As the sun began setting on the horizon, projecting a golden glow upon the sea, the wooden ship creaked and groaned. Water slapped against the hull. The wind on the deck was picking up. On the inside of the ship, the crew hurriedly tied down anything that they could. A weathered looking short man, steady on his feet despite the sway, hauled a crate into place and tied it down. The sounds of thunder rumbling in the distance.

  “That’s the third one in a row.” - gritting her teeth, Maya shouted to the man as she used her working arm to help - “How long until we’re in it Boris?”

  “Not long.” - without even looking up, the man’s voice showed no signs of fear or worry - “Sky’s turning the color of old bruises. You can feel it in your teeth.”

  “I feel it in my arm.” - the woman smirked despite the strange sensation becoming stronger, the man was one of the newest additions to the crew, and one of the few who didn’t had a problem working with her - “Useless things like a barometer now.”

  “You should be below, resting.” turning towards the woman, Boris looked at her arm, his expression taking a more serious tone - “The Storm will toss you around like driftwood.”

  “And leave you to finish the job alone? Not a chance.” - taking a piece of rope, Maya quickly used her hand to wrap a knot, securing one of the crates - “One arm's still better than none.”

  “Still as stubborn as ever…” - giving off a quick smirk as he checked the strength of the woman’s knot, Boris quickly began moving towards their next appointed cargo - “And I thought you still had plenty of sense as a sailor.”

  “I have!” - Maya followed after the man, hearing the increasingly loud sound of wooden crackling - “Sense enough to know this ship's not going to hold if that mainmast groans any louder.

  “Aye. She’s an old lady.” - placing his palm on the wall, Boris looked up towards the ceiling - “But The Belle’s survived worse.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Just as she finished asking her question, another thunder ripped through the sky, this time louder and closer to them. Even as the sound ended, leaving only the gusting wind behind, many of the sailors stood frozen, their tasks still unfinished.

  “No. But she’s all we’ve got.” - speaking loudly enough to startle the others back into work, Boris gave the wall a gentle tap - “And she listens when you speak kindly to her.”

  “I just don’t like the sound of the wind.” - despite having been away from the sea for quite some time, Maya learned that her body still remembered quite a lot of her previous life, including her sense of danger - “It’s screaming at us.”

  “That’s not the wind, girl.” - reaching their final duty, a large barrel full of grains for the crew’s supper, the man quickly placed a cover over the opening. - “There’s something else screaming.”

  “Then we better keep ourselves ready then!”

  Suddenly, a beat lurches the ship. Despite being taken by surprise, Maya winced but managed to keep her footing. Reacting instinctively, Boris stretched his hand to steady the woman.

  “We’re all done over here.” - Boris seemed pleased that everything went smoothly, despite being uneasy at how well things were going so far - “I’ll go take a final look at things up top. You stay down here. No arguments.”

  Moving quickly before Maya even had a chance to respond, the man rushed to the already wet stair leading into the main deck. There were now only faint signs of light from the sun in the distance, while the moon was completely blocked by the dark clouds in the night sky.

  The rain began thickening as it fell from the dark sky, wind howling like a beast unchained. The sea churned, waves already rising higher than the railings. Boris saw the almost completely deserted deck, only a few strong men manning the ropes, while a lean figure stood behind the helm.

  Climbing the stairs leading to the helm, the waves already swinging the ship around, Boris could barely hear a voice shouting commands from somewhere near him. As lightning split the sky, illuminating the wheel, Belle stood strong handling the helm. Her hair and clothes already soaking wet, the woman continued screaming at the men below .

  “Trim the mainsail!” - screaming into the wind, Belle’s voice was quickly swallowed by the raging winds, and yet somehow the crew began moving - “Get her nose into the wave or she’ll roll!”

  “She’s out here herself.” - speaking to himself, as he stood a few meters away from Belle, Boris watched as the sail began to move by itself - “That’s how you know things are going bad.”

  “She is the ship.” - struggling to hold onto the railings on the stairs, Maya shouted to the man ahead of her, who turned around in shock - “It will move when she tells it to.”

  “Aye. But she’s flesh and blood like the rest of us.” - moving back quickly to help Maya maintain her balance - “And I’ve seen storms take flesh faster than wood.”

  Being hit by another big wave, the ship lurched again. Having trouble keeping her balance with only one arm, Maya stumbled, nearly falling overboard. Catching the woman by the waist, Boris grunted with the effort as he pulled her back.

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  “You’re lighter than you look.” - the man said catching his breath

  “And you’re stronger than you pretend.” - still feeling her heartbeat jumping due to the sudden rescue, Maya tried not to show how embarrassed she felt for needing rescue - “Help me with that line?”

  Scrambling together across the deck, with the waves crashing over them, the two made their way towards a rope coming undone. Maya used her good arm to hold the rope, while Boris quickly made sure it was secure once more.

  “Maya. Get below before that arm of yours gets snapped clean off.” - approaching the two, Belle threw an angry look at Maya.

  “Not until we’re steady.”

