Percy Jackson, the Son of Olympus: The Sea of Monsters

| Chapter X || Hungry, Hungry, Scylla |

*August 25 XXXX*

***

Every door was sealed. It had taken nearly three hours to secure everything, but Percy was being extremely cautious. Each door had an assortment of locks, so much so that the entire edge of the door was covered. Tyson had nailed boards across the doors as well, and re-enforced the hinges with globs of hot metal.

Out on the deck, every piece of furniture had been tied down with thick ropes. Everything was set in a multitude of piles that were evenly distributed around the deck.

The four travelling companions were below deck, making sure that there was at least a floor between them and the open air. That way, Scylla would have to bite her way through two layers of thick wooden planks to get to them. Hopefully, that would be enough.

Annabeth and Tyson sat next to one another, secured against a wall, their bodies curled in on themselves. They weren't so close together that they shared body heat, but if Annabeth reached out, her hand would brush his shoulder. Percy was next to Annabeth and Artemis was next to Tyson. They were on either side, also secure, though their heads were facing upwards and their arms were spread outwards.

Percy's eyes were closed; his hands were raised and his stomach was clenching as he focused on the currents of the ocean beneath him. He focused on the boat, the sails, the ropes, and the rutter. In his mind, he could picture the entirety of the vessel around him, working and moving according to his will. The core of his attention was to push the ship forwards.

Artemis was similarly working. Her will pushed the ship forwards, propelling them to a speed unheard of according to their vessel. The muscles in her arms were tightly clenched as if she was pushing the boat herself from the outside, not the inside. Her back muscles rippled from the toil.

"How's this?" Percy asked. His voice was slightly strained and his face was red from the effort he was exerting. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face, a few drops getting in his eyes. He blinked them away.

"Just a little more..." Artemis told him, her eyes flickering to his for a second before refocusing on the wall in front of her. Her eyes crossed slightly, and, for a god, she was starting to get a bit seasick. She'd never felt seasick before, and she definitely never wanted to experience it again.

To clear her thoughts, Artemis shook her head. She was doing this for Percy and his friends. For the campers at Camp Half-Blood; the children of her brothers and sisters. She was doing this for the future protectors of the gods' legacy. She could do this. She wouldn't give up.

The boat sped up, going far faster than ever thought possible for a ship such as theirs. They rocketed through the water, crashing into the crests of the waves and breaking straight through the gentle curves of the water.It was as if the ocean parted for them, though they knew that it couldn't be the case, as Percy was using all of his strength to push them forward and couldn't spare any brawn.

The first hit came, and all four companions jumped; their hearts leaped into their throats.

Thud!

A second hit. Scylla was raining down blows on their vessel, obviously quite distressed that she wasn't getting easy meat. Her heads came down in rotations of six. Every time one struck, the next soon followed, giving the effect of endless mouths striking down upon them.

In his mind, Percy briefly mused to himself of how it sounded like a hailstorm. If he hadn't known any better, he would've thought it was a hailstorm outside. He'd cuddle up in his bed and tell himself that the hail wouldn't hurt him, and eventually, it would get comforting, knowing that there was an outside, but knowing that it wouldn't come inside.