Page 48 of Poseidon's Trident
“He told her basically what you said, Beth. He and Hades suffered the same and no one blamed them for what’s happening.” Artemis pops a fry into her mouth.
“Whoever is behind all this is dividing the gods. They have tried to take everyone out one at a time and it hasn’t worked. I think you might have a traitor on Olympus.” I rub my temples.
“I’ve had the same thoughts.” Artemis nods.
“Could it be one of the gods behind all this or is it someone stronger?” I ask.
“It could be anyone,” Raven grumbles.
“We know it’s not Poseidon, though,” Thad growls.
“If my dad is speaking against Athena, I’m pretty sure we can rule him out too,” Raven says.
“We already ruled out Hades and my dad can’t overthrow himself.” I chuckle.
“You all need to eat. You’re on a time crunch with Athena trying to wage war on the sea. She’s gaining support on Olympus, especially with the way things are at the academy. No one wants their children to die in a fiery volcano.”
“We’re always on a time crunch,” I grumble. “We’re trying to save the academy. Athena can give us the time we need.”
I pick up my bacon burger and take a bite. The flavors burst across my tongue. I nearly moan but just barely keep it in. Jayden glances at me and his eyes glow blue with lust. I guess I wasn’t as successful at holding that in as I thought. Whoops.
“Athena doesn’t take much stock in heroes saving the world since so many of them weren’t actually heroes but out for their own gain.” Artemis taps her fingers on the table.
“Yeah, I know the stories. You still haven’t told us why you’re here though. The coast isn’t really your scene.” I eye the goddess.
“Thetis here is a friend and she has a request.” Artemis points to the nereid next to her.
“Thetis?” Thad asks. “The leader of the nereids?”
“I’m not exactly their leader, but that’s what the stories have painted me as because I’m the one who got into the most trouble back in ancient times.” She giggles.
“What did you need help with?” I crunch into a fry.
“There is a creature close to Monterey Bay that is terrorizing the local fishermen and the wildlife there. Many of Poseidon’s citizens have gone missing in the area.” She hangs her head.
“What is the creature?” I ask.
“There are conflicting reports on what it is exactly, but it snapped several boats in half. I think it might be a giant crab.”
“How big of a damn crab are we talking that it can cut a fishing boat in half?” I lean forward, resting my arms on the table.
“I don’t know. My best guess is that it escaped the deepest pit of the ocean with the other sea monsters.” She doesn’t touch her food but takes a sip of water from her glass.
“So, we need to go stop a giant crab from terrorizing Monterey Bay,” I huff.
“Please, the wildlife that live there are my friends. They are scared and being forced to leave their homes. It’s not just wildlife either; hippocampi live in the area too.” She turns her pleading eyes on Thad.
“My father’s guards haven’t tried to take it out?” Thad asks.
“They tried but were called back when the gods began blaming Poseidon for everything. Also, they are unable to get out of the water so the crab hid from them.” Her seafoam-green eyes meet mine.
Thad turns to me. “Monterey Bay is north, yes? It’s on the coast?”
I glance at Greyson, our all-time navigator, and he nods. “Yeah, we can get there from the coastal highway.”
“We need to help.” Thad slams his fist on the table.
“I’m not saying we won’t help, Thad. Of course, we will. You’re new to this mission stuff. We help people along the way. Always. And a lot of the time Artemis requests our assistance and you can’t really tell Artemis no.” I glare at her.
