Author's Note - Happy Friday! Thank you for your amazing comments that keep me motivated. Here's an extra long chapter to celebrate the weekend! And spring break (at least for us here in California) woo hoo!


The air was thick with the briny scent of the sea and it seemed to cling to her skin as Melody walked with Harry down to the beach. An air current had likely shifted since yesterday, dragging the tropical southern humidity northward toward the shores of Auradon. She'd read a lot about currents and their effects on the underwater biome over the summer.

Whatever the cause of the heatwave, Melody found herself wishing she could sneak away for a swim. Of course, it wouldn't be as enjoyable unless she had fins, which would mean using her locket, and that would mean admitting to Harry she'd lost the bet.

And losing to Harry was not an option.

They reached the edge of campus and stared out across the long stretch of beach from the top of the cliff. Looking out over the sand, she spotted the rest of her friends already gathering near the first set of tables closest to the wooden staircase at the base of the cliff. Jane looked adorable in a baby blue and white striped romper with a white scarf tied around her neck. And as usual, the boys were wearing leather for the occasion. They waved up at her from down below and she made her way to the staircase.

She paused at the top, lifting her eyes to the ocean beyond the beach to take in the view, and there she caught a rare sight in the bay. A ship was anchored way out past the pier, and it was a large one at that, with three masts, each with three, square-rigged sails.

She smiled, sure Harry would be excited to see such a spectacular ship this close. She leaned into him as she pointed toward the horizon with his hook. "Who do you suppose that belongs to?" she asked. "She's a beauty."

The warm breeze licked at his messy hair, giving him a goofy hairstyle to go with his comically wide grin. He performed a very poor impression of a courtly bow, before raising the back of her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "Your ship has arrived Princess," he said, puffing himself up again and offering his arm to escort her down to the steps.

It took her a while to register what he was saying, and she stopped in her tracks. "Wait, what? Whose ship is it, really?"

"It's Uma's ship. That's The Lost Revenge!"

She cocked her head, giving him a baffled look. Harry said Uma's ship had been wrecked. Was this the same ship or a different one?

But Harry had that wild look in his eye he sometimes got, and she knew he was too riled up to handle any further questions. His excitement had his muscles visibly tensed. He was coiled like a spring, and Melody thought he might break out in a dead run down to the shore any moment. His royal act had dissolved completely by now and he let out a loud, whooping laugh, grabbed her hand and practically dragged her down the steps toward where the rest of her friends stood waiting.

Jay was the first to see them coming and waved. "Hey guys!"

She waved with her free hand as Harry continued pulling her along by the other.

"Do yeh see her?" Harry's voice boomed across the sand, making everyone stop what they were doing as they followed his finger, pointing out across the bay.

Lonnie stared at him, her nose scrunched in confusion. "See who?"

"The Lost Revenge. Uma's ship! She's been restored!" Harry took Melody's hand and spun her without warning in an imitation of a ball room dance move she was sure she'd been forced to practice before. "Now who wants to sail?!"

Carlos gave Jane a sideways look and Lonnie elbowed Jay. Tarah, the Borderlands princess adjusted her stance, now crossing her arms looking uncomfortable next to the other girl from R.O.A.R. They were obviously not as excited about this outing as Harry had been.

Melody glanced at Harry, who's elation seemed to be deflating by the second.

"The ship looks amazing Harry!" She may have laid the enthusiasm on a little thick, so hoping for back-up, she gave Jane the 'play along please' stare. "Are we going now? What's our course?"

Jane played her part, smiling and nodding enthusiastically.

His silly grin returned. "We can go wherever yeh want, lass. That's the real beauty of it!"

And his joy was so pure in that moment, so contagious, she let herself memorize the expression. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, the smile lines tugging at his cheeks, the sensuous curve of his bottom lip and she wanted to kiss him, then. She wanted to taste just a little bit of that joy.

But the sudden realization that everyone was watching her, that everyone might know exactly what she was thinking had her shrinking back from his gaze, cheeks burning.

"Is Uma out there?" Carlos asked.

"Aye, she is," Harry answered. "And the rest of the crew. Gil o' course and Desiree, Jonas, Gonzo and the rest. Cannae sail a ship that size without a crew."

By this time, Melody had recovered a bit. Enough to ask more questions at least.

"Are we swimming out?"

That prompted the return of his one-sided smirk. "Only if yeh want to. The rest of us will be rowin' out. Uma's sendin' some smaller boats to the pier to meet us."

He pulled at a silver chain hanging at his waist, revealing an old-fashioned timepiece he had stowed in his pocket. His eyes widened when he saw the time and he was dragging her along again. "We best be goin' now, though. Told them we'd be at the end of the pier in five minutes."

