(A/N: The next chapter, and it's a rescue mission. Captain Bloodshot is finally going to get the confrontation with King Triton that he's been eager for. Safe to say that the sea king is not going to be too happy about him hunting his people, and he doesn't even know the whole truth behind the reason why he does it. And we've even got a surprising twist that'll be occurring. What's going to become of Alex? What will Hemsworth do? And will it be an all out war? Things are bound to get interesting.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 7: Confrontation At Sea
"Hemsworth, wha' be this?"
The first mate woke with a start at Captain Bloodshot's angry cry. "What? Sorry, captain, I dozed off."
"I can see that fer meself, 'n' that there be the problem. Yer supposed ter be watchin' our guest."
Hemsworth looked up at Alex. The merboy had passed out once again, his breathing weak. Hemsworth quickly got to his feet and picked up the bucket of water. "Forgive me, captain. It won't happen again."
The captain grabbed the bucket of water from him, spilling a good portion of it. "I left yeh in charge o' him cause yeh were so concerned fer his health. Yet now I find yeh sleepin' on the job. Wha' if the boy died while yeh were nappin'? I didn' spend days waitin' fer him ta break jus' ter 'ave him die before he does."
Hemsworth knew he was at risk for a flogging, and he lowered his head in his best attempt to come across as humble and submissive. "I'm truly sorry, captain. I have gotten very little sleep myself since you gave the order for the mer to be deprived of it."
But the captain was not satisfied by this excuse. "If yeh can' handle it, then yeh best pass on the duty ter someone else."
"They'll harass him, sir."
The captain sighed irritably. "Yer a good firs' mate, Hemsworth, but as a pirate, yeh be too soft. Don' forget that yeh chose this life ter support yer family. Yeh need ta think abou' wha' be most important ta yeh."
He splashed Alex with what was left in the bucket himself. Alex jolted awake and looked around, seemingly confused as to where he was.
"Wakey, wakey, boy. I hope yeh be in a talkative mood."
Alex blinked a few times, gathering himself. "What happened?"
"Talk, fish boy! Tell me where yer home be!"
The captain's harsh tone seemed to snap Alex out of his daze, and he glared down at him. "I'm not telling you anything. If you want to find Atlantica, you better start swimming."
Rage twisted the captain's features. "Yer playin' on me last nerve, boy. Yer gonna force me to drown meself in rum, 'n' when I do, I tend ter do things without thinkin' o' the consequences. Yeh don' want ter face me while I be like that; I may do somethin' I'll regret."
He stared the merboy down, challengingly. Alex stubbornly looked away, and the captain's temper snapped. "Very well, boy. I'd hoped not ta 'ave ta lay a hand on yeh since I didn' want yeh accidentally dyin' under torture, but it seems like yeh won' break any other way."
He pulled out a large knife and grabbed Alex by his hair. Pressing the flat side of the blade to his cheek threateningly, he made one final attempt to get the merboy to talk. "This be yer last chance, lad. Will yeh speak, or continue ta hold yer tongue?"
"Captain-" Hemsworth began.
"Silence!" the captain roared at him, then turned back to Alex. "I'm through playin' nice. Will yeh speak?"
A look of acceptance passed across Alex's face, and he closed his eyes.
A frustrated growl escaped the captain. "Very well then. Say goodbye ta yer pretty face."
"Captain!" The cry came from another crewmember. "Captain, sir, come quick!"
The captain rounded on the crewmember, stabbing his knife into the railing in annoyance. "I be in the middle o' somethin'."
"But, captain, we've had a sighting. Several merfolk have appeared. They look like they're going to attack."
The captain stared at him, the crewmembers words taking a few seconds to register. "Do yeh speak the truth?"
"Aye, captain. They've surrounded the ship."
The captain pulled his knife free and turned to Hemsworth. Grabbing his hand, he pressed the knife into it. "Watch the boy, 'n' yeh best stay awake this time."
As the captain limped off, a smile crept up Alex's face. It looked like Scuttle had come through.
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Even though she was only there as a spectator, Melody felt very much like the legendary Chinese warrior woman that pretended to be a man to take her father's place in the war against the Huns. The pirate ship was in sight, meaning that Alex was nearby. He was somewhere on that ship, and she was going to find them.
Upon breaking the surface, she spotted him almost immediately. "Look!" she cried, pointing at the mast. "There's Alex!"
