Sea Green Eyes

Chapter 29

After getting Cressida into a hot bath and fresh clothes, she and Percy passed out, completely exhausted from their quest. Which is why when they woke up, they were completely refreshed, especially when they both slept without nightmares. They also promised to talk about everything that happened at the aquarium when they came back, almost as a little incentive.

Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought-iron fences. Antique cannons pointed at the water.

Cressida was already standing on the deck with Percy, his arm around her as they shared some toast as if savouring this time together before they were split up.

They said goodbye to Jason, Frank and Leo, when Annabeth finally graced them with her presence. And they had all promised to be back by sunset, lest Coach Hedge blows up Charleston looking for them.

Annabeth came over to join her two best friends, a question playing on her mind. "What are you going to do while we're gone?" she asked Percy.

"Jump into the harbour," he said casually, and Cressida grinned at the look on Annabeth's face. "I want to try communicating with the local Nereids. Maybe they can give me some advice about how to free those captives in Atlanta. Besides, I think the sea might be good for me. Being in that aquarium made me feel...unclean."

Cressida just contorted her face. "Literally, how? I was the one soaked in that water."

Percy just smiled at her before he kissed her. "Good luck. And both of you better come back in one piece," he warned.

"We will," Cressida promised.

"We've been taking care of each other for a long time before you were in the picture," Annabeth said as she yanked Cressida away from the final goodbye kiss, she gave her boyfriend and they turned to Piper and Hazel. "Okay, ladies. Let's find the ghost of the Battery."

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The four girls chatted idly as they walked through the Battery. According to the signs, the seaside park was called White Point Gardens. The ocean breeze swept away the muggy heat of the summer afternoon, and it was pleasantly cool under the shade of the palmetto trees. Lining the road were old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures. Both Cressida and Annabeth reach for each other's hand at the memories of the war and the statues they'd fought with during the Battle of Manhattan.

They strolled along South Battery Street, which was lined with four-story Colonial mansions. The brick walls were blanketed with ivy. The facades had soaring white columns like Roman temples. The front gardens were bursting with rosebushes, honeysuckle, and flowering bougainvillea. It looked like Demeter had set the timer on all the plants to grow several decades ago, then forgotten to come back and check on them.

"Kind of reminds me of New Rome," Hazel said. "All the big mansions and the gardens. The columns and arches."

"If we ever fix things with the Romans," Annabeth said to Cressida. "Remind me to show you the Garden of Bacchus. There's a statue of your father in a diaper, spitting water out of his mouth there."

Cressida let out a disbelieving laugh. "If we ever fix things with the Romans, remind me to send Pollux a picture."

"He's your brother?" Hazel asked and Cressida nodded.

"He's three years older than me. My other brother, Pollux's twin, it's his name I have tattooed on my back. We lost him two years ago."

"I'm so sorry," Hazel said and Cressida gave her a small smile.

"It's hardly your fault. And anyway, I know Castor is ok in Elysium. Your brother was actually the one that told me. I owe him a lot for that."

Annabeth felt a little strange at the way Cressida spoke of Nico. Though the daughter of Dionysus was oblivious, Annabeth had suspected that Nico had a crush on Cressida ever since they rescued him and Bianca. Especially since it was her brothers that took care of him after they left on their quest, and that Cressida had kissed him on his cheek when he'd told her about Castor. She knew that Cressida was clearly in love with Percy, but still, she never seemed to be uneasy by the obvious darkness inside Nico and that just seemed strange to Annabeth.

She was so deep in thought, she might have kept walking around the park forever, but Piper grabbed her arm. "There."

She pointed across the harbour. A hundred yards out, a shimmering white figure floated on the water. At first, Annabeth thought it might be a buoy or a small boat reflecting the sunlight, but it was definitely glowing, and it was moving more smoothly than a boat, making a straight line toward them. As it got closer, Annabeth could tell it was the figure of a woman.

"The ghost," Annabeth said.

"That's not a ghost," Hazel said. "No kind of spirit glows that brightly."

"Well," Cressida said as she rubbed her hands together. "I've got plenty of Solace Solution. Ghost, phantom, apparition or not, let's do this."

And she followed Piper who was already in a trance as they walked across the street toward the edge of the seawall, Cressida narrowly pushing her out of the way to avoid a horse-drawn carriage.

"Piper! Cress!" Annabeth called.

"We'd better follow them," Hazel said.

By the time Annabeth and Hazel caught up, the ghostly apparition was only a few yards away.

Piper glared at it like the sight offended her. "It is her," she grumbled.

"Lovely," Cressida sighed in that same annoyed tone Dionysus used frequently at camp.

Annabeth gasped as she beheld the woman whose image kept changing, but to Cressida, her eyes sparkled green and her hair was dark and wind-swept and her lips had this curve to it, reminding her of a particular trouble-maker grin that normally made her knees weak.

But then the image changed.

Her hair turned blonde and her eyes blue and a sour taste formed in Cressida's mouth.

Her brothers used to say that she was more like a triplet to them than a little sister, even though she looked different. But here she was, looking at an almost mirror image of herself looking like her family.

Cressida tore her eyes from the woman's face as she saw that she was dressed like a Southern belle just as Jason said. Her gown had a low-cut bodice of pink silk and a three-tiered hoop skirt with white scalloped lace. She wore tall white silk gloves and held a feathered pink-and-white fan to her chest.

Cressida did flinch a little when Annabeth finally realise who they were staring at, but she suppose it was good to be snapped out of all the feelings and emotions this woman directly affected.

"Aphrodite," Annabeth said.

"Venus?" Hazel asked in amazement.

"Mom," Piper said, with no enthusiasm.

"Girls!" The goddess spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. No one moved.

In fact, Hazel moved away as she backed into a tree.

"I'm so glad you're here," Aphrodite said. "War is coming. Bloodshed is inevitable. So there's really only one thing to do."

"And that is?" Cressida asked boredly, as if she had something better to do than talk to another god who she really didn't want to. Percy had told her about what Aphrodite had said inside that limo (granted it was after they started dating and with a lot of bribery, but she still knew), pain and tragedy. That's what she was supposedly in for in her relationship with Percy and she could only pray that the eight months that he went missing was what she meant.

"Why, have tea and chat, obviously. Come with me!"