Hellfire

24: Pull Me Up

TWENTY-FOUR

Percy was fifty feet below sea level when he saw Annabeth's dagger drop down, floating in front of his face like a talisman. Percy wrapped his fingers around the hilt and stared at it for a few moments. It was cold, but he could still feel Annabeth's warmth course through him when he touched it. Even after all these years, Annabeth was still the perfect anchor for him.

Above him, he could see the murky shape of the Argo II soaring through the air. He had started out sitting on a wave and watching Frank pull their friends along to their destination. Jason had been a mere speck in the sky above. Slowly, Percy had begun to sink deeper and deeper into the water until he could no longer see the speck that was Jason.

The water of the ocean swirled around Percy. It was dark and murky, so unlike the ocean he once knew so well. Percy could hardly sense his nautical coordinates right now, let alone summon up a wave to take him to the surface. Clenching his jaw, Percy swallowed his annoyance and slowly began to make his way to the surface. He pumped his legs and arms steadily, trying the whole time to summon a wave that could float him to the surface.

When Percy's head finally broke the surface of the water, he could see his friends crowding along the rail of the Argo II. Annabeth's worried expression peered down at him, her face pale.

"Throw me a rope," Percy called, treading water by the ship. He had given up trying to summon a wave at this point.

"What?" Leo said incredulously. "Dude, just jump on up here."

"Just, come on, guys," Percy said exasperatedly. "Throw the rope down, okay?"

"Percy, why do you need a rope?" Hazel called back. "What's wrong?"

"Percy, are you alright?" Annabeth asked anxiously.

"I can't do it!" Percy shouted, slapping his hands against the water. "Throw me the rope!"

Annabeth's eyes widened. She looked taken aback. Beside her, Leo grabbed the rope from the railing and threw it into the water. "Grab on," Leo called. "It'll take us a minute to get you up, but just hang on. We'll get you up."

Twenty grueling minutes later, Percy was sitting on the deck of the Argo II, still clutching the rope his friends had used to haul him onto the ship from the waters below. His hands were chafed from the rope and he couldn't feel his arms or legs anymore.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered, putting her hand on his leg. "Percy, what's going on?"

"I couldn't do it," Percy said, looking down at his bleeding hands. "I couldn't come up, I could barely swim. Something's wrong."

"Your powers are gone?" Leo said, eyes wide. His face was covered in grease and sweat, which was from pulling Percy back onboard.

"Don't say that!" Annabeth snapped at him.

"It's happening to Jason, too, though," Hazel interjected. "He's still passed out in the infirmary with Piper."

"Something's wrong with Jason?" Percy asked, snapping his head up. "What happened?"

Hazel shook her head. "He fell from the sky. He couldn't fly or control the wind anymore. Nectar didn't help him, either. He just... fainted."

"If you guys are losing your powers," Leo said slowly, looking around at the rest of them. "What does that mean for us? I mean, I can barely create sparks now. What else is there to lose?"