- POV Hestia -

< A few hours earlier just as Achi was falling into the water >

*SPLASH*

"FUCKING BRAT !"

Before my eyes, the kid was falling, swept away by a big wave while I didn't even have time to finish my sentence. What I wanted absolutely to avoid had just happened and while anger washed over me I didn't waste a single second. Running towards the mast, I grabbed a rope before tying it around the structure, around my waist before running to dive right after her.

The rain was blinding, the thunder and the ocean deafening, but despite that, I jumped head first, not even hearing the screams of my companions. My gift was activated, so it only took me a few seconds after which I was suddenly surrounded by cold and darkness, mirror of infinity. The water was more than turbulent and even with a strong kicking motion I could hardly move.

[I really should learn to think before I act sometimes !]

I had to move fast, I could see Achi drowning and sinking deeper and deeper and I didn't want to have jumped for nothing. I could still see her, but I knew that very soon that would change, the already dark ocean would not be kind. The rope was not infinite and with the currents, every second we were underwater was taking us further and further away from the Cerberus struggling on the surface against the waves.

My body was not the only one to make a considerable effort because my mind was also working hard not to sink into a sudden madness. Everything was so different, I felt like I was entering a universe where I didn't belong, gripped by a feeling of vulnerability that I hated. So dark, so cold, so hostile, so mysterious, capable of driving any sailor crazy that I had to find a way to keep my sanity…at least what was left of it.

[I would have deserved a good bottle of rum after that and even some women !]

Swimming as fast as I could, propelled by my stronger arms and legs thanks to my gift, I finally reached Achi. She was unconscious and seeing her like that, caught in the depths of the ocean, was a strange and disturbing scene yet beautiful. Grabbing her by the waist I felt the rope suddenly loosen before being pulled again for some unknown reason but indicating that time was running out.

As I began to rise to the surface, suddenly something wrapped around my waist pulling me down. With a gesture as precise and fast as I could, I propelled Achi's body upwards while I found myself being pulled from both sides. I couldn't see what had grabbed me because it was now too dark for that, the currents shaking me in all directions and the lack of air blurring my vision.

Once again, I felt my heart pounding in my chest at the thought of being stuck here after all I had been through. I cursed Achi and almost promised myself to rip her head off, replacing my dawning fear with a familiar anger. Totally alone, I could only rely on myself if I didn't want to die what I considered the most disgraceful death for a sailor...drowned.

[F-Fuck !]

The rope that bound me to the boat was pulling me up, but whatever had caught me was pulling me down, wasting precious seconds. Pulling out the dagger I had in my right boot, I struck blindly, not even knowing what I was trying to hurt. Fortunately, the next few seconds, thanks to my stabbing and the tug-of-war I was experiencing, the mysterious hold suddenly let go.

At that moment, I felt myself being propelled very quickly towards the surface as if several men at the other end were pulling as hard as they could. Grabbing Achi as I went, I also flapped my legs, creating powerful waves myself as the surface approached. Then, we would emerge from the water surging several meters above the ship, leaving one hell of a place to return to another.

[At least she's still breathing...]

Already forgetting about the little incident and the mysterious thing that had caught me, I let the air return to my lungs, feeling Achi's chest rise. As I let gravity go to work, anger gripped me once again, feeling myself shaking because of several things. That damn kid who couldn't stand on her feet had almost ended my adventures and the urge to let go of her again crossed my mind.

For the first time in my life I had seen a side of the ocean that was much more terrifying than I had imagined, as if I were discovering a world from a whole new angle. The natural loneliness that I felt in this cold, dark vastness was real, not to mention what lay beneath it. It was a world I could never explore and as my boots finally touched the deck, a single phrase was in my mind.

[A Captain is on the ocean, not in it, Davy Jones' locker means death]

_____

< Back to the present >

"Mmmh, so if I understand correctly I was poisoned by this thing that caught me ?"

"Yes."

I had woken up just a few minutes surrounded by everyone leaning over me like I was a freak. All I could remember was trying to rest while I wasn't feeling very well, leaving the others to eat. Apparently I had passed out from some poison that had put me in this state, right where this strange and unknown thing had grabbed me.

