Chapter 62 – New companions and revelations
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- POV Hestia -

 

After several days of coma, I had finally woken up surrounded by my crew, surrounded by my very worried companions. To be honest I didn't remember much, I just remembered all the sensations I had experienced during my fight. Once again it seemed that I had entered a trance state where my reason had disappeared but my heart and every fiber of my body remembered. 

 

That fight to the death had been one of the most devastating of my life, to set one's mind on fire, to go beyond oneself and transcend one's abilities...that was what made me tick. From what I understood I had also come close to death ending up with serious injuries once again. However, today was different because despite waking up I didn't feel that strength in me anymore, in fact...I didn't feel anything at all, I was empty. 

 

After I woke up, ate with the others and discussed our future plans, I realized that something had changed. It wasn't until I took my bath in my quarters that I realized and confirmed what had been bothering me the most for the past few hours. Not only was my body in excruciating pain even though I was used to it, but I had lost all my strength.

 

I knew since I was 10 years old that my gift was linked to my body, after the event that always haunted me and that had made me wake up its first phase. I was used to measuring each of my gestures and even more so since the awakening of the second phase on the merchant ship. All that was gone, I had become...normal. I couldn't break a single bottle with a simple pressure or even bend an iron bar with just my fingers. 

 

[Fucking hell, what's going on ?]

 

As I joined some of my crew to deal with this strange black hawk with red eyes, my mind was elsewhere. I wasn't used to feeling so weak and completely lost but this was it and I didn't know for how long. Was this state permanent ? What had I done during my mortal combat that night to find myself unable to circulate my body's natural energy ? 

 

It was still there, I could still feel it flowing through my being, but the powerful flow was now a thin stream of rum that I could barely feel. This sensation was frightening but for the moment I could not bring myself to talk about it to anyone, I would solve it alone. As I finally got off the ship I could see Lucas, Kali, Mysie, Achi and Joe accompanied by the exotic animals that had chosen them.  

 

There was of course Loki and Azeil who were running towards me with their tails wagging from right to left like two babies, that they were. They were still young but I had the vague impression that they had grown since our arrival on the island but maybe I was wrong. Indeed, my two golden-eyed, saber-toothed white tigers were now a little above my waist at a few months old only.

 

"Hahaha~ aye aye, calm down boys I'm not going to disappear~" 

 

I hadn't thanked them properly since I woke up but I was really grateful that they came to help us that night. I was even more proud of them and how smart and brave they were, so I was going to reward them. For the moment however, I had another thing to do and as I sat down on the grass in front of everyone, I began, not without a wink to Lucas, still embarrassed because of earlier.

 

"Well ahem, let's try to hurry up since you each have something to do and I don't want to hold us up in our preparations. So tell me...what's going on ?" 

 

I hadn't been paying much attention the last few days because of what had happened but it was true that these animals had gotten used to our presence. At first fearful and even untouchable, today they seemed as docile as Loki, Azeil and Seth but I had nothing to do with it. I suspected that my white snake had been talking to them somehow, but I also wanted to hear what the others had to say. 

 

"Well, so to speak...they had been following us around the ship for a while, hiding and trying to keep a low profile. And while you were asleep, each of these animals started to be more curious and less afraid...that's all."

 

"T-That's right we don't know so much about how it happened, it just happened and I have to say their company is nice"

 

"I think you understood it too Hestia, but the fact that we saved them and fed them afterwards also played a major role. It's no coincidence that each of them chose the one who took the time to break its chains when we were at the auction.”

 

In turn, Lucas, Mysie, and Joe had responded and given their opinions, which actually didn't really help me despite the fact that their words made some sense. After all, these animals had been captured and abused for the sole purpose of being sold to the rich to compensate for their sexual impotence. Shrugging my shoulders, I then turned to the little 15-year-old noblewoman who was petting her golden-haired dog. 

 

"So why did that stupid poodle choose the little brat ? As far as I know she didn't save anyone's ass and even got hers kidnapped instead~"

 

"I-...hmpf !"

 

I still hadn't forgotten that stormy day when that fleabag had gone up on deck for reasons I still didn't know, nearly costing that oblivious young lady her life. Squinting my eyes, I looked at that dog that I suddenly felt like roasting but who started to bark with its tail between its legs before hiding behind Achi who looked at me with fright as if she had read my thoughts.

 

"Sigh...never mind landlubbers because I don't care, but mmmh tell me one more thing mateys...did you name them ?"

