Percy POV
Summer: 296 AC
The sound of a bell ringing roused Percy from his dream. A feminine groan brought his attention to the redhead that was beside him, just as the bell rang for a second time.
“What is that? And can you tell whoever’s ringing it to fucking stop?”
The demigod chuckled at Claire’s clear displeasure at being woken up so abruptly, but the third ring of the bell immediately sobered him up. Quickly getting out of bed and getting dressed for battle as Claire looked at him in confusion.
“What’s wrong my Lord? We shouldn’t have arrived in Braavos yet. We have only been at sea for five weeks at this point, and Barrian said that we were still three days out.”
Percy looked at the pale beauty as the blanket fell from her shoulders and exposed her breasts, wrenching his gaze to her eyes as he spoke. Years of experience and battle put his body on autopilot as he got ready.
“Three rings of the bell means that there is a ship that is following us, and it’s looking for a fight.”
Percy had to give the girl credit as she didn’t look scared in the least bit. Simply holding his gaze as he finished securing his sword to his hip. However, before the demigod could leave to get an update, she got up from the bed and made her way over to him.
Her nude body shone in the moonlight that came through the window of his cabin. Her red hair cascaded down her back as she enveloped him in a hug and kissed him strongly on the lips.
“Kill those bastards and show them why they should fear Perseus of House Wake.”
The son of Poseidon gave a stiff nod before exiting the captain's quarters, using his powers to freeze the door as he did in Winterfell to ensure Claire’s safety. Finally making his way towards the men gathered by the center mast.
“Give me an update, what’s going on?”
Barrian turned to him, and the demigod could visibly see a bit of relief appear on his features.
“Rohan spotted a pirate blockade at the mouth of Pentos’s bay. I turned west in hopes that they wouldn’t break the blockade to chase us. I was wrong, and there are now two ships pursuing us, waving the flag of the Black Pearl of Braavos.”
Percy wasn’t familiar with the name, but he was familiar with pirates thanks to his time in the Sea of Monsters. Knowing enough to know that they wouldn’t leave just because they asked nicely. Taking a breath, the demigod reached out his senses and was relieved that the only ships he could sense were the ones behind them.
Focusing back on Barrian, Percy worked on developing a plan of attack. His captain and men gathered around him, waiting for their Lord’s command.
“Alright listen up. I want you to dump anything shiny overboard in a barrel & make sure it will reflect in the moonlight. One or both of the ships should stop to grab the treasure, and that’s when we make an about-face.”
“We will drop the anchor and make a hard turn towards the starboard side, which will allow our row of Ballista to open fire. After that, we will re-evaluate. Understand?”
His men gave out their acknowledgment as Barrain gave them each their own jobs while Percy grabbed a spyglass to see how many men were aboard each ship. Cursing as he counted at least forty above deck on both of the vessels.
He did not want a prolonged fight, or any boarding to take place. His crew of thirty men wouldn’t stand a chance, and they would soon fall if it came to a physical engagement. Demigod or not, he was still one man against over eighty, and the odds were not in their favor while he still struggled to control the sea in this world.
Watching as his crew worked double time to prepare the trap, Percy got to work on some of the other tasks that needed to be done. Because this world had no form of gunpowder, the Sea Fang had two types of offense and defense it could use until the son of the sea came up with something else.
The first of which was simple, and that was their battering ram. Which, combined with the sails and oar station, would allow their ship to cleave through an opposing vessel. The second option was a modification he had made that had the same principle as cannons.
He had increased the size of several ballistae, put them below deck, and had his blacksmiths create blunted steel-tipped bolts. They didn’t have the same range as cannons, but they had a similar effect on wooden ships.
So, the demigod used his powers to open the hatches that covered the row of the large ballistae and set up some of the riggings. He was in the middle of loading one of the steel bolts into one of their eight ballistae when Barrian found him.
“My Lord, our bait is ready, should we dump it now?”
The demigod took a deep breath as he reached out his senses, still only feeling the two ships in their immediate waters, the demigod gave the go-ahead. Watching as most of the crew's valuables were dumped overboard with a ‘heave ho’.
