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chapter xxii.
( the sea of monsters )
❝ jason and the argonauts ❞

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JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. A timeless Greek tale. I learnt it in the first few weeks of being here at Camp-Half-Blood, Thalia mentioned it once on their travels. A tale of loyalty, betrayal, love, death, and heroism, like every Greek Tragedy. I don't know why I dreamt about them flying on the Argo that night, but I did. I also dreamt about Medea, the evil sorceress who married Jason, and when he left her, killed her children in spite of it. And then I dreamt about golden sheep. It was a weird dream, but like every demigod dream, it meant something.

        And I think I do know what it means. The Golden Fleece. I've been thinking about it ever since Percy mentioned his dream and empathy link with Grover the day of the chariot races. Grover was held captured by Polyphemus, the Cyclops who also held capture to the Golden Fleece. The one thing that could save Thalia, and Camp.

       But there was nothing I could do with Tantalus taking over the camp. He couldn't care less about it being in danger. And neither did Mr D—if Camp was destroyed, he wouldn't have to deal with us anymore and can return back to his godly life where he could drink wine all he liked. All the while, I had to clean dishes with the harpies for 'punishment' after 'ruining' the chariot races.

       Percy didn't help. He had told Tantalus to go chase his doughnut.

       The harpies washed dishes with lava instead of water, so Percy, Annabeth and I had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons. Tyson was perfectly fine—he just plunged his hands right in. The rest of us had to work carefully in hot, dangerous lava for hours. And there were extra plates too since Tantalus thought it would be great to have a special feast to celebrate Clarisse's win in the chariot races. They ate some Stymphalaian bird—which, now that I think about it, I was glad I didn't get to be a part of.

       What the hours of work did though, was it gave the three of us a common enemy, and lots of time to talk. After Percy told me again about his dream about Grover, I couldn't help but start to believe. Especially after my weird-ass dream. But it was dangerous—then yet again ... whenever is there something we do that isn't dangerous and death-defying?

       "If he's really found it..." Annabeth murmured.

       "He had to," I said, which made Percy arch a brow at me. I was too busy to give him a look back at his smug face. "I had a dream about it too before dinner. I mean ... if we can retrieve it—"

       "Hold on," Percy said. "You guys act like this ... whatever-it-is Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"

        "I'll give you a hint," said Annabeth. "What do you get when you skin a ram?"

        "Messy?"

        "Percy, I swear to the gods up above ..." I wanted to dunk his head into the lava, but Annabeth wouldn't allow me.

       "A fleece," she interrupted. "The coat of a ram is called a fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool—"

       "The Golden Fleece? Are you serious?"

       As Annabeth scraped some death-bird pigeon bones off a plate and into the lava, I said, "Percy, remember the Grey Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mention Jason. Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. And just before dinner, I had a dream about the guy too. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"

       "Yeah," he nodded. "That old movie with the clay skeletons?"

        "Oh my gods, Percy! You are hopeless!"

       "What?" he demanded.

       Before I could actually murder him, Annabeth decided to tell the story. "Just listen. The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices when they prayed to Zeus to save them. So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, it actually carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."

       "It was probably important to her."

       "The point is," I said. "When Cadmus got to Colchis, he sacrificed the golden ram to the gods and hung the Fleece in a tree in the middle of the kingdom. The Fleece brought prosperity to the land. Animals stopped getting sick. Plants grew better, you know, that stuff. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. It can revitalise any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution—"

       "It could cure Thalia's tree."

       I nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp. The thing is, it's been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."

       "But Grover found it," said Percy. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic. It makes sense, guys! We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time! It's perfect!"

        Annabeth hesitated, "It's a little too perfect, don't you think? What if it's a trap?"

        "What choice do we have?" said Percy. "Are you going to help me rescue Grover or not?"

        The two of us shared a glance, before gazing over to where Tyson was playing with the lava—making toy boats out of cups and spoons. I had a feeling we were thinking about the same thing. "Perc," I muttered, "we'll have to fight a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of the Cyclops. And there's only one place his island could be: the Sea of Monsters."

       "Where's that?"

       Is he dumb? Actually, no. I'm not answering that. "Percy," I stared at him. "The Sea of Monsters. The same sea Odysseus sailed through, and Jason, and Aeneas and literally every Greek hero."

        "You mean the Mediterranean?"

       "No. Well, yeah—but no."

       "Another straight answer. Thanks."

      Annabeth once again stepped in. She could see the look on my face. "Look, Percy, the Sea of Monsters is the sea all heroes sail through on their adventures. It used to be in the Mediterranean, yes. But like everything else, it shifts locations as the West's centre of power shifts."

       "Like Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building," Percy realised. "And Hades being under Los Angeles."

       "Right."

       "But a whole sea full of monsters—how could you hide something like that? Wouldn't the mortals notice weird things happening ... like ships getting eaten and stuff?"

