The Adventure That Lies Ahead | PJO x HP

CHAPTER 28

Isa found something else she was really good at.

The Queen Anne's Revenge responded to her and Percy's command. Isa knew which ropes to hoist, which sails to raise, which direction to steer. They ploughed through the waves at what Isa figured was about ten knots. Isa even understood how fast that was. For a sailing ship, pretty darn fast.

It felt perfect — the wind in her face, the waves breaking over the prow.

But now that they were out of danger, all Isa could think about was how much she missed Tyson, and how worried she was about Grover.

Isa couldn't get over what had happened back with Circe. How she told her about her powers. How powerful it apparently was. After all these years she finally knew what it was... magic. And she's a sorceress. But how? How did she get these powers? Isa didn't want to dwell on the topic because her suspicions just kept going in circles.

Isa still felt changed. Not just because she had a sudden desire to eat lettuce. She felt jumpy, like the instinct to be a scared little animal was now part of her. Or maybe it had always been there. That's what really worried her. On top of that, she felt more... composed, if that's possible. She felt jumpy as an instinct but her composedness is from her powers. She felt as if she had more control now that she was able to manipulate it. But she wasn't sure if she could do it again. What she did took a lot of concentration.

They sailed through the night.

Annabeth tried to help Percy and Isa keep lookout, but sailing didn't agree with her. After a few hours' rocking back and forth, her face turned the color of guacamole and she went below to lie in a hammock.

Percy and Isa watched the horizon, just enjoying the silence. More than once, they spotted monsters. A plume of water as tall as a skyscraper spewed into the moonlight. A row of green spines slithered across the waves — something maybe thirty meters long, reptilian. Isa really didn't want to know, and neither did Percy.

Once Isa and Percy saw Nereids, the glowing lady spirits of the sea. Isa and Percy tried to wave at them, but they disappeared into the depths, leaving the siblings unsure if they'd seen them or not.

Sometime after midnight, Annabeth came up on deck. They were just passing a smoking volcano island. The sea bubbled and steamed around the shore.

"One of the forges of Hephaestus," Annabeth said. "Where he makes his metal monsters."

"Like the bronze bulls?" Percy asked.

She nodded. "Go around. Far around."

The siblings didn't need to be told twice. They steered clear of the island, and soon it was just a red patch of haze behind them.

Percy looked at Isa and Annabeth. "The reason you hate Cyclopes so much... the story about how Thalia really died. What happened?"

Isa eyed Annabeth warily. Isa still didn't like Cyclopes. The only Cyclops she liked was Tyson.

"He deserves to know the truth," Isa said and she saw Annabeth's silhouette nod.

"I guess," she said. "The night Grover was escorting us to camp, he got confused, took some wrong turns. You remember he told you that once?"

Percy nodded.

"Well, the worst wrong turn was into a Cyclops's lair in Brooklyn."

"They've got Cyclopes in Brooklyn?" Percy asked.

"You wouldn't believe how many, but that's not the point," Isa said waving her hand, dismissing that.

"This Cyclops," Annabeth continued, "He managed to trick us. He managed to split us up inside this maze of corridors in an old house in Flatbush. And he could sound like anyone, Percy. Just the way Tyson did aboard the Princess Andromeda."