โThey didnโt make it to the ship.โ
Halfway across the dock, three giant eagles descended in front of them. Each deposited a Roman commando in purple and denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew away, and the Roman in the middle, who was scrawnier than the others, raised his visor.
โSurrender to Rome!โ Octavian shrieked.
Hazel drew her cavalry sword and grumbled, โFat chance, Octavian.โ
Annabeth cursed under her breath. By himself, the skinny augur wouldnโt have bothered her, but the two other guys looked like seasoned warriorsโa lot bigger and stronger than Annabeth wanted to deal with, especially since Piper and she were armed only with daggers.
Piper raised her hands in a placating gesture. โOctavian, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain.โ
โCanโt hear you!โ Octavian yelled. โWax in our earsโstandard procedure when battling evil sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands.โ
โLet me skewer him,โ Hazel muttered. โPlease.โ
The ship was only fifty feet away, but Annabeth saw no sign of Coach Hedge on deck. He was probably below, watching his stupid martial arts programs. Jasonโs group wasnโt due back until sunset, and Percy would be underwater, unaware of the invasion. If Annabeth could get on board, she
could use the ballistae; but there was no way to get around these three Romans.
She was running out of time. The eagles circled overhead, crying out as if to alert their brethren:ย Hey, some tasty Greek demigods over here!ย Annabeth couldnโt see the flying chariot anymore, but she assumed it was close by. She had to figure out something before more Romans arrived.
She needed helpโฆsome kind of distress signal to Coach Hedge, or even betterโPercy.
โWell?โ Octavian demanded. His two friends brandished their swords.
Very slowly, using only two fingers, Annabeth drew her dagger. Instead of dropping it, she tossed it as far as she could into the water.
Octavian made a squeaking sound. โWhat was that for? I didnโt sayย tossย it!
That couldโve been evidence. Or spoils of war!โ
Annabeth tried for a dumb-blonde smile, like:ย Oh, silly me.ย Nobody who knew her would have been fooled. But Octavian seemed to buy it. He huffed in exasperation.
โYou other twoโฆโ He pointed his blade at Hazel and Piper. โPut your weapons on the dock. No funny busโโ
All around the Romans, Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. 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 Annabethโs dagger.
โYou dropped this,โ he said, totally poker-faced. Annabeth threw her arms around him. โI love you!โ
โGuys,โ Hazel interrupted. She had a little smile on her face. โWe need to hurry.โ
Down in the water, Octavian yelled, โGet me out of here! Iโll kill you!โ โTempting,โ Percy called down.
โWhat?โ Octavian shouted. He was holding on to one of his guards, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat.
โNothing!โ Percy shouted back. โLetโs go, guys.โ Hazel frowned. โWe canโt let them drown, can we?โ
โThey wonโt,โ Percy promised. โIโve got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as weโre out of range, Iโll spit them ashore.โ
Piper grinned. โNice.โ
They climbed aboard theย Argo II, and Annabeth ran to the helm. โPiper, get below. Use the sink in the galley for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!โ
Piper nodded and raced off.
โHazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!โ
โRight!โ
โAnd Percyโyou and I need to get this ship to Fort Sumter.โ
Percy nodded and ran to the mast. Annabeth took the helm. Her hands flew across the controls. Sheโd just have to hope she knew enough to operate them. Annabeth had seen Percy control full-sized sailing ships before with only his willpower. This time, he didnโt disappoint. Ropes flew on their ownโ releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind. Meanwhile Annabeth fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and theย Argo IIย turned from the dock, heading for the
island in the distance.
The three eagles still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close. More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumterโat least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigodโฆthat was a lot of enemies.
Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Hazel at his hooves. โWhere are they?โ he demanded. โWho do I kill?โ
โNo killing!โ Annabeth ordered. โJust defend the ship!โ โBut they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!โ
Piper emerged from below. โGot a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but heโs already on his way. He should beโoh! There!โ
Soaring over the city, heading in their direction, was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.
โFrank!โ Hazel said.
Leo was holding on to the eagleโs feet, and even from the ship, Annabeth could hear him screaming and cursing.
Behind them flew Jason, riding the wind.
โNever seen Jason fly before,โ Percy grumbled. โHe looks like a blond
Superman.โ
โThis isnโt the time!โ Piper scolded him. โLook, theyโre in trouble!โ
Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from a cloud and was diving straight toward them. Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leoโs feet, which led to more screaming and cursing. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot theย Argo IIย and fly toward Fort Sumter.
โIโll get โem!โ yelled Coach Hedge.
He spun the port ballista. Before Annabeth could yell, โDonโt be stupid!โ Hedge fired. A flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot.
It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. Unfortunately it also singed Frankโs wings and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason.
Annabeth watched in horror as Jasonโobviously dazed and in painโ lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone-shatteringย CRACK!ย One broken wheel spun into the air.
โCoach!โ Piper screamed.
โWhat?โ Hedge demanded. โThat was just a warning shot!โ
Annabeth gunned the engines. The hull shuddered as they picked up speed. The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws.
Theย Argo IIโs crew would be outnumbered at least three to one.
โPercy,โ Annabeth said, โweโre going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we donโt smash into the docks. Once weโre there, youโre going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship.โ
โButโJason!โ Piper said. โFrank and Leo!โ Hazel added.
โIโll find them,โ Annabeth promised. โIโve got to figure out where the map
is. And Iโm pretty sure Iโm the only one who can do that.โ
โThe fort is crawling with Romans,โ Percy warned. โYouโll have to fight your way through, find our friendsโassuming theyโre okayโfind this map, and get everybody back alive. All on your own?โ
โJust an average day.โ Annabeth kissed him. โWhatever you do, donโt let them take this ship!โ