Kristin Kemper on tumblr made this beauty.

At this point, I'm just putting art of Klance with mermaids somehow involved.

xXx

"It's time."

At the sound of the words, Keith was wide awake. The moon had set, and the only light was that of the stars, but it was as if all of his senses were heightened. It was time to save his crew.

He could see the ship in the distance. It was still fairly small due to the space between them, but he knew it was so the watchmen couldn't see them. "And we're all ready?" he asked Lance.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Lance answered apprehensively.

Keith closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He reopened them and fixed his gaze on the distant ship. "Good. Then let's get started."

Lance out a large conch shell. "This can put a bubble of air around your head, but it'll burst when it comes into contact with the surface, and a strong current can pull it off."

Keith nodded. "So be careful and don't surface unless I'm planning on staying up. Got it."

"The current will push the boat toward the ship on its own, and since there's hardly anything in it, it'll catch up soon enough. Theoretically. So all you need to do is get on board and get them into the water. The dolphins will take it from there."

Keith made a 'time out' sign with his hands. "Wait, since when were the dolphins going to actually help them? Weren't they just going to push the boat?"

"Since about ten minutes ago. While you were sleeping, I talked to them, and they agreed to help get them to and into the boat."

Keith grinned. "That's great! Lance, you're amazing!"

The mermaid turned so Keith couldn't see how deeply he was blushing. "Thanks," he said simply. He regained his composure and turned back to the sailor. "So are we going now?"

Keith bit his lip, staring at the ship. "I can't see what else we could do to get ready," he answered tensely. "Let's get started." He stood and stepped into the water.

He plummeted down beneath the surface, then came to a stop about ten feet below. Lance swam down to where he held his breath, eyes tightly shut, and used the shell. A bubble of air grew into existence around his head.

Keith opened his eyes when he suddenly felt air around him. He took in a slow and careful breath, and when he felt the cool air enter his lungs, gave a small sigh of relief. Lance grinned at him. "You're breathing underwater now!" he said eagerly. His voice sounded strange, muffled, but at the same time, amplified and perfectly clear.

"You know, people can breathe underwater. It's just that usually we don't survive," Keith commented dryly. Lance stared at him speechlessly. "I was joking." The sailor started swimming forward, Lance following wordlessly. After a moment, Keith realized the full significance of what he'd said. "Okay, maybe it was a bit too dark," he admitted. "But I guess that's what I get for trying to lighten the mood when I'm thinking of all the different ways I could get killed here."

"I see," Lance said carefully.

"Lance, relax. I tried to lighten the mood, and it didn't work. Let's not let it set the tone for the whole night, shall we?"

Lance nodded gratefully. "You still have that knife?" he asked.

Keith touched his belt. "Right here." He paused. "Do you want it back?"

Lance immediately shook his head. "No, no, you'll need it more than I will. I'm just a distraction, remember?"

Keith nodded as they continued swimming toward the ship. "Will you want it back when we're done?"

Lance thought for a moment. "We'll cross that gap when we get to it."

"Fair enough." Keith kept going straight as Lance turned in a slightly different direction, heading for the front of the ship to be a distraction.

It wasn't long before Keith reached the side of the ship. He climbed up the rope ladder on the side and peered onto the deck through a gap in the railing.

Two watchmen were at the bow, leaning on each other and pointing at something in the water, doubtlessly Lance. When he was sure they were the only ones on deck, he cautiously lifted himself up onto the timber, careful not to let the smooth wood creak under his bare feet. His gaze darted around furtively, then he made his way to the lower decks to look for the cells.

The second deck consisted mostly of sleeping bodies. It smelled awful, and it didn't take long for Keith to move on. There was a section of the same level dedicated to the armory and munitions (which was certainly a questionable decision), which Keith took note of. He went to the next level, and he knew he'd found what he was looking for.

