Spirit of the Sea

Chapter 1

AN/ Okay, so I had this idea for a story. I know I really need to work on my other fan fictions, but this story just won't leave me alone. So I'll work on this one for a while.

Percy POV:

I sat in the taxi, nervously fiddling with my camp necklace. My feet were tapping out a random beat, and my eyes were rapidly moving around. Outside the cab window, New York flashed by. I had told the driver that I'd give him twenty bucks if he drove as fast as he could. I knew I shouldn't have, but I was dying to get back to camp.

I had been away for a month on a quest all by myself. I mean, I had gotten some help from the Amazons, but after a month of being told that I would look good in a collar, I needed to see Annabeth again. My girlfriend was my link to mortality, after all. I smiled; thinking about what her face would look like when she saw what I had made for her.

My hand absentmindedly ran across the scar that now ran across my right cheek. When Athena had told me that she wanted me to defeat Ladon and steal the golden apples, I had nearly passed out. The only thing that had kept me from backing out was the fact that I was doing the quest for Athena's approval. I really wanted her to see that I was a good choice for her daughter, and I was willing to go to any length to do it. That said, I had "disappeared" from camp the next day. Athena instructed Chiron not to tell any other camper where I was and told me that I couldn't IM anyone. The silence had nearly killed me, but again I had reminded myself that it was all for Annabeth.

"We're here, sir." The cabby man said. He glanced warily at the sign that advertised strawberries. "You sure about this, there ain't nothing out here." I flashed him a quick smile as I dragged my backpack out of the car. "I'm sure." I tossed him a wad of bills and began to trudge up to camp borders. I could hear the squeal of tires as the cab peeled out, the driver eager to spend his new wealth. I chuckled to myself as I reached the tree Peleus guarded camp from. He was huge now and almost completely covered the tree. I reached out to stroke his nose, and he leaned down and sniffed my new scar. I smiled my crooked smile. "Bet you can smell Ladon on that, huh?" The dragon grunted. "Don't worry I got him back." I said, then started as I realized that I had a bitter edge to my voice.

"Percy!" I heard, a second before a black mass barreled into me. A strangled kind of grunt was all that came out of my mouth as I flew backwards, slamming into the tree. "Jeeze, Nico. Just because I'm nearly invincible doesn't mean you can do that." I coughed out. The emo in question snickered. "Sorry." I looked at him critically. "You don't sound sorry at all." I whined. Nico looked up at me to answer. "Well…" He stopped suddenly as he spotted my scar and his mouth flopped open. "Oh my Gods, what the Hades happened to you?" he gasped, sounding slightly hysterical. I smiled. "Got on the wrong end of a dragon." Nico looked at me for a second. I thought he was going to say something profound or intelligent, but what came out of his mouth was, "Is there a right end of a dragon?"

I laughed, smiling wider that I had in a month. "I dunno, buddy." I said. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and started steering him towards camp. "Let's go see everybody else. I'm forcing you to socialize." "I do socialize!" Nico whined. "Uh huh." I said, sarcasm rolling off me in waves. "And do you call sulking in the shadows and not talking to anybody socializing?" "Yes." I shook my head at him. "And that, Dead Boy, is why you need help." He pouted and went to speak, but his comeback was cut off by a cheer of, "Percy!"

I was immediately caught in a head lock as Clarisse spotted me. "It's good to see you too, Clarisse." I managed to croak out. Clarisse laughed and let go of me, then clapped me on the shoulder so hard I almost fell over. "You gave us a heart attack, Seafood. Chiron wouldn't tell us where you were. The only thing he would say was that you were off on another quest." Clarisse blinked as she noticed my scar. "What the fuck happened to you, Prissy?" I sighed as I realized that practically the entire camp was gathered around me, staring at my scar. I ran my hand over it. "A parting gift from Ladon." I explained. Travis looked at me, confused. "But aren't you like, invincible?"

I opened my mouth to answer his question, when Chiron barreled over to us. "Percy's gift was removed for the duration of his quest." The centaur explained. I could tell that everyone was just as confused, possibly more so. Chiron plowed on, not noticing. "Alright, you all have classes." Everyone nodded and ran off, except Clarisse, who stayed behind. She flashed me a quick smirk. "Good to have you back, Prissy." Then she ran off too. I turned to Nico. "I gotta go find my girlfriend. I'll see you around." I ran off and was so excited that I didn't hear his panicked, "Percy, wait!"

