A Trireme wasn't easy for one person to man, but Hekate found a way. Once the sails were up it went more smoothly then he figured it would. Of course he knew little about sailing but he knew the basics. Sisonyia vanished over the horizon as he sailed through the rough waves.
He finally got to settle as he left the lines of Sisonyia’s patrol, no one questioned a ship leaving port if it wasn't leaving the archipelago. Most just think that he was just being stationed elsewhere or doing patrols. Now settled on a crate, making sure the rudder was pointed in the right direction, Hekate could reflect on how bad this would be.
Avoiding any of the main patrols led Hekate to taking a less direct route to Kalymis, through what was known as the Siren’s Pass. It was famous for its rocky lands, and the legendary Siren that is said to hide in it. Not many reported the existence of the siren, but those that survived her attack remembered her singing drawing them in, before they were attacked.
Swallowing his fear, Hekate pressed on. The waves started to become choppy after a short while, the afternoon sun beating down hard on him. He spotted several rocks and struggled to steer around them, hearing his ship scrap against one, but the damage was minimal. He was constantly shifting between the rudder and the sails, sometimes maining the oars on one side to make sharp turns before he collided into a rock he hadn't seen at first.
With the threat of death on his heels, Hekate pressed on, so much so he almost missed the singing. It was hypnotic, so beautiful, yet so sad? The song was of lose, no about being lost? Hekate didn't realize he had started steering towards the sound, caught by its sweet sound.
Blood trickled from Hekate’s lip, he had bit down hard on it, breaking the hypnotic effect. He was in control of himself, and he spotted the sounds source. It was a woman with long blonde hair, round face, and a slim figure. Her bust almost exploded from the rags she used to cover up, but the thing that caught Hekate’s attention was her legs, all reports said she would have a fish tail didn't they? The woman was still singing until she spotted Hekate, turning a bright red.
“Wh. Who are you!” She yelled out in surprise, pushing herself back on the rock as if to make distance from Hekates ship.
Hekate’s ship was trying to slide past her, the current pushing him forward. He gave a prayer to the god of the sea that let him avoid this conflict. As the ship passed, he turned back to find the girl not on the rock anymore, where had she gone?
“I said who are you!” A voice came from the side. Hekate turned sharply, spotting the woman crawling on the deck next to Hekate. She swung an oar from low, knocking Hekate to the ground. She used the oar to get to her feet, holding the oar like it was a spear to Hekate’s throat.
Hekate cursed, his spear was on the other side of the ship. He had to let it rest while he manned the ship. The ship! “If I don't control this ship we will sink!” Hekate yelled out.
The woman glared down at Hekate, then the ship hit a rock. It wasnt bad, just a scrap, but it was enough to make the woman let him free. They both ran about, Hekate turning the sail while she mained the rudder. They both manned the oars, redirecting quicker than Hekate could alone. After half an hour of work, the two sat panting, the rocky seas behind them.
“You're pretty good at this.” Hekate said, his hands on his knees as he struggled for breath.
“The sea is easy to read when you know what you're doing.” The woman said, she sat on her butt, leaning back on her hands. “Though even a full crew would struggle in these waters.”
The two laughed out loud as the danger passed. Suddenly the woman was back on her feet, she grabbed at the nearest thing, a rope, and held it out like it was a spear.
“You didn't answer me, who are you!” The woman said, trying to look threatening with the roll of rope.
Hekate sighed. “I'm Hekate, I was a part of the Army here.”
The woman tilted her head. “Was?”
“Yep.” Hekate said, sitting on one of the oar benches. “I left today, im looking for adventure, and i'm starting by finding a devil fruit that is said to grow south of Kalymis.”
“Oh so your not part of them anymore?” She said, lowering the rope.
“Nope. I quit.” Hekate said with a laugh. “Though I didn't give them any forward notice.”
The woman approached him, holding out a hand. “I'm Cecily.” She said, Hekate taking the hand. “If your going on an adventure, I would like to come as well.”
“I doubt you would want to come with me.” Hekate laughed. “Since I stole this ship, the world will classify me as a Pirate, that could mean trouble for you in the future.”
“Thats okay.” Cecily said. “I actually love pirates! I want to go on adventures, and Pirates are the ones able to go on the most fun ones.”
Hekate gave her a look. “That’s fine by me then, since you know the risk. I could use the help on the ship anyways.”
“Yes!” She said happily. “That means I can be a great pirate someday! Oh where will we go after we find this fruit? I want to find somewhere full of talking plants! Or what about an island that is upside down! I hear that people build houses like that now, what do you think they are like?”
Hekate gave a calm smile. “You know I was told there was a Siren in these waters, but it was just a normal woman.”
Cecily stopped her cheering. “Oh they were talking about me.”
Hekate eyed her weirdly. “What do you mean?”
“Hold on this will help.” Cecily said, walking over to the side of the ship, and diving into the water.
Hekate ran to the side, preparing to jump in to save her, he had already grabbed the roll of rope she had left. His jaw dropped as he saw her in the water, her legs gone, replaced by a fish tail with beautiful green scales.
“I'm a mermaid.” She said, rubbing a hand on the back of her head. She jumped out, landing on the deck of the ship. Her tail began to split into legs quickly. Hekate noticed gills on her neck that began to fade into her skin. “Once we reach thirty we can change between tail and legs.”
“That's amazing!” Hekate said, his eyes wide. “Wait, you're thirty?”
“That is rude to ask captain Hekate!” Cecily yelled out, her face a bright red.
“But wait, the hypnotic song?” Hekate asked.
Her face got even brighter. “You heard me! Oh that is so embarrassing! I try not to sing infront of people, they all seem to stare at me and I hate it.”
“But, your song makes us do it?” Hekate questioned.
“But it's no good! It's so embarrassing! Everyone staring at me, judging me. Whenever ships pass while I sing I get so flustered that I accidentally put holes in their ships, or knock them off the ship.”
The reports of the siren, were due to embarrassment? Hekate could not believe what he was hearing. He sighed, holding out a hand for her to stand up.
“Lets go, were a crew now, lets find tons of adventure okay?” Hekate said happily.
Cecily smiled, taking his hand and letting him hoist her up.
“Next stop, Kalymis.” Hekate said proudly, facing forward.
“Oh then we want to change direction.” Cecily said. “We are going away from it currently.”
Hekate bit his lip hard again. He moved in a frenzie. “Which way! Come on, we gotta get in the right direction, get the rudder! I'll take the sail!”
