Chapter 19
"Just tell me where the pearl is, and this can all end."
Percy blinks away the blurriness in his eyes and tries to focus on Sciron's leering face leaning over him. His head is spinning and his face stings and he's distracted by the drop of blood that he can feel rolling down the side of his face and dripping off his chin. He can barely piece together enough words to create a coherent sentence.
"If you're Dad's favorite child, why don't you just ask him where it is?"
Sciron's hand moves so fast that Percy doesn't even see it. His head is whipped to the side and he hits the side of neck painfully against the back of the chair. Of all the tortures he's endured in the past several weeks, it's almost insulting that bumping his neck hurts that much.
"You may be strong, but I will break you. I will find that pearl! I worked too hard to fail now!"
"Worked? I thought you just killed and bribed a bunch of people."
Another crack and Percy's head snaps to the other side. Sciron wraps his fingers in Percy's hair and forces his head up.
"What will it take for you to just tell me?!" Sciron screams. He's grown increasingly unstable as the weeks have gone by and neither Percy nor Beckendorf have cracked. At first he was civil, simply interrogating them for hours. Then the physical torture began, but he was still calm and controlled. Now, Percy fears he'll fly into a rage and accidentally kill him.
At least then he'd never get the information he wanted.
"I'd rather die than tell you anything," Percy spits out.
Sciron releases him, shoving his head back so that he hits the back of the chair again. Sciron paces the deck in front of Percy.
"I shouldn't have let that prissy blonde-haired girl and your crew go until I got the answers I needed! I had prime black-mail material and I just let it walk away!"
"That's called mercy," Percy supplies unhelpfully.
"And I'll never make that mistake again!" Sciron turns around in a rage. Suddenly his face lights up. Percy finds that scarier than his rage. "But not all your crew got away."
He disappears. Percy tries to pull at his restraints, but there's no use. Sciron wasn't taking any chances when he secured him. Percy closes his eyes and tries to call out to the ocean around them, but it doesn't respond.
There was once a time that Percy could sink an entire ship with his mind. Now the sea water floating around the bottom of the brig won't even heal him. It's like he lost all his powers.
It's like his father disowned him.
Percy tries not to think that way because when he does, a raging bitterness fills him. He wants nothing more than to free himself, grab a sword, and destroy every person on this ship before sailing to Mount Olympus and assaulting the gods himself. After everything he's done for them, this is how he's repaid: abandoned at the bottom of the ship, in the middle of his own father's element, left to die slowly and painfully.
A few years ago, he'd saved Olympus from some Titans who had risen from Tartarus. Among them were several demigods, one of whom Percy remembers swearing to tear Olympus down brick by brick. At the time, Percy didn't understand him. He thought that he was radical. Now, he wonders why he even bothered saving the gods.
The door bursts open and Sciron staggers in, two of his crew members dragging Beckendorf in between them. Beckendorf looks as bloody and injured as Percy; neither of them have been spared VIP (Very Important Prisoner) treatment.
"This is your last chance, Percy. Tell us what you know about the whereabouts of the pearl or your friend dies."
Beckendorf lifts his head and shoots Percy a silent message: Don't do it! Don't let them win!
A few years ago, Percy might have listened. It would have been a tough decision, maybe the toughest he'd ever make, but he would have at least hesitated. Now there's no hesitation. Percy isn't a naive teenager anymore.
"I'll tell you everything," he says, ignoring Beckendorf's shocked face.
Percy has sacrificed everything to the gods already, and they abandoned him. Now he's turning his back on them as well.
"Why did you do that?" Beckendorf demands as soon as Percy's thrown back in the brig next to him. They haven't been allowed to see each other in weeks; part of Sciron's interrogation strategy was to keep them apart, but now they're just pigs in the pen, waiting for the slaughter.
"Why wouldn't I?" Percy responds, anger flashing up within him. "We're here because of the gods, because of my father. He needed help, so I dropped everything to find this pearl of his. But look where that got us! We're sitting here, rotting in the dark, half dead, and he even took away my powers!"
Beckendorf falls silent for a long time. "You've changed, Percy."
"Yeah, I have. I'm not going to be an errand boy for the gods anymore. What have they done for me?" Percy kicks at the puddle underneath him. "You've been the only person to stay by my side through thick and thin. You've been with me since the beginning. Of course I'm not going to trade your life for the gods."
"It's not just the gods that we're fighting for. If Sciron gets his hands on that pearl, then he's going to wreak havoc on civilization as we know it. Innocent people are going to die."
"Screw civilization. They see us as pirates and they'd string us up in a heartbeat. It's us against the world, Beckendorf, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise anymore."
Percy can hardly calm down his racing heart. He wants to rage against the world, to tear down every monument and every temple to the gods, to tear down every city and town. The gods are embedded in the very fabric of the universe and he wants to tear it apart.
It's a good thing he doesn't have the pearl himself.
"It's the line from the prophecy," Beckendorf says quietly, his voice subdued. "The betrayal of one may be the end. I thought it meant that one of the crew members would sabotage our mission. Now I realize that it means you."
