Black Seas: a Percabeth Pirate au

Chapter 9

Percy sunk to his knees in the white sand. He was a good swimmer, a great swimmer even, but that was a long swim by anyone's standards. The surf hit him in the back, splashing salt water over his head and he dug his fingers into the sand. If the isolation gets to you, you'll have a way to end it, Annabeth told him. Could Percy even survive alone on an island if he wanted to? He forced the thought out of his mind. He would find a way off this island. There had to be one.

Percy waited until he was sure the two ships were out of sight before standing and taking in his surroundings. It would be too painful to see them leave. The island was beautiful, palm trees bended over the sand, impossible green foliage contrasted against the bright blue sky. The air was warm and fresh, the sweet smell of tropical flowers lingered in the air.

My first priority is finding fresh water, Percy thought. It was highly unlikely this island would have a source, but Percy wouldn't last long without it.

Percy staggered through the forest, hacking vines out the way with his sword. It was deceptively thick, and the incessant humidity was starting to choke him. Fresh water, he thought, fresh water. He figured the most likely source was somewhere in the center of the island. And so he forged on.

He finally stopped for a break, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The droning of insects reminded him of the quiet voices of his crew late at night, drifting up into his quarters. Some nights he'd lay awake, listening to the hushed whispers, catching a word or two. Percy slumped to his knees. Don't think about it, he told himself. But how could he not? He might have sat there until he rotted, but then he heard it. Flowing water.

He leaped to feet and crashed through the jungle, blindly following the sound. Vines and branches scratched his face, but Percy didn't care. This could be his salvation.

He ripped the last vine away and came into a clearing ringed by trees and caught his breath. To his left was a rocky cliff, a waterfall cascaded down into a deep pool, which then fed a stream through the jungle. The water was a beautiful deep blue, clear and sparkling in the sunlight. Percy ran straight for the pool and dove in, relishing the cool water on his skin. He took deep gulps of water, then floated on his back for a while.

"This might not be so bad," he said to the fish. With a few kicks, he reached the sandy beach on the other side of the pool and laid there, legs in the water. So I have a water source, he thought, what now? Percy couldn't come up with anything, so he laid there and watched the clouds drift by.

The sun was beginning to set when Percy jerked awake. He glanced around wildly, trying to get his bearings, why aren't I on my ship? Then it all came back to him, the weight of Annabeth's betrayal setting in, turning his bones to stone. He laid back down, unable to move. Maybe I'll just die right here, he thought. Then he heard the singing.

It was soft and melodious, a language Percy couldn't understand. It ebbed and flowed with the breeze, washing over him, making him think of all the good things in his life. His mom brushing her hand through his hair, drinking with Grover and Beckendorf, the night he and Annabeth had spent together- wait, Percy thought. That wasn't a good memory. Thinking about Annabeth made him want to throw up. Why would the music make him think of her? The spell broken, Percy picked up his sword and went to find the source of the music.

He found it, her rather, on the banks of the stream. The woman was turned away from him, but as she sang the water swirled and dipped around her, the trees seemingly greener. Percy recalled an old story his mom told him once.

"And she could sing more beautifully than anyone else in the land!"

"But why did she sing, mom?"