3 Chapter 2

" So, are you going to help me or not?" Captain Dravers looks at me with a sly smile; she holds out her hand.

" One condition Penelope," Gideon puts himself between us, and I shoot him a death look.

" What is that Sneak?" She smiles, revealing her shark-like teeth, my heart dropped she was a mer.

My mothers had only told me stories of the mer; they were notorious killers that would drown sailors and eat them alive. Occasionally taking a few male sailors as their husbands to produce heirs and so on. Mortal men who had survived mer attacks were known to stammer on about the notorious Penelope Dravers, the queen of five seas. She was the most gruesome killer of all the mer for the past century. She was the daughter of a warrior queen mer and Captain Mordred of Britlian. She was the literal spawn of death and hate itself. She was sitting in front of me, and my best friend since childhood seemingly new this all along yet had decided not to tell me before making me travel for three hours to the coast to possibly drown at sea or worse used as a fucking sex slave by dominating mers with a killing kink. By the gods, I am going to die.

" You cannot harm us or drown us while we are aboard your ship or any other time during this quest, and ours," Gideon raises his hand. " Do we have a deal?"

Penelope leans back in her chair, smiling, she quickly leans forward, shaking Gideon's hand.

" We leave at dawn and head towards Turtle Neck Bay; make sure you are not followed" She stands up with her crew and walks out fo the tavern.

I quickly turn around, the palm of my hand collides with Gideon's cheek, knocking him backwards off the chair.

" WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?" he yelps sitting back up.

" Why didn't you tell me you are close buddies with the dread captain Penelope Dravers? Are you a fucking idiot or just fucking insane to be hanging around with a mer!" I yell, Gideon stands his chair back up and returns to sit down.

" You wouldn't have believed me even if I had told you, Jasper," He chuckles before ordering us to tankards of ale.

" You need to tell me this story," I reply, fixing my coat.

" You're too young," He responds, taking a long swig from his flask.

" I am old enough now, tell me!" I shout, he rolls his eyes and glances around.

" When you're older," He smirks, leaning back in his chair.

" I hate you," I growl.

" Nah, you secretly love me and are just too afraid to say so," Gideon smiles before finishing his drink and asking for the next.

The sun bloomed on the horizon as we approached Turtle Neck Bay, and there in the golden rays that illuminated the blues of the ocean waves was The Bloodpath a giant pirate ship equipped with three masts flying black flags traced with red accents, 38 cannons and a deadly mer captain. Gideon closed my mouth for me.

" Come on."

We trudge up the beach towards the small rowboat awaiting us at the opening of the bay. Dravers stood next to a dark-skinned man whose smile was just as vile as hers. Dravers's smile fades when we finally approach the boat and get in.

" You're both late."

" Oh shut it, you old hag," Gideon laughs as the man begins to row us out towards the ship.

I find my eyes wandering to the man. He was quite attractive; his dark hair was tied back in what seemed to be a braided ponytail. His dark eyes were focused on the task ahead of him as he rowed all four of us.

I climb the ladder onto the ship and see only a few men on board, maybe a handful getting the boat ready to set sail. A hand clasps my shoulder tightly; I jump around, putting a dagger to the person's throat when I see two green eyes peering down at me. The man stood 6'2 off the ground and had snow-white hair.

" Well, there seems this land lover has the jitters already men" He laughs, and Penelope hits him across the head.

" Lion do not make fun of the boy he is here to help save Miranda so shut it before I shut it for you now I want you all to be kind to our guests, or I will gut all of you and feed you to my sisters go it' all the men scurry back to work, and Penelope looks at me.

" Are you always this cruel?" we both chuckle, already knowing the answer.

" Only when I am hungry," she turns on her heels and heads towards the wheel, Gideon steps in beside me.

" Sometimes, I wonder if she is serious when she says that" He smiles as he walks towards her, and I am yet again left alone with more questions then answers.