SANITY; heroes of olympus

05.4

[act five; chapter four     -     valdez-things]

A wave the size of a skyscraper crashed over the forward deck, washing the front crossbows and half the port railing out to sea. The sails were ripped to shreds. Lightning flashed all around, hitting the sea like spotlights. Horizontal rain blasted in everyone's faces. The clouds were so dark, it was hard to tell if it was day or night.

The crew was doing what they could...which wasn't much.

Leo had lashed himself to the console with a bungee cord harness. That might have seemed like a good idea when he rigged it up, but every time a wave hit he was washed away, then smacked back into his control board like a human paddleball. Donnie and Eden were at his side, trying to keep working the counsel when one of the others could not, all while trying to help each other stay on their feet.

Piper and Annabeth were trying to save the rigging. Since Sparta they'd become quite a team—able to work together without even talking, which was just as well, since they couldn't have heard each other over the storm.

Frank had turned into a gorilla. He was swinging upside down off the starboard rail, using his massive strength and his flexible feet to hang on while he untangled some broken oars.

Hazel was below deck, no doubt puking up her guts in a bathroom, while Andy was being forced to stay in the infirmary, though Zara, who had to keep pushing her hair away from her face, wasn't holding her breath. She knew her sister and she knew how restless she got, especially when being forced to stay in bed.

Apparently the crew was trying to get the ship airborne, but, even if they managed to take off, Zara wasn't sure the sky would be any safer. Even Festus the figurehead was trying to help. He spewed fire at the rain, though that didn't seem to discourage the storm.