[Third Person POV]

“Well, this is boring…” Lucian groaned at last. He sat lazily on the wooden railing opposite Annabeth, balancing with practiced ease as the ship rocked gently beneath him. The lively party earlier had long since died down, leaving only the quiet murmur of the sea and the occasional creak of the ship’s hull.

“What exactly did you expect?” Annabeth asked with a soft chuckle, brushing a strand of windswept hair from her face. “Because of a certain someone”—her gray eyes flicked meaningfully toward him—”we’ve gained Poseidon’s blessing. That means calm waters and smooth sailing. No storms, no monsters. Just… endless sea.”

Lucian tipped his head back with a dramatic groan, stretching out his long legs along the railing. “It’s not as if I willingly asked for it,” he grumbled, his voice carrying a note of petulance.

Thalia shook her head with a smirk, keeping her eyes on the horizon. “Just tell me how close we are to officially entering the Sea of Monsters before I decide to toss you overboard for entertainment.”

“We’re nearly there,” Lucian replied without hesitation, his tone suddenly confident. “About thirty minutes, give or take.”

Both girls glanced at him, mildly impressed. Catching their skeptical looks, Lucian offered a sly grin. “Special insight, remember?”

Before either could saying anything else of the matter, he perked up like a restless child. “Actually, can I drive for a bit? Please? I honestly have nothing better to do.” His voice carried a pleading lilt that almost bordered on charming.

Thalia rolled her eyes but motioned with a casual flick of her hand. “Fine. Knock yourself out.”

“Yay!” Lucian hopped off the railing with a burst of childish enthusiasm and practically skipped toward the wheel. Annabeth exhaled in a long-suffering sigh while Thalia muttered something under her breath, both of them sharing a look that said ‘boys’.

Not even five minutes later, Lucian’s shoulders slumped forward, his earlier energy drained. “Alright… I’m bored again,” he admitted flatly, his chin dropping onto the wheel.

Annabeth, who had been leaning against the mast with arms crossed, tilted her head curiously. “Is the Miasma affecting you that much?” Her sharp eyes narrowed as she studied his posture.

“What do you mean?” Lucian asked, blinking in genuine confusion as he straightened up.

“I don’t know,” Annabeth said slowly, scanning him from head to toe as if expecting to spot something out of place. “It’s just that you’ve been more irritable than usual, so I can’t help but be a little concerned.”

Lucian pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed dramatically. “Sorry. I think I’m experiencing the male version of a period.”

Annabeth snorted and shook her head, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. “You’re so annoying”

The three of them fell into an easy rhythm of casual chatter as twilight deepened around them. The sea stretched endlessly in every direction, its surface glimmering like polished obsidian beneath the rising moon. Nearly half an hour passed in companionable quiet until Thalia, who had claimed her post at the railing, suddenly stiffened.

Her eyes narrowed as she peered into the distance.

Lucian, noticing the sudden tension in her shoulders, tilted his head with a mischievous grin. “What is it, boy? What do you see?” he asked in a mock-serious tone, as if speaking to a well-trained hound.

Thalia turned her head just enough to fix him with a glare. For a brief, dangerous moment, Lucian swore she was debating whether to hurl him into the ocean. Instead, she exhaled through her nose and returned her gaze to the horizon.

“Up ahead,” she said evenly, pointing forward, “we’ve got company. And more than one kind. Also—treat me like a dog again and its going to be you who’ll be eating out of a dog bowl.”

Lucian only smirked, clearly pleased with himself, before his eyes sharpened on the dark expanse beyond.

Far in the distance, shadowy shapes began to emerge—columns of jagged rock jutting skyward. They stood in eerie formation, half-hidden by mist and the churning spray of the sea. Lucian narrowed his gaze, a prickling sense curling in his gut.

“Bartholomew,” he called softly.

At his summons, a shadow at his feet rippled and stretched, and a sleek black bird burst upward into the darkening sky. The creature spiraled higher and higher, cutting through the salty air until it vanished into the clouds. Through their shared link, Lucian’s vision soared with it, granting him a dizzying bird’s-eye view of the open waters ahead.

His breath caught. What he had first mistaken for ordinary rock formations were nothing of the sort.

In the center of the sea churned a monstrous whirlpool, vast and relentless, spinning with the fury of a living storm. Its currents dragged the ocean inward like a giant drain, the sound of rushing water growing louder even from this distance. And within that spiraling abyss, those towering “rocks” revealed their true nature—jagged, uneven fangs rising from the depths like the open maw of a nightmare.

Lucian’s eyes widened in recognition.

The whirlpool was no natural phenomenon. It was Charybdis itself—the ancient sea monster whose hunger could swallow ships whole.

The calm seas, it seemed, had finally come to an end.

However, just outside the first row of jagged “teeth,” a lone ship vessel bobbed precariously on the dark waters, illuminated by the pale light of the rising moon. Even at this distance, Lucian’s sharp eyes instantly caught sight of three distinctive figures standing on deck—silhouettes he could recognize anywhere. His heart leapt with instant recognition.

“Percy!!” Lucian shouted with unrestrained excitement, his voice carrying across the roaring sea. The sudden outburst made both Annabeth and Thalia jolt in alarm.

“What?!” Annabeth whipped around so fast that her blond hair nearly smacked Lucian in the face. “Percy is nearby?!” Her gray eyes widened with surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected to see him—any of them—until the very end of their long journey.

