The Daughter Of Night (Original Version)

31- Do Not Underestimate Diet Coke

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The dolphin men were weird.

They swarmed onto the ship from another Greek Trieme.

Percy and Annabeth were quickly surrounded. I scarpered. Since I had set eyes on a dolphin, they had scared me.

A completely irrational fear. But now I realised it was not so irrational. I scaled the mast and looked down.

Dolphins were looking up at me from the bottom of the mast.

The rest of them surrounded Percy and Annabeth.

Another person wearing full golden armour appeared to be speaking to Percy.

I breathed heavily and brought my focus back to the dolphins trapping me.

They were attempting to climb the mast now, the ones who had flippers we're trying to give one of the ones that had arms a leg up to help him climb it.

I locked my legs around the mast and used my free hand to pull out my sword.

Once I had my sword in my hand I felt my courage begin to come back to me.

The dolphin men were not making any headway getting up to me and Percy and Annabeth didn't seem to be in a very good position.

The dolphins had lugged most of the crew on to deck, but I couldn't see Frank. That was good.

I turned my attention back to my dolphins just as the one trying to climb fell and landed on the others in a heap.

I took my chance. I slid down the mast and lept over the pile of dolphins as sliently as I could.

One Dolphin managed to get to his feet.

Everything seemed to slow down.

"Tremble before the terror of diet Coke!" I could hear Percy saying.

The dolphins around the ship all bolted. It seemed as though they were running for their lives.

But not my dolphins. They charged at me.

One of them raised a sword at me and swung. Just before it hit me everything once again exploded into light, vaporizing the dolphins.

I stumbled, and saw that the dolphins had all gone. I turned to see the rest of the crew, who were all gaping at me.

"What in Hades name was that?" Annabeth demanded.

I stared down at my hands, marvelling. Now I knew that it hadn't been a fluke, it had happened. Something was changing and it scared me.

"I have no idea..." I stuttered.

Percy eyed me, and seeing my distress he turned everyone's attention away from me and towards the other boat that was still attached to the Argo by several grappling lines.

I stared back at my hands and sat down with my back against the mast. I felt a few tears escape down my cheek and I quickly wiped them away.

I hated to admit, even to myself how scared I was. I wiped my eyes once more and gritted my jaw. I had to at least pretend I knew what was happening. I couldn't let the rest of the crew see my fear.

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We sunk the dolphin's vessel with tonnes of diet coke, courtesy of Piper's newly found cornucopia.

Percy sacrificed it to my favourite god Dionysus, in the hope that he would help us when we got to Rome.

The smell of the diet coke mixed with the sea salt once again made my stomach churn.

I swallowed and excused myself.

Below deck was a mess, but miraculously my bedroom had survived the dolphin's raiding. I fell onto my bed and lay staring at the ceiling. I was terrified. More terrified than I had ever been.

We were sailing into the unknown and I didn't feel prepared at all. When we were back in America I thought was ready for this, but now I didn't even know myself.

Something was going to happen. I could feel it in my bones.

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