The Black Coral (Percico/Pernico)

Chapter Twenty: The British Nobleman

The ship rocked back and forth in the harsh storm. The Black Coral was directed toward Tortuga, but, simultaneously, it was brought wherever the wind and waves carried it. The skies were colored an ominous, dark grey, the comforting light blue hidden beneath a curtain of nefarious clouds. White bolts of lightning escaped from beneath the cracks of the clouds, loud claps of thunder following it soon after.

The crew had taken the sails down once Hazel noted the presence of the menacing-in-appearance clouds upon the horizon of where they were headed. However, that was not doing much good as they all were drenched by a rogue wave that crashed over the edge of the ship, nearly toppling the ship onto its side.

What additionally did not assist in any form were the many large rocks that stood tall against the clashing, foamy waves. The angered ocean seemed to have wanted to push the ship directly into one of those rocks and send them all under, lost to the depths of the sea.

Annabeth battled with the helm, attempting to turn the ship around in a different direction. The downpour itself was a hindrance as the remainder of the crew were emptying the main deck of all the saline water that fled from the ocean to get into the ship and try to take the Black Coral down from within.

Nico, this time, was wary of the boom, which he was able to fasten down with many ropes, but it still managed to escape from its imprisonment and threaten the health of any unfortunate soul who happened to be in its way, that malicious piece of wood. Nico swore to himself to find a way to use that to his advantage.

Of course, the presence of the thunder did not help him any. He was trying his best to keep the water out of the ship and keep everyone else alive, rather than cowering away from the loud, threatening roars that the skies seemed to direct toward him. In a way, he was trying to prove to himself he was not as selfish as he thought he was.

"How far to Tortuga do we have left?" shouted Leo over the storm, receiving an unpleasant spray of the sea to his face.

"About three day's travel," Annabeth yelled back.

Leo sighed before returning to the job he was assigned.

Will lost his balance from a sudden toss of the ship, falling down onto the wooden planks of the deck, as well as the bucket full of sea water.

Nico tossed the water in his bucket over his shoulder, back into the ocean from which it came, before approaching the fallen boy and offering him his hand, the cold, heavy rain stinging his exposed skin. Will smiled and accepted the prince's hand, Nico assisting the healer apprentice up from the floor.

"Sorry," Will said, once on his feet. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Nico replied, picking up his bucket, which was rolling around on the deck, and handing it back to him. "You most likely will need this."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"It's Nico," Nico waved off the formality. "'Your Highness' is such a bore, is it not?"

"I-I suppose so, Your- I mean, Nico," Will responded, beginning to rid the ship of water once more.

Percy looked over at the two exchanging words while emptying the ship of the water that had crept in over the edges of the ship. Rivulets of a completely new feeling, one he could not describe, even if given proper words for it, trickled into the pit of his stomach. All he knew was that he did not like this foreign feeling a bit. His chest felt like it was growling and grumbling from within him. He cast the healer a glare before continuing his work.