Hitting the water with a massive splash, before the buoyancy of the barrels took effect, and started rising them back up. The silver and gold sheen on some of the metal peeked through the barrels themselves and reflected in the moonlight.
Percy watched with bated breath to see if one of the pirates' ships would break off to recover the treasure, sighing in relief as he saw the smaller of the two boats roll up its sails in preparation to stop.
The demigod waited until the vessel that was collecting the bait had anchored before signaling the start of their ambush, making sure that it didn’t have the mobility to help its sister ship. The rolling of the chains to the anchor thumped away rapidly as the seven-ton piece of metal dropped from the side of their ship.
The Sea Fang let out a groan as the strain of the maneuver tested every bit of the ship's integrity and craftsmanship. Bringing the craft nearly ninety degrees towards the starboard side. Barrian’s voice was immediate once the Sea Fang’s ballistae faced the now lone pirate ship.
“OPEN FIRE!”
It was like two chains colliding going a hundred miles an hour in Percy’s mind as the ballistae fired one after the other. Throwing fifteen-pound bolts of steel, hundreds of feet a second, toward the poor pirate ship, it never stood a chance.
The demigod could only watch in morbid fashion as the Sea Fang tore apart the enemy vessel. There were several missed shots, but a little less than half of the two dozen blunted bolts hit their mark, and that was all that was needed.
Three of the bolts ripped apart the mainsail, while a lucky shot hit one of the masts at the base, compromising its integrity and causing it to fall backwards. Meanwhile, another four bolts tore through the main hull, blowing splinters and human guts outwards as the force of the impact decimated anything it hit.
Leaving another two bolts that arced and hit the top of the deck, going out the bottom. Percy saw through the spyglass that one poor bastard was hit directly and turned into a red mist with some beef-like chunk’s that almost made him empty his stomach.
Needless to say, the ship was in disarray and took on water quickly. The other ship, however, had seen the carnage its sister had endured and was already in the process of turning back around toward its blockade.
A lone rowboat trying desperately to get back to it with the treasure Percy and his men had dumped overboard earlier. But it didn’t take the son of a sea god to know that the rowboat wouldn’t make it back in time. There was no honor amongst thieves he supposed, turning back towards his men as they celebrated.
“Well fought men! Let’s go collect our belongings and search for anything useful that was onboard that pirate ship. Any survivors we will take as prisoners.”
Percy grinned as a cacophony of ‘aye’s’ sounded off as the men got the Sea Fang ready to go towards the sinking ship and lone rowboat that was now left stranded. Using his powers to their limit so he could subtly help the men raise the anchor.
A small roar and bright light brought Percy’s attention back to the sinking vessel as Thalassa made her presence known, bringing a large smile to the demigod's face. His dragon had just breathed fire for the first time, and Percy was ecstatic that it was in the defense of him and his men.
The demigod could feel her anger at the decimated pirate ship as she blew fire across the deck, setting what still remained above water ablaze. With Percy calling for his dragon after her single breath of flame, while he appreciated the sentiment, they still had to cross back this way on the trip home.
The last thing he needed was for the fleeing pirate ship to realize they had a dragon, if they did, he was sure they would tell their friends and set up an ambush for him on the return trip. The thud next to him announced Thalassa’s presence as she leaned into his hand, allowing him to stroke her scales and snout.
“Thanks’ girl, you showed them we aren’t ones to mess with.”
His green dragon let out a huff of smoke in agreement as the Sea Fang made its way closer to the burning wreck of a ship. His dragon had grown a couple of inches since they left Seahaven, and Percy was amazed more and more by her growth every day.
She was still small, just barely reaching Percy’s waist sitting down, and had a total wingspan of maybe five feet. But, she had just figured out how to breathe fire, and Percy was ecstatic. Although, he didn’t know if it was because of Thalassa’s emotions or his.
It was something he had noticed happening to him more and more, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the energy he used to help her hatch, or if it was something all dragon owners experienced. That was one of the few downsides to being the only person who had a dragon.
