Guys, a word of advice before you continue reading this story: if you want to read my story or any story with ease follow these instructions. Refer to the bar just above this paragraph and click on the icon with the four black horizontal bars above.

You will see "Full 3/4 1/2"

Click on "1/2".

Now click on the "T" icon, and then click on "Tighten".

Is that better now? :D

Wanna check out how the main character looks like, along with the other Percy Jackson characters? Check it out at my tumblr page, 'turtledynasty' with the title 'one fanfic creator'. Fanfiction doesn't allow me to show links so just copy and paste turtledynasty . tumblr . com, and remove all the spaces in between. I post only Percy Jackson stuff related to my fanfic, so check it out!

Whirlpool

They waited with bated breath as the scuttling grew louder. From the corner of her eye, Hick could tell Jason was watching her nervously. She blinked hard, struggling not to lose control of her body. It was excruciatingly strenuous, and beads of sweat were starting to form across her face and all over her arms. Her hands were shaking violently, no matter how hard she clenched her dagger.

"Oh shit…" Hick heard Crunch mutter.

Hick looked up to see the rat looking over his shoulder at her. His beady eyes seemed to reflect concern now, devoid of the usual glint of cynicism.

Percy traced Crunch's line of vision. When he saw Hick's eyes, he face paled. "What…?"

"Why? What's wrong?" said Nico, turning around to look at Hick. An awkward pause. "Are those contact lenses you're wearing? Like eye ball contact lenses, do they have that?"
"What's happening to her?" Henry called out.
"Hick," Percy said, about to walk towards her.
"Leave her, boy! She'll be fine. Resume your position and keep your eyes ahead. And you, Warrior! Get over here!" Crunch snarled, slapping his tail on the ground just beside him.

Too much in pain to retort, Hick situated herself next to the rat without a word.

"Don't hold it in," Crunch whispered.
"W-What?" Hick gasped, scrunching up her face in pain as her body started to convulse. Oh gosh…Get a grip, Hick! Pull yourself together!
"It's a natural instinct. Don't suppress it or it'll just hurt."
"No… No! I-I-I'm not risking it," Hick replied, gasping. Her teammates were looking at her. Was it out of concern? Fear? Curiousity? Hick couldn't tell.
"Your body can't keep containing it. You'll go mad," Crunch said.
"But I can't control it! I don't know why this always happens! I might kill you, I might – "
"Trust me, pup. I know what you're going through," Crunch said. And as Hick met Crunch's eyes, she saw a kind of darkness take over. A certain kind of madness she was all knew she's felt before. "I have it too."

"They're here!" Hazel yelled.

A large orange spider staggered in and was immediately impaled by Jason's blade. Thick blue liquid spewed out of its gaping wound and with swift dexterity, Percy finished it off by running Riptide through its neck.

But they weren't finished. More spiders were starting to emerge.

"Hazel, summon the flames!" Jason yelled. His sword was sandwiched between a feisty brown spider's fangs and he was trying to yank the blade out by the hilt.
"I'm trying but the flames keep getting smaller!" she replied, frustration evident in her tone. "Nico!"

A small black spider had managed to pass Nico and was fast approaching Jason's back. Within a flash, Percy took it down. It was frustrating not being able to summon water like he could back on Earth. He could have summoned all the drippy waters from the damp tunnels and wash out the spiders within a blink of an eye. But there they were, trying to fend themselves off monstrous, bloodthirsty spiders with just swords, the old school way. Crunch was sinking his claws into and ripping apart spiders with quick ease, keeping them off Hick while she swung her knives at a couple of spiders that had started to crawl on the ceilings, letting them fall and crush the spiders below. She was still perspiring profusely, trying to hold in whatever it was she was suppressing.

Dane had followed suit, aiming his arrows towards the ceiling while Henry and Hazel fend off those at the ground. Just when they thought all the spiders had arrived, another wave of them scuttled in, breaking through theirs defenses, getting to the bats.

"We need to fall back!" Henry yelled, just before two spiders had leapt off the walls and were now struggling to sink their fangs into his flesh as he tried to shake them off. Within the next second, Percy had slit open the spiders' backs, spilling their blue guts all over the floor.

