(Ella's POV)
I woke to a ship’s whistle & a voice on the intercom-some guy with an Australian accent who sounded way too happy.
“Good morning, passengers! We’ll be at sea all day today. Excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! Don’t forget million-dollar bingo in the Lounge at one o’clock, & for our special guests, disemboweling practice on the Promenade!”
Annie sat up in bed. “What did he say?”
I groaned, still half asleep & mumbled.
“The happy guy said...bowling practice?”
Annabeth stuck her head in the suite where Percy & Tyson were & said.
“Disemboweling practice?”
Once we were all dressed, we ventured out into the ship & were surprised to see other people. A dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast.
A dad was taking his kids to the pool for a morning swim. Crew members in crisp white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.
Nobody asked who we were. Nobody paid us much attention. But something was wrong.
As the family of swimmers passed us, the dad told his kids: “We are on a cruise. We are having fun.”
“Yes,” his three kids said in unison, their expressions blank. “We are having a blast. We will swim in the pool.” They wandered off.
“Good morning,” a crew member told us, his eyes glazed. “We are all enjoying ourselves aboard the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day.” He drifted away.
“Guys? Is it just me? Or do you guys feel like this is weird,” I whispered. “They’re all in some kind of trance.” No one answered me.
Then we passed a cafeteria & saw our first monster. It was a hellhound-a black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet line & its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. It must’ve been young, because it was small compared to most-no bigger than a grizzly bear. Still, my blood turned cold. I’d almost gotten killed by one of those before.
The weird thing was: a middle-aged couple was standing in the buffet line right behind the devil dog, patiently waiting their turn for the eggs. They didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
“Not hungry anymore,” Tyson murmured.
Before any of us could reply, a reptilian voice came from down the corridor, “Ssssix more joined yesssterday.”
Annie gestured frantically towards the nearest hiding place-the women’s room-& all three of us ducked inside.
Something-or more like two somethings-slithered past the bathroom door, making sounds like sandpaper against the carpet.
“Yesss,” a second reptilian voice said. “He drawssss them. Ssssoon we will be sssstrong.”
The things slithered in the cafeteria with a cold hissing that might have been snake laughter.
Annie said. “We have to get out of here.”
“You think I want to be in the girls’ restroom?” Percy asked.
I stifled a laugh & said, “She means the ship, Percy! We have to get off the ship.”
“Smells bad,” Tyson agreed. “And dogs eat all the eggs. Annabeth is right. We must leave the restroom & ship.”
Then I heard another voice outside-one that chilled me worse than any monster’s.
“-only a matter of time. Don’t push me, Agrius!”
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Daughter Of Lightning - Book 2 (A Percy Jackson x OC fanfic)
FanfictionA year ago Zeus's lightning bolt was stolen...which would've been the cause of the next world war... But Eleanor, Percy, Annabeth & their satyr friend Grover had managed to return it. Grover had headed off in search of the great Lord of the wild:...
