A Call Across the Storm
Once again, they all ended up gathered in the same vehicle… though this time with a slight upgrade. Since Sally's car could no longer carry everyone with two extra people added, and even with Annabeth's space free it would still be too cramped, they needed something faster anyway.
So the most accessible option nearby was one of the larger military vehicles.
An armored off-road truck moved down the highway. It was a monster on wheels. Its engine, strangely, was very quiet… but incredibly powerful, making it clear this thing had to be expensive.
Inside, it was just as impressive… spacious, filled with equipment that could actually be useful. Black combat suits, some tech gear like drones and satellite radios. And also… weapons. Though those wouldn't do anything against monsters. Only celestial bronze could harm them.
In the back of the vehicle, where at least ten people could fit easily, a thermal curtain had been set up, blocking the boys' view while the girls changed. Especially Clarisse, whose clothes were completely ruined and soaked in blood… and Bianca, who was drenched in sweat. Thalia, for her part, seemed to have taken the chance to change as well.
And the guys… well, they didn't really need to, but if there were black tactical suits that looked that cool… why not try them on?
When the curtain finally came down, everyone ended up wearing black military-style tactical gear. No need for bulletproof vests or helmets… but anyone who had entered Camp Half-Blood before couldn't help but feel they had a bit of a military presence now. Anyone could mistake them for young recruits at a glance.
Percy moved to the front seat next to his mother, who looked slightly excited driving the massive vehicle, gliding over the road without feeling a single bump or dip. It could probably go straight through a forest without trouble.
Sally set aside her excitement for a moment and glanced at her son, who had been unusually quiet, staring at the tiara in his hand.
"Are you alright, sweetheart?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
She had already been told what happened earlier… though in a very summarized version, and without the part where her son had turned into something like a berserker on the verge of killing someone… something that, for a mother's heart, was probably better left unknown.
"I'm sure Annabeth will be fine," she added.
"Yeah… she will," Percy said, his tone serious. "If she's not… then I won't care about this competition anymore," he muttered to himself. "Mom, once we get to where we're going, you should head back," Percy said softly.
"Are you sure? It feels like a lot is happening, and you're not telling me most of it," Sally said, glancing at him.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm protected by an ancient magical contract. No god can hurt me… and demigods, even without the contract, won't be able to do much either," Percy said with a soft smile.
Though to Sally… that smile looked forced.
She was about to say something… but before she could, a sudden image swirled in front of them, making her almost lose control of the wheel. Thankfully, she reacted in time and kept the vehicle steady.
At the same time, the image began to take shape through mist and flashes of rainbow light…
And then Tyson appeared, his face lighting up when he saw Sally and Percy.
Behind him, the sea was in chaos. A storm tore through the waters… rain crashing down like a tidal wave.
The ship Tyson stood on was a Viking-style boat… slicing through the waves with a dragon-headed prow, cutting them in half as it moved forward like the storm didn't even matter.
"Percy, Sally," Tyson said, clearly happy to see them after days apart.
He even tried to hug them both, but his translucent body passed right through them, the vision flickering for a moment.
"Tyson… it's an Iris message, we're not really there. You called us," Percy said right away, understanding what was going on.
"Oh… right," Tyson said, a little embarrassed. Maybe he was just too happy to see them to think straight.
Percy smiled faintly at his brother.
"It's good to see you after so long without talking. How are you?" Sally asked, a bit worried, looking at the stormy sea behind him.
"Oh, I'm fine. The master is fine too. The master took me to explore some underwater caves, there were lots of fun and interesting things there. We even ran into some monsters… but the master crushed them easily. Look," Tyson said, reaching to the side and lifting something that looked like a tentacle… from an octopus, though it was almost as thick as Tyson himself, even cut off. It might have been the biggest tentacle they had ever seen, and it looked like just the tip… if it was already as big as Tyson's whole body, Percy didn't even want to imagine what kind of creature it belonged to.
"A few days ago, the master fought a big serpent with a dragon head. It almost flipped the ship… but neither of them looked like they were going to stop anytime soon. Then the big guy showed up, with his hammer… and stopped the fight. He invited both of them to drink. They invited me too… but only a little. The master said not to tell Sally. Oh…," Tyson said, realizing he had just said something he probably shouldn't have, especially with Sally right there.
She just let out an annoyed sigh.
"Why did you call, Tyson?" Percy asked, trying to keep the conversation going before his mom got mad.
"Oh, right," Tyson said, remembering. "Our brother contacted me. He seemed nice. He made a trade with the master, like the one-eyed man did before. He asked for swords and armor. He said the sea spirits were turning against dad… and they were protecting the bad ship so the sirens couldn't destroy it."
Percy narrowed his eyes.
"You mean the Princess Andromeda? Wait… what brother?" Percy asked, serious now.
"He told me to call him that. His name is Triton, and he's Poseidon's son… and he's really cool. And yes… that bad ship. Brother said dad can't attack it… or he'll be punished," Tyson added.
Hearing that, Percy's eyes widened… and a smile spread across his face.
Then he remembered the marks on Artemis's arm. Of course… he had felt the danger from the goddess when she tried to interfere while he was attacking Zoe, even if he had ignored it in his rage. Now he could remember it clearly. Those chains that had suddenly wrapped around the goddess when she tried to step in… and stopped her. The same thing when she tried to give an order… it had bounced off Percy without affecting him.
That had to be the punishment for trying to interfere with a champion… something the gods obviously weren't allowed to do.
"If Poseidon can't attack the ship… that means… Luke is on it," Percy muttered, a dangerous smile forming on his lips.
"And I called you because Rainbow and the other sea ponies found—" before Tyson could finish, Percy cut him off.
"Tyson, I'm really glad you called. You're a genius and my favorite brother. Do you know where the Princess Andromeda is right now?" Percy asked quickly.
Tyson paused for a moment, then broke into a happy smile at Percy's words.
"No… but I can ask brother Triton. The master left me in charge of the weapons. He even made a workshop on the ship… so I can ask brother Triton when he comes to pick them up," Tyson said, smiling.
"You're amazing, Tyson. Please do that. And also… I need you to do me a small favor," Percy said, smiling brightly.
"Of course, anything," Tyson replied.