It was absolute chaos on the ship.

One moment, the soldiers and the crew were celebrating the young Prince's first voyage, cheering him on and hitting him on the back appreciatively, and the next, they were all drunk dancing like fools. Lucas couldn't help but feel seasick, and was rooted to his spot on the edge of Athena, their most efficient and sturdy ship. It was believed the goddess herself had taken a vow to protect the vessel and it's crew for as long as possible, but nobody except Lucas, believed in the myths. In fact, he was the only one to believe that the myths held some relevance in the lives of common folk.

The ship lurched forward,and Lucas felt the familiar wave of nausea take over him. He leaned over and let out the remaining contents of his stomach, and then settled on a barrow nearby. It was tiring, the process of emptying his stomach. He couldn't wait to get back home. His voyage was not how he imagined. In fact, he never wanted to go. He preferred to stay inside his palace and read books than to go around, exploring in ships with poor plumbing and a crew that barely ever took a bath. He'd rather explore the different worlds and countries through his beloved and trusted books.

But noo, his father, the King, wanted him to go explore the outdoors. He wanted Lucas to act like a man, if he was to inherit the throne one day. Well, if acting like a man meant getting drunk, killing monsters and wooing women in bars, then Lucas was certainly not interested. He'd rather be scholarly and have his head attached to his neck.

"Oye! Luke! Get yer' arse here, mate!" A shabby, lanky man called out, grinning and flashing his gold tooth.

His waist coat had all come undone, and a few of his top buttons were missing. Lucas smiled weakly and waved his hand dismissively.

"Thanks for the offer, Billy, but I'll pass," he replied.

The man laughed and then skipped away to get another big mug of beer. The waitresses weren't enjoying much either. There were barely any on the deck, only those brave enough to handle the drunkards. A young waitress, dressed in a yellow floral dress and a napkin holding back her short, golden hair made a face at the drunken sailors as she made her way towards Lucas. She held a wooden tray under her right arm, stared at him for one long moment.

"Gods, you look terrible, Lucas." She said, her voice as sweet as honey.

Lucas gave her sarcastic surprised look.

"Oh really? Thank you for pointing it out, Ella!" He replied.

She giggled and tousled his raven black hair. Lucas tried to slap her hand away, but she laughed even more and dodged his hand. He made a face at her, and she giggled, to his annoyance.

"I'm literally emptying my insides out here, and you find this funny!" Lucas said angrily.

Ella shook her head, a soft smile on her face. She touched the back of her hand against Lucas' burning forehead.

"Now now, Lucas. Among the two of us, if both are moody and ill-tempered, tell me, then, what's the fun?" She told, holding his arm gingerly and leading him through the crowd.

Lucas sighed and nodded his head, knowing he had no comeback for that. Ella always had a point, unless it was factual knowledge that Lucas told her about from his books. Otherwise, she was more practically experienced than he was. She lead him downstairs, and went past a series of cabins. Lucas could hear a lot groans and moans from the occupied cabins, and he couldn't help but feel more sick. His father had literally put him in a group of male and women whores, the innocent waitresses being the exception. None of the female dancers were to be seen, and Lucas now knew why.

Seeing the uneasy look on his face, Ella quickened her pace and opened the last cabin door, pulling Lucas in. The strong scent of lemons hit his nose, making him feel better. It wasn't his room, he noticed. It was just neatly made bed, a bedside lamp on a side table, and a small cabinet in the corner. Ella lit the oil lamps, and helped him sit on the bed.

"It's not..."

"It's mine, genius. I don't think you'd like to go up to yours while it's occupied," Ella warned.

Lucas balled his fists and hit it on the soft bed.

"MY room!? How could they use my room? That's the most...."

"Leave them be, Luke. They're drunk, and they'd find any place to do their business. At least it's behind doors," she reasoned.

Again, Lucas only nodded.

"Now sit back, and relax. I'll get some hot chocolate for you from the kitchen. Would you like something else?" She asked, tucking him in bed.

