Matt Jackson: The Demigod Trials - The Sacrificial Spire (Percy Jackson World)

Chapter 13: We Get Directions from a Gold Fish

We shot down through the water as I created a small bubble of air around Alison allowing her to breathe and keeping her dry. Alison looked like she was freaking out inside her small bubble of air as I floated next to her. I floated inside the bubble so I could hear her. Right before I reached the bubble, I heard a strange sound coming from a thick patch of seaweed. It sounded like someone or something struggling.

Then I looked back to Alison and saw her struggling to stay calm and I floated into the bubble. She was clenching her fists hard, and her face looked red. "Can we please get out of here as soon as possible." She managed through clenched teeth. I nodded and willed the bubble upwards towards the surface. We stopped at the surface, and I helped Alison get onto the shore where she lay on her stomach as if she was hugging the ground. I told her about the sounds from below the water and that I was going to see what it was. "Thanks Matt." Her voice was muffled by the ground she was laying on. "I guess trusting you was the right decision."

I patted her back. "Are you sure you're okay?" She nodded slowly as she rolled onto her back. "I'm fine." She sat up and waved to the water. "Go talk with the water or whatever." She smiled at the ridiculousness of her statement.

I nodded fake saluting making her laugh. "Aye aye, captain". I turned and dove headfirst into the water swimming deeper towards the thick seaweed. I heard the sound again as I floated up to the seaweed. I started wading through the seaweed like I was walking through a cornfield and the sound stopped suddenly.

As I pushed back one thicker piece, I saw a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. I pulled out my sword and held it ready as I pushed back the seaweed in the direction of the movement. I could see a creature of some kind thrashing around as it saw me, and my sword appear through the seaweed. Its eyes were focused on my sword as I pushed through the seaweed with it. Every time it moved the creature thrashed and made a desperate sound.

I put the sword down on the floor of the river and slowly floated closer to the river. As I got closer, I realized that the creature was no regular fish. For starters it looked like another version of a centaur with the top half being a horse and the bottom half being a silvery fish body. The tail fin was rainbow coloured and must've been what I saw through the thick seaweed.

The creature seemed to be tangled in a fishing net that was stuck in all the seaweed. I knew untangling it would be hopeless at this point, so I reached for my sword moving slowly. The creature thrashed against the fishing net getting itself tangled further.

I held the sword back away from the fish horse. "Relax I'm trying to help you here." I said to myself. The horse fish slowly stopped thrashing without taking its eyes off the sword. I pointed to the sword in my hand. "I'm gonna use this to cut the net around you ok." I swear the creature scrunched its face like it was thinking about my words. Then it nodded its head.

You smell like the lord. It spoke in my head. I probably shouldn't have been surprised that the fish horse could talk to me, but it was still weird hearing a voice in my head that came from a fish horse combo. I asked the first question that came to my mind. "You talk?"

The creature's eyes looked pleading. Please save me lord. The creature wiggled slightly straining against the net.

I wanted to ask why it thought I was this 'lord' person, but I figured that could wait until it was free from the net. I floated over and gently slid my sword under the net making it brush lightly against the creature's body. It whined in protest as it felt the celestial bronze rub against it. I gently patted its side. "Don't worry. You'll be out in a second." I pulled the sword back against the net slicing through part of the net. The net loosened against its body, and it instantly shot forward trying to break free. A loose piece of the net wrapped around my ankle and yanked my leg out from under me making spin around in a circle.