Page 51 of Poseidon's Trident
He’s staring out the window at the crashing waves. They rise up ten feet along the beach before crashing back down on the sand. The tide is rising higher than I’d like to see, but there isn’t much we can do about it. Trees sway all around us as the winds howl and swirl.
“Hey, Greyson?” Thad calls out to the shifter. “Can I see the map?”
Greyson’s grip on the map tightens like he doesn’t want to let go, but Raven nudges him with her elbow and he hands it to Thad.
“What are you looking for?” I ask.
“Shit,” he grumbles. “I was hoping there was an island or something at that location but there’s nothing.”
“Don’t crabs have to have some kind of land, though? How do we fight a giant crab under the ocean?” I chew my lip.
Thad hands the map back and slumps in his seat. “We don’t. I’m going to have to fight it.”
“Nope. We do this together, no matter what. If this thing is primordial, it’s going to take more than one demigod to kill it.” I shake my head.
“If we can find a boat, we could fight it from there, right?” Greyson asks.
“It would be logical if the thing hadn’t already snapped several boats in half,” I grumble.
“It’s still the best option we have.” Jayden jerks the steering wheel and takes the exit to Monterey.
“Turn here,” Greyson says. “The entrance to the docks is that way.”
Jayden follows Greyson’s directions and parks the SUV in the parking area outside the docks. The rain dies down just as we get out of the car but the wind still howls. The docks are deserted but we find a boat rental place that still looks to be open and step inside. The gruff man behind the counter raises an eyebrow at us.
“What do you want?”
“We want to rent a boat.” I step forward with a smile.
“You want to go out in this? I guarantee you there are no whales to be watchin’ in these parts today, missy.” He taps his fingers on the worn wood.
“We aren’t whale watching.” Raven plants her hands on her hips.
“There’s no place for a bunch of kids out in the sea today.”
“So you won’t rent us a boat?” I ask.
It’s probably for the best since the boat likely won’t return in the same condition but it still pisses me off that he refuses to rent to a bunch of kids when we’re trying to save the world and their fishermen from a giant crab.
“I won’t be responsible for a bunch of kids getting themselves killed out in that ocean today.” He shakes his head. “Plus, I have had three boats go missing in the last week.”
“Missing?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.
“I have rented out three boats to groups going out deep sea fishing and none have returned,” the man growls. “So, no. I won’t be renting to a bunch of kids going for a joy ride.”
“Fine,” Jayden says.
He grabs me by the arm and leads me out of the boat rental shop onto the dock. There isn’t anyone on the docks. All the slips are full with the boats tied down tight and some even have the windows boarded against the raging storms.
“How are we going to find a boat?” I mumble.
“That old asshole will stop losing boats if he would just rent us one.” Raven crosses her arms.
“He’s human, Raven. He thinks the weather has just gone crazy. He probably thinks the weather is the reason the boats have disappeared.” Jayden runs a hand down his face.
“Probably but we need a damn boat,” Raven growls.
We trudge down the docks but everywhere we look is more of the same. There aren’t even any other boat rental places open.
