The Black Coral (Percico/Pernico)

Chapter Thirteen: The Princess Andromeda

"Get all hands on deck for further instruction!" Percy ordered once he had climbed down from the Crow's Nest.

"Aye, Captain," Annabeth obeyed, Nico following her down to the barracks to wake everyone and to prepare for battle.

"All hands on deck!" Annabeth shouted to the rest of the sleeping crew, who woke with a start at the sudden yelling.

"What's going on?" Piper asked groggily as she stumbled out of bed.

"We are being attacked, Piper," she told her. "An enemy pirate ship was spotted."

"Of course," grumbled Jason as he grabbed his sword and sheathed it in his belt. "When I take a break to sleep, they attack. I see how it is."

"Come now, we must have all hands prepared for battle."

"We may have a slight disadvantage now that we lost one," Piper muttered as she climbed the stairs to the main deck.

Once all of the crew was standing upon deck, weapons ready, the ship had neared remarkably.

"What ship is it, Percy?" Nico asked, secretly exhilarated.

"The Princess Andromeda," answered the captain. "They are some friends I had a while back."

"Friends?" Nico thought. "Well that cannot be good."

"Piper, if it gets dangerous, you know what to do," Jason whispered to her.

"So how dangerous do you think this will be?" Leo laughed nervously.

"I dunno," Piper grinned. "We might all die."

A noticeable shiver coursed through the former servant. "Ah, lovely."

"Prepare to fight any moment now," Percy warned.

"How do you know he is not going to strike with the cannons first?" asked Annabeth, not taking her steel grey eyes off of the approaching threat.

"I know his battle strategies," Percy told her. "He is very stubborn about changing them, too. If I know anything, he distracts the enemy crew with fighting with swords, then he has several others man the cannons and sink the ship."

"Spectacular," Annabeth sighed.

Eventually, the pirates from the Princess Andromeda invaded the ship, followed by their captain, Luke Castellan.

"Ah, Captain Perseus Jackson," Luke greeted mockingly as he boarded the ship, approaching the captain with long, intimidating strides. "Long time no see, hmm?"

"Aye, it has been a while, Luke," Percy grinned.

"I see you left your old ship for this one." Luke observed his surroundings. "What a pity. This one is a nice one. A little smaller than the one you stole from us and stranded us in the Devil's Port with."

Percy chuckled. "Aye, and I see you got from there unscathed."

Luke cast him a dark look. "It may appear so. However you know quite well that no one comes from Devil's Port unscathed."

Percy's lips were pulled into a sinister smirk. "Well, you are alive, and you got a new ship. It looks nice."

"You are alive as well, Percy," Luke's voice deepened intimidatingly. "But, I'm sorry to say, not for long."