Apparently, I'm Dead

Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: Do I really still need to do this? You know the drill.

PERCY

A blinding green light makes me squint as a vaguely snake-like object breaches the surface of the water. It rears its head angrily, trying to get the hook out of its mouth. The resemblance to the snake that killed Annabeth is so obvious, I have to resist the urge to pull out Riptide and try to kill it.

It takes a few minutes for it to stop moving. It eventually calms down, the water smoothing over until the only waves are natural ones. It glares at us, its luminous eyes almost indignant. It's actually oddly beautiful. Mottled green, brown and yellow with a tapered snout, it looks more like an eel than a snake. nakeI bristle for a moment at the inaccuracy, then move back on topic.

"So, now that we have the snake, what do we do?" asks T.J in a tone that is barely quivering, voicing the question we all were thinking.

"We wait," says Magnus, "for a goddess."

"He's more awake," whispers Sam. "The light is brighter this time."

Magnus nods. "I was thinking the same thing. Maybe because he's closer to being awake?"

"Ooooh. That's not good," I say, my voice probably wobbly.

The water begins to stir again. Another huge being rises from the surface. I assume it's the goddess Magnus was talking about. The waves become so strong that the boat almost capsizes. Now, I can breathe underwater, but my new friends can't. So I try to calm the water, but it doesn't respond.

A breath catches in my throat. Why can't I control the water? It's the one thing that I've always been able to control in my life. If that's gone, what else can leave me? Annabeth's name whispers through my head. I tell my head to shut up.

I can hear myself start to hyperventilate, so I force myself to breathe slower. I reach out again, trying to force my will onto the water, but I know before I even try it won't work. I cautiously tap into my stronger set of powers, which I buried deep down after I started getting a power high after vapor traveling. I calm the water, making the waves grow smaller and smaller until they stop.

"What is this?" the goddess with a weird net hisses. "Who has- How has- the water has left my control!"

I hum, realising why I couldn't control the water before. She was controlling it. This means that when I wrenched away control, I overpowered a goddess. How wonderful. The water strains against my control, trying to get free. I make the water go even stiller in retaliation, smooth as glass. I repress a laugh as a feeling of euphoric power sweeps over me. I am the son of Poseidon. This is my birthright.

"Lady Ran," Sam says, "Why is Jormungandr awake?"

"Is it you, daughter of Loki?" Ran spits, ignoring that question Sam actually asked. "Is the child of the trickster tricking the water away from me?"

"Lady Ran," Sam repeats, shooting me a dirty look, "How do we put Jormungandr back to sleep?"

Ran's gaze turns crafty. "Tell me who is controlling the water and I'll tell you how to make the World Serpent sleep again."

"Deal," I speak up. "I was controlling the water, tell us how to make the snake-eel go back to sleep."

Ran's eyes snap to me. "Who are you?" she asks. "You smell of the sea. A child of Nord, perhaps?"

I smile, knowing that it looks like a shark about to eat a fish. "No. Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, God of the Seas, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses and all that. Nice to meet you."

Ran looks surprised for a fraction of a second before she wipes her face clean of emotion. "Greek," she says, sounding as if the word brings her physical pain.

"Yes," I nod, "Greek."

"And yet an einherjar." She looks at me, seeming to pierce my soul with her eyes. Suddenly, her mouth curves into a smile. "Ah. I see. You, son of Poseidon, will either save the worlds of Yggdrasil or destroy them. I look forward to finding out which one it will be."

"Lovely," Alex interrupts, her mouth curling into a scowl. "Now, your part of the deal was to tell us how to put my brother to sleep. Pay up."

"Hmm. Why should I?"

"We finished our part of the deal!" "What?" and "That's unfair!" rings out in the air.

Ran smirks. "I did not swear by my troth. Life isn't fair."

I stay silent.

I flick my hand, relishing the power that fills me as the water responds to my will. It slithers up all sides of the snake, encasing it in a cocoon of water. The lime green light dims. I clench my fist, and the water forces the snake back under the water, making the light fade completely.

The residents of Floor 19 blink as they try to get used to the sudden darkness. Ran snarls. "What is this? What are you doing, Perseus?"

"I am... convincing you to hold up your side of the deal," I say, my voice soft.

I was going to threaten her immortality, make the water squeeze her, choke her, boil her blood from the inside, but then Ran pulls her net to her chest worriedly. I've found my target.

A stream of water lashes out for the water, grabbing at the net. Ran shrieks. Two more launch towards the net. The combined force of all three water ropes tugs the net out of Ran's grasping hands.

"NO!" Ran wails. "My net! My treasures! My Hello Kitty rolling suitcase that will sell for 30 dollars!"

I stifle a snort at the last one. "Tell us how to put the snake back to sleep and I'll give you back your net."

"Fine! Fine! I will abide by your terms."

Magnus cuts in. "Swear by your troth."

Ran looks affronted. "I am a goddess. I am not foolish enough to swear by my troth."

"Swear it," I snarl, the net starting to move towards me, away from the goddess.

"I swear it! I swear by my troth to your terms."

I smile in satisfaction, letting the net float closer back to her. She grabs at it, but it jerks back. I tsk. "Ah ah ah! Your end first."

Ran swallows. "There is a sedative. Only three ingredients, but each of them are very rare." She reaches for the net again, but stops when I glare at her. "The ingredients are a hair from Freya, the goddess of love, a leaf from the Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and a feather from one of Odin's ravens."

I barely pay attention as I allow the net to go back to the goddess, pushing down the overwhelming power that I almost succumbed to. All I can think is that we just got the direction for our quest.

Perfect. One step closer to the end of the quest, one step closer to Annabeth. 

Thanks,

ATOTALMUSICALNERD