I have returned! I am in the midst of final exam crunch time and have another two exams tomorrow and the next day, and had several the last few days, and two final projects, and two essays, but I finally had some time to write (and ignored an essay, an exam, and a project to do so alkdsjf, guess what I'm spending the next few hours doing?).

Oh, I'm also sick... yay.

Hope you enjoy the chapter! They've finally reached the sea :D

Come yell at me on my tumblr: Percabeth4Life
Come chat with me on discord: h-t-t-p-s : / discord . gg / 3tGNJhu

OO OO OO OO

The confederates were… something.

They were perfectly polite to Annabeth, especially when she mentioned being from Virginia, but they… didn't like me very much.

Annabeth got in a shouting match with one when he said some… less than flattering things to me.

Clarisse ordered all of them to treat us with respect or they'd join the one who went off the side of the boat.

He was not retrieved.

I wasn't very upset about that.

Suffice to say I spent most of the time studiously ignoring the looks while staring out at the water.

Annabeth had decided she did not want to learn from these sailors and was instead going to buy books on ship engineering, ship manning, and all other manner of ship handling.

She promised to summarize them for me, so I could learn it too.

Tyson was upset that they weren't nice. He liked the boat and wanted to learn about it but didn't want to be around the people being mean to me.

Tyson tried to explain to the captain that it wasn't very nice to be mean to people for something like their appearance, but the captain wasn't very impressed.

Tyson had to pulled away 'cause he'd burst into tears and tried to backhand the captain.

The captain avoided Tyson from then on.

Other than the people running the ship, it was a nice ride. We got to sleep in hammocks, ride the waves, see the stars relatively untouched by pollution, wave to various sea creatures, and relax.

I read my curse breaking book a lot. It was elaborating on the nature of curses and how to counter them when it has yet to be tied in.

The best time to break a curse is before it can be fully placed on someone, before the layers are laid or the threads twisted or tightened. The hardest one to prevent are ones with overwhelming power, but the rest were at their most delicate when one is placing them.

I ran my finger over the lines detailing methods to counter curses.

They were all different. From stabbing out your power to break the web, to sweeping a physical barrier in place, to threading your own power in a different way so the curse threads get caught, to pushing them away, there were all kinds of methods to do.

Even a beginner curse breaker could prevent someone from cursing them if they could catch it before it set. They just needed to keep an eye out and practice controlling their power.

Annabeth groaned, dropping onto her hammock.

"The soldiers are so… infuriating."

I closed my book, peering at her.

"What did they do?"

She paused, glancing at me, then grimaced.

"It… just being nasty again. Clarisse is going over the maps right now so didn't hear it."

"They're already dead," I muttered. "They'll die again soon and go back to torment, or whatever else it was they had."

Annabeth nodded, huffing. "I wish we could've gotten on a boat with almost literally anything else. They're so horrible, it makes me feel icky just being around them."

I nodded again, opening my book again.

They were… a lot worse than anything I'd dealt with before. But literal slavers would do that I supposed.

At least the ride was almost over.

OO OO OO OO

The water was choppy.

I woke to the boat rocking in waves harsher than they should be.

I climbed up the stairs, pausing at the top to look around the boat.

There were all the workers wandering around, doing their jobs. Several shot me looks, but I ignored them.

The ocean was choppy.

I went to the edge of the boat, staring in confusion.

It wasn't a storm, I knew it in my bones.

It was something… else…

I swept my gaze out, but all I could sense was the ocean below me. Salt water spray on my skin and a tinge of seaweed in my mouth.

The only thing around for miles was ocean.

I decided to see if Clarisse knew what was up. This was her boat, and her quest.

Picking my way across the ship was a bit difficult when I had to dodge literally everyone on the boat.

I debated just jumping off and coming back on where I wanted to be but decided that was probably overkill.

I finally reached the opening to the Captains Office and tugged it open, faltering at the sight below.

Ares stood there, speaking with Clarisse.

I hadn't noticed with all the blood and knives already present that he'd arrived.

"-will succeed, have faith in yourself."

"Right, I've got this…" she peered up at him with wide eyes. "Thank you…"

Ares sniffed and looked away, his cheeks reddened.

"You're my kid, of course I'm making sure you do well. It's what parents are supposed to do. You'll kick their asses and get the fleece and save the camp."

She nodded, determination flaring in her eyes.

"I'll succeed, I can do this. I'm gonna kick ass and take names."

"That's the spirit! Now get ready, you're less than an hour out."

I closed the hatch and sat next to it, waiting for them to finish.

It was really nice to see Clarisse getting support from her dad. He was kinda… Avipa Tahapo last time we met… so it was nice to know he wasn't with his family.

The ship was filled with activity, like always. The workers checking ropes, cleaning the deck, talking. The scent of salt filled the air and the occasional spray wet the deck. I tilted my head back and breathed in.

There were eyes on me, the Confederates always seemed to keep an eye on me whenever I was around them, but I was used to getting looks. Usually for my hair, but my skin tone got looks too some places.

I could deal with it just fine.

Just needed to ignore them. Clarisse had made her stance very clear to them, none of them would try anything.

I wished mom was here, she was great at handling people. And she always made comfort food when stuff happened. I desperately wanted some Sayadieh right then, the fish was delicious, and mom did the best spice mix she learned from her mom's cook book.

Maybe she'd make it when I went home, we didn't have it often but I loved it.

The hatch was pushed open, Clarisse's head popping up.

"Eh, Jackson?"

I waved, standing up as she clambered to the deck.

"Hey, Clarisse."

"What do you want?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"Uh," I pointed to the water, "The water is acting strange, but there's nothing around to cause it. I was wondering if you knew why?"

She blinked, then lead the way to the ships side.

"Huh… is that odd?"

"Well, it's a lot rougher than it should be. And there's no storm around, nor any creatures in the ocean that I can tell, though it can be hard to tell when the ocean is right here… I'm not great at identifying things yet."

She nodded slowly, "Keep an eye out and let me know if you sense anything. We should be reaching the sea of monsters today."

I checked the tides, it was nearly second tide.

"We'll be going in through the Atufak Aipav?"

"The what?"

"The Atufak Aipav-" I mentally went through the words. "The Crashing Rocks."

Clarisse scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, we're going to destroy Kharibdys and go past her!"

I blinked, the waves rocking the boat.

What.

What.

I spun, "What!?"

"What?" Clarisse asked.

"You're going- Kharybdis is-" I gaped. "She's older than Rome!"

"Most monsters are," Clarisse dismissed.

"She's one of the deadliest terrors around and only limited by the fact she can't move!"

"We can destroy her," Clarisse insisted. "This ship has a lot of fire power."

I spluttered, "You- she- the ship- it- Are you insane?"

Clarisse scowled, "I have faith in the ship! You think my dad would give me something subpar?"

"No but- it doesn't matter how strong the ship is!"

Clarisse raised an eyebrow and I quickly drew up all my knowledge from my tutoring.

"The canons won't be able to go very deep with any force in the water," I explained. "Things entering the water slow a lot very quickly because the surface tension and density of-"

"Are you trying to talk science?" Clarisse looked very exhausted all of a sudden.

I huffed, "I'm trying to explain that the canon won't do much. There's a reason undersea warfare happens undersea, and naval warfare happens on the water."

Clarisse sighed, "Look, Prissy. I'll handle shooting Kharybdis, you handle making sure it hits and the ship doesn't crash, alright?"

I blinked, "I- you want me to- what?"

"Make sure the cannonballs hit Kharybdis."

"But- but-" I waved my hands. "You can't-"

"Don't worry," Clarisse pat my shoulder. "This will work, I know what I'm doing."

"What will work?"

I glanced over at Annabeth who was gliding over.

"Clarisse wants to go past Kharybdis instead of the Atufak Aipav."

"The what?"

I sighed, "The Crashing Rocks."

Annabeth shook her head, blinked, then turned to Clarisse. "Why would you go by Kharybdis? Percy is here, he can guide the boat through the Crashing Rocks. That would be so much safer."

Clarisse groaned, "Are you going to start up a science lecture on how I can't shoot Kharybdis with cannonballs too?"

Annabeth gaped, "With- what- that won't work!"

Clarisse let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Look, I've got a plan. You guys can help out or sit below deck while we destroy Kharybdis. The coordinates you gave us brought us here-"

I made a mental note to not trust the Grey Ones with coordinates.

"-so really it's your own fault."

Annabeth shot me a desperate look and I just shrugged helplessly.

"Clarisse-"

"Now then, let's double check the engine to make sure that it's in top shape then head off to face off with Kharbydis! This quest does have a time limit."

She stomped off, mouth set in a firm line.

"We're doomed," Annabeth muttered.

"I don't even know science," I muttered.

Annabeth snorted, then burst into giggles. Her eyes sparkled as she grinned at me, the tension seeming to melt away.

I let the tension drain from my own shoulders.

The water was settling, the rough waves slowly stilling. Tension hung in the air and the sky was dashed with storm clouds.

But Annabeth was smiling, and Tyson was having fun working on the ship. Despite everything going on, for just that moment I felt at peace.

OO OO OO OO

"Well," Annabeth squinted ahead. "That would be Skylla's cliff."

