The Seven In High School

We Hitch A Ride

PERCY

Percy felt like his heart was going to explode.

He stood on deck with his arm around Annabeth. The rest of the crew were standing on deck too, with their luggage clustered around their feet. Jason and Piper were standing together. Leo was talking frantically to Festus, who was creaking out answers and blowing out miniature streams of fires out. However, Hazel and Frank stood a little apart from the crew. He couldn't really blame them, because Camp Half-Blood wasn't their home. Camp Jupiter was.

He and Annabeth were staring down. The swirling clouds slowly gave way to strawberry fields. Beside him, Annabeth looked like she was going to pass out from excitement.

Slowly, the Argo II landed. The ship touched down on the crystal waters of the beach, a little distance from the shore. The anchor lowered and struck the seabed with a resounding echo. All of his Greek friends' faces were alight with sheer estacy, but Leo's face was tinged with a little sadness. What could he be sad about?

Percy was so excited, he didn't even wait for Leo to lower the ladder. He jumped straight into the saltwater, relishing the burst of energy it gave him.

Six faces peered at him from above. Piper laughed with relief.

"He's not even wet!" Piper said.

"Man, could you stop making the rest of us jealous?" Leo asked, chortling.

Percy grinned. He squinted his eyes and whistled.

Rainbow and seven of his friends surfaced, shaking their manes. Hazel gasped. "Hippocampi." she said admiringly.

"Being the son of Poseidon does have its perks." Percy said.

He held a hand out to Annabeth. "Ladies first." he said. Annabeth gripped his hand and made her way down the ladder lightly. She climbed on Rainbow's back and stroked his mane.

Next, Piper climbed down the ladder and jumped on another hippocampus' back. Hazel was next to make her way down.

"Hey, I need one of you down here first to lower the luggage." Percy said.

"I'll go." Frank volunteered. He climbed down hurriedly and got on a hippocampus. Another swam up. Jason and Leo handed down the luggage to Percy. Once the hippocampus' back was full, Frank looked up questioningly at Leo. "Do you have any rope?"

"Do I have any rope? Can you turn into a llama?" Leo grinned. He pulled out some rope from his magic tool belt, which Percy took and secured the luggage with. The hippocampus whinnied and swam of. Another took its place. The last of the luggage was secured on the hippocampus' back with rope agian. Annabeth, Piper and Hazel's hippocampi swam up to them. Leo jumped on the last hippocampus while Percy rode on Rainbow with Annabeth, Jason rode with Piper and Frank with Hazel. Hazel was clearly loving being on a hippocampus.

"Let's go!" Percy yelled. The hippocampi broke into a canter. Annabeth laughed giddily behind him. They reached the shore in a few minutes. Jason and Leo slipped of and freed the luggage. The hippocampi neighed their goodbyes, Hazel's especially sadly. Hazel's nuzzled her face affectionately. Then they sank beneath the waves.

"Okay. What now?" Annabeth asked. Percy grinned.

"We make a grand entrance." Percy replied with a smile.