Chapter 8: Sibling Rivalry, Sea Monsters, and Questionable Life Choices
Sailing into the unknown, facing mythical horrors, and possibly dying a heroic (or incredibly stupid) death?
Sign me up.
Two weeks of brutal training had left me aching, stronger, and a whole lot cockier. The second Chiron told us Clarisse was leading the quest, I knew I had to go. Not just because I wanted to help. Not just because Percy looked ready to storm Olympus in protest.
But because this was my first official quest—the first step on my path to becoming Kratos incarnate.
It was time to show the world what I could do.
The ship itself was… something.
The CSS Birmingham was an old, rusted-out Confederate ironclad. The kind of thing that should have been at the bottom of the ocean, not floating in the middle of Long Island Sound. The deck was covered in ropes, old cannons, and ghostly crew members straight out of a historical horror story.
And, standing at the bow like she was about to conquer the seven seas, was Clarisse.
She smirked when she saw me board. "Took you long enough."
I grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
Clarisse's eyes flickered over to Percy, Annabeth, and Grover—who were definitely not supposed to be here. "And what are they doing here?"
Percy crossed his arms. "We're helping."
Clarisse groaned. "Oh, great. Now I've got extra problems."
"Don't worry," I said, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "I'll make sure Percy doesn't ruin your leadership moment."
Clarisse shoved me off. "Shut up."
I laughed, stepping back, but the truth was, I could feel her excitement too. Ares had given her his blessing—which, for a kid of war, was a big deal. She wanted to prove herself. I got it.
But I also knew how this story went.
Because as much as I wanted to remember everything about The Sea of Monsters, my knowledge of the book was a littlespotty. I knew the major events. I knew we were heading straight into some serious monster nonsense.
But the specifics? Yeah, my brain had tossed a lot of that into the "deal with it later" pile.
Which meant I had to be extra careful.
We set sail that evening.
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting the ocean in hues of red and gold. The Birmingham cut through the waves, ghostly oars rowing on their own. The air smelled of salt and magic, and for the first time in ages, I felt truly alive.
Standing at the railing, I let the wind whip through my hair as I grinned. "Man, this is awesome."
Percy leaned beside me. "You're way too excited about this."
I shrugged. "First official quest. First real adventure. C'mon, you know this is cool."
Annabeth sighed. "Cool doesn't mean safe."
"Safe is for people who don't want to be legends," I said, flexing dramatically.
Grover groaned. "We're all gonna die."
I clapped him on the back. "Maybe, but we'll die epically."
Percy just shook his head.
But as much as I was hyping myself up, I was thinking. The Sea of Monsters was no joke. Polyphemus, Circe, Scylla and Charybdis, and the one thing I was actually looking forward to—
The Sirens.
I remembered enough about the book to know that Annabeth had tried listening to them and nearly died. Which meant they were a big deal. And if there was one thing I needed to do on this journey, it was test myself against legends.
I had a plan.
A dumb plan, but a plan nonetheless.
Step one: Find a way to restrain myself so I wouldn't immediately yeet myself into the ocean like an idiot.
Step two: Figure out how to actually hear the Sirens without getting my brain fried.
Step three: Survive.
Simple, right?
I smirked.
One way or another, I was going to see what made them so dangerous.
The first night passed with little trouble. The second?
Not so much.
The storm hit fast.
One moment, the sky was clear—the next, the ocean exploded around us. Waves the size of buildings crashed against the ship, rain poured in sheets, and the wind howled like a vengeful god.
Ghostly crewmen scrambled across the deck, securing ropes and shouting commands. The ship rocked violently, nearly tossing me overboard.
Clarisse fought the wheel, her muscles straining as she shouted orders. "KEEP US ON COURSE!"
I grabbed onto a mast, laughing. "Okay, I take back what I said—THIS is even cooler!"
Percy groaned. "Are you seriously enjoying this?"
I turned, grinning. "Dude, we're in a legendary storm! How is this not amazing?"
Annabeth tightened her grip on the railing. "Because we might die?"
"Minor detail!"
Lightning flashed across the sky, and for a moment, I swore I saw something moving in the storm.
And then—
The ship lurched.
From beneath the waves, a massive, serpentine head exploded out of the water. Glowing yellow eyes, dripping fangs, scales the size of shields. A freaking sea serpent.
"Oh," I muttered. "That's new."
Clarisse drew her spear. "BATTLE STATIONS!"
I cracked my knuckles. "Oh, hell yes."
The sea serpent roared, and the fight began.
It was chaos.
The serpent coiled around the ship, slamming its tail against the deck. Ghostly crew members vanished into the storm. Annabeth was barking orders. Grover was panicking. Percy was already slicing at the serpent's scales with Riptide.
And me?
I was laughing.
Because this?
This was exactly the kind of fight I wanted.
I lunged forward, dodging a snap of the serpent's jaws. My muscles burned, but the last two weeks of training had hardened me. I was faster, stronger, sharper.
[Berserker Gauge: 60% → 75%]
My blood thrummed as I ducked low, then leaped—my fist colliding right with the serpent's snout.
BOOM.
The impact sent a shockwave through the rain. The serpent reeled, its massive head jerking back.
Clarisse let out a war cry and stabbed her spear into its side. Lightning exploded on impact, sending a shock through the beast's body.
Percy took the opening—spinning, slashing, moving like a whirlwind of destruction.
The serpent hissed in pain, thrashing violently.
"KEEP PUSHING!" Clarisse roared.
I grinned. "With pleasure."
With a surge of energy, I charged forward—this time, going for the jaws. I leaped, grabbed onto its fangs, and pulled.
The serpent struggled, its head twisting as I forced its mouth open wider.
Percy's eyes widened. "What the Hades are you doing?!"
"Testing my strength!" I shouted back.
"YOU'RE INSANE!"
I cackled. "YEP!"
The serpent whipped its head, sending me flying. I twisted midair, barely managing to land in a crouch.
The ship lurched.
And then—
The serpent fled.
It hissed one last time before vanishing into the waves, disappearing beneath the storm.
The ocean settled.
The wind died down.
And just like that… it was over.
I exhaled, shaking out my hands. "Huh. That went well."
Percy stared at me. "You're crazy."
Clarisse clapped me on the back. "That," she said, grinning, "was awesome."
Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. "I hate this quest."