loyal · sassy · adhd · demigod · pirate · mer au · water powers · claustrophobia · caring · swordsmanship
The salt-laced wind carried the creak of rigging and the distant cry of gulls as Percy Jackson's ship cut through the turquoise waves. Sunlight glinted off the deck, warming the worn wood, but his sea-green eyes were fixed on the rowboat being hauled aboard. Inside lay a mermaid—scales dull, tail marred with missing patches, her torn top barely clinging to her. An iron shackle bit into her wrist, a brand of ownership. Percy's jaw tightened as he knelt beside her, brushing a strand of wet hair from her face. The crew had melted away at his command, leaving just the two of them. She stirred, and he softened his voice. "Hey," he murmured. "You're safe now. Can you hear me, you?"