[Third Person Pov]
After Lucian finished packing everything up, he began to lead everyone out of the cave. The shadows that lingered within seemed almost alive as they stretched and recoiled, folding back into his figure until the soldiers and darkness themselves were swallowed whole by his power.
When he stepped outside, the cool sea breeze greeted him. It rushed against his face, tugging at his dark cape and tousling his hair until both rippled in the night wind. Under the shimmering glow of the starlit sky, his features became sharper, clearer—his expression calm.
"Woah…" Scylla breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. The starlight reflected in her wide, sea-green eyes as she got her first unobstructed look at Lucian.
Annabeth's hand instinctively went to her dagger as she raised it offensively. Thalia, however, simply pressed her arm down, giving her a look that said not now. The tension was thick but silent, neither of them daring to speak.
"E-Excuse…" Scylla stammered, her voice trembling. She struggled to form the right words, her tongue heavy from centuries of silence. "Excuse me… What's your name? I don't think I ever got it. I… I want to properly thank you for what you did." Her tone was shy, uncertain, yet sincere as she peeked toward him from beneath her long seaweed-like strands of hair.
Lucian turned his head slightly, regarding her with a cool, assessing stare. His eyes flickered briefly in the dim light as he scanned her from head to toe before speaking. "Percy Jack—" he began, only for Thalia to jab an elbow sharply into his ribs, cutting him off mid-sentence.
She shot him a look that screamed really? while Lucian merely gave a small shrug, smirking faintly as if to say it was worth a try.
"Lucian Blackheart," he corrected, his voice calm and even. "Just call me Lucian Blackheart."
"Lucian Blackheart…" Scylla repeated softly, almost tasting the name as she spoke it. "That's… a very beautiful name." Her voice dropped into a quiet tone, one that carried something almost reverent—as though she were committing the sound to memory.
Annabeth, meanwhile, was not impressed. This time she raised both daggers high, her expression screaming pure disapproval. Thalia, suppressing a groan, had to dart behind Lucian and Scylla, wrestling with Annabeth in a quiet but frantic effort to keep her from doing something reckless.
Lucian, however, didn't even glance their way. His attention was already elsewhere—drawn to the raging battle out at sea. His sharp eyes narrowed as he observed Percy and Charybdis locked in combat, a clash so fierce it seemed to shake the ocean itself.
A vast sheet of ice blanketed the surface of the water, stretching as far as the eye could see. Waves were frozen mid-motion, jagged and surreal like sculptures of blue glass that sparkled under the stars. Percy had created a massive battlefield—an arena of frost—for everyone to stand upon.
From where Lucian stood, he could see Percy, Clarisse, and Tyson darting across the icy field, tiny figures against the monstrous bulk of Charybdis. The sea monster's massive body loomed within the swirling waters, its form half-hidden beneath the dense mist and spray. With a deafening roar, Charybdis lunged upward, breaking through the surface and launching herself into the air before crashing down again with a tidal impact.
"TYSON!" Clarisse shouted just as the massive beast's body came crashing toward them. Tyson reacted instantly, tackling her aside as a wave of shattered ice exploded outward, shards flying in every direction. Clarisse barely managed to raise her shield in time, blocking a barrage of razor-sharp chunks as they rained down around them like deadly hail.
"Clarisse! Tyson!" Percy's voice echoed across the frozen expanse, sharp and commanding. "I need you two to keep it distracted while I prepare an attack!"
Clarisse turned toward him, shouting back, "We'll try! Just don't take too long!" She then faced Tyson, her expression fierce and determined. "Follow my lead, and do exactly as I say. Got it? No Questions."
Tyson nodded firmly as they both charged toward Charybdis, drawing the creature's attention away from Percy.
Meanwhile, Percy planted the tip of his trident firmly into the frozen ground, closing his eyes in concentration. The icy wind swirled around him, responding to his will. 'Lucian and Thalia aren't the only ones who can get creative with their element,' he thought with a determined smirk.
From the sea surrounding him, tendrils of water began to rise, twisting and coiling like serpents. They converged above his head, forming a massive sphere of swirling water. It pulsed with energy, expanding rapidly as more tendrils fed into it. Then, around its surface, a ring of condensed water sharpened into the shape of a colossal saw blade, spinning faster and faster until the air itself hummed with its power.
"Wait… why only settle with one?" Percy muttered, realization flashing in his sea-green eyes. He extended his trident and, as if answering his thought, the waters around him surged once again. More spherical saw blades began to take shape—one after another—until a full circle of rotating spheres hovered in the air around him, each one gleaming with a violent blue hue and humming with condensed oceanic power.
Meanwhile, Clarisse turned sharply toward Tyson, her war instincts kicking in. "Tyson!" she barked, raising her shield high. "I want you to hit my shield—repeatedly. As hard and as fast as you can!"