 

It seemed like I had missed quite a bit during those days so before I released them, I asked the question that at that moment was burning my lips. The next second, everyone's eyes lit up as if they had been waiting for me to ask just that. Without waiting any longer, Lucas, Kali, Joe, Mysie, and Achi were each introducing their newest companion with an almost childlike smile on their proud faces.

 

"I named this fox Nyx, she has black and gray fur like the night and with her two little horns on her head I think it suits her”

 

"My lynx is called Hino, since she follows me she has always been discreet but very nice and then she quickly warmed up to her name~"

 

"For my part I was always fascinated by the intelligence of orangutans so I named him Klever the first"

 

"Hehehe~ well you see Captain, my cute little monkey is named Ari !"

 

"Well uuuh...m-my poodle's name is..mmmh...Poodle ?"

 

As Achi finished her more than dubious explanation, I petted my two tigers while looking at the others carefully. Nyx next to Lucas was a black and gray vixen with violet eyes having two small horns on her forehead. Hino next to Kali was a Eurasian lynx with red pastel eyes whose cropped fur was growing back slowly. Joe's monkey, on the other hand, was rather normal as he appeared to be a simple orangutan.

 

Unlike Ari who was much smaller and cuter, standing on Mysie's shoulder but with a red and gold tail that I had never seen before. Not to mention this stupid mutt who had a golden fur that was definitely more than unique and could serve us later. All of them should have been sold so I suspected they had something special but honestly I didn't know what, time would tell.

 

"I see. Sigh...one more pet and we can open a pet store on Cerberus, my cuties~ Pffhahahaha~"

 

We now found ourselves with ten animals of all different breeds, tiger, snake lynx, fox, hawk, orangutan, monkey, dog and even cat counting Odin that Edward had taken in. For the moment I only saw more mouths to feed but I knew that the creatures of this world were mysterious, so I was also convinced that their presence would be beneficial to us in the future, it was not nothing.

 

"Hestia, I don't know how you plan to tame this hawk but maybe giving it a name would help ? I know you wanted to get information on how we tamed them but it was more like they tamed us hahaha~"

 

"I'm sure you will find a way anyway since you always understand animals in a way that even I can't explain. 

 

What Mysie had said was indeed a good idea and what Joe had said was more or less true even if I didn't understand it myself. I could instinctively understand the message being transmitted, it was as if I knew but I wasn't having any real conversations. Of course I was responding and so were they, but although I was sure that the tamed creatures understood human language, I was only operating on instinct. 

 

I hadn't saved this hawk, so I didn't know why on Gaze Beach it had landed on my shoulder either, it was a mystery. But that didn't mean that I would be able to tame it in record time and fly it over the forest in search of directions or even understand it as I could understand Loki, Azeil and especially Seth. It was time to try to get to the bottom of it and I wasn't going to waste a moment.

 

"Thank you for your help, I won't keep you any longer. Our departure for the exploration of the island will be done once the morse code is deciphered and the stuff is prepared."

 

"Aye Captain !"

 

This bunch of rapscallions had to get back to work as did I and as I waved to Kali and Lucas that I was okay, I watched them all walk away. I knew they were worried about me but I didn't want to scare them any more than I already had. Then, after 2 long minutes, finally sitting alone on the grass I dropped the natural facade I had taken on and replaced it with a grimace. 

 

"Arg, fuckin' shit Davy Jones' locker son o' a cur, I feel like I was crushed by a thousand o' fat landlubber fuckers !"

 

The truth was that my body was in excruciating pain and as the hours passed, the pain seemed to grow. Every movement, every breath was sending me into shocks of pain like I had never experienced before during a recovery period. My head would spin, my vision would sometimes blur, and that feeling of being crushed under a rock made me feel like all my bones were still broken.

 

"Hiiiisss~"

 

"I-I know...it's the natural energy..."

 

While Seth, who didn't seem surprised at my condition, was whistling sliding on the grass, I felt that everything was related to my abnormally low energy. My body was under tremendous pressure to heal even though I didn't have the strength to do so without too much pain. It was like pouring rum into a glass that was already full and for the moment, my resistance and physical strength were gone, only weakness and suffering remained. 

 

[Calm down, breathe and don't think about it for the moment...I have to concentrate on the things I have to do, no way I'll become useless, even convalescent !]

 

Ignoring the pain as much as I could, to calm myself I pulled a cigarette from my pocket before lighting it and finally looking at the one I had come for. That black hawk who was standing several feet away in the lawn watching me without moving from the beginning. For several seconds we looked at each other that way before I finally decided to address him for the first time.