Line Break-

I ran around the whole camp, excited to see Annabeth and share the good news with her. My excitement quickly turned into confusion as I couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't sword training, climbing the wall, or practicing archery. I finally went to the Athena cabin. Maybe she was reading or looking at some of Daedalus' designs. A quick scan of the room showed only Marcus, quietly making his bed. His head snapped up and a smile broke out across his face. "Hey, Perce. What are you doing here?" I sighed and started fiddling with my necklace. "I'm looking for Annabeth. Any idea where she is?" Marcus looked at me, and I didn't notice the worried look that flashed across his face. "I think she's at the lake…" He said slowly. I turned around and dashed out of the cabin. "Thanks, Marcus!" I yelled to him over my shoulder.

I ran as fast as I could down to the lake. I stopped abruptly as I spotted Annabeth. She was sitting on the dock, her feet dangling into the water. Her head was down, and her back was turned towards me. I could hear small sobs coming from her. "Annabeth?" I said quietly. "What's wrong?" At the sound of my voice, Annabeth froze. "What's wrong?" She snapped. I stepped back, startled at how icy her voice sounded. "What's wrong is that you left for a month. You disappeared, and didn't even bother to tell me where you were. Do you even know how worried I was? I thought you were dead!" She screamed at me, her face still turned away. "I couldn't talk to you…." I tried to explain. "Couldn't!" Annabeth screamed and whirled around to face me.

She froze, her face glued to my scar. "What is that?" She whispered. I ran a hand over the mark. "A scar." I said, my eyes never leaving her face. Her grey eyes started to well up with tears. "I can't." She croaked, staring at my scar. "What?" I said, not understanding what she was trying to say. She looked into my eyes for the first time. "I can't do this, Percy. I don't love you. I don't think I ever did." It felt like someone had incased my heart in ice. I couldn't breathe, and I stumbled back a few steps. "No." I managed to croak out. "I'm sorry, Percy." Annabeth, the love of my life, said before she began to walk away. "No!" I screamed as a red haze began to cloud my vision. I turned around and dashed away. I had to get away, I had to get far away from that nightmare.

I stopped abruptly. Part of my brain registered that I was on the beach, and the waves were crashing against my legs. I pulled a small box from my pocket and opened it. Inside was a small gold band. It had owls and pegasi carved into it, and the inside was engraved with the words, Yours forever, Wise Girl- Seaweed Brain. I screamed and threw the box into the ocean, hoping that the waves carried it far away.

As soon as the ring left my hand, all my anger drained away. I collapsed, tears running down my face. My sobs soon turned into screams as a searing pain swept through my body. I writhed on the ground in pain for a few minutes, and then the torture abruptly stopped. I held my head in my hands as tears poured down my face. Saltwater mingled with saltwater as waves crashed over me. One thought ran through my head. I have to get away. I have to get away from this pain. "I will grant 'ya request." I heard someone say. I slowly raised my head and saw a woman with dreadlocks and an old-timey dress.

"Who are you?" I croaked out. The woman smiled mysteriously at me. Something inside me registered with her, like I knew her. "I am Calypso." The woman purred. "What?" I said, shocked. Calypso chuckled. "Not 'ya Calypso, child of 'da sea." She walked over to me and sat down in the sand. A white crab crawled into her open hand. "I am 'da heathen goddess of 'da sea." She looked at me. "Ya curse be lifted." I bit my lip. "You mean the Curse of Achilles?" I asked. The woman nodded and started petting the crab. "How?" I asked. Calypso looked out over the open water. "Ya mortal point was severed. It was all I could to 'ta keep 'ya alive." "Annabeth." I whispered, staring at nothing.

Calypso placed a hand on my wrist, and I felt a stinging pain. When she took her hand away, I saw that a tattoo of waves had appeared. My mouth flopped open and I stared and the woman. She chuckled and handed me the crab. It settled into the palm of my hand and started clicking its pinchers. "Ya be my chosen one." Calypso said, before rising to her feet. I blinked a few times before rising as well. "No offence, but why are you here?" I asked. For some reason, I didn't feel as empty as I had before. Calypso turned to me, her eyes twinkling with secrets. "I am here 'ta give 'ya a new life. There is nothin' here for 'ya anymore." She said, waving her hand at the surrounding area.

I looked at Calypso. I could feel something, like an undercurrent, running around her. It was a wild energy, free and untamed. I could feel some of it coming to me, and I suddenly had the urge to be out on the sea. I looked at her, my eyes wide. "What did you do?" She gracefully walked closer to me. "I unlocked 'ya true potential as a child of 'ta sea." She looked at me, her eyes glowing with power. "I will send 'ya back to a time when the seas were wild an' untamed. 'Tere you will meet 'ya fate." She placed a hand on my scar. "Ya got a touch 'a destiny 'bout 'ya." She whispered before I passed out.

AN/ So, I need a pairing for this story. I don't wanna do any guy/guy pairings, so those are out. Please review and give me some ideas!