COMPLETED
Nereida has always been shackled to her royal duties as princess of Triteria, and when her kingdom becomes involved in a series of mysterious vanishings and deaths she begins to seek answers. Rebels soon shatter her world, and she finds he...
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"Captain! Captain! We've got company!" The crew shouted from the ship's opposite side as I emerged from below deck. The remainder were gathered at the back, staring off into the distance, all displaying horrified faces. Governor Bancroft had arrived, and Poseidon had been right; he was not alone. He had brought a fleet, the largest and only one I had ever seen. The largest of the ships that held the governor, no doubt, was at the front, and in the water, an army of mermaid traitors from all the kingdoms.
We were completely outnumbered.
"We knew he was coming," Sam spoke. My eyes fell on him, and I felt guilty for kissing Poseidon and indulging him. It wasn't the time for that, though; the battle would soon begin, and all of my focus had to remain there, as well as Sam's.
"And he's not alone, Captain," Mr. Gibbs commented. "He's brought with him a fleet."
"With mermaids, too," Sam added. The group of men started their outcries of fear, some shaking their heads and others gesturing to their gods, asking for mercy and salvation.
"Cap'n, we ain't prepared for no buggering armada!" the crewman, Goldheart, shouted.
"Aye, it's best we run, Cap'n. Live to fight 'nother day. Once we rally more allies, we will be able to defeat them," Jameson added.
"Niri! When in the bloody hell did ye get here?" Mr. Gibbs spoke up, causing everyone to turn and look. Sam smiled, but it was also mixed with a questioning look of his own.
"Niri, are you okay? What happened to us all? We woke up on the ground," Sam questioned as he approached me. He gently ran his finger across my face, caressing it tenderly. I would have done anything to run into his arms and divulge all the revelations within me.
"I'm fine. I'm glad to see you all are as well. I'll explain later, but I went to Asherah and got exactly what was needed. I know what to do. We cannot take on Governor Bancroft as is; we are only one crew. We must call for the army of Triteria and any other able-bodied mermaid." Sam and the crew's expressions were all the same as if I had lost my mind from my brief excursion. I had to admit, I had no idea what I would say even to get them to fight, but I knew how quickly mermaids could move.
We had no time to rally more pirates.
"That's a...wonderful idea, but how will we get them to fight with us?" Sam asked skeptically.
I looked at Sam for a few minutes, then turned and walked to the ship's side. The crew stood a few paces behind me. I was completely ignorant when it came to wielding the trident, and Poseidon's cryptic message about its power gave no instruction but made me even more hesitant to use it. I was terrified of making the same mistakes Amphitrite had, and despite all that had happened to Asherah, I still battled doubt within me.
I had to believe that the trident would do my bidding. The time of doubting or being fearful of destiny had long passed; they would serve me none now. If I were to get the mermaids to join me and fight, I needed to get them to believe, and I couldn't do that if I had any doubt in my heart. So, I held it up and tapped it down three times.
