The Truths Spoken In The Sea Of Lies

Rhea explains the prophecy .... and there's Luke!

Luke captures us, I let him.

Chiron's name cleared, free.

Luke is a true blonde!

***

"Rhea, wake up."

Salt water splashed Rhea's face. Annabeth was shaking her shoulder, she also had an empty bucket in her hand.

In the distance, the sun was setting behind a city skyline, they could see a beachside highway lined with palm trees, storefronts glowing with red and blue neon, and a harbour filled with sailboats and cruise ships.

"Miami, I think," Annabeth said. "But we can't get to the shores with the ship."

"Where is Tyson ?" Rhea asked.

"He's with the hippocampi he named Rainbow," Annabeth said before she looked down from the ship, Rhea did the same, and yes there was Tyson and Rainbow playing.

"Rainbow won't be able to get far from here, too many humans. Too much pollution, and like I said before we can't get there by ship, we'll have to swim to shore on our own." Rhea said.

Rhea jumped into the water with her yellow bag on and told the same thing to Tyson who cried a little. He unfastened the makeshift saddle pack he'd made, which contained his tool kit and a couple of other things he'd salvaged from the Birmingham wreck.

He hugged Rainbow around the neck, gave him a soggy mango he'd picked up on the island, and said goodbye.

Once the hippocampi's white manes disappeared into the sea, Rhea directed the ship away from the beach and they swam for shore. The waves pushed them forward, and in no time they were back in the mortal world and Rhea dried them.

They wandered along the cruise line docks, pushing through crowds of people arriving for vacations. Porters bustled around with carts of luggage.

Taxi drivers yelled at each other in Spanish and tried to cut in line for customers. If anybody noticed the five kids alone and looking like they'd just had a fight with a monster they didn't let on.

But some did look at Rhea weirdly till one approached her to ask some questions, Rhea who apparently can speak Spanish told them that she's dressed like this for a 'play'.

"You speak Spanish ?" Annabeth asked.

"And Japanese too," Rhea said.

Grover looked at her curiously. "Why did you learn Japanese ?"

"To watch anime without needing subtitles or the dub." And to read Hentai.

But they didn't know to know THAT.

Tyson's single eye had blurred from the Mist. Grover had put on his cap and sneakers. Even the Fleece had transformed from a sheepskin to a red-and-gold high school letter jacket with a large glittery Omega on the pocket.

Annabeth ran to the nearest newspaper box and checked the date on the Miami Herald. She cursed. "June eighteenth! We've been away from camp ten days!"

"That's impossible!" Clarisse said.

"Thalia's tree must be almost dead," Grover wailed. "We have to get the Fleece back tonight."

Clarisse slumped down on the pavement. "How are we supposed to do that?" Her voice trembled. "We're hundreds of miles away. No money. No ride. This is just like the Oracle said. It's your fault, Jackson! If you hadn't interfered-"