Chapter 24

Kayla woke up folded over on a… sea-horse? Well, it was a horse, but made out of water. Okay, maybe Jackson was sometimes useful.

It shimmered like a rainbow in the sun. Kayla liked that, alot. It was nice and bright after a very terrifying quest. She lifted herself up on the horse, rubbing her eyes to see more clearly. Despite the water, she felt warm. The sun was on her face, and her back was nice and warm-“

“How’s your ribs?”

Kayla screamed. It was almost pathetic, making Percy turn around on his horse in confusion. Tyson shushed her, telling her it would hurt the poor horsies ears. Grover was fast asleep on his own sea horse.

Clarisse sat behind Kayla, hands on her waist to stay secure as the sea-horses galloped in the water. How were they galloping in the water?

“Jesus! Do you mind?! You’re gonna make me deaf!” She yelled, reclining her head with a grimace. Kayla swallowed down her adrenaline from the jumpscare, clearing her throat. “Oh, my god- oh my- oh my Gods, you scared me half to death…”

“I can tell, idiot. You know, atleast your wings didn’t pop out like they used to when you got scared. Would have pushed me right off.”

Kayla rubbed he eyes again, shuffling forward awkwardly. “My ribs are awful, I made them worse doing the windlass on my own, I really need some ambrosia.”

“Mh, we don’t have any. Don’t worry, mine are broke too.”

Percy’s horse slowed down to gallop besides them. He smiled at them both, looking somewhat forced as he glanced at Clarisse. Ah, that would have been the shouting ordeal from earlier. Annabeth was folded over infront of him, fast asleep. The sight was oddly cute and romantic. Eugh… was that how Clarisse had looked with me? “Annabeth is fine, now, if you two want the fleece. It doesn’t look like we’re stopping anytime soon.”

There was a bout of silence before Clarisse snatched it, putting it over Kayla’s shoulders and pushing her chest up so it could help the both of them. Clarisse looked deeply out of her comfort zone.

Percy’s horse then sped off infront once again. The effects of the Golden Fleece were immediately taking place. Kayla would like to say that being completely surrounded by the fleece was a very, very nice feeling. It gave a sense of ecstasy. It quietened her mind and took away stress. Clarisse, too, let out a deep sigh of relief and slouched forward even more.

“You’re too heavy to be doing that, you know.” She breathed out calmly.

“Well, you had to go infront earlier because you were the one passed out. And we can’t change now, either, cause were in the middle of the ocean, so suck it.”

Kayla didn’t reply. The Golden Fleece had her way too chill. She hummed, pushed her back against Clarisse and made it so she leant into her, instead of Clarisse weighing her down. Neither of them said anything.

…

They arrived at Miami some few hours later. Clarisse’s cheek was smooshed into Kayla’s shoulder, comically drooling ever so slightly as Kayla lay slouched against her, chin pushed into her own neck. The best sleep either of them had got in days.

“Kayla, wake up,” Her face was splashed with a bunch of water that had her sat up instantly with a gasp. Oh- well, they weren’t drowning this time.

“…Sorry, I just woke Percy too.” She explained. Clarisse came to her senses behind Kayla, wiping her her mouth. Grover and Tyson were waiting for them all. “We’re in Miami, the hippocampi wont go any further.”

Kayla didn’t catch a word. She simply leaned back against Clarisse. “So that’s what they are…”

Annabeth huffed and snatched the fleece from Kayla’s shoulders, making her sit up and try to grab it back. It did make her realise her ribs were fully healed, however. Clarisse quickly toughened up, pushing away and clearing her throat.

“We need to swim, come on.” Annabeth and Percy slipped off the hippocampi without another word. Kayla groaned, dramatically falling sideways into the sea with a splash.

Tyson was feeding Rainbow, his hippocampi, a soggy mango from his bag and saying his bye-byes.

Once they got to shore, the white, ethereal manes of the hippocampi sunk into the water.

