from Grover for ages. After he left for his quest to find Pan, I hadn't recieved an Iris Message or anything, and from Annabeth had told me, neither had she. I hoped that Percy had heard from him, as the two were close friends. But even as I tried to remain positive, there was this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me otherwise.

      The summer sun glared down, making me squint and cover my eyes. Even with the apartment buildings surrounding me, the sun still seemed to reach the ground, reflecting off lamp posts, cars and poles. The buildings blocked the wind, but never did they block heat.

      I waited for Percy to appear in the street in front of me. Now visible to the eye, I hid in the shadows of the emergency escapes so no one walking past would see me. It would be strange to catch the eye of a random girl standing alone in a darkened alley.

      I played with my necklace. To an unbeknownst mortal, it was just a decorative key. But underneath the disguise, it was a key to my father, Apollo's golden chariot and a magical weapon. With a flip of my fingers, it would transform into Sun-Bearer, a dangerous bow accompanied by a quiver that gave me the very arrows I wanted with just a thought.

      Alongside my abilities in Photokinesis, some would say I was a force to be reckoned with. Powerful and deadly—but everyone had their weaknesses, and my own power was my biggest one. I could never use too much for I would tire myself out, and there was so much still to learn that I didn't know. I only controlled the bare minimum of what was out there, and most of it was only capable of a God.

      Yet, they thought that of photokinesis itself too. And here I was.

      After what felt like an hour, I finally catch sight of a familiar mop of black hair walking the streets. I went to call out his name, but I fell short when I saw him stop and meet up with the tallest thirteen-year-old I had seen. I took in his tattered clothes and his scraggly brown hair, and then I saw his face and my heart stopped.

      It was like I was back on Half-blood Hill, staring at that one eye through the dark. It was like I was back in its lair, holding Annabeth's hand desperately as I called out for Luke, Grover and Thalia's names in the narrow hallways. It's voice that had replied—exactly the same as my friends. The thing that had grabbed Thalia and thrown her to her death.

      Percy was friends with a cyclops.

*

      IT WAS LIKE REOPENING AN OLD WOUND and then being rubbed in with something much more painful than salt. Percy was friends with a cyclops, the same species of monster that had killed Thalia, that had trapped and hunted them in their lair that same night just an hour before. My nightmares as a young child came flooding back all at once, and it took everything in me to follow Percy and his Cyclops friend to their school.

      During that time, I had time to think. How come had Percy not seen that his friend was a Cyclops? Wasn't the tall height a giveaway, or the fact that he had one eye? I knew that mist could manipulate demigods if it was strong enough but Percy was a powerful demigod, and despite how it may seem, was way smarter than he looked.

      And yet he hadn't realised—and he must have not known all school year. It baffled me. It was at these moments I wish Annabeth was here, she would know why.

      Meriwether College Prep was a strange school. As a progressive school, it meant that the students could sit on beanbags instead of chairs, don't get grades and the teachers wear jeans and rock concert tee's to work. It was a weird sight compared to my private school back home where we had to wear a uniform with a strict dress code.

      I followed Percy around all day and used the mist to make the teachers and students look past me without a second thought, thinking I was just another student. The great thing about being quiet is that people don't take notice of you and you can move around as quick as a shadow and as quiet as a mouse. When I really needed to, I cloaked myself so that Percy wouldn't see me. But it drained me of power, and I tried my best to find ways to avoid it.

      Just by being at Percy's school for less than a day, I could already deem the type of people at his school. Percy ( which was no surprise ) was the 'loser-freak-geek' with his cyclops friend 'Tyson'—who was a great big sook. After a little while examining him, I could tell he was still rather young, just a babe. But I was still wary of him—baby cyclops could still hurt a demigod easily. Then there was Matt Sloan and his friends, who were classic school bullies. There were moments I wanted to punch him for insulting Percy ( only I could insult Percy ).

      In social studies, I sat at the back of the class with my head down, my arms crossed and the hood of my jumper over my blonde hair. I watched Percy's back as he opened his notebook to start drawing longitude and latitude maps for their exams. He smiled slightly at something, and I instantly got curious. I tried to stretch my neck to see over his shoulder, but I wasn't tall enough.

