The Sea // pjo

Chapter Seven // I Have a Choice

    I don't think I have hated anyone more than Tantalus.

He blamed us for the birds attacking us, saying we irritated them, sending them into their violent frenzy.

    Percy told him to go chase a donut, which was way milder than the thing I wanted to say, but either way, either comment did/would have anything for us.

    And as punishment, we had to clean dishes.

    With lava and harpies.

    Tyson was actually enjoying himself, getting to work without the abeseto gloves and aprons Percy, Annabeth, and I were dressed up in.

    But I didn't care about the monstrosity that was the aprons, I was more taken by the fact that Annabeth just pointed out that Grover might have found the Golden Fleece...and that Percy was being himself, not remembering anything we learned last summer and Annabeth scolded, "Percy, remember the Gray Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason. Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"

    "Yeah, that old movie with the clay skeletons," Percy replied.

    A loud laugh exploded from my mouth as Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Oh my gods, Percy! You are so hopeless."

    "What?!" Percy glowered at me, and he probably would have sprayed lava at me if I wouldn't get severely injured by it.

    "Just listen," Annabeth sighed. "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, actually, it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."

    "Bet it was pretty important to her," I teased.

    "The point is," Annabeth shot me a dirty look. "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. Farmers had bumper crops. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece. It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution—"

    "It could cure Thalia's tree," Percy interrupted.

    The blonde bobbed her head, "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. But Percy, the Fleece has been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."

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

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

    I got her vibe and froze.

    Last summer with Kronos and Luke made all of us paranoid in more ways than one.

    But we had to save Grover.

    "We don't really have a choice, though..." I murmured, scrubbing a casserole-caked plate.

    "Exactly!" Percy exclaimed loudly. "Are you going to help me rescue Grover or not?"