Chapter Text
Your eyes fluttered open, messy hair, and tired eyes. The small, circular window in your office casts a golden light inside. Ah, a warm summer's morning, you missed those. The seas chilled the air most nights, the mists ran your crew ragged, and the storms? Oh, the storms on seas like these would be enough to capsize you faster than a blink. Perhaps the reason you found mornings so pleasant is because of the freedom. The sense of ease that comes with feeling perfectly safe when posing as a trading ship. A knocking on your door from what you're certain must be a member of your crew elicits a sigh from your very soul.
“Captain?”
“Aye, I'm coming.” You huffed, rolling yourself out of the pleasant cot you always made for yourself in the night hours. A quick comb through with the fingers, grabbing up your favorite leather boots and fine hat, you open the door. Are you a mess? A little but your crew knows better than to question your skills for it.
“Something the matter?”
“We’ve made it to the island you requested for stock up.”
“Fantastic, get our best men ready for a little hunting trip, won't you?”
“Of course, Captain!”
As you shut the door, you couldn't help but turn back towards your mahogany desk. A smooth hand motion unfurling your beautifully weathered map. This gorgeous piece of art has been in your family since your great-grandparents were around. A real, genuine hand-drawn map. It had every little island and land mass filled out and titled. An old piece that helped you steer at the helm of this ship with confidence. Where were you? Ah, right. You snatched a pin from the small box on your desk and stuck it into the island you resided in with a smile. Oh, you were so close to its last known sighting that you could practically feel yourself shaking. You lived for the thrill of the hunt, how could you not? A sailor through and through, a pirate practically from birth. Your grandparents had both been world-renowned plunderers of riches far beyond what any other had managed to get their greedy claws on. Your parents? Both sailors that braved all the seven seas and hunted many sea monsters in their time. As far back as your family lineage is concerned, you and your family belong on the sea. You live here, and much like the stories told to you in your youth, you will die here. The smell of saltwater brings you right back here every time anyway.
Admittedly, while they had hunted big game, there was always one thing that alluded them. The Monster of the Seas. At least, that's what your mother had called it when she returned home. She had rambled on and on with your father about the creature they’d discovered and its oddly curious behaviors. How it stared at them from deep below water and turned the surrounding area turquoise with its glow, or rocked their large ship like a toy. At the time, being a tiny child, you thought they were joking around. Another excuse to leave you with a babysitter to go off exploring the world because you were too young to board a boat. At least you'd thought so until your mother returned home with a new scar all the way down her body. It took up a good portion of her face and skin. How long it had taken to heal? You haven't got a clear answer. What you did know was very simple. Your mother had been mauled by the creature and had barely escaped with her life. In the battle, it lost an arm, and she lost her beauty. She claimed it to be a fair exchange. You never knew how that could possibly be fair, and after that day, they never left home again.
Now, as an adult, you were out to finish what they’d started. No good suitors and no man that could ever tie you down, a wanderlust so bad it took you from coast to coast, and a fascination with the magic laying just beneath the waves. You had no husband, wife, or child to worry about. Nothing to return to on land. A loyal crew of men all willing to risk their lives for the hunt. You had it all. The creature that had left scars across your mother's body was one you planned to finish in one, final attack. As you stepped away from your desk and began to finish getting ready, you took your time. Your men would be just as excited to see you up and ready for the day messy as they would cleaned up. As expected the moment you stepped out you were greeted by some of the crew cleaning the deck. The warm summer glow illuminated your skin in the beautiful rays it always had, cupping at your cheek gently like a lover's touch. The familiar scent of salt water on the breeze brought a smile to your face.
“Cap?”
“Hm?”
“How did you sleep?”
“As well as the day is long. And what of the hunting party?”
“Said they'd be back soon!”
“Good, good.” Your eyes flicked to the island not too far off in the distance before falling back to the smaller member of your crew.
“Get back to waxin the deck. We’ve got a long day ahead.”
“Oh yeah? What, we dockin so you can finally find yourself a woman?”
“Like a woman could ever tie me down, don't be silly, Blitz. I promised you all a hunt for the ages, didn't I? We’re heading straight for the heart of the beast's territory. We’ll be there by dusk s’long as the boys get back soon.”
“Ah, wishful thinkin. I'm just waiting for the day your sorry ass retires. There's gotta be a real good wife for you somewhere.”
“A shame my only Mistress is the sea. Besides, you're less likely to be captain than your sister is.”