He hadn't realised how cold he'd been feeling. He shook his head. Ella turned to leave, but Lucas caught her hand. She looked at him questioningly.

"You're not my servant, Ella. You're my friend. You don't have to do this," he said.

"Lucas, you fool. I'm not doing this as an obligation, I'm doing this for you as a friend." She said, and left the room.

Lucas leaned back and closed his eyes, and soon drifted off to sleep.

_______________

Lucas felt like he was being rocked back in forth. He could hear a distant voice, calling him. He drowsily opened his eyes.

"LUCAS! GET UP!" Ella shook him violently.

Lucas looked around and realised he was being rocked back and forth. The ship lurched and tilted violently, throwing Ella off her balance and on top of him.

"Ella, what's going on?" Lucas asked.

"The ship's been hit by a violent storm! It's going to capsize! We need to get to the top!" Ella explained and pulled him out of bed.

Clutching his hand, the two rushed out of the room. The ship lurched again, throwing them against the walls.

"The Athena has never been in a such a situation! What went wrong?" Lucas yelled, over the loud creaks of the wooden boards.

"A sailor, I heard, he insulted Poseidon! Said he could never created a storm strong enough to take down this ship!" Ella explained, yelling herself.

"Fools!" Lucas muttered.
 
A deafening crack sounded as the wooden boards of the ship snapped into two.

"The ship's falling apart!" Ella yelled.

Water began spewing through the cracks rapidly. The ship tilted sideways. Lucas caught Ella's hand tightly to prevent her from falling. They hurried up towards the deck and saw the frantic sailors, pulling the sails and trying to keep the ship afloat. The rain thrashed down on them violently, lightning crackling I'm the sky. It seemed that Poseidon had called upon the aids of his brother Zeus as well.

"It's no use! This ship is going down! Everyone, get out!" Lucas yelled over the roaring sea.

But nobody paid attention to him. They continued to make vain attempts on keeping the vessel together. Thunder roared loudly, and the ship shook violently. Lucas looked around, trying to keep himself and Ella on their feet.. No one cared about what he said. Ella squeezed his hand and looked at him.

"Don't worry! Watch," she said, and put two fingers in her mouth and whistled.

The crew stopped and looked over her. They seemed unamused, but otherwise looked at her attentively.

"The Prince has something to say!" She yelled.

A sailor spit on the deck and looked at her in disbelief.

"Oye, lass! You want us all killed, aye? Listen to him?" He asked distastefully, pointing at Lucas.

Lucas scowled at him. How dare he! Couldn't they show some respect, knowing he was a prince?

"If you would just..." But Lucas was cut off once again.

"Shut up, little prince. Let us take care of matters here, aye? Yer'll be safe!" The captain, a large man said.

Lucas muttered curses and walked away, leaving Ella's hand. The ship lurched again, threatening to throw its members over. Ella stopped him.

"Lucas, look. The maids will listen to you! Leave these scoundrels, they'll manage. But the women, Lucas you need to help them," Ella reasoned.

Lucas stopped and looked at Ella for a moment. She had a point again. The women were huddled in a corner, only a small bundle of belongings in their hands. He then walked over the starboard and looked over. Their were five spare boats.

"Come on! We can get on these boats!" He yelled and waved at them.

The women hurried, muttering their thanks and climbed in one by one. Ella helped Lucas lower the boats in the water. The sailors paid no attention to them, keen on keeping the ship afloat. The second boat was lowered, and only Ella and Lucas were left.

"Ella, you get in and I'll lower you. I'll jump in, just don't let go of the ropes!" Lucas explained.

Ella nodded and got into the boat, and Lucas quickly lowered it. Ella held on to the rope attached to the ship.

"Hurry Luke!" She yelled.

Lucas nodded, and prepared to jump. He took a deep breath. He was scared. He'd never done anything like it before. He only read things like this in his books. For a moment, Lucas hesitated. What if he hit the boat and get hurt instead?

