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Chapter 2: Abominations of the sea(2)

  Hermes’ eyes snapped open.

  Cold, suffocating water surrounded him.

  His body jolted with panic as the crushing realization hit him-he was underwater, and sinking fast.

  Bubbles burst from his mouth as he gasped instinctively, causing him to choke and gargle violently.

  'Damn it'

  He thought, flailing.

  How the hell did I end up in the sea?!

  Fighting against the weight of the water, he turned upward and spotted the faint glimmer of light breaking through the surface far above. His limbs burned as he kicked and paddled, desperate for air.

  I need to hurry. I can’t die here. Not yet. I have to save Master.

  But as he swam, pushing toward the surface, something stirred below. Something massive.

  Unseen in the dark, two glowing red eyes blinked to life, watching. A long, serpentine shadow began to rise behind Hermes-silent, but swift.

  BOY, LOOK BEHIND YOU. DODGE.

  A booming voice rang in Hermes’ mind, shaking him to his core. His instincts took over. He whipped his head around, and froze.

  “What the heck... is this?” he breathed, eyes wide with dread.

  A monstrous sea dragon loomed before him. Its sleek, gray body slithered through the water like a serpent of nightmares. Small gray spikes covered its face and body like armor. Two black horns twisted out from its head. A long, needle-point tail curved menacingly behind it.

  Hermes trembled, paralyzed by fear.

  Then the beast opened its jagged maw.

  The water shifted violently. A whirlpool formed around Hermes, dragging him straight toward the creature’s throat.

  “No-no, no, no!” he panicked, twisting his body around and swimming frantically against the pull. His muscles screamed. His lungs burned.

  But it was useless.

  The dragon watched, almost amused, as the struggling boy tried in vain to escape its domain.

  With a thunderous snap, the creature slammed its maw shut. A piercing shockwave ripped through the sea. Crimson blood spilled into the water.

  It paused.

  Its glowing eyes narrowed.

  Hermes was still there-alive. Somehow, he had just barely dodged death.

  But not unscathed.

  A burning pain exploded in his left arm. He looked down and saw blood gushing from where the dragon’s teeth had grazed him.

  His body spasmed in pain, but he couldn’t scream. He couldn’t even breathe.

  Clutching the wounded spot, Hermes turned and desperately tried to flee.

  “I need to get aw-"

  The dragon’s tail struck his back like a whip, sending him hurtling through the water.

  “AaaaAAAH!!”

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  Blood burst from his back as the pain tore through him like lightning. His vision blurred. His limbs floated limp.

  “I’m… out of breath…”

  His thoughts faded as consciousness slipped away. The dragon lunged toward him again, jaws wide.

  Then....It hit something. Something invisible.

  The entire beast jolted, stunned. A moment later, an unseen force wrapped around its massive body and began to squeeze.

  The dragon flailed. It twisted and writhed. But there was no escape.

  Meanwhile, something was happening to Hermes. A soft, glowing barrier- green and transparent-wrapped around him like a protective cocoon.

  Suddenly, he could breathe.

  “What?! I can breathe now?!” he gasped in disbelief.

  He looked on in horror as the invisible force crushed the dragon tighter and tighter...until, with a grotesque pop, the creature exploded into a red mist of blood and viscera.

  Hermes gagged, covering his mouth, stomach churning at the sight of floating organs and scattered flesh.

  Do not struggle, boy. Do not dread.

  The deep voice echoed again in his head, calm yet commanding.

  Hermes blinked. Confused. Still trembling.

  Then, he felt it.

  His body was being pulled downward, gently but swiftly, toward the dark depths of the ocean.

  “What… is happening…?” he whispered.

  Faster and faster he fell. Then, after a while, he stopped.

  When he opened his eyes again, he was somewhere deeper.

  Before him sat a massive humanoid creature with an octopus-like head. Its green body was weathered, missing its left arm. The presence it radiated felt ancient, beyond comprehension.

  “Welcome, Fated one,” it spoke, voice like a distant tide. “I am Chutulu-the one you are destined to succeed.”

  Hermes stiffened. His breath caught.

  He knew that name.

  He’d read about it in mythology.

  But never, in his wildest dreams, did he imagine meeting the great Cthulhu.

  “We have little time. So I’ll be brief,” Chutulu said. “You, Hermes Evander, are to become my vessel-and one day, the next me.”

  Hermes blinked, frowning in confusion. “The next… you?”

  “Indeed. Fate has brought you here. Thanks to Athena Calliope. She raised you well for this day and the days to come.”

  That name hit Hermes like a bolt of lightning. It was as a matter of fact his master's name.

  “Wait, you know her?! You know master Athena?! How?!”

  “I do,” Chutulu said, voice unchanging. “But that’s not for now. In time, you will understand. For now-survive. And find your master before it’s too late.”

  Hermes stepped forward, desperate. “Then tell me where she is! Please!”

  “I cannot-not in this state. My powers have been stolen. But I can give you the strength to begin your journey.”

  “You mean… with your power, I can find her?”

  “That is correct,” Chutulu said. “But there is a condition. After receiving my power, you must recover the scattered fragments of my essence from the creatures that stole them.”

  Hermes didn’t hesitate. He didn’t care about fate or myth or what this being truly was.

  If it could help him find his family-if it could help him find her, he would do anything.

  “I accept. I’ll do whatever it takes,” Hermes said, eyes fierce. “You’ve got this. So please… give me your power.”

  “Very well,” Chutulu said, extending his hand forward.

  The moment he did, Hermes was pulled toward him by an invisible force. As he hovered close, Chutulu placed his hand on Hermes’ forehead and uttered, “I give you my power.”

  At once, Hermes’ body convulsed violently like an earthquake erupting within his bones. A surge of green energy shot from Chutulu’s palm into Hermes’ forehead, flooding through every fiber of his being.

  Then came the sound- a maddening, soul-piercing cacophony that roared inside his skull.

  “AaaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

  Hermes screamed in raw agony, his voice warped by the water around him. It felt as if his head might split open from the unbearable pressure, as if his very consciousness was being torn apart and rebuilt in real time.

  The ocean itself trembled.

  Sea creatures scattered in all directions, fleeing the suffocating pressure that radiated from Hermes like a storm.

  “There,” Chutulu’s deep voice echoed as the surge abruptly stopped.

  The pain vanished as quickly as it came-but it left Hermes dizzy, trembling, and barely conscious.

  [Congratulations: You are now Chutulu’s Vessel.]

  Green text floated before Hermes’ eyes, hazy and surreal. He blinked weakly, trying to read them, but the words faded just as quickly as they came.

  When he looked up, Chutulu was gone-as if he’d never existed at all.

  Hermes didn’t even have time to question it. His eyes fluttered shut, and he began drifting upward through the dark water, like a lifeless feather rising against gravity.

  Somewhere on the surface:

  A large ship-weathered and proud-sliced through the waves. Its hull was carved from dark wood, and a crimson flag bearing a hawk emblem flapped in the wind.

  From the deck, a sailor squinted at the water.

  “Captain! There's someone out there-floating!”

  It was Hermes.

  What would this encounter mean for Hermes? Could this also be a FATED encounter?

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