They all crawled onto land like aliens that had landed in the middle of the ocean. The dock was lined with cruise-ships that added a few extra thousand people to push past that were arriving for vacations.

Taxi drivers were teying to cut in line everywhere and yell good prices for customers, so if anyone noticed fove kids dripping wet walking around casually, they didn’t let it concern them.

The mist covered Grover’s legs and Tyson’s eye, even turning the fleece into a high-scool red and gold bomber jacket.

Annabeth ran to a new stand and resd the front page- her expression became deeply concerned. “It’s been ten days. June eighteenth!”

“You’re kidding.” Clarisse scoffed, taking a look for herself.

“The sea of monsters, it warps time.” Kayla pieced together.

“We have to get the fleece back tonight! Thalia’s tree will be nearly fully dead!”

Clarisse shook her head, taking a hunched over position on the floor of the pavement. “Yeah, how? How do we do that?” Her voice wavered. “We’re millions of miles away, no money, no transport. This is just like the Oracle said, and it’s all your fault, Jackson! If you hadn’t interfered-“

Annabeth exploded. “Percy’s fault?! Clarisse, how could you say that? You are the biggest-“

“Stop it!” Percy shouted. Clarisse put her head in her hands while Annabeth stomped her foot in anger.

Kayla bit her lip as she looked down at Clarisse. She thought back to what she heard in the boiler room. What she saw. Clarisse was scared. She was scared of her father, scared of failing, and scared of the consequences. Kayla swallowed at the odd feeling that rose in her throat. “What did the Oracle tell you, Clarisse? It can help, now.”

Clarisse poked her head up. She sighed, rubbed her temples, and recited it effortlessly. Like it had been playing on her mind four hours every single day.

“You shall sail the iron ship 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.”

“Ouch,” Grover mumbled.

“No, wait, I got it. That makes sense. I- i need cash,” Percy searched his pockets, looking up. “Anyone, cash?”

Kayla rolled her eyes back to Percy, ripping them away from Clarisse. “Jackson, we just survived two shipwrecks and almost died about ten times, what makes you think we have-“

“Cash?” Tyson perked up like a Golden Retriever. “Like the green stuff?”

“Yeah,” Percy nodded.

“The kind in the duffel bags?”

“Yeah, but we lost those ages a-“

Perfy was cut off when Tyson pulled a duffel bag out from his back pack, opening it up to reveal mounds of cash. “Tyson,” Percy whispered, dumbfounded. “How did you-“

“Thought it was a feed bag for rainbow, found it floating in the ocean. Only green paper inside. Sorry.”

Kayla watched as Percy was handed atleast four hundred dollars. Then, he sprinted towards a taxi that was just letting a family full of people out. “Come on, Clarisse! You’re going home, Annabeth, give her the fleece!”

Before Annabeth could comply, Percy had snatched it away and shoved some money into its pocket before handing it to Clarisse. She looked stunned.

“You’d let me-“

“It’s your quest, isn’t it? “We only have enough money for one flight. Besides, I can’t travel by
air. Zeus would blast me into a million pieces. That’s what the prophecy meant: you’d fail
without friends, meaning you’d need our help, but you’d have to fly home alone. You have to
get the Fleece back safely.”

Clarisse studied Percy for a second, like she was scouting him out to see where the trick was. What the price was for taking the fleece, yet nothing came to mind, and she settled, hopping in the cab. “You can count on me, I wont fail.”

“Not failing would be good.” Percy agreed.

Annabeth was still froze in shock. “Percy, that was-”

“Generous?”

“Insane. You’re betting the lives of anyone at camp that Clarisse will get the fleece back by midnight?”

“It is her quest,” Kayla interrupted.

“Yeah, she deserves a chance.” Percy agreed. Kayla side eyed him, yet appreciated the back up.

“I can fly besides her.” Kayla added. “I’m completely healed now, if I need to stop i can just drop somewhere random, im sure I’ll find my way.”

“Fly… besides the plane?” Annabeth questioned.