Melody saw her friends give a few unsure glances at each other from the corner of their eyes. Taking an afternoon sail on a pirate ship was probably not something they'd penciled in on their calendars. But she was feeling a little upset at their lack of enthusiasm. Couldn't they see how much this meant to him?

She paused.

And Melody shook her head at herself.

What was she thinking?

Perspective came crashing down on her in that moment, as though her logic had finally caught up with her emotions.

Melody hated pirates. Two weeks ago, she was plotting Harry's demise. Now she was willingly holding his hand and heading for a joy ride on a triple masted pirate ship. With a whole crew of pirates.

Seas. What was wrong with her?

Harry must have sensed her hesitation, because he hung back a bit, pulling her off to the side. "What is it, lass?"

She was a hair's breadth from giving her standard, single word response for dealing with awkward situations - 'nothing.' Pre-Auradon U Melody would definitely have said 'nothing.' That word meant, 'don't pry,' 'leave me alone,' and 'I don't want to talk about it,' all in one. It had been a staple in her vocabulary for at least a decade.

But a lot had happened since arriving at Auradon U.

Harry's intense gaze was unwavering and she took only another second to think before deciding to tell him the truth, "I hated pirates just a few weeks ago, you know. And now I'm willingly going on my first pirate adventure."

Harry stopped, his long jacket whipping against his legs in the strengthening breeze. He pinned her in place with his sharpest gaze as he moved his hand to cup her chin. His eyes had a hungry gleam in them now and a tiny part of her was afraid of that wild look, because in that moment Melody couldn't deny that he was still Hook's son. She'd seen his sweet side, but here was the true pirate underneath it all.

The pulse in her ears began to sound like a drum, drowning out the pounding surf.

"And I thought yeh were a stuck-up Princess two weeks ago. Seems like the tides are changin' eh lass?"

She swallowed hard and he hesitated, glancing down at his hand pressed against her cheek as though he had surprised himself by putting it there.

Melody didn't give Harry any more reason to regret that touch. She returned his gaze with the same intensity, and she did not turn away from those hungry eyes. Instead, she placed her hand over his. "Thank you for the surprise," she said. "I can't wait to see the wind fill those sails." Then she pulled his hand from her cheek and interlaced their fingers, leading him toward the pier, heart still hammering in her chest.

As they waited for the smaller boats at the pier, Harry talked excitedly with Jay and Carlos about the ship and the crew. He was an amplified version of himself out here by the sea, gesturing wildly, his voice edgier, more commanding. Or maybe Melody had it wrong and it was the opposite. Maybe she was finally seeing Harry's true self and it was surprising to her, because she'd only ever seen the dulled down version of him, stifled by classrooms and the condescending eyes of princes and princesses.

Jane pulled Melody out of her reverie, with a quick clamp of her fingers on her upper arm. "What was that all about?" Jane whispered, trying to keep her voice quiet enough to not be heard by the others.

She frowned at Jane, trying to decide what she'd done wrong. "What?"

"You and Harry."

"What do you mean?"

"Melody! You haven't been giving me all the details, have you? Come on," Jane said. "What's going on?" She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, Fairy style.

"We hung out today, if that's what you mean?" she offered with a shrug.

"No, that's not what I mean," she hissed, trying and failing to keep their conversation private as Lonnie turned to see what was going on. She smiled at Lonnie, and when Lonnie turned back around, she continued in a very strained whisper. "Just now, he was touching your cheek. You guys looked like you were about to kiss!"

"No, no, we haven't kissed. We were just talking."

Jane fixed her with a stare that told her exactly what she thought about that explanation. "That was some pretty intense talking."

She shrugged, not able to say more as the two approaching rowboats had gone from tiny dots on the horizon to close enough to see the faces of the oarsmen.

"Ahoy Gil!" Harry called. "Gonzo!"

The two men continued rowing until they were close enough to tie down. Then Gil and Harry helped everyone into a boat. Harry let his hand linger on hers just a little longer as he settled her onto a bench in Gil's boat and plopped down beside her.

Gil and Gonzo rowed their boats back to the ship without hardly breaking a sweat and it was clear that these pirates didn't become so broad-shoulderedby chance. Who needed a gym when there was the work of sailing?

She was enjoying the calming sensation of the boat bobbing in the waves when Harry whispered into her ear. "I was hopin' yeh'd decide to swim. Show off yer tail for us."

"Nice try," she accused. "But there's no way you're winning this bet."

"Can I at least use me hook for a while?" he said, looking longingly at his beloved weapon. Melody had been sure to keep it in view just to torment him with it. "It feels all wrong goin' back to the ship without it."

"Only if you admit your defeat," she teased.

He adjusted the hat on his head, pulling the brim down low over his eyes. "Never. I'm goin' down with this ship, I'm afraid."