There were rows of cells on each side of the deck. Each cell had three sides consisting of thick and rusty iron bars with the fourth being the side of the ship. Only two had occupants, and all four of them were asleep.

"Pidge! Hunk! Allura! Coran! Wake up!" Keith whispered, grabbing the keys from the wall.

Allura sat up slowly. "What?" she asked tiredly. "Keith?" Her eyes suddenly grew wide as he unlocked the door to her cell. "Keith!" She stood up, Coran right behind her. She embraced their rescuer tightly. "I can't believe it!"

Pidge stood at the door to her and Hunk's cell. "Excuse my incredulity, but how are you alive?" she asked bluntly.

Keith pulled away from Allura and unlocked their cell, only to be hugged by the two of them. "I had help." In response to their confused expressions, he told them, "You'll meet him soon. But when we get up there, I'm going to have you jump off the ship. I won't be able to talk to you then, but there are dolphins waiting to take you to the boat that's waiting for you. It should be relatively close by the time you get there, but you have to trust that they'll get you safely on board."

"How big is this boat?" Hunk asked.

Keith inhaled sharply through his teeth, looking at the husky male. "It's a lifeboat," he admitted.

Hunk looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Seriously?"

"Look, Hunk, I'm sorry, but that was all I had. Really, I'm lucky to have it at all."

Hunk sighed. "No, it's fine. I'll cope."

Keith smiled apologetically and started for the upper decks, then paused. "Any questions before we head up?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good." He climbed up the ladder, past the sleeping pirate crew, and into the fresh air of the night. He gestured over the side. Allura nodded and dove off gracefully with hardly a splash. Coran did the same, and Pidge followed suit, but Hunk stopped.

"Shouldn't you go first?" he whispered as quietly as he could, glancing nervously to the pirates still occupied at the stern. "I'll make more noise than you, and I know we were going so I would go last so when I jumped in, there wouldn't be anyone for them to look over and see because of the noise of the splash."

Keith shook his head. "Just go. I'll catch up, don't worry. I have to look for something first." When Hunk still hesitated, he continued, "Don't make me push you in."

Hunk sighed quietly, then nodded. He turned back to the water, and Keith ran back to the ladder down to the lower levels. He heard a splash as he climbed down the ladder as quickly and quietly as he could. As he made his way to the armory, he could hear voices above him talking in alarmed tones. He couldn't make out the words, but had a hunch he knew what they were talking about. He moved faster.

Where would they keep confiscated items? He was banking on the fact that maybe, just maybe, they didn't let the pirate that had confiscated it to keep it. But where would it be? It wouldn't be by the gunpowder or the cannonballs or the spare cutlasses or the extra rifles or--

Wait.

He stopped, turning to a crate between a pile of daggers and a tiny, intricate golden box. If it were anywhere, that would be it. He lifted the lid, intensely aware of the voices growing louder on the deck above him.

He sighed with relief. Right there, on top of the rest of the contents, was his knife.

Keith put his knife on his belt and started back toward the ladder. He could already hear more voices, steadily growing in number and volume. As he began climbing to the top deck, he could see some of the sleeping pirates starting to rouse at the noise.

He carefully peered out onto the deck and immediately knew that his escape would be considerably more difficult than the rest of his crew's. There were about a dozen pirates milling about in various stages of awakening and alertness, and they all were arguing and shouting about who was responsible for the escaped prisoners.

A voice spoke up above all the rest. "Quiet, all of you! Someone has to know what happened!" It was suddenly nearly silent except for the lapping of waves on the hull. Keith ducked lower so they wouldn't be able to see him, silently cursing his luck. "Oh, come now. Speak up. It's not like I plan on killing the man who gives me an honest account of what happened."

Someone cleared their throat. "We were busy looking at some strange creature swimmin' around the boat," they said. "We didn't see anythin' to do with the prisoners. Cap'n."

"What kind of creature?" the authoritative voice, the captain, asked exasperatedly.

"It... it looked like a mermaid, cap'n. Sure as you're standin' there."

"A mermaid."

"Yessir."

"You're telling me you saw a mermaid."

"Yessir, sure as you're--"

"As sure as I'm standing here, yes," he interrupted. "But you say you saw a mermaid?"

"Yessir," he answered timidly.

The captain sighed. "Well, regardless of what you may have seen, we still have four missing prisoners, and they probably had help."

"Hey, who're you?" a voice asked from below Keith. He looked down and saw a particularly tired-looking pirate staring at him with half-lidded eyes. A moment later, his eyes widened. "Hey--!"

Keith kicked him in the face and scrambled up the ladder, wishing he could've picked when he made a run for the side. But he supposed he needed the motivation, and what better motivation than a bunch of pirates running around and yelling crazily trying to figure out how to carry out their shouted orders from their captain.

He almost made it overboard, too.

He leaped over the railing and felt gravity start to take effect. He was home free and then--

Someone had grabbed him by the collar.

He had time to regret not planning that very well before he was flung back onto deck, the pirates suddenly organized in a circle surrounding him. He rolled to a stop and lifted himself onto his elbows, panting slightly and looking at the man who'd caught him.

There was no doubt in his mind that this was the captain. Not only did he have a cleaner appearance than anyone else he'd seen on the ship, but he had a commanding demeanor, and he also had a really big hat with two purple feathers symmetrically on the top so they almost resembled ears, a characteristic trait of the pirates of these parts. If nothing else, he held himself in high esteem.

There was also the fact that it was the same man that had him tied to the mast and sunk to the bottom of the sea.

After a moment of studying Keith, the man's eyes widened slightly in shock. "You? You should be dead."

Keith slowly got to his feet. "But I'm not, am I?"

The captain regarded him curiously. "It would appear not." He drew his sword. "We must remedy that."

xXx

Hunk gasped for air as he landed in the bottom of the boat. "Let's not do that again," he panted.

Pidge nodded, also breathing hard. "Let's just swim next time."

Allura looked around, wiping her hair from her face. "Where is Keith?" she asked.

"He told me he would catch up," Hunk replied helplessly.

"What do we do now?" Pidge asked. "We can't just leave without him."

"So you're his crew," an unfamiliar voice said suddenly.

They all looked around with confusion, remembering that Keith had mentioned having help. But where--

Coran's eyes grew wide. "Er-- hello there," he greeted the person in the water below him.

Everyone turned to look at him. "What... are you doing down there?" Allura asked, confused.

"I'm Lance. Keith might not have had the time to mention me, but I'm the guy that saved him from dying that one time." He grinned up at Coran. "What's that on your lip?"

"It's a mustache!" Coran said proudly. "But why would you not know--"

"Do you know where Keith is?" Pidge interrupted.

Lance opened his mouth to reply, then his eyes grew wide as his hand drifted to a shell dangling at his throat. He whipped his head around to look at the ship, which was suddenly much farther away than it had been five minutes before. He let out a loud screech and several clicks, and the dolphins that had helped the four of them to the boat surfaced next to him.

"What's going on?" Pidge asked.

"No time!" Lance emitted a series of strange noises varying from whistles to clicks to strange bellows, apparently directed at the dolphins. After a he'd spoken to them for a few moments, they moved to various positions around the boat and waited. "I told them to take you to land," Lance said hurriedly. "I also told them to go in the direction you tell them, if you choose to. Just like tap them or whistle or something to get their attention, then point. They'll get it." He started swimming backwards. "I really want to help you guys more, but--" He slapped his hand to the shell at his throat. "He needs help!" He dove into the water, his tail briefly flashing above the waves.

They all stared. "You guys all saw that too, right?" Hunk asked. "It wasn't just me?"

Pidge stared at the rapidly disappearing ship, now lit by the early light of dawn. "There goes any hope of reunion," she said bitterly.