Daughter Of Lightning - Book 2 (A Percy Jackson x OC fanfic)

CHAPTER 14

(Ella's POV)

“How do we get aboard?” Annabeth shouted over the noise of the waves, but the hippocampi seemed to know what we needed. They skimmed along the starboard side of the ship, riding easily through its huge wake, & pulled up next to a service ladder riveted to the side of the hull.

“You first,” Percy told me.

I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder & lavender flew closer so I could grab the bottom rung. I hoisted myself onto the ladder & thanked my pegasus for helping me, & he flew off with a neigh. Annie began to climb next. Percy climbed on after her.

Finally it was just Tyson in the water. His hippocampus was treating him to 360° aerials & backward ollies, & Tyson was laughing so hysterically, the sound echoed up the side of the ship.

“Tyson, shhh!” I said. “Come on, big guy!”

“Can’t we take Rainbow?” he asked, his smile fading.

Percy stared at him. “Rainbow?”

The hippocampus whinnied as if he liked his new name.

“Um, we have to go,” Percy said. “Rainbow.. well, he can’t climb ladders.”

Tyson sniffled & buried his face in the hippocampus’s mane. “I will miss you, Rainbow!”

The hippocampus made a neighing sound I could’ve sworn was crying.

“Maybe we’ll see him again sometime,” I suggested.

“Oh, please!” Tyson said, perking up immediately. “Tomorrow!”

I finally convinced Tyson to say his farewells & grab hold of the ladder. With a final sad whinny, Rainbow the hippocampus did a back-flip & dove into the sea. The ladder led to a maintenance deck stacked with yellow lifeboats. There was a set of locked double doors, which Annabeth managed to pry open with her knife & a fair amount of cursing in Ancient Greek.

I figured we’d have to sneak around, being stowaways & all, but after checking a few corridors & peering over a balcony into a huge central promenade lined with closed shops, I began to realize there was nobody to hide from. I mean, sure it was the middle of the night, but we walked half the length of the boat & met no one. We passed forty or fifty cabin doors & heard no sound behind any of them.

“It’s a ghost ship,” I murmured.

“No,” Tyson said, fiddling with the strap of his duffel bag. “Bad smell.”

Annie frowned. “I don’t smell anything.”

“Cyclopes are like satyrs,” Percy said. “They can smell monsters. Isn’t that right, Tyson?”

He nodded nervously. Now that we were away from Camp Half-Blood, the Mist distorted his face again. Unless I concentrated very hard, it seemed that he had two eyes instead of one.

“Okay,” Annabeth said. “So what exactly do you smell?”

“Something bad,” Tyson answered.

“Great,” Annie grumbled. “That clears it up.”

I elbowed her in the ribs & she scowled at me.

We came outside on the swimming pool level. There were rows of empty deck chairs & a bar closed off with a chain curtain. The water in the pool glowed eerily, sloshing back & forth from the motion of the ship.

Above us fore & aft were more levels-a climbing wall, a putt-putt golf course, a revolving restaurant, but no sign of life.

And yet..I sensed something familiar. Something dangerous. But I was so tired & burned out on adrenaline from our long night, I couldn't even think straight.