RED ¹ / Percy Jackson !

37

"AH, GOOD, SECURITY," LUKE SAID,  "I'M AFRAID WE HAVE SOME STOWAWAYS."

"Yes, sir," they said dreamily.

Luke turned to Oreius. "It's time to feed the Aethiopian drakon. Take these fools below and show them how it's done."

Oreius grinned stupidly. "Hehe! Hehe!"

"And take her. " Luke montioned to Viviene. Oreius took her rapes off and pushed her towards the group. Viviene stumbled, closing her eyes. Percy caught her arm, holding her tightly against himself. "You had your chance, Viviene. I'm sorry it had to be this way, sister."

"Let me go, too," Agrius grumbled. "My brother is worthless. That Cyclops-"

"Is no threat," Luke said. He glanced back at the golden casket, as if something were troubling him. "Agrius, stay here. We have important matters to discuss."

"But-"

"Oreius, don't fail me. Stay in the hold to make sure the drakon is properly fed."Oreius prodded us with his javelin and herded them out of the stateroom, followed by the two human security guards. 

Oreius was about to seperate Viviene from Percy but Percy pulled  her further into him, glaring dangerously at Oreius. 

As Percy  walked down the corridor with Oreius's javelin poking him in the back and Viviene weakly leanging atinst him, he thought about what Luke had said- that the bear twins together were a match for Tyson's strength. But maybe separately...

They exited the corridor amid ships and walked across an open deck lined with lifeboats. Percy knew the ship well enough to realize this would be their last look at sunlight. Once they got to the other side, they'd take the elevator down into the hold, and that would be it.

"Now."

Thank the gods, he understood. He turned and smacked Oreius thirty feet backward into the swimming pool, right into the middle of the zombie tourist family.

"Ah!" the kids yelled in unison. "We are not having a blast in the pool!"

One of the security guards drew his nightstick, but Annabeth knocked the wind out of him with a well-placed kick. The other guard ran for the nearest alarm box.

"Stop him!" Annabeth yelled, but it was too late.

Just before Percy  banged him on head with a deck chair, he hit the alarm.

Red lights flashed. Sirens wailed.

"Lifeboat!" Percy yelled.

They ran for the nearest one.

By the time they got the cover off, monsters and more security men were swarming the deck, pushing aside tourists and waiters with trays of tropical drinks. A guy in Greek armor drew his sword and charged, but slipped in a puddle of piña colada. Laistrygonian archers assembled on the deck above them, notching arrows in their enormous bows.

"How do you launch this thing?" screamed Annabeth.

A hellhound leaped at Vivene , but Tyson slammed it aside with a fire extinguisher.