The Silence -Percy Jackson Fanfiction-

Chapter Two-Red

Percy felt as though he may be having a panic attack. 

Screams ripped through the air, the sounds emanating from Mer-People of all kind, Mer-Man, Mer-Maiden, or Mer-Guppies. It made Percy's blood run cold and his fins flare. He shot off into the darkness, the flashing light of the Anglerfish lighting his way, preventing him from running into walls and people just barely. As he passed over the heads of his fleeting people, what he saw horrified him.

Dead bodies, tails either ripped or torn off completely. Bite marks covered them, and Percy coughed as he breathed in the blood curling up in stalks. Limbs where splayed everywhere, and Percy's vision turned red from the shear mass of blood. 

He dove into the massacre, determined to help his people tooth in nail. In a flash, his golden sword, Riptide was in his hand, slashing in all those he saw being attacked. He watched with sorrow as many were taken down by various creatures, the most gruesome deaths being caused by the Dragonfishes and Goblin Sharks. 

He slashed an eel that had been coiling itself around a young Mer-Gup. He quickly grabbed the little boys hand and sped him away. He had no idea where to take him, however. He prayed the boy would be safe in his quarters and rushed him there, before returning. 

He saw Sword Sharks stabbing, Electric Eels easily electrifying their victims, and many other gruesome sights. 

He fought back a scream as he was bit by a Dragonfish, being forced to cut the thing in half before ripping it off his arm, some of the arm scales caught in his teeth. The thing didn't want to come off, and it was hard to grip, the thing being slimy, but he managed, and tried not to wince at the blood pouring out of his arm and only furthering the red tinge to his vision. 

He swam rapidly through the carnage, trying to save as many as he could, but with the little light it was very difficult to see. He was hesitant to swing blindly, less he hit someone. 

He hadn't seen his friends since the black out, and that frightened him. He was terrified he'd see Ash or Hunter's body lying on the Palace floor, distorted and ripped to shreds as he had seen many others. 

One particular sight caught his attention, however. 

He froze, the flashing lights hindering his vision but not to the point he couldn't make out the sight twenty feet away.

His father stood, locked into battle with a woman, long brown hair floating around her to create a halo effect, green tail and brown scales glinting in the dull light. Her green eyes were alight with a madness that frightened Percy.

His distraction, however, was fatal. He whipped around as he searing pain tore through his shoulder, as though someone had ripped his shoulder in several places, light claw scratches. He turned, only to swim back in fright. 

The creature before him was not natural. It reeked of death, and its appearance caused Percy's eyes to widen. It was female, blond hair splayed about it, reaching it's back. Its tail was a dull purple, its eyes pupil-less and a foggy, milky white. Percy was startled to realize it wore nothing to cover it's chest, but it had nothing to cover. No breast, nor nipples adorned his body. Pieces of flesh were rotten, and in some places there was nothing there, allowing you to see its skeleton. 

Its fin was twice the length of that of a normal Mer-Person, and it's tail was slashed and ripped in places. A glance at it's hands revealed them to be webbed, and indeed have talons, four of them coated in blood Percy assumed was his. 

The most alarming part was the little decorations on its face, framing it and making its eyes and razor sharp, pointed teeth stand out. They resembled that of a Anglerfish, giving off a soft glow, almost looking as though someone had tacked in onto its face to make it look more attractive. They hung from the sides of its face, the corners of its mouth and its chin. 

Percy slashed at it, but in the blink of an eye it was gone, before the pain erupted again, this time in his lower back. If he had to guess he'd say the creature took another slash at him, this time leaving two or three instead of four. 

Percy swung, and felt a mixture of panic and relief as his sword connected with something, as it could have been either the creature or a innocent Mer-Person. The lights flashed yet again, and he was both startled and thankful to see the creature floating downward, head and body two separate things as it touched the floor. 

He had not another moment to react as his arm was grabbed and he was being hauled outside of the Palace and away. A look at the tail revealed his the one who had taken Percy.

"Father! What are you doing?" Percy shouted, watching in horror as blood seemed to float out of the Palace as rapid speeds. His vision was no longer covered in a red hue, however, as he was pulled further and further away. He could now see the Palace was covered from all sides with the mutated creatures. He struggled against his father, but the grip on his arm was strong as he was propelled away. "We need to help! We can't just leave them!" Percy shouted. The screams of pain and terror could no longer be heard from within, but they echoed in Percy's ears constantly, forever to haunt him. 

"No, Perseus. We need to flee. We are of no help dead." His father said, sorrow tinging his words. 

"And they're be no one to help if we leave them all for dead!" Percy shouted, voice conveying his desperation. He needed to know his friends were safe. He needed to know all the Mer-Guppies hadn't been slaughtered ruthlessly like he had seen some. 

"Perseus! Pull yourself together! We must get to shelter and discus this!" Poseidon barked, and Percy went limp, letting his father drag him along as the Palace, his home became nothing but a red dot in the distance. 

He stayed quiet as he and his father found shelter in a cave near a maze of coral, albeit it was closer to the surface than they wanted, the light from the Great Perl shimmering through the waves, making the never-before-seen purple scales on Percy's tail shine. 

"Father?" Percy asked, head bowed, thoughts of the dead bodies flashing across his eyes constantly, whether open or closed. The tortured screams rang in his ears. He needed to hear something else, anything else. His fathers rumbling voice was welcome.

"Yes, Perseus?" Like his sons, his voice conveyed his sorrow, fear and horror of the past events, tinged heavily with regret. 

"Who was that woman you were battling with?" The whispered question brought an unwelcome silence, and he raised his head to stare as his father, who's face was hard and cold.

"That, my son, was Gaea."