CHAPTER FIVE!| alternatively titled: the princess andromeda
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THE SHIP'S WHISTLE JOLTED ME AWAKE.
What was it with people waking me out of dreamless sleeps? They were rare and so good when I experienced them, why did i always have to be woken up?
Some guy with a very happy Australian accent spoke over the intercom, "Good morning, passengers! We'll be at sea all day today. Excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! Don't forget million-dollar bingo in the Kraken Lounge at one o'clock, and for our special guests, disemboweling practice on the Promenade!"
Annabeth sat up, speaking directly to me for the first time ever, "Did he just say disembowelling practice?"
I nodded, "I think so."
I went to get dressed, when I looked in the mirror I noticed my curly hair was a complete mess. I quickly wet it and split it in half and braided each side back. I then met the others and ventured out into the ship.
We were surprised to see other people. A dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast. A dad was taking his kids to the pool for a morning swim. Crew members in crisp white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.
Nobody asked who we were. Nobody paid us much attention. Still, something felt wrong.
As the family of swimmers passed us, the dad told his kids: "We are on a cruise. We are having fun."
"Yes," his three kids said in unison, their expressions blank. "We are having a blast. We will swim in the pool."
They wandered off.
"Good morning," a crew member told us, his eyes glazed. "We are all enjoying ourselves aboard the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day." He drifted away.
"This is so freaky," I said to Percy in a hushed voice, "They're in a trance or something."
"Duh," Annabeth muttered, Percy looked at her with a harsh expression on his face, but I grabbed his hand to stop him from saying anything.
Then we passed a cafeteria and saw our first monster. It was a giant black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet line and its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. A hellhound from the fields of punishment, I had seen them in books before.
The weird thing was: a middle-aged couple was standing in the buffet line right behind the devil dog, patiently waiting their turn for the eggs. They didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
"Not hungry anymore," Tyson murmured.
A husky reptilian voice sounded from down the corridor, "Ssssix more joined yesssterday."
My blood ran cold, this voice sounded exactly like my old english teacher. She had tried to kill me after I got an F, I just assumed she was really passionate about her job. In hindsight that was probably stupid (it definitely was).
Annabeth gestured frantically toward the nearest hiding place—the women's room—and all four of us ducked inside. I was shaking all over but trying not to make any noise.