Either way, he had to be more mindful of his emotions as the last thing he wanted was to take on the personality of a dragon. Bringing his attention back to the present, the demigod reached out his senses, making sure the rowboat was still in the general area.
Confirming that it was, Percy petted his dragon one last time before making his way to his men while Thalassa curled up to rest on the quarter deck. Grabbing everyone's attention with his best New York taxicab whistle.
“Listen up, I want twenty of you along with Barrian to take our row boats and head towards the wrecked ship. Work on grabbing everything valuable that you can before the ship sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Remember, survivors will be taken as prisoners!”
Twenty men and Barrian immediately headed towards the rowboats as the Sea Fang was almost on top of the burning ship, while Percy addressed the rest of his men.
“The rest of you, we are going after that rowboat and getting our stuff back! The same rules apply, but I don’t want them to escape while we search the sinking ship.”
His men all sounded off their agreement as they prepared for a fight while the sounds of dying men and rowboats hitting the water assaulted his ears. The smell of burning flesh briefly filled his nostrils as they passed closer to the burning wreck, soon passing it by as the Sea Fang continued towards its target.
Arriving minutes later at the rowboat’s location. The four pirates who had manned the rowboat quickly surrendered once they realized they were caught. Percy had six of his men strip them of their weapons and take them to the brig while he and the rest of the men got their valuables back on board and secured the now extra rowboat to the side of the ship.
Turning the Sea Fang around in time to see the last of the fires extinguished from the burning boat as it fully sunk beneath the waves. Percy had to use his senses to figure out where his men and their rowboats were as clouds had rolled in, covering up the moon.
After an hour they were back on their way towards Braavos, and in all, they had collected a total of six pirates as prisoners. They had also managed to grab several valuable pieces of jewelry, armor, and several crates of spice and tea leaves before the pirate ship sank.
Everyone did an amazing job in his eyes and he would make sure they got a well-deserved feast once they arrived in Braavos. In the meantime though, the demigod had other matters to attend to as he unfroze the door to his cabin, only to have to stop a dagger aimed at his throat.
“Missed you too.”
Claire just smirked, before quickly embracing him in a hug. Mumbling into his collar as the demigod shut the door to his cabin with his foot.
“I knew you’d win my Lord. I was simply making sure that your reflexes didn’t get dulled.”
Percy grinned as he picked the girl up, while she simultaneously wrapped her legs around his waist. The redhead pulled back from her hug to capture his lips as they made their way to the bed.
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The bank of Braavos was an impressive sight, larger than the entire castle of Winterfell if Percy had to guess. It looked scaringly similar to some of the buildings in New Rome just on a larger scale.
With white marble columns, gold inlay, and dark stone roofs the building itself looked every bit the part of the largest bank in the world. Making his way inside, the demigod was very conscious of all the guards and hefty security measures.
Even if he was at his full power and Thalassa was fully grown, he doubted that they would be able to assault the bank and come out victorious. The steel doors and gates alone would require something with immense strength to open by force due solely to their size.
As Percy took in the interior of the bank, which was just as immaculate as the outside, with polished white marble floors, gold bars separating the tellers from the rest of the people, and an exquisite mural on the ceiling depicting Braavos when it was a growing city.
The Iron Bank was at the center with the city surrounding it. Percy also noticed the Red Keep portrayed in the shadows across the sea, and Percy got the feeling it wasn’t just a coincidence.
The demigod was broken out of his wonder as a younger man that was about his age, with bronze skin, dark black hair, and a scar on his chin tapped him on the shoulder.
“Are you by chance Lord Wake of Sea Dragon Point?”
Percy nodded his head, motioning to the two guards that he brought with him to keep their weapons sheathed. He doubted that the guards in the bank would allow something like that to slide.
“I am. But please, call me Lord Perseus. What is your name?”
“Of course Lord Perseus, my name is Arthur, and I will be your account manager. If you will please follow me to my office, we can have some privacy to discuss your funds.”
Percy nodded to his two guards as he followed Arthur through the grand halls of the bank, making small talk as they went.
“How was your Journey Lord Wa- I mean Lord Perseus?”
