{2} 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗

35.

Ψ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚, 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 Ψ

𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, I held my head as I heard a loud crash. I came up to the surface seeing Queen Anne's Revenge completely wrecked right through the hull. Clarisse dove back into the water as the ship sank quickly while Annabeth and Grover tried grabbing Sebastian and falling into the water.

I groaned and dunked my head back into the water as I suddenly heard.

You must stop this at once.

It wasn't the feeling of the one voice...I enjoyed.

This voice was different. Angrier, hateful...and yet still familiar.

Stop doing this at once.

I knew if I didn't save everyone Percy, Tyson, Clarisse, Grover, Annabeth, Sebastian. Everyone would be hurt, and no offense to Percy but I have been making sure to grow my powers. Maybe not to the fullest extent but what I just did...I felt powerful.

My hands once again I moved and swayed them in the water as my dragon formed in front of me. I smiled and my dragon helped me rise to the surface as we faced off against Polyphemus who had just thrown another boulder into the water.

At that moment I heard another voice in my head.

Hayley!

I spun my head to the sound of the voice, seeing Percy and Tyson looking at me.

We can save everyone; Tyson has an idea.

Looking down at them I just nodded and, in my head, replied,

Okay.

At that moment, the hippocampus rose from the sea taking Grover, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Sebastian all with them as I looked back at Polyphemus.

"Time to bring your ego down." I muttered as I thrusted my hands forward as my dragon roared in its face and attacked the cyclops and began fighting with it.

I guess you could say I could make monsters of my own, but monsters that would obey me and my liking. To do whatever it takes to please me or protect me. I enjoyed that.

I watched as Percy and Tyson took hold of their own hippocampus as I looked at my dragon as I told it to come back to me. He stopped and swatted a huge wave of water at the cyclops rushing back to me as I smiled and took hold of its neck as my dragon quickly dove us into the water for cover and swam away quickly.

I looked above seeing everyone riding on their hippocampus as we dashed away for safety.

While in the water, I saw Grover holding onto Sebastian as tightly as he could, but he was slipping. My dragon heard me and we swam over, and I told Grover.

"Hand him over." I laughed out as Grover instantly nodded pushing him onto the dragon.

Sebastian fell on top of my dragon as I smiled looking at him. He was sound asleep as I tried lifting him up, but he was a bit heavy. We were in the water, so might as well try. But as I thought more, I turned my head seeing Annabeth with the fleece.

"Annabeth?" I called out as she looked my way, holding on tight to the neck of the horse.

"Hand the fleece to me please?" She's looked at her hands and nodded, passing it over and I took it and looked down at Sebastian as he slept.

If my theory were plausible, giving him this fleece should speed up his energy increase faster. I placed the fleece on his back as it began glowing and shimmering, I hadn't taken time to look at the Fleece and realize its beauty.

It began glowing stronger and soon enough I saw his hand twitch for the first time in a while as he groaned. He now made sounds instead of just air coming in and out. He blinked and felt the water beneath him, he freaked out and I grabbed his arm as he saw me, and I smiled in relief.

"You're okay..." he looked at me and I instantly hugged him, I held him for a long time. I didn't even realize my grip tightened the longer I did.

I felt his head lay on my shoulder and he let out a longing sigh and felt one of his hands hold my lower back.

I felt his hand hold my shirt and grip tighter to my damp clothes as I smiled shutting my eyes, I was relieved.

And yet...my heart twisted. It ached. Why did I feel so relieved and yet...so guilty all at once.

Pulling away he smiled at me as I slapped him,
he scoffed as everyone around us wanted to turn away but didn't.

"You're an idiot! You could've killed yourself!" I spat out.

He groaned and rubbed his cheek and realizing the fleece on him "my mom doesn't let us overuse our magic, she thinks of it as selfish. And while many of us are, she thinks her children shouldn't be that sort of way. But I did it to save everyone. To save you."

I looked at him and slapped the other side of his face, "still an idiot move. But thank you."

He laughed and shrugged lightly "I heard her, I heard my mom...she was...upset. But proud of me. Not many of her children can create intense illusions and make it away alive."

Thinking about what he just said, at least he could have somewhat of a relationship with his mom, even if he doesn't see her like a normal parent should. But look at him, his mom...was impressed.

Sebastian laughed and looked at what the others were riding compared to us. He seemed frightened at the realization, but I shook my head holding onto his arm.

"Don't worry, this guy will keep us safe." I reassured him and Sebastian just gave me a small nod still freaked out.

As the hours passed by of us riding, several of us fell asleep on the way. Clarisse, I noticed was up the entire time, she would glance back at me every now and then. But she would look away quickly and I felt guilty, I felt bad.

Did I truly hurt her by wanting to save Sebastian?

Maybe once we reached camp, we could sort all this out, I hoped at least.

She's...my best girl friend. One of my best friends along with Damien. I didn't want her to be upset with me.

We were reaching closer to what seemed to be Miami, but at that moment the hippocampus seemed to react strangely, they sneezed and grew ill. I was confused as Annabeth woke up Percy.

"The waters won't serve well anymore for them." Grover pointed out "pollution." Was all he had to say for me to finally understand.

"Well get on mine so we don't have to swim so much to get to shore; I think we'll be okay." I looked at my dragon as he gave a reassuring huff in the water.

Grover instantly swam over as he let go of his hippocampus and got on the dragon, Annabeth and Percy followed and Tyson cried a little saying goodbye. He gave the hippocampus a soggy mango for its troubles and wrapped his arms around its neck tightly.

Not going to lie a tear escaped my eye when I saw that, it was a precious moment. Tyson got on eventually and I saw Clarisse, she completely ignored my hand to get on and got on the back trying to stay clear from all of us.

I frowned and saw Annabeth give me a reassuring glance and I just nodded and I stayed in front.

"Alright everyone okay? It's not too far." Everyone nodded and my dragon slowly crept us closer to shore.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Hayley is confused and her emotions are everywhere.

Why did the water stop obeying her at a moment they were all close to dying?

Why was she feeling both hurt and happy when she hugged Sebastian?

Why was Clarisse upset with her wanting to do the most human thing she ever could do?

She has so many more questions left unanswered on top of the already unanswered questions from last year and months after.