Ariel grabbed her arm, holding her back. "Melody, stay back, it's dangerous. Let your grandfather and the soldiers handle this."
Melody shook out of her mother's grip. "I just want him to know I'm here." She began waving her arms. "Alex!"
The smile left Alex's face as he heard his name being called by a familiar voice. He felt his stomach drop as he spotted Melody and her mother in the water among the mermen. The fact that she was swimming instead of on a boat didn't register to him; only that she was near the deranged captain.
"Melody, what are you doing here?" he cried. "Scuttle, you idiot! I told you to keep them away!"
Next to the two mermaids, Alex saw his parents and King Triton surface. Now his parents were here too? He didn't want any of his loved ones anywhere near this ship. It a bit of a consolation to know that the sea king himself was here to protect them, but he would much rather have had them all far away from here.
Triton raised his trident and bellowed, "I, King Triton, demand an audience with the captain of this vessel!"
The captain made his way over to the railing, gathering up magic from the gold he stepped over along the way. "I be the capt'n o' the Sea Arrow. T'is quite an honor ta 'ave the sea king himself visit me ship. But this actually works well in me favor; I've be searchin' fer yeh fer a long time, yer majesty."
"So I've heard," Triton growled. "You have been hunting my people and fishing in waters where it is forbidden. I demand that you release your captive and surrender, or else you shall face the wrath of the seven seas."
The captain threw back his head and laughed. "That be quite a demand, yer highness, 'n' I'm sure it works most o' the time, but we pirates live outside the law, so I'm afraid yer words be fallin' on deaf ears. As fer the boy," he glanced at Alex, then back at the sea king, "yeh can 'ave him back in exchange fer yer trident. 'N' I suggest yeh act fast; the poor lad has been depraved of water 'n' sleep fer extended periods o' time fer several days now. He may not last much longer."
"Monster!" Melody shouted up at him as Gabriella gasped in horror and Urchin needed to be restrained by two other mermen.
Triton puffed out his chest, looking every much like the mighty king he was. "That will not happen. We did not come here to negotiate. You will release the boy and surrender, or I will send your ship to the bottom of the sea."
The captain grinned arrogantly, and his hand began glowing gold in preparation. "I think yeh will find that ta be more difficult than yeh think. I know more abou' yeh than yeh do abou' me. I also see yeh 'ave yer daughter 'n' granddaughter with yeh as well, 'n' them be mermaids too. It may not be wise ta start a fight with yer loved ones nearby."
As his red eyes settled on Ariel, they narrowed curiously. He looked back at Triton, studying him carefully. "Tell me somethin' yer highness, what color was yer hair before age turned it white? Be it an auburn?"
Triton blinked in surprise. It was true that his hair had lost color faster than usual due to the stress of ruling the entire ocean, but how could this human know his original hair color?
"How do you know that?" he demanded. "And what does it matter?"
The captain ignored the question. "'N' yer queen, I hear she died, but do yer daughter resemble her?"
Surprise turned to suspicion in the sea king. "What do you know of my family? How do you know my queen?"
Instead of answering, the captain began laughing. He laughed so hard that he had to hold on to a crewmember to support himself as he pounded his other fist against the railing.
Anger bubbled up inside the sea king. "I fail to see what is so funny."
The captain wiped away tears of laughter. "Beggin' yer pardon, yer kingliness. I jus' find it very ironic. I had been searching unsuccessfully fer yeh fer several years, when in all actuality, this not be the firs' time we've met."
"What are you saying?" Triton growled impatiently. "I've never seen you before in my life."
"Perhaps not, but I've seen yeh. T'was almost thirty years ago, back before I sailed under me own colors." He grinned wickedly, his eyes shining with excitement. "Yeh can' tell me yeh don' remember wha' happened. Yeh 'n' a bunch o' yer kind were loungin' in the lagoon at the time me current crew raided yeh. Ended up crashin' me ship into the rocks tryin' ta get what yeh had on yeh, we did."
"Crashing into the…" Triton trailed off as things began clicking into place. The memories he tried so hard to forget came forth as he relived the worst day of his life. The lagoon, the pirate ship, the raid, the crash… Athena.
His eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "It was you. That was your ship."
The captain grinned. "Ah, so yeh do remember. Ironic, ain't it? I spent so much time searchin' fer yeh, 'n' it turns out that I'd already found yeh long ago, but didn' even know it."