Another had managed to latch onto the back of Hazel's neck, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream, trying to stab the bugger with her sword but it kept dodging her blade each time she took a swing.

And then it happened. As the spider reared its venomous fangs ready to sink into Hazel's neck, the spiders, the splatter of blue blood, the dripping tunnel water, almost everything around Hick seemed to mute and grow indistinct. She was aware only of the spiders in the tunnel, some in the midst of jumping off the walls and ceiling ready to attack, some just barely entering through the mouths of the tunnel. And as Hick realized she was losing control of her body, she felt a fleeting moment of panic… and then nothing. Her feet began to move, and her arms started to swing. She felt the cold metal of the brass knuckles on her fingers. Something splattered against her face.

Her surrounding came into focus. She felt fur and claws against her neck, holding her up and against the rocky tunnel walls. Crunch had pinned her to the tunnel wall. There was blue liquid everywhere. Everyone was unscathed, but they were staring at her in shock. Except for Jason. He had concern written all over his face. And Crunch was just amused by it all.

"Well, Skydweller, you seem just about calmed down now," said the rat, letting Hick go abruptly. She fell on her rear, still in a daze. "Come on, now. There's a boat I've prepared waiting at the end of the tunnel."

Percy immediately rushed to her side. He held out a hand to help her up. "Hick, look at me! Are you - "

"An untamed Rager! What say you, Dane? I would not have guessed," Henry interrupted, a hint of laughter in his voice as if he found the situation all too incredulous. But all Dane did was keep silent, ignoring his cousin.
"Rager?" said Nico.
"It's a special kind of fighter. They're born with great ability. While others may train for years to master combat, a Rager is a natural-born killer," said Henry. "And Crunch is one too, judging from how he moves."
"I do not trust the Clawer," said Dane. "He held back when fighting the Spinners. He wanted us all dead!"
"Sooth thy savage breast, dear King. I did hold back, but only for Hick to unleash the Rager in her," the rat said languidly, picking at his teeth with a tiny dagger. "If my plan was to have you all killed by the Spinners, wouldn't I die along with you? That would be a horribly stupid plan, wouldn't it?"

Hick appeared to finally gather where she was and what had happened. She looked around frantically, and started to get to her feet.

"No one's hurt," said Jason, reading Hick's mind.
"No one's hurt? Did you not see how she lunged at Dane? She tried to kill him!" one of the bats sneered. It was the golden one, Dane's bat, Aurora.
"Your darling baby king is unscathed, Flyer," Crunch scoffed, tapping his right hind paw on the floor impatiently. "The Spinners are slain. Shall we move on now or wait for more to come and feast on us while you persist in this petty quarrel?"

A tensed silence followed.

"Alright, then. We move," Crunch shrugged, walking off.

Hick looked down at her brass knuckles. They were shiny with the spider's blue blood. Everyone else's brown garments had only some splatter of blue liquid, but Hick's was soaked with the spiders' blood through and through. She picked at something that clung to her sleeve and gingerly held it up between her fingers. It was still pulsing somehow, but very slowly, with each successive pump getting weaker and weaker. Hick dropped it. It was a heart.

"We'll get you changed along the way. Viktus packed extra garments," came Hazel's gentle voice. "Let's go, Hick. Crunch has walked on way ahead of us."

They arrived at what appeared to be some kind of dock, except that there was no water in the river. Percy felt his heart skip a beat. At first, he didn't recognized the insects that flew just above the cry coast, but now he did. They were Stingers. The same specie that waged a war with his father, the same specie they had slain cruelly and drove out of their world.

Nico had his hand resting on the hilt of his dark Stygian sword, ready to take on any sudden attack from the vengeful Stingers. Hazel wore the same protective look Nico had on his face as she positioned herself a few feet ahead of Hick. The girl was utterly exhausted, but she was ready to summon the green underworld flames anyway to protect Hick from any potential attack from the Stingers.

Siblings protecting siblings. Percy looked on at Hick, who seemed more anxious for Hazel and Nico's safety than touched. She had changed into fresh, dry garments, but she didn't look too happy anyway. He could tell that in her heart, she was completely filled with dread. She probably rather Nico and Hazel let the Stingers attack her and kill her off.

