Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.
Story: Immortal Seas
ChapterQuote:"Self-sacrifice is the real miracle out of which all the reported miracles grow." by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Chapter 2: Sacrifice
Manhattan, NY
Percy Jackson flew from Mount Olympus on the back of Blackjack. His tears were long gone, but his mind burned with the pain of Annabeth's betrayal. However, the hero of Olympus couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he was overreacting. Annabeth seemed strangely entranced when she agreed to be a goddess. At the time he was too shocked to comprehend it, but now as the scene played over in his mind he couldn't help, but notice. He sighed as he tried to clear his mind.
He concentrated on his destination; the simple apartment where his mother Sally, his step-father Paul, and his baby half-sister Silena all lived. Percy had to smile as he thought of his baby sister; she looked so much like his mother. He had been so happy when his mom had named her after his friend Silena.
Percy was broken away from his thoughts as Blackjack landed on the sidewalk in front of his mother's apartment building. He ran up the stairs to the fourth floor, but he froze at the sight in front of him. The door to his family's apartment was ripped open. The door laid on the floor as if something had ripped it off its hinges.
Percy heard a scream and he pulled Riptide from his pocket and uncapped it. The meter long sword grew in his hand. He ran through the broken remains of the doorway and stopped cold at what he saw before him. Lying on the ground huddled together with fear in their eyes were Sally, Paul, and his baby sister Silena, but that wasn't the most shocking sight.
Standing above them were three creatures, two of which were quite familiar to the hero of Olympus. The first two creatures looked like the cross between a Doberman Pinscher and a seal; they were telekhines and they growled and bared their teeth at the son of Poseidon. Percy paid really no attention to the two telekhines; he could defeat them easily.
No, his attention was on the tall figure standing over his family. This creature sent chills down Percy's spine. The creature was at least a foot taller than Percy and he wore silver armor that seemed to glow in the dim light of the living room. The creature looked humanoid; he had two arms and two legs, but his head and hands showed the difference. The creature's hands were very large and at the ends of each finger were teeth like claws with jagged edges. The creature's skin was grey and the back of its head was hairless. The head itself was very large and three slits that looked like gills protruded from its neck.
The creature turned its head toward Percy and the demigod gasped in shock. In place of a human head was a humanoid looking head that bore striking resemblance to a great white shark. The creature grinned at him with large shark teeth.
"Who are you and what do you want with my family?" Percy asked angrily.
The shark creature motioned for the Telekhines to back off as he turned toward Percy.
"Son of Poseidon, I see that you turned down the gods' offer," the shark creature said. "I guess my masters can take revenge upon you after all."
"What masters?" Percy asked.
"Oceanus and Pontus. They sent us to take care of your family, but your death will be an added bonus," the shark creature said.
"Leave them alone; they have nothing to do with this," Percy said. His anger was building and this time, with what had happened earlier, the son of Poseidon would not be able to control the result.
Suddenly, the kitchen sink exploded and two tendrils of water shot forth; one cold and one hot. The cold water struck the first telekhine, turning into a spear of ice that cut through the creature's chest easily. The hot water moved forward, steam coming off the water. The hot water struck the chest of the second telekhine, burning a hole clean through the creature's chest. The last telekhine's eyes widened before it turned to dust.
The shark creature roared and the sound blew out the windows of the small apartment. The creature pulled out a long spear made of celestial bronze and charged Percy. Percy was amazed at the creature's speed. The sharkman thrust his spear forward as Percy swiped it to the side with Riptide. Percy reached for his watch; the magic shield that Tyson built for him , but it was gone, destroyed in the final battle with the giants.
The sharkman recovered quickly as he spun his spear rapidly before slashing at Percy's midsection; Percy felt a burning sensation in his stomach. He looked down to see a large gash across the middle of his stomach. Dark crimson blood flowed from the wound. Percy's eyes narrowed at the creature. The sharkman thrust forward with his spear, but this time Percy was ready for him. Percy hit the side of the spear with the flat part of his sword, but at the last moment before the sharkman could react Percy pulled the spear forward with his left hand causing the sharkman to release his weapon. Percy winced at the pain from his stomach, but he had no time to waste.
Percy took the advantage of his opponents lost weapon as he thrust forward with his blade, cutting through a small vulnerable part in the creature's armor just under the armpit. Light red blood flowed from the creature's wound. The sharkman stepped back and was about to reach for Sally, but the son of Poseidon raised his hands as another tendril of water shot from the broken faucet and formed ropes of water that wrapped themselves around the sharkman's body. The creature struggled against the water ropes, but they wouldn't budge.
Percy stepped forward with a sneer on his face and hatred in his eyes. Each step made the gash in his stomach burn. "Where's the rest of your group?" he asked with venom. the hero of Olympus used his anger to get through the pain.
"I will tell you nothing," the sharkman spat.
Percy raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, the water ropes tightened around the sharkman's body. The creature winced in pain.
"Tell me, damn you!" Percy yelled, making his parents flinch at the hate-filled sound of his voice.
The sharkman's eyes were filled with pain, but he shook his head in defiance. Percy's eyes seemed to darken. Suddenly, the water ropes started to emit steam as the water began to boil. The sharkman screamed in agony as the ropes burned through his armor and into his unprotected flesh.
"Where are your friends?" Percy asked one more time as he put Riptide's blade at the edge of the creature's face.
The sharkman nodded. "Pier 42... warehouse seven," the sharkman said as he struggled through the pain.
"Good," Percy said. With one quick movement of his arm he cut the sharkman's head clean off. The creature fell to the floor before dissolving into dust.
Percy ran to his family to check on them.
"Mom, are you okay?" Percy asked. Sally nodded as she held Silena protectively.
"Paul, can you watch them?" Percy asked.
Paul was frozen; he didn't move as he stared at the spot where the sharkman once stood. "You... you killed him," Paul said in disbelief.
Percy grabbed his stepfather's shoulders roughly. "Paul, snap out of it. They would have killed you. This is my fault, I'm going to stop them," Percy said; his voice trailed off at the end. Percy knew that Oceanus and Pontus wanted to make him suffer for defeating the Titans and then Gaea. He knew more would come, if he didn't stop them now.
"Percy, you can't go after them alone," Sally said with pleading eyes.
"Mom, I have to... they'll come back if I don't stop them," Percy explained.
Suddenly, someone ran through the broken door of the apartment. Percy turned quickly with Riptide poised in his hand.
Hazel stood in the doorway; she was shocked at the sight before her.
"Hazel," Percy said. That snapped her out of her daze. "Call Chiron; get help for my family. They need to be looked after while I'm gone."
"Gone. Where are you going?" Hazel asked.
"I know where the rest of them are. I'm going to stop them before they come after my parents again," Percy said. Hazel stepped forward to protest. "There's no time to wait for backup. I have to go. I'm going to pier 42, warehouse seven. Let Chiron know, and then please stay here and watch them." Percy's eyes were pleading and Hazel couldn't say no. She nodded.
Percy turned back to his parents and his baby sister. "I love you all, please be safe," he said before running out of the room before his parents could react. Percy whistled for Blackjack and the Pegasus landed on the sidewalk quickly. Percy gritted his teeth in pain as he climbed onto Blackjack's back. The son of Poseidon pulled an ambrosia square out of his pocket; it was old and battered, but it would have to do. He took a bite out of it and he felt the gash in his stomach start to close. He looked down and the bleeding had stopped. The pain was still there, but it was bearable now. Percy gave Blackjack directions before they took off into the sky and flew towards the docks.
Blackjack landed at pier 42 just five minutes later. Percy dismounted and told his friend to fly back to camp. Blackjack protested, but finally relented after Percy ordered him to go.
The warehouse was charcoal grey in color and two stories tall. There was only one door, grey with patches of rust in different places on the surface. The building certainly looked like it had seen better days, but it was a perfect hideout.
Percy looked around the building and noticed that the warehouse was next to the harbor. He walked back to the door and grabbed a hold of the door handle. He twisted the handle and surprisingly the door opened easily. The door sounded like it had been oiled recently as it didn't even make a noise as it swung open.
Percy looked inside the building, but it was too dark to see, at least for anyone who wasn't the son of the sea god. Percy concentrated and his eyes adjusted to the darkness just like they would do in the ocean depths. Percy could see clearly now. The warehouse was completely empty, except for a group of tables and chairs aligned near the far wall of the building near the harbor. Percy walked towards the tables and chairs carefully, suddenly a bright spotlight shined down upon the son of Poseidon.
Percy turned and stared up at the second floor of the warehouse. An open second level with metal grated floors was suspended above the first floor by large metal cables.
"Son of Poseidon; you should have left well enough alone. Your loyalty and affection for these puny mortals has led to your doom," a voice said from behind the spotlight. At that moment the rest of the lights in the warehouse came on. Percy stared in shock at the forces allayed against him. The second floor mezzanine was filled with sharkmen, each with a crossbow aimed at the son of Poseidon.
A large sharkman about a foot taller than the others stepped forward. His white dagger-like teeth protruded from his mouth. He gave Percy a weird, almost demonic smile. "Any last words, son of Poseidon?"
Percy knelt on one knee making the sharkmen laugh in triumph, but Percy wasn't surrendering. He plunged Riptide into the ground; this made his enemy continue to cheer, but Percy knew better. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the ground below him and the harbor behind him. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and waves over twenty feet high struck the warehouse. The building shook and then rocked forward as the waves struck the backside of the building.
The sound of crossbows firing could be heard even through the destruction all around the son of Poseidon. Two arrows struck Percy; one in the leg and the other in his side. He could feel the burning pain, it combined with the still throbbing pain in his stomach to almost overwhelm the son of Poseidon, but Percy pushed it to the side as he continued his assault on the warehouse with his powers.
The cables holding the second level suspended in the air began to buckle under the strain of the earthquakes and the violent rocking of the building as the waves struck the outer walls. Sharkmen fell from their perches and landed on the hard concrete floor below. The roof of the building began to creak and moan above the now terrified sharkmen. They rushed down the steel ladders trying desperately to leave the building, but they were thrown from the ladders before striking the ground with a sickening crash.
Percy knelt on the floor in the middle of the chaos as he continued to pour all his power into the destructive forces around him. The leader of the sharkmen made it to the ground floor; his face was morphed into a sneer of hate and anger. He walked toward Percy with his sword in his clawed hands. He was just about to thrust his sword, when Percy raised his arms in one final display of power. The ground shook and a wave twice the size of the others struck the warehouse. The last thing that Percy and the leader of the sharkmen saw was the massive roof of the warehouse falling toward them.
AN: I know Percy goes out with a bang or more likely a crash. As you can tell this job is much improved thanks to Starlit's assistance. Stay tuned more to come.