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You have heard this Story before.
It's the Story of being the Hand that hurts your Loved one.
A Daughter of Zeus and a Child of the Ocean who grew at each other's Side, they hadn't known each other for their whole Lives, but they had grown so close they were practically inseparable from one another. The Heavens met the Ocean at the Horizon line and that's where these two had met as well.
They learned and grew, played and lived, laughed, loved, lost and fought by each other's side since the day they were united.
Until one day, the Daughter of Zeus had insisted the Child of the Ocean shall sparr with her. They happily agreed to their Friend's wishes, why would they deny them? It was harmless fun, as they always had.
They fought near the Ocean, on a day that was simply too lovely, too peaceful, for anything bad to happen to them.
They threw taunts and insults, jokes and simple chatter as they fought, trying to defeat the other, but holding back on their powers, they were simply training their sparring after all.
As they spared together near the Ocean, only a friendly spar, only a training, the Daughter of Zeus struck the Child of the Ocean during a moment at a weak spot with her spear and wounded them greatly, her spear piercing their body.
Only this was not an ancient Myth of being the hand that struck down your friend, your lover perhaps, of grief and honoring the dead forever.
This was a different Tale, as the Daughter of Zeus, Thalia, froze in horror, her face going pale and eyes wide, tears already building up.
This was a different Tale, as the Child of the Ocean, Percy, dropped his sword in horror and brought shaking hands to the spear protruding from his body, a tingle of electricity still numbing the pain of the blow, eyes and mouth wide open in shock.
"P…Percy," Thalia took a step back in shock, before moving closer to him over the pier as the Waves around them had gone rough and a Storm was brewing above, the calmness of the previously sunny day had fully evaporated itself, "Oh Gods, Percy–"
Percy stepped back, suddenly unsure of his surroundings, unsure who he was with again, who was approaching him as panic filled his head. There was a spear stuck in him, he was in pain, it burned, it stung, every movement and breath seemed to remind his body that something had pierced it, that something should not be there.
His Head had gone fuzzy, the spear was stuck deep, but regardless he grabbed it tight with both hands and tried to pull desperately. stuck. it was stuck in his flesh and armour, or maybe the rain and his sweaty hands made the spear itself hard to grab, but he could not move it.
the smell of the sea got stronger around him, as the waves seemed to try and pull him in. Percy knew it would heal him, but if he went unconscious and floated away then no one could help him.
the power of the sea itself felt stronger around him, as tide and waves tried to drag and pull him down. Percy knew it would heal him, it wouldn't harm him, but he couldn't think of anything besides drowning. The burn in his lungs as water filled them, the panic and everything going blotchy. If the Ocean took him now he would drown. It would betray him in a moment of dire need. it would drown him,
drown drown drown drown drown drown.
He didn't want to–
He didn't want to–
He thought he saw something, somebody underneath the Water's Surface, which had risen above the pier and was now up to his knees, as his skin felt a familiar tingle of electricity, his focus came onto the person in front of him, instead of the man beneath who was trying to reach him.
Electricity, same and different from her godly father's, not as refined, not as strong, soft almost, familiar to Percy in ways only some people could feel. Thalia. Thalia was moving towards him, Thalia was speaking words he couldn't grasp, was it from the storm or the wound? Percy couldn’t tell, but she pulled hard on the spear, as Percy pulled away.
He tried to focus on her face, he could barely see through..the rain, his tears, he didn’t know, everything hurt so bad. Thalia was crying, her Hands were shaking and every noise he could comprehend was a deep sob.
harsh pain and a certain sticky wetness, blood. Thalia had dropped her spear onto the wooden floor and immediately reached out to hold him, harbor him , but Percy already tumbled backwards, slipping on the wet wood and falling from the dock into the ocean.
He sank,the water already healing his wounds but the tide was already trying to claim his limp body. He was being dragged away into the open sea, where anything and everything may claim him.
He didn't want to, but as fear seized him, he breathed in. It hurt so bad, his Legs and Arms were faintly flailing as he watched the bubbles leave his mouth.
no no no no no no no no
He didn't want to drown.
He didn't want to drown.
Why was the Water rejecting him, why was it not familiar, safe, cradling?
He didn't want to drown.
His lungs and his eyes burned strongly.
Underneath the wooden dock he saw glimpses and flashes, an all too familiar figure, looking at him in sheer panic and..worry? It couldn't be..
Triton?
He was already swimming towards him as he drifted off, when another figure entered the water, making Triton back away, his face contorting.
Warm, buzzing Hands grabbed Percy’s Arm and pulled him up, high enough to breath, the one who shouldn't have entered the ocean, whose child it had wounded, the one who was now dragging said child close enough to shore that she could stand above him, as he laid in the water on the ground, his head above the surface desperately gasping for Air, clutching Thalia's arms.
The Lightning that was simply part of her being was amplified by the water surrounding the two, but it did not matter. Neither would be hurt by it now. Percy’s wound was healing steadily, but so slowly and Thalia was still fully in a domain she should not have entered, especially after hurting him, the favorite mortal son.
Everything around him went dark, at Thalia's wild green-blue eyes brightly piercing his, a wild look on her face as she held him in the water and close to her. It did not change when a horribly angry God quickly approached them.
Percy’s world turned as his Brother tried to grab his Cousin's, his Sister's wrist and yelled something he could not understand.
The god looked at him for a moment, then another before he disappeared. Only one final Statement as he left them mournfully.
"Why must you children of the Sky always destroy everything of the Sea, do you hold no Love ?"
Percy felt the waves wash over his body softly, the rain hitting him in the face, the pure wrath pulling the ocean back, his sister's buzzing electricity and it's warmth, warm like the Hearth in Camp…He wanted to go there now, but it was too late for a Visit now.
His World went dim, almost noiseless, with nothing but the familiar tingle of lightning at his side, holding him so tightly, he didn't believe she would ever let go now and the calming cold of the Ocean.
The last things he saw were the beautiful sky, the large wave heading towards them and Thalia's tear stained face, mouthing words too silent for him to grasp and pressing a kiss against his forehead.
Everything went black and He was alone.