A 1

the wrong person in question had threatened to turn him into a dolphin. And when Chrysaor said the
crew wasn’t afraid of anything, one of the dolphins had nervously corrected him. Yes, Chrysaor said.
But he’s not here.
Percy glanced toward the stern and spotted Frank, in human form, peeking out from behind a
ballista, waiting. Percy resisted the urge to smile. The big guy claimed to be clumsy and useless, but he
always seemed to be in exactly the right place when Percy needed him.
The girls…Frank…the ice chest.
It was a crazy idea. But, as usual, that’s all Percy had.
“Fine!” Percy shouted, so loudly that he got everyone’s attention. “Take us away, if our captain will
let you.”
Chrysaor turned his golden mask. “What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one
else.”
Percy raised his hands dramatically. “The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader.
He runs our camp for demigods. Doesn’t he, Annabeth?”
Annabeth was quick. “Yes!” She nodded enthusiastically. “Mr. D! The great Dionysus!”
A ripple of uneasiness passed through the dolphin-men. One dropped his sword.
“Stand fast!” Chrysaor bellowed. “There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you.”
“You should be scared!” Percy looked at the pirate crew with sympathy. “Dionysus will be severely
cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn’t you notice the girls
falling into the wine god’s madness?”
Hazel and Piper had stopped the shaking fits. They were sitting on the deck, staring at Percy, but
when he glared at them pointedly, they started hamming it up again, trembling and flopping around
like fish. The dolphin-men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.