The rise of Tartarus

Chapter 13

Nico stood at the prow of their ship, staring out at the endless expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. The waves glittered under the sun, deceptively calm after the chaos of the last few days. The ship—a sturdy vessel designed by Leo and the Hephaestus cabin—cut through the water with ease, its magical enhancements keeping it steady even in the roughest conditions. Still, the sea was vast and unforgiving, and Nico couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The rest of the crew was scattered across the deck, each lost in their own thoughts. Reyna was at the helm, her hands steady on the wheel as she guided them through the choppy waters. Clarisse and Grover were below deck, checking on supplies and ensuring that the ship was prepared for whatever might come next. Frank was perched on the edge of the ship, his eyes scanning the horizon, while Leo busied himself with tinkering on some device that glowed faintly with celestial bronze.

Nico sighed, the weight of their mission pressing down on him like a leaden cloak. They were supposed to be headed to Siberia, where the Obsidian Mirror awaited in the Fields of Punishment. But something about the air felt wrong, as if the sea itself was holding its breath.

"We're still on course, right?" Nico asked, his voice carrying over to Reyna.

Reyna nodded, though her eyes remained on the horizon. "As far as I can tell. But the sea can be tricky. There's no telling what we might run into."

Before anyone could respond, the calm of the sea shattered. The ship lurched violently to the side, throwing everyone off balance. The sky darkened, clouds rolling in with unnatural speed, and the wind picked up, howling through the sails.

"What's happening?" Leo shouted, grabbing onto the railing to steady himself.

Nico's eyes narrowed as he felt the presence of something powerful and malevolent beneath them. "We're under attack," he said grimly.

As if on cue, the sea erupted beneath them, and a massive serpent-like creature broke the surface, its scales glistening like wet obsidian. The creature let out a deafening roar, sending waves crashing over the sides of the ship. Its eyes, glowing with an unnatural light, locked onto Nico, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"What is that?" Grover yelped, stumbling back as the creature lunged at the ship.

"A sea drakon," Nico said, recognizing the creature from the tales he'd heard. "And a big one."

The drakon's serpentine body coiled around the ship, its massive jaws snapping inches from the deck. The ship creaked under the pressure, the timbers groaning as the creature tightened its grip.

"Frank, now would be a good time to do your thing!" Leo shouted, scrambling to stay on his feet as the ship tilted dangerously.

Frank didn't need to be told twice. He shifted into a giant eagle, taking to the skies with a powerful beat of his wings. He dove at the drakon, claws extended, aiming for the creature's eyes. The drakon hissed in pain as Frank's talons raked across its face, but it only seemed to enrage the beast further.

Reyna shouted orders, directing Leo and Grover to man the ballistae mounted on the deck. "Aim for the eyes! We need to blind it!"

Nico gripped his sword, summoning the power of the Underworld as he moved to the edge of the ship. The shadows around him thickened, coalescing into a dark aura that wrapped around his blade. With a shout, he slashed at the drakon's coils, the shadows searing through its scales like acid.

The drakon recoiled, its grip on the ship loosening just enough for Reyna to steer them out of the creature's grasp. "Keep hitting it!" she ordered, her voice steady despite the chaos around them.

Leo and Grover fired the ballistae, the massive bolts flying true and striking the drakon in its eyes. The creature let out a roar of pain, thrashing wildly as it tried to dislodge the bolts. Frank swooped down for another attack, his beak and talons tearing into the drakon's flesh.

But the drakon wasn't done yet. It dove beneath the waves, disappearing from sight, only to re-emerge seconds later on the other side of the ship. It lunged at the deck, its jaws snapping dangerously close to where Nico stood.

"Nico, watch out!" Clarisse shouted, charging forward with her spear. She drove the weapon into the drakon's side, the electric charge coursing through the creature's body. The drakon shrieked, the force of the blow knocking it back, but the ship lurched again, thrown off course by the drakon's thrashing.

"We're being pushed off course!" Reyna yelled, struggling to keep the ship steady. The drakon's attacks were forcing them away from their intended path, driving them deeper into uncharted waters.

"We can't let it pull us too far!" Nico shouted, slashing at the drakon again. "We'll never find our way back!"

But the drakon was relentless, and despite their best efforts, the ship continued to veer off course, carried away by the drakon's fury. Finally, with one last, powerful lunge, the drakon wrapped its coils around the ship and pulled it under the water, dragging them down into the depths.

"Hold on!" Reyna screamed as the ship plunged into the darkness, the world around them turning to a chaotic swirl of water and shadows.

Nico felt the cold of the sea closing in, the pressure building as they were pulled deeper and deeper. He reached out, trying to summon the shadows to protect them, but the drakon's presence was overwhelming, drowning out his powers.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the drakon released them. The ship shot back up to the surface, crashing through the waves with a force that sent everyone sprawling.

Gasping for breath, Nico struggled to his feet, his heart pounding. The drakon was gone, but the damage was done. The sea around them was unfamiliar, the landscape completely changed.

"We're lost," Grover whispered, his voice trembling. "We're completely lost."

Nico stared out at the horizon, his mind racing. They had been thrown off course, far from their intended path to Siberia. Now, they were adrift in the Mediterranean, with no way of knowing how to get back on track.

"We'll find a way," Reyna said firmly, though her eyes betrayed her worry. "We have to."

Nico nodded, but the sense of dread in his chest only grew. The drakon had been sent to stop them, to keep them from reaching their goal. And now, they were more vulnerable than ever, lost in the vastness of the sea, with the full might of Tartarus looming over them.

As the ship sailed aimlessly on, Nico couldn't shake the feeling that they had only just begun to understand the true scope of the danger they were in.