With wide eyes, Cas stared at the tentacle in front of him, its leathery, mauve flesh wet and glistening in the afternoon light. His head shot up and his stomach constricted at the sight of a flood of tentacles rising around the ship. They curled and twisted into the air in serpentine movements, reaching a staggering height of at least fifty feet. The nightmarish spectacle enveloped the Scarlet Mamba from all sides.

“What the hell is that thing?” Cas shrieked. His arms instinctively wrapped around Valentine’s waist as he ducked behind the captain in terror.

“Kraken. Judging from the size, it’s a teenager,” Valentine replied matter-of-factly, unsheathing his sword in one smooth motion.

His brows snapped together, glaring down at where Cas still clung to him. “Now, would you please get the hell off of me.”

“How are you so calm about this?” Cas blubbered, holding tight to the captain even as Valentine attempted to shake him off. “It’s going to kill us!”

“Only if you don’t fucking let go,” Valentine snapped.

One gloved hand shoved against Cas’ head, trying to literally pry him off. “We deal with bullshit all the time. Just take a deep breath and get yourself belo—Shit!”

Before Cas could process what was happening, Valentine had ripped himself free from Cas’ grip and lunged forward. Cas spun around just in time to see one of the massive tentacles shooting across the deck towards Jasper.

As it came hurtling forward, Valentine leapt in front of the smaller man, shoving him out of the way. The leathery tendril came down with terrifying force, slashing the air like a whip, and Valentine took the full brunt of the impact. It crashed across his back, the sheer force of the blow slamming the captain chest-first into the deck with a resounding thud.

A slight wince crossed Valentine's face as his teeth clamped down on his lower lip, the only sign of the excruciating pain he had just endured. But he didn’t waste a second; with lightning-fast reflexes, he rolled himself over, his eyes ablaze.

Valentine’s sword, a glinting silver streak, soared through the air in a flash, slicing through the tentacle like a hot knife through butter. The kraken reeled back with a high-pitched screech that sent shockwaves reverberating through the ship and had Cas’ eardrums ringing.

Thick, green ooze erupted from the half-severed tentacle, spewing everywhere as it splattered across the wooden planks. Even Valentine wasn’t spared from the vile shower. The tentacle thrashed through the air, drenching the captain’s face in the gooey substance.

Valentine grimaced, roughly wiping his cheek. “Ugh, disgusting.”

Scanning the deck, his gaze swept across the crew of the Scarlet Mamba as they raced back and forth across it, getting into well-practiced positions.

“I want all the cannons loaded and at the ready,” Valentine barked, his voice booming across the deck. “You have exactly one minute before I give the command to fire. Follow the procedure we’ve strategized for. If I see even one of you out of formation, expect a stern talking to—granted you survive. Understood?”

An echo of, “Yes, Captain,” rippled through the deck.

Valentine remained steadfast, continuing to fire off orders at rapid speed. Each directive was sharp and clear, cutting through the chaos. The crew moved with synchronized grace, executing his commands precisely, even when locked in a constant dance with the onslaught of tentacles. They dodged, ducked, and parried, fighting off the writhing appendages as they prepared the cannons.

Amidst the controlled chaos, Cas’ attention caught on a flash of glowing white hair as it whisked past him. He pivoted just in time to see Kishi race by. The first mate’s movements were so fast they were almost incomprehensible as he practically flew across the deck.

Just as the crew prepared to fire the cannons, several tentacles shot out, their snake-like forms wrapping around the bow of the ship. The Scarlet Mamba groaned in protest as they dragged it downward, tilting towards the unforgiving waves of the Emerald Sea.

Cries rang out as both the crew and cannons went sliding down the deck. Cas tumbled along with them, his boots skidding against the planks. As he grabbed hold of the railing to stop himself from falling, his gaze caught on a smaller tentacle springing over the edge of the ship—flying directly at him.

Cas’ pulse jumped as sheer terror crashed over him, leaving him paralyzed and clinging to the railing. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the monstrous tentacle loomed over him. Cas’ blood ran cold, his heart seizing in his throat.

But just as he was about to be caught in the tentacle's deadly embrace, a pair of powerful hands closed around his waist. In a sudden, jolting movement, Cas felt himself being yanked out of the way. The tentacle, robbed of its victim, crashed uselessly onto the deck, the sound echoing through the air.

With his heart still hammering, Cas found himself sprawled on the planks, panting and drenched in cold sweat. Slowly, he looked up, his eyes growing as round as saucers.

Valentine stood tall and imposing, his figure haloed by the warm, golden-orange glow of the sky. Strands of dark hair danced around the captain's face, and his loose white shirt billowed in the turbulent breeze like a hero straight out of a romance novel.

