The man’s grip on your arm was rough enough to make you stumble.

“Hey—easy,” he muttered, clearly trying to sound casual, but his eyes never left the pink pearl necklace around your throat. The other two men stepped closer, boxing you in near the railing of the cruise deck.

Your heart began to race.

Not just for yourself.

For Percy.

For the tiny life growing inside you.

Percy was only a few yards away in the pool, splashing happily a moment ago. You tried to keep your voice steady as you turned toward him.

“Percy, sweetheart—come here for a second.”

But the man’s hand tightened.

“Not so fast,” he said quietly.

You felt the shift immediately.

The air changed.

A strange heaviness settled over the deck, like the atmosphere before a storm. The ocean beside the ship, which had been calm moments ago, began to ripple in uneasy patterns.

Percy had noticed.

The little boy stood in the pool now, water dripping from his blond curls. Those bright ocean-blue eyes—his father’s eyes—were locked on the man holding you.

“Mama?” he called.

The second man smirked. “Cute kid.”

You tried to keep Percy calm. “Percy, honey, it’s okay. Just stay—”

The man gripping you tugged again.

Percy’s expression changed instantly.

Seven years old.

But the son of the sea.

The water in the pool trembled.

At first it was subtle—small ripples circling Percy’s legs. Then the water began rising unnaturally, swirling around him like it was alive.

The men hadn’t noticed yet.

But you had.

And your stomach dropped.

“Percy,” you said softly, trying to keep him from panicking. “Sweetheart, listen to me—”

“Mama,” Percy said again, voice shaking with anger and fear, “he’s hurting you.”

The ocean beside the ship surged suddenly, slamming gently but powerfully against the hull.

Now the men noticed.

“What the—”

The pool water lifted several inches higher, spiraling upward around Percy like a small living wave. His tiny fists clenched.

Your heart ached.

He looked so much like his father in that moment.

And Poseidon’s temper was legendary.

“Percy,” you pleaded, “baby, it’s alright—”

But Percy shook his head, eyes shining with tears and fury.

“No one hurts my mama.”

A sudden burst of water exploded out of the pool, surging across the deck in a powerful wave that slammed into the three men. They crashed backward, soaked and stunned, losing their footing completely.

The one holding you released you instantly.

You staggered back, immediately rushing to Percy.

“Oh my gods—Percy!”

You dropped to your knees and pulled him into your arms despite the water still swirling around his ankles.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay,” you whispered, kissing his wet hair. “Mama’s alright.”

Percy clung to you, breathing hard.

“I didn’t mean to,” he said shakily. “I just—I didn’t like them touching you.”

Behind you, the men scrambled to their feet in terrified confusion.

“How did he—”

But before they could finish the sentence, the ocean roared again.

A massive wave rose beside the ship.

Not dangerous.

But impossibly large.

And somewhere deep beneath the sea, far away across the world, Poseidon felt it.

The surge.

The anger.

The unmistakable signature of his son.

And the fear of his wife.

The sea god’s temper ignited instantly.

Back on the cruise deck, you hugged Percy close, trying to calm him as the strange storm energy settled.

“It’s okay,” you murmured softly. “You were protecting mama.”

Percy sniffled.

“Am I in trouble?”

You smiled through your tears, brushing wet curls from his forehead.

“No, sweetheart.”

You kissed his head.

“You’re your father’s son.”

Far beneath the waves, the sea itself began moving.

And the men who had threatened you had absolutely no idea who they had just angered.