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WE RAN DOWN THE HILLSIDE THROUGH THE TERRACES, PAST SCREAMING SPA WORKERS AND PIRATES RANSACKING THE RESORT.
Blackbeard's men broke the tiki torches for the luau, threw herbal wraps into the swimming pool, and kicked over tables of sauna towels. I felt bad about letting the pirates out, Circe was the bad guy, the spa workers didn't deserve any of it. Especially Reyna, she was so nice, I hoped she would find somewhere else to live.
"Which ship?" Annabeth said as we reached the docks.
Percy looked around desperately, but I could tell he had no idea how to pilot most of the things in the dock. His eyes jumped from ship to ship before he settled on one.
"There," He said.
"Wait—" I began.
"I can make it work."
I looked at Annabeth, who shrugged and we followed Percy towards the three-mast ship. Painted on its prow was the name that I would only decipher later: Queen Anne's Revenge.
"Argggh!" Blackbeard yelled somewhere behind us. "Those scalawags are a-boarding me vessel! Get 'em, lads!"
"We'll never get going in time!" Annabeth yelled as we climbed aboard.
Percy glanced over the hopeless maze of sail and ropes. The ship was in great condition for a three-hundred-year-old vessel, but it would still take a crew of fifty several hours to get underway. We didn't have several hours. I could see the pirates running down the stairs, waving tiki torches and sticks of celery.
Percy closed his eyes and looked like he was focusing on something, but our time was dwindling very quickly. Suddenly he yelled, "Mizzenmast!"
Annabeth and I both looked at him like he was insane, but in the next second, the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and wooden pulleys creaking.
Annabeth ducked as a cable flew over her head and wrapped itself around the bowsprit.
"Percy, how ..."
He didn't answer, but The Queen Anne's Revenge lurched away from the dock, and by the time the pirates arrived at the water's edge, we were already underway, sailing into the Sea of Monsters.
☽☾
ANNABETH WENT TO LIE DOWN, THE ROCKING OF THE BOAT DIDN'T AGREE WITH HER MUCH. PERCY AND I SAT ABOVE DECK AND STARED AT THE HORIZON.
I took in a breath and exhaled shakily through my teeth. Percy looked at me, "You okay?"
I nodded, "I'm okay, processing, I guess. I've barely had a minute to stop since I found out I was a demigod. Now i'm on an ultra dangerous quest and i've almost died like five times. It's all new territory."