 

"Can you understand me too ? How about the name Drakios ? You like it ?"

 

As I finished speaking, I saw him bow his head as if he accepted despite the fact that I could discern no intention coming from him. At my side I could feel perfectly the excitement of my tigers and the curiosity of my snake but nothing from this hawk. Maybe it was fatigue but I knew at least he understood me, reaching out my arm to see his reaction, still staring at me with his red eyes he flew up to land on it.

 

"Well my feathered friend, even though you are not very talkative, I officially welcome you to the Cerberus crew"

 

"Kee-eeer-aar~"

 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he opened his beak to shout an answer, which, surprise, left me speechless for a few seconds. Thanks to this, the intonation, the vibrations, I had also finally perceived two emotions in him: joy and determination. It wasn't as clear as with the other three, but I knew that with time, dialogue would be easier. Plunging my eyes into his, it was time to begin my plan. 

 

"Hahaha~ well it looks like I can vaguely understand you even if I'm still a little sore. Good, because I have a mission for you, Drakios~"

 

_____

 

- POV General -

 

While Hestia had finally heard her new companion's first sound without too much difficulty, she did not know it but was being watched. On the deck of the ship, two women were busy taking inventory of what would be needed for their adventures of indeterminate length. Kali and Katherine were working together, but they were always casting furtive glances in the direction of the Captain, who had only been awake for a few hours. 

 

"Ah, it looks like Hestia managed to tame the hawk and very easily at that but I'm not really surprised~ It's good that she's resting after all that happened, I'd rather know that she's busy with that than with something physically tiring. When we were kids, even with her broken arm she kept fighting in school preferring to suffer than to look weak hahaha~ she never really changed~" 

 

"..."

 

"Ahem anyway, I think tomorrow we can leave, Joe shouldn't be long either with the morse code in Diana's notebook and we're almost done.”

 

Kali had been smiling again since Hestia woke up and was even being very chatty with the mother who was watching and listening in silence. The young pirate was one of the people who had helped Katherine and her son to feel comfortable among the group because of her kindness. As a result, she had often been in her company, especially when it had been necessary to take care of the young blonde woman during her critical condition. 

 

Thus, the pregnant woman with silver hair, although always very discreet, had had many opportunities to observe Kali. Saved by Hestia in Gaze, she had experienced feelings that she had thought were gone forever and now knew it was love. Thus, it was not difficult for Katherine to detect this feeling in others and while the silence had returned, without thinking she asked the question that swirled in her mind. 

 

"You love her don't you, Kali ?"

 

"W-What ? H-Huh…w-who ?"

 

"Hestia...you're in love with her too, am I wrong ?"

 

This question was so sudden that Kali had felt her heart clench hard, trapped and laid bare before the one who was lately the source of her jealousy. Both women were now aware that they loved the same person but were in two very different positions. The silence was heavy, the atmosphere had suddenly changed and as Katherine panicked and caught herself, Kali finally answered.

 

"P-Pardon, I don't know what came over me, e-excuse me I shouldn't have, it's..."

 

"Yes I love her...I fell in love with Hestia fifteen years ago."

 

For the first time, Kali confessed her feelings to the one who for her had taken her place beside the woman she loved and it was liberating. It was as if she had shouted "I'm here too" to the world and as a weight was lifted from her shoulders, Kali felt the tears flowing. It felt so good and for Katherine who watched and understood in an instant her struggle, also came the tears, sincere tears.

 

The mother understood that despite the feelings Hestia had for her since their meeting, she also had feelings for Kali without realizing it. There was a thin line between love and friendship, and the relationship between the Captain and her Quartermaster had something extra. Love came in many forms, a love at first sight like during her rescue but there was also the love built and strengthened over time, unshakeable.

 

At that moment, Kali was sure, staying in the shadows was perhaps not what she really wanted deep inside. But while Ulysses' mother had detected the same love in the Captain, the young pirate in front of her had also noticed nothing. The truth was that Hestia loved them both and they both loved Hestia back, so why was it so complicated ? 

 

While Katherine and Kali cried softly in relief, strengthening their bond a little more before continuing the conversation, the main person involved knew nothing. Yet, in the days to come her heart would also be put to the test in the form of a simple but enlightening conversation about what love was and the different forms it could take. 

 

What would come out of it would depend only on Hestia alone and on those two women bound by the same feelings.

 

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