“Yeah,” Lucian replied with a broad grin, leaning forward on the railing to get a better look. “And if I’m seeing this right, he’s in the middle of a heated argument with Clarisse. They’re literally standing right outside Charybdis’ maw, yelling at each other.” A short, incredulous laugh escaped his lips.

Annabeth’s jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Thalia squinted into the distance, her eyes narrowing as the faint outline of the ship sharpened in the moonlight. “Wait—seriously? We’ve already arrived at the entrance to the Sea of Monsters, and those two are standing there arguing? In front of a giant man-eating whirlpool?” Her voice climbed in exasperation.

Annabeth’s mind, however, was already turning over possibilities. She tapped a finger thoughtfully against her chin, her expression growing pensive. “Do you think… maybe Poseidon’s blessing guided us here on purpose? Like he knew we’d run into Percy and be able to help him finish his quest?”

Lucian barely even heard her. His eyes gleamed with a mischievous spark that sent a faint chill down both girls’ spines. “I don’t care why we’re here,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, almost dangerous purr. “I’m dropping in.”

Annabeth’s head snapped toward him. “Wait—Lucian, don’t—!”

Thalia lunged forward, one hand outstretched. “Lucian, I swear, if you—”

But it was already too late. With a dramatic flourish, Lucian stepped backward into the shadows pooled at his feet. The air around him warped and twisted as wisps of black smoke coiled upward, swallowing him whole. By the time either girl could blink, he was gone, leaving only a faint trail of darkness and a faint sulfurous scent behind.

Both Annabeth and Thalia groaned in perfect unison.

Down below, Lucian reappeared high above the deck of Percy’s ship, materializing in midair where Bartholomew still circled like a vigilant scout. The cold night wind tore at his cloak as he let gravity claim him. He plummeted toward the vessel with the precision of a falling star, boots striking the deck with a thunderous impact that made the entire ship shudder as though struck by a miniature earthquake.

Wood groaned. Ropes rattled. Tyson, Percy’s half-brother, froze mid-sentence as he tried to mediate between the tow, his single cyclopean eye going impossibly wide as Lucian dropped.

His helmet sealed his features in an intimidating mask of polished black steel, and a single crimson eye glowed from within the visor like a predator’s gaze. In one smooth motion, a wickedly curved scythe materialized in his hands, its blade gleaming with a faint, unnatural light.

Lucian tilted his head back and let loose a deep, maniacal laugh that rolled across the deck, “HIHIHIHAHAHA!!”

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Both Percy and Clarisse screamed at the top of their lungs, their cries almost harmonizing in sheer terror. They scrambled backward in perfect synchronization, instincts kicking in before reason could catch up. Weapons flashed into their hands—Percy with his trident, Clarisse with her ever-menacing spear—as they planted their feet and braced for battle.

The deck shivered again as Lucian slowly lowered his weapon, shoulders shaking with barely contained amusement.

“Hahahaha!” The armored figure suddenly doubled over, clutching his stomach as he fell to one knee. The menacing glow of his helmet flickered as his laugh rang out, wild and uncontrollable.

Percy blinked in confusion, still breathing hard. “Wait… what—?”

Clarisse’s grip tightened on her spear, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Surprise!” he managed between peals of laughter. “Oh, gods, you should have seen the looks on your faces! Priceless!” He pointed a shaking finger at the pair, tears of mirth threatening to spill from his eyes. “You were terrified! I swear it looked like you two were about to hug each other”

For a long moment Percy and Clarisse simply stood frozen, processing the abrupt shift from mortal danger to cosmic prank. Their weapons slowly lowered an inch, then another. Their expressions twitched between relief and pure homicidal fury.

“LUCIAN?!” they finally roared in unison, voices ringing like a war cry. “WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!”

Before Lucian could react, they charged. Percy swung his weapon in a wide arc while Clarisse lunged forward with her spear, both raining blows upon his armor with unrestrained vengeance. The clang of metal echoed across the deck, but Lucian remained unfazed, his enchanted armor absorbing every strike as he continued to laugh helplessly.

“Hahaha—oh gods—stop, stop—you’re killing me!” he wheezed, still pointing at them as he doubled over again. “You should’ve seen—ha!—your faces!”

A sudden, soft sniffle cut through the chaos.

Another sniffle followed, louder this time, until the sound grew unmistakable.

The three combatants froze mid-motion. Slowly, almost cautiously, they turned toward the source.

Tyson stood off to the side, his massive shoulders trembling. His single large eye shimmered with unshed tears as he gripped the hem of his shirt with both hands. Droplets as big as coins rolled down his cheeks and splattered against the deck like tiny water balloons.

“T–That was… s-so scary…” Tyson whimpered, his deep voice breaking as he sniffled again.

A heavy silence settled over the ship. Percy and Clarisse exchanged a look of mutual disbelief, their anger temporarily eclipsed by shock. Then, as if bound by some unspoken agreement, they turned back toward Lucian—slowly, almost eerily—eyes narrowing with a murderous gleam that promised him a painful death.

Lucian, to his credit, recognized the danger immediately. Without hesitation, he reached deep into the shadowy folds of his cloak and produced a large pink box as though summoning a sacred relic.

Inside was a neatly arranged selection of powder donuts, their sweet aroma somehow cutting through the salty ocean air. Lucian held the box out toward Tyson with both hands, his grin now a desperate plea for mercy.

“I apologize for my transgression,” he said solemnly, as though presenting an offering to a mighty king. “Please accept this humble tribute as a peace offering.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep