Review Response:
Flowerashes2: I know, I just needed them to be in love for the rest of the story to work out. Thanks for that pointer, though. Maybe I'll write a prequel following Annabeth to this when I'm done with this...
Disclaimer: Okay, so I did some math and figured out that: Percy Jackson is 100% owned by Rick Riordan, 0% by me, and 0% by the mug filled with hot chocolate on my desk. However, the entire PJO and HoO is 110% owned by Rick, 0% by the mug, and -10% (is that a thing?) by me.
Ch 7
PERCY
A/N: Go back in time a little bit. Just bear with me.
"Time's up." Luke smirked as some of his crew shoved Annabeth out of the way.
"No!" she yelled.
"I will come back to you!" I yelled as the guys grabbed my arms roughly, bent them at a right angle, and wrapped chains around my forearm. They pulled the chains tight until they were practically cutting into my skin. "I will find you! I will always find you! I promise, Annabeth! I-" love you. That's what I was trying to say. Unfortunately, Luke's lackeys shoved an iron gag over my mouth.
A guy with an eye patch hefted me out of the water, and threw me over his shoulder, wrapping one arm around my tail so that I couldn't kick. The guy holding Thalia released her. Good, I thought, Thalia's safe.
"I will come for you!" Calypso shouted to Leo. Then she dropped, tears running down her face.
"Piper! Piper!" Jason was screaming. He was crying. Will was holding him back, but tears were running down his cheeks as he watched Nico get carried away. Grover was staring at me, determined not to cry.
"Hazel!" Frank yelled from where one of Luke's henchmen was holding him down. "Let me up! Hazel!"
The guy carried me to the other ship. That's when I started to struggle.
The guy grunted, and tightened his grip on my fin. "Feisty, aren't we," he remarked as he stepped onto the deck of Luke's ship.
I lifted my head and saw my friends being carried onto the ship and thrown down in the middle of the deck roughly. It didn't surprise me when eye patch dude threw me down onto the deck. The way that we all scooted closer together, best we could in the chains, reminded me painfully of our first time on Annabeth's ship.
Annabeth. Gods, Annabeth. I saw her face when they carried me away. She looked so lost.
My thoughts were interrupted by a voice that I had grown to hate in under five minutes.
"Set sail!" Luke ordered.
As the crew prepared the ship, he turned his attention to us. He smirked, his scar rippling as he did. I decided that I hated that smirk. "Merfolk."
Luke frowned. He reached forward and plucked my circlet off my head. I thumped my tail against the deck. Luke looked up from his examination of my sea green circlet. I thumped my tail against the deck again.
Luke drove his sword into the deck next to my tail. He crouched down, and grabbed my arm, pulling me in close. "Listen closely. I am going to take that gag off of you, and you're going to answer all my questions. Truthfully."
I raised my eyebrow and gave him a look that said "Why?"
"Because if you don't, your friends will pay for your lies." Luke waved a hand at the guys standing to the side. They grabbed all of my friends and carried them away. I could see them struggling to get out of their grip, but having a tail on a ship isn't exactly the best thing to have.
I started to flop around, trying to get to my friends, but a strong hand on my arm stopped me. "Where do you think you're going," Luke growled. He nodded, and eye patch dude came over and threw me over his shoulder again.
I was carried to a tank similar to the ones on the Argo II, except this one had heavier looking chains. My friends were already sitting in the tanks next to it, except their arms were still at a right angle, with their forearms still wrapped in chains, and a chain that connected their iron gags to the wall behind them. There was a chain around the end of their tail in the water, connecting to the floor of the tank.
Eye patch dude dumped me into the empty tank and chained my tail in. Two other guys came over and held onto my arms while eye patch dude undid the chains around my forearms. They forced my arms above my head, and chained them there, similar to how I was first chained up on Annabeth's ship. Once I was all 'nice and cozy' (i.e. chained to the point of no escape), eye patch dude finally took off the iron gag.
"Now," Luke started.
"I need to know your name," I blurted out.
"What?" Luke was surprised at my question.
"You! With the eye patch! I keep calling you eye patch dude in my head and it's kinda hard to have that be your name when you're all evil and stuff."
Eye patch dude (see what I mean) started angrily. "I don't have to tell you any-"
Luke cut him off. "Ethan. Ethan Nakamura."
