Man Down

Chp 11: Perseus Jackson

Pool Party

The ocean sparkled under the sun, a fresh wind blowing just hard enough to offset the heat the sun beat down on the Black Pearl and her crew, and just enough to push her across the ocean at a slow crawl. Most of the crew had stripped to loose linen undershirts and shorts, and those who owned them had pulled on straw hats to shade themselves from the sun, while those who didn't just stuck to the shade, or bellow deck. 

Percy hung onto the rigging and breathed in deeply, the sting of salt and fresh ocean air filling his lungs like a drug. His whole crew knew he had been born for the sea, and that it fuelled his resistance against capture more than any other motive. He would rather die than be forced to live on land. The ocean flowed in his blood; it was as much a part of him as he was of it. They were like mother and child. Or, if the rumours were to be believed, father and son. 

Taking one last deep gulp of salt-sprayed oxygen, Percy swung down and landed with a neat roll on the deck. A slow, sarcastic clap rung out from the shadows of the stairwell leading to the hold. Thalia's signature black, choppy hair emerged and she stopped her clapping. "Really, Seaweed Brain" she teased, rolling her eyes. "Such a showoff" Percy waved her off and instead gestured for the item at her belt. Hesitating for a moment, she threw the key to the cell at him, and he caught it expertly.

"What now cap?" Piper called out, surprising the captain by dropping down in front of him, hanging upside down from a harness of intricately knotted ropes. At the other side of the ship, Ethan pulled a rope and she came crashing down with an undignified squawk, all her hard work falling apart in a matter of seconds. Ethan smirked and shrugged when she glared at him and sneered at the rest of the crew - who were laughing. She stood and dusted herself off, but not before giving them all a childish action of sticking her tongue out. Percy sobered up first, suppressing his chuckles. 

Purposefully ignoring the real meaning behind the question, Percy shrugged and looked around, reading the room. Or rather, reading the ship. 

"I say it's about time for a swim!" he shouted for all his crew to hear. Almost all whooped in joy, pulling off their shirts and grinning like bafoons. 

On glorious summer days suck like this, Percy left a little leeway in his enforcement of the rules - of which there were very few to begin with - and let his crew enjoy the gorgeous weather. They even had a plan for managing it. They usually sailed to an island somewhere, dropped anchor a little way offshore and jumped on in. Or, is there were feeling lazy, they just jumped off the ship and used the wide ocean expanse as their private swimming pool. 

On this occasion, they were feeling lazy. Ethan and Luke agreed to stay on the ship to guard their captives, though Thalia shot them both a knowing smirk before she climbed into the little rowboat attached to the side of the ship for just such excursions. They brought a pole and a canvas to act as a shade, as Thalia and Nico point blank refused to get in the water. Piper and Will were already in the water, having jumped in the second Percy had announced his intentions. They had started a splash fight almost immediately, the childish side of the pirates shining through clearly. They had enthusiastically stripped to just bare shorts (and a more loose linen top that didn't do much in Piper's case).

Annabeth and Percy watched from the partial shade of the make-shift parasol, as the two childish creatures pulled poor Hazel into their antics. The captain and first mate exchanged a glance, treading water, before diving down and nder the the little boat to capsize the boat. With a shreik from both crew memebers, Thalia and Nico came up to the surface spluttering. 

"I'll get you for that Annie!" Thalia threatened, lunging at her best friend while Nico tackled Percy.