  “We won’t be steady. Not for a while.” - leaning in closer, Belle’s voice was only loud enough to be heard by those nearby -”I need a living crew when this ends, not a pile of wet corpses.”

  “You think I’m being brave?”

  “No. I think you’re afraid of being useless” - poking the woman’s chest, Belle looked straight into her eyes. Maya was once one of the best sailors she knew, but that wasn’t the case right now - “And I don’t need fear in my hands when we’re battling against the sea.”

  The mainsail weeped once again, the sound loud enough to be heard despite the raging winds and the storm. Maya met Belle’s eyes, her expression decided and resolute. Above them, with no warning, thunder cracks overhead.

  “You really believe we’ll make it?”

  “I don’t believe it. I decided.” - taking a step back, Belle spread her arms, raising her voice once more - “This is my ship, my crew! I decide whether we’ll live or not. Not some petty storm.”

  Trying not to get in between the two women, Boris tied off the last line, checking the others to make sure everything was secure this time.

  “If we’re done talking philosophy, someone ought to man the helm.” - sensing the ship’s movements becoming more erratic, Boris decided it was worth the risk of interrupting the two women - “The storm is getting stronger.”

  “Sure.” - turning back towards the helm, Belle took a couple steps before stopping - “Maya, stay below deck. That’s an order.”

  Hesitating for a moment, Maya nodded, knowing better than to challenge a direct order.

  “Aye, Boss.”

  Turning around and moving as fast as she could, Maya disappeared below just as another wave crashed over the deck, the storm now in full rage. Grabbing the wheel of the helm once again, Belle’s eyes locked on the horizon as The Belle fought to stay upright.

  “Hold it together, girl.” - the woman whispered to herself, gripping the helm tighter - “You know you can do it.”

  With the storm growing monstrous, rain lashed sideways, and the sails whipped like torn flags in the wind. Thunder shook the bones of the ship, while Belle held the wheel, her jaw set, drenched to the skin. Forcing every fiber in her body to keep The Belle pointed into the waves, her eyes didn’t wave .

  Boris tied himself to a safety rope as best as he could, seeing the waves throwing even the strongest sailors on deck around. It had been almost a year since he had joined the crew, but he had never felt a storm such as that before.

  “We ain’t moving as we should.” - Belle shouted from the helm, her expression showing signs of confusion - “Make sure we ain’t taking water.”

  “I’ll take a look!” - Boris answered without a second thought, sure that the others would not be able to hear anything.

  He scrambles to the side of the ship, moving like a man half his age, sure-footed despite the slippery deck. With lightning flashing again, brief and blinding. Then another, but this time, Boris stops dead.

  Just off the port side, between the swells. Movement. Shapes in the water.

  He blinked through the rain, gripping the rail. The sea foamed, parting slightly, and then he saw them.

  Slender figures, their greyish skin looking pale against the black water. Their form looked human at first glance, but their blueish hair floated unnaturally in the water, glowing faintly with a green tint in the flashes of lightning. Just like the starry sky at night, their eyes shone like polished stones, staring straight at him. Their mouths opened, but no screams came out. Just silence, and way too many teeth.

  “May the gods have mercy…” - the man muttered to himself.

  One of the creatures dragged a webbed hand along the hull, just below the waterline. Another swam close fast, inhumanly fast, then disappeared beneath the ship. Shaking in fear, Boris stumbled his way back towards the helm.

  “Belle! There’s something in the water, port side.” - the man began to speak quickly, his words slurring - “Not sharks. Not whales. Not…”

  “If it’s not the storm or the hull splitting, I don’t care right now!” - struggling to keep the wheel steady, Belle was quick to dismiss the trembling man.

  “You will. They’re watching us.” - trying and failing to hide his fear, Boris knew very well what he had seen, he had encountered it before - “Close. I think they’re following.”

  “What do you mean, “they”?”

  “Mermaids.” - speaking as if even the mention of the word was enough to cause him harm, Belle struggled to hear the man's words.

  “I don’t have time for sailor’s tales about merfolk, Boris.” - thinking the man had lost his mind due to the fear, Belle continued trying to regain control of their course - “Their kind don’t come this far from the shore, we both know that.”

  “I’m not mad, mam.” - feeling his mind starting to become ridden with panic, Boris knew very well that fear would only make it more difficult for others to believe him - “I’ve seen them before, I know what they can do…”

  “Are they attacking?” - still doubting the man’s words, Belle knew he had seen something, whatever it was.

  “Not yet.”

  “Then keep your eyes on them.” - sensing as if the ship was struggling to break free of her control, Belle decided she had no more time to waste - “If they try to board, throw something sharp at them.”

  “They’ll gut you before your blade clears the sheath…”

  Hesitating, Boris stared back at the churning sea in the distance. There were no signs of the mermaids he had seen before, but he knew they were there. Maybe waiting. Or hidden.

  Another flash of lightning crossed the sky, and he managed to see them once again. Three of them this time, half-lurking on the turbulent water beside them. The one closer seemed to smile as it stared at him.

  “Oh by the gods” - - “They don’t just like the storm. They called it.”