Sorry this took so long, but my inspiration for this chapter took a vacation and came back in the middle of my summer school class. The fact that we were reading The Odyssey probably spurred this along, it's a really great story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, yada yada yada.
We all scrambled around looking for hiding places. Derek and I hid in between some crates, Pynzlee and Austin ducked behind some barrels, and Dana and Hayden hid underneath some mail bags.
After the voices of the sailors had come and gone, I signaled that the coast was clear.
"How'd they find us?" Hayden asked, exasperated.
"It must have been Dana's Iris Message." Derek explained, scowling at Dana.
"Would you have happened to tell Chiron that we were in Florida?" I inquired, putting my hands on my hips.
"It might've come up." she replied, looking sheepish.
"Hopefully we'll set sail before they wise up and start searching the ships for us." Austin pointed out.
"We can't wait that long." Pynzlee stated. "We need to get this ship away from the dock now."
I raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind Pynz?"
Pynzlee smirked slightly. "Derek, grab some rope. Hayden, find some duct tape. I have a plan."
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"So let me get this straight," Hayden whispered, as he and I snuck around one of the ship's smokestacks. "We're going to hijack the ship?"
"That's the plan." I answered, looking around.
"And this was thought up by Pynzlee?" he said in disbelief. "Our friend, Pynzlee?"
"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you." I told him. "I guess underneath that rule abiding exterior, lies a devious troublemaker."
"Remind me to watch out for her in the future." Hayden mumbled.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't help but smile a little. "We need to find the control room." I said, trying to focus.
"How hard can it be?" he snorted.
It was at this moment that we were joined by Dana, who had chosen to scout ahead.
"The place is crawling with crew members." she told us.
I punched Hayden in the arm. "Jinx." I hissed.
Hayden frowned, rubbing the place where I had punched him. "Geez, haven't I suffered enough abuse today?" he muttered under his breath. "We have to get the crew all in one place."
"Hayden that might be the most sense I've heard come out of your mouth." Dana admitted.
Hayden grinned and stuck his tongue out at me.
"Very mature." I said grimly, rolling my eyes. "We'll need to move quick. Victor, Agatha, and Laura have probably started searching the ships for us."
It took less time than I thought it would, but we finally reached the control room unspotted. By the time we got there though, Pynzlee, Austin, and Derek were already waiting for us.
"Took you guys long enough." Derek commented.
I resisted the urge to hit him. "We got held up."
"Guys." Pynzlee interrupted. "We have to hurry."
I nodded at Hayden, who brought a lock picking kit from one of his pockets. In a few seconds he had flipped the lock open and silently turned the door knob.
The Captain's back was toward us, which made it easier to surround him and block off the exits. With everything in place, Pynzlee stood directly behind the Captain and loudly cleared her throat.
Startled, he turned around. "What are you kids doing here? No children are allowed on this voyage." he said, surprised, but stern.
Pynzlee grimaced. "Excuse me. But we are not children."
He looked uneasy as we closed in on him.
"We're teenagers." Pynzlee continued, motioning for Derek to hand her the rope. "And your worst nightmare."
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"This is your captain speaking." Derek smirked into the microphone. "Please all gather into the nearest recreational room for an announcement."
I could practically hear the cries of protest from the room as Hayden locked in the crew a few minutes later.
I walked over to the Pynzlee, who was manning the steering wheel and adjusting a few things on the control panel. "What are planning on doing with the detainees Captain?" I asked, as she fiddled with the cap she had 'borrowed'.
"Drop them off at the nearest stop." she replied. "Until then, make sure they're comfortable, and they don't escape."
"Aye, aye." Austin saluted.
"About as comfortable as they can get as prisoners." Derek scoffed. "I sure hope they can speak Portuguese, or at least Spanish."
"Wait." Hayden spoke up "How do we know Victor, Agatha, and Laura won't follow us?"
I turned to Dana with a worried look. "What if they follow us in the flying chariot?"
"If we're lucky we'll be far away by the time they realize we're gone." she said. "Plus, I know these guys; they're far from stupid, but when it comes to realizations, they aren't the quickest."
"We should be glad they didn't send Annabeth." Pynzlee put in.
"We'd have been caught in an instant." Dana agreed.
"You seem to be on board with this now." I mused.
"Derek was right." she shrugged. "I never break the rules. And now that I have; I'll admit I actually feel good about myself." she said all this with unexpected enthusiasm.
"Welcome to the dark side." Austin grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We've been expecting you."
Dana playfully punched him in the arm. "Just don't expect me to turn into a regular rule breaker like you guys."
This was the first real good time I had had in weeks. I was feeling pretty optimistic about this quest.
Little did I know, that soon things would take a turn for the worst.
Dun. Dun. Duuuhhh!
What will happen? Will they be caught? Will they make it to the island of the Amazons? When will I stop asking all these questions?
Reviews are much appreciated! :D