𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 • 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

The Princess Andromeda

Y/n Pov:

Riding the hippocampus was even easier than riding a pegasus. We zipped along with the wind in our faces, speeding through the waves so smooth and steady I hardly needed to hold on at all. 

As we got closer to the cruise ship, I realized just how huge it was. I felt as though I were looking up at a building in Manhattan. The white hull was at least ten stories tall, topped with another dozen levels of decks with brightly lit balconies and portholes. The ship's name was painted just above the bowline in black letters, lit with a spotlight. It took me a few seconds to decipher it: 

PRINCESS ANDROMEDA 

Attached to the bow was a huge masthead—a three-story-tall woman wearing a white Greekchiton, sculpted to look as if she were chained to the front of the ship. She was young and beautiful, with flowing black hair, but her expression was one of absolute terror. Why anybody would want a screaming princess on the front of their vacation ship, I had no idea. 

I remembered the myth about Andromeda and how she had been chained to a rock by her parents as a sacrifice to a sea monster. Perseus had saved her just in time and turned the sea monster to stone using the head of Medusa. 

"How do we get aboard?" Annabeth shouted over the noise of the waves, but the hippocampi seemed to know what we needed. They skimmed along the starboard side of the ship, riding easily through its huge wake, and pulled up next to a service ladder riveted to the side of the hull. 

"Ladies first," Percy said. 

I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder and grabbed the bottom rung. Once I'd hoisted myself onto the ladder, my hippocampus whinnied a farewell and dove underwater. I began to climb. Annabeth and Percy followed close behind.

Finally, it was just Tyson in the water. His hippocampus was treating him to 360º aerials and backward ollies, and Tyson was laughing so hysterically, the sound echoed up the side of the ship. 

"Tyson, shhh!" Percy said. "Come on, big guy!" 

"Can't we take Rainbow?" Tyson asked, his smile fading. 

Percy stared at him. "Rainbow?" 

The hippocampus whinnied as if he liked his new name. 

"Um, we have to go," Percy said. "Rainbow...well, he can't climb ladders." 

Tyson sniffled. He buried his face in the hippocampus's mane. "I will miss you, Rainbow!" 

The hippocampus made a neighing sound I could've sworn was crying. 

"Maybe we'll see him again sometime," Percy suggested. 

"Oh, please!" Tyson said, perking up immediately. "Tomorrow!"

Percy didn't make any promises, but he finally convinced Tyson to say his farewells and grab hold of the ladder. With a final sad whinny, Rainbow the hippocampus did a back-flip and dove into the sea. 

~

The ladder led to a maintenance deck stacked with yellow lifeboats. There was a set of locked double doors, which Annabeth managed to pry open with her knife and a fair amount of cursing in Ancient Greek. 

I figured we'd have to sneak around, being stowaways and all, but after checking a few corridors and peering over a balcony into a huge central promenade lined with closed shops, I began to realize there was nobody to hide from. I mean, sure it was the middle of the night, but we walked half the length of the boat and met no one. We passed forty or fifty cabin doors and heard no sound behind any of them.