"Kharybdis isn't doing anything," Clarisse muttered. "That's weird."

"She sucks in water three times a day," Annabeth reminded her. "So maybe we're lucky."

"Lucky," I said slowly.

Talking felt weird, seaweed clinging to my mouth.

I'd come to realize that was not just normal sea taste. I'd felt it from an hour out, and now I could barely focus on anything else.

I didn't think we were lucky.

"We should hurry," I said, grimacing. I had to move my mouth so slowly to deal with the feel.

"You alright?" Annabeth whispered as Clarisse started shouting orders.

"Seaweed," I muttered.

She shot me a confused look.

"What do you mean seaw-"

Water roared in my ears, seaweed curling over my skin. The stillness broke with a crash of waves. The ship roiled, the ocean surged, the deck went out from under us.

Annabeth screamed, tumbling over as I held onto a rope to keep my feet under me.

"What the fu-"

"Captain! The water is pulling at us!"

I turned my gaze to the ocean and my breath caught.

The waves crashed, the ocean roared, the water spun. Spray filled the air, a mist rising. Before us was the maw of Kharybdis, and it was dragging us in.

"Captain!"

"Fire you idiots!" She screamed.

The cannons, loaded and ready since before we reached Kharybdis, shook and-

BOOM

My ears rang, the cannons shuddered, smoke filled the air. Annabeth staggered to her feet beside me as the ship roiled beneath us.

"Percy!" She tugged my arm. "Percy hold the ship!"

Hold the ship? What was she-

She waved at the water.

"Stop Kharybdis!"

Stop Kharybdis- the terror was older than Rome! Older than many Gods! Even those of the sea were uncertain of how she came into being.

A terror, a naiad, the force of the whirlpool that held this strait.

I was supposed to stop that.

"The boat, Percy! Stop the boat from moving!"

Oh.

…

Yeah, I could do that.

Probably.

I furrowed my brows, stretching out my power and clinging to the water. If I could life it- so much- I needed to- twist- no it was tugging- pull- no I couldn't pull enough-

The world narrowed to the seaweed in my mouth, the salt on my skin, and the ocean beneath me.

I swayed with the ship, letting the crashing waves call to me, calling to them in turn to spiral away, to pull from Kharybdis and guard our ship. I needed them, I needed their aid.

The whirlpool tugged, Kharybdis' maw yawning before us, deep beneath the currents that sought to sweep us away, to devour us, to pull our bodies into it to feast.

I battled the maelstrom for some semblance of control of the waves. The ship shook, cannons boomed, smoke and sea-spray filled the air.

The water sang beneath me as I tugged, winding it into a ball around the hull of the ship and pulling us back and back and back. Away from the roiling currents and the hungry seaweed drenched presence before us.

The spiral roared, furious at us remaining out of it's grasp. I snarled back, yanking at the currents and threading my presence through them. I held firm, spinning my own vortex around us that kept us away.

Metal balls hit the water, not going nearly deep enough, nearly far enough. They spun and spun into the whirlpool until they hit the bottom.

The creatures of the sea knew to avoid this spot, there was no life beyond the storm before us.

Pe

My hands shook, and my head ached, but the battle raged on. The maelstrom viciously fought to hold us, and I wrapped the ocean, my sword and shield, around us.

Just a little longer. I just needed to wait- just a little-

I shook, the ocean currents rebelling. Rocks scraped the waves, the waves lashed out, the currents tugged hard.

Not enough, I needed to hold on- we couldn't- couldn't fall-

My arms were shaking, my legs were shaking- oh no that was the ship.

Per

I wrapped the currents tighter, stronger, firmer, just hold on, just a little longer, you just need to-

The roaring of the waves, the song of the sea, the call of the currents, it all drowned all other noise out. All I could hear was the sea. All I could see was the ocean. All I could feel was the water.

I needed to pull- just a little bit more-

Percy

The ocean was hidden by spun gold and I blinked, swaying as my eyes focused on the storm clouds in front of me.

"Percy! Get down!"

Down- but the water- the currents- what-

Needle points dug into my back.

"PERCY!" Annabeth screamed.

My feet left the ship, my head spinning. The ocean roared, the water escaped my grasp, the boat careened forward.

I clawed my knife out, twisting in the grasp of what held me.

Rows of teeth clung to me. Grisly black dripping from her mouth. Her neck was coated with scales and seaweed and now, hung up high, I felt the itch of a curse and the dripping black death on my skin.

I stabbed my blade in her eye.

She shrieked like a puppy being tortured, writhing and throwing me as she yanked her head in.

I tumbled through the air, the sea singing beneath me.

The ship roiled beyond my reach, surging towards Kharybdis' maw.

