Tale of the Raging Sea

Chapter 14

I pictured being a pirate would be fun and exciting. Instead, it was dangerous and life-threatening. As I swung my sword and dodged attacks, I was glad to have Riptide with me. It fit so well in my hand, and the balance was perfect. The rapier I had was too light and the blade was too thin. If I battled with that sword, I would've been rat bait.

Back and forth, over and under; the waves of attacks never ceased. The tip of Luke's blade caught my bicep, then my face. I gritted my teeth and tried to block out the pain. Before I could be skewered, my blade intercepted his. We held our swords in place, one pushing against the other. I knew sooner or later, someone would give and one sword would meet its target. I gritted my teeth harder and grunted. If I didn't take the cut, things would've been easier. I felt my blood run down the side of my arm. My dress shirt stuck to my skin around the cut. It was so uncomfortable, it was hard to focus. I held position until I couldn't.  Luke overpowered me, bringing up his sword, which caused mine to fly out of my hand. I didn't have the chance to recover. With one quick punch to the face, I was down. I got right back up, then back down. The last time I tried to rise to my feet, Luke kicked me down.

Just like Pearl Harbor, the world spun. The smell and taste of blood was even more overwhelming than ever. It was all I could smell. My vision tunneled dangerously, my breathing staggered, and my lungs were filling up with blood. I coughed up blood, which Luke didn't take pleasure in seeing. I heaved myself away from Luke as much as I could. Luke stomped down on my leg to stop me. I yelled out in pain, then gritted my teeth. The pain was familiar though. It reminded me of the time I got into my fist fight down in the alley. I was protecting my brother, who was had a habit of attracting bullies. I was beat up to the point my brother had to carry me home. And the time in the other alley in California. My luck was just as terrible. If not, worse.

I managed to control my breathing, as I glared up to Luke.

"You're a lot more pitiful than I thought, Jackson." Luke said, tapping his sword on my thigh. "I don't know what Annabeth saw in you. Maybe she was just pulling your leg." He added, amused with his own words. The traitor squatted down with a bounce, and tilted his head to get a better view of my battered and bruised face. "You okay, Percy? You got a little blood...everywhere, actually." He said with a friendly smile.

That ticked me off.

I launched myself with the little energy I conserved, but he saw it coming. He gripped my neck and slammed me down back onto the deck. "Whoa, whoa! Down, boy, down!" He chuckled and held me in place. As I gripped his wrist as hard as I could, Luke tightened his grip. "As long as you're dying there, I'll share one last bedstory with you." I squirmed, and held me in place. "There once was a boy who dreamed of making his father proud. He tried and tried and tried, but his brothers always outshone him. Then he did his best to do what his brothers did. In return, he got hurt and his efforts weren't praised. His father used to tell the boy lies about how great he was doing. Pride? No, he wasn't his pride. He was a shame; an eyesore." The blood started to rush to my head quicker, as he tightened his grip again out of anger. "Then the boy learned the hard truth; why do the same thing another person has done? Where is the glory in that?" He looked down to me, with a soft, but serious expression. "Maybe, just maybe, the boy can get his wish. Soon, he will. When he helps the man rule the world."

"You..." I blurted.

"Huh?" Luke lessened his gripped around my neck.

I took a breath before speaking. "You....think...that is honorable? You have....another thing....coming...."

Luke furrowed his brows and smiled. "More honorable than being a dog of the American Navy, Percy." He positioned my body slowly, making an opening for his sword to impale me. He held the sword up in place. "You know, it's a shame you won't be there to see it. Any last words?" He chimed. I glared at him. I didn't squirm anymore. I didn't blink. I wasn't going to give him the pleasure of seeing me beg for my life. Mocking my death was something that burned more than the cuts and bruised I took. "Okay, then."

Everything after that happened so fast, it didn't give me time to process it.

All I saw was a body slam itself into Luke, who I figured was Lt. Jeff. The metals in his suit unpinned themselves and landed somewhere on the deck. The Japanese naval officers surged forward, but something stopped them. An explosion caused the boat to list to the right. Many of the officers lost their balance and fell right into the sea. My body slid quickly towards the railing of the ship, instantly colliding with it. I groaned and gripped my shoulder. 'AGAIN, WITH THE SHOULDER!' I yelled in my mind. As the ship rocked dangerously back to normal, Jeff struck down Luke with one mighty punch, but Luke returned one. I wrapped my arm around the railing and stood up slowly.

"Percy, get out of here!" Jeff yelled out, as he struck Luke in the jaw.

"N-No...!" I yelled back. Just then Charlie appeared from under. "Charlie!" In his hand, he held a detonator as big as his thumb. I looked at him in terror and steadied myself on the railing. "Charlie?"

"For God's sake-" He grabbed Luke's pistol and shot at me, causing me to fly backwards off the railing and into the sea. The shot didn't hurt as much as knowing my friends were sacrificing their lives, so that I can get away. I felt my back collide with the cold waters of the Pacific, as fire illuminated the sky. For the grand finale? One grand display of fireworks with a loud boom.

I sunk deep into my subconscious, as my body sunk deep into the sea.