MU | CHILDREN OF POSEIDON LEARN THE DANGERS OF DROWNING
Disclaimer: I do not own the Heroes of Olympus series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.
THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO FireBurnsTheBrightestInTheDark, NicoleR85, yasminasfeir1, LuckyGo AND DreamHunterVo. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING, I HOPE YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER!
THE DEAL THAT RISS MADE IN THE LAST CHAPTER WILL HAVE A REALLY BIG IMPACT ON EVERYONE AND WILL DEFINITELY HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON THE NEXT BOOK, PACIFIC
Alongside her fatal flaw of loving people far too much and being endlessly loyal, Nerissa Jackson held a great love for power. She liked being in control; she liked being able to move the chess pieces in her own game and win. Occasionally, Riss relinquished control to others that she knew to be more adept than her in some situations but still, she liked being able to dictate what happened and when.
She lost that now—her control was lost to the wind as the nymphs cackled. The door behind them had disappeared and a blank wall stared back at them, leaving them with crazy water-manipulators and no way out.
Riss stowed her small blade—that would do nothing in the whole scheme of things—and Nauticus appeared in her tight grip. Her knuckles were white in a death grip as she balanced herself in front of Piper, between Jason and Percy, who had their swords ready. Sadly, Piper was their weakest link—weapon-wise—and Riss knew they would all be somewhat distracted with protecting her.
"Who are you?" Percy demanded.
The central nymph turned her head. "Ah…names. We once had names. I was Hagno, the first of the nine!"
Riss pursed her lips unhelpfully, "Well, that's unfortunate."
"The nine," Jason repeated. "The nymphs of this shrine. There were always nine niches."
"Of course." Hagno bared her teeth in a vicious smile. "But we are the original nine, Jason Grace, the ones who attended the birth of your father."
Jason's sword dipped and Riss used her pointer finger to balance the sword back up. Jason got the hint, raising his blade again. "You mean Jupiter? You were there when he was born?"
"Zeus, we called him then," Hagno said. "Such a squealing whelp. We attended Rhea in her labor. When the baby arrived, we hid him so that his father, Kronos, would not eat him. Ah, he had lungs, that baby! It was all we could do to drown out the noise so Kronos could not find him. When Zeus grew up, we were promised eternal honors. But that was in the old country, in Greece."
The other nymphs wailed and clawed at their niches. Riss narrowed her eyes at how the nymphs seemed to be stuck in place, unable to move, unable to save themselves from an eternity of waterless misery.
"When Rome rose to power, we were invited here," Hagno said. "A son of Jupiter tempted us with favors. A new home, he promised. Bigger and better! No down payment, an excellent neighborhood. Rome will last forever."
"Forever," the others hissed.
"First mistake: realtors always lie."
"We gave in to temptation," Hagno said. "We left our simple wells and springs on Mount Lycaeus and moved here. For centuries, our lives were wonderful! Parties, sacrifices in our honor, new dresses and jewelry every week. All the demigods of Rome flirted with us and honored us."
The nymphs wailed and sighed. Riss' eyes fell and her heart clenched. She couldn't imagine a life like the nymphs'—arid and empty, void of all hope as they simply wasted away. Eventually, the nymphs would only be piles of dust but not before millennium of torture.
"But Rome did not last," Hagno snarled. "The aqueducts were diverted. Our master's villa was abandoned and torn down. We were forgotten, buried under the earth, but we could not leave. Our life sources were bound to this place. Our old master never saw fit to release us. For centuries, we have withered here in the darkness, thirsty…so thirsty."
The others clawed at their mouths. They reminded Riss as rabid pack animals—Hagno was the alpha, the ringleader, and they were all viciously, equally insane.
"I'm sorry for you," Piper said, trying to use charmspeak. "That must have been terrible. But we are not your enemies. If we can help you—"
"Oh, such a sweet voice!" Hagno cried. "Such beautiful features—gentle ones to contrast with the lovely Riss' sharp ones. I was once young like you. My voice was as soothing as a mountain stream. But do you know what happens to a nymph's mind when she is trapped in the dark, with nothing to feed on but hatred, nothing to drink but thoughts of violence?" She cackled, eyeing Piper, "Yes, my dear. You can help us."
Percy raised his hand and gestured to himself and Riss, "Uh…we're children of Poseidon. Maybe we can summon a new water source."
"Ha!" Hagno cried, and the other eight echoed, "Ha! Ha!"
"Indeed, son of Poseidon," Hagno said. "I know your father well. Ephialtes and Otis promised you would come."
Riss tilted her head, "You're working for them? Because they're near to you or because Gaea has wheedled her way into your minds?"
