The Animal Within

Chapter 46 - Jailbreak

Percy had been hoping that the Lord of Light was fond of blue waffles, but it turned out that getting Hyperion's attention was exceptionally difficult. After Percy had burnt all of his waffles, sacrificing them to the Titan, he only had a room full of smoke to show for it.

The son of Poseidon stared at the little candle he'd lit. He took a deep breath and knelt before the candle, shutting his eyes. Several minutes of kindly requesting that the Titan come wasn't doing anything either, so he let out a frustrated sigh before dropping back onto his bed.

He wasn't sure how long he dozed for, but was woken by a loud shout from Jason, up on the top deck. Curious, Percy quickly made his way up into the open, and immediately came face-to-face with a giant eagle. He yelped, diving to the deck as the golden eagle swoops overhead, celestial bronze talons shredding through a section of the deck with ease.

"What is that?" Percy demanded in bewilderment.

Jason shook his head. "Not a Roman eagle," he said, sword out and ready for the eagle to take another swoop at him. The eagle shudders slightly, and sparks of electricity roll down it's feathers.

"Definitely not a Roman eagle," Percy agreed, uncapping Riptide as the eagle barrelled down towards him. He dove to the side as he lashed out at it, but Riptide simply scraped off it's feathers. "What the...?"

The eagle beat it's wings, settling on top of the tall mast and peering down at them with dark eyes. It seemed to be calculating the easiest way to tear out Percy's intestines. It screeched, the sound scraping down Percy's spine and making him shiver. His grip tightened on Riptide's hilt as the golden eagle ruffled it's feathers, beady eyes sharp and gleaming with human-like intelligence. Not a golden eagle, and also far too large to be one of the eagles of the Roman Legion – perhaps twice their size.

"Any ideas?" Percy called over to Annabeth, already having tried to think what the eagle could be but having no luck.

Annabeth seemed just as bewildered as Percy. "My first thought would be Roman, but... Jason's already said it's not."

The eagle screeched again, the sound echoing off the ocean beneath them. Percy swallowed. "So... if Riptide just bounces off it, how do we kill it?" He questioned.

"Good question," Jason muttered.

Leo yelped, ducking as the eagle beat its wings and dove off the mast, sharp claws extending towards it. Jason thrust out a hand, sending a blast of wind to knock the eagle off-course.

"Trap it," Annabeth suggested.

Percy glanced towards her. "Good idea. But how?"

"That will need some thinking," the daughter of Athena admitted. She'd scavenged a sword from their armoury, but it was large and unwieldy and she was used to smaller and far more compact daggers. Though after Luke's betrayal – the chill still lingering in her chest as she recalled how happy he'd been as he'd turned on her – Annabeth doubted that she'd ever wield a dagger again.

"Then think quickly," Percy said curtly, watching as the eagle dove underneath the Argo II.

For several long minutes, there's nothing but the sound of wingbeats beating against the air. Percy decided that flying through the air with a giant golden eagle circling them is not a good idea and nearly ducks back beneath the deck – let the son of Jupiter deal with it – but then Percy heard a screech from behind him. Claws hook into his shirt, bury into flesh and he yells as the deck disappears beneath his feet.

The son of Poseidon flails in the air, trying to bat at the eagle with Riptide and hopefully make it drop him over open ocean. He heard a yell and realised that Jason had taken off after them, pushing himself through the sky at extreme speeds to keep up.