In Percy's defence, he didn't mean to start the fire. Well, technically, he didn't start the fire, the crazy hoodoo lady did. In the last few weeks he had been travelling the waters, Percy had noticed that the under-water life was acting oddly. Traits included in 'oddly' were swimming like they didn't know how to swim, irritable replies when Percy tried to ask them what was wrong and actually attacking Percy. Most of the time, neither Percy nor the marine resident was harmed in these encounters. Most of the time. Although it was funny at first to see fish completely unable to co-ordinate their fins and swim face first into sand, Percy didn't appreciate the sudden hostile attitude from the marine life.
So Percy had followed some particularly distressed porpoises to a coastal island. They were complaining about feeling sick the entire swim but Percy then discovered that porpoises really liked to complain about everything. The porpoises stopped short of the island, claiming that whatever was affecting the marine life was on that island. Percy thought nobody was looking when he rose out of the sea onto the beach.
Percy decided he didn't like the island almost immediately, he didn't like the way the water felt as he got to shore, like it wanted to return back into the surf as soon as possible, he didn't like the way the trees leaked ruby red sap all over the sand, he didn't like the way, he didn't even like the smell that was in the air. It wasn't just the smell of rot and people with little to no hygiene. There was something else, something sinister.
Percy shook his head, he'd been under water for too long. His senses were water-logged. Also, he was tired. Percy had mastered the art of traveling underwater quickly and efficiently, but it was like walking. When you walked too far for too long, you got tired. With every step he took, the more inviting the ground looked.
Percy made his way around to the marketplace, where he briefly lost his way but he righted his way. He didn't even know what he was looking for. A giant sign of something that screamed 'LOOK AT ME I'M EVIL!" perhaps? The people didn't seem to take much notice of him, in his scruffy greying shirt and brown trousers. Percy unbuttoned his long vest. It was warmer than he'd thought. Percy had lingered in the town until was sure there was nothing of consequence anywhere. He meandered to the docks, yawning to himself. If he didn't find anything he was finding the nearest place he could fall asleep and sleep for at least three days. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw a looming dark shape. He turned and it was definitely a giant sign of something that screamed 'LOOK AT ME I'M EVIL!'
It was the ship from the scary stories sailors and children whispered to each other. Percy had heard the story of a ship darker than the sea on a stormy day from his friend, Grover, though Grover was a little out of it when he enthusiastically recounted the story surrounded by his friends. From the lowered forecastle and elongation of the hull to raise the level of stability in the water and reduce wind resistance at the front, Percy guessed it was a galleon. However, he could never guess how it came to be so dark. The darkest wood Percy knew wasn't completely black, if you look at it closely enough it was just a very dark brown. However, the closer Percy looked, the blacker it got.
Percy walked up to the charred hull. When he was six, the local stray dog had taken a liking to him, Percy fed it scraps and didn't throw rocks at it. Around this time Percy also discovered it was impossible for him to drown. He stayed underwater for hours on end. Once, when he was searching for sea shells for his mother to use in her jewellery making, the dog followed him. Unfortunately, the dog thought he was drowning and almost drowned trying to save him. In the moment the dog laid dead, Percy felt this kind of oily weight in his gut. Just looking at the ship made Percy feel like his blood had been replaced with that heavy oily weight.
"Don't stare too long at it, boy," Percy turned to the source of the voice. It was a lady, old by appearance but he got the feeling she was younger than she looked. The lady slowly hobbled over to him, the little clink clink clink of the hoodoo charms attached to the brown sash around her waist. Her eyes were sunken, even against her teak skin, Percy could see the circles around her eyes. Other than that, she seemed normal. Her dress was a bit rugged and her hair a bit ragged but who was he to judge? He just crawled out of the sea.
"You seem troubled, boy." She whispered hoarsely. In a crowd where children were shrieking about one thing or another and people talking over each other, Percy had to strain to hear her.
"Do I?" Percy glanced at the ship, "Why shouldn't I look at it too long?"
The hoodoo lady smiled toothlessly, "Legends be telling of a ship much like this. They say if you look at it for too long, your soul will be swallowed."