"Lucas! We don't have much time! Jump!" Ella yelled again.

Lucas looked over, watching her struggle to hold on to the rope. He drew in a deep breath.

Poseidon, help me.

He began clambering over to the edge, when he heard the sailors yelling. He turned to see a fire, blazing on the sails.

"The sails are struck! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Billy screamed as he jumped into the cold sea.

Lucas wasted no time, and closed his eyes as he dived down. And then, all of a sudden, his body felt weightless. All the sounds were drowned out, and he could only hear the silence of the dark sea. He moved his legs and pushed them against the water, swimming up to the surface. The blazing fire in the ship lit the water around it in a fiery orange glow. Ella was a little distance away from the ship. Lucas burst out of the water and gasped for breath.

"LUCAS! HURRY THE SHIP'S GOING TO...."

A loud explosion took place, sending violent waves in the water to a long distance. The wooden boards flew and landed in the water. Lucas struggled to stay afloat. He threw himself over a broken wooden plank, and held on to it for dear life. His eyes scanned for any sign of Ella.

Oh gods, please let her be alive.

"LUCAS!" Ella yelled.

Lucas looked around, and saw her waving from far away. She was quite distant, but Lucas was glad she was alive. He tried using his legs to move forward. It was a slow process, but he was making progress, as he neared the boat. The storm had stopped all of a sudden. Lucas was more sure than ever that it was Poseidon's doing, for the insult. The sea was calm, except for the raging fire that slowly died down. He looked around, to see if there were any survivers. He tried pushing away the broken pieces of the ship away, searching. But he saw no one.

"ANYONE THERE?" Lucas yelled.

No answer.

"HELLO? ANYONE?" Lucas yelled again, his voice hoarse.

He tried screaming again, but choked on his emotions. He let the tears flow from his eyes, as he pushed himself forward. Ella pulled him in, and didn't say anything. She just held him in an embrace, and let him weep for as long as he could. If they'd only listened. If they could just, trust that he wasn't crazy.

"Lucas," Ella started, in an alarming tone.

Lucas didn't look up. She shook his shoulder, and he frowned at her, before noticing what she was pointing at. A young girls' body, floated limply, half her body submerged under water.

"What if she's alive?" Lucas said, and began helping Ella paddle towards her.

With her help, Lucas pulled the girl on board, her head in his lap. Ella let out a gasp, and Lucas gaped, his jaw wide open.

"Oh my gods," Ella gasped.

Lucas didn't say anything. His eyes wandered over to where the girl's legs should have been. Instead, they saw a coral green tail, with a wooden splinter sticking out of it, blood oozing out.

"Lucas, she's--she's a mermaid!" Ella yelped.

Lucas nodded slowly, not being able to get over the shock. The mermaid's crimson hair were matted against her forehead. Lucas, hesitantly, moved it away, so he could see her face clearly. She looked young, and innocent. How'd she end up there?

"What do we do?" Ella hissed, frantic.

Lucas thought for a while. If they took her back home, he could prove to everyone that he wasn't crazy. That the myths weren't just myths at all. He would finally have some respect in the court.

Lucas looked at Ella gravely.

"We take her home."

____________________

Hey there dear sweet readers! And here we have another beautiful update! I don't know why I said that, seriously. :/

So this chapter was a little bit long. 2.13k words! Yeah, no Biggie. But, ANYWAY,
What you think about Lucas? I had a little fun writing him. A little different kind of prince you know, not the dashing and daring one. And yes, this scene was in the movie, except, I did a few minor changes.
Ok ok, I did a few major changes! Of course, that's what the book is about! I hope you enjoy reading it, and don't forget to vote, comment and also share, if you like! This chapter is dedicated to my dearest OmaimaAkbar. You are one of the reasons behind me being the Queen. I love you.❤❄

Until next time, tutz!

Love,
Lillian.❄❤