Perseus had found himself hiding in a bush for the second time this day. His eyes followed the movement of guards as they went about their patrol around the warehouse. The glow of their torches allowed him to keep track of each person and figure out their patrol patterns. There was about a dozen on the ground troops and one in the watch towers, that he couldn't get a good view off in the darkness.
The crescent moon was shining bright. Perseus spent the past hour trying to figure out who had the keys to the storage area. Usually an officer or someone in charge has them, but tonight he hasn't seen anyone that looks like them. He could just shoot the lock open, and has done that a few times before, but him and the crew are trying to stay low profile. He had to find another way into the storage area.
Sighing, Perseus works his way back to the group of men he has hidden nearby. He chose to bring Grover, the Stoll brothers (as a way to test them), and Chris. Off shore with two small boats were some of this other men, waiting for his signal to come to shore and carry off the supplies back to the boat.
"Can anyone pick a lock quickly and quietly?" Perseus asked, running a hand though his hair.
"I can, Captain," Travis said.
Perseus nodded. "Good. The guards will be changing sift here soon. During that time, we need to get down there, pick the lock, and grab what we can and get out. If we get spotted and the alarm bells go off, we will have a much bigger fight on our hands. We need to avoid that from happening."
"Anything in particular we are after Captain?" Connor asked, shifting on his feet.
"Cloth is our main priority, but just grab anything else if you can." Perseus looked over his shoulder at the warehouse area. "Come on. We should get in position."
Perseus and Grover wander back to the bush he was hidden in. The Stoll brothers hid behind another bush closer to the entrance of the warehouse. Chris pressed against a tree nearby. They didn't have to wait long before the glow of the guard's torches wandered away, showing they were leaving their post. Carful to stay under the cover of darkness and out of the sight of the watch tower, Perseus quickly crossed the field to the warehouse. With a wave of his hands he signaled his men closer.
"Get that door open quickly," Perseus hissed to Travis, eyes darting around.
It was a tense few moments as Travis concentrated on picking the lock. Perseus held his breath listening to the soft clicking of the lock. He was glad there was no guards nearby or they would hear the clicking and come investigate.
"Done," Travis breathed pushing the large door open gently so the hinges wouldn't squeak.
"Good job," Perseus whispered, giving Travis a pat on the shoulder as he passed by.
Inside the warehouse was a familiar scene. Large barrels full of either rum or gun power had the Olympus sigma branded on their front. There were stock piles of wood beams laid against one of the walls and bags of sugar piled up in another corner. Scattered around were crates of various sizes all reading Property of Olympus in deep red paint. Perseus wished they labeled these better so it would easier for them to find what they came for.
"Chris, go signal for our men to bring the boats," Grover ordered.
Wordlessly, Chris nodded and left.
"Start opening these crates," Perseus ordered as well. It took several tense moments and eight crates before they found any cloth. They were able to find five easy to carry crates full of cloth and quickly got out of there.
"Guards are coming back. We need to leave!" Chris hissed, picking up a crate by Connor's feet.
"We got what we came here for. Time to leave," Perseus advised. With a crate in his hand, he swiftly and silently ran to the beaches nearby where four crew members were waiting with boats to transport them and the goods to the Blackjack.
"Thieves!" a guard shouted further behind them. "Find the thieves!"
"Go, get back to the ship!" Perseus hissed to his men, looking over his shoulder. The glow of the guard torches were getting closer to the warehouse and surrounding area. In a few moments, they would find the foot steps leading them straight to the beach where Perseus and his men were. Seconds later the alarm bells, singling for more guards, rang out in the night.
"Be careful, Captain," Grover told him, climbing into one of the boats. "We will be waiting on the ship."
Perseus took a moment to make sure his men where safely on their way to the Blackjack before taking off running away from the beach and further into the city. Behind him, a man shouted for him to stop but Perseus kept running, using the shadows of the buildings to hide his movements. Perseus soon found himself near the center of the town and slowed to a walk. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, Perseus looked around for possible guards.