Percy smirked a bit, happy that his account manager was at least making an effort.
“It was long, and we had to deal with a couple pirate attacks but nothing we weren’t able to handle. How long have you been with the bank?”
Arthur glanced back at his question with a bit of a confused look on his face before continuing on.
“My whole life of course, is it not known in Westeros that the Iron Bank adopts and raises Orphans from birth to work for the bank until we die?”
Percy nearly choked on air at Arthur’s words. Taken by surprise at how carelessly he said that he was in a cult, and how unperturbed he was that the bank would be his whole life. Taking a moment to regain his senses he spoke up.
“I, uh, I’m afraid that is not common knowledge no. Are you not upset by that fact?”
Arthur let loose a laugh that took Percy by surprise once again, as the man opened the door to what Percy assumed was his office.
“Of course not. The Iron Bank took me in and made me who I am today, we are all a family here and look out for one another. Now, if you could please keep your guards outside, as I’m afraid policy dictates that there be no weapons in any office.”
Percy nodded, dismissing his two guards, as he tried to determine if his account manager was actually happy with his current situation or was just insane. However, judging by the extravagant office that he had, Percy assumed it was the first option.
With what looked to be solid walnut furniture, red carpet floors, and silk tapestries hung around the walls. Something told Percy that Arthur was very happy with his position within the Iron Bank.
Drawing his attention away from the elegance of the office Percy focused on the man as he got behind his desk and brought out some parchment, and ink to take notes.
“Now, Lord Perseus. You say that you have amassed a small fortune of precious metals and minerals from your time in Westeros and would like to do what with them exactly?”
At that moment Percy wished he had let Pearson go in his stead, as he felt well out of his element. Clearing his throat, he sat down and met Arthur’s gaze.
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“Well, I would like for the Bank to provide me a loan while I put up the valuables as collateral. With the loan being 40,000 Gold Dragons.”
It was at that moment that Percy realized he was working with an experienced professional. Considering that Arthur didn’t react at all to the loan of 40,000 Gold Dragons, something he had learned would be equivalent to 40 million dollars back on Earth based on how few people had Gold Dragons.
Arthur looked up from his parchment once Percy stopped speaking, and sensing he was done, chuckled a little bit.
“Well, that is very vague Lord Perseus. Now of course we would be happy to provide this loan to you, once we see your collateral that is, but is that all you're here to talk about? You didn’t need to sail all the way out here for that.”
Percy shrugged his shoulders, as he felt a bit of sweat build up around his neck.
“Pretty much, this was something I wanted to handle and set up in person. Afterwards, I would have my Master of Coin handle everything else.”
Arthur got a glint in his eye at his words, before chuckling once more.
“I see now, how about this my Lord. What if instead of using your valuables as collateral, the bank buys your valuables at a fair rate. We take that coin and open an account with us and we manage the money you handed us. We could use it to invest in other businesses to help you generate cash flow and earn interest on the money you do have.”
Percy considered that for a moment, wishing he had brought someone who knew more about finances than himself so he knew if he was getting taken advantage of or not. It didn’t help that if he asked for advice from his council, it would be weeks to a month before he received a reply.
Ultimately, he didn’t see any fault in Arthur’s logic. He didn’t really have a huge use for the gems and minerals, other than them being a bargaining chip. After another minute of running through the scenarios of selling his only major asset in this world, he nodded his head at Arthur.
The banker smiled as he stood up from his desk with an outstretched hand that Percy grasped after a moment's hesitation.
“You won’t regret this decision Lord Perseus, now when would be a good time for me and my assessor to come and view your minerals and gems to assign a value?”
Percy was quick with his response this time, already having a plan for how he would get all the gems in the pouch on his hip to the bank without arousing suspicion.
“Actually Arthur, how about my men and I bring them to you? We can be back with a wagon in an hour.”
The banker nodded after a moment's thought.
“Yes, that would be fine. Just be careful as hauling something that valuable would be an appealing target, even in the middle of the day and in the city.”
The demigod nodded as Arthur opened the door to his office, allowing Percy to go through first. His two guards at attention in front of the door were quick to fall in step as they made their way back to the bank lobby.