The water around the sea king began to bubble and steam as his trident began glowing. "You're the one responsible for my wife's death!"
Ariel recognized the reaction in her father; it was just like, no, even worse, than the time he destroyed her treasure trove full of human artifacts. "Daddy, no!"
But it was too late. The sea king's anger had blinded him, and he fired a blast from his trident powerful enough to blow the entire ship to bits.
"Alex!" Melody screamed, fearing for his life.
A sinister grin crept up the captain's face and he raised his glowing hand. The blast from the trident stopped, as if it had run into an invisible wall, then died out. Triton looked surprised, but then his eyes narrowed and he fired another blast. The captain stopped this one as well, but then sent it back in various smaller beams. The merpeople cried out and ducked beneath the water to avoid the blasts.
Triton resurfaced and attempted something else. Waving his trident, he caused a massive wave to rise. It rose several stories higher than the ship, fully capable of sinking it as it curved to collapse on top of it.
The captain gathered up more magic and made a swiping gesture. The wave split down the middle, the two halves coming down on either side of the ship. Triton cried out in rage and twirled the tip of the trident around in the water's surface. The water around the ship began swirling to form into a whirlpool.
As the ship started to spin around, the captain raised his hand towards the sky. The entire ship began glowing with a gold light and rose out of the water. The whirlpool began to disperse as Triton stared at the floating ship that slowly lowered itself back into the water once it calmed.
"What magic is this?" he demanded.
The captain laughed. "Me own brand o' magic that I picked up on me journeys. I'll be able ta counteract any magic yeh unleash with yer trident. But while yer magic be limited ta the sea, me own power go beyond that."
By now, the sea king had calmed enough to think rationally once more. "Then why do you want it?"
The captain smirked. "All magic, no matter wha' kind or how strong, be limited. I need yer trident fer somethin' me own magic cannot do."
The sea king's grip on his trident tightened. "You will not have it."
"Then I be forced ta take it from yeh!" The captain turned to his men. "Man the cannons, open fire on them wretched mer, 'n' bring me that trident!"
The crew had already been prepared. Musket shots and cannon fire blasted as they unleashed an all out assault on the merpeople.
"Down!" Trident shouted as bullets and cannon fire splashed around them.
They all submerged as the deadly balls of metal rained down around them. Ariel grabbed Melody's wrist and pulled her further back as Urchin moved protectively in front of Gabriella. One of the soldiers cried out as a stray bullet struck his shoulder and the water ran red.
Triton gasped as he saw one of his own kind injured in the line of duty. His eyes flashed furiously up towards the ship. He could very well blast it apart from down below, but not without risking Alex's safety. And the captain had his own brand of magic to counteract his trident. It looked like they would have to resort to good old fashion warfare.
"Attack!" he shouted to his men. "Make these fiends feel the end of your spears! Avenge your queen!"
The mermen gave a battle cry, holding their spears over their heads. They swam up and leapt out of the water, throwing their spears as they did so. The captain's eyes widened and he ducked as a spear soared over his head. Other crewmembers ducked down as well, others jumping to the sides as numerous spears flew towards them. The strength the merfolk possessed was something to behold for their throw to be able to reach them up here. The captain had captured many merfolk in his life, but never had he been under attack by them like this.
"Strong fish," he growled. He turned back to his crew. "Do not lose heart. They have but a few measly spears. They be no match fer the likes o' us."
The crew returned to their posts, turning their guns and cannons down towards the water, firing whenever they saw a mer beneath the surface, or when one leapt out of the water.
Down below, triton cursed himself for a fool. They were ill prepared for an all out battle, and even less prepared to have magic used against them. He had thought that he would be dealing with ordinary humans. Murderous outlaws, yes, but still ordinary humans. All it should have taken was a single blast from his trident, or a tidal wave, and their enemies would have been vanquished. If it even came to that in the first place. But he hadn't counted on the captain being able to use magic as well.
"Keep up the attack!" he commanded. "Use your weapons sparingly, and be careful of their bullets and cannon fire!"
Melody grabbed her grandfather's arm. "What if they hit Alex?"
He patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Not to worry. Our people are very skilled warriors. They will not hit him."
Ariel swam over to them. "Daddy, we're not prepared to have magic used against us."
Triton's eyes narrowed. "I know," he seethed, once again angry with himself for being too arrogant and overconfident. "We will focus on saving Alex for now, then we'll come back with more warriors when we're better prepared to bring these men to justice."
