xxii. master plan

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WHEN THEA WAKES UP, THE FLEECE IS NO LONGER AROUND HER. She can't remember what it felt like, only that it was cold and she was scared. Thea nearly expects to be faced with a waiting room but she knows it isn't the case. Charlie's arms are wrapped around her, holding her in place.

"What happened? How—how did I—"

"The Fleece," he answers, his voice catching. "We had to pass the Fleece around to heal everyone but—are you okay? You didn't wake up right away and—"

"'Fleece works like a rapid magic antibiotic," she says through a yawn. "My mom 'n I studied it, it was our favorite subject. She knitted me this—this little sweater with golden yarn she'd gotten from someone. She taught me everything she knew about it. It works fast but if you have severe internal damage the Fleece can fix it but your body has to catch up and refuel itself."

Her legs are crossed and—she's on a hippocampus, the same one from before. She can feel the muscles move beneath her, which is oddly comforting. The sound and feeling of the ocean around her feels almost like home and she wants to dive into it.

"Where are we heading?"

"Miami. At least that's where Tyson told them to go."

"How long have you been awake?"

"I . . . I don't know. Most of us passed out from exhaustion."

Annabeth is awake. She smiles from where she's sitting in front of Percy but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. Thankfully, the Hippocampi are far enough apart that Thea can talk to Charlie without her hearing.

"Is she okay? Did the Fleece work?"

"It did, she woke up a bit after me, but—"

"And you? Does anything hurt?"

He hugs Thea from behind, a small shake to his hands. "Thea, I was hurt real bad, but not like you. Annabeth, she—she was hurt bad too, but . . . it was different. You were dying right in front of everyone, you were still there."

A spark of anger flares in her chest. "Annabeth was there too! She wasn't awake but she was hurt and—"

"Thea." He's angry. "You have to stop. Remember what we talked about back in Clarisse's ship? You can't just—just risk your life like it doesn't mean anything. You've died once and you keep testing it. Our family's lucky, but we're not that damn lucky."

"Charlie, that isn't—"

"What? Fair? Thea, everyone was terrified. I wasn't there but—no one would even talk about it but Grover. It terrified them. Imagine if you had to watch me die. Or Percy and Annabeth. I'm not trying to guilt you but—gods, you can't just be reckless anymore. You're not on the road by yourself, there are things at stake now."

She knows he's only worried, but it hurts more than she would like.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep doing this. It's . . . it felt like I was on the road so long, y'know? And it was just me against the world. Any time I found someone it always ended badly so I just—I stopped trying to find people. I was mean and I was angry and I liked it. Gods, I liked it and I don't even know why. It felt like I was untouchable, like no one could hurt me if I hurt them first. But then Medusa and—I just felt so lost. But Camp's home now and I can't lose it. It's easy to risk yourself for something like that."

"Camp isn't home without you," he says. "Not for me, not for my siblings—not for your friends, either. We're in this together, alright? No more self-sacrificial stuff."

"Sure, I'll try." She leans back into him, waves misting across her legs. "And if you die on me, I'll come to the Underworld again just so I can kick your sorry ass."

Charlie laughs, a hearty, joyful laugh. "No dying, got it."

The hippocampi stop, nervously swimming in circles and whinnying to each other. Annabeth starts to shake Percy awake, no doubt to get him to talk to the animals.

"It's Miami, I think," Annabeth says as Percy looks toward the shore. "But the hippocampi are acting funny."

Percy hardly spares a glance at the animals, already knowing what they're thinking. "This is as far as they'll take us," he says. "Too many humans. Too much pollution. We'll have to swim to shore on our own."

Thea would rather be stabbed with a rusty fire-poker, but she slips off the hippocampi anyway. She thanks it, gives it a thorough pet and a hug around its mane, and then she's swimming toward the shore. Percy is thankfully using the waves to push them forward, which means they are walking onto the beach in under a minute.

No one seems to notice them—seven kids, dripping wet, looking worse for wear—and it makes Thea remember how strange the mortal world is. It's nice, in some ways, but it confuses her. How does no one notice them pushing through the crowds? Why don't they question anything?

She doesn't have too much time to think about it because Annabeth hurries toward a newspaper stand and finds the date. "June eighteenth! We've been away from camp for ten days!"

Oh, shit. They're screwed.

"Thalia's tree must be almost dead," Grover wails. "We have to get the Fleece back tonight."

