The most terrible thing about knowing what's going to happen is not knowing when it will happen. Even when Lovino was awake, I didn't want to tell him that we might die soon. Not that I could, with my hands behind my back. Instead, I cuddled up against him. I hated this feeling of being totally useless when I knew that I should be doing something, anything to get us out of this situation. Even if I did find a way to get Lovino and I out, I couldn't just let the other Merpeople die. The most I had seen of the others so far was a male in the cell next to us with bright pink hair and stunning blue eyes lined with dark circles that aged them farther than should be possible. Across from that cell was a familiar crop of silvery blonde hair, matted by dried blood. If it weren't for the normally sparkling light blue eyes that were lined with red from exhaustion and tears, I wouldn't have recognized my own sister. Katyusha's usually vibrant smile was nowhere in sight, the lines etched into her face covered in dried muck, blood, and tears.

I never saw who the two of them were with. I doubted that Katyusha even knew that I was there. The only time she ever reacted to anything was when her mate gently shook her. I felt so ashamed that I never spent enough time with her to even know that she had a mate. Part of it was her being gone, doing her duty, but most of it was my own selfish wants of being around Lovino more. But, as always, hindsight is perfect. As for the pink-haired merman, he seemed to be worried about his own mate. Whenever he wasn't looking at the one next to him, his eyes were darting around on high alert. It made me wonder how old he was and what his duty was. In a way I can't describe, he was almost familiar to me, as if I had seen him before but not talked to him.

A small shift behind me told me that Lovino was awake once more. Before I could turn around, I felt him tugging at the bindings around my wrists. His own motion was limited, but he tried pulling, sawing with his nails, shifting, pretty much everything he could. It almost seemed like a futile attempt until I felt the bindings get looser. Not enough for them to fell off, but enough to give me more freedom. He let out a small laugh out of triumph and started working on the rope again. Gradually, the rope got looser, to the point where I could likely pull my hands out with ease. I would have let him continue if it weren't for the chorus of thunks from the stairway. Slapping his hands away from mine, I leaned against him and feigned sleep. Lovi seemed to get the idea and leaned his head against mine.

Carefully, I cracked open one eye and watched the green eyed man, Jett, lead a pack of six or seven men. One by one, they peeled off and opened the cages, hauling the mermaids out on their shoulders. Jett stopped in front of our cell and looked down at me with a condescending smirk. He opened the cell door and picked me up almost effortlessly. As he reached for Lovino, I nudged my face against his back, effectively knocking off the disgusting gag. Before Jett could react, I slammed my tail into his gut. Stumbling back, he loosened his hold on me enough for me to sink all of my fangs into his fleshy, pulsing neck. Clenching my jaw, I tore my head away, taking a good chunk of his throat with me with a sickening peeling noise. For a moment, Jett stood there frozen. Then, in the stiff, sudden silence of the small hallway, his warm body fell to the floor with an uneventful thump.

I forced my hands out of the rope and tore the gag off of my neck as the man carrying my sister and her mate dropped them harshly and came at me. My tail wasn't yet dry enough to peel off into legs, giving him the advantage of speed and agility. Unable to get up and defend myself, he easily hoisted me up by the neck, which was quickly becoming much to common for comfort. He growled something in an accent too heavy for me to understand as he tightened his hold on my throat. I let out a choke and tried to scratch along his arms. He just grinned sadistically, tightening his grip once more. Just as black encroached on my vision, he let out a cry and dropped me to the floor. Gasping for air, I was momentarily blind. Moments later, I regained my vision and saw my sister with the gag around her neck, her mouth stained with the red blood of the man who had been holding me. She spat out something that looked stringy, glaring at the man as he rolled on the floor, clutching his leg and screaming.

Her usually vibrant blue and yellow speckled tail was gone, replaced with a pair of damp legs. Many of the other merpeople's tails were drying out as well, including my own. The remaining men seemed alarmed at this development. Before they could run out and raise the alarm, a mermaid with long, dark brown hair sprinted to the stairway and sealed the door, locking it with a wooden bar. A fierce fire sparked out of her exhausted light brown eyes, silently daring any of the men to try and force her away.

I pushed myself to my feet, facing the men that seemed shocked to suddenly find themselves outnumbered. Lovino stood up next to me, his hands now free thanks to the same technique he had used on my ropes earlier. I spotted the pink-haired merman again, still being held by one of the men. He kicked at the man, but it didn't seem to affect him too much. Another merman on the ground with silvery white hair carefully aimed his new feet and thrust them into the pirate's stomach. Before the terrified pink one hit the ground, all hell seemed to break loose on the deck above us.

As the men were distracted by the cacophony of gunfire, shouting, and footsteps, I signed discreetly to Lovi. He nodded and soundlessly snatched a dagger off of Jett before disappearing past the men's feet. With a smirk, I cracked my knuckles to get the men's attention. My voice crackled as I said, "Well, gentlemen, are we going to stand around all day or are we going to fight?"

This seemed to set them off as one of them launched himself at me. With the two of us unarmed, I straightened my hand and trust it forward as he reached me, effectively impaling him. My heart started beating faster with a sick excitement that I loved, but never wanted to feel again. Other Merpeople started standing up and attacking the remaining pirates, most of them aiming to kill. My sister finished off the one that had tried to choke me as the silver-haired merman ripped off the head of the pink one's attacker. The brown haired girl stayed standing at the door, brandishing a knife that she must have picked up. A familiar light blonde merman helped my sister, tearing the heart out of a pirate that was aiming for her.

Soon enough, all of the pirates that had been sent to collect us were dead and all of the Merpeople were free. Frantic fighting was still going on overhead, giving me enough reason not to kneel and vomit on the blood stained floor. Lovino reappeared at my side with a tired smile. Despite the gathering of Merpeople around us and the timing of it all, I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a kiss directly on his lips. He returned the affection before touching his forehead to mine. Keeping a secure grip on his hand, I turned to face the other couples. Most of them looked like they just wanted it to be over. Others, including my sister, were looking at me expectantly.

Reluctantly, I released Lovino's hand and started signing to everyone. "I know that this has been a terrible experience," I started, "but I need everyone who can fight to stay with me." Many of them nodded, letting me continue, "The crew that has been holding us captive is upstairs, fighting two other crews. I can promise you that they're friendly, but whatever you do, don't get caught again." At this, some rolled their eyes. "I know that sounds silly, but the Captain is planning us sacrificing us to get rid of all Merpeople. He may have already started for all I know. If we get caught, he will succeed. If he dies, we can go home. Let that be your motivation."

It was eerily silent when I finished my speech. The fighting still continued upstairs, but all of the Merpeople had grave faces. Taking a deep breath, I walked past them and opened the door, leading them up the stairs and into battle.