CRASH THE WEDDING. CRASH THE WEDDING. MMMMMM get hyped world. Because I know I am.
I had so much fun writing this chapter! Even though… ya know. Percy is heartbroken and all that. I still liked writing CRASH THE WEDDING. I JUST LOVE THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH I-
*Distant crashing noises from excited authors running into various objects*
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do :)
Chapter 17
Percy couldn't feel the day pass by. It moved on without him, just as the rest of the world seemed to have done. His friends kept coming into his room to check on him, but he ignored all of their concerns. After the incident happened that morning, Chiron left to tell Grover and the merpeople what was going on. He came back later saying that they were on standby, ready to do anything needed of them.
Leo eventually managed to convince the Prince to change out of his pajamas. Percy followed him outside to the dock behind the castle where the wedding ship would eventually depart. He wanted to appreciate the architecture of the back of the palace, the grand steps that led down to the pier, the way the stone path the door led out to wrapped around the building, the wealthy supply of barrels stacked near the water's edge, likely containing interesting human objects. But he couldn't find it in his heart.
He had stopped crying at that point. He stood on the planks like a zombie, barely paying attention to what was going on around him. He registered the fact that Hazel and Piper were standing outside with him and Leo, but quickly grew uninterested.
The mechanic had carried Chiron down there, too, and told him to go get Calypso and the others. He sat down on the wood planks and waited for them to appear in the water. When they did come up, it only took one glance at the human faces to understand the gravity of the situation.
Calypso got as close to Leo as she could, staring at the long face Percy wore. "It's that bad?" she quietly asked.
Leo nodded. "I have no idea where this guy came from… Hedge woke us all up saying Annabeth had an important announcement to make. We didn't think it would turn into this."
Hazel bent down near Leo to talk to her brother, hoping against hope that he might have answers. "Do you know where he came from?"
Nico shook his head. "No clue. But this has to be something bigger than us. Someone knows what we've been trying to do." He reached out and placed a hand on one of the algae-covered columns holding the dock in place. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "They're interfering with our plans."
"Yeah…" Piper shook her head, wondering aloud the question she'd been repeating to herself all day. "But who?"
"I'm not sure. It could be Gaea… but we've been taking turns watching the waters by the palace. If it was her doing, she had to have found a way to sneak past us in the water."
"But Luke isn't Gaea," Leo said. "He's a dude."
"That doesn't mean it can't be magic," Frank said.
Everyone grew quiet in response. Nico scanned the humans and noticed someone missing. "Where's Will?"
Hazel sighed. "He and Reyna are up to their eyeballs in wedding preparations. Gathering the villagers, planning the menus, fixing up decorations, attending to Annabeth and that imposter."
"They really expect this to go well after one day of planning?"
"I guess-"
Will and Reyna suddenly burst through the large doors that led back inside the palace, cutting off Hazel's response. Will was covered in a million different colored stains, had extremely unkempt hair, and wore an almost permanent scowl, which was currently plastered on his face. Reyna, on the other hand, simply looked like she would kill the next person to try to talk to her. It was almost comical watching them hustle down the steps to the pier.
Will immediately spotted Leo and groaned. "There you are! Do you have ANY IDEA-" he abruptly stopped, noticing Nico and the other merpeople. His demeanor immediately changed, as if a switch had been flipped inside of him. He quickly fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands, the chaotic mess of the day finally crashing down on him. For the first time that day, he felt relieved. He felt like he could breathe. But he knew that his tasks were far from over.
He tried to hold back tears as he addressed his friends. Desperation coated his voice. "What are we going to do?"
Reyna looked at the merpeople with hopeful eyes, but Jason could only shake his head at her in response. She plopped down next to Will on the dock, exhaustion, too, consuming her body. She stared at empty space as if it would suddenly fix all of their problems.
They sat in silence for several minutes, letting the waves make all the noise for them, before Piper rubbed her face and straightened up. She tried not to look at Jason. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't want him to see how hopeless she felt. "We should get back inside. There's still a lot to do."
Hazel looked up at her with sad eyes before obliging. She turned back to her brother. "Once we get back… I promise we'll meet up. We'll work this out."
The girls followed Will and Reyna inside, but not before Will caught Nico's eye. Nico could tell there was so much he wanted to say, but was too exhausted to find the words. They disappeared from view, leaving the raven-haired boy feeling empty.
Leo looked back at everyone in the water. "Stay hidden until the boat leaves. Then hide again when it comes back. We can't risk you being seen by anyone else." He met Calypso's eyes and felt his heart tear in half. Everything was awful. And he couldn't do anything to help. The feeling almost made him nauseous.
He stood up and glanced at Percy. The boy was leaning against a pillar, staring absently down at the wood under his bare feet. Leo opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He figured getting Percy this far out of bed should have been a win in itself. He didn't want to push his luck by making any more comments about their situation.
He simply patted his shoulder and walked back into the castle.
As the hours passed, the teenagers in the water made small talk, occasionally ducking away when footsteps were heard on the nearby path. Percy slouched against his pillar and refused to move, only glancing around when a guard came by to place more supplies on the dock.
Once the sky started turning orange, a grand ship pulled up to the edge of the pier. Parts of it were three stories tall, with a very open deck on a lower part, already littered with decorations. The lack of sails told Percy that the ship was propelled manually, with oars on the lower deck rowing in unison. He suddenly missed exploring wrecks at the bottom of the ocean.
Guests soon came pouring out the castle doors and boarded the vessel. Percy's friends in the water quickly disappeared from view, (everyone in the water found refuge in the waves while Chiron stashed himself away in the stack of barrels) leaving him alone to watch human after human pass by. A couple of people gave him strange glances as they walked by, likely wondering why he was looking so miserable on such an exciting day. But Percy didn't care. He found himself staring down at the ground, wishing time would move faster.
It wasn't until the last few stragglers were boarding did he recognize any voices. His friends had brought up the rear, lugging sacks and crates with them.
"I can't believe I haven't even changed yet," Piper grumbled as they approached him. "This is all completely ridiculous."
Will rolled his eyes. "If I have to hear you say that one more time-"
Hazel held out her arm. "Hold on." She stared at Percy sulking against his pillar. She quietly left the group and approached him. She then spoke slowly and softly, as if speaking to a child. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? This is your last chance to get on board."
He silently shook his head no. She nodded in understanding. There was no point. It would be too painful.
Leo joined her side. "Percy… If you think of anything- anything- that could possibly help us, let us know. If you figure out what's going on, why we're in this mess, just give us a sign. I don't care what it is, or how you deliver it." He reached out and grabbed Percy's shoulder, emphasizing his seriousness. "If you give us a signal, we will put a stop to this wedding. No matter what it takes."
Will gave a small cough from the side. He was standing with the others in front of the large plank that led onboard. "As much as I've dreaded saying this…" he seemed to swallow a bitter pill that had been sitting in his mouth all day. The taste must not have been what he was expecting, because he frowned with disgust. "We need to go."
Leo and Hazel gave Percy one last long look. "Please," Hazel pleaded. "Just hang on until we get back."
Then they turned, and his friends boarded the ship. Percy watched as the plank was moved away from the dock, and the anchor was hoisted up. The ship slowly moved away from the palace. As he watched, he felt his knees grow weak. He didn't think he had any tears left in him, but he suddenly found his eyes burning in despair. He tried to suck in breaths, tried to steady himself, tried to convince himself everything would be alright. But the ship moved farther and farther out to sea.
He couldn't stand anymore. He leaned back against his pillar and sank down onto the pier. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face as a new round of sobs overtook his body.
One of his tears fell through the boards and splashed on the surface of the ocean. His friends sensed his heartbreak and rose out of the water, solemn expressions yet again taking over their faces. Chiron crawled out from his hiding spot by the barrels and came to sit by Percy. He planted his body next to the boy, not willing to leave his side.
For now, all they could do was wait.
Through the orange haze of the evening sky, a seagull sliced through clouds and atmosphere, humming aloud to herself. She quickly approached a ship sailing away from the mainland. She circled in the air, excitement coursing through her veins. A royal wedding was not something to shrug off.
Rachel was contemplating where to land, not wanting to miss a second of the action, when a new melody cut off her mediocre humming. She raised an eyebrow and flew closer to the side of the ship. The singing got louder.
"What a lovely little groom I'll make my dear. I'll look divine." The voice echoed out of a porthole on the top floor of the ship. Rachel dove down and landed on the ledge outside. The voice inside started turning their humming into laughter. The bird peaked in, suddenly nervous.
The room had a gorgeous layout fit for royalty. A grand vanity lined the back wall, racks of clothing scattered the room, large drapes decorated every candle-lit wall. In the midst of the grandeur stood a young man with blonde hair. He was brushing his short locks, a wicked grin across his face. He was dressed in a plain white long-sleeve button-up shirt with dark blue pants- undergarments for a much more impressive outfit.
He continued to sing his song, but Rachel picked up on another voice mixed with his- one that was female. The source, however, remained hidden from her sight. "Things are working out according to our ultimate design." He gave another sinister laugh before picking something off the vanity's surface. He grinned and chucked it at the top of the mirror; the sharp pin landed square in the middle of a carved baby angel's forehead. The force was enough to tilt the mirror back. Rachel swallowed down the feeling of intimidation.
"Soon I'll have that little merman," the boy sang. But Rachel took it as a statement, a promise. This boy was planning something.
The female voice answered in response to his claim. "And the ocean will be mine…" The boy stood up on the vanity and tilted the mirror upright. In the reflective surface of the glass, an image of the Sea Witch Gaea projected back into the room. Rachel gasped, "The Sea Witch!" The two figures shared a round of maniacal laughter that frightened Rachel so much she had to force herself away from the porthole window.
Dread replaced the excitement she had felt only seconds before. "Oh no." She pointed at the window with her wing. "She's gonna-" Rachel pointed at herself, "I- I gotta-" She built up her energy and made to fly away, instead running into the side of the ship from lack of focus.
She shook her head free of stars and darted back toward land. "Percy!" She shouted over the rolling waves. He had to be close by. "Percy!" But where exactly…
She spotted a lone figure sitting on a dock behind the palace and quickly changed her path. The Prince and the others were gathered at the edge, as if waiting for an excuse to start moving. Rachel was happy to deliver.
"Percy!" She dived down to the pier and took in deep breaths. Percy turned to her, startled by her sudden appearance. "I- I was flying-" she flapped her wings to clarify her words. "I was- well, of course I was flying." She rolled her eyes at herself and gave a frazzled laugh. Jason and Thalia exchanged perplexed expressions in the water. "And I- I saw the- the watch-" she shook her head "-the witch, was watching through the mirror." She cupped her wings by her face as if looking through binoculars.
Chiron sighed and tapped his legs against the wood planks, waiting for Rachel to ramble through her point. She continued, "And he was singing with a stolen set of pipes!" She looked at the impatient crab and picked him up. "DO YOU HEAR WHAT I'M TELLING YOU?!" She shook his shell ask she spoke. The teenagers were taken aback by her frantic movements.
"The Princess. Is marrying. Gaea's henchman. In disguise." She dropped Chiron back on the ground. Percy stared at her, his mouth gaping. Annabeth way marrying… Kronos?
Chiron rubbed his head before picking up his staff, ready to fend off more aggressive seagulls that wanted to shake him. "Are you sure about this?"
Rachel pointed at herself. "Have I ever been wrong? I mean when it's important!"
Grover shook his head in the water. "What are we gonna do?"
Calypso looked at Percy. "It's not too late, is it?"
He stood up and placed a hand against his pillar. He stared out at the boat, which was slowly making its way to its anchoring point. Gaea's words from three nights ago echoed in his head.
Before the sun sets on the third day.
He spotted the orange ball of fire. It hadn't yet touched the horizon, but it wasn't getting any further away. He could do it. He could make it. He could put a stop to the chaos. Once and for all.
Percy knit his eyebrows together in a determined stare before running off the dock, jumping into the ocean headfirst. The water embraced him like an old friend, but he shivered nonetheless. He quickly resurfaced and thrashed his arms around. He had forgotten that he didn't know how to swim as a human.
Frank and Jason quickly swam to his sides, supporting his body. Chiron scurried across the pier and snapped the ropes holding the barrels together. They fell into the water, splashing around his students as if they were raining from the sky. "Percy- grab on to that," he ordered. The Prince draped his arms over one of the barrels. "The rest of you- take him to that boat as fast as your fins can carry you." They nodded their heads in understanding as they grabbed various ropes hanging from the barrel. They started toward the wedding ship.
"I've got to get to the Sea King," Chiron muttered to himself. "He must know about this. I can't keep this a secret anymore. He can help. He can stop Gaea."
Rachel walked up to his side. "What about me? What do I do-?"
"You!" Chiron pointed at her with his staff. "Find a way to stall that wedding. I heard Leo tell Percy to give them a sign if we found out any new information. You give them a sign- and make sure they understand it." He jumped into the water without any more instruction.
Rachel stood there for a moment, dazed. "Stall the wedding…" She rattled her brain. "Give them a sign…" A lightbulb went off in her head. "That's it!"
She jumped up from the dock and shot through the air. She gave a shrill squawk that echoed across the water and zipped around the cliffs toward the beach she'd been at the night before. She weaved between the willow trees and continued to call out.
Several small birds popped out of the trees, briefly staring at Rachel's fast-moving form before following her. Flamingos in the water perked up and soon joined the flock. By the rocks, starfish, lobsters, and other crustaceans watched the movement in the sky. Dolphins clicked and whistled underneath the birds.
Rachel passed over a group of seals basking on rocks in the fading sunlight. "Move it, let's go!" She dipped down and met their faces. "We've got an emergency here!" The mammals quickly sat up and joined the dolphins in the water. The party of animals made a beeline toward the wedding ship, hoping to catch the bride and groom by surprise.
Oh the boat, Princess Annabeth walked down the aisle, her arm linked with that of Luke Castellan. He was dressed in a uniform equal to that of a prince- white tunic and sash, gold buttons and epaulets, navy blue trousers and sleeve cuffs. The seashell necklace containing the magic keeping his form was resting under his tunic, safely tucked away. Annabeth's white gown shimmered in the setting sunlight. Lavender lace lined the fabric parting down the front, the neckline, and the edges of her veil (which, oddly, she left uncovering her face). Her golden locks fell down her back. She held her bouquet of red roses in an unnaturally stiff manner.
Will, Reyna, Piper, Hazel, and Leo lined the front row of guests and stared down the aisle as the couple made their way up to the front of the boat. Hedge stood at the altar, ready to officiate. Festus sat at Leo's feet, glaring at Luke as if he already knew the evil hidden inside the boy.
Piper rubbed her pink dress sleeves. "This is wrong," she whispered to her friends.
Will made fists at his sides with his gloved hands. He clenched his jaw to prevent himself from shouting. "I know."
The pair made their way to the front rows of people. Festus lost control of his senses and growled at Luke. The boy returned daggers at the bronze dog and kicked him aside with his foot. He quickly looked away, pretending no action had been taken, as Festus gave a whimper.
This was not unnoticed by Leo. He made to reach out to the unwelcomed stranger, but Hazel held his arm back. "No," she whispered. "He's not worth it." Leo gave in to Hazel's common sense and pulled at his tunic, wishing the event were already over.
They reached the altar, Annabeth's train resting several steps behind her. Hedge cleared his throat and looked down at his book. "Dearly beloved..."
Back in the water, the others had cut the distance between them and the boat in half. Percy's friends continued to pull him on the barrel. Grover huffed with the effort. "Don't worry, Percy," he panted. "We're gonna make it. We're almost there."
Percy made no effort to show that he heard his best friend. His eyes were trained on the ship. He trusted his friends to get him there. But if they were too late…
On board, Hedge continued the ceremony. "Do you, Annabeth Chase, take Luke Castellan, to be your lawfully wedded husband, for as long as you both shall live?" Luke grinned at the speech. He glanced over at the setting sun, which had now touched the horizon. His mission was almost fulfilled.
Staring straight forward, her eyes fixed on empty space in front of her, Annabeth spoke the words, "I do."
Hedge nodded and started speaking again. "Now, do you, Luke…" Distant screeching caught the boy's attention. He turned his head to look to the side as Hedge paid no mind to the noise and continued to speak.
Something was wrong. Luke saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his body in time to see Rachel diving down from the sky with an entire flock behind her. He yelped and ducked down, covering his head with his arms. The birds flew straight through where his head had been seconds before, creating a gust that moved Annabeth's veil.
This was not unnoticed by Reyna and the others. The bodyguard furrowed her eyebrows and looked toward the sky. "What the-?"
The birds quickly made a U-turn and dive-bombed the groom again. Luke, still recovering from the first attack, was unsteady on his feet. Rachel led the assault through the gap between his legs, causing him to lose his balance. He wobbled back and forth and had to steady himself on Hedge's podium. Annabeth remained motionless. The rest of her guests, however, had grown uneasy.
Will looked around as if he were being pulled in too many directions. "What in the world?" Rachel had dispersed the birds across the deck. They flew back and forth around the space, chasing guests away from their spots in the crowd. Festus started barking at the commotion. Leo tried to shush him until he was stopped by the seagull that led the air raid.
Rachel landed in front of their group and changed into her human form. Through all the chaos going on, they were the only ones to notice the change. Her grin would have been maniacal if circumstances were different. But the humans were grateful to see her.
Leo's face suddenly lit up with realization. "This is the signal." Rachel nodded. "This is the signal!" the boy repeated. "Oh my gods- quick, everyone, cause more chaos!"
Rachel laughed, gesturing to the planks that were used to connect the boat to the pier when docked. "Way ahead of you." She picked one up and lowered it over the side of the boat. Within seconds, sea lions had clambered up onto the deck, bouncing around as if they had been formally invited to the wedding.
The others gaped at her actions as she gave a salute and morphed back into a bird, taking off and leaving the plank dipping down into the water. The humans left it alone as they shared knowing glances. Leo let go of Festus and ran straight into the commotion with him. His friends didn't hesitate to join.
In the air, pelicans joined the assault. They flew straight toward Luke and dumped various things onto him. The first had a bill full of water. Luke got a face full of the salty liquid and wiped his face in disgust. Before he could blink he was doused with another bill full of water, but this one had nearly a dozen tiny green fish mixed in with it. Luke yelped and was slapped in several places by the fish. He shook his body free of them before being doused once again, this time with blue lobsters. One clung to his head as he tried to straighten himself. It grinned and reached its claw around to his face, pinching his nose. Luke's scream was soon covered by a barrage of starfish that coated his body and refused to let go.
Hedge looked up from his podium and broke out into a sweat. There were so many sea creatures on deck he couldn't even begin to count them. Luke was struggling to pull the starfish off his body. Annabeth stood still and glared at him, silently urging the man to continue with the ceremony. Hedge was too scared to disagree. "Um… Then… um… by the power-"
Luke finally ripped off the starfish covering his mouth. "Get away from me you slimy little-" he was cut off by a seal running into the back of his knees. He was flung up into the air and bounced back up again and again by the mammal.
Towards the stern, Will restrained his laughter as he issued guests inside to protect them from the rogue animals. Piper and Hazel helped throw the small discarded sea creatures back into the ocean, though the latter was starting to get queasy by all the movement.
Down in the water, Percy and the others reached the end of the plank Rachel had lowered. The boy let go of the barrel and started up the ramp. His friends took deep breaths, trying their best to quickly recover from hauling the Prince over such a long distance. Their job was done. Now it was all up to him.
Luke continued to be thrown around the deck by the seals. He was projected at the 5 tiered cake and smashed through the masterpiece, landing on an entirely different table and splitting it in two. By this point Hedge refused to continue speaking, instead staring flabbergasted at the disastrous sight in front of him.
The groom stood up and gave a frustrated grunt. A clicking noise behind him made him turn around, cake sticking to his suit like glitter at a New Year's Eve party. Several dolphins had jumped out of the water and reached the deck, not wasting any time to spray the boy with gallons of seawater.
Percy finally reached the top of the plank and swung himself over the rail, landing with a thud on the floor. He quickly stood up and looked around at the chaos.
Will was the first to notice his presence. "Oh my gods-" he ducked to avoid a flying starfish, "-you made it!"
Percy nodded his head violently. His eyes grew wide at the excellent job his friends had done stalling the ceremony.
In the middle of the deck, Luke wiped his face free of cake and water. Rachel flew up to him and screeched in his face. He reached up and grabbed her, shaking her body in annoyance. "Oh why you little-" he stopped as he felt a tug around his neck. He suddenly noticed that the bird had something in her beak. Panic surged through him as he realized it was the shell necklace that contained Percy Jackson's voice. It must have fallen out of his tunic while he was being tossed around by the seals. And this stupid seagull had a hold of it.
He groaned as he tried to push her away from him. But Festus had other plans. He ran up to the unsuspecting groom and bit him hard in the rear-end. Luke screamed and let go of Rachel.
Then the necklace went flying through the air. And it shattered at Percy's feet.
In a single moment, a million things seemed to happen.
A bright glow flowed out of the broken shell pieces. It floated up in the air toward Percy's head, emitting a soft melody that captivated every member on board the ship.
Hazel propped herself up on a table that was still miraculously standing, Leo and Hedge not far from her. She tried to control the growing uneasiness in her stomach. Percy's disembodied voice was a nice distraction from her problem. She stared at the boy with her friend and coach, shocked that their plan had actually worked.
All remaining animals on the ship were frozen in place, taking in the results of their hard work. Luke, now stripped of his human life source, was glued to the deck. It was impossible. There was no way he had lost. Not when he had been so close.
Will, Reyna, and Piper took the opportunity to blindside the boy and jumped him. They tackled him to the floor and pinned him down with their limbs. He tried to force them off his body, but all strength seemed to drain from him. He could feel the change deep down in his body. He wasn't Luke Castellan anymore. He was back to being Kronos.
Percy's voice continued to sound across the ship. At the altar, Annabeth jolted. The tones vibrated in her head as if her own brain were the source of the melody. She felt something click inside of her. She blinked again. Her vision started focusing. She grabbed her head, a sharp throb suddenly striking her skull. What had happened to her?
She tried to gather herself. She surveyed the trashed wedding scene around her and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Then she looked down at herself. She was wearing a wedding dress, standing at an altar with a bouquet of red roses in her hand. She only grew more confused. "What the-?"
Then the noise pierced her ears again. She looked up to see a glowing yellow light twist its was around a boy standing on the opposite side of the deck. His mouth was open as if he were singing the song himself.
And then he was.
The light entered Percy's mouth and came to a rest in his throat. The tone changed. Before it had been soft, almost muffled. Now, in its rightful owner, the voice sounded bright, alive. Human.
Percy held his throat and gave a small cough. "Woooh," he gave a laugh. It sounded so pure, so free. Annabeth's heart leaped in her chest. "Man, it feels so good to be able to talk again, you guys have no idea." He glanced at their friends before his eyes landed on her. The dissipating sunlight illuminated his figure like it had someone else's not too long ago. There was no mistaking it. After all this time…
Annabeth swallowed back hesitation. "Percy?"
Percy grinned like he'd never grinned before. "Annabeth." Festus gave a happy bark from the side and ran up to the boy, sharing his excitement. The dog looked at the Princess as if to say, this is what I've been telling you this whole time.
Annabeth went numb from elation. She hurried over to Percy, her dress swishing around her ankles. "You…" Would she even be able to form the words? "You can talk!"
Hedge raised an eyebrow from the side. "Wait- did she just say Percy?"
Leo shushed him before taking a bite of the ruined cake.
Kronos continued to struggle from underneath Will, Reyna, and Piper's combined body weight, the side of his face smashed against the messy floor.
Annabeth reached Percy and stopped in front of him, staring at him incredulously. Her hands had instinctively reached for his, and he took them up and intertwined their fingers. "You're the one," she breathed.
Percy's smile rivaled the stars. He looked down and gave another light laugh. "Yeah… It's pretty complicated. If you can believe it."
Annabeth shook her head. "I barely can…"
Kronos managed to twist his head enough to speak out a few words. "Annabeth!" he shouted. "Get away from him!" His voice had suddenly turned back to being raspy, all kind human qualities gone. He quickly shut his mouth, realizing that if they weren't sure who he was before, they would be now.
Annabeth was so overcome with emotions she could barely think straight. All she knew was that standing there, holding Percy, was the only thing that felt right. "It… It was you the whole time…"
Percy leaned his head close to hers, as if he were apologizing. "Oh, Annabeth… I wanted to tell you, I really did-"
She cut him off by reaching up and placing a hand on his cheek. For once, she was the one that didn't need to speak words to convey the message. It's okay. We're together now.
She grinned and leaned up, her heart overcome with joy.
Kronos gave up on trying to conceal his identity and pushed one last pathetic attempt to stop the pair. "Annabeth- NO!"
Then the sun set beyond the ocean.
Percy let out a gasp as a jolt ran through his body. A paralyzing feeling grasped his lower body, immobilizing him as his legs bound together to form his tail. He sank down to the floor, falling out of Annabeth's arms, fists clenched in pain. She stared down at him, her mouth hanging open in a mixture of panic and shock. His emerald scales shimmered in the dusk. There was no way what she saw in front of her was real. She'd been right the entire time?
He looked up at her with devastation in his eyes. It wasn't supposed to be this way. This wasn't how she was supposed to find out.
The others stared at Percy, horrified.
They'd failed. He was no longer human.
Kronos gave an evil cackle. "You're too late!"
Reyna stared down at him. His body started glowing- growing warmer by the second. A disembodied female voice started laughing with him. The bodyguard quickly realized what was about to happen. She frantically gained Piper and Will's attention. "Get off!"
Seconds later, thunder rumbled in the distance. Several dark clouds suddenly darkened the orange sky. The laughing continued to echo around the ship. Renya shoved Will and Piper off Kronos as his body illuminated the deck. "You're too late!" he repeated.
A bolt of lightning zig-zagged through the atmosphere and struck the now free man. The brightness blinded the ship's occupants before dimming to reveal a massive woman standing where Kronos once laid. Eight black tentacles snaked across the boards as she laughed at the terrified faces of the humans. Her purple fingers stroked a green eel draped across her shoulders like a boa.
Gaea the Sea Witch flashed a petrifying smile at the Prince sprawled on the floor. She rushed over and snatched him up in front of Annabeth before the girl could even blink. Percy grabbed at her arms, desperately trying to free himself. But Gaea's hold was iron tight.
She climbed onto the railing with him and looked over her shoulder. "So long, Lover Girl," she spoke to Annabeth.
Then, not waiting for a response, she launched over the side of the ship, taking Percy Jackson with her.
Just when I thought my chapters couldn't grow longer… lol who was I kidding XD
I would like to thank Disney+ for allowing me easy access to The Little Mermaid, with subtitles for dialogue reference, so that I no longer have to scavenge through youtube to find 2-minute clips of the movie that haven't been taken down by copyright persecutors.
I would also like to thank anyone reading these notes because I have no idea how most people feel about this story save for a handful that leave reviews or are my irl friends sooo thanks for caring enough to read these. I'm sending virtual hugs. And I know people read this story. I look at the viewing stats.
Thankfulness aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did because MAN was it fun to write! And if you're ready for action, boy do I have some for you in the next chapter.
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~Reader4ever1