"I think it means the gods. My father, in particular." Percy slams his fist against the wooden frame of the ship. "Taking away my powers when I need them most - that sounds like betrayal to me."
"Maybe he didn't take away your powers. Maybe you turning against him cut off your connection to his domain." Beckendorf pulls out a few wires and gears from his pocket. "I haven't lost any of my gifts. I could break us out of this prison in a heartbeat if I thought it could get us anywhere. But without your powers and our weapons, we'd just be imprisoned again or killed on the spot."
Percy slumps against the wall. He feels suddenly drained, as if all the energy inside of him realized that he was a lost cause and jumped ship.
"Sciron's going to kill us eventually anyway." Percy's hand drops into the puddle of water. "I don't want them to remember me as a hero. I don't want them to write legends about how I died for the sake of the gods." He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to will away the sting of tears. "I want to be remembered as a kid who was just trying to live his life."
"They probably won't remember us," Beckendorf says. "Heroes are only remembered when they die doing great deeds, not wasting away at the bottom of a ship."
Percy doesn't want to die. No one truly does. He just feels so tired and worn down right now that closing his eyes and slipping away sounds like a good deal. If he knew he'd wake up next to his mother's spirit in the Underworld, he might hazard a prayer sent Hades' way. Hades may hate Percy, but he hates the other gods even more.
In the stillness, Percy's mind wanders. Next to him, Beckendorf has also fallen silent, most likely thinking of Silena. Percy wishes he had good memories to fall back on, but all his good moments are tainted by tragedy.
When he tries to think of his mother and the blue food she always made for him, he inevitably ends up reliving the moment when the Minotaur killed her, his beefy hands wrapping around her neck and squeezing the life right out of her. When he tries to think of his best friend Grover and the quests they went on together, he remembers witnessing Pan's death and how Grover changed, how he had to leave Percy and follow his new calling. When he tries to think of his half-brother Tyson, he eventually remembers the day he abruptly left, saying that their dad wanted him to work at the palace. Percy hadn't heard so much as a peep from his father.
And Annabeth...
Gods, Percy hasn't thought of her in weeks. After she left, he'd done his best to banish her from his mind. That whole ordeal was so incredibly painful; it was like the last stitch in his body bag. Now all those memories come rushing back.
He'd do anything to get one last sparring session with her, one last strategy conversation in the navigation room of the Pax, one last quest. One last anything.
He'll never forget how she looked that last night, when she was staring up at the stars. Then, when she turned to him, he could have sworn it was like she saw straight through him. For the first time in his life, he felt completely understood. All the thoughts and emotions he could never put to words - it was like she knew. And despite seeing him as he truly was, she still chose to be with him.
Until she ran. She'd pulled away, her eyes wide with shock, and she'd just ran away. That was it.
Percy had lost a lot of people in his life. Most of them were killed. Some of them left because their destiny pulled them away. She was the first to actually run away.
He knew she had good intentions when she came to say goodbye the next day, but somehow it just made everything hurt worse. If she hadn't tried to say goodbye, then maybe Percy could pretend that the whole thing had never happened. He could convince himself that nothing between them had changed.
But life rarely works that way. Especially not for him.
"Percy, wake up."
Beckendorf shakes his shoulders until Percy blinks his eyes open, barely able to see anything in the darkness.
"What is it?"
"Sciron found it. The pearl."
Percy bolts upright. "How do you know?"
"Listen." Beckendorf points to the deck above them. Percy can hear shouting and laughter and music playing. The stomping sound of boots on the deck trickles down. "The ship stopped for a while, and then it began. I picked the lock on our cell and snuck up to make sure."
"They didn't see you?"
Beckendorf shakes his head. "No. But even if they did, they wouldn't have cared. Sciron's unstoppable now. We're no threat to him."
Percy feels sick to his stomach. He's still angry at the gods, but the overwhelming tide of rage has tempered. He doesn't regret trading the information for Beckendorf's life, but he does feel a little guilty at how quickly he had turned.
"We're on borrowed time now," he says, the implications settling in.
"Maybe." Beckendorf's eyes gleam mischievously.
"You know something," Percy realizes.
"I overheard some of the crew members talking. Sciron's going to publicly execute us at sunset. It'll be like his triumphant moment where he conquers all the lesser demigods and sons of Poseidon or something like that."
"That sounds pretty definite to me."
"I didn't just sneak up on the top deck, though." Beckendorf pauses. "I snuck around in the cargo hold and found some jars of Greek fire laying around, just asking to be used."
Percy's mouth opens slightly. "You didn't."
"I haven't done anything yet. Well, nothing permanent yet. I moved them around the ship, placing them in critical areas. I also positioned one big batch right underneath the ladder to the top deck. One match and the ship goes up in flames. Bye bye Sciron."
"We'd be dead, too."
"Not if we snuck off the ship before it explodes. I also found the weapons room, so all we need is a bow and arrow. We set the arrow on fire, shoot it from a distance, and then you can use your ocean powers to protect us from the explosion."