"Your woman must be great for you to run home as if there is a fire under your feet," the man sitting next to him slurred, swaying slightly.
The corner of Perseus lips twitched up wards. "I'm afraid there is no woman waiting for me at home, my friend."
"Spend too much time out at sea?" The stranger asked, taking a drink from his near empty bottle.
"Ye, something like that."
"I know how that is. I came home one day after being out at sea for two years only to find my house empty and my wife gone. Rum has been my only companion since then."
"That's rough mate." Perseus pat the drunk man on the shoulder. "Listen if you have a clear mind and remember this conversation in the morning, come find me by the docks. I could always use more men on my ship. That is if you are up to doing less then honorable work."
"Less then honorable work?" The man blinked trying to focus his eyes. "What are ye? A pirate?"
Perseus smirked and stood up. "You might find out come morning."
Falling into step with a group of men and woman, Perseus let his mind wander through that day's events. He was hesitant to let Travis and Connor on his ship, unsure of their loyalty, but they passed his test. Travis was exceptionally helpful with his lock picking skills. As for Connor, he followed his orders without question while working quick and quiet. He would keep his eye on them, but it seems that they will do well on the Blackjack. What was concerning was what they had told him. What was Leo after for him to leave suddenly with his men spying in a town like this?
"My husband got a message this morning. Lord Castellan will be returning in a week," a woman several steps in front of him said.
Perseus ears perked up at the name Lord Castellan. That name was familiar, yet seemed to be a distant memory. "This island was once owned by the Castellan family." The old man named Patrick back at the island he was hiding out had said. This current Lord Castellan must be the son that Patrick had talked about, he thought.
"It's about time. I haven't seen that handsome face in far too long," her friend giggled.
Her friend slapped the other woman's arm playfully. "You are engaged to be married Mary! You can't be thinking of your fiancé's closest friend like that."
"But Lord Castellan isn't just any other man, Anne. With eyes bright as the blue sky, golden hair, and that scar that runs down his face!" The woman fanned herself. "And the way he smiles and looks at you with those intense eyes! It makes me want to hike up my skirt for him right there."
"Mary!" Anne gasped. "You must not say things like that. Someone will hear you."
"Excuse me ladies," Perseus said stepping closer.
"Oh!" Anne eyes went wide, and her cheeks turned as red as her hair. "I am sorry for my friend here sir!"
"No need to apologize Miss." Perseus smiled charmingly at them. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about this Lord Castellan fella. I'm new to these waters and that name is unfamiliar to me."
"Lord Castellan is an ambassador for the Olympian Council. He rules this island and many others in the name of the Council," Mary explained, smiling. "Nothing happens without his say so."
"He sounds to be a very influential man," Perseus said smiling back, enjoying the way Mary was eyeing him.
"He is," Anne agreed. "Word around town is that his ship was attacked by pirates several months past. He has set out to destroy all those vermin who sail under the black flag since then."
Perseus raised an eyebrow. He knew that after attacking the galleon, it would cause them to be searching for his ship; that is part of his reason they hid in the cove for six months. Not only did it take a while for the repairs and supplies, it also gave them time for the Olympus Navy to stop searching for them. He was relying on them thinking that their ship had suck at the bottom of the sea. Now their actions have put all the other pirates in danger. Even though they often fight with each other, pirates stick together. This is something everyone should be warned about—if they hadn't already.
"Interesting. Thank you, ladies, for the information. Enjoy the rest of your night. And congratulations on your engagement Mary. May you have a wonderful marriage."
"Thank you." Mary paused in thought. "I'm sorry we never did get your name sir."
"Perseus."
"Well thank you Perseus. I hope we can see each other often around town." Mary smile sweetly.
"Good night ladies." He gave them a nod and turned to leave.