        "Oh, of course, they do," I smiled. "They know, they don't understand, but they know if something strange happens. You gotta know the Bermuda Triangle, yeah?"

        Percy looked done, "Of course. Well, at least we know where to look."

        "Well ... I mean ... it's still a big place to look, Percy. Searching for one tiny island in monster-infested waters—"

      "Hey, I'm the son of the sea god. This is my home turf. How hard can it be?"

      I had a feeling it would be very hard now that he said that, but I stayed silent. Annabeth knitted her brows. "We'll have to talk to Tantalus," she said, "get approval for a quest. He'll say no."

       "Not if we tell him tonight at the campfire in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear. They'll pressure him. He won't be able to refuse."

       "Maybe," a little bit of hope crept into Annabeth's voice. "We'd better get these dishes done. Hand me the lava spray gun, Claire, will you?"

*

       I WASN'T ALLOWED TO DO SING-A-LONG TONIGHT. I wanted to yell at Tantalus, but I wanted him in good spirits for what we were about to ask. I watched as my siblings sang the usuals: 'Down by the Aegean', 'I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa', 'This Land is Minos's Land'. But no one was really singing along. Everyone's spirits were down after the pigeon attack. The fire was a dull colour of lint, just sparking like embers. Jenna, Kylie and Jay were even not looking like they wanted to play, which was a rare thing.

       Mr D had left early after suffering through a few songs. He had given Tantalus a distasteful look before leaving back to the Big House. I sat next to Percy near the front with a marshmallow that was not toasting and underneath a blanket ( despite it being summer, it was slightly cold tonight ). I tried not to fall asleep, but my head was on Percy's shoulder as I stared at the fire, thinking about what we were going to say. Whatever we did, it had to work. It had to.

Picking at the marshmallow, I decided to give up on roasting it and plopped it into my mouth. I found Percy and I's friendship weird. One moment, we'd be at each other's necks, and the next moment, we were best friends and always beside each other with Annabeth on my other side as well, and Grover on his. Perhaps it was Thalia's death and Luke's betrayal still—very fresh, mind you—on my mind I had become a little edgy and couldn't help but take it out on Percy because all of this stuff seemed to always revolve around him because he was the eldest child of the Big Three and destined to either destroy Olympus or save it. I hated that uncertainty, and when that uncertainty was hurting the ones I love--of course I'm edgy.

Percy frowned at me. He had been edgy too. Everything that was happening was upsetting him because he knew nothing as well. Heck, he knew less than I did. He didn't know the prophecy, and what awaited him. But he had a gut feeling, and that feeling scared him, I could tell.

He gave me a nudge, "Hey," he said softly. "Hey, it's gonna be all right."

"You don't know that," I replied, watching Tantalus as he tried to grab a marshmallow but it scuttled away from his reach.

"I have a pretty good feeling, and that's good enough for me."

I sighed, shrugging. "I'm just worried."

Percy nodded, "I know. We all are—but we will get through this, we will save Camp. I know it. And ..." I could see an idea glisten in his sea-green eyes, and before I knew it, he had reached over and taken my marshmallow right off my stick.

"Hey!" I tried to snatch it back but he put it into his mouth with a greedy smirk. "You bastard! That was mine!"

He shrugged, grinning stupidly. "You weren't eating it."

I couldn't help it. I smiled.

Maybe that was why we were friends. Sure, we fought, but everyone does. What matters, was that in the end, we had each other's backs. And in a time like this, that was important.

When the last song was over, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!"

He came forward with another toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it off, real casual like—as if it wouldn't notice—but before he could, it flew off and into the flames. Like the last one. At this point, Tantalus was commiting marshmallow genocide.

He turned back to us, smiling cruelly. "Now, then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."

Percy glanced at me before calling out, "Sir!"

Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has something to say?"

Some of the Ares campers snickered. Percy shared a glance with me, I nodded. Together, we gound Annabeth's grey eyes among the Athena kids. She clenched her jaw and gave us a look that said, it's now or never. Almost simultaneously, the three of us stood up. Percy took a deep breath and said:

"We have an idea to save the camp."

Dead silence. Everyone's interest was peaked, the campfire flared a bright yellow.

"Indeed," said Tantalus blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots—"

"The Golden Fleece," I said fiercely. "We know where it is."

The flames burst into a burnt orange. Before Tantalus could stop us, Percy and I both blurted out our separate dreams, and Annabeth stepped in and reminded everyone what the Fleece could do.

"The Fleece can save the camp," she concluded. "I'm certain of it."

"Nonsense," said Tantalus. "We don't' need saving."

Everyone stared at him. He started to look uncomfortable. "Besides," he added, "the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look!"

"Yes, I would," said Percy.

I frowned at him and whispered, "You would?"