Ethan looked at Luke oddly. Luke muttered something to him, and he grunted and stood by my friends' tanks.
"We've given you that courtesy," Luke said, "and we'd be honored if you answered a few questions about yourself."
"Like?"
"Like are you Percy Jackson, Child of the Council
Crap. Not again. Luke knows who I am now. That stupid circlet gave me away. Twice.
"Well? Are you?" Luke inquired.
How the Hades did he even know about that?
Luke pulled out his sword and pointed it at Piper's throat. "Are you?"
"Yes," I said, before his sword touched her skin. I glanced at Piper. She kept looking at me, then the water, then me again. Of course. I can manipulate the water. I concentrated hard, waiting for that tug on my gut.
"You think we would leave you in water that you could manipulate?" Luke looked amused. Something had shown on my face and given away the fact that I was trying to manipulate the water. "We have our own magician on board. Alabaster."
I rattled my chains angrily. "Okay, you know who I am. What do you want?"
"What I want is simple. I want money."
"Merfolk don't use money."
"Not from you. For you."
I was clueless for a moment. Then it dawned on me. "You're going to sell us?"
"Yes. And as Children of the Council, I expect you'll bring in more than the usual load." Luke twirled my circlet around his wrist.
"Give it back," I growled.
"Give what back?" Luke asked innocently.
"My circlet," I spat through clenched teeth.
"Of course," he said. Luke walked towards me, and returned the circlet to where it normally sat on my head. "After all, we need proof that you truly are Percy Jackson."
I lunged for him, but the chains held me firm. I flapped my tail as much as I could in the water, splashing him lightly.
"Is that all? Is that the wrath of the mighty Sea Son?" he taunted.
"Not even close," I responded.
Luke laughed maliciously. "Those chains work rather well, don't you think?" He walked over towards Hazel and Nico. "Can it be? The infamous mersiblings? Hazel and Nico. An honor." Luke bowed mockingly, then looked up. "To sell." He turned towards me. "Am I correct?"
I glared at him, refusing to answer, until he drew his sword and stuck the tip against Nico's gut, drawing blood. "Stop! Yes, yes you're right!" I yelled. I could see Nico hiss in pain beneath the mask.
"And this must be Leo."
I nodded reluctantly. No way was I letting that madman cut anymore of my friends.
"And Piper, the lovely." Luke stroked Piper's hair. Piper pulled away from his hand and gave him a death stare that rivaled Nico's.
"Leave her alone."
Luke glared at me. "I can do whatever I want." Luke turned to Ethan. "Put a gag on him, and tie him back up like the rest."
Ethan saluted. "Aye aye, Captain. Captain?"
"Yes?" Luke said.
"Why haven't their parents come for them yet?"
Concern crossed Luke's face for the first time. "I don't know," he said.
But I knew exactly why. It was all my fault.
Flashback
One hour before the anchor of the Argo II dropped
"Percy! Wake up!"
"What?" I groaned. Piper was trying to shake me awake.
"Come on! We're sneaking out and going camping today!"
Suddenly, I was wide awake. "Right! Let's go!"
Everyone else was already awake, and ready to go.
"There!" Hazel said, putting the final touches on the note we were leaving for our parents.
"Guys?" Leo said. "Problem." He pointed to the spot our bags we packed last night used to be. "The maids unpacked."
Nico groaned. "I don't feel like packing right now!"
"Why don't we go play seaweed ball for a little bit, then pack and leave?" Piper said.
"Sneak out twice in one day?" Hazel said. "Seems like we'll get caught at least once."
"Leave our weapons behind and they won't hear us," Nico suggested.
"Great!" Leo said. "Let's go!" He and the girls swam out of the window.
Nico turned to me. "Can you put the note away, Perce?"
"Yeah, sure," I answered, distracted by my task of actually finding the seaweed ball.
"Thanks." Nico swam away.
I grabbed the seaweed ball triumphantly. I glanced at the note that Hazel left on the desk. "I'll take care of that later," I said.
Then I swam away.
End Flashback
Our parents would have the note. And think that we were out exploring for two weeks. But now, two weeks was up. Maybe, just maybe, they'd come for us. Maybe.
Sheesh! That was long! You guys better review for that. Please? *puppy dog eyes*
Night! (or morning or whatever time you're reading this) *dives underwater* *doesn't come back up* *bubbles appear halfway across the bay…*