      He was about to turn the page when Sloan reached over and ripped something out of the rings. It was a photo, and now that I had a better look of it, it was me. I wasn't sure whether to be blushing, flattered or cringing at the sight of me in my ankle-length skirt blue plaid skirt with my arms crossed and my hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

      "Hey!" Percy protested.

      Sloan's eyes widened when he saw the picture, "No way, Jackson. Who is that? She is not your—"

      The back of my neck felt hot, knowing exactly what he was going to say. Percy growled, "Give it back!"

      Sloan handed the photo to his friends, who snickered and started ripping it up to make spit wads. I clenched my fists, and once again I felt the urge to punch Matt Sloan right across the face. But my anger faltered to confusion when I noticed the name tags on his huge, ugly friends: MARROW SUCKER, SKULL EATER and JOE BOB. Most people would think they had a strange sense of humour, but the godly part of me now looked at the boys with a sudden suspicion.

      "These guys are moving here next year," Sloan bragged. "I bet they can pay the tuition, too, unlike your retarded friend."

      "He's not retarded!"

      "You're such a loser, Jackson. Good thing I'm gonna put you out of your misery next period."

      When the bell rang, I followed Percy and Tyson out of their class. I tried calling his name, "Percy!" but he looked around at the wrong time, not finding me still standing in the classroom.

      Before I could try again, a crowd of kids rushed for their next class, gym, carrying him and Tyson along with them. I let out an annoyed sigh and followed them. But I didn't get far when I heard something whisper my name.

      "Claire."

      It breathed past my ear like wind, barely even heard. But I knew it wasn't just a draught when I heard my name—nothing is ever just wind when you're a demigod and that happens. I stopped in the middle of the corridor. Everyone had gone to their next classes, leaving me alone among the lockers. It had suddenly gotten very cold, and my breath turned to mist in front of me.

      A feeling of dread washed over me, and I took off my necklace. The key slipped from my fingers. It barely moved an inch as it fell, hovering in the air. I knew who was talking to me. Even with time slowed around me, my heart sped. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to hide the fear that wanted to consume me.

      "Leave me alone," I told it, opening up my eyes.

      "I wouldn't be so hasty, Child of Light," said the voice, and it sent chills down my spine, "You and I need to talk."

      "I would rather spend my life in torture than talk to you, Lord of Time," I snapped.

      He chuckled, and it echoed off the lockers. "You know who I am, how very clever of you."

      "How are you talking to me anyway?" I glared at my key that was still falling ever-so-slowly. "You don't have the power—you're stuck in Tartarus."

      The Lord of Time laughed again. This time, it felt as though he was breathing down my neck. "Even with Tartarus as my prison, it can be my freedom."

      I frowned, "I don't understand."

      "You will, in time."

      "What do you want?"

      "To talk," said Kronos.

      "I said I don't want to—"

      "Oh, but you will, especially when it has something to do with your powers, Claire Moore."

      I froze. I didn't want to succumb to Kronos's powers of persuasion and manipulation, but even with having the blood of a god, I was still human—and human nature came with its weaknesses, it's Achilles' Heel. "What about my powers."

      "Oh, much." The Lord of Time whispered in her right ear, and then her left: "I know how much power you hold, the extent of it. I know what you can and will be able to do in the near future, and what it will do to you—it's price. I know it's purpose, why your father gave it to you."

      "Apollo gave it to me to save my life," I said, but deep down I knew that wasn't the reason—there is never a simple, heroic answer when it came to the Gods.

      His laughter rang in her ears and to her brain, making it rattle against her skull. "You are naive, Child of Light, very naive. Your father lies—he is a narcissist being who only thinks of himself. Vain ... arrogant ... in it to save his own skin—that's why he made you the Light's Apprentice, for he knew of your future, and how it will affect him."

      I had had enough. I didn't want to believe him, to listen to him—because no matter how much I denied it, he was right. "Your lying!"

      "I can tell you everything. I can coach you on your abilities. I can make you powerful ... all I need is your cooperation ... and information."

      I scoffed, "You're crazy to think that I'd betray my friends for you."

      "Not for me, for you." Kronos taunted her like a begging dog. "You will find out what you have always wished—I'll give you time to consider."

      His voice disappeared, and my necklace dropped to the ground.

