Chapter 4

May 6, 1915

Somewhere in the Irish Sea...

The sound of the waves splashing against the hull of the ship created a calm atmosphere for the Sailors aboard the ARS Titan, a Gorgon Class Battleship were doing their duties aboard as Areth stood at the bow of the ship, feeling the breeze against his skin.

If Areth's memory was correct, the RMS Lusitania would be struck by a torpedo tomorrow by a German U-Boat.

Areth had ordered a telegram to be sent to Germany, Austria, and the British, warning them about Auroan Navh Vessels testing out their new ships. All of them had agreed to not interfere with their testing on the account that the ship not do anything that could be seen as a declaration of war.

And so all parties agreed.

"Your Majesty. It is getting rather late. Perhaps you would like to retire to your quarters for the night?" One of the Officers aboard the ship said. "I appreciate your concern, but I am enjoying this far too much to want to retire for the night. I think I'll just continue to keep watch." If there was one thing Areth enjoyed, it was the sea, which was probably due to how much time he had spent in ancient Greece.

The officer nodded, understanding his King fat better than most would. "I see. Then, please let me know if there's anything I can provide you with."

The officer left, leaving Areth to listen to the sea.

The only purpose of this trip was to earn favor with England, and the United States, while giving Aurora an actual Reason to get into the war. As long as the ARS Titan made it to the Lusitania while it was sinking, they'd have the opportunity to be struck by a Torpedo as well.

A small price to pay for potentially years worth of entertainment.

The night sky soon replaced the day's, creating an incredible darkness. The only light available was the Ships, and the tiny stars, which lit up the night sky. All in all, it was a beautiful sight.

Being left alone to his own thoughts was not something typically available to him. Something somewhere was always happening, and he always wanted in on it.

Maybe his constant activities were for him to escape the feeling he had possessed for someone, maybe it was just because of how long he lived, either way, he didn't like the feeling, but chose to embrace it, letting memories from thousands of years ago resurface in his mind.

The beautiful Kingdom of Camelot, the chaos that was Greece, the women he had grown to love, only to have to accept their tragic fates. All of it was processed yet again, as Areth sighed.

He missed his women.

Well, not necessarily his women, but women he had known, and grown close to. The Gorgon Sister, Medusa, whom he built a statue for on Auroa, even dedicated an entire ship class to. She was just one of many women he had befriended.

"A tragic way to go," he sighed once again, remembering the look of horror on Medusa's face, as she gave in to instinct, devouring Areth himself. If it wasn't for the fact that Areth was an immortal, being devoured would have ended his life, like how her sister's were ended.

Of course, Areth had tried to summon Medusa using the Master Servant contracts, but to no avail.

Something about his existence, or at least his current divinity prevented him from summoning servants.

Perhaps it was because he wasn't of this universe, but either way, he intended to fix it with the next Holy Grail War.

"Enough with those thoughts. Focus on the now," Areth told himself, before standing up, and heading back inside.

May 7, 1915. 1:57 PM

The water was calm as the ARS Titan glided through it. The behemoth of a ship had been testing its state-of-the-art engines throughout the night, setting a new records for military ships.

"SHIP SPOTTED, STARBOARD SIDE!" An officer keeping watch shouted, quickly running to the telephone attached to his post.

Bells rang aboard the ship as the Sailors took up their positions, slowly turning the starboard gun towards the ship. The telegraph Operator on duty quickly got to work.

"N-A-M-E-?" The operator sent out, via Morse, asking for the ship's Identity.

"L-U-S-I-T-A-N-I-A" The operator aboard the ship replied, identifying themself as the RMS Lusitania. "A-R-S. T-I-T-A-N." With one another now identified, and the worry now relieved, the Titan lowered its armaments down, not wanting to seem like a threat to the passagener Liner ship.

Areth decided to make his presence known, entering the helm of the ship where he saw various Officers, and the current Captain working away.

The captain turned his way, quickly saluting him, before speaking. "Ah, Your Majesty. There is nothing to be concerned about. It was but a simple Passenger Liner from England."

"Follow that ship," Areth replied, earning a questionable gaze from the Captain. "May I ask why?"

"You'll see, just follow them." The captain did as he was told, slowly turning the Battleship until it was on the relatively same course as the Lusitania, quickly catching up to the ship in record time.

The time had now reached 2:05 PM. Everything was going smoothly as communication between the two vessels had remained friendly. A minute passed, then two, then five until...

KABOOM

The sound of an explosion echoed, reaching the ears of the sailors aboard the Titan. U BOAT! U BOAT! PREPARE THE DEPTH CHARGES!" The captain ordered. The telegraph operator below quickly began sending messages to the Lusitania.

"E-V-A-C-U-A-T-E"

The sailors began readying their lifeboats, priming the engines aboard each life boat as they began lowering them down into the water.

The radar detected the U Boat, but the captain held off. As long as they did not attack the U-Boat, they would not have to worry about an attack.

At least, that was the logical conclusion, considering they spoke to Austria, Germany, and other nations about their outing.

People aboard the Lusitania quickly began to lower the life boats, with a majority of the civilians seeing the Titan's life boats as well. Many jumped off, while those afraid of such a large jump, or just afraid of being sucked into the water waited.

"20 minutes. That's how long the Lusitania will stay afloat," Areth informed, walking out of the helm to look at the ship. "Save as many as possible, but do not risk our own more than necessary."

The first step to Areth's plan had been completed.