Sea Green Eyes

Chapter 34

Leo and Frank were fine, both their interrogators agreeing that they were telling the truth and of no threat. They'd also confirmed that they would be sending a quest of mer-heroes to defeat Keto and Phorcys and free their captives. Heroes apparently named Cyrus and Bill. But either way, they were grateful that Percy and his friends brought it to their attention.

However, they did warn them about the Mare Nostrum and the further dangers that awaited. Frank was advised to keep practising his sea life transformations, Bythos suggesting a jellyfish and that the transformations were all in the breathing. Hazel was advised to save Nico because they were running out of time and they must save him as he was essential for their journey - not that they knew how or why. Leo was advised to stay close to Frank and Hazel when they reached Rome for there would be mechanical difficulties that only he could overcome.

And Cressida....

Cressida was told something eerily similar to what Pan had two years ago. That she was faced with more pain and to keep looking for the beauty in life and to keep moving forward for she would need it now more than ever. And she flashed back to Charleston where Aphrodite told her about the tragedy that lay ahead.

What more could they possibly put her through?

They also gave them a gift, a basket of brownies along with the recipe. Inside the basket was also a letter of introduction to Tiberinus, the god of the Tiber, saying that Annabeth would need it once she reached Rome.

That worried her but she didn't have a lot of time to worry about it before she was sent rocketing towards the surface.

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Percy in the meantime, was losing his mind. He was completely exhausted, and his forehead was bleeding from his tumble down the stairs, but he'd still lost count of how many times he'd searched the ocean for their friends. Jason, also exhausted, flew around the rigging like a blond Peter Pan, putting out fires from the second green explosion that had lit up the sky just above the mainmast. Piper was staring into her knife but everything she saw wasn't what she wanted to see. Since the Romans couldn't get to them, they were going after Camp Half-blood.

Percy was now soaking wet as he wore a hole through the deck with his pacing, not even having the concentration to keep himself dry.

"Percy," Annabeth said, not having left his side. "You have to calm down. Or at the very least drink some nectar. You're going to wear a hole in the deck."

Percy said nothing as he continued his pacing, the worst-case scenarios racing through his head.

"Percy, this is Cress we're talking about. She's going to be fine."

"I just - is this what she felt like for eight months?" he asked in disbelief, his steps almost getting faster. "I mean, she didn't know what happened to me. She's been gone barely a few hours and I can barely breathe! How did she do this for eight months?!"

"She didn't want to," Annabeth revealed. "I was there when she broke down after trying to wedge open the elevator doors to Olympus with her spear. I was there when she threw up at the thought of you not remembering her. She didn't want to do it, but she had to. She had to know what happened to you. And I don't even think the gods would know what she'd do if she waited those eight months, and you didn't make it."

Percy was brought to a screeching halt for two reasons.

The first was that Cressida had never really told him the bad parts of the last eight months, so this was the first time he was hearing this. And he knew that she would've never told him because he'd feel as guilty as he did now. And even though it was stupid, and no one had been angry at him for his reaction, he felt guilty about how he'd reacted to Cressida saving Jason's life before.