"You didn't plan this for them, you know that," he whispered to her, trying to reassure her. She shot him a thankful smile, which made his heart flutter. He could feel his cheeks warming and immediately looked away so she couldn't see him blush.

"Uh… how do we travel by the boat you prepared?" asked Henry, gesturing to the two huge boats suspended by ropes at dock level. Hick had said they should be called ships, but Percy knew they were too small to be ships. Then again, they were too big to really be called boats. They were larger versions of the long, narrow vessels Percy had seen in the museum back home, boats Native Americans had used hundreds of years ago. But secured to the bottom of each was a large gray triangular fin — a real fish fin— that must've come off a whopper of a swordfish or something. Strapped along the sides of the boats were more fins that could be extended and retracted horizontally as needed. A curved bone was attached to the back of each boat as a rudder.

"Well, climb on then! The Stingers will fly us out," said Crunch impatiently.

Everyone else watched uneasily as Crunch climbed onto one boat while after unloading the bags onto another.

"There has to be another way we can travel," said Jason, looking at Hick wearily.
"The king will be onboard. Don't worry won't drop you even if they really want to," Crunch called out.
"Yes, very reassuring, Crunch," retorted Percy.
"Come on, let's go," Hick said quietly, rock ground towards the boat.

Teams of Stingers lifted the two loaded boats by rope loops and started down the river. As the bats, Aurora and Ares took off after them, Hazel gripped Hick's hand tightly, as if trying to reassure her. She planted a kiss on her sister's cheek, just like she did with every other close friend. "We'll be fine," she told the Warrior, who only managed to return a weak smile.

They flew a few miles out over the Waterway before the teams of bats lowered the boats into the water and took off.

Night had fallen.

"So… are we on enemy's waters now?" said Nico.

Dane nodded. "This is Clawer's territory now. Before we signal Terra to take down the dam here, Hick must kill the Bane and King Gorger. We will do that once we reach the Labyrinth, that is the Clawers' city."
"Oh, look! The Shiners are here!" Henry announced.

"The Shiners?" Jason repeated after the prince.
"On long voyages, we cannot carry enough fuel to provide light. So we hire shiners to aid us," said Dane.

Hick was starting to like Dane a little now. He seemed more approachable and less haughty after she, Hazel and Jason had taught him how to make sandwiches.

In the darkness, Hick spotted two points of light. They went out, and then turned on again, closer this time. As the flickering light continued to approach, she could make out the forms of flying insects. By the time the two giant bugs had landed on the bows of the boats, he had identified them.

"Oh, they're fireflies!" Nico exclaimed, sitting up to have a glimpse of the large flickering creatures. Hick couldn't help but share in her brother's excitement as she sat up straight as well, straining to see the arriving fireflies. Back at her mom's family's farm in Virginia, they flew at the edge of the woods at night. Their little twinkling lights made the whole place look magical. The three-foot-tall versions perched on the boat weren't nearly so enchanting. But she had to admit that when their butts lit up, they put out some light.

"Greetings, Shiners," said Henry rather unenthusiastically.
"Greetings, all," one of the fireflies said in a high and impossibly whiny voice. "I am he called Glow-Glow and she is Zap."
"It was my turn to make the introduction," wailed Zap. "Glow-Glow made it last time. "
"But we both know that, as a male, I am more visually pleasing to humans," Glow-Glow said, his rear end blinking in a variety of colors. "Zap can only make one color, and it is yellow."
"I hate you!" shrieked Zap.

And Hick knew this was going to be the longest trip of her life.

Percy had never bitten his nails before, but he started doing it about five minutes after the fireflies arrived. They were unbelievable! They argued about where they would sit, they argued about who should take the first shift, they even argued about who Hazel should serve between them as a slave, as they had heard of Sky-dweller customs that dark-skinned Sky-dwellers must be enslaved. Percy delighted in the fact that Hick and Nico had managed to frighten them silent with a small burst of underworld flames. They resumed bickering only seconds later and Hick had walked off to the other far end of the boat to sit with Crunch.

Dane tried to feed them to distract them, but they just bickered about each other's table manners.

"Must you talk with your mouth full, Zap?" Glow-Glow said. "It kills my appetite."