"I'd expect nothing less from the likes of you, Harry Hook." She smiled her most innocent princess smile as she dragged the cold curve of his steel hook against his upper arm, following the ripples and valleys of his perfectly sculpted biceps. She had no idea where this new boldness had come from, but she was really enjoying trying to beat him at his own game, watching intently for his reaction.

He bit his bottom lip in an adorably frustrated expression. "Yeh really are difficult, yeh know that lass?"

Harry stood up then, propping one booted foot on their bench as he scanned the ocean all around. It wasn't long before their boats were drawn up the side of the larger ship with lines and pulleys, and they climbed onto the deck of The Lost Revenge where her captain was there to greet them.

Uma was quite the picture, with her hands on the curves of her hips and her braids whipping around in the wind. She wore a navy blue tricorn hat and a long black coat with blue accents and fasteners that looked like tentacles. Her face was unreadable as she let her eyes trail across the new visitors. She looked every inch the captain of her ship.

That was until Harry ran to her, lifting her up and twirling her around. Then she let a smile crack through that tough exterior.

"Uma!" he said, finally putting her down.

"That's my name," she responded, as though they'd played this game a thousand times before.

Something strange and hot crept up the back of Melody's neck. She forced it down with a deep breath of sea air, then walked along the deck until she reached the edge, clinging to the rails and looking out over the vast sea beyond the bay. Wispy clouds hung like a veil over the horizon and a cluster of seabirds were diving farther out across the waves. One gull had made a catch and the others were taking turns divebombing the lucky fisherman.

"Okay boys and girls," Uma called from behind her. "Weigh anchor. Let's see how this old pile of planks handles on the open sea!"

A chorus of "aye aye's" erupted from all over the ship and soon, rigging was being adjusted, booms swung side to side, and the guests were being pushed to the edge of the deck where they wouldn't be in the way of the actual sailors.

When Melody turned back to watch the crew, she caught sight of Harry high above, clinging to the mizzen mast, helping another man free the highest sail. The afternoon sun bathed him in warm, buttery light and when the sail whipped free and billowed in the wind, her heart swelled.

Whatever had happened over the last two weeks, she could not deny that she felt a strange fondness for this pirate. Whoever his parents, whatever his background. She was happy he'd stolen her locket that day in oceanography.

"Enjoying the view?" a voice purred from over her shoulder.

She turned to see Uma with a smirk on her face.

Melody tried her best to repress the blush she felt rising. Everything inside of her head screamed at her to turn away, to hide those traitorous feelings and lock them up where no one could see. But no, she wouldn't be intimidated. Instead, she squared herself to the sea witch's daughter and put on her most devious smile.

"You have to admit, the landscape couldn't be much better."

Uma's lip twitched. She was not expecting that. Good.

"I can see why he likes you," she said. "Welcome to The Lost Revenge." And that was all she said before turning around and spitting orders left and right.

Melody exhaled, feeling like she'd won her first battle at sea, earning the right to watch the crew finish adjusting the sails.

Melody had been on her father's ships countless times, she'd even helped with this process. But no two ships were alike, and she was enjoying watching the unique ins and outs of preparing to sail on The Lost Revenge.

It wasn't long before Melody realized that it was Harry, in fact, who seemed to know the ship best, shouting out more orders than even Uma was. He was half-way up the mast still, hanging upside down when he'd found someone else to order about, screaming something at him with an accent so thick she wasn't sure what the poor sailor had done wrong. And Melody wondered what Uma would do in the absence of her First Mate when he did get his own ship.

Just then, Harry caught sight of her watching from down below and waved, blowing her a kiss with his characteristic flourish for the dramatic. And as cheesy as it was, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks burning as she turned to find her friends.

Melody crossed the deck to the starboard side where Jane and Carlos were holding hands and gazing out at the sea, and Jay and the rest of the visitors were chatting and laughing, enjoying the view.

Jay turned when he saw her approach, smiling at the sight of the hook in her hand. "The last time we were on this ship, Harry tried to hook me with that thing."

"How'd that turn out?" Melody asked, running her finger along the curve of the weapon until she reached the sharpest point.

"I threw it overboard and your boyfriend stopped everything to dive in after it."

Everyone laughed, and Melody was completely unsurprised that Harry would drop everything in the middle of a fight for the hook. But when Jay continued to study her reaction, wearing a sly smile, she suddenly realized his choice of words and rushed out a response. "He is not my boyfriend."

"Could have fooled me," Carlos said.

"He's like that with everyone," she assured them. "You see how he flirts with anything that moves."

"Not the same," Jay assured.

"Nope," Lonnie agreed. "Definitely not."

They were all nodding and she hoped she could change the subject. Quickly. "Where do you think they're taking us?"

