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Above the for dinner

Jason se tying bells around our necks"

Piper shuddered Coach Hedge had threatened to do that after the Percy/Annabeth scandal, so he’d know if anyone sneaked out at night

"Yeah," she said regretfully, looking at the glass doors below their feet "I guess we need dinner…and a good night’s sleep"

Chapter 26

The nextPiper woke to a different ship’s horn--a blast so loud it literally shook her out of bed

She wondered if Leo was pulling another joke Then the horn boo from several hundred yards away--froet dressed By the tiathered--all hastily dressed except for Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch

Frank’s Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out Percy wore paja fashion stateh she’d walked through a cyclone; and Leo had accidentally set himself on fire His T-shirt was in charred tatters His ar

About a hundred yards to port, a lided past Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies Some smiled and took pictures None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trire boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the Argo II was a tourist attraction

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit

Coach Hedge plugged his ears "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They’re just saying hi," Frank speculated

"WHAT?" Hedge yelled back

The ship edged past the If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by half-asleep kids in ars, they didn’t let on

"Bye!" Leo called, raising his se asked

"No," Leo said through a forced smile

Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water "Where are--oh…Wow"

Piper followed her gaze and gasped Without the cruise ship blocking their view, she saw afrom the sea less than half a mile to the north Piper had seen i the California coast She’d even fallen down the Grand Canyon with Jason and flown back up But neither was as a white rock thrust into the sky On one side, the li into the sea over a thousand feet below, as near as Piper could figure On the other side, the reen forest, so that the whole thing reminded Piper of a colossal sphinx, worn down over the reen cloak over its back

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said in awe "At the tip of Spain And over there--" She pointed south, to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills "That must be Africa We’re at thearm, but Piper shivered Despite the wide stretch of sea in front of the at an impassable barrier Once in the Mediterranean--the Mare Nostruends were true, their quest would becoerous

"What now?" she asked "Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo said "It’s a big shipping channel Boats go in and out all the tiht

Annabeth gazed at the Rock of Gibraltar Piper recognized that brooding expression on her friend’s face It almost always meant that she anticipated trouble

"In the old days," Annabeth said, "they called this area the pillars of Hercules The Rock was supposed to be one pillar The other was one of the African mountains Nobody is sure which one"

"Hercules, huh?" Percy frowned "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece Everywhere you turn--there he is"

A thunderous booh Piper wasn’t sure where it came from this time She didn’t see any other ships, and the skies were clear

Her mouth suddenly felt dry "So…these Pillars of Hercules Are they dangerous?"

Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the knoorld The Ro--"

"Non plus ultra," Percy said

Annabeth looked stunned "Yeah Nothing Further Beyond How did you know?"

Percy pointed "Because I’ at it"

Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence Piper was positive no island had been there before It was a sed hite beaches Not very impressive co from waves about a hundred yards offshore, were thite Grecian colue silver words glittered underwater--maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA