Hey y'all! Spiz here. So, uh, I'm really sorry about not updating this story very frequently. School, work, everything just handed my ass to me this year. I thought things would be better over the summer, but they weren't. I was slowly working on this chapter little by little BUT THEN, somehow I lost my work. I don't know where the document was on this chapter but it was gone. And I was so mad because I didn't want to rewrite what I had already started, but I finally did.
Anyway, I really hated last chapter. I know it was pretty unpopular with you guys too and I'm sorry. I really wanted it to be about the mermaids being able to face off with the demigods' monsters, while the demigods face off with the mermaids' monsters sorta thing, you know? Put them into a little bit more unfamiliar positions, even though killing monsters is routine for Percy and Annabeth. And I think I just really poorly wrote that last chapter. I wanted to rewrite it but I had no idea how to do so. So another reason why I took so long with this chapter was because I really wanted it to be better for you guys than the last one.
The unfortunate thing is that...I don't like this chapter any better. And I fear you guys won't either. I feel like my writing has just tanked. I don't know why. I don't know what my problem is. But I hate everything that I write. I think it's all terrible. I was rereading some of the past few chapters to get myself back in the mindset and I really like some of them, but I feel like this just isn't the same. It's not very good and I'm very sorry.
But good news! I know I've been saying this for a long time BUT WE'RE NEAR THE END! I really want to wrap up this story soon. Why? Well, I've been promising it for a long time. But as we have learned, school kicked my ass. I'm about to enter my senior year of college and I KNOW this year will destroy me. If I don't finish the story now, it never will get finished. So that is why I'm pushing to get this wrapped up very soon.
Anyway, onto the story!
Percy and Emma backed away from the prowling sphinx with his bronze sword pointed at her defensively.
"You don't happen to know your way around here, do you?" Percy asked Emma quietly from over his shoulder.
"I was hoping you did," Emma replied regretfully. While Percy engaged in a stare down with the monster, Emma scanned their surroundings for an exit. To her right was a row of identical doors while to her left was the railing, and ocean. Behind her was a corner that she peaked around, only to see another row of doors.
"I've waited my entire life for this moment," the sphinx purred with a wicked grin on her ruby lips.
"We have to move-" Percy's warning almost came to late, for the sphinx lunged at them. Percy shoved Emma around the corner to safety, while he attempted to dodge the claws of the sphinx. The shove sent Emma to the floor, but she immediately bounced back to her feet and started running with her cousin trailing. The sphinx slammed into the railing at the corner but recovered and was quick to catch up to the pair.
"In here!" Emma suddenly grabbed Percy's wrist and pulled him into an open door. Unfortunately, the door was not the door to a stairwell, but to another laboratory. In a flurry, Emma slammed the door shut and outstretched her hands to freeze a layer of ice onto it.
"Uh, Em," Percy called with uncertainty. Yup, they were in another lab. It wasn't the same lab. And it was spacious-better than scrambling across the narrow deck. But the most important thing about this lab was that it lacked another way out. There were no windows, no door but the one they came through.
Not hearing Emma's response, he turned around and watched the ice come from her hands and layer itself against their sole exit. He could hear the sphinx roaring and slamming her weight against it to break it open. Emma's face was contorted with deep concentration and her body was incredibly stiff, as if she herself was frozen.
"Em," Percy placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder, snapping her attention from her magic. "You gotta lay off. There's no way out of here."
Emma blinked. She stared at the frozen door the sphinx was viciously clawing at from the other side and her heart dropped. She anxiously ran a hand through her hair and tried to sort through her thoughts.
"Oh God," she breathed. "I'm so sorry-I panicked, Percy. I didn't know what to do. I saw the open door and I-I thought we could get away from it for now."
"It's okay, Em, we'll figure it out." Emma ran another hand through her hair before bringing her fingertips to her temples. She didn't know what to do. She just doomed herself and Percy to the sphinx's mercy. The ice cracked and splintered, a sound that signaled it wasn't going to protect them forever. Suddenly Emma wished she had Cleo and Rikki with her. When she was with them, they were unstoppable together.
The cracks continued to grow rapidly as the sphinx continued her assault against it. Percy looked at Emma and he could see the fear in her eyes. He watched to reach out and stop her stiff form from shaking so badly.
"Listen, here's the plan," Percy announced. "I'm going to distract her, okay? I'll draw her into the room. And while I'm doing that, you're going to sneak around the edges and get the Hades out of here, okay?"
"Wait-what about you?" Emma demanded with a furrowed brow.
"Don't worry about me, okay? I'm the one with the sword. I can take her. I've taken on much worse before," Percy reassured with a confident grin. But Emma's face did not change.
"How about I sneak behind it and attack from behind? Maybe I can help with my ice magic," Emma offered but Percy was shaking his head.
"No, Em. It's too dangerous. You need to get out of here while I hold her off. You gotta find your friends and Annabeth. Get to safety."
The door rattled against the ice.
"No, Percy. I'm not leaving here without you," Emma protested stubbornly.
"We don't have time for this! You're getting out of here and that's final!"
And then, the ice and door flew in every direction across the room as the sphinx smashed her way through. Percy immediately moved to put himself between Emma and the sphinx. He nudged her to start making her way towards the sides of the lab.
"So…" Percy began, stepping forward towards the sphinx. "Are you gonna give us a riddle?" Emma stared at the two, bewildered, but continued inching away from them. In response, the sphinx shook her head.
"I'm so tired of riddles," the sphinx groaned. "I'm starving!"
The sphinx's gaze immediately went to Emma, who froze under it. The monster licked her lips hungrily and positioned to pounce and she would've-if Percy didn't block her with Riptide, cursing. This was harder than they thought. The sphinx never took her eyes off Emma, even with Percy now between them again, and even when Percy started waving his sword warningly at her.
"This is between you and me, kitty," Percy growled.
"Fool! You're not the one I'm after! It's her!" The sphinx hissed. Emma flinched. Percy narrowed his eyes.
"Why her?"
"Me? Why do you want me?" Emma choked out. The sphinx chuckled at their confusion and paced lazily in front of the open entryway.
"You don't know?" Percy and Emma didn't answer. "Legend has it that if you eat a mermaid's flesh, you will become immortal! And I wouldn't have to go back to Tartarus ever again!"
"I don't blame you for not wanting to go back to Tartarus, but," Percy raised the celestial bronze threateningly, "if you're going to lay one ugly claw on her, you're going to have to go through me. And I don't plan on you ever getting through me. I'm ending this-now."
This time, it was Percy who lunged. He moved forward and swung his sword-knowing he'd miss-but forced the sphinx to back away from them. He swung again but missed. The sphinx retaliated but Percy blocked her with his sword.
Seeing the two locked in a struggle, Emma started to creep towards the opening again. She was holding her breath and her movements were stiff as she tried to slow her painfully racing heart. With the way Percy engaged with the sphinx, it was obvious he knew what he was doing. But on the brink of escape, Emma felt helpless. She should do something. She should do anything. This is her family. He came to rescue her and now he's going to get himself hurt because of her. And what could SHE do?
Emma now stood in the doorway. Percy was knocked into a steel table but he caught himself from falling. The sphinx faced Percy, with her back to Emma.
"No, Emma!" Percy yelled when he watched her raise a shaky hand. "Run!"
"But Percy-"
"I'll be right behind you! Now, go!"
Finally, Emma went. She made her way down the deck, examining each door for a staircase to the lower decks, where her friends had to be. At least, she hoped they were. It was such a large place with so many doors and corners, Emma was lost, uncertain where to begin her search. Until finally, she found the label for the stairwell.
But as Emma pulled the door open, she stopped, noticing the uncomfortable quiet that befell the boat. It had stopped its course on the ocean and floated, still and silent. The only thing Emma could hear was the gentle lapping of the water against the hull, and her heart. A long, low groan from below sent chills down Emma's spine as her breath hitched.
Suddenly, there was an explosion.
The explosion came from below but the force was so powerful that the whole yacht shuddered and Emma tripped. Then, it started to rock to one side and Emma stumbled against the railing. She clung to it as it started to lower her to the water. But the lowering soon stopped as the yacht attempted to balance itself. But Emma had a sinking feeling that this whole thing was going to come down.