Clarisse sits down on the pavement. "How are we supposed to do that?" she says, her voice trembling. "We're hundreds of miles away. No money. No ride. This is just like the Oracle said. It's your fault, Jackson! If you hadn't interfered—"

"Percy's fault?!" Annabeth yells. "Clarisse, how can you say that? You are the biggest—"

"Stop it!" Everyone stops talking as Percy yells. He's right, there's no sense in fighting. They're doomed, anyway. "Clarisse, what did the Oracle tell you exactly?"

Clarisse takes a deep breath and Thea almost thinks she's going to start yelling again.

"You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone,

You shall find what you seek and make it your own,

But despair for your life entombed within stone,

And fail without friends, to fly home alone."

Grover grimaces.

"No," Percy mumblsd. "No . . . wait a minute. I've got it." He digs in his pockets and pulls out a golden drachma. "Does anybody have any cash?"

Charlie pulls out a wet ten-dollar bill from his pocket while Clarisse puls out a half-ripped Confederate dollar. Great. They have enough to buy four drinks and a useless piece of paper.

"Cash?" Tyson asks hesitantly. "Like . . . green paper?"

"Yeah."

"Like the kind in the duffel bags?"

"Yeah, but we lost those bags days ago—"

Percy stutters to a halt as Tyson rummages through his bag and pulls out a Ziploc bag full of cash. Thea is so relieved she hugs him so tight that he nearly drops the bag.

"'Thought it was a feed bag for Rainbow," he says. "Found it floating in the sea, but only paper inside. Sorry."

Percy starts to count out the money and Thea gives Tyson an extra-tight hug. "I'm gonna tell the whole damn Camp that you saved them."

He smiles brightly as he gives her a nearly bone-crushing hug. "Really?"

Percy stops a taxi and slings the door open. "Clarisse! Come on, you're going to the airport. Annabeth, give her the Fleece."

Stunned, the girl hands the Fleece to Clarisse and tucks the money into the pocket. Bewildered, Clarisse looked at Percy. "You'd let me—"

"It's your quest," Percy says. "We only have enough money for one flight. Besides, I can't travel by air. Zeus would blast me into a million pieces. That's what the prophecy meant: you'd fail without friends, meaning you'd need our help, but you'd have to fly home alone. You have to get the Fleece back safely."

Clarisse hesitates for a moment before climbing into the taxi. "You can count on me. I won't fail."

"Not failing would be good."

The cab peels away. The Fleece is finally on its way, Camp Half-Blood will be okay.

"Percy," Annabeth says, "that was so—"

"Generous?" Grover offers.

"Insane! You're betting the lives of everybody at camp that Clarisse will get the Fleece back safely tonight?"

Percy shrugs. "It's her quest. She deserves a chance."

"Percy is nice," Tyson says, smiling at Thea.

She nods. "He's very nice. So, guys, how are we getting home now that we don't have any money?"

Percy shrugs for the second time. "We'll find a way."

He's right, they will.

Or they would have, sooner, if they didn't all turn around to promptly have Luke's sword point resting against Percy's throat.

"Hey, cuz. Welcome back to the States."

Oreius and Agrius are on either side of Luke. Tyson pushes Thea behind him with one arm as Oreius grabs Annabeth and Grover with one hand and Charlie with the other. Agrius goes to grab at Thea but Tyson charges forward, throwing him to the ground with one shoulder.

"Percy," Luke says, painfully calm. "Tell your giant to back down or I'll have Oreius bash your friends' heads together."

Thea stands, ready to fight, even though she knows she's severely outmatched. "What do you want, asshole?"

Luke smiles, the scar rippling across his face. He gestures with his free hand to the end of the dock—right where the Princess Andromeda is docked.

"Why, Thea, I want to extend my hospitality, of course."

*    *    *

THEY ARE THROWN in front of the swimming pool by the fountains. A dozen of Luke's soldiers—dracanae, Laistrygonians, demigods in battle armor—have gathered to watch what comes next.

"And, so, the Fleece," Luke muses, fisting a hand into Thea's jacket. "Where is it?"

She rips herself away from him and falls back into Annabeth's shoulder. "Don't touch me."

"Not you, or else you would have done one of your little witchy spells."

Thea can't help but gasp. "That's it. That's where I knew you from. You were that demigod back in South Carolina, the one that kept calling me a witch and tried to recruit me for something. You—you asshole, you've been with Kronos this long?"