It was a fairly uneventful trip and Percy soon found himself making his way back towards the Sea Fang, which was docked in a more permanent spot reserved for extended stays of nobility. Stopping at a small cart shop on the way to rent a couple of carts to carry all the valuables in his pouch.
The owner of the said shop was an older man that looked to be in his early sixties with graying hair, a bronze tan, and a slightly round belly. The shop owner was quick to greet him with a smile as well, once he realized Percy was interested in what the man had to offer.
“Morning good sir, how can I help you today?”
Percy returned the shop owner's smile with one of his own.
“Good morning. I’m looking to rent two wagons to transport some heavy items, we would only have them for a couple of hours or so.”
The man grinned as he started showing Percy some carts and how sturdy they were as well as how much the price would be for the time. Eventually, he decided on the largest carts the man had to offer as they could support the most weight being made out of Ironwood.
The total came out to two gold dragons for the remainder of the day. As the shop owner prepared the wagons and horses. Percy turned to his guards, Andros, and Saffir.
“I want you two to take the first wagon back to the ship while I take the other wagon and get the gems and minerals.”
Andros was the first to speak up, and Percy already had an idea of what his objection would be.
“Are you sure you don’t want one of us to go with you, my Lord? We could help you load it and be the eyes in the back of your head.”
Percy smiled at his guards' dedication, it was nice ninety-five percent of the time, but sometimes it was annoying. Especially when he had a pouch that would put him under some much-unwanted scrutiny if any mortal saw it. Putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder Percy responded.
“I appreciate the concern Andros. But, I have an old friend I would like to visit with some much-needed privacy before grabbing the valuables.”
Percy thanked his luck as his guard took the lie at face value and laughed while patting him on the back and wishing him luck. Before joining Saffir on the wagon, heading towards the Sea Fang as Percy went in the opposite direction.
Spending some time exploring and familiarizing himself with the city while he was alone so that he could pass off his backstory of being a Braavosi native. Taking mental notes of some of the more popular taverns, and a couple wholesalers he could look to negotiate with while in Braavos.
Before finally stopping at a store that sold wooden crates. The last thing he wanted was to show up in a wagon with piles of gems and minerals. It would raise a lot of questions as to how he loaded such a pile into the back of a covered wagon.
So after buying over two dozen crates with some of his personal money, Percy made his way towards an alleyway. Finding one that just barely fit his cart, with inches to spare, he began to make sure there wasn’t an audience watching him.
Seeing no one, he untied Hades’ pouch from his hip and began emptying its contents into one of the wooden crates. Watching in fascination as hundreds upon hundreds of valuable gems and minerals fell out of a pouch the size of Percy’s hand.
The clinking and clanking of the metal was sure to draw attention, but Percy was confident that he would be gone before anyone showed up to investigate. It reminded him of the time when he was a kid and he and his mom would go to the bank and dump all their change into a coin counter.
After another minute, the flow of valuables slowed to a dribble until it was finally empty. The cart thankfully didn’t seem to be under much strain on what Percy assumed to be nearly a ton of valuable gems and minerals.
He ended up filling seventeen of the wooden crates, which was crazy to think as each one had nearly a foot of space inside. So, after stacking the crates and covering them with the tarp, Percy headed back towards the Sea Fang with a now empty pouch tied to his waist.
It was something he would want to look at in the future if he could store other things in the enchanted pouch, or if it would only be able to store valuable metals. Putting that thought on the back burner. Percy found himself in front of the Sea Fang after only a few short minutes, and after another twenty minutes, they were back in front of the Bank of Braavos.
Percy once again thanked his luck as Arthur was already out in front of the building and waiting with what appeared to be an older man in his late forties with salt and pepper hair. Stepping down from the wagon while ten of his best men took up a perimeter around himself and the cart.
Arthur stepped forward to greet him with a smile still on his face.
“Ah Lord Perseus, just in time! I was afraid we would’ve had to reschedule if you were a few more minutes late.”
Percy returned the smile with a grimace as he shook Arthur’s hand.
