by S. M. Welles
Ed let out a nervous laugh. “I don’t get what you mean.” He turned to the rest of the crew. “Is he serious?” They all nodded. “What do you mean, Captain?”
“I wasn’t sick for the past five days.” God, this never got any easier over the years, even though very few quit their job after learning the basic truth about me. Most never experienced anything beyond my lockdowns, so it had no bearing on their opinion of me as a skipper. “I was in lockdown.” I gave the two a moment to let the news sink in. “Just out of curiosity, how old do you think I am?”
“Forty… ish?” Ted offered.
“Not even close.”
“Fifty?” Ed said.
“Much higher.” I pointed to the ceiling with a thumb.
“Really well aged for sixty?” Ted said doubtfully.
“Two hundred and seventy seven.”
The two looked at me, then at each other, and then back at me. Ted said, “Right…”
“I was born on July twelfth, 2135, thirty years before the Purge. Yeah, I survived all that nuking. But… I should’ve died in 2180 in a hurricane off the northern coast of Australia. My ship sank, my crew drowned, and I was brought face-to-face with Amphitrite—the Amphitrite. That night she bestowed a curse on me because I wasn’t happy she’d saved my life.” My tone grew bitter towards the end. “So here I am today, still alive, and still trying to lift my curse.” As nice as it was to remain relatively young this long, it felt as unnatural as it was. It wasn’t right. Every so often I’d scrutinize my reflection for wrinkles or grey hairs, hoping for a sign that I wasn’t stuck in limbo. Every time my heart sank.
Jessie looked at me like she believed every word. Ed and Ted stared with mouths ajar. Ed recovered first and looked at everyone again. “Is this… is this an elaborate prank?” Several men shook their heads.
“Not to be rude,” Ted said, “but do you have any proof? Anything from the 2100’s?”
My thoughts immediately jumped to the gun I had holstered against my chest. I put a hand over it. “I do.” My gaze darted to Jacobi. “I carry a gun with me at all times.”
The two techies’ eyes widened. “Are you serious?” Ted asked.
I looked at O’Toole, who was watching me, more specifically the hand over my gun. I angled my back to him and quickly flashed the weapon at them. All they could see was a leather holster and the dull metal of the handgun’s grip. I refastened a coat button and smoothed down my front. O’Toole crept closer, never taking his eyes off my gun’s hiding place. “Back away, O’Toole. They’re not coming out to play.” The Irishman obeyed and stuck one of his hood strings in his mouth. I went to the sink and turned on the faucet. “And if you need one last bit of proof…” I willed the streaming fluid to follow my hand into the air. I guided out two feet of water, then shut off the faucet and collected the water into a sphere over my hand. I molded the water into the likeness of a reaching arm, then into a koi fish, and then a replica of my gun. I stood at the edge of the table and let all of them get a good look at my artwork. Many of them leaned forward. I never showed off my talents, except on occasions like this. Using my command over water served as proof that I wasn’t human. I would remain the same with the rest of the world changed, grew, lived, and died in cycles.
Once I felt like they’d had a good enough look, I flung the water into the sink and released it from my will. “Now are you believers?”
Ed said, “How is that a curse? Long life and command over water? That’s pretty darn awesome from my perspective.”
“I can’t die,” I said unhappily. I wasn’t going to bother explaining how painful it got outliving every single person you knew and cared about. “I can get sick and injured, but any fatal injury or sickness will get wiped away once a month. You could shoot me in the head and I wouldn’t die. I’d bleed everywhere and black out, but once my lockdown period comes around, I’d heal right up. Remember my sprained ankle from jumping off the boat?” I lifted my foot and rolled my ankle a few times, unhindered by pain or swelling.
“That’s… amazing,” Ed said. “I don’t get why you don’t like your curse. Your powers are amazing.”