"Sounds like their version of cruising around the block. I'm not sure there's a destination involved," Jay said.

She stood with her friends talking and laughing, enjoying the beautiful sailing weather until she felt the deck lurch below her feet as the sails caught wind. While everyone else clung tight to the railing, Melody couldn't resist the draw she felt towards the bow of the ship. The bow held the best view and it was the place where you really felt the roll and pitch of the ship. She ran past Uma at the helm, continuing by the foremast and climbed up the steps onto the forecastle of The Lost Revenge.

The ship was building speed now, cutting lines through the waves to either side of the bow. She took her ponytail down then, just to feel the tug of the sea air through her hair and sighed, letting all of her stress and anxiety blow away in the breeze. And here, with the spray of the sea and the wind lashing at her face, Melody felt at home. For the first time since her last visit to Atlantica, she felt like she belonged somewhere.

Yes, she loved being under the sea. But Melody also loved to sail.

Several minutes had passed when a warm arm wrapped around her waist and a hard body pulled in close behind her.

The sea spray carried the familiar sweat and leather smell of the pirate at her back and she recognized him immediately. He didn't say a word as they stood looking out over the endless blue world before them. She felt the rise and fall of his chest against her back as his breathing gradually slowed and he recovered from the hard work of sailing. The ship's list rocked them back and forth as he held her there. He just held her close, without needing a word, until she had relaxed completely into his embrace.

Seas. This was nice.

How was it she felt completely at ease, yet her heart was pounding so hard?

"Yeh looked like a carved figurehead up here at the bow of the ship, hair blowin' in the wind like that." His voice was a low rumble against her back. "I cou'dnae resist coming up to hold yeh."

"I could get used to this," she admitted, talking about both the sailing and his arms around her.

His warm breath stroked her cheek as he whispered his response. "That's the whole idea."

She dared to turn to him, just for a brief glance at his face, and found he was no longer staring at the sea, but at her. And he had that feral glint in his eyes again, the one she recognized from the beach. He bit his lip and his gaze raked over her, darting from her eyes to her mouth and back again.

He moved one hand to cradle the back of her head, winding his fingers in her hair, and her breath hitched in anticipation. He leaned in and she closed her eyes…

A scream pierced the air all around them and Harry jumped back. An enormous crash issued from somewhere off the port bow. Something very large had landed in the water a few feet off.

"Enemies! Off to port!" Someone called from atop the crow's nest.

Uma was raging from at the helm. "Why didn't you see them until they were on top of us, Gil!"

"They came out of nowhere!" he said, face as white as the sail next to him. "I swear it!"

"Come around," Uma said. "We can't square up to that thing, it's massive! Back to the bay!"

Another crash, this time on the deck, sent splinters of wood like deadly spears in every direction. One of the crew screamed and hit the deck hard, blood seeping from a fresh wound in his arm, staining his shirt.

Harry pulled her toward the stairs. "Get below deck!" Then he was climbing the nearest mast to adjust the rigging to follow his captain's order.

Luckily, he didn't turn back to see if she had listened, because there was no way in the blue deep she was going to hide below deck. Not when she could help.

She rushed to the injured man, seeing that the wound was deep enough to have torn through a blood vessel. She ordered him to apply pressure above the wound and hold it, but she knew this type of injury with her time interning with her father's navy surgeon. Applying pressure alone would not stop the bleeding.

She ripped off the sleeve of her blouse with her teeth and fashioned a tourniquet from the fabric and a thin piece of decking that had splintered and fallen to the ground. She twisted the wood, creating torsion to tighten the fabric. As she tied the knot, she asked the sailor what his job was.

"Hauling lines," he answered through clenched teeth.

Melody rushed to help move the lines as the sails were adjusted by the rest of the crew. She did her best with the rigging despite being completely unfamiliar with the ship. The injured man gave pointers as he watched her work and did what he could to help with one arm.

Only when the ship had swung true to its new course, did she sneak a peek at their pursuers off the stern. Who in the United States of Auradon would dare attack in their waters in broad daylight?

One look at the ship in question, and she had her answer.

Black sails loomed ominously over the horizon. Smoke from its cannons poured from the gunports, making it seem as though it had emerged from the mists beyond this world. And who knows, based on the fairytales she'd heard, that might be exactly where it had come from after all.

It was The Black Pearl.

The ship was a legend among sailors. She'd heard tales of the vessel since she was a little girl. Of course, back then she'd thought they were just stories. It was a ship thought to be so far away, in a land called the Caribbean, that it could never travel to Auradon.

But the legend was quickly making ground on them, proving just how real it was.

Melody took one more look at The Black Pearl before another cannonball shattered the top of the main mast, sending someone screaming over the side of the ship.

And Harry's voice ripped through the chaos. "Gil!"