Where You Go ― Jason Grace

xiv. a sea monster with a gross mustache ruins everyone's evening

THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT back to the ship.

Halfway across the dock, three giant eagles descended in front of them, blocking their bath. Each deposited a Roman legionnaire in purple and denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew off, and the Roman in the middle raised his visor.

"Surrender to Rome!" Octavian shrieked.

Hazel drew her cavalry sword and grumbled, "Fat chance, Octavian."

Ophelia drew her own sword as Annabeth cursed under her breath.

It would have been easy to take Octavian out—he had little experience with actual fighting, and she'd beaten him more times than she could count in training sessions. But the two soldiers with him—Michael Kahale and Nathan Bellows, two other legionnaires from Octavian's cohort—were both experienced soldiers. The fact that Piper and Annabeth were only armed with daggers didn't help, either.

Piper raised her arms in a placating gesture. "Octavian, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain."

"Can't hear you!" Octavian yelled. "Wax in our ears—standard procedure when battling evil sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."

"Let me skewer him," Hazel muttered. "Please."

"Only if we can take turns," Ophelia said.

"Deal," Hazel agreed.

The Argo II was only fifty feet away, but there was no sign of Hedge or Percy. Jason's group wasn't due back until sunset. The eagles circled overhead, no doubt calling for more Romans.

"Well?" Octavian demanded. Michael and Nathan brandished their swords.

Ophelia watched Annabeth slowly take out her dagger. Instead of dropping it like Octavian asked, she threw it as far as she could into the water. 

Ophelia looked at her like she'd suddenly lost her mind.

Octavian made an indignant squeaking sound. "What was that for? I didn't say toss it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!"

Annabeth feigned a dopey smile, and Ophelia bit back a smirk, catching onto the daughter of Athena's plan. Nobody who knew her would believe her "oops" smile for a second, but Octavian was stupid and arrogant. He huffed in exasperation.

"You other three..." He pointed his blade at Ophelia, Piper, and Hazel. "Put your weapons on the dock. No funny bus—"

All around the Romans, Charleston Harbor erupted like a fountain, sweeping the Romans off of the deck. When the wall of seawater subsided, the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger.

"You dropped this," he said, totally poker-faced.

Annabeth threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

"Guys," Hazel interrupted, a tiny smile on her face. "We need to hurry."

Down in the water, Octavian yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"

"Tempting," Percy called down.

"What?" Octavian shouted. He was holding onto Michael, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat.

"Nothing!" Percy shouted back. "Let's go, guys."

Hazel frowned. "We can't let them drown, can we?"

"They won't," Percy promised. "I've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."

Piper grinned. "Nice."