"Playing the long game." He smirks, which only makes his scar look worse. "Now. Where—is--the—Fleece?"

"You're awful," she says, fury in her eyes. "How long have you been working for him? I bet everything you did at camp was fake. And why did you need me, then? If your grand plan was to poison one of the Big Three that came along, why did you find me?"

Luke laughs. "Seriously, Thea? You really don't know, do you? So smart, yet so foolish. You really are disappointing."

Percy moves closer to Thea as Luke stalks forward. "The Fleece isn't here, Luke!"

He blinks before glaring at them. "You're lying. It has to be here, you probably gave it to that little witch." Luke does a headcount before it dawns on him. "Clarisse?"

Percy nods.

"You trusted . . . you gave . . ."

"Yeah."

"Agrius!"

The bear flinches. "Y-yes?"

"Get below and prepare my steed. Bring it to the deck. I need to fly to Miami Airport, fast."

"But, boss—"

"Do it!" Luke screams. "Or I'll feed you to the drakon!"

As Agrius leaves Luke begins to pace, his soldiers glancing uneasily at eachother. They have never seen him this angry before. It makes Thea's stomach clench with fear. Luke is scary sometimes, and he's dangerous, but what has he done that scares monsters that badly?

"You've been toying with us all along," Percy says. "You wanted us to bring you the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it."

Luke scowls. "Of course, you idiot! And you've messed everything up!"

"Traitor!" Percy yells, throwing his last drachma at Luke. For a split-second, Thea wonders how he can be that stupid, to believe Luke won't dodge it with ease, and then she realizes. The fountains are creating mist, and the currency has disappeared into it.

Gods, Percy is smart.

"You tricked all of us!" he yells. "Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"

The fountain begins to shimmer but Percy pulls out Riptide to keep the attention on him. Thea raises her fists, but she doubts it looks intimidating.

"This is no time for heroics, Percy. Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later."

"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?"

Faces start to shimmer into view, the entire camp watching, startled, unable to look away.

"I did, of course," Luke snarls. "I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus."

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?"

"Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool wouldn't have the guts."

"You call it guts? Betraying your friends? Endangering the whole camp?"

Luke raises backbiter, the hideous sword gleaming in the light of the pool. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece . . . once I was done with it."

Thea feels her skin grow cold. Luke had been so close to resurrecting Kronos, within inches of finishing his plan.

"You were going to heal Kronos," Percy states.

"Yes! The Fleece's magic would've sped his mending process by tenfold. But you haven't stopped us, Percy. You've only slowed us down a little."

"And so you poisoned the tree, betrayed Thalia, you set us up—all to help Kronos destroy the gods."

Luke lets out a hiss of frustration. "You know all that! Why do you keep asking me?"

"Because I want everyone in the audience to hear you."

"What audience?"

Luke and his soldiers turn around, only to gasp and stumble back. Shimmering in the rainbow mist is an Iris-Message of Dionysus, Tantalus, and the entire camp in the dining pavilion.

"Well," Dionysus says dryly, "some unplanned dinner entertainment."

"Mr D., you heard him," Percy says. "You all heard Luke. The poisoning of the tree wasn't Chiron's fault."

The god sighs. "I suppose not."

Charlie grabs Thea by the elbow and pulls her back to stand beside him. His eyes keep bouncing around the room, categorizing every threat. They both know the truth: this victory is going to be short, and once it's over, they hardly stand a chance.

"It appears I shall have to reinstate Chiron as activities director. I suppose I do miss the old horse's pinochle games."

Tantalus manages to corner a cheeseburger and grab it. His eyes widen with amazement as he holds the burger like it's the most precious metal in the world. "I got it!"

"We are no longer in need of your services, Tantalus," Mr. D announces.

"What? But—"

"You may return to the Underworld. You are dismissed."

The last thing Thea hears from the message is Tantalus' wail and the campers' cheering, right before Luke slashes through it with his sword. But it doesn't matter, because Luke's plan is already crumbling before him.

Thea's lips purse to cast a spell as Luke whirls toward them, his face murderous. "Kronos was right, Percy. You're an unreliable weapon. You need to be replaced." Luke smiles as more warriors pour in, as vicious and cutting as a wolf. "You'll never leave this boat alive."

Her only hope is that she has enough energy to cast their way out.