The Black Coral (Percico/Pernico)

Chapter Three: The Demons of the Sea

The morning air was crisp and cool against Nico's skin as he stood upon the docks overlooking the harbor, the sound of the rushing water clashing with the wood that held them upright and the sandy shore.

The prince shivered in the slight breeze, although it wasn't because of the cold. A few crew members of the cargo ship were loading things before Nico and Leo could get on, mainly to avoid them getting in the way, but the crew rephrased it to sound more polite. No one wanted to mouth off to royalty, especially with King Hades in power.

After the crew finished, they invited the Italian prince and his servant aboard. Nico could already feel the salty breeze against his skin as he mounted the ship, and Leo could already feel the seasickness he was destined to have.

Nico smiled broadly as he leaned against the wooden starboard rails and looked upon the sailors at work. The members of the crew were preparing the sails as the captain stood proudly at the wheel. Nico sighed in longing. How would it feel to not have anyone tell you what to do, to stand at that wheel and navigate his own ship through the cool, salty waters of the vast oceans wrapped around lands that were yet to be discovered? To travel to those lands, to communicate with the indigenous people and to log the indigenous plants? Oh, how he wished.

The ship was untied from the harbor and was drifting away from his prison that he was going to do whatever he could not to get back to. He felt bad for Leo, how he was going to have to leave him behind, but it was all for his dreams, no matter how selfish it was.

"How does it feel, Your Highness?" Leo asked, revoking Nico from his thoughts.

"It feels wonderful," he responded. It wasn't a lie. He felt more wonderful than he had in years. "I finally am free."

Leo felt tempted to remind the prince how it was only one voyage, then he was going to be forced to be married, but he kept his mouth shut, which was something he didn't do very often. He didn't want to ruin the prince's fun while it lasted; he didn't want to be the reminder that he was never going to have any freedom once they got back.

"Of course, Your Highness," he replied.

Nico gave him a small smile before looking back at the land, which seemed to get smaller and smaller in the distance, until vanishing altogether. When it did, Nico's smile grew wider and he decided to explore the ship. He ventured the deck, climbed up the crow's nest, and journeyed below, walking through the uncomfortable-in-appearance barracks and the food pantry.

When it was time to eat, Nico just took his dinner to the barracks and sat on his own, which was more uncomfortable than he thought it was going to be. However, it was better than sitting in the dining area with sailors that reeked of sweat, filthy clothes, and alcohol, eating like savages and getting drunk off their arses.

The food was simple enough; it tasted bland, but it was nothing terrible. It could be accustomed to. If that was the price for never going back to that hellhole some people called Italy, he would eat it all the time.

He sighed and ate as much of his bland food that he could; he never had much of an appetite. When he finished, he mustered enough confidence to go through the sailors, who were laughing obnoxiously at a profanity-filled story one of them was telling. The room stank of alcohol and sailor musk, and it was all Nico could do to not plug his nose or gag; he needed to get used to the obscene scent, since he was going to be there for a while.