Percy tried to look as if he wasn't even slightly freaked out by that comment.
"But if such dark powers be working the same on you as any other human, well, such thing would surprise me." Hoodoo lady glared distastefully at the ship, like it had done her a personal wrong.
Percy wondered if the ship really was cursed and if it was the cause of illness in the marine residents. The gears started turning and Percy caught onto the other implications of the hoodoo lady's quip.
"Um, I don't quite understand what you mean by other humans, but I don't think the ship would swallow up anyone's soul." Percy said, not quite sure why he was defending the integrity of a ship. Maybe it was because he felt like that would be too easy. In Percy's experience, nothing was ever easy.
"You're of the sea." Hoodoo lady stated, turning a shell between her fingertips, "I know the powers. I work with them for me living. I can tell something different about you. Something that could drown all those you care for."
Alarms blared in Percy's head. Drowning the ones he care for?
Like she'd read his mind, she cackled mirthfully.
"Don't look so burdened, boy, 'tis only a possibility I warn of."
"Okay, I think I'll be going now." Percy didn't want to know why she knew he was demigod but he knew that it probably wasn't good.
"I know someone who wants a word with you. Will you speak to them?" Hoodoo lady demanded, picking a vial off her sash. If that wasn't cause for alarm, the black ship began to groan and creak. 'No' wasn't an option.
"Only if they're nice." Percy's eyes darted pass her. When worse came to worse, he was jumping into the water and swimming far far away.
Hoodoo lady's broad red smile was the only warning Percy needed to know that bad was coming his way. He barely had time to drive out of the way before she smashed the vial on to the dock. A shrill, piercing whistle entered the air. Percy cried out, shoving his hands to his ears in an effort to block it out. Where the ointment had fallen sprung fire, tinted like mint leaves. Hoodoo lady raised her arms, palms facing the fire. "Venite ad latus meumunus qui interrogatus responderet!" She chanted, "Venite ad latus meumunus!"
Percy heard people screaming, scrambling away.
Hoodoo lady cheered. "Be not afraid, son of the sea! I summon one that can answer your questions!"
The fire began to die, in the place of the flames, stood a beast, with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a ten-foot-long snake-headed tail that protruded out of its shaggy behind. Percy stepped back. Chimera.
From the look of the hoodoo lady's face, she clearly was not referring to the monster the size of a water buffalo. "You are not who I called for!" she snarled. Angrily, she snatched another vial from her sash and threw it at the Chimera. It exploded right between the lion eyes in a cloud of grey dust. The Chimera retched, the hoodoo lady watched expectantly and then, the Chimera sneezed. It sounded like a kitten mewling. Percy could've laughed regardless of the situation. Hoodoo lady's face told him she didn't know what she was expecting, but she wasn't expecting that.
The Chimera roared, spewing great turrets of fire. Hoodoo lady let out a shriek of terror and turned tail. The Chimera sniffed the air and growled. It turned to fix Percy with its terrible orange eyes. Percy's hand was on his spyglass at his belt as the Chimera lashed out with its massive tail. He rolled out of the way as he expanded the spyglass. Riptide's form changed into a shimmering double-edged bronze sword, the flat hilt riveted with gold stud. It was the right weight in Percy's hand as he charged at the Chimera.
Percy probably should've thought of some kind of battle plan because as soon as he got within range of the monster's tail or flames, he had to retreat hastily. The Chimera knew this, Percy could almost swear it was leering at him. Percy rushed at it again, evading it's tail and slashing at it, only for the Chimera to raise one hoof and hit Percy square in the chest. Percy flew back, landing awkwardly on the dock. He gagged, trying to get breath back in his lungs.
The Chimera roared again, charging at Percy. Percy reached for his sword, but his legs betrayed him a collapsed under his weight. Percy scrambled to get up.
Then a shadow fell over Percy. Silently, a figure rose from the ground.
The Chimera stopped mid-charge and sniffed the air. It growled, but stilled, as if it was considering something.
