𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔 • Percy Jackson.

II-15

             THEY APPROACHED THE ISLAND, THE
ROCKS VEILED BY MISTY FOG. With the candle wax stuffed into their ears and Annabeth tied to the boat, the silence was vexing. Percy steered the boat while him and Val would watch over Annabeth, who at first looked normal. That is, until suddenly her face showed puzzlement before widening.

Her body contorted, straining against the ropes to be free. She looked in pain, calling out to all of them, they didn't need to hear to know what she wanted. She wanted an out. She seemed so miserable contained like this. Yet everyone knew that once those ropes were loosened, Annabeth's fate would be sealed. She felt her hands grasp tightly against the ropes, there was skill hidden underneath its feral nature, looking for an out. There was no care for the calluses or the jagged marks the ropes imprinted on her dry skin.

Amani watched it out of the corner of his eye, but made it his focus to stare ahead instead. His hands tapped upon the railing with the speed of his heart beat – tick. tick. tick. His fingers kept tapping and tapping until all he could focus on was his own heart beat and it was then he began to realize: I need to calm down. Yet his body paid no heed. His gut is churning– as if a black hole was sucking everything out– and all that was left was an empty feeling–numb enough– to hurt. Enough to make him think he was falling just like he had before: the feeling of weightlessness.

Annabeth struggled, her choked sobs could be seen, but everyone forced themselves to turn away. She called out, and called out, until her throat hurts and her voice strained, but there was no need for her and her struggles fell into vain. Amani took a glance back, his eyes grew wide as there was only a
of cut ropes. They had forgotten to disarm her. Tick.

He rushed to the side of the boat, Val and Percy followed suit. He saw her paddling madly for the island, the waves helping her to the jagged rocks. Amani felt his heart drop, his visions were not there and now, he watched as Percy swam like his life depended on it to save Annabeth. Tock.

Yet….He still hesitated. Tick. Val followed, he watched as another splash hit the sides of the boat. You're not following? He asks himself, he can't think of an answer.  Tock.

—

    He doesn't know what else to do. How he could be such a fool to forget to disarm Annabeth of her dagger? Percy's sure someone will tell him how much of a stupid fool he is to follow after her. But she was his best friend, the one who had gone through hell and back (literally), and so he swam madly after her. Tick. Diving under the wrecked hull of a yacht, weaving through the metal chains, concentrating so much his head began to hurt. Tock.

Percy was a wreck when he reached the black volcanic sand on the beach looking for Annabeth. Whether it was luck or not, she was a strong swimmer. The mist cleared and he saw it.

The sirens.

The earwax blocked his hearing, but he knew from the way their mouths moved, they were singing and he wondered just how beautiful It was to succumb to drowning just upon hearing it. Their songs were lethal but so were illusions. Their faces morphed and there were people he knew: his mother, Grover, Tyson, Chiron, the list went on. They looked at him with smiles inviting him over, like a warm home. Tock.

He couldn't deny he wanted to go over there, to the fantastical warmth, but he knew. No matter what shape they took, their mouths were greasy and around the edges were caked with remnants of old rotten flesh.  Like vultures, they’d been eating with their faces, and it didn’t look like they’d been feasting on Monster Doughnuts. Tick.

He watched as Annabeth swam towards them. He propelled himself, with the aid of water, to grab her ankle. Tock.

—