The anchor was raised, the sails were unfurled and the ship drifted away from Castellan Port. Leo shouted orders against blood red sky, his eyes flitting from person to person, noticing errors and correcting them with authority. Leo seemed to know every part of the ship as if he had built it himself.
Annabeth could feel herself staring. Was it the morning air that brought out the Captain's courage, or the fact that his crew had been threatened twice by who was assumed to be the same people.
She had heard Leo scream her name last night during the raid after one of the intruders tried to strangle her in her sleep. Annabeth was a fighter, but the sudden death threat in the middle of the night threw her off her game. Luckily though, she always kept her dagger close at hand and stabbed the attacker.
The pain was apparently enough to get her (Annabeth was quite sure it was a woman) to stumble and loose her grip. Annabeth had thought at the sight of their own blood, the intruder would flee, but the woman reared up after a few steps back and lashed out again. The rest of it was kind of a blur since Annabeth had slammed her head on the deck sometime after that.
Leo had been frightened. He came early the next morning asking if she was alright. The boy seemed so concerned Annabeth couldn't help but feel a strong respect for him. Her perception of the Captain had morphed into something new and she wished he would never change.
"Annabeth."
Annabeth's mind came back into focus and she locked eyes with the Captain. Had he always called her Annabeth? "Yes Captain?"
"I need you and Solace to go secure the cannon below deck, one of the perpetrators cut it loose last night."
"The ship would then be unbalanced, changing the direction and allowing us to head off course. I'm on it."
Annabeth headed downstairs and glanced back up at Valdez. She only looked for a second, but his expression looked pained. The sight confused her.
When she arrived downstairs she scanned the room. The hammocks were empty but she could hear faint laughing coming from the mess hall. She opened the door and froze.
She didn't know what was happening, but the crew seemed to be playing a very strange version of dice. Pollux's arm was tide to his brothers foot, Octavian wasn't wearing any pants, Hazel held a cup of sloshing liquid away from her face, and Will had his head out the port window clearly not having a good time.
The only one who looked to be unharmed was Travis, who sat next to Hazel, a bandaged wrapped around his slender torso. His eyes had sunk into his skull and his movement was slow, but he was grinning like a schoolboy watching the rest of the crew.
Annabeth glanced at Will hanging out the window. She decided not to bother him. Slowly she backed out, closing the door just as Octavian shouted something about the game not being fair and Hazel telling him to shut up and take his turn.
As she tied the ropes together again and secured the cannon, she glanced at the stairwell. Dim light was cast onto the wood and the air smelled faintly of steel. A storm was coming.
As soon as she finished Annabeth rose from the floor and hurried upstairs. She immediately spotted Captain Leo on the port side looking out into the sea. She stood beside him and took note of the swirling chaos about three miles out.
Leo didn't look at her when he spoke. "We're out in open sea." His voice sounded hollow. "There's no land for miles."
Annabeth's demeanor darkened. "An inexperienced crew and a raging storm. You're thinking we might not make it."
Leo almost looked like a different person when he wasn't smiling. He scratched at the back of his neck. "Pray that we do."
🔱
It came without warning. The storm wasn't even on top of them yet when lightning flashed across the deck. Annabeth was thrown from her feet and landed on the other side of the ship. When she opened her eyes her vision was blurry.
The rain started pouring down in droughts and the crew was inches away from full blown panic. The sails were whipping uncontrolled in the wind while the deck was slippery with water, and the waves were tossing the ship like a madman.
Annabeth could barely keep her footing with the ship lurching back and forth and the hurricane force winds pushing against her. With some luck she stumbled over to the captain who was fighting with the helm. She called out to him but her voice was ripped away from her.
The captain, who had one hand securing the hat on his head, let go and gripped the wheel tightly. Annabeth snatched his hat from flying in the water and finally caught his attention, but she didn't have time to do anything before a massive wave washed over the deck and took most of the crew.
Annabeth screamed, but her voice was muffled in the rain and wind. She crawled her way to the railing and looked over the side. Travis struggled over to her, his wound clearly reopened. He pointed to the only man still on deck, Octavian. That meant the rest were somewhere drowning in the sea foam.
The fear that enveloped Annabeth every time one of the crew dipped below the surface was enough to cause a heart attack. If only they could reach the stupid life preserver.
After what felt hours of torture, the last person was finally pulled up on deck. But what Annabeth didn't know at the time, for the mist covered her eyes and shrouded his face, she grabbed the wrist of a mysterious green eyed man and hauled him over the railing.
🔱
Hehe...