The waves reached up.

I reached out.

I fell into darkness filled with bubbles.

OO OO OO OO

Klara POV

I leaned over Kai's shoulder as he studied the map.

"So… where do we go?"

"Acantha," Kai called. "Can you divine the ship from here?"

Acantha tugged her necklace off. A small, but dense, crystal hung from it. She carefully dangled it over the map and narrowed her eyes.

The currents seemed to shift, and the crystal drifted to the East.

"So… East?"

"Looks like it," Kai muttered. "We're getting… worryingly close to the Wasare av Tetek…"

"It's okay," Acantha assured him. "Persi-aia wouldn't go there, that would be far too dangerous. He's not foolish."

Kai fingered the map, his gaze worried. I nudged his shoulder reassuringly.

"Antonio-fu'oro?" I called. "If he's in the Wasare av Tetek will we be following him?"

Antonio's tails swished slowly, a frown on his face.

"We must. Persi-aia'no safety is the top priority. We'll have to be careful if he is in the Wasare av Tetek though. If the path leads there we will pause to regroup and gather supplies."

Kai relaxed a bit and I smiled.

"He should be safe, right?" Acantha asked. "Okeanus-ari favors him."

"Ert Aril av ert Horenu may favor him, but one should not forget that tensions have been rising as of late. His favor may protect Persi-aia, or we may lose Persi-aia to his grasp."

They shared a confused look.

"The politics are not something you would normally need to deal with," Antonio soothed and I frowned.

Persi-aia was Poseidon-re'ore'no child. He loved him dearly. Klara had heard the rumors of him sending on of Kyklopes children to Persi-aia to ensure his safety.

And Triton-re'aia clearly cared just as much for his little brother, he'd sent my team after all.

Was there a risk of Okeanus-ari trying to hold Persi-aia to force Poseidon-re'ore to do as he commanded?

I swallowed, we needed to find Persi-aia.

And soon.

OO OO OO OO

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review, they feed my soul.

What did you think of their fight with Kharybdis? Do you also smile in delight at the confederates painful second-end? Are you concerned for those on the boat? You should be :)

Some memes Lauren on my server made while I was ranting writing this chapter (idk if the links will work on ffnet but we'll see): X X

Okay but for real you guys would not believe the idiocy people claim- like completely unrelated to this chapter but I was double checking the sourcing for the Zeus giving the mixed drink to Kronos to make him throw up the other kids and like literally I cannot find a mythological source for this shit like- there is one source mentioning something of that nature but it's not that. It's a drug- so like- why- people cite your sources-

And then on this chapter, you might note that I said Kharybdis had no known parent and that's cause she has several claimed parents... but the sources for them are either super vague (no named scholia on the Odyssey, just mentioned that there is one that they pull it from), or it's a Roman source commentary on the Aeneid. So basically... no proper sourcing and it took four hours for me to finally decide that the sources were bs and unless someone can give me the actual source (because I spent forever searching... Kharybdis is most likely a natural born naiad of the whirlpool, or is a child of Keto (which has a bit of support even with those bs sources).

There's another hint to Percy's heritage in this chapter btw. I previously haven't focused much on this (and I am going to edit a few more referencing to his family culture in previous chapters when I fix up some grammar/spelling issues, but his mom is unfortunately disconnected by her parents dying when she was young and being taken in by her white uncle). I spent awhile figuring out his family tree... probably didn't need to go back 4+ thousand years but oh well.

Oh, and I did way too much research into how much you can shoot into the ocean and how it's affected, just ask the server that had to witness my pitiful attempts at physics (I may have done well in two physics classes but it's not cause I understand physics)

Ugh, I could spend forever ranting about the nonsense involved in all these claims on myths.

Halmaheran
Avipa Tahapo=gill-less jerk (consider it something like a very strong curse combined with a minor one, like fucking idiot)
Atufak Aipav=Crashing Rocks
Wasare av Tetek=Sea of Terrors/Monsters
Ert Aril av ert Horenu= The King of the Deep

Suffixes
aia=prince
fu'oro=master-teacher (great teacher, one they are apprenticed to)
re'aia=High Prince
aia'no=Posessive form of Prince (saying it is Percy's)
ari=old king
re'ore=high King of now
re'ore=high King of now (posessive)

Terminology
Sayadieh=A fish with rice recipe in several cultures, notably traditional to Lebanon but not exclusively
Kharibdys=Phonetic spelling of Charybdis
Skylla=Phonetic spelling of Scylla
Maelstrom=A powerful whirlpool

Come yell at me on my tumblr: Percabeth4Life
Come chat with me on discord: h-t-t-p-s : / discord . gg / 3tGNJhu