Chapter 3

The sound of the battle was deafening. Men boarded ships and people were shot in midair. Groans of pain echoed between cannon fire. Yet, despite the chaos surrounding me, all I could think about was Atlas. If I killed him, I assured my place as King of the Pirates. The thought of being with Nixie urged me on.

With my sword in hand, I stepped back, getting some distance before rushing forward, leaping over to Atlas’ ship. He looked surprised as I landed perfectly on my feet, crouching down like a cat about to pounce. Without hesitation, I swung my sword in his direction, getting it caught in his ship’s wheel. He chuckled, taking a swing at me, but I quickly dodged out of the way and tried to sweep his feet, hoping to get him off guard.

Even though Atlas was much older than me, he wasn’t to be underestimated. He had seen many a battle in his day. After all, he was the Pirate King for a good reason. “Give it up, boy.” He said with the heavy voice of drunkenness. His breath stank of rotten fish. As he tried to drive his saber through me, I rolled out of the way, getting up as quickly as I could, holding onto the railing of the ship.

For a split second, I looked out at the approaching fleet. Soon, we would be surrounded and it would be all over. I quickly grabbed a dagger I kept tucked away in my boot, determined to win this fight at any cost. Atlas chuckled at my feasible attempt, finding it amusing that I thought I could defeat him with a tiny blade.

Suddenly, the tide changed, quite literally. A sweet sound arose from the depths of the ocean around us. One by one, the forms of Oceanids appeared, bobbing along the water’s surface. The song they chanted quickly changed cord, becoming dramatic and dark. Up above, storm clouds formed out of nothing and a great shadow was cast on all the ships.

The sea grew violent, turning into a fierce monster, rocking the ships and making it incredibly difficult to keep one’s footing. Atlas clung onto the wheel of his ship, the thought of fighting fleeing his mind as he watched this natural phenomenon. “What in the Heavens…” He gasped, watching wide-eyed as a large, looming wave approached his ship.

It crashed down, threatening to turn the ship over at any moment, but it managed to hold. The same couldn’t be said for some of the crew who had been swept off the deck and into the prying arms of the Oceanids down below. They dragged them deep underwater, never to be seen again.

I grinned, looking down, spotting Nixie among the midst. I was certain I could win the fight now. Confident, I walked forward, swagger in my every step. Cannonballs, bullets, and harpoons continued to fly past me, mingling with the intensifying storm.

Not too far off, a group of nymphs swam in a circle, their songs formulaic and cyclical, growing louder and louder until a whirlpool started to form between them. Slowly, Atlas’ ship was drawn toward the maelstrom. The crew tried to stop this advance, but it was hopeless. They were no match for the Oceanids’ power.

Behind me, Nixie swam up to my ship, placing a hand on it before her angelic voice conjured a song of protection. I smiled at her, knowing my men were now safe.

“Stop this madness!” Atlas had finally regained his bearings, lunging forward, brandishing his sword in my direction. I ducked out of the way, making a dash for my own sword, dislodging it from the wheel. He came at me once more, but I quickly parried. Our skills were well-matched, but I had a lot more at stake than he did. Grinning, I felt like I couldn’t lose. My overconfidence, however, made me sloppy.

Just as I was going to deliver the fatal blow, Atlas clipped me, his saber slicing through my leg. I screamed, my eyes growing wide with rage. Adrenaline rushed through my body and I thrust my blade right through The Pirate King’s neck. I had won. With a bright smile, I let my sword drop from my hand, the excruciating pain that throbbed through my leg making me fall to my knees.

At that very moment, a violent wave crashed against the side of the boat and I couldn’t stop myself from sliding off the deck. I fell overboard, my wound preventing me from floating on the water surface. I felt myself sinking. I wanted to move my limbs, but the saltwater aggravated my wound, causing me to sink deeper and deeper. A trail of red followed me in my descent.

My eyelids grew heavy and I felt myself being pulled into a deep, dark abyss.

It all felt like a dream. My body was weightless, floating through a black pool of water. I tried to swim through it, but my every effort proved fruitless. Every time I moved my arms, I stayed in the same place. When I kicked my legs, I remained stationary. What was going on?

Suddenly, a ray of light pierced through the darkness. I gravitated toward it like a moth to a flame. I smiled brightly when I saw my sweet Nixie floating there, her arms beckoning me forth.

Once I was close enough, she wrapped them around me, cradling me against her chest. All the fear and anxiety that I had felt in the dark void melted away. I looked into her beautiful aquamarine eyes, feeling my heart race like never before. An urge to kiss her overwhelmed me and I couldn’t quite stop myself from acting on impulse.

