Far in the distance, the horizon began to quiver. Low bruised clouds hung on the unsettled skyline, and a monstrous rumble disturbed nature's sleep.

A storm was brewing. 

The silent waves were no longer idly staring at the world above them; instead, mother nature's infuriated army, massing, stared back, beckoning them to join their ranks. No longer silent, nor idle, the waves embodied all of nature's wrath, lashing and whipping anyone and anything in sight.

The small boat floating in the middle of the sea had no choice but to receive every violent crash of the mighty waves on its feeble body. Powerless, it swayed in the water's direction, no longer having the control of sailing on its own. Like a playful predator to its feeble prey, the sea juggled the boat in its merciless waves, giving it nowhere to run to, nowhere to turn to.

Sprays of murky water rain coated the windows. It shook when the blast of thunder ripped the granite sky, leaving the crew inside fearfully staring at the empty abyss of the inky sea. Hearing every shriek, the sailors envisaged the bolts of electricity dominating the sky and braced themselves for the next attack.

Inside the boat, the crescendo almost mirrored the frantic scene outside. 

Some ran around screaming for supplies, some desperately attempted to contact home, and some were attempting to inflate a safety boat. The rest of the sailors, limp and defeated, slinked back into every corner, praying to their benevolent God for help.

They thought of the loved ones they left at home, thinking that this sail would bring the fortune that could save their family from poverty. But now, it all seemed hopeless. Their family would be waiting not for the gold and money but for the dead bodies of these gullible sailors.

Secluded in his cabin, Captain Harker attempted to gain back the boat's control and maneuver it back to shore. He looked back at his crew whose faces were already barren of hope. And amidst the impending tragedy that would soon strike upon them, he was the only one whose mind and body contrasted the sea's chaotic rampage. But the blame was still upon him. The responsibility for the thirty crew's lives weighed upon his shoulders. 

He was nothing but a fool. He feared not the loss of his life. He feared for those families in their old forsaken village for the possibility they would lose a husband, a brother, or a friend. If only Captain Harker didn't believe such an old tale, their current situation would be far better than this. 

Their village had long since passed down an old tale about how their small island was a gift to their ancestors by the underwater empress. They were given home, a breath of fresh air from the briny sea, and bountiful plant and water resources. 

Until the land had never been graced by the empress' presence anymore. No one knew the real reason. Some said that she lost her tail and that she could no longer swim to the shore. Some said that in every storm an underwater war was brewing, and swords were clashing. And when it was sunshine, the sea warriors were at rest. And when the island experienced neither rain nor storm, everyone started to assume the battle underwater had finally ceased. The people thought the empress would finally come back. But when she didn't, they assumed she died in battle. 

No one had proven anything. Every account from past generations remained a myth. Until their small home had lost its blessed gifts. Their trees and plants were dying, and people acquiring illnesses that were hard to heal.  And they could barely get anything out of the sea. To bring back the island's flourishing state, they must find the fallen empress' infernal crown made of gold and encrusted with one hundred gemstones. 

Captain Harker's mother was experiencing an illness that the only medication could be extracted from one of their already dead trees. So he gathered men from his village who all wanted nothing but the best for their families and to save their homes. 

And now, there was no way back. The land and sea shuddered once more. And despite his tremendous efforts, in the end, his actions were rendered useless as the storm shifted it towards a swirling pool of desolation in the center of the menacing sea. 

Nature had already planned the abrupt end of those sailors' lives as the horizon thinned and disappeared out of sight. Before the storm clawed the sailors' sanity with it, Captain Harker thought he saw a castle's reflection on it. But when he blinked, it was gone.

Captain Harker was forcibly thrown out of the boat. He kept spinning until he was dizzy. While he struggled to stay up and be strong enough to break out, he was already out of breath. He went down in a twirl until he felt himself slow down. 

He felt himself land in a thud. He heard a few groans around him, mixing on his own as he clutched his right rib in pain. And when the captain opened his eyes, he sat with a start, eyes bulging out of their sockets. The other sailors mirrored his horror and confusion. 

Around them was a vast expanse of white-and-green coral reef spread across the sides and floor of the underwater canyon, curling into caves and towers and gardens full of glowing colors. In the center of a canyon, the coral spiraled up into an enormous palace. It contained windows and doors as well as a wide front entrance composed of a coral cavern, sparkling with emeralds and sapphires. A statue of the Underwater Empress loomed in the center, her tails outstretched benevolently.

The sailors were huddled together. The beauty of what was in front of them was no match for the fear consuming every fiber in their body. They were underwater, yet they could breathe. They patted each other's necks, frantically checking if they grew gills. 

They'd been whispering words and questions to each other when a metal pounded against the seafloor, rendering them quiet. A merman appeared before them, a six-foot-tall spear in hand. The man had a fish head, a human's torso, and a green-scaled tail from the waist down.

"Who are these?" the green-tailed one asked the blue-tailed one who had been standing guard behind them. 

"They were found near the eye of the storm. I believe they had seen the portal's brief opening in the middle of the whirlpool and it brought them here," the other replied.

The green-tailed merman eyed them in scrutiny. His huge, round eyes rolled in their sockets in a separate direction. "You've seen what you shouldn't have. Now you must not leave and shall serve the underwater empress for all eternity."

Then they were led toward the castle entrance by the guards, grasping them by their elbows. Their wrists were bound by golden chains as if they were captives. 

But there's only one growing question in Captain Harker's mind as he was led to his inevitable fate. The underwater empress was alive. What made her turn her back on them?

-ˋˏ ༻✿༺ ˎˊ-

🏅Round 2 Winner --- What Lies Beneath | Pirate Ship Stop "Write to Survive Contest" (SecretTreasures, adventure, talesofthedeep)

Prompt: You're in a quest to find a mythical treasure hidden deep inside the Pacific. But things spiral out of control when you witness something you shouldn't have.