Chapter 19- The Abyss of Fish-Man Island
The blood had barely dried on the deck when the sea, ever merciless, beckoned them deeper into its grasp. The crew was silent, still shaken from Helios' ruthless execution of the angel. The wind carried the scent of salt and iron, and the ocean, now calm, concealed the horrors that had just unfolded.
Bow exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "Alright, what now?"
Ariadne, still eyeing Helios warily, turned to the horizon. "We need to keep moving. We're being watched."
Prometheus, gripping the rail of the ship, narrowed his eyes at the water. "She's right. Something's out there."
The depths below churned. Shadows swam beneath them—massive figures gliding just beyond the edge of visibility. The temperature dropped, and the water turned from a brilliant sapphire to a deep, endless black. Then, without warning, the ship lurched, as if something immense had grabbed hold of it from below.
A sound, inhuman and guttural, echoed through the deep. Then another. And another.
The ocean erupted. Tentacles—each the width of a house—shot from the surface, wrapping around the ship like a predator coiling around its prey. A monstrous, nightmarish form broke through the waves, its eyes burning like deep-sea lanterns. A leviathan of the abyss, its skin covered in jagged coral and scars from battles long past, let out an ear-shattering roar.
Helios' face twisted in fury. He was done with interruptions.
"Kill it," he snarled.
Bow cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure."
Before anyone could move, a second shape emerged—a colossal fish-man, twice the size of any normal being, with serrated teeth and webbed claws sharper than any blade. It wasn't alone. An army of deep-sea warriors surfaced, their scaled armor reflecting the faint bioluminescent glow from the abyss below.
One of them, their leader, stepped forward, his voice distorted and gurgling, yet commanding. "You sail too close to Fish-Man Island… and you bring the blood of Heaven with you. That makes you a threat."
Helios stepped forward, utterly unphased. "I don't care who you are. Move, or die."
The fish-man bared his fangs. "Then you die first."
The battle erupted with a force that shattered the ocean's eerie calm. The fish-men moved like demons of the deep, darting through the air and water with unnatural speed. One lunged at Helios with a harpoon, but before the weapon could pierce him, Helios caught it with his bare hand, snapping the shaft effortlessly before driving his fist through the attacker's chest. Blood sprayed across the deck.
Ariadne twisted her fingers, and the air cracked with dark energy. She unleashed a barrage of eldritch chains that wrapped around three fish-men, dragging them into the abyss before their screams were silenced.
Bow went berserk, his Power Power Gem igniting his muscles with raw energy. He swung his fists, sending warriors flying, their bodies reduced to shattered bone and pulp.
Prometheus danced through the chaos, his twin swords slicing through scales and flesh, leaving nothing but corpses in his wake.
Helios, however, was a storm unto himself. He let loose the full force of his Apex Gems. His Sun power burned through enemies, turning them to ash mid-air. His Moon power warped reality itself, slowing time as he delivered devastating blows. His Water power raged, summoning monstrous waves that dragged foes into the depths. The ocean itself bowed to him.
Then, the Leviathan roared, its titanic maw opening to swallow the ship whole.
Helios had had enough.
With an explosive burst of energy, he launched himself into the beast's mouth, disappearing into the abyss. Silence followed. The crew froze, momentarily stunned, before a deafening explosion erupted from within the monster. The Leviathan's body convulsed, its stomach bulging outward grotesquely before—
BOOM!
The creature's entire midsection detonated, a fiery burst of energy and water erupting from its core. Chunks of flesh and bone rained down as Helios emerged, his body wreathed in swirling flames and water, his eyes glowing with a god-like intensity.
The remaining fish-men fell back, horror etched on their faces. Their leader, shaking with rage and fear, hissed through clenched teeth.
"This is not over." Then, he disappeared into the blackness below, followed swiftly by the few remaining survivors.
The ocean grew still once more. The ship rocked gently, the only sound the ragged breathing of the crew.
Bow wiped the blood off his face, looking at Helios with something between awe and unease. "…Remind me never to piss you off."
Helios exhaled, shaking the blood from his hands. His rage was sated—for now.
But something told him Fish-Man Island wasn't done with them yet…
Helios and his crew navigated through the underwater currents, their newly acquired ship cutting through the depths with supernatural ease.
Ahead of them, the grand gates of Fish-Man Island loomed—massive coral-carved barriers adorned with intricate carvings of ancient battles and celestial beings. The waters shimmered with ethereal bioluminescence, lighting the path as Helios and his crew entered the legendary domain of the fish-men.
Guards armed with tridents emerged from the shadows, surrounding the ship as it docked inside a vast air bubble that encased the city. Their scales gleamed under the ambient glow of the ocean, eyes wary as they took in the outsiders.
"State your purpose," one of the guards demanded, his webbed fingers tightening around his weapon.
Helios stepped forward, his golden eyes burning with quiet authority. "We're not here to harm you. We seek knowledge and allies."
A murmur passed through the guards before a booming voice echoed from within the palace. "Let them through."
The gates of the palace parted, revealing King Neptune, a towering figure with a flowing silver beard and a crown of coral. His presence was regal, his gaze piercing as he studied Helios and his companions.
"You carry the weight of war on your shoulders," Neptune said, his deep voice reverberating through the halls. "Why have you come to our kingdom?"
Helios did not hesitate. "The Supreme Order has branded us criminals. I will kill God himself and tear down their empire. I seek those who understand the true nature of oppression."
A heavy silence followed. Then, to Helios' surprise, a slow smile spread across Neptune's face.
"Then you will find no enemies here," the king declared. "We have long suffered under their rule. You have our support."
A grand feast was held in their honor, a banquet of exotic seafood and deep-sea delicacies. As the night stretched on, the fish-men spoke of their history—how their ancestors had once lived among the gods before they were cast into the depths, cursed to dwell in the dark. Their resentment toward the heavens mirrored Helios' own.
But amid the revelry, an ancient tale surfaced. A whisper of something far older than the gods.
"The Forbidden Temple," one of the elders rasped, his eyes dark with warning. "A relic of a time before the Supreme Order. No man has entered and returned."
The next morning, Helios and his crew stood before the submerged ruins of the temple. Its exterior was covered in strange glyphs, pulsating faintly as if alive.
Ariadne, usually confident in her knowledge, frowned. "I... I can't read this."
Prometheus ran his fingers over the engravings. "This predates even the language of the old gods."
Helios, however, felt a strange pull. His fingertips traced the carvings, and though the language was foreign, one phrase burned into his mind as if it had been etched into his very soul.
"The White Room."
A cold shiver ran down his spine. He didn't know what it meant, but deep within his being, he understood—this was not the end of their journey.