Princess Andromeda, Part II
Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson stepped out of the elevator onto the highest deck of the cruise ship, where only top-tier VIP suites were located. They moved down the corridor, Percy pushing what looked like a laundry cart and using it as cover. Every time they were about to cross paths with a monster, Tyson acted as their warning system; they would stop, wait for it to pass, and then continue on their way.
Surprisingly, the plan worked fairly well. Even so, the tension never left them for a single second, and they managed to get close to the room they were looking for.
“Okay. What’s your plan?” Annabeth asked as the three of them advanced carefully, doing their best not to make a sound.
Percy stopped for a moment to make a few gestures, which Tyson had to translate.
“The plan is to knock the door down and say hello, Luke,” Tyson said.
Annabeth froze, looking first at Percy and then at Tyson.
“That can’t be the plan. You must have misunderstood,” she said, staring at Tyson in disbelief.
Tyson looked back at Percy.
“He says that if you don’t like that, then it can be bye, Luke,” Tyson repeated.
Annabeth was already bringing a hand up to her forehead when Tyson looked back at Percy again.
“But Percy still can’t talk to say that,” the Cyclops added.
Hearing that, Percy put on a surprised expression, as if he had only just realized it.
“Are you being serious right now?” Annabeth said, her voice a little louder than it should have been. She caught herself immediately, lowering it so they wouldn’t be discovered, while glaring at Percy with a very real desire to strangle him.
“No. Percy still can’t talk,” Tyson said innocently, only fueling the blonde’s growing frustration. She was already tempted to hit both brothers.
The sound of the elevator interrupted the worst infiltrators in the world at the worst possible moment. All three of them rushed toward a nearby room and slipped inside to hide. The elevator doors opened, and Alison stepped out, completely soaked, walking with a truly furious expression; her hair clung to her face, and her eyes burned with hatred. She was followed by two Laestrygonians wearing a life vest and carrying a flotation ring. They headed straight for the room Percy and the others had been aiming for.
Alison pounded on the door.
“Open up, now!” she shouted impatiently.
The door opened almost at once, and a head covered in brown fur, with large teeth and a prominent snout, peeked out from inside.
“Oh. Go for a swim?” the bear asked in an amused tone.
“Move, idiot,” Alison snapped, shoving him aside without hesitation as she stormed into the room with the giant Laestrygonians. The door slammed shut behind them.
Once the sound of the door closing echoed down the hall, Percy carefully peeked out to make sure no one was left in the corridor, then motioned for the other two to follow him out.
“There are a lot of voices inside,” Tyson said seriously.
Percy looked at him and made a quick gesture. Tyson nodded and closed one eye, leaving Annabeth completely confused.
Suddenly, Tyson spoke, but not in his own voice. He lowered his head slightly, as if concentrating, and his voice came out identical to Alison’s.
“They boarded from the bow. They’ve got a Cyclops as a pet,” he said, before switching to a tone that was unmistakably Luke’s. “He’s not a pet. Poseidon claimed him. He’s Jackson’s brother.”
Annabeth stared at him in shock but stayed silent, listening closely, just like Percy.
“Hehehe. Then I get to taste demigod meat,” said another, rougher voice. It might have been the bear-faced guy, or one of the Laestrygonians, or something similar. Luke cut him off immediately, irritated.
“Shut up,” Tyson said, using Luke’s voice.
“Well, that doesn’t matter to me. But you should know they’re on the other side of the door,” Tyson added again, this time in Alison’s voice.
At once, footsteps began to approach; too many, and far too fast.
Annabeth glanced at Percy.
“What do we do now?” she asked, knowing they were coming straight for them.
Percy seemed to think quickly. Just as the door burst open, he raised both hands in complete surrender, with a calm that clashed dangerously with the situation. Tyson looked at him for a second and, after a look from Percy, raised his hands as well. Annabeth was utterly baffled.
Within seconds, the three of them were surrounded by two Laestrygonians, two hulking figures that looked like humanoid bears, and several armed demigods. Among them was Alison, her bow drawn, an arrow aimed straight at Percy’s head, as if she were waiting for the slightest movement to shoot.
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Percy smiled calmly, his hands still raised, without even trying to reach for his sword.
“Looks like they’re not here to fight,” a voice said suddenly from behind the armed demigods. They shifted slightly to let him pass.
It was Luke.
He looked different. His blond hair, once wild and completely unkempt, was now much shorter. His clothes had changed as well; no more shorts or light shirts, but a high-quality dress shirt and khaki pants. His aura was confident and arrogant, like someone who already felt victorious. He looked like some kind of villainous male model for an autumn campaign, or maybe spring.
Luke locked eyes with Percy’s green ones for a moment.
“Follow me,” he said calmly before turning away.
Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson, with weapons aimed at them from every angle, were nudged forward by the Laestrygonians. They entered the room.
Luke lifted his hands slightly, as if presenting it.
“Much more luxurious than Cabin Eleven, isn’t it?” he said, before turning and gesturing toward the Laestrygonians.
At once, the two of them grabbed Tyson and began dragging him away.
“Percy!” Tyson said, a little nervous.
Percy reacted immediately, making a series of quick gestures. Seeing them, Tyson calmed down and nodded with confidence.
“It’s fine. They won’t hurt him,” Luke said, frowning slightly as he noticed Percy’s gestures, even though he clearly did not understand them at all.
Luke looked at Percy and Annabeth in complete silence for a moment, while Percy ignored him entirely, taking in the room instead.
