The Pirate of Greece

Chapter XXXVI (Percy)

He saw Luke lunge at Annabeth like they were in slow motion. He saw them collide, blades glancing off one another. He saw his own crew back towards the Blackjack under the combined pressure of the Titan Army.

Percy jumped out of the way from a hastily swung sword, right onto the railings of the ship. Without thinking, he scurried up a cluster of nearby ropes, finding himself back on the same beam he'd appeared on. One quick survey of his surroundings and he knew they were in trouble. But he could change that.

He reached out with his senses. Tonnes of water responded to his call, right below their feet, waiting to be put to use. Percy could feel the tension building itself up in his gut, threatening to spill over. The sea was his weapon. And the Titan Army was locked on top of it.

With a final, gut-wrenching roar, Percy threw out his arms, and the damage was instantaneous. The ship lurched violently as the ocean responded, thick jets of water shooting into the air on all sides. It rocked The Andromeda viciously, throwing it from side to side and splintering its wood. Loose barrels rolled across the deck and bowled down anyone unlucky enough to be looking the other way.

Percy kept his feet firmly on the beam, but little could be said for those below. They went tumbling with the sickening motion of the vessel, screams of surprise replacing the sounds of metal against metal. The sea continued to thrash against the enemy ship as his friends jumped the remaining distance onto the ever-sinking Blackjack.

Percy was barely aware of the few soldiers attempting to climb the mast below him. They flailed for handholds when The Andromeda pitched to one side – others were snatched up by ropes. But a couple of lucky soldiers made it to his perch. The son of Poseidon fended them off whilst keeping the influx of saltwater going, separating and slowly pushing apart the two ships.

The gap was now too far to jump, and he caught a glimpse of his crew lowering the few life boats into the water. Silena Beauregard was now back in the fray, fending off projectiles with Frank and Jason.

"Archers!"

Percy ducked to avoid a lethal strike to his head, quickly following up the attack with a swipe of the legs. His opponent lost balance. And so did those behind him. And soon most had fallen to the deck below.

Taking this time as a quick breather, Percy scanned the deck of The Andromeda. Luke had rallied a couple of archers on the quarter-deck. Their sights were on the few remaining crew members who had yet to be lowered down. Leo was back on deck, defending those attempting to work the ropes. Jason and Annabeth joined him while Silena, Frank, and the Stolls began the lifeboat's descent. And judging by the ship's slow decline, Tyson and Beckendorf were yet to emerge from the bay. The rest were safely in the boats - covered by the Blackjack and already rowing for the reef – out of range and pursuit.

At the same time as Luke shouted "Aim!" Percy made a split decision. As Luke shouted "Fire!" Percy jumped.

He lept straight from the beam into the sea between the two ships, shooting up a roaring wall of water in an attempt to fend off the arrows. Those that did make it through slowed considerably, and his crew mates easily knocked them aside with their shields.

By the time Percy had his feet back on the Blackjack the last rowboat was on its way. He could barely see Annabeth standing at the head of her boat, golden curls whipping in the wind beneath his old captain's hat.

If his attention wasn't so divided he would've sagged in relief. But as it was, Percy still had yet to figure a way off the boat with the remaining two crew members on board. Even as he thought all this, his attention honed back in on The Andromeda.