I 032. I

𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔

❝ down went the queen anne's revenge ❞

SHE WISHED HE HAD JUST DIED. Would've been easier if they didn't hesitate and just stabbed him through his eye, or she could've smothered him vines. The only Cyclops they could trust was Tyson.

"You'd think he'd run out of rocks," Percy muttered to her. If the atmosphere wasn't so tense, and the situation wasn't so dire, she would've added onto the joke. But now was not the time.

Her teeth grit in frustration before Grover spoke, "Swim for it!"

Clarisse plunged into the water. Annabeth had an arm around Clarisse's neck while trying to paddle with one hand, Fleece weighing them both down. But Polyphemus was focused on the Fleece.

Percy looked to Grover with desperate eyes. "Take Aidan," he pushed the girl towards the Satyr, but's he shook her head.

"What? No. I'm not leaving you." Her eyes were wide.

"I have Tyson," the boy gave her a leading look. "Go, please." She saw his look and knew it was best she did. So the girl grabbed onto Grover and helped him bring her towards the ship.

The girl kept looking back as Grover pulled her body towards the ship, Clarisse and Annabeth were a bit closer. She watched as Polyphemus threw a rock.

Percy drew Riptide and ducked as Tyson smashed apart another rock. He willed the sea to rise twenty-feet in the air, lifting him on its crest. The boy surfed along the wave and towards the Cyclops before kicking him in the eye, leaping over his head before water blasted him back onto the beach.

"Destroy you!" Polyphemus spluttered. "Fleece stealer!"

"You stole the Fleece!" Percy yelled. "You've been using it to lure Satyrs to their deaths!"

"So? Satyrs are good eating!"

"The Fleece should be used to heal! It belongs to the children of the gods!"

"I am a child of gods!" Polyphemus swiped towards Percy, only for him to sidestep. "Father Poseidon, curse this thief!"

"Poseidon won't curse me," Percy said. "I'm his son, too. He won't play favorites." She wasn't sure that was true but she kept that to herself.

Clarisse has hauled Annabeth onto the ship before reaching a hand out to help Grover and Ariadne. The brunette girl was yanked harshly onto the deck, her shoulder stinging. Grover was helped up a bit nicer than her, causing the girl to send Clarisse narrowed eyes, she received a smirk in return.

Percy and Tyson were still fighting Polyphemus. Clarisse waves her hands frantically for them to hurry quickly.

Tyson was working his way behind Polyphemus. "Young one!" the older Cyclops called. "Where are you? Help me!"

Tyson stopped. Ariadne found Annabeth's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"You weren't raised right!" Polyphemus's wailed, his olive tree club shaking in his hand. "Poor orphaned brother! Help me!"

It was silent. No one moves until Tyson moves forward, his hands raised in defense. "Don't fight, Cyclops brother. Put down the—"

Polyphemus spun towards his voice.

"TYSON!" Percy shouted.

Ariadne screamed so loudly her voice was raw, "NO!"

Anyone would've been flattened by the force that Tyson was struck with, the olive tree sending him flying backwards and into the sand. Polyphemus charged after him, but Percy shouted, "No!" He leaped as far as he could and  stabbed him a little higher than the thigh.

"Blaaaaah!" Polyphemus bleated, swinging his tree towards Percy.

Percy dove to the side, but he had been raked by a dozen of jagged branches, leaving scratches across his body. Annabeth shuffled closer to her brunette friend, squeezing their hands tighter.

Polyphemus swung once more, but Percy was ready this time. He grabbed a branch and was jerked upwards, letting go at the tip of a huge arch. His feet collided with the Cyclops's eye.

The monster howled in pain. Tyson tackled him to the ground as Percy landed next to him— Riptide in hand as he was within striking distance of Polyphemus's heart. At first, she thought he would take the chance, but he looked to Tyson and said something. Tyson pusher Polyphemus back even farther before they both sprinted towards the surf.

"I'll smash you!" Polyphemus yelled before doubling over in pain. He cupped his large hands over his eye.

Both of the boys plunged into the water.

"Where are you?" The Cyclops's screamed. He threw the tree club into the water, missing Percy and Tyson by an inch.

Percy summoned a current to push them towards the ship. They were almost there, just a little bit closer.

Clarisse opened her mouth, "Yeah, Jackson!" She shouted. "In your face, Cyclops!"

"Clarisse!" Ariadne hissed. "Shut up!"

Polyphemus threw a boulder towards Clarisse's voice, it narrowly missed Percy and Tyson.

"Yeah, yeah!" Clarisse yelled once more. "You throw like a wimp! Teach you to try marrying me, you idiot!"

"Clarisse!" Percy yelled. "Shut up!"