Cas’ heart caught strangely in his throat. “Val, you… saved m—”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Valentine yanked him up again. He shoved him towards Jasper as the redhead rushed past them.

“Get him below deck,” Valentine snapped. “The idiot is going to get killed if he stays here.”

“On it, Captain!” Jasper grabbed Cas by the arm. His slender rapier remained poised and at the ready as he led him through the swirling chaos of the deck.

The battle unfolded in a whirlwind of motion and mayhem. The sounds of blades tearing through leathery flesh mixed with the screech of the cannons as they were pushed back into formation. At last, Jasper pulled Cas down the steps, the echoes of the fight above growing muffled as they descended into the dark belly of the ship.

“Just stay here,” Jasper said, patting Cas’ shoulder. “If this lasts as long as these fights normally do, we’ll be finished in just a few more minutes, so hang tight.”

He charged back towards the battle, his footsteps fading up the steps, leaving Cas alone, submerged in the darkness. A few seconds later, the rumble of cannon fire thundered, the noise almost deafening even below deck. The ship lurched, and Cas nearly went flying backwards as the Scarlet Mamba jerked upwards, finally level once more.

Another ear-splitting boom cut through the air, followed by the wail of the kraken. The sound shook the entire ship.

Cas sank down onto the bottom step, pulling his knees up to his chest as celebratory hoots and hollers rang out from the crew above. Cas continued to sit in the darkness, not bothering to move. He didn’t deserve to be up there celebrating their victory. It’s not like he’d done jack shit to help.

Cas sighed, propping his chin up with his hands. He’d come to the human world to try and be more than a nobody, but it seemed he was just useless here too.

***

“Okay, next!” Cas called, his gaze scanning the short line of injured sailors standing before him. Only a few had been mildly harmed during the attack, making Cas’ job of tending to them fairly easy.

Johan hobbled up next, extending a massive leg. “Twisted.”

Cas’ eyes narrowed. “What? Your whole leg?”

“No. Ankle.” Johan huffed, back to his usual four-words-a-sentence minimum. “Obviously.”

“You know, that was actually incredibly insensitive,” Cas muttered. “Not all of us were born with legs, Johan.”

Cas crouched down and yanked up the bottom of Johan’s ragged trousers, exposing the swollen skin beneath. He wrinkled his nose as his nostrils were assaulted with a stench that smelled like rotten onions. “Ever hear of soap?”

Johan just glowered at him. “Mm-n.”

Cas rolled his eyes. “An exhilarating conversation, as always.”

Letting out a low exhale, the mer-prince’s fingers fanned out against the injury, his eyes fluttering shut.

Healing magic was a skill inherent to the merfolk, believed to be a divine gift from the Gods themselves. While merfolk’s powers often manifested as minor abilities—like closing flesh wounds, curing migraines, and stopping bloody noses—their most vital and cherished skill was the ability to transfer pain

Cas used that power now, forcing down a whimper as the searing ache of Johan’s ankle transferred to his own. It was a precise, careful, and excruciatingly slow process, like pouring water from one container to another. Cas’ newly acquired pain would fade in about an hour or so, but Gods, for that hour his ankle was going to hurt like a bitch.

“Alrighty,” Cas muttered through gritted teeth, forcing a smile through the pain. “All done!”

As the mountain of a man turned to leave, however, Cas called after him, “Johan, wait!”

The giant paused, arching a thick, caterpillar-like eyebrow as he glanced back at him. “Mm-n?”

“Valentine told me attacks like today happen all the time.”

Cas stepped forward, only to let out a hiss as a jolt of pain shot up his ankle. With a grimace, he balanced awkwardly on one foot. “Is that true?”

Johan nodded. “Mm-n.”

“But how?” Cas asked, his brows drawing together. “I’ve lived in these waters my entire life and never, not once, have I ever seen a kraken.”

“It’s the curse,” Johan said flatly.

“What?” Cas gaped. “There’s a curse?”

“Mm-n.” Johan turned, walking away without any further explanation.

“Hey! You can’t just drop that on me and then leave,” Cas yelled at the back of his bald head. “Who is cursed? The ship? Valentine? How’d it even happen? Does it spread? Shit! If I’m here, does that make me cursed too?”

Johan didn’t answer, continuing to make his way across the deck.

“Don’t you walk away from me!” Cas shouted after him, hopping up and down on one foot with such vigor that he nearly toppled over. “I need explanations! What the hell is going on?”

“Mm-n.”

“MM-N, ISN’T A FUCKING ANSWER!”

But it was too late. Johan’s massive head dipped below deck and he was gone. Cas groaned, burying his face in his hands. A curse. Great. Just what he needed.

How the hell did one ship have so many secrets?