Fear of Erebus

Bastards Of The Sea

It was suppose to the be dawn soon, but a strange and thick fog had encased the Argo II, and any and all surrounding horizons.

"Do you think it's him?" Castellan quipped from where he was leaning over the side railings, squinting helplessly out into the distance. "Do you think it's Erebus?"

I was quite sure that producing spontaneous fog was not under Erebus' skills list. No, this was someone else. Only Gods- or other creatures of immense power- could create freak disturbances of nature.

"I can't see a damn thing!" Thalia mutter from her turn at the helm. Having taken away her half-immortality and her blessing as one of my hunters; her clothes had reverted to that dark punk style that she always seemed so fond of- dark ripped jeans, a scrappy leather jacket and a peculiar shirt that had 'Green Day' scripted upon it. Hermes' spawn hadn't seemed at all surprised to see Thalia's new look and I could only hope that he hadn't been the one to openly persuade Thalia to leave the Hunt.

"Just be careful! Don't go to-" my warning was cut short at the sound of a piecing ringing that echoed over the dead waters, followed by a rough force connecting with the side of the ship, pushing it slightly over. Upon reclaiming my footing, I scanned our surroundings for the source; maybe another sea monster, or another sea storm. I grimaced at the very thought- perhaps sailing to Greece wasn't the best of ideas.

I knew I would regret this trip.

"What was that?" Castellan shouted from the other side of the boat. I was about to reply with great disdain, when I heard it. The very distinct sound of shouting. Men shouting.

I pursed my lips as I stepped up to the railings and glared at the horizon. This couldn't be good.

"Lady Artemis, what is it?" Thalia asked, coming up to my side and looking anxiously out at the sea.

Again I couldn't answer because a certain traitor of Olympus spoke first, in a very concerning tone. "Ahhhhhhhh, guys... There's a hole in the ship." A hole in the ship? I leaned over the railings a bit and looked along the side to where the boy was standing. Sure enough, there was a hole in the side of the ship. The timber had be blasted apart, and the faint smell of gunpowder wafted into the air.

I glanced up, just in time to see a dark grey mass emerge from the suffocating fog, and ram straight into our bowl. Myself, and the other two occupants of the Argo II grasped helplessly onto anything we could get a hold of, and braced ourselves as the other ship- the bigger ship- continued to thrust us aside.

Another canon blast, another hole in our ship. The Argo II was steadily sinking downwards, and the front of the ship had all but broken off, the wooden decking shattered under the bowl of the oncoming ship. There was loud cheering from the other ship, and I could make out abnormal shaped silhouettes, shoving each other aside and rushing to board the Argo II. As they moved closer, and the fog thinned a bit, the rising tension in my stomach sudden evaporated as I came face to face with several half-human, half-dolphin... things...?

To say that they weren't the most menacing looking crew was an understatement.

"Lady Artemis!" Thalia stressed, as she and Castellan were herded towards me in the middle of the main deck, several of the strange beasts had spread out and secured the ship, while the others stood in a clumsy circle around us, spears and harpoons held up threateningly. The occasional dolphin squeal marred all possible chances of me actually taking this situation seriously; I mean come on! Half-dolphin creatures?! Why the Hades, did the Fates think that dolphin-hybrids would be a good idea?!

"Lady Artemis?" I broke out of my scolding at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. I swiftly looked up and saw what I presumed was an normal looking human sauntering towards us- he certainly didn't have a dolphin head like the others. "Lady Artemis, as in the Goddess?" He didn't seem familiar, I desperately tried to remember anyone who had a red bandanna and a pirate crew of... dolphins? The man let out a bark of a laugh, and for a split second his dark hair and green eyes reminded me of a certain son of Poseidon... I scolded myself for such a thought. "Hey 'Golden Boy'!" The man shouted over his shoulder to where the other ship was lodged in the bowl of the Argo II. "Looks like we got ourselves a little goddess!"