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They each caught one of Tyson’s arms and stopped him cold They pushed him back and Tyson stumbled He fell to the carpet so hard the deck shook

"Too bad, Cyclops," Luke said "Looks like ether are th Maybe I should let them--"

"Luke," I cut in "Listen to me Your father sent us"

His face turned the color of pepperoni "Don’t-- even-- mention hiht it was just for a ride, but he sent us here to find you

He told ry you are"

"Angry?" Luke roared " Give up on me? He abandoned me, Percy! I want Olympus destroyed! Every throne crushed to rubble! You tell Her to happen, too Each tirow stronger He grows stronger" Luke pointed to the gold sarcophagus

The box creeped me out, but I was determined not to show it "So?" I demanded "What’s so special …"

Then it hit us The terees "Whoa, you don’t ," Luke said "Little by little, we’re calling his life force out of the pit With every recruit who pledges our cause, another s!" Annabeth said

Luke sneered at her "Your mother was born from Zeus’s split skull, Annabeth I wouldn’t talk Soon there will be enough of the titan lord so that we can ether a new body for hies of Hephaestus"

"You’re insane," Annabeth said

"Join us and you’ll be rewarded We have powerful friends, sponsors rich enough to buy this cruise ship and ain You can buy her a mansion You can have power, fame--whatever you want Annabeth, you can realize your drea an architect You can build a monument to last a thousand years A tee!"

"Go to Tartarus," she said

Luke sighed "A sha that looked like a TV remote and pressed a red button Within seconds the door of the stateroom opened and two uniforhtsticks They had the salassy-eyed look as the otherthis wouldn’t ood, security," Luke said, "I’m afraid we have some stoays"

"Yes, sir," they said dreamily

Luke turned to Oreius "It’s time to feed the Aethiopian drakon Take these fools below and show therinned stupidly "Hehe! Hehe!"

"Let rumbled "My brother is worthless That Cyclops--"

"Is no threat," Luke said He glanced back at the golden casket, as if sorius, stay here We have important matters to discuss"

"But--"

"Oreius, don’t fail me Stay in the hold to make sure the drakon is properly fed"

Oreius prodded us with his javelin and herded us out of the stateroouards

As I walked down the corridor with Oreius’s javelin poking ht about what Luke had said--that the bear twins together were a th But maybe separately …

We exited the corridor amidships and walked across an open deck lined with lifeboats I knew the ship well enough to realize this would be our last look at sunlight Once we got to the other side, we’d take the elevator down into the hold, and that would be it

I looked at Tyson and said, "Now"

Thank the gods, he understood He turned and sht into the middle of the zombie tourist family

"Ah!" the kids yelled in unison "We are not having a blast in the pool!"

One of the security guards drew his nightstick, but Annabeth knocked the wind out of hiuard ran for the nearest alarm box

"Stop him!" Annabeth yelled, but it was too late

Just before I banged him on head with a deck chair, he hit the alarhts flashed Sirens wailed

"Lifeboat!" I yelled

We ran for the nearest one

By the tiot the cover off,aside tourists and waiters with trays of tropical drinks A guy in Greek ared, but slipped in a puddle of piña colada Laistrygonian archers asse arrows in their enor?" screamed Annabeth

A hellhound leaped at uisher

"Get in!" I yelled I uncapped Riptide and slashed the first volley of arrows out of the air Any second ould be overwhel over the side of the ship, high above the water Annabeth and Tyson were having no luck with the release pulley

I jumped in beside them

"Hold on!" I yelled, and I cut the ropes

A shower of arrohistled over our heads as we free-fell toward the ocean

Chapter Ten: We Hitch A Ride With Dead Confederates