“PINKIE?!”
“Sure, why not? She's got that fire in her eyes, walks like a cat that one. You're fast but a bit too loud for my tastes.” You snicker and wander off, leaving the man irritated.
It would take hours before your men came back with the food you'd requested, and many more before you were all set to finally leave. The sunrise long since passed, silver moonlight glittering as it took the place of its bright companion on the horizon. The sea coated in a dark blue, the waves softly lapping at your wooden ship. The stars glowing and twinkling particularly bright above your head. It was an oddly quiet night, too quiet. Especially knowing how close you were to the creature's territory. It felt as though even the sea was holding its breath. An impatience in you deeply wanted to leap into the water, blade between your lips, and pierce the heart of the creature while it lay sleeping. You'd slaughtered many a monster before, from the Minotaur to the Sea Snake. A plethora of ancient creatures had been felled by you. This one, a little scarier maybe but-
“Captain!” A shriek that stirred you quickly from your thoughts. Your head snapped up to see one of your crew pointing not too far out. Your gaze shifted to the odd mist on the horizon, a golden glow as bright as the sun barely masked by it. The way it bobbed back and forth made you feel uncomfortable. As though attempting to lure you closer. What kind of enchanted item could be that large even from this distance? The top of another ship larger than even yours maybe? That is until the bobbing ceased, and more of the item revealed itself. There amongst the mist was the shadow of a man's torso, much larger than you- than any human had any right to be. The size of this creature reminded you of a house as its Turquoise eyes stared into yours. It was not until this moment it crossed you that you had never heard how large the beast was. When your parents had spoken of it, they'd called it big. Big was not an apt description. A giant maybe. An absolutely massive creature. What were they called in folklore? Leviathans?
The creature growled, low, like a hiss as its massive and scaled tail broke the surface of the water. As flexible and fluent as a serpent as it coiled around the wooden structure you and your men sat upon. Its beautiful grey-blue scales glitter as you call for your men to try and break through its solid and built-in armor. Yet your cutlass did nothing. Even an attempt at wedging it between the scales was useless. How had you been so careless as to lead your men into a death trap? Not that it mattered anymore as the beast applied more pressure with every movement closer. The wood creaked, bellowing out in pain as though it too feared its death. At last, as the creature swam out from the mist, you couldn't help but freeze. A similar color as the tail made up its scar-covered skin. The fins on the sides of its face fully splayed and its black hair soaked from the water it had emerged from. A set of gills at its neck drew the eye before flowing down. Its body grew what appeared to be pearls atop the skin, black like the deep waters it came from. As breathtakingly ethereal as it was, its gaze felt like staring into the eyes of some kind of vengeful water deity. You couldn't stop yourself from freezing no matter how much you wanted to call out for your men.
Its head was tilted as it stared out at all the people aboard your ship. The blue glow like searchlights as they combed the entire vessel before landing on you. Its head bent down farther as though to get a good look before grinning. A smile not kind nor gentle, but cruel. As though some kind of wicked thought crossed its mind. A large, clawed hand breaks the waters surface, dripping as it reaches out and snatches you right up. It's not particularly gentle as you yelp from the creature's harsh grip, squeezing you until you can no longer squirm. The pressure left you shaky, pondering if it would crush you, or worse, eat you. Yet as the creature brought you to its chest, the less you worried about being devoured whole. It seemed to have another reason for grabbing you as the ship cracked louder in your ears. You feared the sound of it snapping in half or the crew screaming as it took on heavy water. You heard neither of these things. No, instead, you were greeted by a low hum. One that reverberated through your body, coming deep from within the beast's chest. A song unfamiliar and yet calming, so calming in fact, your body could not help but go limp in his hold.
The song was beautiful, not at all muffled by the splashing of water as the tail presumably hit the water once more. The creaking of your ship growing distant. A lullaby that reminded you of home was not something you expected the creature to even understand. Let alone what it would sing. A siren too? How terrible must your luck be? Well, worse, as it turns out. Your eyelids grow heavy with sleep as the clawed hand opens up. Your body is much too tired to move in its palm as it chuckles. An amusement not unfamiliar to you. The kind you got from those who tried to fight you. The joy from finally stealing something you’d been meaning to get your hands around for years. It was the kind of elation that one should never feel for the taking of a human. But how could you resist as sleep took you into its arms this gently? Somewhere between consciousness and slumber, the creature spoke to you.
“So my payment has finally arrived? A bit late but it will surely do.”