Looking down at my body, I could indeed see a faint mark that would undoubtedly disappear with time. Physically I felt much better, I was no longer hot and my head had stopped hurting since I woke up. Was it my body that had healed so quickly ? Shrugging my shoulders, I stood up, seeing no reason to sit around like a weakling anymore.

"You shouldn't get up, you..."

"Yeah yeah I know, blah blah blah recovery blah blah blah rest, but don't worry little brother, you won't get rid of me yet, I still have to tease you to death HAHAHAHA~"

"Sigh..."

"And how did I get out of this critical situation by the way ? The one who says "Poseidon's blessing", I make them eat the deck piece by piece before throwing them overboard"

I understood what had caused my condition even though I didn't know the nature of the creature, but no one had yet told me how they had neutralized the poison. As I stood, Loki and Azeil rubbed their heads against my arms and Seth came to stand on my shoulders. Then, to my astonishment, everyone separated to reveal little Ulysses who was slightly hidden behind his mother as I stared at him.

"Seth injected you with his own venom to neutralize the one that was slowly circulating in your system but the little one had the explanation that no one else had. It would be a snake-like creature, a moray eel secreting a poison on its skin that penetrates through the epidermis. I guess you got caught in the water..."

Integrating what Joe had just told me but without answering I slowly approached the little boy who according to his words had been a great help. It was crazy to believe but he suddenly seemed even more quick-witted and intelligent than he had at first. Crouching down to his level once his mother had moved away slightly, I placed my hand on his little head, taking care not to hurt or scare him.

"Well, we're even now, aren't we ? fufu~ Thank you."

His little eyes a pure blue almost white, lit up at my last word as I stood up sketching another smile at Katherine. With all that had happened, the poor things hadn't even had time to breathe and get used to what it felt like to navigate. That needed to change, I wanted to make sure they felt safe but some things came first so winking at the two of them, I walked away.

"Hiiiisss~!!!"

"Ara~? Jealous ? fufu~"

"HIIISSS~!!!"

"Haha~ Yes yes I hadn't forgotten about you big silly, thanks to you too Seth~ and you two"

Thanking my pets who were starting to complain, I began to look around at the damage which was at a glance only superficial. There were repairs to be made but for a first storm with three passengers and eight sailors we were doing pretty well. Then my eyes fell on a head that was looking at the ground, a great sense of guilt emanating from it even more so especially after the latest events.

"Sigh...don't make that face, the urge to skin you alive has long since passed me by~"

Putting my hand on Achi's head I made her raise her head so that she wouldn't stay sinking in her shame because everything was fine now. She had fallen in the water and had to have the fear of her life so it was useless to stir up the past, she had punished herself. Taking note of the story as a trump card, I walked away and sat down as her shy voice echoed softly.

"T-Thank you..."

Not turning around but smiling slightly, I was going to sit down on a barrel as we had a lot to discuss now. I had decided to hold a small meeting on the deck and not in my quarters so that Achi, Katherine and Ulysses would become a little more familiar with how we operated. Knowing my companions, after the storm and during the time I was unconscious, I knew they had to do the initial checks.

"Carpenter, what's the status of the Cerberus ? First Mate, how are we doing on the sails and navigation equipment ? Quartermaster, what is the status of our resources in the hold and on deck ? Sailing Master, what is our position relative to our destination ?"

Every day since we had left, my life kept evolving, changing through improbable situations and encounters. The adventure was exquisite but nothing in the world could make me forget what we had left our small island and quiet life for. Taking my mother's notebook out of my pocket and a cigarette, I let my friends come closer to tell me in order and in turn what I wanted to know.

"The damage to the ship doesn't prevent us from sailing, I can make the first repairs but if I want to be able to repair it completely, it will be once we have found wood and a place to moor."

"As for the sails and navigation equipment, strangely enough everything is fine, during the storm the reactions were very quick. Aside from the damage to the ship itself, I have nothing to report that is alarming, Captain."

"On the other hand, many barrels were broken in the hold, some contained food, equipment, tools and some of our instruments are broken. Earlier we started the inventory and I estimate the general losses at 20%, but for more details we will have to wait."

"Captain, as far as our course is concerned, we had deviated 90° North but the currents and wind during the storm pushed us faster. The Cerberus has been righted and if all goes well we should reach the island in just three days with only a few hours delay."