“Sorry about the delay, I got distracted with some other business.”
Arthur got a sly grin on his face, and Percy was glad the man fell for his lousy excuse.
“Of course, of course. I know how much the men of Westeros love to have their fun. I can make some recommendations for you if you like. I know a few spots that the King himself likes to frequent when he comes to us for his loans.”
Percy laughed off his surprise that the King of Westeros used the Iron Bank, making sure to file that information away for later.
“If it’s good enough for His Grace, then it’s good enough for me. Who is this with you Arthur?”
Arthur nodded to the older man who stepped forward with an extended hand.
“Nice to meet you, Lord Perseus. I am Harwin and will be appraising the valuables you brought with you.”
Percy grasped Harwin’s hand before nodding towards Andros and Saffir, who began to take the filled wooden crates out of the wagon and towards Harwin. Percy laughed as the eyes of the two employees of the Iron Bank widened comically at seeing the number of valuables between the seventeen crates.
Arthur was the first one to come to his senses, nudging Harwin who made his way toward the first crate, inspecting a handful of gems and precious metals. Meanwhile, Arthur looked at the demigod in a new light.
“I must say Lord Perseus, when you requested the loan of 40,000 gold dragons, I didn’t think you’d have the valuables to cover it all. But, if everything I see here is real and of good purity and quality, then we will be able to set you and your city up for life.”
Percy laughed as the banker didn’t take his eyes off the shining metals and valuables as he spoke, practically salivating once Harwin had confirmed several of the crates were real. But it wasn’t until the appraiser had spot checked every single one of the crates, did the negotiations begin.
Arthur turned to him much more composed as he spoke.
“You have amassed quite a fortune Lord Perseus I‘ve got to hand it to you. The Bank of Braavos would be happy to offer you 150,000 gold dragons for all seventeen crates.”
Percy had to stop himself from outwardly reacting to such a high offer. He knew there were a lot of valuables here, but he never expected it to be that much. Doing his best to channel his inner Praetor, he faced Arthur.
“That was a low offer and you know it. I want to keep two crates that we will take back with us to Seahaven and one crate that I leave here for protection in an account that we open with the Iron Bank. With that in mind, I will sell you fourteen of the crates for 165,000.”
Arthur considered that for a moment before responding.
“I can do 145,000 for the fourteen crates.”
Percy smirked as he stuck out his hand, already knowing Arthur would accept his counter.
“Fourteen for 150,000 and I’ll pay for a night at your favorite establishment.”
The banker grinned as he grasped Percy’s hand.
“You’ve got a deal, Lord Perseus. I have all the paperwork ready for you to sign in my office, and then we will be good to go. I’ll have my men grab the fifteen crates while yours load up the two that you're taking back to Westeros.”
Percy nodded his head as he followed the banker back into the Iron Bank, as Andros and Saffir let loose a sigh of relief at only having to load two of the crates. The demigod couldn’t hide the grin on his face at getting such a good deal that would hopefully set Seahaven up as a major house in Westeros.
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Percy was elated as he stepped out of the office for the Pearl Trading Company. He and his men had been in Braavos for nearly three weeks now, and everything had been going smoothly. Even more so after they completed the sale with the Iron Bank that took place during their first week in Braavos.
Percy had ridden that high and treated his whole crew to a night at the most expensive whore house and an extravagant feast. It cost him nearly five hundred gold dragons, but it was worth it seeing the morale change in his men. All of them had a little more pep to their step as they went about recruiting people to journey back with them to Seahaven.
So far, they had gotten a dozen whores and forty men that agreed to come back with them. Of which, only about three of the men had a family that was coming with them. While his men were recruiting, Percy was working on securing trade routes with some of the major companies in Braavos.
Turns out that there is a river at the mouth of White Harbor that, with some expansion, would be able to allow ships to pass through traffic from one side of Westeros to the next. If he could convince Ned of the value it would be to expand that river and allow larger ships through, then the North would become incredibly wealthy.
