The Island That Smiles

  Clarisse looked in the direction Percy was watching so intently and followed his gaze, only to freeze completely in place.

  The tsunami rose as if, all of a sudden, a massive wall of pure water had appeared in front of them. Within those waters, though it was not fully visible, something moved smoothly. Something like a mountain that should not have been there.

  “Ah… crap. I really hope that when the master revives me, it is not as one of the zombies following Clarisse,” Percy said at that moment, making her look at him, on the verge of yelling at him in anger, because this was definitely not the time to say stupid things.

  But she did not get the chance.

  The ship, along with everything around it, was lifted by the tsunami before being completely destroyed.

  For brief moments, the only things Clarisse could see were bubbles of water, the sound of metal being crushed under the pressure, and her followers being reduced to dust beneath the sea. She felt her entire body being compressed, crushed, to the point where pain flared through every single bone.

  The last thing she managed to see before losing consciousness was a single eye. Then, with her spear still in hand, she felt someone grab her by the arm…

  …

  “Cough… cough.”

  Clarisse woke up abruptly as she expelled the water that had entered her lungs. She coughed a couple of times, feeling intense pain throughout her body, while forcing herself to breathe. After recovering a bit of air, she looked around and realized she was kneeling on the sand.

  Right beside her lay her spear; the same one she had given to Tyson to repair. She could see that it had a few new things, small details that glimmered softly around it, but she did not care about that at the moment.

  She pushed herself up slightly and looked around again, noticing that she was on some kind of island. From what she could see, it was truly beautiful, but she had no time to appreciate it.

  “Tyson?” she shouted, having realized who had saved her at the last moment.

  “Percy! Annabeth!” she shouted again, thinking that if Tyson, as a son of the sea, had been able to save her, maybe Percy had managed to rescue Annabeth.

  But no voice answered.

  “Hello! Soldiers!” she shouted one last time, before a memory from just before losing consciousness returned to her mind.

  Her followers.

  Those who had joined her on that mission. Those she had convinced to give her their loyalty, not only for being the daughter of Ares, but because of the promise she had made them. And she herself had seen how every single one of them was destroyed by the water, along with their great ship.

  “Anyone?!” she shouted again, as if her voice were the only thing that existed on the entire island.

  She felt smaller and smaller.

  Her lip trembled for a moment.

  “I… I promised them… I…,” she could not continue. Saying her promise hurt more than she had expected.

  “I lied to them,” she finally said, letting herself fall to the ground.

  “I knew this would happen. I knew I could not do it,” she murmured to herself, trying to hug herself, as if that could somehow hold her together.

  “I… I should have listened to the prophecy.”

  She let out a long sigh, trying to control her emotions. The silence seemed to stretch on like an eternity, though in reality it was only a few seconds, as she tried to organize her thoughts and move forward.

  She sighed once more before standing up, taking her spear and looking at it for a moment. Then she looked at the sea.

  She turned around, preparing to search the island for some way to escape, but stopped after taking just a few steps. Something made her turn back toward the ocean.

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  In the clear water, right at the shore, an image appeared briefly.

  When she saw it, Clarisse opened her eyes wide and moved closer with quick steps to see it better, just as it began to fade.

  She could see, for only an instant, a group of soldiers from every era, all very familiar to her by their attire. They were awakening suddenly in a beautiful spring field, with wide smiles on their faces, before disappearing.

  Clarisse could not help but smile. A truly happy smile, so much so that many would say they had never seen such an expression on her face.

  She brought both hands together in front of her forehead.

  “Whoever it was… thank you very much. Thank you for fulfilling my promise,” she said, feeling her spirit rise completely, filling once more with courage and bravery to face whatever came next.

  Then she turned and looked toward the island, taking a step into the forest.

  But the moment she did, she heard a sound.

  She looked down and noticed that she had stepped on what seemed to be a rope made of golden wool.

  A net activated immediately, lifting her off the ground, and at the same time a log appeared to strike her with force, slamming directly into the net and hitting her on the head.

  Clarisse lost consciousness instantly.

  …

  “Welcome to Circe Resort & Spa,” the concierge said the moment Percy and Annabeth stepped into the hallway.