"Because they are our neighbors, peaceful one," Hagno smiled and Riss frowned. She had never been called 'peaceful' before—she was far more aggressive than her twin brother. "Their chambers lie beyond this place, where the aqueduct's water was diverted for the games. Once we have dealt with you…once you have helped us…the twins have promised we will never suffer again."
Hagno turned to Jason. "You, child of Jupiter—for the horrible betrayal of your predecessor who brought us here, you shall pay. I know the sky god's powers. I raised him as a baby! Once, we nymphs controlled the rain above our wells and springs. When I am done with you, we will have that power again. And Percy and Riss Jackson, children of the sea god…from you, we will take water, an endless supply of water."
"Endless?" Percy's eyes darted from one nymph to the other. "Uh…look, I don't know about endless. But maybe I could spare a few gallons."
Riss shoved her brother behind her slightly. "For the love of the Underworld, shut up, Perseus."
"And you, Piper McLean." Hagno's purple eyes glistened. "So young, so lovely, so gifted with your sweet voice. From you, we will reclaim our beauty. We have saved our last life force for this day. We are very thirsty. From you three, we shall drink!"
All nine niches glowed. The nymphs disappeared, and water poured from their alcoves—sickly dark water, like oil. Riss took one look at the water and did the only thing she could think to do in those terrifying moments.
She screamed.
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Poseidon clutched at his chest, feeling a terror that was not his own—something that defied all the barriers between the gods and the mortals. The sea god hunched over, feeling the ache burn in his chest.
Hera ran forward, feeling the similar—although, not as strong—twinge in her chest. She was sure that all the gods and goddesses, either in their Greek or Roman form, could feel the same. "Brother! The link…"
"Stronger…" Poseidon gasped out. He straightened after a moment. "Always stronger."
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Riss hated losing control—which was already clear—but she hated something more.
She hated being afraid of water.
Water had always been her safe haven. Sally often joked that Riss could swim before she could walk and if she could, the sea-green-eyed girl would live her entire life in the water. Riss had never been scared of the water, had never felt any fear in her father's element.
The water was now up to their knees and Riss was hyperventilating. Her fingers were tangled in Percy's shirt and he was trying desperately to calm his sister, running his fingers through her inky locks. They couldn't drown, spun in haphazard patterns through Riss' head but the sane part of her screamed this isn't normal water!
"I could try lightning," Jason said. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"
"That could bring down the whole room and crush us," Piper said.
"Or electrocute us," Percy added. He glanced towards his sister, who normally would've provided comic relief, but she was too scared. Riss' eyes were wide and wild with fright. She was still trembling, unable to move an inch.
"Not many choices," Jason muttered. Fear was written on his face for Riss, worried that she was going to pass out and he desperately wanted to reach out and gather her in his arms. He promised himself, that if they got out of there, Jason would arrange a beautiful dinner for them both, just to relax.
"Let me search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there has to be a way to drain the thing. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the seashells are knobs, or something."
It was a desperate idea, but Piper was glad for something to do. Percy untangled Riss' fingers from his shirt and jumped in the water.
"No! No, no, no!" Riss screeched, ready to jump into the water. "Percy! No! No! NO!"
Jason caught Riss by the waist, keeping her from going after her twin as she flailed and shrieked. She was not reacting well, seemingly sensing that the others couldn't. Blackness coated her vision and her nose bled at the screeching pressure in her head.
Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon…dead. Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon…dead.
Jason tried to hush her as Piper climbed from niche to niche, kicking and pounding, wiggling seashells embedded in the stone; but they had no luck. Riss wouldn't stop yelling or fighting Jason's tight grip and none of the seashells gave way under Piper's desperate, searching fingers.
Sooner than expected, Percy broke the surface, gasping and flailing. Piper offered her hand, and he almost pulled her in before she could help him up. Riss finally stopped screaming and hitting Jason's arms, immediately collapsing into Percy with sobbing, shaking breaths of pure relief.
"Couldn't breathe," the Jackson boy choked, gripping Riss tightly as he shook in fear like his sister. "The water…not normal. Hardly made it back."
The life force of the nymphs was so poisoned and malicious, even a son of the sea god couldn't control it. Riss could sense that but in her fear-muddled state, she wasn't even able to speak. Death was radiating off the entire chamber and the voices in Riss' head were finally becoming silent, like sand sliding through her fingers.
As the water rose around her, Piper felt it affecting her too. Her leg muscles trembled like she'd been running for miles. Her hands turned wrinkled and dry, despite being in the middle of a fountain.
