Pirate's Luck

"'Tis bad luck to have a woman on a ship." A bearded pirate said amongst cheers as he raised a pint to his lips.

"Some say 'tis bad luck not to have a woman on the ship." Captain Jack Lean said from the corner of the pub, giving the Countess Dobrev a sly smile. The countess needed to hire a ship to rescue her stolen booty and Jack wanted the job.

"Ha." The first pirate laughed sizing up his competition. None of the three pirates at Jack's table were very large. "A scrawny lad like you must need a woman to fight your battles."

"True, I'm small, like my ship," Jack quipped pushing the chair back from the table and standing. "But like my ship, I'm quick."

Jack commandeered a small sloop. The ship only had ten guns and a crew of forty of the meanest cutthroats in the sea. "My ship, Athena's revenge, is the fastest vessel to travel the Caribbean and the only one to safely voyage through the Bay of Sirens." Jack weaved through the dirty tables of the pub stepping on peanut shells and sidestepping the other pirates in the room.

Soon Jack came face to face with the Countess. "I am Captain Jack O. Lean, and I will find your booty." The countess giggled as Jack kissed her soft hand.

This didn't make the bearded pirate happy, so he threw a punch that Jack easily dodged. Jack danced around the burly man grabbing the pirate's heavy glass and hitting him hard on the back of the head. The bearded pirate fell to the ground with a thud. Jack's two companions barely even looked up during the fight, for they had the utmost confidence that Jack would win.

"Do you have a woman on your ship, is that how you sailed through the Bay of Sirens?" The countess asked eagerly.

"Dear, my ship itself is a woman, and she has never let me down." Jack winked.

"You are young, but I like you. You have the job." The countess declared. Amusement glinted in her green eyes matching a pretty smile on her face.

Jack bowed low at the countess before walking out of the pub with a straighter than normal gait. Jack's companions, first mate Jo Knight, and Quartermaster Quinn Keep followed Jack.

"I believe the countess had a thing for you." Quinn joked.

"It's not her fault. Ole Jack here was flirting." Jo smirked.

"Hey, it got us the job and that's all that matters." Jack smiled.

As Jack boarded Athena's revenge, she took off the pirate hat unleashing her long black hair and she wiped the fake makeup mustache off her upper lip. She couldn't wait to get out of the men's clothes and put on her skirts like the rest of the all-female crew.

Just like Captain Jackeline, the women on board the ship were survivors. She had no doubt they would complete the mission, for they had pirate's luck on their side.