𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 [pjo]

fifteen; a broken moment

━━━a broken moment

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

They couldn't catch a fucking break. 

The three of them had been curled up together in Percy's room, Callahan forcing him to drink a mild tea while Annie listed off all its benefits. Then, in the midst of the stolen moment together, the trio was shaken from their comfort by something ramming into the side of their boat. Callahan stumbled over the wooden floor towards Percy's wall. She caught herself and stared wide-eyed at the other two with her before all three rushed up to the deck. 

The ship was being attacked by Shrimpzilla, and Callahan would've laughed if it wasn't honest-to-gods terrifying. She stumbled back from the sight, tumbling into Annie's arms, and the blonde laughed softly at the situation. 

"Jesus, we can't catch a break," Callahan muttered, stepping away from Annie. The two of them ran for the rigging, and Percy was about to follow when Cal stopped him. 

"Percy, don't. You can't." 

The boy groaned and nodded, leaving Cal and Annie to run over to Leo. 

"How did it get so close?!" Annie yelled. 

"I don't know!" Coach Hedge screamed back, he was looking around for his bat and Callahan snorted. 

"I'm stupid!" Leo scolded, stepping up to the dock, "I'm stupid, stupid. I forgot the sonar!"

Cal stumbled toward him, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder, "dude, sonar?" 

The ship tilted farther to starboard. Either the monster was trying to give them a hug, or it was about to capsize them.

"Sonar?" Hedge demanded. "Pan's pipes, Valdez! Maybe if you hadn't been staring into Hazel's eyes, holding hands for so long—"

"What?" Frank yelped.

"Not the time!" 

Callahan stumbled back toward Annie and grinned, "when is there ever time?" 

"Percy," Annie turned to Percy with a worried gaze, "can you talk to it? figure out what it wants?" 

he shook his head, woozy and confused, "I can't--maybe it's just curious?" 

Then a pink tendril slammed into his chest and hurled him back into the steps, and Cal yelped. Another wrapped around Piper's legs and dragged her, screaming, toward the rail. Dozens of more tendrils curled around the masts, encircling the crossbows and ripping down the rigging.

Cal dodged a swinging pink tendril and lept back into the rigging. She teetered on the edge, about to fall, when Frank grabbed her arm and tugged her back to the middle of the boat. She smiled at him and then dodged another fat pink thing. 

"Dudes! What's the plan?" She unsheathed her matching blades and swung down on the  tendril moving toward her, "Seriously guys!" 

Leo's eyes fixed on a supply crate next to Hazel's feet.

"Hazel!" he yelled. "That box! Open it!"

She hesitated, then saw the box he meant. The label read WARNING. DO NOT OPEN.

"Open it!" Leo yelled again. "Coach, take the wheel! Turn us toward the monster, or we'll. capsize."

Hedge danced through the tentacles with his nimble goat hooves, smashing away with gusto. He bounded toward the helm and took the controls.

"Hope you got a plan!" he shouted.

"A bad one." Leo raced toward the mast.

When Hazel pulled the crate open Callahan stopped. 

"Leo, you're insane!" She stumbled, slashing at a thrashing tendril and trying to move toward the boy, "This isn't going to end well!" 

Leo shrugged and screamed back, "No other choice, right?" 

Cal didn't hear him, too busy getting slammed in the chest by a bright pink tentacle and flying across the ship. 

Her ears rang, breath flooding out of her as she struggled against the muscle that wrapped around her stomach. She heaved, gripping her blade and swinging it down on the tendril. Pink blood spilled out there across her clothes and she swallowed down a little barf. The thing, the monster, dropped her and she screamed, plummeting into the cold ocean with ringing ears. 

She blacked out on impact. 

━━━a broken moment

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

a/n: here's a nice and short chapter! sorry about the cliffhanger! 

also I'm gonna try going by a schedule so my updates aren't so sporadic!