by Rick Riordan
‘We thought the Olympians said Atlantis,’ Keto explained. ‘Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead.’
Percy narrowed his eyes. ‘And you’re a goddess?’
‘Keto, yes!’ She smiled happily. ‘Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It’s true!’
Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick.
Coach Hedge whistled. ‘Six years? That’s fascinating.’
‘I know!’ Keto beamed.
‘And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?’ Hedge asked. ‘I love nature.’
‘Oh, well –’
‘Stop!’ Phorcys demanded. ‘You’re ruining the show! Now, witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!’
A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, making the water dance with multicoloured light. Two swords fell to the bottom and plunked in the sand. The Nereids ignored them and kept playing Go Fish.
‘Curse it!’ Phorcys stomped his legs sideways.
Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge. ‘Don’t mind Porky. He’s such a windbag. Come with me, my fine satyr. I’ll show you full-colour diagrams of the monsters’ hunting habits.’
‘Excellent!’
Before Percy could object, Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving Frank and him alone with the crabby sea god.
A bead of sweat traced its way down Percy’s neck. He exchanged a nervous look with Frank. This felt like a divide-and-conquer strategy. He didn’t see any way the encounter was going to end well. Part of him wanted to attack Phorcys now – at least that might give them the element of surprise – but they hadn’t found out any useful information yet. Percy wasn’t sure he could find Coach Hedge again. He wasn’t even sure he could find the exit.
Phorcys must’ve read his expression.
‘Oh, it’s fine!’ the god assured him. ‘Keto might be a little boring, but she’ll take good care of your friend. And, honestly, the best part of the tour is still to come!’
Percy tried to think, but he was starting to get a headache. He wasn’t sure if it was from yesterday’s head injury, Phorcys’s special effects or Keto’s lectures on nauseating sea monster facts. ‘So …’ he managed. ‘Dionysus sent us here.’
‘Bacchus,’ Frank corrected.
‘Right.’ Percy tried to keep his annoyance in check. He could barely remember one name for each god. Two was pushing it. ‘The wine god. Whatever.’ He looked at Phorcys. ‘Bacchus said you might know what your mom Gaia is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours – Ephialtes and Otis. And if you happen to know anything about this Mark of Athena –’
‘Bacchus thought I would help you?’ Phorcys asked.
‘Well, yeah,’ Percy said. ‘I mean, you’re Phorcys. Everybody talks about you.’
Phorcys tilted his head so that his mismatched eyes almost lined up. ‘They do?’
‘Of course. Don’t they, Frank?’
‘Oh … sure!’ Frank said. ‘People talk about you all the time.’
‘What do they say?’ the god asked.
Frank looked uncomfortable. ‘Well, you have great pyrotechnics. And a good announcer’s voice. And, um, a disco ball –’
‘It’s true!’ Phorcys clacked his fingers and thumbs excitedly. ‘I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world!’
‘And you know stuff,’ Percy added. ‘Like about the twins and what they’re up to.’
‘The twins!’ Phorcys made his voice echo. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea-serpent tank. ‘Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabes! They never fitted in with the other giants. Too puny – and those snakes for feet.’
‘Snakes for feet?’ Percy remembered the long, curly shoes the twins had been wearing in his dream.
‘Yes, yes,’ Phorcys said impatiently. ‘They knew they couldn’t get by on their strength, so they decided to go for drama – illusions, stage tricks, that sort of thing. You see, Gaia shaped her giant children with specific enemies in mind. Each giant was born to kill a certain god. Ephialtes and Otis … well, together they were sort of the anti-Dionysus.’
Percy tried to wrap his mind around that idea. ‘So … they want to replace all wine with cranberry juice or something?’
The sea god snorted. ‘Nothing like that! Ephialtes and Otis always wanted to do things better, flashier, more spectacular! Oh, of course they wanted to kill Dionysus. But first they wanted to humiliate him by making his revelries look tame!’
Frank glanced at the sparklers. ‘By using stuff like fireworks and disco balls?’
Phorcys’s mouth stretched into that wind tunnel smile. ‘Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know, or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top of one another. It was just an illusion, of course. I told them it was ridiculous. “You should start small,” I said. “Sawing each other in half, pulling gorgons out of a hat. That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!” ’
‘Good advice,’ Percy agreed. ‘And now the twins are –’
‘Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome,’ Phorcys sneered. ‘It’s one of Mother’s silly ideas. They’re keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar.’ He turned towards Frank. ‘You’re a child of Ares, aren’t you? You’ve got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once.’
‘Child of Mars,’ Frank corrected. ‘Wait … these giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?’
‘Yes, another stupid stunt,’ said the sea god. ‘How can you show off your prisoner if he’s in a bronze jar? No entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimens!’