As he walked down the side of the hill he took a moment to appreciate the bay water off in the distance glistened in the moon light. There is nothing like seeing water shine at night like a thousand stars.
Letters with cryptic messages, inventory reports, maps of all the known islands, and other objects covered the large dark wood desk in his personal cabin. Candles scattered around cast a glow throughout the room. There was a bed on the far side of the room with a chest at the foot of it. Along another wall was a weapon's rack. Besides his clothes and weapons, there were no personal items in the room.
Perseus took a bite of bread while his eyes trace over the maps in front of him. It was the largest map, showing all the islands with the town names, plantations, and forts labeled. Today the new sails will be put in so that by tonight they will be able to leave Kingston and sail the seas again. The crew was getting restless, and Perseus didn't blame them. It has been six months since they had plundered anything besides the warehouse last night. It was time they found their next target and spend a few months out at sea.
A knock on the door pulled Perseus out of his thoughts.
"Enter," he called out, looking over his shoulder.
The door open and Grover stepped in. "Sorry for disturbing you Captain. There are some men asking to come aboard."
"Let's go see what they want."
Leaving his breakfast and maps there on the table, Perseus followed Grover out to the side of the main deck. There down below in a small rowboat was the Harbormaster and a few of his men.
"Morning Captain," The Harbormaster called out.
"Morning sir. Are your men ready to install the sails?" Perseus asked.
"As long as you got the gold and cloth your promised."
"I do. Come aboard and you shall see."
"Tell the men to get the cloths and gold that we had set aside," Perseus told Grover. His Quartermaster nodded and started barking out orders. A few minutes later, his crew had laid out the cloths and presented the Harbormaster with the chest of gold. "Does this satisfy you?"
"Ye. This shall be enough. You will have your new sails by the end of the day," he said, looking over the cloth and the two large masts.
"If you need any extra hands, my men shall help you."
While the harbormaster took his gold, and left to get the cloth, the men he brought with him started to get to work on taking down the old sails. The Harbormaster returned an hour later with the rest of the new sails and more men.
"Got any plans for when we will leave here?" Grover asked, coming to stand next to Perseus at the quarterdeck.
"Are we ready to leave once the sails are done?"
Grover nodded. "We are. There is nothing left for us here."
"Good. As soon as we can, we shall leave. I'm sure we can find some trade ships as we find our next target."
"The men would like that. They have been complaining about the lack of excitement for a while now."
Perseus nodded in understanding. "I was thinking we need to go to Nassau."
"Nassau? Why?" Grover frowned in thought. "What is waiting for there?"
"Since we attacked his Galleon, Lord Castellan has set out to destroy all pirates. He has had six months ahead of us. It is no secret that Nassau is under the Republic of Pirates, so that would be the first place he will go to attack us."
"How do you know this?" Grover asked.
"I heard it last night from some woman whose husbands are close to Castellan," he explained. "It could all be gossip, but I'd rather go to Nassau and see for myself. If Castellan really is after all pirates, we are at fault and should warn the others."
Grover was quiet for a while. "Along the way we should find out more about this Castellan man. Isn't his family the owner of the island that we stayed out for six months?"
Perseus nodded. "He is. There might be some information there, but the Castellan family hasn't been there in many years."
"Where do you suggest we look then?"
Perseus shrugged. "We will keep an eye out and follow any leads that we find."
It was near sundown when the new sails where finished being installed. Perseus and the Harbormaster inspected the finished work. All in all, the sails where installed impressively. The quality of work was much better than the patchwork his men had done. The ropes where properly tide and functioned perfectly for rising and pulling the large sails.
"Here is your remaining payment," he said, handing the Harbormaster a chest full of the remaining payment.
"It was a pleasure working for you," the other man said, handing the chest to another worker and climbed down to take a small boat to shore.
"Open sails! We're heading out to sea!" Perseus called out, stepping up to the wheel. The crew shouted and got to work.