The boys moved sluggishly. Jason's face was pale. He seemed to be having trouble holding his sword. Percy was drenched and shivering. His hair didn't look quite so dark, as if the color was leaching out. Riss was looking the worst; she was pale, the scar on her face standing out even more and cracks extended from it, due to the water being leeched out of her. Droplets of blood ran in a slow stream from her nose and gathered over her lip.
"They're taking our power," Piper said. "Draining us."
"Jason," Percy coughed, "do the lightning."
Jason raised his sword. The room rumbled but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead, a miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung Piper's skin.
"Not what I wanted," Jason said.
Riss hissed loudly, trying (and failing) to move away from the water. Smoke curled off Riss' skin where the rain fell, like it was acidic and melting off her skin. The water was up to their necks now.
"We'll survive," Piper murmured to herself, but she couldn't charmspeak her way out of this. Soon the poisonous water would be over their heads. They'd have to swim, and this stuff was already paralyzing them.
They would drown, just like in the visions she'd seen.
Percy started pushing the water away with the back of his hand, like he was shooing a bad dog. "Can't—can't control it!"
Piper felt like someone had grabbed the scruff of her neck and exposed the bones. She clutched her cornucopia. "We can't fight this," she said. "If we hold back, that just makes us weaker."
"What do you mean?" Jason shouted over the rain.
The water was up to their chins. Another few inches, and they'd have to swim. But the water wasn't halfway to the ceiling yet. Piper hoped that meant that they still had time.
"The horn of plenty," she said. "We have to overwhelm the nymphs with fresh water, give them more than they can use. If we can dilute this poisonous stuff—"
"Can your horn do that?" Percy struggled to keep his head above water, which was obviously a new experience for him. He looked scared out of his mind. Riss wasn't faring much better but she had stopped yelling in terror.
"Only with your help." Piper was beginning to understand how the horn worked.
The good stuff it produced didn't come from nowhere. She'd only been able to bury Hercules in groceries when she had concentrated on all her positive experiences with the crew of the Argo II. To create enough clean fresh water to fill this room, she needed to go even deeper, tap her emotions even more. Unfortunately, she was losing her ability to focus.
"I need you both to channel everything you've got into the cornucopia," she said. "Percy, Riss, think about the sea."
"Salt water?"
"Doesn't matter! As long as it's clean. Jason, think about rainstorms—much more rain. Both of you hold the cornucopia."
They huddled together as the water lifted them off their ledges. Piper wasn't sure if the same strategy could work with three other people, but she put one arm around each boy, as they were the closest and Percy was clutching Riss, and tried to keep them afloat as they held the cornucopia between them.
Nothing happened. The rain came down in sheets, still dark and acidic. Piper's legs felt like lead. The rising water swirled, threatening to pull her under. She could feel her strength fading.
"No good!" Jason yelled, spitting water.
"We're getting nowhere," Percy agreed.
"You have to work together," Piper cried, hoping she was right. "All three of you think of clean water—a storm of water. Don't hold anything back. Picture all your power, all your strength leaving you."
"That's not hard!" Percy said.
"But force it out!" she said. "Offer up everything, like—like you're already dead, and your only goal is to help the nymphs. It's got to be a gift…a sacrifice."
They got quiet at that word.
"Let's try again," Jason said. "Together."
"A sacrifice…" Riss muttered quietly, recognition in her eyes. It wasn't her time yet—they wouldn't die. "I can do that."
Wordlessly, Riss reached out, placing her hands on Jason and Percy's shoulders. Her eyes shot open wide, glowing green and she immediately felt weightless. But her power was being ripped away from her and gods, was it painful. Riss screamed, her voice echoing in the chamber and her back arched in agony. Light burst from her body, increasing Piper and the boys' power tenfold and clear water blasted from the horn with such force, it pushed them against the wall. The rain changed to a white torrent, so clean and cold, it made them all gasp in surprise.
"It's working!" Jason cried.
"Too well," Percy yelled back. "We're filling the room even faster!"
He was right. The water rose so quickly, the roof was now only a few feet away.
"Don't stop!" Piper instructed. "We have to dilute the poison until the nymphs are cleansed."
"What if they can't be cleansed?" Jason asked. "They've been down here turning evil for thousands of years."
"Just don't hold back," Piper said. "Give everything. Even if we go under—" Her head hit the ceiling. The rainclouds dissipated and melted into the water. The horn of plenty kept blasting out a clean torrent.
Riss screamed again and the water blasted out of cornucopia even stronger. She was giving everything to that stupid shell. Green light encompassed them all, blinding the other demigods and forcing them to look away as the nymphs were finally cleansed.
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Piper kicked upwards as the water drained from the room, recovering from her few moments of unconsciousness.