"This from someone who just sat in his milk!" Zap said, and apparently she had him there, because his rear end went bright red in anger, and he chomped on a mushroom in silence for at least thirty seconds.

"Are they always like this?" Percy whispered to Dane.
"In truth, these two are not as bad as some others I have traveled with," whispered back Dane. "I once saw a pair try to fight to the death over a piece of cake."
"Try to?" said Nico.
"They are not very capable fighters, and they tire quickly. So they ended up accusing each other of cheating, and giving up. Then they sulked for several days," said Dane, causing the Nico, Hazel and Percy to chuckle.

"Do we really need them?" asked Jason, a hint of exasperation in his voice. He was obviously still not happy with the fireflies' racist comment.
"Unfortunately, yes," said Dane.

After a few minutes, Hick couldn't bear it anymore.

"Gosh, Go-go, can you please tone it down? I'm getting a headache from your whining!" she groaned.
"Go-go? Go-go? I am he called Glow-Glow and will answer to no other name!" shrieked Glow-Glow.
"Allow me to translate," Crunch said, not even bothering to move. "She said if you don't stop your incessant babble, that big rat sitting at the boat front will rip your head off."

The silence that followed was blissful.

They were far out into the Waterway now. The torches had been extinguished when the shiners arrived, and the fireflies' glow only illuminated the immediate area. Hick snapped on her helmet's flashlight for a minute and shone it around. All signs of land had vanished.

There were waves, too, now. And even a decent breeze. Henry, with Hazel, Jason and Nico's assistance, ran silken sails up the masts and were preoccupied with steering the two vessels. Aurora and Ares settled comfortably together and prepared to doze off. Well, just Aurora. Ares was watching Hick closely.

Hick felt kind of bad. Unlike Jason and Hazel, she hadn't exactly made the effort to talk to the bats. It was just weird, talking to animals. But she knew she had to give it a try. Besides, Henry was busy manning the sails, and Dane was helping Percy steer the boat while the son of Poseidon struggled to use his weakened powers to read the waters. As for Crunch, he had climbed over the rope attaching the two boats to the cargo boat so he could 'nap in peace', according to him.

"Hey, Ares right? Do you know how long it will take us to get to the Labyrinth in this boat?" asked Hick.
"At least five days," said Ares. "If we flew, we could make it in less time, but it is believed that very few bats could make the journey. No one has ever tried it."
"Maybe you could make it," said Hick. "You're swift and strong. I noticed you were faster than the other bats – I mean, Flyers – at the arena."
"I have thought that I might try it someday, to see if I could accomplish it," admitted Ares.

"Like Lindbergh. He's the first guy who flew across the Atlantic Ocean by himself," said Hick.
"He had wings?" asked Ares.
"Well, mechanical ones. He was a person. He had a plane. That's a machine that flies. Now people fly across the ocean all the time in great big planes, but not when Lindbergh was flying," explained Hick.

The bat's interest was finally perked. He raised his head, while Aurora dozed off at his side. "He is famous, in the Overland?" asked Ares.

"Yeah, I mean, he was. He's dead now, but he was real famous. People were mad at him, too. Because of something about a war," Hick said, unsure about that part.

Meanwhile, up above the sails, Jason watched as Hazel swung from one sail mast to another, meeting Nico's welcoming embrace in glee as she made her first successful swing.

"Can rats swim?" Jason asked Henry, peering out into the water.
"Yes, but not as far out as we are. The rats cannot reach the Warrior here," Henry replied, following his thoughts. "Don't worry, your little Warrior is safe and sound for now."

Indeed for now. Eventually they would have to land. And there would be King Gorger. And the mighty Bane.

If there was one thing Nico knew, it's that Hick's a fast learner. Except for when he tried explaining to her basic statistics. Anyway, he watched as the Hick swung between the two boat's masts and balanced on the wooden poles holding the sails with simian dexterity, adjusting and readjusting the ropes according to the direction the wind was blowing while her brown cloak bellowed in the night ocean breeze.