"Ocean powers that I don't have anymore."
"Percy, you lost your powers because you lost faith in the gods, not because they abandoned you. When I was sneaking around I prayed to my father, and he led me to the Greek fire. All you have to do is ask your father for forgiveness. You're his favorite son; he'll answer you."
Percy doesn't have the same level of optimism as Beckendorf, but he simply nods. "So what do you propose exactly?"
"We just need to grab the bow and arrow and sneak off the ship. They should be too distracted with their celebrations to notice us. We'll be firing away before they even realize we're gone."
Anything's better than just sitting around waiting to be executed. It's not a half bad plan, and if there's anyone Percy trusts, it's Beckendorf.
"Alright. Your lead."
Beckendorf swings the cell door open and leads them out of the brig. He grabs a torch from the corridor wall, and Percy has to blink away the dark spots while his eyes adjust to the light. They move quickly through the bottom of the ship, Beckendorf snatching up the bow and arrow while Percy grabs a replacement sword. It's too heavy and it feels wrong in his hands, but it's better than nothing.
They sneak up to the floor underneath the main deck without running into a single soul. This is where it gets tricky: somehow they'll have to pick their way across the deck and over the side without anyone noticing them. Percy would have preferred to wait until dark, but unfortunately with a sunset execution appointment, they don't have that kind of time.
Beckendorf creeps up the ladder and opens the hatch a crack. Loud music and voices cover any sounds they might make. Beckendorf crawls up and onto the deck. Percy follows, pausing half-way up the ladder to glance at the jars of Greek fire positioned behind it. One match indeed.
He closes the hatch behind him and follows Beckendorf as the former crawls along the deck, trying to hide in the shadows of the top deck. All the pirates are busy ogling the pearl, which Sciron is holding above his head in pride. So far he doesn't seem to know how to use it, though.
Percy and Beckendorf have just reached the railing when they're caught.
"The prisoners!" a pirate yells, and everyone turns their way.
Percy concentrates on the water, trying to summon a wave to sweep them safely overboard, but there's not so much as a ripple. There goes Beckendorf's idea that Percy could get his powers back.
The pirates surround them in seconds and escort them back to the middle of the deck. They create a ring around them. Beckendorf struggles against the hands holding his arms back and succeeds in moving a few feet to the right. Percy still has his sword in his hand, but his arms are held back.
Sciron pushes through the crowd, looking irritating. "You just couldn't wait, could you?" he snaps. "I was just celebrating my moment of glory. Look, isn't it beautiful?"
He holds out his palm, revealing the shining white pearl. It's large, as far as pearls go, and it glows slightly, but other than that it just looks like a pearl. Percy can't believe how much trouble he went to to retrieve such a tiny, seemingly insignificant object.
"We were going to execute you at sunset, but I suppose we'll have to change our plans. Seriously, Percy, what did you hope to accomplish with this little stunt of yours? We would have found you eventually. Once I begin harnessing the power of the pearl to do my bidding, there's nowhere you can hide."
"I thought maybe the Sahara Desert," Percy says.
Sciron scowls. "Always so funny, aren't you? We'll see what you have to say when you have a bullet hole in your chest." He pats the ornate handles of his twin pistols.
The pirates force Beckendorf's arms forward and tie his wrists together with rope. Percy struggles when they try to do the same to him. For all Beckendorf's talk and planning, he doesn't seem to be resisting.
In the midst of his struggle, Percy catches Beckendorf's eyes. Beckendorf glances down at his feet and then back up at Percy again. It takes him a minute to realize that his friend is standing right over the hatch. Then Percy sees him flex his arm, a match sliding down his sleeve into his palm.
Percy widens his eyes, shaking his head. Beckendorf's lips press together tightly before mouthing one word - no, not a word; a name.
Percy wants to scream, but he can't. With a burst of strength he rips his arms out of the pirates' grip and swings his sword in an arc, causing them to jump back. Sciron's hands are on his pistols in a flash, but then a spark draws his attention away from Percy.
Beckendorf uses his strong fingers to strike the match against the ropes binding his wrists. Without hesitating, he drops it straight down, into the hatch.
Sciron's guns are firing, the staccato pops tearing through the tense quiet, but it's too late. For once in his life, he's not fast enough. Percy, filled with rage and grief, pushes past the lines of shocked pirates and throws himself over the railing, sending out a prayer to his father as he falls.
Percy hears shouting and the sound of Sciron's guns, and he feels pain ripping through his body in a half dozen different places. He hits the water hard and sinks, the weight of his grief a bag of rocks tied to his body.
He can hear the explosion even underwater. The vibrations echo, sending fish and other sea creatures scurrying away. Debris hits the water and streams down around him. The water bubbles and boils and flashes green. It's like the end of the world.
Don't let Beckendorf's death be in vain, Percy prays desperately as he sinks. Please, Father, don't let him die for nothing.
His vision blurs and he floats away into darkness.