Invisible ― Jason Grace

x. demigod terrors

AS SOON AS they entered, Coach Hedge whistled. "Now that's interesting."

Gliding above them were multicolored jellyfish the size of trash cans, each with hundreds of tentacles that looked like silky barbed wire. One jellyfish had a paralyzed ten-foot-long swordfish tangled in its grasp. The jellyfish slowly wrapped its tendrils tighter and tighter around its prey.

Kate beamed at Coach Hedge. "You see? Forget the whale sharks! And there's much more."

Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! Sponsored by Monster Donut.

"Monster Donut?" Percy questioned.

"Oh, yes," Kate said. "One of our corporate sponsors."

Camilla frowned. She didn't like the sound of that.

In one aquarium, a dozen horses with the tails of fish drifted aimlessly. They looked lost, trapped. Percy had told Camilla that they could speak with aquatic creatures in their minds, but when she tried, she got nothing. Maybe she wasn't doing it right, but their minds seemed fuzzy, addled. The horse-fish just floated around, occasionally bonking against the glass.

"This isn't right," Percy muttered.

He turned, and Camilla followed his gaze. At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids sat cross-legged, facing each other and playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored, their long green hair floating listlessly around their faces. Their eyes were half closed.

Percy's face contorted in anger. He glared at Kate. "How can you keep them here?"

"I know." Kate sighed. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid. I think you'll like this tank over here much better."

Percy started to protest, but Kate had already moved on.

"Holy mother of goats!" Hedge cried. "Look at these beauties!"

He was gawking at two sea serpents—thirty-foot-long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could have bitten a whale shark in half. In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size the size of an eighteen-wheeler.

A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands. They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Legos, though they looked just as dazed as the Nereids.

"Are those—?" Percy started.

"Telkhines?" Kate said. "Yes! The only ones in captivity."

"But they fought for Kronos in the last war!" Percy said. "They're dangerous!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we couldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous. Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."

"Sedated?" Frank asked. "Is that legal?"

Camilla shook her head. "I don't know. It shouldn't be."

Kate kept walking, pointing out other exhibits. "And these sea monsters," she narrated, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod—"

"Demigod?" Camilla squeaked.

"But they will eat whales and small boats, too." Kate turned to Percy and blushed. "Sorry... I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being a son of Poseidon and all."