He nodded. "Thirty, thirty-one, seventy-five, twelve." He said, and I realised. The numbers from the Grey Sisters. They had been coordinates. Exactly what Percy needed.

"Ooo-kay," Tantalus whistled. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."

"They're sailing coordinates," said Percy. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it social studies."

Even Annabeth looked impressed. "Thirty degrees, thirty-one minutes north, seventy-five degrees, twelve minutes west. He's right!"

"The Grey sisters gave us those coordinates!" I grinned, punching him across the arm. He frowned at me, holding his arm protectively. "That should be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters! We need a quest!"

"Wait just a minute—" tried Tantalus.

But the campers took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!"

"This isn't necessary—!"

"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"

"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger that suddenly made my stomach churn. I had to remind myself that Tantalus had been punished terribly in the Underworld for a reason, and looking into those eyes at that moment, I could definitely believe he had been a horrible man in his life. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"

"YES!"

"Very well," he agreed, but his tone was dark. "I shall authorise a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying."

Relief washed over me. This was what I had been waiting to do ever since I first got my dreams. To find the cure to save Thalia and Camp. To save Grover. To bring the Golden Fleece back. The excitement came next. I stood a little taller, awaiting for Tantalus to allow Percy, Annabeth and I to go on a quest to retrieve it. I mean, he had to. We were the champions. We stopped the Lightning Thief.

"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two champions for the journey. And I think the choice of champions is obvious."

Tantalus looked at Percy, Annabeth and I as if he wanted to flay us alive. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defence of the camp. You shall lead this quest ... Clarisse!"

I froze in my spot. The campfire flickered about a million different colours. The Ares cabin had jumped to their feet and started to cheer and stomp, "CLARISSE! CLARISSE!"

Clarisse stood up, stunned. Then she swallowed and her chest swelled with pride. "I accept the quest!"

"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."

"Sit down!" yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"

"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" another said.

This angered me. I turned on my heel and shouted towards them. "You want an arrow in your skull Xavier?!"

Percy grabbed my arm to stop me. Clarisse glared at us. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!"

The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth and I protested, and the other Athena and Apollo campers joined in. Everyone else soon had taken sides—shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. I thought it was going to turn in a full-blown marshmallow civil war until Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats!"

Everyone went quiet instantly, their breaths sharp at the tone of his voice.

"Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story."

I didn't know what was happening, but I sat down with everyone else anyway. The fire had down to a fearful blue, illuminating Tantalus's face darker than any monster I had ever seen.

"Once upon a time, there was a mortal king who was beloved of the gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest, and I got the feeling he was talking about himself. "This king was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe—just one little doggy bag, mind you—the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children—just—like—you!

"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus said softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there was no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"

No one dared to answer. The firelight glow was even darker than before, and Tantalus gave us a dark grin. "Oh, the god's punished him in the afterlife. They did indeed. But he had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumour has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for the chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so ... are there any more complaints, before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"

Silence.

Tantalus nodded at Clarisse. "The Oracle, my dear. Go on."

She shifted uncomfortably; even she didn't want to be Tantalus's pet. "Sir—"

"Go!" he snarled.

She bowed awkwardly and hurried off towards the Big House.

"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked, his dark eyes landing on the Son of Poseidon. "No comments from our dishwasher."

With a clenched jaw, Percy kept to himself.

"Good," said Tantalus. "And let me remind everyone—no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries ... well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Goodnight, my dear campers. Sleep well!"

With a wave of Tantalus's hand, the fire blew out.

*

"CLAIRE ... CLAIRE ..."

"Go away," I whispered into my pillow, shaking my head and hoping that he would disappear.

"Now, now, Child of Light, do not be like that," breathed Kronos. "I thought we were starting to get along."

I glared at the edge of Michael Yew's bed. "Go away!"

The Lord of Time clucked his tongue in disappointment. "Dear me, dear me, did your mother ever teach you manners, Child of Light? In the time she cared for you? In the time she had been loving, and wonderful ... before your father came and ruined everything in your life? Before she left you in that alleyway? Before she ran off with your dear younger brother, Timmy?"

"Shut UP!" I shouted at the air. "Just leave me! Leave me ALONE!"

"Hmmm," Kronos sighed. "I guess not." I felt a chill along my cheek as if someone was running a long fingernail down it. "Have you seen your brother since that night, Claire? Do you know where he is? What he is like, whether he even remembers you? Whether he has your button nose—well, I can definitely tell you that much. The genes are strong."

I couldn't help it. "How ... how do you know my brother?"

He chuckled darkly. "I know many, Child of Light. I see many ... everything ... I am the King of the Titans. No one can hide anything from Time. Time sees everything. Every memory, every laugh, every moment wished to be relived, every tear fallen wished to be forgotten.

"You can see your brother again, Claire Moore. If you let me show you."

He left without me shouting at him this time ... and that scared me.

*

a/n: sorry this chapters a bit short.