Ariel suddenly gasped. "Eric, he doesn't know! He can't defend himself against magic. Daddy, the fleet is in danger."
"They're not here yet," her father replied, more concerned the with the present danger. "We'll send someone to warn him if and when he makes an appearance."
One of his guards swam over to them. "My king, it appears that your seagull friend has come to our aid."
Triton raised an eyebrow, looking doubtful. "Scuttle?"
The merman nodded. "Indeed. He has come with a flock of seagulls. They're distracting the humans and retrieving our spears for us."
Ariel and Melody shared a look. "Even now he continues to surprise me," said the older woman.
Up above, the pirates were batting away the flock of seagulls, some even turning their guns on the birds rather than on the merfolk.
"Never mind the blasted birds!" the captain snarled, even as he swatted at them. "Jus' get me that trident! Kill the sea king if yeh 'ave ta, jus' get it!"
Another crewmember came running over to him as a seagull pulled at his hair. "Captain, we have a problem.'
The captain turned towards him angrily. "So I've noticed!"
"No, not the birds, look!"
He pointed in the distance. The captain looked to see a group of ships upon the horizon. With a frustrated growl, he pulled out his telescope to take a look. He swore as he recognized the flagship.
"It be the royal fleet," he grumbled. "Them cursed merfolk must've tipped off King Eric." He closed his telescope and stuck it back into his jacket. "I'll be takin' care o' this."
He walked over to a larger area of gold. The precious metal began glowing as he pulled magic from it. With hands glowing like the sun as he pulled magic from it, he raised them to the sky. Clouds of ice flew out of his open palms and gathered in the sky above. The captain motioned towards the fleet, and the ice cloud blew in their direction, as if by a mighty wind.
Like the dreaded spell of a forest of thorns cast by an evil dark fairy upon a certain castle, the clouds of ice gathered around the fleet. Lightning began raining down from them, not as a means of destruction, but as a way to deliver the spell. The lightning struck the water, freezing it to ice. Whole icebergs formed and rose up higher than the ships, cutting them off.
"That'll take care o' them fer now," said the captain.
"Why not just sink them?" a nearby crewmember asked.
"King Eric be on one o' those ships. Best not ter kill the king when things not yet be in our favor."
A random seagull chose that moment to swoop down and snatch the captain's hat. He looked surprised for a moment, then whipped out his pistol and fired at the bird. It dropped to the deck, and the captain went to retrieve his hat.
"This be gettin' on me nerves. I want those mer dead in the water, 'n' that trident in me hands right now."
He gathered up more magic and went to the side of the ship. He waved his hand and an enormous unseen force tore through the water, sending up large waves and causing the mermen to go flying. He did this repeatedly, forming more walls of water and tossing around more mermen.
Up by the mast, Hemsworth surveyed the scene around him. Seagulls attacking the pirates, the pirates firing guns and cannons at the mermen, the mermen throwing spears at the pirates, the captain using his magic to create walls of water to send the mermen flying.
"Look around you!" Alex shouted at him. "Is this what you want? All this chaos, just to fulfill your captain's sick delusions that you don't even agree with."
Hemsworth looked away. His grip on the knife the captain had given him tightened as he unsuccessfully tried to block out the sounds of the battle going on around him.
"The captain planned on catching the sea king off guard. Now that he knows what the captain is planning, he'll take precautions to make sure no other merperson is captured." He turned to Alex. "But as long as you're here, the captain will not give up. He'll keep trying to use you to get the sea king's trident."
Raising the knife, he approached the merboy. Alex closed his eyes, ready to feel the blade cut into him. Instead, he dropped down from the mast as his bindings were cut. He looked up questioningly, and the first mate handed him the knife.
"I can't help you anymore than this without arising suspicion. You'll have to get off the ship on your own. Go for the plank, the others are avoiding it since there's no wall to protect them from the spears there. Hopefully, I'll be able to convince the captain to give up this foolish attempt to get the sea king's trident."
Alex attempted to fight his disorientation and remain focused. "Thank you. I know what you're risking."
Hemsworth appeared hesitant. "About that… There's something I need for you to do for me before you go."
He walked a few feet away and picked up a gold brick. Going back over to Alex, he got down to his level and handed it to him before turning around. "I need you to knock me out."