He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bumping their heads apathetically against the glass.
Percy tried to think. He felt like the lethargy of the addled sea creatures was starting to affect him. ‘You said this – this doomsday show was Gaia’s idea?’
‘Well … Mother’s plans always have lots of layers.’ He laughed. ‘The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!’
‘Uh-huh,’ Percy said. ‘And so her plan …’
‘Oh, she’s put out a general bounty on some group of demigods,’ Phorcys said. ‘She doesn’t really care who kills them, as long as they’re killed. Well … I take that back. She was very specific that two must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such. That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena.’ Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. ‘Ha! Good luck with that, eh?’
Frank laughed nervously. ‘Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb because, uh …’
Phorcys narrowed his eyes.
Percy slipped his hand into his pocket. He closed his fingers around Riptide. Even this old sea god must be smart enough to realize they were the demigods with the bounty on their heads.
But Phorcys just grinned and elbowed Frank again. ‘Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you’re right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston they’d never make it to Rome alive!’
‘Yes, the MAP IN CHARLESTON,’ Frank said loudly, giving Percy a wide-eyed look to make sure he hadn’t missed the information. He couldn’t have been more obvious if he had held up a large sign that read CLUE!!!!!
‘But enough boring educational stuff!’ Phorcys said. ‘You’ve paid for the VIP treatment. Won’t you please let me finish the tour? The three denarii entrance fee is non-refundable, you know.’
Percy wasn’t excited about more fireworks, dou
ghnut-scented smoke or depressing captive sea creatures. But he glanced at Frank and decided they’d better humour the crabby old god, at least until they found Coach Hedge and got safely to the exit. Besides, they might be able to get more information out of Phorcys.
‘Afterwards,’ Percy said, ‘can we ask questions?’
‘Of course! I’ll tell you everything you need to know.’ Phorcys clapped his hands twice. On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank.
‘Walk this way!’ Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel.
Frank scratched his head. ‘Do we have to –?’ He turned sideways.
‘It’s just a figure of speech, man,’ Percy said. ‘Come on.’
XVI
Percy
The tunnel ran along the floor of a gymnasium-sized tank. Except for water and some cheap decorations, it seemed majestically empty. Percy guessed there were about fifty thousand gallons of water over their heads. If the tunnel were to shatter for some reason …
No big deal, Percy thought. I’ve been surrounded by water thousands of times. This is my home court.
But his heart was pounding. He remembered sinking into the cold Alaskan bog – black mud covering his eyes, mouth and nose.
Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread his arms proudly. ‘Beautiful exhibit, isn’t it?’
Percy tried to distract himself by concentrating on details. In one corner of the tank, snuggled in a forest of fake kelp, was a life-sized plastic gingerbread cottage with bubbles coming out of the chimney. In the opposite corner, a plastic sculpture of a guy in an old-fashioned diving suit knelt beside a treasure chest, which popped open every few seconds, spewed bubbles and closed again. Littered across the white sand floor were glass marbles the size of bowling balls and a strange assortment of weapons like tridents and spearguns. Outside the tank’s display wall was an amphitheatre with seating for several hundred.
‘What do you keep in here?’ Frank asked. ‘Giant killer goldfish?’
Phorcys raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish.’
At descendant of Poseidon, Frank flinched. He stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing.
A sense of dread trickled down Percy’s throat like cough syrup. Unfortunately, it was a feeling he was used to.
‘How do you know Frank’s last name?’ he demanded. ‘How do you know he’s descended from Poseidon?’
‘Well …’ Phorcys shrugged, trying to look modest. ‘It was probably in the descriptions Gaia provided. You know, for the bounty, Percy Jackson.’
Percy uncapped his pen. Instantly, Riptide appeared in his hand. ‘Don’t double-cross me, Phorcys. You promised me answers.’
‘After the VIP treatment, yes,’ Phorcys agreed. ‘I promised to tell you everything you need to know. The thing is, however, you don’t really need to know anything.’ His grotesque smile stretched wide. ‘You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is quite unlikely, you’d never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you? So I have a better plan. You’re not leaving. You’re VIPs – Very Important Prisoners!’
Percy lunged. Frank hurled his backpack at the sea god’s head. Phorcys simply disappeared.
The god’s voice reverberated through the aquarium’s sound system, echoing down the tunnel. ‘Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she did agree that I could keep anything I caught. You two will make an excellent exhibit – the only demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity. “Demigod Terrors” – yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven a.m. and one p.m., with an evening show at seven p.m.’
‘You’re crazy!’ Frank yelled.
‘Don’t sell yourself short!’ Phorcys said. ‘You’ll be our biggest draw!’
Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well. Their tunnel had become a bubble. He put his hand against the glass and realized it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in.