Tyson blinked in confusion, his single large eye narrowing as if trying to understand her plan. "Hit… your shield?" he asked uncertainly. But then he remembered Clarisse's earlier command—don't question, just do. So he nodded, set his feet, and obeyed.
The first impact rang out like a thunderclap. BOOM. Then another. And another. Each strike shook the ice beneath their feet. The sound echoed across the battlefield like a giant gong, reverberating through the air and water alike. Clarisse's arm trembled under the force, but she gritted her teeth and held firm. The constant barrage caused the metal of her shield to glow faintly, orange at first, then deep crimson. Soon, trails of heat shimmered around its edge, and tongues of fire began to lick along the rim.
Tyson's fists were relentless, his blows raining down like meteors. Sparks flew. The shield burned hotter with each strike. But Tyson didn't stop—he couldn't feel the heat, and even if he could, his determination to help Clarisse outweighed everything else.
Beneath the frozen platform, Charybdis moved. The monstrous creature's massive shadow rippled through the water below, and the low tremors of its movement could be felt more than heard. It sensed the vibrations, the rhythmic thunder of impact above its head, and stirred with growing fury.
Clarisse's eyes flicked downward. Through the ice, she could make out the vague, looming shape of Charybdis rapidly ascending. "Break away!" she yelled.
Both she and Tyson leaped back just as the beast's enormous head smashed through the platform. The ice exploded upward in a violent burst, shards flying like shrapnel. Clarisse flipped backward midair, her body twisting with perfect precision before she landed and slid across the ice on one knee.
Without hesitation, she hurled her shield with every ounce of strength she had. It whirled through the air like a blazing comet, trailing sparks and heat in its wake before slamming into Charybdis' side with a deafening BANG.
A surge of fire exploded outward, engulfing the monster's body in a raging inferno. The flames rippled and crawled across its scaly surface as Charybdis let out a shrill, inhuman screech that echoed for miles. The burning shield ricocheted back into Clarisse's arm with a loud clang, and she caught it against her forearm, smoke still rising from its face.
Percy saw his chance.
He thrust his trident forward, and the spherical saw blades burst into motion, spinning wildly as they shot through the air in perfect formation. The sound they made was sharp, slicing—a high-pitched whistle that cut through air. They tore across the sky in a storm of liquid steel, carving through Charybdis' flesh with devastating precision.
The combined heat from Clarisse's attack had softened the creature's hide, allowing Percy's blades to cleave through it like butter. The sea turned red as Charybdis shrieked again, a monstrous cry of agony as deep slashes opened all across its body. The water around it frothed and boiled, tainted with blood and steam.
Then, with a massive splash, Charybdis dove beneath the surface, retreating into the depths.
But Percy wasn't about to let it escape.
Without hesitation, he dove in after it, slicing into the water like a silver spear. The cold hit him instantly, but he barely noticed. His pulse was racing, his mind clear. He didn't feel fear—only purpose. He didn't know where this sudden fearlessness came from but he only seemed to be anxious before the start of a battle, during it he was calm as a lake.
The deeper he went, the darker it became. And there, in that vast blue-black abyss, he saw just how small he truly was compared to the monstrous form before him. Charybdis was colossal, its eyes burning like molten orbs in the dark. But Percy didn't flinch.
He moved faster than thought—an underwater blur. In the blink of an eye, he was upon it, his trident glowing with a fierce blue aura as he struck.
Above, Clarisse and Tyson scanned the surface anxiously. The ocean was eerily silent for a few seconds, save for the soft crackle of melting ice. Then, suddenly, a blinding flash of light erupted beneath their feet, illuminating the sea in a radiant blue glow. A heartbeat later came the screech—a wet, gargling roar that sent ripples through the waves—followed by a rush of crimson rising up from the depths.
Charybdis' head broke through the surface one last time, crashing onto the ice with a thunderous BOOM. The entire platform trembled from the impact. Clarisse's eyes widened as she steadied herself, her breath catching in her throat.
Then, silence. The monster lay still—its massive body unmoving, blood seeping from its countless wounds, staining the ice beneath.
Moments later, Percy emerged from the water, dragging himself up onto the platform. Tyson immediately rushed forward, grabbing his arm and helping to hoist him up, while Clarisse followed close behind. Percy's body was drenched, streaked with blood and seawater, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
"What did you do?" Clarisse demanded, half in awe and half in disbelief. "How did you manage to kill it?"
Percy leaned on his trident, catching his breath. "At first," he said, his voice rough, "I was going to freeze its blood through the wounds. But then I realized… its body's too big—it'd take too long." He paused, looking down at the sea monster's still form. "Then I saw its gills. So I jammed my trident inside… and froze its lungs and heart instead."
He straightened up, his expression calm but his eyes glowing faintly blue. With a firm slam of his trident onto the ice, all the water and blood on his body rippled violently before shooting outward, parting away from him, leaving him dry.
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