Considering it would have the rights for the only route that went from one end of Westeros to the other. Saving months of time compared to the current solution, unless you were a demigod of the sea of course, which was to sail all the way around Westeros. He had been able to get three trading companies to agree to a North-exclusive trade agreement as long as they expanded the river.
The Pearl Trading Company was the only one so far to agree to do business now and lower their prices after the river was expanded. It had bit into the profits from the sale of his valuables, but he was hoping to be able to turn the 30,000 he spent on the five-year contract into a profitable cash flow and population growth tool.
In all, he had about 15,000 gold dragons left to negotiate with and was hoping to set up a trade route with a grain and produce supplier. It would allow them to not rely on his greenhouses entirely and would possibly even allow them to sell the excess to other houses in the North for a profit.
Percy began making his way toward the Barley and Brother's office. He had already met with the co-owner Lanor twice and was on his way to meet with Lanor and his brother Tytan to convince them why it was worthwhile to start business now.
The Pearl Trading Company had forced his hand to offer an extra 5,000 gold dragons. But, he was confident they would make the money back in the premium steel they would export to the rest of the North.
The downside to it was that he didn’t have as much room as he’d like when Lanor and Tytan would eventually start negotiating with him. He had planned to leave 30,000 gold dragons and the crate of valuables in Braavos so Arthur could make it grow, and that he had a safety net.
Which would then allow him to take 70,000 gold dragons and the two crates of valuables back to Seahaven for emergency funds. But, roughly 40,000 was already promised to the Storm Masons and Percy was eager to pay his debt to them in full.
He supposed he could take 5,000 from both the 30,000 he was leaving in Braavos and the 70,000 he was taking back. But, any more than that and he would have to walk away. He didn’t want to give up any more of the money, as it would just hurt their long-term growth.
His inner turmoil had spaced him out, making him completely miss the two men that began to follow him out of a nearby ally as he made a right turn towards Barely and Brothers. The men didn’t waste any time, and Percy just barely managed to dodge a fist aimed straight for his temple thanks to his demigod instincts.
But he wasn’t able to react to the second punch which got him right in the cheek. In his moment of disorientation, the two men grabbed and held his arms behind his back, dragging him into a secluded alleyway.
Once there, another man joined them, putting a bag over his face as they pulled him to an abandoned building. Percy for his part let them, interested in what they wanted with him.
After another few moments, the three men sat him in a chair, with Percy putting up a little bit of resistance so they didn’t think he was too complacent. Once they removed the bag from his head, Percy was able to figure out the guy who had managed to punch him and kicked him hard in the shin.
The guy let out a yelp and was about to retaliate when a woman's laughter stopped him. Percy looked up from his seat to see a truly beautiful woman, with an hourglass figure that most would kill for.
She had on an elegant white dress that showed off her assets in just the right ways, with unblemished light brown skin, and midnight-black hair. Percy could honestly say she looked close to a goddess, and the confident smirk on her face told him that she knew it too.
“That’ll be all boys, now make yourself scarce.”
Her voice was velvety smooth, and Percy was sure she was a professional seductress. It didn’t take long though for the two to be alone together, and Percy felt like he was in a snake pit.
“Ya know, my men didn’t tell me that the Lord who sank one of my ships was so handsome. If you just wanted my attention all ya had to do was ask hun.”
The demigod met her gaze with his own disinterested one as the woman made her way closer to him. Running her nail across his cheek as she circled him like a shark did its prey.
“Oooo, one of the silent types huh?”
She bent down closer to his ear, letting loose a whisper that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“I love when the silent ones start begging me.”
She stood up and walked back towards where she came, making sure to sway her ass. Percy cleared his throat causing her to turn around and look at him, a well-manicured eyebrow raised in curiosity.
“So you're the Black Pearl of Braavos I assume? Your men messed with the wrong ship, what can I say.”
He emphasized his point by shrugging his shoulders, doing his best to show he could care less about her men. A small smile adorned her features as she let loose a chuckle.
“Yes, yes, I would say they did. But that’s not why I brought you here. No, a little birdie told me you're building quite the castle up at Sea Dragon Point, and I’ve been looking to... expand I should say, to new horizons.”