The explosion had badly startled both Percy and the sphinx. He finally lost his footing as the yacht rocked and that's when the sphinx used her cat-like reflexes to pounce on him. Her paws buried into Percy's chest and shoulders, pinning him against the floor. She knocked both the wind out of him-and Riptide from his hands. The celestial bronze slid across the floor among the shards of melting ice, far from Percy's reach despite his attempts. He tried to push against the sphinx but she dug her claws into his biceps to hinder his movements, earning a pained grunt from the demigod.
"I'll give you a riddle," she purred, lowering her head so her face was inches from Percy's. Her lips curled into a smile, but instead of normal human teeth to go with her mostly-human face, she bared sparkling fangs. Hunger and delight twinkled in her yellow eyes as Percy resisted and strained against her, but she was too strong.
"It brings back the lost as though they're never gone, shines laughter and tears with light long since shone; a moment to make, a lifetime to shed; valued but then lost when you're dead," the words practically dripped off her tongue. "What am I?"
"Uh, how many guesses do I get?"
"Only one!"
Percy cursed, mentally wishing Annabeth was here. Well, if Annabeth was here, he wouldn't be pinned under a sphinx right now.
"If I get it right, will you let me go?"
"I'm still debating!"
Percy swallowed. He mulled her words over, trying to solve the riddle. The claws in his arms tightened and he groaned, squirming uncomfortably beneath the sphinx.
"Could you, uh, say it once again?"
The sphinx scowled and rolled her eyes, "answer the riddle already!"
"Alright! Alright! Jeez, I only got one shot at this and I want to make it a good one!" he huffed.
"I'll give you a hint," the sphinx lowered her head to hover beside his, whispering in his ear. "You'll be this soon."
Without warning, there was a sudden flurry of activity. Everything happened at once. Percy didn't see Emma tiptoe back into the lab. He didn't see her delicately pick up the bronze sword with such caution that she didn't create a single sound. Even the sphinx didn't catch her movements, for she concentrated so intensely on her straining prey.
And her next movements she did without a thought. She clutched the hilt of the sword with both hands and steadily raised it. Emma released her breath that she held this entire time with an angry yell, snapping the attention of the monster and Percy. However, before either of them could react, Emma swung, with all of her strength, the sword down upon the sphinx's back. The sphinx wailed and roared in agony, before turning to golden dust that rained over Percy.
Percy coughed and sat up while Emma watched with confusion and fascination, tightly clinging to Riptide until her knuckles turned white. Her cousin spat out some dust before he grinned at the mermaid.
"Gods, Emma! That was amazing!"
"Amazing? Are you freakin' kidding me? You almost just died, Percy!" Emma returned. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Her gaze immediately drifted to his bloodied biceps. "Oh, God, you're bleeding!"
"This? This is nothing!" Percy was practically laughing at her. His mom would have a fit getting the stain out of his sleeves, however. "I can't believe you just did that! I thought you were gone!"
"I shouldn't have left at all, Percy. I'm so sorry that I did. We have to hurry-I think this place is sinking!"
Percy pushed himself to his feet and brushed off the last of the golden dust. "What was that before? An explosion?"
"I think so, but I didn't see anything."
"The others might be in trouble," Percy started moving towards the broken exit before stopping and looking at Riptide, still in Emma's hands. "Could I, uh, maybe get my sword back?"
Emma blinked, startled, and immediately stuck the hilt out to him. "Sorry."
He merely smiled at her before accepting it, "maybe we oughta get you your own sword. What do you say?"
"No thank you."
Percy laughed before they jogged out. Emma directed him to the stairwell but before they could round the corner, the ship made another dangerous groan and shuddered. Percy and Emma fell back against the railing.
"Ugh-you okay, Em?" Percy offered a hand. Emma rubbed the back of her head, for it had slammed against the white iron painfully when they collapsed.
"Fine…" Emma finally accepted his hand and he pulled her to her feet. "Somehow, I feel like Rikki's responsible for this."
I'm sorry this chapter is a bit short! It was either have, like, a MASSIVE chapter, or break them up into smaller ones.
Also, apologies, I feel like I totally flopped. But also I just really, really wanted to have Emma wield a sword, okay?
Anyway, the end is near and I'm getting to it! But also please review, tell me what worked and what didn't work and maybe I'll be able to do better for the next one. Thank you, everyone, for being so patient with me! Y'all are the best!
-Spiz