  Both of them immediately noticed several people walking calmly through the place, along with more female staff who seemed to guide the visitors at all times, always with kind smiles and impeccable manners.

  The woman attending them looked them up and down for a few seconds, with a slightly critical air.

  “To begin with, an herbal body mask for the lady. And, of course, a full treatment for the gentleman,” she said, gesturing to one of the nearby workers, who immediately handed them what looked like two sets of clothing.

  “Now I will guide you to where you can change into something more comfortable. Surely after that, Circe will want to speak with you personally before the banquet,” she added.

  Percy looked at the woman with a faint grimace, while Annabeth seemed to study her carefully. Both of them were used to things going wrong at this point; a monster suddenly appearing, or the woman herself turning into something horrible. They did not trust this too much.

  The woman continued to look at them with a smile, as if trying to reassure them.

  “Come. I am sure you will want to take those clothes off. You will truly love our visitor wardrobes,” she said with such natural kindness that Annabeth and Percy glanced at each other before nodding slowly.

  Percy walked after the woman alongside Annabeth, observing everything around him. They were truly in what looked like a five star spa and resort. There were people resting on lounge chairs while attendants gave them foot massages, pedicures, manicures, listening to their endless chatter with those same ever present, kind smiles. Others moved back and forth carrying all kinds of drinks, and even desserts that looked incredibly tempting.

  The place overflowed with luxury. Polished marble floors, slides connected to pools that seemed to stretch across every level in tiered terraces, from which people could be seen enjoying the view.

  In the water, small explosions sent droplets into the air, which seemed to take the shapes of animals; horses, birds, and sea creatures.

  Percy thought Tyson would surely love something like this. However, the moment that thought crossed his mind, his expression, which had begun to relax, hardened once more.

  At the same time, he could hear a soft melody, a song that seemed to induce absolute relaxation in everyone present at the spa.

  Everyone, except him.

  “Here. Please, put these on and then I will have them send you…,” the woman guiding them began to say.

  But she did not get to finish.

  Suddenly, one of the large doors burst open, and what appeared to be a Roman soldier, fully clad in armor, walked in with firm steps.

  “I am ready to continue my mission,” the man said in a serious tone, rolling his neck slightly as he advanced.

  “Mr. Estrabros,” the woman said upon seeing him, before giving Annabeth and Percy a brief smile. “I apologize for that. It seems Estrabros is… eager to return to his mission.”

  “What mission?” Percy asked.

  “Well, everyone has one, do they not?” she replied softly, before glancing back. “Excuse me for a moment. This does not happen very often.”

  The woman followed Estrabros, and Percy and Annabeth were quick to follow as well. They noticed how the nearby people stood up from their comfortable seats, abandoning their massages, and joined whatever was happening.

  Percy moved along with the others until they reached what looked like a lookout, from which the entire island could be seen.

  A paradise.

  All kinds of structures, beautiful creations that even seemed magical due to the beauty they emanated. Pools, slides, terraces. The entire island shone with glimmers of gold and silver, as if the sun illuminated it in a special way, almost blessed.

  The only thing that broke that perfect vision was the sea surrounding it.

  A dark sea, from which spined fins or monstrous silhouettes occasionally emerged. Dense clouds seemed to cover it at all times, blocking the light in a strange way, as if the sun were only allowed to shine upon the island.

  Meanwhile, Percy’s gaze could not help but drift toward a woman of stunning beauty. So beautiful that she could have conquered the heart of any human being, or even something that was not, with her mere presence.

  She might even have captivated Percy.

  If it were not for the fact that, before waking up, he had seen another woman of an even more sublime beauty.

  She was seated in front of what looked like a loom, her hands working with golden and silver threads, creating a perfect image, soft, almost unreal, as if it were made of living silk.

  “Circe,” Hila said as she approached the woman with a respectful smile. “These are the new ones,” she added, gesturing toward Percy and Annabeth.

  “The son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena,” Circe said with a gentle, enchanting smile. A smile that, for a brief instant, seemed to influence Percy’s emotions.

  Percy frowned slightly, bringing a hand to his chest.

  Something was not right.