The room truly was as impressive as Luke had claimed. Large, fully transparent windows offered a clear view of the ship’s stern, along with the sea and the blue sky stretching all the way to the horizon. The floor was covered by a Persian rug, and two sofas were arranged neatly to one side. Resting atop one of them was Luke’s sword, its blade gleaming faintly. On the opposite side stood an enormous king-size canopy bed. Beyond that lay what appeared to be the dining area, where a massive mahogany table was completely loaded with food.
Pizza boxes, soda bottles, and countless meat sandwiches arranged on silver trays covered much of the table.
The one thing that clearly did not fit with the luxury of the place, and that was unpleasant to look at even at a glance, was a massive sarcophagus occupying a large portion of the room. It measured at least three meters in length and was made of a dull, blackened gold, carved with Greek engravings depicting cities in flames and heroes dying in horrific ways. A cold, heavy, truly revolting aura seeped from it, seeming to crawl across the room.
“Sit,” Luke said, as several chairs around the food-laden table slid on their own toward Percy and Annabeth.
Obviously, neither of them could sit. Two figures still held their spears aimed directly at Percy’s and Annabeth’s chests.
Now that he could see them more clearly, Percy noticed that it was not just their heads that were bear-like; their entire bodies were. They looked like twins and stood at least two meters tall. The only clothing they wore was a pair of jeans; the rest of their bodies were covered in thick fur.
“Ah. Those are Agrius and Oreius. Some helpers who joined the cause. And then there’s Alison, whom I assume you’ve already met,” Luke said in an almost friendly tone as he introduced his allies.
Alison shot them a clearly irritated look. The twin bears, on the other hand, watched them while licking their lips, which made Percy pay more attention to them than to the angry demigoddess.
“Oh. Perhaps you don’t know them,” Luke said, interpreting Percy’s silence. “Their mother… well, it’s a sad story. Aphrodite forced her to fall in love. The young woman refused and begged Artemis to protect her, so Artemis turned her into one of her Hunters. But Aphrodite took revenge and cursed her to fall in love with a bear. When Artemis found out, she abandoned her in disgust,” he explained.
“Typical of the gods, wouldn’t you say? Repulsive beings. Everything they do is justified, but when others do the same, they have the nerve to punish them,” he added, his voice filled with deep hatred.
“Now they feel no love for Olympus,” Luke continued. “Though they do for demigods.”
“As lunch,” Agrius said almost immediately, staring at Percy as if he were a particularly large snack.
Luke fixed his gaze on Percy once more.
“We allowed you to survive one more year. I hope you’re grateful,” he said with mockery.
“Oh, I see. I’ve lived quite a while already, so thanks,” Percy replied with marked sarcasm, his voice fully recovered now, his calm completely out of place for someone surrounded by weapons. “And how’s the rebellion going for you? By the way, your father sent me. Apparently, he still thinks there’s hope for you. I disagree, just so you know,” he added with a half-smile.
“Oh, that’s fine,” Luke said simply, making it clear how little he cared.
“If Hermes knows where you are, the others will too. If you surrender, maybe Zeus will spare your life,” Annabeth said almost immediately, staring straight at him.
Luke smiled mockingly at her. Even Percy could not help but look at her much the same way, though without the resentment Luke showed.
“We all know Zeus isn’t the forgiving type. Of course not. Right, Percy?” he said, turning to him. “The only reason you’re still alive is because someone is backing you. And what’s the difference between you and me?” he asked.
“That at least the one backing me doesn’t want to see the world burn. Well… more or less,” Percy replied.
Luke watched him for a moment before walking toward the sarcophagus.
“The awakening of Cronos is close, and with it, the other Titans will awaken as well. With every demigod who joins us, he grows stronger. His soul will rise from Tartarus and come here, piece by piece,” he said, gesturing toward the sarcophagus.
“That’s why you want the Fleece,” Annabeth realized. “You want to accelerate his recovery.”
“Always so smart,” Luke replied, though his tone sounded more like mockery than praise.
“That’s why you poisoned Thalia’s tree. To create a quest for the Fleece. That’s why you betrayed your old friend,” Annabeth said, her resentment clear.
“You know nothing!” Luke snapped immediately. “Thalia and I were on the run for two years. You… you were only with us for two months. You were just a child. Thalia truly hated Zeus. If she had known about the Great Prophecy, she would be on my side,” he said coldly.
As tears threatened to spill from Annabeth’s eyes, Percy adopted a serious expression, looking between them.
“The Great Prophecy?” he asked.
Luke looked first at Annabeth, then at Percy, and smiled with amusement.
“I see,” he said with a crooked grin. “You don’t know about the Great Prophecy,” he added, pointing at Percy, before turning the gesture toward Annabeth. “But you do.”
“See? This is how the gods divide us, by hiding the truth,” he continued.
Percy cut him off before he could go on.
“Oh, well. Honestly, I’m not very interested in knowing the prophecy,” he said calmly.
Luke stared at him.
“Why? Because you think you’re clever, or because you’re afraid?” he asked.
“Afraid?” Percy repeated calmly. “The only person I could really be afraid of is one person. Well, two, actually. My mom is pretty terrifying when she’s angry,” he said completely seriously. “Or exams. And I really hate bugs, especially eating them. So yeah, it seems I have quite a few fears. Could be both.”
Annabeth looked at him, knowing he had only just gotten his voice back and was already saying nonsense. Part of her wished the effect had lasted a bit longer.
Luke, for his part, watched him for a moment with a disdainful smile.
“I really always liked you, Percy. We could have been very good friends. Though maybe that’s no longer possible,” he said before walking between them.
“Come. Follow me. I’ll show you the truth,” he added as he moved ahead.