He recalled how she had suddenly turned so… beast-like in the tunnel, slaying every single spider in there. It was physically impossible, but she did it. Sure, Hick usually fights like a "demon, just like Percy", as Hazel had told him multiple times. But what he saw Hick did earlier on was not the same thing she did at Camp Half-Blood's sparring areas. She moved so fast, Nico bet many of the spiders didn't even realize they were all bashed up, even when all their organs spilled out of their gaping wounds.

Either way, it had been a very long day. As he watch Hick finally adjust the sails to her satisfaction and swing over to the cargo boat, probably to check on Crunch, Nico felt himself drift off into a deep sleep.

A few hours later, Nico awoke to the sound of rushing water and Henry's frantic voice screaming "Whirlpool!"

The sky was still dark. The boats were on the outer edge of a huge vortex. The whirlpool must have been at least a hundred yards wide. The water was rushing at a dizzying speed, grasping at anything in its reach, carrying it around and around until it was sucked down into a black gaping hole in the center.

Nico scrambled onto his feet and clung to the side of the boat for dear life. Hick and Percy were shouting at each other across the rope that tethered the two boats together.

"I am cutting loose!" Hick yelled as she began to hack away at the rope between them.
"No!" Percy cried. "I'm not leaving without you!"
"Do not be rash, Warrior! The Flyers can fly us out!" Dane pleaded.

"They can only take one boat! Do it, Dane!" Hick shouted, and the rope severed under her knife. It was just in the nick of time. The lead boat containing Henry, Dane and the rest of the demi-gods was snagged by the outer ring of the whirlpool and carried off into the maelstrom.

It was only a matter of seconds before the second boat would meet the same fate. Nico lunged for the stern for Hazel, keeping her from tripping over herself and over the ledge.

The boat suddenly yanked to the side. "It's got us!" Henry cried out. But then there was an upward jerk. Nico sprawled forward, barely avoiding crushing Hazel, and found they were rising out of the water. The bats! Aurora and Ares were lifting them using the rope loops on the sides of the boats, but with great difficulty.

"Man, are they strong," Nico muttered to himself.
"What are you doing? Go get Hick!" Nico heard Percy yell. The guy was in hysterics.
"We cannot, Sky-dweller," said Ares, his voice clearly straining from lifting the boat. "Only two bats can hold this boat."

Nico leaned over the side of the boat to see what was going on. They were fifty feet above the water now, safe from the clutches of the raging whirlpool, but below them it was another matter. The cargo boat, with Hick and Crunch clinging to the mast, was spinning helplessly around in the whirlpool, smashing into debris, buckling under the pressure of the current. Except for the light from the demi-gods' flashlight helmet, the boat was in complete darkness.

Henry had tied himself to a long rope taken down from one of the sails.

"Guys, lower me down!" he yelled. All hands held on to the rope that slowly leveraged Henry all the way down.

"This is certainly an inconvenience," said a whiny voice by his ear. Nico turned to see Zap sitting on a coil of rope. "It was my time to sleep, too. I hope Glow-Glow does not think this means I will cover his next shift."

"Zap! What are you doing? Get down there so they can see!" said Nico.
"Oh, no. We never agree to go into dangerous situations. We are not fed enough for that," said Glow-Glow. And then he actually yawned.

Nico spun back around to the whirlpool in time to see Crunch throw Hick out over the water. Henry caught her and they were both carried straight up to safety. He set Hick in a soggy pile on the floor and started untying the rope around his waist. Down in the water, Crunch still clung desperately to the mast. The boat was quickly approaching the inner rings of the whirlpool and the black hole in the center.

"Wait a minute!" Hick cried, watching Henry finish untying his safety line. "Aren't you going back in for Crunch?"

There was no answer. She looked to Henry, to Dane, to Aurora, to Ares dripping and panting on the floor. Nico froze. Something in their faces made a chill go through him.

"Hello!" he yelled. "He's going to drown! We've got to get in there!"

"It is not possible, Sky-dweller," said Henry. "We cannot reach him by boat. A single flier could not get hold of him. It is not possible."
"I think Henry is right. We will risk more loss in the effort, and the likelihood of success is almost nonexistent," said Dane.
"But we need him! We need him to navigate in the Labyrinth!" Hazel protested. They knew this very well! Why were they just standing there?
"We bats will be sufficient," said Aurora. "And we can be trusted."

