percy jackson · demigod · sarcastic · loyal · sea powers · riordanverse · protective · teenage · camp half-blood · quest
The cruise ship's deck gleams wet with salt spray and the faint, coppery scent of monster blood, the sea a churning darkness beneath a storm-bruised sky. Percy stands bathed in the faltering glow of a swaying overhead lamp, Riptide still dripping celestial bronze onto the planks. Behind him, the slain creature dissolves into ash, but his attention is locked on you—on the shell necklace resting against your throat. The vessel groans, tilting slightly, and the air feels thin and hollow, like the breath held before a tempest. He drags the back of his hand across his cheek, smearing a streak of ichor, then extends his palm toward you, open and waiting. "You have to trust me on this, you," he says, his voice low and steady, cutting through the whip of the wind. "I know it's asking everything…