"Neri?" Percy asked desperately, not being able to see his sister away near them, "Neri!"
Jason was unconscious, limp in Piper's arms as she gripped him and Percy. Percy was breathing on his own when all the water had drained away and left them on the damp floor, Riss appearing unharmed.
"Jason!" She tried desperately to think. Should she turn him on his side? Slap his back?
"Piper," Percy said and Piper looked at him. He was standing, Riss cradled in his arms. She was awake but weak. "I can help."
He knelt next to her and touched Jason's forehead. Water gushed from Jason's mouth. His eyes flew open, and a clap of thunder threw Percy, Riss and Piper backward. When Piper's vision cleared, she saw Jason sitting up, still gasping, but the color was coming back to his face.
"Sorry," he coughed. "Didn't mean to—"
Percy placed Riss down gently in Jason's lap, watching with a smile as the blonde cradled Riss lovingly to his chest. A tired but incredibly bright smile lit up Riss' face and she nuzzled her face into Jason's neck.
Percy grinned. "In case you're wondering, that was clean water in your lungs. I could make it come out with no problem."
"Thanks, man." Jason clasped his hand weakly. "But I think Piper and Riss are the real heroes. They saved us all."
Yes, they did, a voice echoed through the chamber.
The niches glowed. Nine figures appeared, but they were no longer withered creatures. They were young, beautiful nymphs in shimmering blue gowns, their glossy black curls pinned up with silver and gold brooches. Their eyes were gentle shades of blue and green. As Piper watched, eight of the nymphs dissolved into vapor and floated upward. Only the nymph in the center remained.
"Hagno?" Piper asked.
The nymph smiled. "Yes, my dear. I didn't think I would see such raw power from a demigod, even from a child of the Big Three." Hagno eyed Riss with a slight smile, as if she could see something the others couldn't, and she merely stared back, frail in Jason's grasp. The nymph looked at the group as a whole, "I didn't think such selflessness existed in mortals…especially in demigods. No offense."
Percy got to his feet. "How could we take offense? You just tried to drown us and suck out our lives."
"Tact," Riss hissed quietly but with no real energy.
Hagno winced. "Sorry about that. I was not myself. But you have reminded me of the sun and the rain and the streams in the meadows. Percy and Jason, thanks to you, I remembered the sea and the sky. I am cleansed. Thanks to you, Riss, as you showed me light. But mostly, thanks to Piper. She shared something even better than clear running water." Hagno turned to the daughter of Aphrodite, "You have a good nature, Piper. And I'm a nature spirit. I know what I'm talking about."
Hagno pointed to the other side of the room. The stairs to the surface reappeared. Directly underneath, a circular opening shimmered into existence, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through.
"You may return to the surface," Hagno said. "Or, if you insist, you may follow the waterway to the giants. But choose quickly, because both doors will fade soon after I am gone. That pipe connects to the old aqueduct line, which feeds both this nymphaeum and the hypogeum that the giants call home."
"Ugh." Percy pressed on his temples. "Please, no more complicated words."
"Oh, home is not a complicated word." Hagno sounded completely sincere. "I thought it was, but now you have unbound us from this place. My sisters have gone to seek new homes…a mountain stream, perhaps, or a lake in a meadow. I will follow them. I cannot wait to see the forests and grasslands again, and the clear running water."
"Home is a complicated word if you have more than one," Riss informed the nymph quietly. "The crew of the Argo II is my home. Pick yours carefully this time."
Hagno smiled gratefully, "I will, Riss Jackson. I will not be foolish as I was before."
"Uh," Percy said nervously, "things have changed up above in the last few thousand years."
"Nonsense," Hagno said. "How bad could it be? Pan would not allow nature to become tainted. I can't wait to see him, in fact."
Percy looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Riss frowned mournfully.
"Good luck, Hagno," Piper said. "And thank you."
The nymph smiled one last time and vaporized.
Riss lowered her head sadly and pressed her palms together, "I pray for her. I pray for all the nymphs once they discover that Pan is dead." She ignored Piper and Jason's shocked looks and simply looked at Percy hopefully, "Grover will look after them, right?"
Percy nodded, "I'm sure he will, Neri. We know G-Man. He'll look after them."
Briefly, the nymphaeum glowed with a softer light, like a full moon. Exotic spices and blooming roses perfumed the room and she could hear distant music and happy voices talking and laughing.
"What is that?" Jason asked nervously.
Piper smiled lightly, "The ghosts are dancing. Come on. We'd better go meet the giants."
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This chapter showed a softer (more terrified) side of Riss and, although she helped save them, she needed saving too. I wanted to show that Riss wasn't someone who did the saving all the time.
Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it.
~ Raven