So, that was it. Now Nico understood. And so did Hick.

"It's because he's a rat," she accused them. "You're just going to sit here and watch him drown because he's a rat, right? If it were Viktus or Percy or even a bloody roach, you'd be down there, all right, but not for a rat! You'd probably have killed him already if you could have!"
"Is this true?" said Jason, staring at the two Land-dwellers in horror.
Crunch's boat snapped in two. He clung to the wreckage for a few seconds, and then it was swept out of her grasp. He started to claw his way through the water, fighting to keep from going under, but he wouldn't last long.

That was it. Hick flicked her helmet's torch on. Hands grabbed her as she climbed up the side of the boat.

"Oh gods, there she goes against," Percy groaned.
"Do not be a madman, Warrior," said Henry. "You cannot help him!"
"At least use the safety line!" said Jason, clearly the only one that was thinking.

After tying the rope around Hick's waist, she proceeded to jump off the side of the boat.

"Warrior, I forbid you! You will not survive!" Dane yelled amidst the roars of the ocean waves.
"Not with you guys as backup!" Hick yelled back. "Gosh, Dane, you make me sick! I have half the mind to throw you over the boat. See how you'd like it down there!"

Hick balanced herself on the edge of the boat for one second, braced herself, tried to forget about how much she hated high dives, and jumped.

The shock of the cold water occupied her for about a millisecond before all her attention was on the current. She was nothing — a twig, a gum wrapper, an ant being carried along by the immense force of the whirlpool. She felt herself yanked back up by the rope. They had her from above.

She was being lifted, swung out over the dark, sucking hole at the center of the whirlpool. For a moment, she had the crazy idea that they were going to drop her into it, and then she understood. Crunch was on the inner rings of the vortex. Maybe one, maybe two times more around, and then the rat was gone.

As they swung her in to meet him, Hick reached her arms out to the rat and he grabbed onto them. Clearly they did not think this through, because Crunch was digging his claws into Hick's arms. They spun around the whirlpool again. The current locked on them, pulling them down, not wanting to let them go.

"So utterly generous of you to rescue me Warrior. I was certain your royal friends would love to leave me for dead," said Crunch.

"They can't do it!" yelled Hick. "We're going under!"

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, waiting to be engulfed. Instead, there was a rib-crushing tug and suddenly they were swinging free. Crunch's full weight hit her. If the rat hadn't gotten one claw embedded in the rope, she would have lost him.

Crunch could sense her struggling to carry his weight. "Oh, yes, please do loosen your grip and let me plummet to my death," the rat said tersely.

All Hick could mutter under the strain of holding onto the rat was "No."

They were carried over the water for a while, until they were out of the whirlpool's reach. Then they were in the waves, half-treading water, half-using the life jacket to stay afloat, as the people on the leading boat reeled them in. Hands pulled them into the boat. When she felt the floor beneath him, she released the Crunch and Crunch retracted the claws he had dug into Hick's skin.

They lay side by side, gasping, coughing up water. Hazel was tending to her wounds now. But the wounds were the least of Hick's concerns for now. Her ribs hurt from the final tug of the rope. She hoped they were just bruised, not broken. If they ached, the pain was minimal compared to her arm. She gritted her teeth as Hazel flushed out the wounds on her arm, poured a cooling solution over the skin, and bandaged it in fresh fabric.

Percy toweled off Crunch and wrapped him in blankets. He was finally too exhausted to object when Dane poured a bottle of medicine down his throat. The rat went to sleep almost immediately.

"Is he all right?" Hick asked him.
"Yes. We must keep him warm. The cold water has been a shock. But he is a Rager, Hick. He'll recover twice as fast and be up in no time spouting quips," Dane said with respect.

"Who knew? Not only is our Warrior a Rager, but a rat-lover as well," Aurora spat.
"She has a point," Henry smirked.

Gosh did Hick want to stab that bat and that stupid boy so badly.

"Viktus brought Crunch to us. He brought him to help me, so I could help you guys and your whole stupid kingdom!" Hick said. "That's why we're doing this, right?"

She met with silence.

"My thoughts exactly," she seethed.

To be continued.