LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 27: the ship
In the Hermes cabin, Alexander, like always, didn't sleep, which was why he heard Percy calling for help. It was past curfew and if he got caught, the harpy's would eat him but he couldn't just ignore his best friend. So, he changed into his day clothes as quick as he could and ran towards the origin of the sound. What he saw was Percy, Annabeth and Tyson riding away on fish-ponies, silver horses with glistening fish tails. He had been too late… he could fly over but he saw the harpies above them, they would intercept him before he could reach them and swimming wasn't an option either, he was too slow to keep up. If he tried, he would be stranded somewhere in the ocean. He wouldn't drown, thanks to water breathing but it wasn't a good idea. Resigned, he snuck back to the Hermes cabin and waited for day break.
The next morning, they walked towards the dining pavilion and Tantalus clapped his hands, "well, you ungrateful children wanted a quest and you shall receive one. Clarisse has decided against taking any campers with her- so-"
"Clarisse, are you sure about this?", Alexander asked Clarisse, who was shifting uncomfortably, "at least take one of us with you"
"It seems that Alexander is volunteering himself as your quest mate, Clarisse", Tantalus drawled out, not thinking her likely to accept but, to his surprise, she nodded, "Dorn is strong and the prophecy- I mean, he could be useful"
"Are you sure?" Asked one of her brothers, "he is, well- the son of a minor god"
"Have you seen what he can do? He pushed back the Stymphalian birds and when the bulls attacked, he summoned a storm", Clarisse became more and more convinced as she spoke, "all the rest of you will need to stay here to protect the camp but taking one with me is better than going alone"
"Very well, Clarisse and Alexander will go on this quest together", Tantalus sounded almost… dissapointed, then his expression changed, probably thinking that two dead campers would be better than one, "Lord Ares has graciously sent a ship for the questers, it should arrive any minute now"
Just as he said that, the sound of engines came blaring to them. Looking towards the sea, they could see a huge, metal ship, steam billowing out from it, arriving at camp.
"What's more, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and the Cyclops have vanished from camp without my permission, so, they are hereby banished from camp!" He laughed maniacally, before turning back to his food, which wouldn't enter his mouth, no matter how hard he tried. Alexander walked over to Clarisse and smiled, "Percy, Annabeth and Tyson must be on the same journey as us. I saw them riding hippocampi to a cruise ship, they were being chased by the harpies"
"I saw as much in my dreams", Clarisse recalled, combing through her hair, "let's get to our ride, Dork. Every minute counts in this quest."
"Great, and so… what's our prophecy?"
"On the ship", she dismissed him. Something was behind those eyes, concern? Worry? Could it be fear?
[new quest: The Golden Fleece reclaimed
Objective: return the Golden Fleece before Thalia's tree dies
Bonus objective: save Grover Underwood from his imprisonment
Rewards: 2 random attribute rank ups, new shop category: Skill books
Bonus rewards: 1 rank up for all attributes]
Skill books? Didn't he already have the power to buy skills from the shop? Where was the difference? System, could you explain?
[the skills you buy from the shop can only be used by you. Skill books can be used by anyone, they are more expensive though]
His eyes sparkled with excitement. He imagined Wulfgang with a power like pyrokinesis or lightning generation, he would be so powerful!
They climbed aboard the ship, it was manned entirely with zombies in confederate armor, "what-?"
"Every soldier in the losing side of a war owes their due to Ares, he can command them for things like this", Clarisse explained, "now, to our quest… the oracle said:'you shall sail the ship of iron 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'"
Alexander now knew why she looked so forlorn when talking about the prophecy, the second half didn't sound as promising as the first, "entombed within stone? No idea what that means… and why should you fly home alone? Why wouldn't I come with you?"
"I don't know", she gritted her teeth, barking out, "set sail"
The dead sailors ran around the ship and they embarked on their journey…