“Yeah,” She popped her wings out. “I had to use them alot this past summer, learnt how to use them quite well. I realised most of it is just over-thinking. It’s secretly easy. I just- i still don’t know how to set off flying without a drop, but I’ll find somewhere.” She shrugged. Percy nodded, like it was the best idea he had even heard at that moment in time.

“Okay, we’ll see you back at camp.” He agreed.

“Percy is kind,” Tyson smiled.

With that, Kayla waved and smiled as she left. She took off quickly, jumping on the bumper of a car, up on the roof, then jumping off with her wings spread. She quickly gained height to fly more safely.

Someone shouted about a pelican that just took off on a taxi, almost making her loose her focus with how funny it sounded. She took off after the taxi down the road that held Clarisse.

What Kayla didn’t know, is the handful of drama that happened just after she left. It was all sunshine and rainbows for her. Almost home, waiting just outside the airport after she had watched Clarisse’s plane land. Kayla had been flying along with that plane the entire time. She had found out that if she did want a break, she could sit ontop of the plane. So, the entire plane ride to New York was stress-free.

Clarisse walked out of the airport doors with a determined look on her face. She smiled when she saw Kayla, making her way towards her. “I can’t believe you were outside my window a whole hour before I noticed you, you looked so goofy.”

Kayla let out a laugh. Yes, she had scared Clarisse half to death when she finally found where she had been sitting. It took an hour for Clarisse to look outside the window, surprisingly.

“Come on, I’ve got just enough for a taxi together, put your wings away.” Kayla did as told, following her to the taxi point where they rode home. They were on high alert the whole way there, but that didn’t stop them from chatting about all the events the entire ride home.

Walking into camp, the arts and crafts hall was none-existent when it should have been visible from where they were standing. Instead, a pile of rubble was its place, most of it already cleaned up. The demeter cabin was scorched on one side, half of its roof completely gone. It looked like the camp had had a rough two weeks.

Annabeth and Percy arrived just after both of them. He arrived with a couple dozen centaur that were like Chiron but… different. And were also dressed up like they were ready for a rave. Kayla didn’t question it. The main thing was- she found out that Tarantula was gone, and Chiron was amongst those centaurs, announcing on Half-Blood Hill that he was back as activities director.

Everyone crowded around Thalia’s tree as Clarisse lay the fleece doen gently on one of its roots. Immediately, the wet grass was dry, and the moon that had started to show in the sky brightened to a gorgeous silver. The tree perked to life- its pine needles popped up and gaining colour from its brassy colours to a lovely, deep green. An eruption of cheers were heard when it showed signs of coming back to life, the poison being expelled as the tree gained a newfound power from the Fleece.

Chiron asked for volunteers to guard the fleece 24/7, saying he would talk to them more about it tomorrow. You’d think all of those guards would be the Ares kids- but no, they were too busy with Clarisse up on their shoulders, cheering and chanting and escorting her down to the campfire as they gifted her a laurel in victory.

Kayla scratched her neck awkwardly. Yeah, this totally had nothing to do with her. She noticed too hoe Percy and Annabeth got the exact same treatment, which made her feel a little better, but it still wasn’t the same. They had snook out. Kayla hadn’t, she had gone on the quest with Clarisse after being chosen. But, whatever.

“Hey, you did good.” A hand appeared in her shoulder, making her tuck her wings in slightly and turn around. Annabeth was smiling at her, Percy at her side. Kayla extended her thin-lipped awkward smile, dragging her hand away from her neck. “Ehhh, it’s good, Clarisse… is very happy, and I’m glad she got the recognition.” Kayla shrugged, looking off to the side. Annabeth rubbed her shoulder.

“Well, you were her right-hand woman, and you did good, really. We all did. You’re right, Clarisse deserves the recognition, though.”

Kayla smiled. She knew it was true. But half of her was thinking that Clarisse had sort of just already forgotten about her existence. A little shout-out would have been nice, maybe.

Regardless, Kayla huffed and followed Annabeth and Percy down from the hill, to do whatever camp had in stock for celebration.

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