Chapter 1 - It's the Flying Dutchman!
The sun hovered over the horizon in the pink and yellow evening sky. Cold air mixed with equally cold metal as Ryan Kelly gripped the railing he was leaning on. It was the first night of the Celtic Thunder Anniversary cruise. Ryan still couldn't believe the band was officially ten years old. As the sun continued to fall, Ryan decided to call it a night. He straightened up and was about to head back to his room when something in the water caught his eye. Leaning over the railing, he peered closely at the waves. Was it his imagination or was the tip of a mast slowly rising out of the water?
Startled, Ryan leapt back from the railing as the waves rose high into the air with a great splash and a huge ship surfaced. The ship was unlike any Ryan had seen before. It was extremely tall and looked old enough to be in a museum. The front was shaped like a crocodile's mouth and the wood was green with decay, yet still looked strong and sturdy, and the sails were green-grey and fraying at the ends. The crew gathered at the side facing the cruise ship, snarling ferociously. They were covered in fish, seaweed, barnacles, shells and all sorts of things you would find in the sea. One man in particular stood out and Ryan couldn't help feeling there was something familiar about him. The man wore a captain's hat and had the face of an octopus.
"Davy Jones" Ryan murmured under his breath.
The gun ports lining the side of the ship flew open and canons peered out through the openings. Ryan immediately sprinted down the steps to the lido deck. Many passengers were there, staring at the ship in both fear and amazement. A handful of them scattered as soon as the cannons appeared. "Everyone, inside!" Ryan yelled in a commanding tone. He had to get them to safety and warn their captain.
An ear-shattering bang echoed all around them and the ship shuddered. All of a sudden, everyone began screaming and running for cover. Ryan glanced back at the ship and noticed a cloud of smoke billowing form one of the cannons.
The inside of the cruise ship was even more chaotic. People were running around aimlessly in a frantic state, screaming in terror. Tables and chairs were overturned carelessly in their haste and the air was alive with the sounds of rushing feet and panicked voices. As Ryan turned a corner down one of the few hallways that were empty, he ran straight into Neil Byrne, one of his fellow singers. "Ryan!" Neil cried. "What's going on?"
"We're under attack!" Ryan told him. "By the Flying Dutchman!"
Neil stared at him with a look of confusion, which quickly changed to amusement. "Oh, come on, Ry. That's impossi-" Neil cut himself off and seemed to have noticed something behind his band mate. Something that, judging by his expression, was not good.
Ryan was about to turn and see what Neil was looking at when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Then the world went dark.