“And well, with the Pearl Trading Company supplying you with such a good contract. I would hope you might be more thankful for a few odd ships that may start stopping by.”
Percy let out a groan of frustration at not seeing the connection between the Black Pearl pirate and Pearl Trading Company. The Black Pearl donned quite the smirk as the demigod beat himself up over the mistake.
“Don’t beat yourself up too much sweetie, if you ask nicely, I might even help you finish.”
The seductive purr at the end of her words had Percy sigh internally. He didn’t understand why every woman he met so far was so focused on sex.
“I’m good, thanks though.”
The woman rolled her eyes, playing off his rejection with a laugh. But Percy could tell she was offended by it with the new edge her voice took.
“Oh honey, you don’t know what you're missing. I could show you things that redhead has never even thought of.”
Percy kept his anger at her veiled threat under control, keeping his reaction neutral while raging like the sea during a storm internally.
“Oh her, she’s just a plaything I use to keep me company at sea, I might be willing to replace her eventually. But it definitely won’t be with you.”
The slap that went across his face stung, but he felt himself grin as the woman’s once beautiful face was now snarling as her seduction attempts failed to work on him.
“I ought to cut off your cock.”
Percy smirked, deciding he had had enough of their little game. Breaking free of his rope binds in one motion and grabbing the woman by the shoulders, stopping her from moving. Percy could see the fear in her eyes despite her weak joke.
“Now this is what I’m talking about.”
Percy just shook his head as he put her in the chair he was once in, taking the leftover rope and tying her arms back behind the chair. She tried to kick him in the groin as he restrained her, but his instincts saved him from the painful blow.
The woman once again put on a seductive show once he finished tying her up, trying to regain control of the conversation, despite being the one restrained.
“Now that you have me, what are you going to do to me? By the way... I like it rough.”
Percy rolled his eyes, as he felt her foot caress his calf, stepping away from the seductress as he tried to figure out the best way out of there. In the meantime, though, he thought it best if he got some answers.
“What is it that you want with me?”
The woman laughed a bit at his question as if it was the most silly thing in the world.
“You sank one of my ships. Sure, they might’ve been a bit overzealous, but it was still MY ship, and I’m not about to let some Westerosi Lord come in and make me look weak.”
Percy nodded his head as he took another look around his surroundings, trying to figure out the way he came in.
“I’m familiar with the logic, what’s your actual name by the way?”
The woman seemed a bit taken aback by the question but stopped her response at the tip of her tongue at the demigod’s next words.
“And I swear to the gods. If you say Black Pearl of Braavos I will kill you right now.”
The woman audibly gulped before nodding.
“My birth name is Bellegere Otherys, named after my great-grandmother.”
Percy accepted her answer and gave up looking for a way out of the situation. There were at least three doors that were shut to the current storage room they were in, and he had no way of knowing which one was the actual exit.
“How about this Bellegere? You tell me how to get out of here, your men to leave me, my ship, and settlement alone, and provide protection for my trade ships. In exchange, I will give you the blueprints for a state-of-the-art ship.”
The woman gave a hesitant nod after thinking it over, and Percy grinned as he grabbed his journal, flipping it open to one of his scrapped ship designs. It was one that didn’t meet his standards but was still several years ahead of anything on the sea now, despite the Sea Fang of course.
Tearing out the page and stuffing it between her breasts, Percy waited for her to fulfill her end of the deal. With a sigh, she nodded to the door directly beside her.
“That door there will take you to the street. I’ll tell my men that any ships bearing your flag are off-limits, but that might not stop some of my more greedy captains.”
At her lousy excuse, Percy stopped walking towards the exit and turned to face her. Exuding his godly aura as best he could.
“You do not want to cross me, Bellegree Otherys. I think it best that those ‘greedy captains’ don’t remain captains. If I hear one of my ships was sunk by your crew, I won’t stop till you and your pirate crew are decimated.”
Percy was satisfied as she seemed visibly shaken by his words before making his way back to the exit and out the door. Hoping the Barley and Brothers wouldn’t be too upset now that he was late to their meeting.