The water lapped at the side of the ship as if reaching for it, trying to grasp onto the sides like begging children. Percy kept his eye trained on those little waves - he was afraid of what he might find if he turned around. He was left behind to slow down the fire nation soldiers that were after him and the crew. They were - no doubt - right on his tail, although he wasn't too willing to look back and see just how close they were. He half-ran, half-skated on the ice he bent up from the sea. He was too far away to try and bend a water spout to catapult him onto the deck of the ship, and too close to the soldiers to have time to think of any other plans.

He felt an intense heat growing on his back, and he ducked just as a fireball soared over his head right where he was a second ago. It landed on top the icy sheet beneath his feet, which immediately cracked and melted beneath him

It looks like they're within firing range now, he thought as the ice supporting him gave out and he fell into the water.

He looked up to the surface and saw brilliant flashes of orange light soaring through the sky. They're attacking the ship. He bent the water around him, moving his arms so it was churning in a spiral with him in the center of it. He pushed and the water propelled him to what looked like the hull of his ship. He rocketed like a cruise missile and sped up, but the ship was still moving too fast for him to catch up.

This is a bad idea, he thought, but he stopped propelling and started to tread the water. He was running out of air fast, as he hadn't had time to bend a bubble around his head when he fell. He was also probably too far away to ever reach the ship, but still he bent the water into a spout. It pushed him up out of the water like a giant cord connecting him to the sea. He saw out of the corner of his eye a large fireball coming towards him. Instinctively, he gave one final push and catapulted towards the ship.

He flew threw the air, arms flailing. The ship came closer into view. I'm actually going to make it, he thought, a huge smile breaking onto his face.

He didn't make it. He dipped at the last second, hitting the side of the hull with a thud and knocking all of the air out of him. He scrambled, desperately trying to recover and grab onto the hull railing. A hand reached out and pulled him clumsily up onto the deck.

He landed on the deck face down. He groaned and pushed himself up, "I never knew you were that strong, Grover," he joked. He and Grover had been friends for a long time before they started sailing. Both of their families were never well off - Percy came from a family of fishermen and Grover's family were shepherds. They found they had a lot of other things in common as well, and became best friends.

Grover opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the shaking of the ship as another fireball connected with the hull. He gulped, "So much for slowing them down." Guilt washed over Percy. This was all his fault.

"Come on," said Grover as he pulled him up and ran starboard. Some of the sailors who weren't benders were trying to put out the fires, while some of the others were working furiously to sail faster and maneuver back and forth, trying to make them less of a target to the soldiers. They were gaining fast. Grover was called over to help sail, and Percy watched as the captain of the ship ran up to him.

"Percy, we need your help," said Arrluk, a rather large man with a scar along his cheek. He was an amazing captain, and had gotten them out of many close calls before.

"We're trying to deflect as many as we can, but they keep coming," said Arrluk and as hurried towards the stern of the ship. There were only a handful of waterbenders in their crew, and all of them were there, extinguishing the fireballs midflight.

It was all defensive, Percy saw - which was practical when they were further away from the goliath of a ship. They were too far to land a hit then, but now that the ship was gaining on them, taking the offense would be a good idea. Percy voiced this to Arrluk, who nodded solemnly. Arrluk wasn't a bender, but the whole crew trusted him with their lives.

Another explosion rocked the boat. Shouts were heard as men scrambled, trying to put out more fires. Arrluk looked over in worry, and then grabbed Percy's shoulder.

"They need me," he said, "You tell the waterbenders what to do. They'll listen to you. Make sure no one gets hurt." He gave a reassuring squeeze and then ran off to help rest of the crew.

"Follow my lead," said Percy, "We have to fight back!" Uneasy looks were exchanged. The crew was more accustomed to quick getaways. Usually they could slip in and out without notice, but this time was a completely different circumstance. This time they were taking the fight head on.

Percy bent the water out of his clothes, drying off while simultaneously arming himself. He bent it into long spikes of ice and launched them like spears at the soldiers firing at them. Soon, the crew turned into a machine controlling the sea. A third of the benders took offense, throwing ice or making whips to throw the soldiers off of their ship. Another third of the crew deflected fireballs and everything the soldiers threw at them. The rest of the benders, as per Percy's suggestion, bent the sea so the ship would go faster.

Kassuq turned to him, "They're still coming."

And it was true. Kassuq was around the same age as Percy, who was one of the youngest of the crew. Kassuq was also one of the best offensive waterbenders Percy knew. When Kassuq looked worried, that's when Percy knew things were really bad. All the men on the offense looked to him. Percy had thought that maybe they could have worn the other sailors out by then, but it didn't look like they were relenting any time soon. The sailors had never been in this type of situation before. Although their reputation on the seas wasn't great, per se, they weren't ones to engage in combat. And it showed on the men's faces.

"They'll leave soon," said Percy encouragingly, but he knew it was a lie. As he spoke he saw more Fire Nation men step into the places of the soldiers they had take down. And this time, they brought catapults.

