Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
I dedicate this chapter to all the people out there that reviewed. Thanks for all the help on this story, all the suggestions that built it into what it is now.
The Corrupted One
I held my breath at first. My lungs ached. They were going to burst- I took a deep breathe. Water slipped into my mouth and down my throat. I was going to drown.
The water slid over my tongue and into my throat. I thrashed, expecting this to be the last moment of my life. Had Percy lied to us? He'd better not of. If he had, I'd kill him, assuming I survived.
As the water entered my lungs, something strange happened. A wonderful but horrible feeling sent tingles through my body, from the inside out. It felt as if I had slammed my funny bone on cement, only in my lungs.
Then I was breathing air. Regular, plain, sweet oxygen. When I let it out, bubbles exploded through my mouth. I experimented, breathing in and out. Each time I did, a mild tingling vibrated through my cells. It wasn't as strong as the first time, and with each intake of breath, the tingling got milder and milder until I couldn't feel it at all.
I sighed with relief. Silena, next to me, grinned and put up two thumbs. Something inside me realized I couldn't talk, so I returned the gesture. Nick floated past, eyes shut, hands behind his head. He cracked a grin without opening his eyes.
We spent a minute cherishing this gift. Silena laughed, and did endless flips. It was like we were in zero gravity. I swam down and touched the sandy shore. Hermit crabs scuttled away from my hand like it was the plague. Laughing for what seemed like the first time in ages, I swam up.
The joyous moment was over, though, when we remembered the haunting quest that shadowed us. Our smiles disappeared.
Silena pressed her lips together and shrugged. I nodded, and Nick gave a small smile. She led the way through the clear water.
The water was warm. I saw my hair floating eerily around my face and smiled. People always looked beautiful under water.
I didn't know how long we swam for. All I knew was the ache that echoed through my legs.
Finally, we reached something that could, if you looked at it a certain way, resemble a palace.
The palace wasn't that far into the ocean, but deep enough that we had to swim a reasonable amount to get to the front door.
It must've been grand at one time, made of shining white stone. But now it was half-ruined, one side collapsed. Seaweed climbed up the side and fish swam in and out of the gaps. Spiky water flowers grew under one of the windows.
Nick crept up to it. He stretched his hand out hesitantly- and snatched it back, cradling it.
"It bit me!" he said, offended. Then he realized what he had just done. Shock distorted his face. "I can talk," he said softly. He grinned. "I can talk! Silena, Annabeth! Say something!"
Silena opened her mouth, but only bubbles came out; no sound. She knit her eyebrows together.
It must've been the plant. That's how she talked with Perseus, I realized. I reached out my hand.
Two sharp points pricked my finger on each side.
"Ouch," I said, pulling my hand away. My voice sounded strange, bubbly somehow.
We looked at Silena expectantly.
She glared at us, arms folded, biting her lip.
"Silena," Nick said, gesturing toward the plant. Silena huffed and furrowed her eyebrows, but unfolded her arms. She daintily touched the plant and yelped.
"See what you guys did?" she cried, hold her finger out for us to examine her finger. I sighed. "Nick, go up ahead and find somewhere we can get in."
He grinned and nodded. Swimming up to one of the higher windows, he peered in. "No one's in here. Let's go into this one." Nick yanked away some seaweed until the window was clear. "All set."
"Ladies first," he remarked, helping Silena in. He offered me a hand. I ignored it and swam into the empty room.
Once I was in, I observed my surroundings. The back of a well made bed sat on the wall on my left. A small bedside table was next to it. It was decorated with seashells, pearls and smelled distinctly of ocean. The white stone had wave patterns carved into the top and bottom of the walls. It was a beautiful room, but something was strange, like no one had lived here for years.
The door was open, and I could see the white walls of the hallway. I could also see the petite figure making its way down the carpeted floor.
I grabbed Silena and pulled to the floor behind the bed. Nick hid in the closet.
The person entered. She was wearing nothing but a ripped cream slip, and her long brown hair hung lank around her waist.
Her nose was long and straight and her eyes a bright green. She had strange, delicate beauty about her, like if you touched her she would collapse.
This must be Neraudris, I thought. I couldn't understand why Perseus left. She was beautiful.
Humming a tune, she took out a feather duster and dusted the surfaces until they sparkled. She came around the bed to fix a pillow, and I pulled Silena under the bed. Her eyes were wide.
"She doesn't seem evil," she whispered. I put a finger to my mouth, but nodded.
Listening as the footsteps rounded the room, they stopped right next to the bed. My heart beat got louder and louder until I was sure she would here us.
But to my surprise, the footsteps faded away, back into the hall way. I let the brethe which I had been holding out. Slowly, I pulled my hand away from Silena's mouth. Together we crawled out from under the bed.
Nick came out of the closet, perspiration making his face glisten.
As I looked around at us, I realized that something was wrong. Our hair, which outside the house had been floating around our head, now clung to our foreheads.
"Uh, is there any water in here?" I ask in a whisper. Silena, noticing our hair for the first time, was the first to reply.
"No, I don't think so."
"But why?" Nick asked, confused. I think I already knew.