The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5)(65)

The woman turned the metal disc like a steering wheel. A shaft of green light shot upward, churning the water, shaking the walls of the old palace. Shards from the domed ceiling broke and tumbled down in slow motion.

‘You’re making the storm,’ Jason said.

‘Indeed I am.’ The woman’s voice was melodic – yet it had a strange resonance, as if it extended past the human range of hearing. Pressure built between Jason’s eyes. His sinuses felt like they might explode.

‘Okay, I’ll bite,’ Percy said. ‘Who are you, and what do you want?’

The woman turned towards him. ‘Why, I am your sister, Perseus Jackson. And I wanted to meet you before you die.’





XXVI


Jason


JASON SAW TWO OPTIONS: FIGHT OR TALK.

Usually, when faced with a creepy twenty-foot-tall lady with jellyfish hair, he would’ve gone with fight.

But since she called Percy brother – that made him hesitate.

‘Percy, do you know this … individual?’

Percy shook his head. ‘Doesn’t look like my mom, so I’m gonna guess we’re related on the godly side. You a daughter of Poseidon, Miss … uh … ?’

The pale lady raked her fingernails against the metal disc, making a screeching sound like a tortured whale. ‘No one knows me,’ she sighed. ‘Why would I assume my own brother would recognize me? I am Kymopoleia!’

Percy and Jason exchanged looks.

‘So …’ Percy said. ‘We’re going to call you Kym. And you’d be a, hmm, Nereid, then? Minor goddess?’

‘Minor?’

‘By which,’ Jason said quickly, ‘he means under the drinking age! Because obviously you’re so young and beautiful.’

Percy flashed him a look: Nice save.

The goddess turned her full attention to Jason. She pointed her index finger and traced his outline in the water. Jason could feel his captured air spirit rippling around him, as if it were being tickled.

‘Jason Grace,’ said the goddess. ‘Son of Jupiter.’

‘Yeah. I’m a friend of Percy’s.’

Kym’s narrowed. ‘So it’s true … these times make for strange friends and unexpected enemies. The Romans never worshipped me. To them, I was a nameless fear – a sign of Neptune’s greatest wrath. They never worshipped Kymopoleia, the goddess of violent sea storms!’

She spun her disc. Another beam of green light flashed upward, churning the water and making the ruins rumble.

‘Uh, yeah,’ Percy said. ‘The Romans aren’t big on navies. They had, like, one rowboat. Which I sank. Speaking of violent storms, you’re doing a first-rate job upstairs.’

‘Thank you,’ said Kym.

‘Thing is, our ship is caught in it, and it’s kind of being ripped apart. I’m sure you didn’t mean to –’

‘Oh, yes, I did.’

‘You did.’ Percy grimaced. ‘Well … that sucks. I don’t suppose you’d cut it out, then, if we asked nicely?’

‘No,’ the goddess agreed. ‘Even now, the ship is close to sinking. I’m rather amazed it’s held together this long. Excellent workmanship.’

Sparks flew from Jason’s arms into the tornado. He thought about Piper and the rest of the crew frantically trying to keep the ship in one piece. By coming down here, he and Percy had left the others defenceless. They had to act soon.

Besides, Jason’s air was getting stale. He wasn’t sure if it was possible to use up a ventus by inhaling it, but, if he was going to have to fight, he’d better take on Kym before he ran out of oxygen.

The thing was … fighting a goddess on her home court wouldn’t be easy. Even if they managed to take her down, there was no guarantee the storm would stop.

‘So … Kym,’ he said, ‘what could we do to make you change your mind and let our ship go?’

Kym gave him that creepy alien smile. ‘Son of Jupiter, do you know where you are?’

Jason was tempted to answer underwater. ‘You mean these ruins. An ancient palace?’

‘Indeed,’ Kym said. ‘The original palace of my father, Poseidon.’

Percy snapped his fingers, which sounded like a muffled explosion. ‘That’s why I recognized it. Dad’s new crib in the Atlantic is kind of like this.’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ Kym said. ‘I am never invited to see my parents. I can only wander the ruins of their old domains. They find my presence … disruptive.’

She spun her wheel again. The entire back wall of the building collapsed, sending a cloud of silt and algae through the chamber. Fortunately the ventus acted like a fan, blowing the debris out of Jason’s face.

‘Disruptive?’ Jason said. ‘You?’

‘My father does not welcome me in his court,’ Kym said. ‘He restricts my powers. This storm above? I haven’t had this much fun in ages, yet it is only a small taste of what I can do!’

‘A little goes a long way,’ Percy said. ‘Anyway, to Jason’s question about changing your mind –’

‘My father even married me off,’ Kym said, ‘without my permission. He gave me away like a trophy to Briares, a Hundred-Handed One, as a reward for supporting the gods in the war with Kronos aeons ago.’