Alex blinked in surprise. "What?"
"I'm supposed to be guarding you. If you just got away without any sign of a struggle, they'll think I just let you go. If I'm knocked out, it'll give me an alibi." He lowered his head. "Just do it; I want you to. Consider it payback for what I've done."
Alex hesitated. He looked from the gold brick in his hand to Hemsworth's bowed head. The man was right, the others would be suspicious unless he did this. He just didn't want to have to hurt anyone.
Closing his eyes, he whacked Hemsworth over the head with the brick. The first mate went down, a bloody lump on his head. Alex winced at the sight of it and tossed the brick aside. He felt for the man's pulse, feeling that it was weak, but steady. Hemsworth himself was out cold. Alex muttered a quick word of apology and thanks before he began crawling across the wood floor.
"Hey, Blondie, up here!"
Alex looked up to see Scuttle. The seagull came down and landed on the railing above him. "Scuttle?"
"How'd I do, kid? Brought the whole cavalry, just like I said I would."
"Yes," Alex agreed, "you did well, but you were supposed to have Melody and her mother stay behind."
The bird frowned and crossed his wings. "Aww, nuts. I knew I was forgetting something."
"Never mind. Look, I need to get to the plank so I can get overboard. Can you tell your friends to distract the pirates and try to keep them away from that area?"
Scuttle used his feathers to give Alex a thumbs-up. "No problem. Just leave everything to me."
He flew off, squawking. The other seagulls responded to his calls and flocked to keep the pirates away. Gripping the knife Hemsworth had given him, Alex crawled down the stairs, across the deck, and over to the plank. The pirates were too busy avoiding the mermen's spears and swatting away the seagulls to notice him. But Alex's strength was failing him fast. He could barely hold himself up, let alone drag himself along.
Captain Bloodshot snarled furiously as the seagulls flapped around him, squawking, scratching, and pecking. He had been forced to cease his magic attack on the mermen in order to fend them off. He could have used magic against them, but they were all over him, and there were so many that he couldn't find any gold that he hadn't already sucked magic from.
"Blasted birds!" he seethed. "I'll 'ave all yer wings clipped so yeh'll never fly again!"
He decided to use one of his last resources, one of the rings on his fingers he only used in case of an emergency. The ring turned black as he drew his magic from it and cast a spell, summoning up a powerful gust of wind. The seagulls were blown away, clearing his line of vision. As he looked around deck for more gold, his red eyes widened as he spotted Alex near the plank. His gaze shifted up to the mast where he saw Hemsworth lying unconscious on the floor.
"Useless idiot," he growled, pulling out his sword and making his way over to the merboy. "Going somewhere, fish-boy?"
Alex turned to see him coming. He threw the knife he held, but the captain expertly knocked it away with his sword. A sinister grin crept up his face as he held out his hand, gathering magic from the gold he passed.
"Sorry ta cut yer escape attempt short, but I not be done with yeh quite yet."
Alex backed away as the captain pointed his sword at him threateningly. "Just look at what's happening. This is utter madness. You can still put a stop to all this."
"Aye," the captain agreed, moving closer to him, "I can, 'n' I intend ta, once I possess the trident. But until I obtain it, yeh'll not be goin' anywhere."
"Bloodshot!"
The cry came from overboard. The captain looked down to see Triton pointing his trident at him. A powerful beam erupted from it, and the captain was forced to use his magic to defend himself. Alex silently thanked the sea king and used the opportunity to crawl the rest of the way to the plank and go overboard.
He heard the captain's bellow of rage as he splashed into the water. It was an instant relief, infinitely more satisfying than simply being watered down. He was in his natural environment, his true element, and he never wanted to leave it again.
It had been pure willpower and determination that had kept him going while he was a captive, and pure adrenaline had given him the strength to crawl off the ship. Now that he was in the water once more, his body gave in to exhaustion, and he passed out.
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"He's in!" Melody cried, and quickly swam towards the merboy, Urchin and Gabriella right behind her.
"Melody, wait!" Ariel called, but she was ignored.
Having attacked the captain, Triton had been right where Alex had fallen in, and he quickly gathered him in his arms. As he held the boy, Captain Bloodshot unleashed more magic, casting the same spell he had used to capture Alex to begin with.
As the whirlpool formed around Triton and began to form into a waterspout to bring both him and Alex up to the ship, the sea king finally understood what the fish that were witness to Alex's disappearance had meant. "The vanishing whirlpool."