All were very clear and precise and as I had thought, had done a very good job ahead of time without me having to say so or even give orders. We had taken some damage and lost some barrels, but the outcome was much better than I had thought. Taking a drag on my cigarette, I looked up at them all, thinking about what else I wanted to say before everyone went about their business.

"So you see, after what happened in Belfort City, the Navy has been alerted and it seems that I am being hunted. Have you all seen the wanted poster ? If I'm not mistaken we have several days head start so we can disappear from their radar but things will get even more complicated..."

I turned my head towards Achi, Katherine and Ulysses as these words were meant for them especially, so they would understand what was going on. I still didn't know if I had made a mistake by taking them, but I wasn't the type to regret or break my promises. Since we left, I hadn't told Katherine about what happened on the cliff either because I didn't even know myself what I wanted.

That kiss I'd had with her was so different from all the others and my heart was definitely very different with her around but. But I couldn't help but think that such a beautiful flower like her shouldn't be corrupted by someone like me. That said I felt attracted to this woman and maybe wanting to keep them around was also the result of a selfish desire I felt to satisfy.

[We have to get to know each other before anything else...]

Lost in my thoughts, I thought about my sadistic tendencies, my love for women that hadn't disappeared and all the other things that made me...insane ? Without realizing it, my eyes had locked on to hers and a new urge to kiss her suddenly took me over. Fortunately, Joe's voice sounded, giving me a good excuse to focus again.

"We don't know who is after us but the wanted poster has your face on it Captain, along with a quick description of Mysie, Kali, Lucas, Edward and me. If we found the poster in Gaze that means it's in other cities as well, but the place we're headed should be devoid of them."

"It's true, after all this island is hidden from everyone so everything is fine, as long as there is a city there, we should be incognito. But mmh that said, if Achi's father gave the right information to the Navy, we are not safe from a little visit later"

Joe and Mysie were right, and then we knew it was going to happen sooner or later, we were pirates after all, it was our destiny. We might be hunted, but even if we didn't know who our pursuers were, they didn't know much about us either. I then turned this time to Douggy and Buggy who still remained very quiet and submissive, because for once I wanted to hear what they had to say.

"What do you think, mateys ?"

"W-We...I...I think we should prepare as much as possible C-Captain, so that we don't...don't linger on the nameless island. We don't have any information but...but maybe if we read the notebook again by several..."

"Y-Yes...you don't know what your mother left there, C-Captain and time may be against us. If...if we all take a look, maybe we can uncover some brand new clues, i-improving our advantage, C-Captain"

The two brothers, despite their imposing build, were all shaking, almost as much as two virgin girls about to be eaten, which was hilarious. When they addressed me, they always had their heads down and I could almost see a dog's tail going between their legs. As another sudden urge to see them even more submissive came over me, I thought about what they had said, far from stupid comments.

"That can be arranged yes, since it's your idea, read it and get me something~"

"Aye Captain !"

"Anything for you, Captain !"

Tossing my mother's notebook in their direction, I could see them rush to pick it up while bowing a dozen times in thanks. Thinking about training them a bit more for my own personal enjoyment later, I spit out another puff of smoke. We had tried to be as forward-thinking as possible but the first island my mother had gone to was more than a little mysterious and that irritated me.

[I know it's adventurous, but what could be hiding there ? Damn, I hate it when I don't have at least a little clue, it's like sailing blind !]

My little unplanned excursion to the bottom of the ocean had made me realize even more violently how vast and dangerous the world was. Alone I was undoubtedly strong, but with my companions I felt even more powerful and I knew they shared my feeling. However, there was no point in being strong if we were to be thrown right into a situation that we might not be able to handle despite our best efforts.

"Well...whatever, we have three days left."

Throwing my cigarette in a bowl, I shook my hand to indicate that they could all go, signaling Mysie and Kali to take care of Katherine and her son. This was their first day on the ship and it was important what they could do to help. I hadn't forgotten that strange story about Ulysses and his knowledge and kept it in the back of my mind because it intrigued me so much.

I had also not forgotten to tell the others about the animals that seemed very willing to follow us after having chosen a master respectively. This unexpected event could turn into a huge advantage, so I had to keep a close eye on it. Opening the door of my cabin while the others did what they had to do, I discovered my quarters upside down knowing at once what I had to do.

"Well...my rum afternoon has suddenly turned into a cleaning one...sigh"