It was a boy, only a few years younger than Percy. He was dressed from head to toe, in black, the only exception was his belt, which was brown. The wind caught in his shaggy dark hair as he focused on the Chimera. His sword, black as a nightmare was pointed at the monster. Percy didn't even see him rush forward to meet the beast. He slashed at the beast, weaving and diving to avoid the snake tail. His sword collided. The snake hissed, oozing green. The boy turned, onyx eyes holding unmeasured ferocity.
"Fight!" He ordered, an accent colouring his voice.
At first, Percy thought he was talking to him, but then he realised the boy was looking at the ship.
'No,' Percy thought, 'not the ship. The crew.'
Almost on cue, skeletons began to spring off the boat, stumbling towards the battle. He picked himself up. A bone hand grabbed his vest. Percy pushed the skeleton away, raising Riptide to deflect another attack. The skeletons had obviously decided that the boy was the only non-threat in the area. Percy cut down three skeletons before the boy snapped, "Leave him be!" and they became focused on the chimera.
It would take a miracle for them to get close enough to the Chimera to finish it. Its tail was keeping the boy and the skeletons at a distance. Any time it felt that the skeletons or the boy had gotten too close, it spewed fire. The boy seemed to notice this too, retreating back as the skeletons kept up the attack.
"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help?" He demanded, fixing his angry onyx eyes on Percy.
"We need to figure out how to get close enough to wound it."
The Chimera moved fast, it broke through the skeleton, bounded forward and lashed out with its tail.
Percy shoved the boy out of the way. The tail slammed into his side. Searing pain coursed through his body as he collided with the dock again.
The skeletons swarmed to protect the boy, encasing the Chimera in a dense line. The boy moved to Percy's side. He grabbed a handful of Percy's shirt and with surprising strength, hoisted him to a sitting position.
The boy leant down, "How's this for a plan? I'll take the tail and you deal with the fire." The boy ran off the attack the snake again.
Deal with the fire? How was he supposed to stop the Chimera breathing fire? Wait.
Percy felt like the world's daftest idiot. He was on a dock. Docks were surrounded by water. Percy had a special affinity to water. Out of pride, Percy blamed the splitting headache and the possibility he had just broken a rib to why he didn't think of his sooner. He stood and reached out with his mind, calling to the water. He was met with silence. There was something wrong with the water.
It wasn't listening to him. He focused. The water felt heavy, reluctant. He tried to raise it, to move it. But it stayed in the calm push-pull of the gentle waves. Percy fisted his hands. He needed this to work. His breath became shallow as he thought of nothing but the water. His insides felt raw, a harsh tugging sensation filled his gut but this time, the water listened to him. The waved surged. Two whirlpool swirled on either side of the dock.
"Get clear!" Percy yelled.
The boy glanced at him, then he seemed to collapse into his own shadow. Percy was too focused on his task to be surprised, thrust his hands up, and twin geysers shot in the air. Somewhere, Percy heard the boy yelp in surprise. Percy dug in his heels and brought his hands down. The geysers mimicked his movements, crashing into the Chimera as two liquid whips.
The boy leapt forward and sunk his blade into the Chimera's goat body. The Chimera snarled pathetically, the snake poised to strike. Instead of striking, it disappeared in a whirlwind of ash.
The corners of Percy's vision blurred into grey and suddenly, he felt like his legs couldn't support his weight.
Now was a good time for that nap.
_
AN/: So, who thought the fire was Leo? Really? Well, that was uncreative of you. That's okay, we all make mistakes. Like how I didn't do enough research on Hoodoo and found Hoodoo is nothing like I wrote it. I'll fix it later, I swear. Anyway, that was hectic. And really fun to write. I know, there are some questions and inconsistencies with Percy but I promise it'll all be clear as the story progresses. Worry not, the new chapter is already half written. I think a plot might be forming. I know that Percy is about four years older than Nico, but I'm gonna bump Nico up to fifteen years old and leave Percy at seventeen. Fight me.
Anyway, I hope you like reading it. If you did maybe leave a review or a fave so you know when the new chapter's up? I don't know, just a crazy idea.
Peace out readers, Cass.
P.S the next chapter's Nico. Again. Guess who's my favourite demigod? Spoiler, it's Nico.