“You’re forgetting my five-day lockdown.” I stuck my hands back in my coat, crossed to the sink, and leaned against it. “I have to hide in total darkness for five days and nights once a month. If any light touches me, I transform into a water demon called a ketos. Jessie got a good look at that, thanks to Amphitrite meddling with her. Despite the lockdown, I can transform into the ketos at will, but I refuse to. It would only give her satisfaction to see me like that.”
“Your curse still sounds cool,” Ted said.
“It comes at a steep price. I’ll trade places with you any day.”
He hesitated. Fear crept into his eyes. “Can you do that?”
“No. Nor would I if I could. Don’t give her more mortal toys to play with. She’ll belittle and humiliate you ruthlessly.”
“Your curse isn’t contagious or anything, is it?” Ed said.
“Not a chance. You have to be unlucky on your own time. And this brings me to an important question for all of you.” I panned my gaze around the room. I had their rapt attention. “Do you wish to stay on this ship and continue working for me? I force no one to stay. Mido?”
“I’m in.”
“Jacobi?”
“Same.”
“Scully?”
“You bet.”
I called each of them in turn and they all declared their wish to stay. When I got to the newest recruits, Ed said, “Your coolness factor just went through the roof. There’s no way I’m leaving now.”
I blinked. “You’re not in the least bit afraid?”
“Not at all,” Ted said. “Should we be?”
I glanced at Jessie, who was listening intently while leaning against Mido. “Sooner or later, yes. But for now, not really. My curse is mundane to anyone else, except when Amphitrite is involved. You just happened to pick an interesting time to join my crew.” That much was true. My seasoned crew had a solid routine that worked around my lockdowns.
Ed said, “Hey, I still wish I had your powers.”
Ted said, “Yeah. Hey, Jessie—or rather miss Amphitrite—curse us so we can command water like him.” The two broke into light laughter as Jacobi gave Jessie a wide-eyed look.
“I don’t have any magical powers,” she said quickly.
I studied her a moment. She was clearly lying but I wasn’t about to put her on the spot in front of the entire crew. “That remains to be seen.” She certainly had a magical power or two.
Jacobi said, “Why did you just call her Amphitrite?”
Ted said, “Because that’s her real name.” My cargo pusher gasped. “You didn’t—? Oh, crap. I wasn’t supposed—Captain, I’m sorry!”
I gave him a dismissive wave. “I was actually about to get to that.” I pushed off the sink and stood next to Mido. “Jessie, it’s no coincidence that you found your way to my ship. You do realize that now, correct?”
She searched her thoughts. “I hadn’t really considered that, but now that you mention it, yes. What does this all mean?”
“I’m still taking you home after Morocco. I won’t make you stay if you don’t want to. But the thing is, your name means you were sent to help lift my curse. No clue how exactly, which is why I’ll be taking a very long side trip to Australia. Now, before I ask—”
“We’re going,” Ed and Ted said in unison.
“It’ll be dangerous.”
“Don’t care.”
Mido said, “You already know I’m going, Captain.”
“As am I,” Rammus said.
The others chimed in their declaration to accompany me, even Jacobi. I said, “I don’t think any of you grasp how dangerous this’ll be. Well, Cancer, Sam, and Rammus sort of do. You three are the only ones who’ve gone on that trip with me before, and she didn’t make the visit overly pleasant.” The four of them grimaced.
Rammus said, “I think
I’ll stay on the boat this time, Captain. Once is enough.”
“What happened last time?” Sauna asked.
I offhandedly said, “She seduced one of the techies and tried to drown the rest of us on our way out. I almost went water demon, but I managed to keep everyone alive without it. The next visit with Jessie, if she decides to go, will be even more dangerous.”
“How?” Jessie asked.
“I don’t want to discourage you to stay, Jessie. You’re the person I need the most to stick around if I’m to find a way to lift my curse. However, this is a lot to take in and you may not even want to be a part of all this.”
“I…” She looked at Mido, then back at me. “I’m still not sure. I want to go home so badly, but… I feel like I should help you if I can. I don’t know. I need time to think.”