Too late. Polyphemus launches another boulder their way, and this time, it hit the hill of the ship. And down went the Queen Anne's Revenge, just like the Titanic.

Her hand slipped from Annabeth's as the ship sank fast. Creaming and groaning sounding before they were tilted forward like they were on a waters slide. Clarisse slipped overboard before Grover rushed towards the two others with his hand out.

Grover was around Annabeth before they went under. The blonde trying to swim up, but the fleece was dragging her down. Grover tried swimming with his hooves, struggling to do so.

Ariadne was still hooked onto a piece of timber, trying to stay afloat, but ultimately, she fell down and onto the water. Her body sank quickly while water suffocated her in a tight hug. Bubbles were escaping her mouth as she tried holding onto as much of her air as she could. She was losing it fast, her lungs screaming for help.

Her hands tried grasping at the water around them or other pieces of floating timber, but it was no use. Sunlight was growing dimmer as she watched her friends before picked up by something and dragged towards the surface.

She tried keeping her eyes closed, her heart slowing down, and it reminded her of the incident on the Gateway Arch last summer. Except this time, she wouldn't be saved. Her lungs gave a last scream for help and she decided to cry out for real.

"PERCY!"

He heard it. Above water as he looked around for the familiar brunette curls. He heard her voice somehow, and dove down without giving his friends an explanation. They all hung around the hippocampus with worried looks.

Percy swam fast than he had before, rushing to save his best friend. He couldn't let her die on this quest, he wouldn't be able to live. The boy noticed her gold necklace and grabbed her arm before willing the water to propel them back up.

Ariadne and Percy broke the surface and he gasped for air, but the girl hung limply in his arms. He quickly threw her body over an empty  hippocampus before his eyes went wide, feeling her wrist for a pulse.

There wasn't one.

Percy quickly used his powers to grab the water out of her lungs, letting it spin out and back into the sea. But she still didn't wake up. He blinked rapidly as tears filled his eyes at the sight of his best friend lying there, not moving.

Annabeth let out a pained gasp, "No." She let the tears fall. "No... no, no, no!"

Tyson held onto rainbow sadly as the creature neighed. Clarisse sniffled slightly while Grover was hugging Annabeth tightly, until he noticed the Fleece. "Percy," but the boy wasn't listening. "Percy. The Fleece."

Annabeth pulled it off of her and placed it over the girl, hoping it would work. But no color came back to her face— nothing. He let out a shout of pain and anger as the waves grew rough around him, tears falling down his face.

A dove swooped from the sky, as white as a cloud. It landed gently on the girl and Fleece. Percy's heart stung as it had the same purple eyes as Ariadne, he let out a sob.

The dive let out a small coo before its eyes glowed, letting itself melt into sea foam. Everyone watched with wide eyes as the girl before them glowed a bright pink and white before it faded.

Ariadne shot awake. Her body fell off with a help and I to the ocean once more, but Percy quickly caught her. She held onto him tightly before giving him a grin, only for it to fade at the sight of everyone's sad looks.

"What-What happened?" She asked quietly. Grover and Annabeth held back their tears as Clarisse wipes hers away, putting on an emotionless face. Tyson's one eye was staring at Rainbow's mane.

Percy helped her back onto the hippocampus and she did the same for him. He gave her a big hug before letting them all skim across the water. They were all silent, and she glanced back to see all her friends asleep from exhaustion.

Ariadne noticed Percy staring at her with puffy red eyes. She reached her hand forwards and let it rest onto his cheek. "Perc," she said so soft, it may have as well Ben lost in the breeze. "What happened?"

"You..." he choked out, trying to keep the tears down. "You drowned."

Her heart sank slightly before she let go of him and looked down at her hands. Once again, she had faced the jaws of death. "How am I back?"

"A dove. It just... melted onto you."

And once again, Aphrodite has saved her.

The girl sighed heavily before giving him a sad smile. "Well I'm still here. I'm okay, and you're not getting rid of me."

Percy let out a teary chuckles before placing his head on her shoulder. She let her hand hesitantly reach up and run it through his hair, soothing him slightly. The girl closed her eyes and let the wind push back her soggy hair.

The boy glanced up and saw her small smile, feeling a hand through his hair. She opened her eyes and noticed him staring as he didn't shy away this time. The girl leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Both of them blushed before she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the hippocampus's neck. Percy wrapped his arms around her middle to balance himself as he leaned his head against her shoulder.

They both fell asleep as a dove cooed sadly from somewhere, sea-green eyes watching from the Thalia's tree at camp. It waited and waited for its partner, sitting in its nest.

The dove waited for its partner too return, only to learn, it never would.