     I reached the gym to see it in a smoking mess. In an instant, I spun the key and felt the weight of the bow in my hand and my quiver on my back. A thought passed through my mind on what had happened and it fell onto the Cyclops. I cursed under my breath, I should have killed him when I had the chance. I ran to the edge of the door, slamming my back against the plastered bricks. A burning smell made me cough, and I peered around to see most of the gym on fire.

      Percy stood in the middle of it all, dressed in the Meriwether gym uniform and weaponless. To the side, the change rooms were just a pile of rubble. Kids belongings were sprawled along the floor alongside rubble and smoking, giant dodgeballs. 

      The rest of the students were screaming, all ducking for cover behind pieces of rubble and pulling at the doors, trying to get them open. Percy's cyclops friend sat dazed in a pile of bricks underneath a large hole right onto Church Street.

      One Laistrygonian stood standing—large and very ugly looking, with a firey dodgeball in his meaty hand—among five other piles of dust. It yelled to Percy, gloating, "Well! I'm the last one standing! I'll have enough meat to bring Babycakes a doggy bag!"

      I frowned at the name, Babycakes...? But I pushed myself to focus and grab an arrow and notch it. As he raised the ball and aimed it at the Cyclops, I aimed my arrow at his back.

      "Stop!" Percy yelled, and my arms slacked a little, my gaze turning onto him. He looked battered—his hair was messier than usual, the tips smoking and singed. There were grazes on his elbows and a cut above his right eye. "It's me you want!"

      The giant grinned, "You wish to die first, young hero?"

      He didn't say anything, instead, he charged to the piles of scattered clothing, his eyes focused on a certain pair of shorts and a shirt. A pen glistened silver as it peeked out of one of the pockets—the only problem, the giant stood in the way.

      The Laistrygonian laughed, "My lunch approaches!" he raised his arm to throw, and I fixed up my aim. In a flash, I let go of the arrow, the feather tickling my fingers and watched as it embedded itself in his back and out through his stomach.

      His body went rigid. The ball dropped out of his hand and landed on the ground with a great plunk. The monster's gaze travelled down to the bronze tip that had just run him through from behind. "Ow," he muttered and burst into a cloud of green flame. Once it died down, there was a neat pile of dust circulating at Percy's feet.

     The son of Poseidon looked a little bewildered. He reached down at picked up the arrow sitting in the pile of dust before looking up. He met my eyes, and I sent him a smirk. Percy breathed a relieved grin.

     I made my way over as my bow turned back into the necklace, in which I slipped back over my head. "Hey Kelp Face, I believe that's mine."

     I took the arrow from his fingers and as soon as it touched mine, it glowed gold before disappearing into nothing. Matt Sloan, who had been hiding behind the smoking changeroom door, stood up. At the sight of him, I grew angry, and I stormed over to him. At the sight of me, he blinked, stunned.

      "That's the girl ..." he mumbled. "That's the girl--"

     I punched him in the nose and knocked him flat. "And you," I kicked his side for good measure, "you lay off my friend."

      The gym was in flames. Kids were still running around screaming. In the background, I heard sirens wailing and a garbled voice over the intercom. Through the glass windows of the exit doors, what looked like to be the headmaster, was wrestling with the lock, a crowd of teachers piling up behind him.

      I turned back to Percy, who was still rather shocked. "Claire ..." he stammered. "How did you ... how long have you...?"

      I shrugged, "Pretty much all morning," I made my way back over to him. "I've been trying to find a way to talk to you but you were never alone."

      Realisation flashed across his face, and I thought, here we come, "The shadow I saw this morning -- that was -- how did you -- oh my gods, you were looking in my bedroom window?!"

      I rolled my eyes and grabbed his clothes off the floor. Even though I'd never admitted it, his words brought a rosy tinge to my cheeks. I threw his clothes at him, Riptide amongst them. "There's no time to explain, Percy! We need to--"

      "There!" A woman screamed. The doors burst open and the teachers came pouring in.

      "Meet me outside," I told him. "And him," I pointed to the Cyclops, who was still dazed against the wall. At the sight of his one eye, I couldn't help but glare. "You'd better bring him."

      "What?"

      "No time! Hurry!"

      I found the strength in me to turn back invisible with a small flash of blinding light, making Percy shield his eyes with a, "Whoa!"

      I ran towards the gaping hole in the side of the building and jumped over it without looking back.

*

a/n: Don't judge me on the Thalia scene ok I'm not happy with it either 😖😂