Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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" I — I can ' t ," I said miserably . " We need a backup plan ," Annabeth said . " This isn ' t going to work ." " Annabeth is right ," Tyson said . " Engine ' s no good ." " What do you mean ?" she asked . " Pressure . Pistons need fixing ." Before he could explain , the cosmic toilet flushed with a mighty roaaar ! The ship lurched forward and I was thrown to the deck . We were in the whirlpool .
" Full reverse !" Clarisse screamed above the noise . The sea churned around us , waves crashing over the deck . The iron plating was now so hot it steamed . " Get us within firing range ! Make ready starboard cannons !"
Dead Confederates rushed back and forth . The propeller grinded into reverse , trying to slow the ship , but we kept sliding toward the center of the vortex .
A zombie sailor burst out of the hold and ran to Clarisse . His gray uniform was smoking . His beard was on fire . " Boiler room overheating , ma ' am ! She ' s going to blow !" " Well , get down there and fix it !" " Can ' t !" the sailor yelled . " We ' re vaporizing in the heat ." Clarisse pounded the side of the casemate . " All I need is a few more minutes ! Just enough to get in range !" " We ' re going in too fast ," the captain said grimly . " Prepare yourself for death ." " No !" Tyson bellowed . " I can fix it ." Clarisse looked at him incredulously . " You ?" " He ' s a Cyclops ," Annabeth said . " He ' s immune to fire . And he knows mechanics ." " Go !" yelled Clarisse . " Tyson , no !" I grabbed his arm . " It ' s too dangerous !" He patted my hand . " Only way , brother ." His expression was determined — confident , even .
I ' d never seen him look like this before . " I will fix it . Be right back ." As I watched him follow the smoldering sailor down the hatch , I had a terrible feeling . I wanted to run after him , but the ship lurched again — and then I saw Charybdis .
She appeared only a few hundred yards away , through a swirl of mist and smoke and water . The first thing I noticed was the reef — a black crag of coral with a fig tree clinging to the top , an oddly peaceful thing in the middle of a maelstrom . All around it , water curved into a funnel , like light around a black hole . Then I saw the horrible thing anchored to the reef just below the waterline — an enormous mouth with slimy lips and mossy teeth the size of rowboats . And worse , the teeth had braces , bands of corroded scummy metal with pieces of fish and driftwood and floating garbage stuck between them .
Charybdis was an orthodontist ' s nightmare . She was nothing but a huge black maw with bad teeth alignment and a serious overbite , and she ' d done nothing for centuries but eat without brushing after meals . As I watched , the entire sea around her was sucked into the void — sharks , schools of fish , a giant squid . And I realized that in a few seconds , the CSS Birmingham would be next . " Lady Clarisse ," the captain shouted . " Starboard and forward guns are in range !" " Fire !" Clarisse ordered . Three rounds were blasted into the monster ' s maw . One blew off the edge of an incisor . Another disappeared into her gullet . The third hit one of Charybdis ' s retaining bands and shot back at us , snapping the Ares flag off its pole .
" Again !" Clarisse ordered . The gunners reloaded , but I knew it was hopeless . We would have to pound the monster a hundred more times to do any real damage , and we didn ' t have that long . We were being sucked in too fast .
Then the vibrations in the deck changed . The hum of the engine got stronger and steadier .
The ship shuddered and we started pulling away from the mouth . " Tyson did it !" Annabeth said . " Wait !" Clarisse said . " We need to stay close !" " We ' ll die !" I said . " We have to move away ." I gripped the rail as the ship fought against the suction . The broken Ares flag raced past us and lodged in Charybdis ' s braces . We weren ' t making much progress , but at least we were holding