Chapter 469: Poachers!
[Third Person Pov]
Percy floated in the open ocean, a faint chuckle escaping him as the young cow-fish he had named Bessie swam joyful circles around him. Her shimmering tail flicked happily, sending little trails of bubbles swirling through the water.
"Okay, okay," he said, reaching out to gently run a hand over her soft head and down the curve of her sleek mermaid tail. "Now let’s go find Blackjack and tell her you’re safe."
Both of them suddenly froze.
An ominous presence stirred in the depths ahead—something cold, predatory, and moving fast. The current itself seemed to shift with hostility.
"It’s them!" Bessie cried, her voice high with terror. She darted behind Percy, pressing close and trembling against his back. "They’re here to capture me!"
Percy immediately raised a protective arm, angling his body to shield her. "Who’s ’them’?" he asked, voice steady as he tried to reassure the frightened creature.
"The Sirens!" she answered, her small voice quaking.
Percy finally saw them as they drew closer. The creatures were truly repulsive—elongated, pale bodies with long, jagged nails and rows of needle-sharp teeth. Their faces were twisted and sunken, eyes glowing with hungry malice. Just looking at them sent a wave of pure revulsion through him. He grimaced hard.
He glanced back over his shoulder at Bessie and offered her a calm, confident smile. "Don’t worry. I won’t let them do anything bad to you."
Bessie sniffled, peering up at him with wide, watery eyes. "You promise?"
Percy gave her a soft wink. "Just watch."
The six sirens closed in rapidly, surrounding them in a tight, predatory circle. Their voices rose in a chorus of hissing recognition.
"A demigod!" one snarled.
"A child of Poseidon, no less..."
"He’s no Cyclops. There’s only one possibility."
All six let out a collective, venomous hiss. "Perseus Jackson!"
Percy’s expression hardened into a warning glare. "If you’ve heard of me, then you should know better than to stick around and bother little ol’ Bessie." His voice dropped, cold and dangerous. "People who know me know I don’t react kindly to bullies."
"Old...?" Bessie whispered from behind him, sounding quietly offended. "But I’m not old..."
"It’s just a saying," Percy clarified awkwardly, glancing back at her.
"Well, it’s not a very nice one," she muttered with a faint sulk, still clinging close.
One of the sirens shrieked loudly, the sound cutting through the water like a blade. "Give us the calf, Jackson!"
"Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be for yourself," another hissed.
Percy raised a closed fist near his face and shut his eyes for a brief moment. "Sorry," he said, voice calm and almost conversational, "but neither beef nor fish is on today’s menu."
Sea-green light flared around his fist. He clenched it tightly, and the water around his hand began to churn and bubble violently. With a sharp motion, the trident created by Lucian materialized fully in his grip, glowing with oceanic power.
Percy swam forward slightly and aimed the trident toward Bessie. The surrounding water responded instantly, solidifying into a thick, transparent barrier of pure pressurized current that enclosed her in a protective sphere.
"Oh... wow," Bessie whispered in awe, pressing her hoof gently against the inner surface of the shimmering wall.
"Fine!" one of the sirens snarled. "If you choose to stand in our way—"
The creature broke formation and charged head-on, twisting through the water in a chaotic, erratic pattern meant to confuse him. Percy showed no reaction. He simply extended his free hand, fingers spreading slowly. A powerful opposing current surged to life, drastically slowing the siren’s advance until she was practically swimming through molasses.
That was all the opening he needed.
Percy hurled the trident with explosive force. It shot forward like a guided missile, spinning once before piercing clean through the siren’s torso. The creature erupted into a spray of gore and black blood before dissolving into glittering golden dust that drifted away on the current.
"Throwing away your weapon?!" another siren screeched, charging with claws extended. "What a foolish mistake!"
Percy merely held out his open hand. The trident spun in a tight arc mid-water and reversed course at terrifying speed. It slammed into the second siren just as she reached striking distance, impaling her through the chest. She too exploded into pieces before vanishing into golden dust. The trident returned smoothly to Percy’s waiting grip.
He looked down at the lingering blood and ichor floating around him and waved a hand, using a controlled current to push the mess away with clear disgust.
The four remaining sirens grew cautious, keeping their distance as they circled. They growled and screeched, eyes gleaming with pure malice.