‘We won’t cooperate, Phorcys!’ he shouted.
‘Oh, I’m optimistic,’ the sea god’s voice boomed. ‘If you won’t fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you’ll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you’ll come to love your new home.’
Over Percy’s head, the glass dome cracked and began to leak.
‘I’m the son of Poseidon!’ Percy tried to keep the fear out of his voice. ‘You can’t imprison me in water. This is where I’m strongest.’
Phorcys’s laugh seemed to come from all around them. ‘What a coincidence! It’s also where I’m strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun, you two. I’ll see you at feeding time!’
The glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in.
Percy held his breath until he couldn’t stand it. When he finally filled his lungs with water, it felt just like normal breathing. The water pressure didn’t bother him. His clothes didn’t even get wet. His underwater abilities were as good as ever.
It’s just a stupid phobia, he assured himself. I’m not going to drown.
Then he remembered Frank, and he immediately felt a surge of panic and guilt. Percy had been so worried about himself that he’d forgotten his friend was only a distant descendant of Poseidon. Frank couldn’t breathe underwater.
But where was he?
Percy turned in a full circle. Nothing. Then he glanced up. Hovering above him was a giant goldfish. Frank had turned – clothes, backpack, and all – into a koi the size of a teenaged boy.
Dude. Percy sent his thoughts through the water, the way he spoke with other sea creatures. A goldfish?
Frank’s voice came back to him: I freaked. We were talking about goldfish, so it was on my mind. Sue me.
I’m having a telepathic conversation with a giant koi, Percy said. Great. Can you turn into something more … useful?
Silence. Maybe Frank was concentrating, though it was impossible to tell, since koi don’t have many expressions.
Sorry. Frank sounded embarrassed. I’m stuck. That happens sometimes when I panic.
Fine. Percy gritted his teeth. Let’s figure out how to escape.
Frank swam around the tank and reported no exits. The top was covered with Celestial bronze mesh, like the curtains that roll down over closed storefronts at the mall. Percy tried to cut through with Riptide, but he couldn’t make a dent. He tried to smash the glass wall with his sword hilt – again, no luck. Then he repeated his efforts with several of the weapons lying around the bottom of the tank and managed to break three tridents, a sword and a speargun.
Finally he tried to control the water. He wanted it to expand and break the tank, or explode out of the top. The water didn’t obey. Maybe it was enchanted, or under the power of Phorcys. Percy concentrated until his ears popped, but the best he could do was blow the lid off the plastic treasure chest.
Well, that’s it, he thought dejectedly. I’ll have to live in a plastic gingerbread house the rest of my life, fighting my giant goldfish friend and waiting for feeding time.
Phorcys had promised they’d learn to love it. Percy thought about the dazed telkhines, the Nereids and hippocampi, all swimming in bored, lazy circles. The thought of ending up like that didn’t help to lower his anxiety level.
He wondered if Phorcys was right. Even if they managed to escape, how could they defeat the giants if the gods were all incapacitated? Bacchus might be able to help. He had killed the twin giants once before, but he would only join the fight if he got an impossible tribute, and the idea of giving Bacchus any kind of tribute made Percy want to gag himself with a Monster Doughnut.
Look! Frank said.
Coach! Percy yelled. Then he realized it was hopeless. The coach couldn’t hear telepathic yelling.
Frank bumped his head against the glass.
Hedge didn’t seem to notice. Keto walked him briskly across the amphitheatre. She didn’t even look through the glass, probably because she assumed the tank was still empty. She pointed to the far end of the room as if saying, Come on. More gruesome sea monsters this way.
Percy realized he had only a few seconds before the coach would be gone. He swam after them, but the water didn’t help him move as it usually did. In fact, it seemed to be pushing him back. He dropped Riptide and used both arms.
Coach Hedge and Keto were five feet from the exit.
In desperation, Percy scooped up a giant marble and hurled it underhanded like a bowling ball.
It hit the glass with a thunk – not nearly loud enough to attract attention.
Percy’s heart sank.
But Coach Hedge had the ears of a satyr. He glanced over his shoulder. When he saw Percy, his expression went through several changes in a matter of microseconds – incomprehension, surprise, outrage, then a mask of calm.
Before Keto could notice, Hedge pointed towards the top of the amphitheatre. It looked like he might be screaming, Gods of Olympus, what is that?
Keto turned. Coach Hedge promptly took off his fake foot and ninja-kicked her in the back of the head with his goat hoof. Keto crumpled to the floor.
Percy winced. His own recently whopped head throbbed in sympathy, but he had never been happier to have a chaperone who liked mixed martial arts cage matches.
Hedge ran to the glass. He held up his palms like: What are you doing in there, Jackson? Percy pounded his fist on the glass and mouthed: Break it!