Jacobi said, “Captain, I say dump her on her doorstep and be done with her. Same name or not, she’s just as much trouble as the other.”
I agreed with the trouble part, but I knew I needed to have her accompany me of her own free will. Mido whispered something to Jessie about not listening to Jacobi, that the guy was an jerk. Mido was right on both counts, but still. Jacobi was a good man and sailor, despite his womanizing streak. “My ship, my rules. I can drop you off somewhere nice while your leg heals if you don’t want to be a part of all this.”
He considered my words a moment, then gave Jessie an angry look and shook his head. “I’m staying.”
“Very well.” I wanted to ask him what changed his mind about quitting after Newport; however, I wasn’t going to put him on the spot in front of everyone. I’d ask later, if the opportunity arose. What mattered more was the look he just gave Jessie. I didn’t like it one bit. “Now let me reiterate this to all of you one more time.” I spoke slowly and carefully. “Sticking around and going to Australia means putting your life on the line. That’s how dangerous this is. This is not a joke or a vacation. So, are all of you sure you still want to come?”
With exception of Jessie and O’Toole, everyone gave me a resounding yes.
I began to feel suspicious. “That was rather easy to get all of you to come with me. I’m glad but…”
Ted said, “A hybrid of human and water demon for a Captain? Too cool to say no to!” Ed voiced his agreement.
Rammus said, “I’ve been sailing under you too long to quit now.”
“I want to see this through,” Scully said. More men voiced their agreement.
I gave all of them a flat look. “Any more sappy, heartfelt answers floating around?” I asked dryly.
Sauna said, “The pay’s muy bueno.” The rest of the crew laughed.
I pointed at him. “That’s the answer I was looking for! Now get back to work you crazy greedy bastards.” I said it all with a genuine smile. I knew Sauna’s statement was a humorous truth. I paid them well not only in compensation for the danger factor, but also for putting up with my curse.
My crew filed out, Jacobi hobbling away on crutches. Ed and Ted approached me and squeezed me in a group hug. “Glad to be a part of the crew, Captain,” Ed said.
I gave them a stoic smile. “Don’t ever hug me again.” The techies laughed and Ed smacked my rear. I went wide-eyed. “Or that.” Mido laughed. “Good god, how does Sauna put up with you two?”
“Pretty well,” Ted said.
“Yeah, we caught him once on our second day,” Ed said. “We asked him if he wanted any help but he just ignored us. Apparently he’s used to everyone walking away every time you’ve caught him.”
“Yep,” I said unhappily, my mind going back to memories I did not want to remember.
“Well,” Ted said mischievously, “I put my hands down the back of his pants and he flew out of his chair like a Mexican jumping bean.” The two giggled. “Haven’t caught him since.”
Ed said, “He gave us such a nice view before that mast went down.”
Chapter 14
Decisions
After spending a few hours trapped with a monster, then being told she was needed to help lift a curse, Jessie needed to lie down and think for a bit. She’d had a nice, quiet breakfast with Mido right before the talk, but now she felt like she was crashing from a long adrenaline rush. On top of that her brain still had the energy to race with questions.
She leaned against Mido for comfort as everyone but Dyne filed out. Men left in both directions while chatting among themselves about the day’s schedule and Dyne’s curse. “I need to lie down for a bit,” she whispered to Mido.
“Okay.” He let go and followed her to her cabin.
It was still a little nerve-wracking to have a man behind her, standing or walking. The pigs on Tethys’s ship had taken her from behind most of the time. All any of the men on Dyne’s ship had to do was tackle her small frame and that would be the end of her struggle. Since it was just Mido behind her, it was easier to push past her knee-jerk panic reaction and calm down.
She traversed the hall with no one the wiser to her brief emotional spike. She didn’t know why Mido was following her at the moment. She’d assumed he had to start getting lunch ready. She wasn’t going to complain, though. His company always made her calmer, or at least calm down faster, especially his kisses to the top of her head. He also made her feel safer. He was protection from others.
