𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝐩. 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

Castaways we are castaways

Evangeline had always wondered how it would feel like to fall to your demise since last summer she was near an entrance to Tartarus and she could have fallen into it, because of Percy. She had never thought she would actually be falling into the ocean.

"Flask!" Percy screamed, his voice breaking as they hurtled towards certain death.

"What?" Annabeth yelled back.

But Tyson understood. He managed to open Percy's duffel bag and took out Hermes's magical flask without losing his grip on it or the boat. Arrows and javelins whistled past them. Percy ripped the Flask out of Tyson's hand and sealed his eyes shut like he was going to start praying.

"Hang on!" he yelled.  Percy gave the Flask cap a quarter turn.

Instantly, a white sheet of wind jetted out of the Flask and propelled them sideways, turning their downward plummet into a forty-five-degree crash landing.

The wind seemed to laugh as it shot from the Flask like it was glad to be free. As they hit the ocean, they bumped once, twice, skipping like a stone, then they were whizzing along like a speed boat, salt spray in their faces and nothing but sea ahead.

Evangeline heard the screams of outrage from the ship behind them, but the four were already out of weapon range. The Princess Andromeda faded to the size of a white toy boat in the distance, and then it was gone.

As they raced over the sea, the three demigods tried to send an Iris Message to Chiron, figuring it was important they let somebody know what Luke was doing, and there was nobody better to trust than Chiron.

The wind from the Flask stirred up a nice sea spray that made a rainbow in the sunlight—perfect for an Iris Message—but their connection was still poor. When Annabeth threw a gold drachma into the mist and prayed for the rainbow goddess to show them Chiron, his face appeared all right, but there was some kind of weird strobe light flashing in the background and rock music blaring, like he was at a dance club.

They told Chiron about sneaking away from Camp, Luke and Princess Andromeda, and the golden box for Kronos's remains, but between the noise on his end and the rushing wind and water on their end. Evangeline wasn't sure if he heard anything.

"Percy," Chiron yelled, "you have to watch out for—" His voice was drowned out by loud shouting behind him—a bunch of voices whooping it up like Comanche warriors.

"What?" Percy yelled.

"Curse my relatives!" Chiron ducked as a plate flew over his head and shattered somewhere out of sight. "Annabeth, you shouldn't let them leave Camp! But if you do get the Fleece—"

"Yeah, baby!" somebody behind Chiron yelled. "Woo-hoo!"

The music got cranked up, subwoofers so loud it made their boat vibrate.

"—Miami," Chiron was yelling. "I'll try to keep watch—"

Their misty screen smashed apart like someone on the other side had thrown a bottle at it, and Chiron was gone.

An hour later, they spotted land—a long stretch of beach lined with high-rise hotels. The water became crowded with fishing boats and tankers. A coastguard cruiser passed on their starboard side, then turned like it wanted a second look.

"That's Virginia Beach!" Annabeth said as they approached the shoreline. "Oh my gods, how did Princess Andromeda travel so far overnight? That's like—"

"Five hundred and thirty nautical miles," Percy blurted.

The two girls stared at him. "How do you know that?"