I pulled her toward me, my hands on her hips as our bodies locked together. Her lips parted with surprise at my sudden surge of desire. But what was I supposed to do when she was so tantalizingly delicious? Throwing caution to the wind, I allowed our lips to meld together. I could feel the softness of her lips against mine. They tasted divine. In that moment, I knew I would never be able to get enough of her.

I didn’t even care that none of this made sense, that we were still floating in this featureless abyss. All I cared about was her. Eagerly, my hands moved to her shapely ass, pulling her upwards and wrapping her legs around my waist as my lips remained glued to hers, my tongue making its way into her mouth. Our tongues tangled together as we kissed with a burning passion as if I were to disappear at any moment.

Her nimble fingers roamed my entire body, sending a shiver down my spine. My lips finally pulled away from hers, running down to her slender neck. Gently, I nibbled on her flesh, sucking it slowly until I left behind a hickey, marking her as mine. I held her closer, vowing to never let her go.

Fueled by an indescribable lust that threatened to overwhelm me, I started to tear away at my pants that felt all too tight around my raging member. It twitched with excitement, feeling the nymph’s sexy body pressed against my own. I rubbed against her, letting her feel the outline of my cock. A soft moan escaped her lips as she arched her back, presenting herself to me.

I didn’t waste a second, my lips traveling from her shoulders down to her lovely breasts. Carefully, I pried away the shells that covered her nipples. I was more than pleased by their size. They were already hard with arousal, looking like little buttons for me to pull and twist. Taking one into my mouth, I sucked it sweetly as one of my hands reached upwards, grabbing the other between my fingers, twisting it to and fro until she was moaning out my name.

“Slade…” Her voice was soft and pleading. I continued to tease her, already addicted to the sound. My teeth grazed against her puffy nubs, tugging on them gently, taking her to a whole new level of desire. Her fingers ran through my long dark hair, making me shudder with goosebumps. Between my legs, my cock was at full mast, ready to plunge inside of her. I ignored it for the moment, however, focusing on making her scream my name instead.

With my free hand, my fingers slid down her luscious curves, eventually prying her thighs apart. I massaged them for a moment before my fingers found their way to her already slick pussy. Immediately, they flew over her clit, rubbing it playfully until the friction threatened to drive her insane with lust. She gyrated her hips into the air, silently begging for more as she bit her bottom lip, unable to utter a coherent sentence.

I grinned, letting her nipple drop from my mouth. In a flash, I had her legs cradled over my shoulders as I held her hips with my hands. The water-like substance we were suspended in, made it easy for me to hold her in this position. With her pussy so close to my face, I took in her exquisite scent and it nearly pushed me into an animalistic frenzy. There was already a drop of pre-cum lingering on my tip, but I didn’t care.

Her juices were too sweet to ignore. Dying for a taste, I cupped her ass in my hands, tilting her toward me. My tongue flicked outward, running along her entrance. Her moans were music to my ears. Eager to please her, my tongue slithered into her pussy, searching for her sweet spot.

Her long drawn-out moans urged me on further. I dove deeper, tasting her from the source, my face pressed against her dripping pussy. My nose rubbed against the soft curls of her pubic hair as I strived to push my tongue even deeper. I twisted and curled it, hoping the grainy texture rubbing against her velvet folds would drive her insane.

“Slade!” She screamed, her fingers tangling into my hair in a desperate manner. “Slade! Please! Wake up!” Her distraught words suddenly pulled me out of my lustful fantasy. I looked up at her, but she was starting to fade from my vision.

Abruptly, I was stirred from my coma-like state. I regretted being pulled away from the heavenly dream, but as I opened my eyes I was glad to see Nixie’s face mere inches away from mine.

“Slade! Please… you can’t die.” She clung to me, moving forward ever so gently until our lips collided together, bringing me full circle back to the realm of reality.

My burning lungs received some relief, but the rest of my body continued to disobey. Weakly, I pressed my palm to her cheek. “I’m sorry. I have failed you…” My voice was barely a whisper. It didn’t even dawn on me that we were talking underwater just as easily if we were on the surface. Around us, there was a small glimmer of magic creating an air pocket.

“No! You cannot die! I won’t allow it! I will not let you slip away from me…” Still holding me, she slipped off the two golden bands off of her upper arms and cast them off into the depths. My eyes grew wide, knowing they were the source of her immense power.

“Nixie… you can’t.” I pleaded with her.

“I don’t care. I’ll channel my spirit into a human body and wander the land until I find you again, my husband.” With that, she slipped a golden band on my ring finger, looking me in the eye one more time. “Until we meet again, Pirate King.”