"We should bring up the armory," said Kassuq. Other men voiced their agreement. Looking at the catapults set up on the other ship, Percy couldn't help but really want to agree with them. But he knew that wasn't an option.

"We can't," said Percy, "We stole those weapons for a reason, and it's not for us to use the magazine against them. We have to arm the people who really need it."

Grover, who had just recently come over to scope out how the benders were doing, grunted in agreement, "Percy's right. We can't afford to waste those weapons."

No one spoke out against them, but the apprehension on their faces were clear enough. Percy hated putting his friends in danger - especially the crew. He was the one who got them into this mess in the first place. It was his idea to steal the arms from the Fire Nation.

Percy suggested taking some of the weapons from the Fire Nation soldiers that occupied one of the small Earth Kingdom villages near the town where they had docked their ship. A group of citizens from Omashu had expressed interest in trying to take back their city. While most were Earthbenders, there were a large group of non-benders that were weaponless, but willing to trade with the crew. Percy promised to help them - much to the dismay of his fellow crewmates, who were less enthusiastic to the idea. They thought it was a lost cause, and that Percy gave too many promises that he couldn't keep.

Even so, when Percy saw his chance and thought of a plan, they followed him. Sometimes he wished they wouldn't.

Percy looked back and saw that they were approaching a small tract of land. He knew that if the fight was moved to land they would never have a chance of survival. He straightened himself up and took a couple steps back.

"What are you doing?" Grover asked.

"I'm gonna jump," said Percy, "They have us on long distance, but maybe hand-to-hand..."

"You're nuts," said Grover, "You can't take on a bunch of fire nation soldiers alone."

"I'm going with him," said Kassuq, his blue eyes intense.

Percy turned his head, "What? No."

"You're not going alone," he said.

"You're not going at all," said Grover.

"Spirits, guys-"

Percy was cut short as the water around them churned, causing both their ship and the Fire Nation ship to pitch uncertainly.

"Who's doing that?" said Percy.

A chorus of not me's rang out, and the waves crashed more violently. The crew held on to each other, trying to stay upright. Some closer to edge were not so lucky. The rocking of the boat caused them to fall overboard, and the churning of the ocean forced them under.

There was a roar and huge wave rocked the boat and hit the crew with a huge force. It was as if they had hit a wall. The ship rocked as something heavy pushed against the bottom. A huge, black head erupted from the waves. Flares of skin encircled its head like it was a crown. It opened its huge mouth, showing rows of sharp teeth. Water shot out from its mouth like a jet, spraying the Fire Nation ship.

"Di immortales..." said Percy.

The serpent went below the surface and pitched the Fire Nation ship. Men went overboard - some were thrown, and some jumped. Either way, in the water the men were doomed. The second the bodies broke the surface, they were scooped up by the monster. The waters were stained red.

"Grover, what is that thing?" asked Percy.

"How would I know?"

"I don't know, man. You're like the animal expert."

He shook his head solemnly, "That's no animal."

The monster dipped back under the water and nudged the ship with a tremendous force, causing it to list violently, taking on gallons upon gallons of water. The soldiers that had managed to stay on the ship now fell one by one into the sea, and the vessel slowly started to sink. Percy realized that the second the ship was under the waves, they would be next.

"Make for land," he yelled. The crew scrambled, fixing ropes and sails. Kassuq ran towards the sides with a couple other waterbenders, bending the water to propel them faster to the beach. The ship was damaged, however, and the waters were rough. The only chance they had at survival was for them to reach land.

They were close now. Kassuq and the waterbenders gave one final push. "Lower the anchor!" said Percy as they sailed towards the coast.

The crew ran to the beach the second the ship had settled. They collapsed in the sand, all thoroughly spent. They watched as the sea monster completely destroyed the sinking ship and muttered amongst themselves, worried that the monster would turn around and set sights on them. They prayed that they were not the next target. The Fire Nation ship was completely sunk, and the crew held their breath. The monster receded into the sea.

Everybody breathed a sigh of relief. "Maybe the water is too shallow," one of the sailors speculated.

"Or maybe it saw the Fire Nation as more of a threat," said Grover. Many of the men looked over at him questioningly.

Grover shifted sheepishly, "Well, they were the only ones shooting fireballs..."

"Don't count your blessings just yet," said a new, female voice. The crew stood up abruptly and turned around, weapons drawn. They realized quickly that they were outnumbered. An army of women donned in makeup and armor was waiting for them. They were holding fans and were ready in their battle stances.

Percy had never seen a more threatening sight.

"Once we're done with you," continued the girl, "You're gonna wish you were attacked by the Unagi."

A/N: Hi, I really hope you enjoyed that. If you did (or didn't) please post a review. Con-crit is also very much appreciated. I'm not kidding guys, it makes me cry when people respond to my writing.

The next chapter should also be up by next week at the latest, wherein Percy and his crew is interrogated, and a stowaway is discovered.