Jessie stopped inside her cabin and faced Mido. He stopped in the doorway, his expression contented. That contentedness drew her to him. She just wanted to stay in that positive energy bubble. She leaned forward and gave him a hug.
He returned the hug, gentle but firm. “I’m a lucky man today. Do you mind if I stay with you for a few minutes?”
“Not at all. I just need to lie down.”
“I can work with that.” He slipped past her and reached inside the bottom bunk. Jessie heard the clunk of two latches, and then the raised side of the bunk rotated so it lay horizontal. “Have a seat.” He patted the varnished wood.
She sat on the newly created space and marveled at the brass latches. “I didn’t know my bunk could do this.”
“They all do. Makes changing sheets and replacing mattresses easier.” He knelt before her and began untying her boot laces.
“I can do that myself, you know,” she said, but made no move to stop him.
“I want to do it for you,” he said in that tone Jessie recognized as his “don’t bother arguing” voice.
“I know.” He looked up with a straight face. Making eye contact made them both smile and Jessie’s chest flutter.
Mido deftly loosened the laces and pulled her boot off, then repeated the process with her other boot. He tugged her cargo pants straight so they reached her ankles, then rubbed each foot. “There you go.”
Not wanting the pleasant feeling to end, Jessie just basked in the attention. Mido waited for her to pull her feet onto the bed, but once it dawned on him that she wasn’t moving, he plopped into Indian style and began massaging one of her feet with both hands. Jessie let out a small sigh. The kneading felt wonderful. Tension she didn’t even know she’d been holding onto was leaving her foot, and the relaxation traveled up her leg. Mido spent a few minutes on her foot, then set to work on the other, resting her ankle on where his legs crossed. He began with her heel, then moved onto her arch, sole, each toe, and the whole foot as if he was trying to rub calm happiness into her. Just like when he’d cut up her french toast, she watched his chest and arms flex minutely with his movements. The relaxed feeling spread up her other leg.
Dyne appeared in the cabin doorway. Mido turned.
“Oh, hi, Captain.” He stopped massaging but didn’t let go.
“You two seem to be getting along nicely,” he said conversationally, his gruff face casual. “Carry on. Don’t stop just because I’m here.”
Jessie inadvertently twitched her leg, causing Mido to let go.
He got to his feet. “I—” He cleared his throat. “I have to get started on lunch soon anyway.” His cheeks were flushed. He turned to squeeze past Dy
ne, but the captain placed a hand on the doorframe.
“Might be better if you stick around a minute. I need to talk to Jessie. I’d like her to be as calm as possible.”
“Do you want me to stay?” Mido asked her.
Jessie considered both men a moment. Dyne acted completely human and normal, the same person from when they’d first met. There’d been a monster underneath this whole time. But he didn’t like turning into it. Despite the demon in hiding, he hadn’t gained the same trust as Mido. He didn’t come off as a potential rapist; just scary and respectable. So… “It’s up to you, Mido.” She tried to say it neutrally but her wish for him to stick around came through.
“Just stay,” Dyne said, then stuck his hands in his coat pockets and leaned against the doorframe. Mido glanced back and forth between them, then mumbled his consent. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, showcasing his broad chest. Dyne spoke to Jessie. “So… what did you think of my demon form?”
Not the question she’d expected. “Scary,” she admitted. “I’ll never do that again.”
“Good to know. What do you think of me being able to turn into that?”
She thought a moment, trying to come up with an honest answer. “Unreal. I’ve seen quasi-children before, so your demon form isn’t so much of a stretch—maybe more of a shock. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say.”
Mido said, “I think you’re trying to say that, with the quasi-children and his curse, what other supernatural things are out there that we’re not even aware of yet?”
“Yeah, something like that. Have you ever seen what he looks like?”
“No, but I’ve been curious for years.”
Dyne said, “Now don’t you sneak into my container next.”
Mido held up his hands. “I’m not that curious.”
