Chapter 20
ONE MONTH LATER
Camilla was on the quarterdeck leaning over looking across the ship. It was a normal day on the Lost Revenge and the crew was going about their usual business. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry leave the Captain's Cabin where he'd been meeting with Uma. When she'd named him first mate it'd been very important to her that the whole crew knew that his word was law – just like hers was. Harry crossed the ship, his red jacket blowing behind him, he walked up the steps that led to the deck Camilla was on and joined her leaning his left arm on the rail and staring at her. She could tell something had gotten under his skin but she only kept looking out over the ship.
"Yeh've been spending a lot of time with Gil." He said and Camilla smirked. Ah, jealousy. She knew Harry was very protective of what few things he cared about and she decided to fan the flames a bit. The pirate wasn't the only one who liked to play with fire after all.
"I have." She said simply still not looking at him. It was pointless to deny it, she'd spent most of the past month with Gil, though most of that time was spent improving her fighting, they also, on more than one occasion, had gone deeper into the Isle to simply wreak havoc. Clearly, it had upset Harry that he had to share his time with her, and she reveled in it.
"Gil's a blitherin' idiot." He mumbled and Camilla's wicked smirk only grew.
"If he bothers you so much how is it you haven't hooked him yet?"
Harry scoffed, "I don't fight invalids." He replied and Camilla gave a small laugh.
"You don't have to worry about Gil, Harry." she told him finally glancing at him.
"What makes ye think I'm –"
"Harry." she interrupted letting him know by her tone that she wasn't going to buy whatever he'd intended to say. Instead he now chose to stay silent, his pride not letting him admit that he was afraid to lose her, to admit he had any weakness. After a moment of silence passed Camilla decided to have mercy on him.
"Being with Gil, "she began slowly as Harry turned to look at her again, "It just feels right. He makes me laugh, everyone knows what a goofball he can be. It's refreshing." Harry scoffed again clearly not enjoying listening to her sing Gil's praises, "When I'm with Gil I can't help but think that that's what having a brother is like." In an instant Harry's mood changed and he looked at her with a new understanding, "Carlos and I never had any real common interests, didn't have any kind of real sibling comradery. But with Gil, he makes me realize Uma was right, a pirates crew is their family." She paused for a minute before turning to Harry with a vicious look, "And if you ever tell her I said that I'll cut you open with your own hook!" she threatened and Harry chuckled.
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
Meanwhile, Gil had just pocketed some slightly rotten fruit from one of the vendors and was making a casual getaway when he bumped into someone. He turned to see a girl a few inches shorter than him with light lavender hair and a pink outfit.
"Oh, hey Maddy." He said smiling. Mad Maddy was one of Madame Mim's granddaughter's, Gil had seen her around a few times on the Isle but had never really talked to her before.
"Hey Gil." She said with a wide smile, "Sorry to hear about Harry's dad."
"Oh, yeah that was a real bummer." Gil replied knowing Harry would hook him if he let the whole Isle know how devastated he'd really been after his father's death.
"Yeah." Maddy agreed twirling a piece of lavender hair around her finger, "Hey we heard that Harry abandoned the Jolly Roger after, that true?"
"Yep." Gil nodded, "He's Uma's first mate now."
"Not you?" Maddy asked her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you were on Uma's crew longer than Harry, shouldn't you have been made first mate before him?"
"Well, Harry was a Captain so –"
"I mean it's not like you're a deckhand right? Doesn't Uma care about you? I thought you were her friend?"
"I am her friend." Gil replied though Maddy's words had put a fog in his head and he was having trouble thinking straight, "I mean, even though she always tells me to stop talking and she's had Harry throw me out of the chip shop a few times, that doesn't mean. . . " he trailed off looking at Maddy's face, she looked sorry for him as she twirled her hair and as he thought about it it did sound like he wasn't being treated like a friend.
"Well, "Maddy piped up after a moment of quiet, "If you ever want to hang out with a real friend you can always come find me." She offered and the goofy smile returned to Gil's face.
"Thanks Maddy." He said before taking his stolen fruit and heading back to the Lost Revenge.
- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
Gil had just returned to the ship when he saw Harry and Camilla up on the quarterdeck. They looked like they'd just finished a conversation and Harry was making his way down the stairs toward Gil.
"Hey Harry!" Gil said with a smile and Harry only gave him a short glance before rolling his eyes. Maddy's words echoed in his head, If you ever want to hang out with a real friend you can always come find me. He looked up to Camilla who was gazing out at Auradon with a vengeful look in her eye, Harry was pushing around some of the lazier members of the crew into doing their jobs and Uma was leaning against the rail toying with her mother's shell necklace as she laughed at Harry's bullying. Maybe Maddy had been right, maybe they didn't need Gil, maybe to them he was just a deckhand. So he threw the rotten fruit pit into the sea and headed back to the alleys of the Isle.
It didn't take him long to find Mad Maddy, she was rearranging bottles of potion ingredients at her grandmother's shop Madam Mim's Concoction Emporium. Mim made her living by betting her customers, she was mad about games after all and she also knew many of the ex-magic practiconers on the Isle were desperate to even concoct a simple potion. Her customers would come in and have to win a game against the old hag to win the ingredient they so desired. But like many other villains Mim was a cheat, she found loopholes and underhanded ways to win and of course the loser would always come back for more, wanting to finally beat her and redeem their pride. Maddy was rearranging the different colored and sized bottles when Gil walked in.
"Gil!" she shrieked in delight, "I didn't expect to see you so soon."
"I can come back later if you're busy." He said knowing that many of the villain kids were employees to their parents and that if they skipped out on their jobs they'd have trouble at home later.
"No, no, it's fine! Granny Mim is out anyway, I was just finishing up with another friend." She explained nodding to the corner of the room where another figure sat with his legs resting on a table. He had dark black hair with a few strands colored blue and purple and wore a blue shirt with a black leather jacket over it.
"Gil I'm not sure if you've met Zevon, son of Yzma."
- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
Gil spent the next couple of weeks spending most of his time with Mad Maddy and Zevon, they stole and trashed and tagged through the streets of the Isle. There was a part of him that was hurt by the fact that none of his crew had noticed his absence, Camilla and Harry were always together and Uma was either commanding the crew aboard the Lost Revenge or working a shift at Ursula's fish and chips. Today they were heading back from their latest theft and were passing Pirate's Bay.
"Shame about the old ship isn't it?" Mad Maddy said as they passed the Jolly Roger. It looked so different after spending more than a month abandoned. It was already getting cobwebs in it's nooks and crannies and it seemed like all the fog on the island had clung to the ship making it look eerie and unwelcoming.
"Yeah it is." Gil agreed, "Harry demanded no one set foot on its deck in respect to his father's memory."
"Did he even empty it of its treasure?" Maddy asked.
"What treasure?" Gil asked.
"Everyone knows about it." Zevon added. "James Hook was the most feared pirate on the seven seas before he spent years hunting Peter Pan. He'd gathered gold and jewels from every port in the world and he kept his treasure somewhere on his ship."
"Well Harry didn't bring it over to the Revenge." Gil said and Maddy and Zevon shared a look.
"You mean it's still there?" Maddy asked and Gil shrugged, "Completely unguarded?"
"I guess." He said not understanding, but wicked grins appeared on Maddy and Zevon's faces.