Once Alex had been sucked into the whirlpool and it had risen from the water, the fish wouldn't have been able to tell what had been happening above sea level since the water was so choppy. It would indeed look as if once the whirlpool dispersed that everything in it, including Alex, had simply disappeared. So it really had been magic at work.
But it would not happen again. The captain's magic may have been able to counteract his trident's power, but it worked both ways. He took control of the whirlpool as it formed into a waterspout and commanded it to become undone.
Both he and Alex splashed back down into the water, and he turned to his men. "Fall back for now! We shall return later and make these men pay for what they've done to our kind!"
The mermen obeyed their king and swam down deeper to avoid any damage the pirates still might present while they were underwater. Keeping hold of Alex, Triton swam down with the rest of them, and the ship soon vanished from sight as they continued to descend into the ocean depths.
Melody reached her grandfather and looked down at Alex in his arms. "Is he ok?"
She gasped when she saw his condition. He was badly sunburned all over, and his skin was peeling from it. There were rope burns and bruises from where he had been tied to the mast. His lips were cracked from getting so dried out, and he had dark circles and bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be injured otherwise.
"Oh, Alex," she whispered. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "What did they do to you?"
Gabriella looked close to tears, and Urchin looked like he was ready to swim back up to the surface and take out all the pirates single-handedly.
"Do not fear," the sea king reassured them as he gently rested the end of his trident against Alex. "He will be just fine."
The trident began glowing as magic flowed out of it and into Alex. Right before their eyes, he began to heal. Melody looked on in amazement as the trident completely restored him. Even the bags and dark circles under his eyes and the cracks across his lips vanished. He indeed looked as good as new.
Alex gasped loudly as his eyes snapped open. He began to struggle in the sea king's arms as he forgot where he was.
"It's ok, my boy," Triton told him, "you're safe now."
Melody swam forward and placed her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to face her. "Alex, it's ok. Look, it's me. The pirates are gone, you're safe."
It took a few moments for Alex to settle down, but as he stared at her beautiful face, he slowly began to relax. Almost afraid this was a dream, he reached out and placed a hand on her cheek, stroking it gently and lovingly. She leaned into his touched and gave him a reassuring smile, looking close to tears.
An exhausted smile crept up Alex's face. "Hey, Mel-Mel," he said, and then passed out in Triton's arms.
"Alex, no!" Melody gasped fearfully.
"He's all right," Triton told her. "He's merely exhausted. The trident healed his body, but he must recover his strength on his own."
Urchin and Gabriella went to check on their son. Unable to speak, the latter merely stroked his cheek while Urchin spoke for the both of them. "My brave, brave boy. Thank heavens your safe."
Triton smiled at them. "Come, lets return to Atlantica. He should still see a healer."
Keeping hold of the boy, he began heading back towards the underwater city. Melody swam right beside. She grasped Alex's hand and pressed a kiss to it, keeping hold of him as she followed her grandfather.
Urchin and Gabriella watched as the princess remained close to their son. They were surprised by the visible display of affection and amount of concern she had for him. They had known that the two were close, but they hadn't been aware of this.
Sharing a curious look, they glanced at Ariel questioningly. She looked to the two of them, understanding their unasked question. She and nodded to them in confirmation, and looked back at her daughter swimming away. It was time for her to face the truth. Her daughter was swimming away from her, and soon she would be doing it again, only next time it would be for good.
(A/N: How was that for a twist? It was Captain Bloodshot's ship that had killed Athena. Did anyone expect that? I hadn't originally planned on doing that, but only realized I could make the connection just recently. It brings everything full circle too. Oh, and before you ask, no Captain Bloodshot did not eat Athena; her death happened before he started doing that when he was just an ordinary pirate. On another note, it seems that Melody and Alex's 'secret' relationship is out of the bag. Anyone interested in seeing an overprotective Ariel, Eric, and Triton? I gotta have a least a little bit of overprotectiveness. But onto more important matters, what's going to happen with the pirates now that Alex is gone. Captain Bloodshot is certainly not going to be happy about that. And what about Hemsworth? He did the right thing, but will he get away with it? He may have helped Alex, but his alligence is still to the pirates. And there's one other important factor that some of you may have looked over that will be brought up next chapter, so look forward to that. Feel free to review, and enjoy this update's picture.)
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