Percy wasted no time. He shaped the surrounding water into razor-sharp icicles and launched them with deadly precision. The sirens answered with piercing sonic cries that shattered the ice into harmless fragments mid-flight.
Undeterred, Percy focused on one of them, drastically increasing the water pressure and forcing her downward. Above her, a cluster of thick ice spears formed and slammed down, impaling her completely. She dissolved into golden dust before she could even scream.
Bessie watched from within her protective barrier in pure amazement. Percy moved with superhuman speed in his natural element, weaving between the remaining three sirens. Their jagged nails raked toward him, but he blocked and deflected every strike with the sturdy shaft of his trident. They streaked through the water so fast they left vapor trails in their wake, constantly shifting positions in a deadly dance.
Percy continued dodging while forming quick barriers of dense water to shield himself from their sonic attacks. One siren managed to close the distance; a faint shockwave rippled outward from the force of their clash. She opened her mouth wide to unleash another devastating cry—only for Percy to jam the shaft of his trident straight into her maw, silencing her.
In the same motion he reached into his pocket, uncapped the familiar pen, and Riptide sprang to life. He drove the celestial bronze blade clean through the siren’s chest. She convulsed once and exploded into golden dust.
Still gripping both weapons, Percy brought Riptide’s hilt to his mouth and began spinning his trident in rapid, powerful circles. Ice crystals formed along the whirling tines, creating a spinning wheel of death. He swam in wide arcs while the rotation hurled a continuous storm of razor-sharp icicles toward the last two fleeing sirens. They desperately tried to escape the deadly range, but Percy stayed hot on their tails.
"Arghhh!" one of them cried as an icicle buried itself deep in her leg. The injury slowed her just enough. A full barrage followed, piercing her body from every angle until she was completely covered in bloodied ice. She choked on her own blood before one final spike drove through her forehead. Her lifeless form floated for a moment, then crumbled into golden dust.
Suddenly, an enchanting yet deadly song filled the water behind him.
Percy spun around, ready to strike—only to freeze in place at the sight before him.
Clarisse stood (or rather, floated) underwater, clutching her throat as bubbles streamed from her mouth in panic. She was drowning right in front of him. Her eyes locked onto his, pleading and desperate.
"Percy!!" he could just make out the word on her lips.
His gaze grew hazy. Without hesitation he swam toward her. "Clarisse—" He reached out and grabbed her shoulder.
Agony exploded through him without warning. Blood spilled from his mouth as he gasped. Looking down, he saw black, jagged claws buried deep in his stomach, twisting viciously. The pain was mind-numbing. A raw shout tore from his throat.
"Perseus!!" Bessie cried out, tears welling in her eyes. Guilt crashed over her as she blamed herself for his suffering.
She burst free from the protective barrier and swam toward him as fast as she could. "Get away from him!!" she shouted, tackling the disguised siren and knocking her away from Percy.
"Are you okay?!" Bessie asked, voice trembling with worry.
Percy managed a strained smile and suddenly reached past her. Bessie froze as she glanced over her shoulder—just in time to see the remaining siren’s claws aimed straight at her back. They never connected. Percy’s hand clamped tightly around the creature’s wrist, stopping the attack cold.
With a single powerful swing of his trident he severed the arm completely. The siren screeched in pure agony, clutching the bleeding stump. Percy spun once more and brought the trident around in a clean, decisive arc, decapitating her. The last of the attackers dissolved into golden dust that drifted harmlessly away on the current.
"You’re bleeding!" Bessie exclaimed, swimming closer, her voice thick with concern. "Let me call Blackjack—maybe she can help!"
Despite the pain still etched on his face, Percy offered her a calm, almost stoic smile. "Don’t worry about it. I heal fast when I’m in the water. See?"
He gestured to the wound. The ocean’s power answered him immediately. The punctures closed before their eyes, the torn flesh knitting together smoothly until not even a scar remained.
"Woah..." Bessie whispered, staring at him with pure admiration. "You’re honestly incredible."
Percy felt heat rise to his cheeks at the praise and quickly tried to change the subject. "Let’s go find Blackjack. She’s probably getting worried about how long I’ve been underwater."
Bessie nodded eagerly and swam closer to her new friend. Side by side, the two of them rose toward the surface together, the last traces of golden dust fading behind them.
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