On Board {A Solangelo Pirate AU}

2: Fish Baskets

WPOV

I hate the smell of fish.

I also hate the taste of fish.

Fish can go fuck themselves. Honestly.

And yet I had to work at this stupid fish stand because apparently going to university "takes money" and "I'm broke" so here I was, at a fish stand, because apparently capitalists will find ways to profit off of everything, even education about how to become a doctor. Especially education about how to become a doctor. Don't research how much medical school costs—you'll make yourself sick, and there won't even be anybody to give you a checkup because we're all working at fish stands trying to pay off our debts from medical school.

Honnet was a great city, honestly. If it didn't reek of dead fish, I would maybe consider living here forever. After all, those horrible pirate kidnappings had stopped a few years ago. The pirates still show up to steal from us every once in a while, and they were horrible for the economy, but they at least stopped kidnapping our children.

Once, when I was four years old, my best friend was kidnapped. I don't remember much about it, only the sneer of the guy who cut my friend's face and the way Nico dug his boots in the ground with stubborn determination to stay. He was just a kid, obviously, so it wasn't hard for the pirate to carry Nico away.

The whole town used to lock up everything every winter of even-numbered years. Tourism dropped. We were barely able to eat.

I always snuck out. It's idiotic and dangerous, I know, but I used to sneak out if there was a strange boat in the harbor, in the hopes that I might see Nico on board, still struggling to survive. I had thought I might have been able to save him. I went to medical school, after all. If he was hurt, I could probably heal him.

I went to medical school, but I reek of fish. Stupid fucking fish.

Anyway, I never saw him. I was too far away, for one, because even I wasn't dumb enough to get close. The pirates are vicious fighters, and their swords are mercilessly sharp. If I angered them, I probably wouldn't get away alive.

"Hey, Solace," called my boss, Poseidon Jackson. "I'm closing up the shop. The sun's about to go down, and this year's even-numbered. Go ahead and take any fish you want to eat for dinner if they look like they'll be unsellable by tomorrow. Might as well use 'em up."

"Yessir," I said. I reluctantly put a few fish in a basket, which I'd return tomorrow. There's no way I'm going to eat this, but the only reason I had this job was because I'd told Poseidon that I had an affinity for all things fish in the interview, and I didn't want him to know I had lied.

"Affinity for all things fish." What kind of jock-nerd hybrid has an affinity for all things fish. Idiot. All I want is to be done with paying my medical school debts. All I have is fish.

I decided to go to the ocean to get rid of them. I'd be fast. My family wouldn't even notice that I was a few minutes late, probably. It doesn't take long to dump some fish.

And that's how I ended up at a secluded section of the beach with a basket of fish as the sky turned red. I threw the dead fish in the ocean, and then backed up. I was glad to be wearing the cape I'd gotten from Everson's School of Medicine. It was warm here in the winter, but cool at night. I picked up my bag of textbooks and slung it over my shoulder. I picked up the basket and turned to leave.

A sword was pointed at my throat.

I cried out and stumbled away from the silhouette of a person, only to bump into someone else. I was grabbed from behind and they covered my mouth with their hand.

"If you scream, we run our sword through your heart, do you understand?" the person whispered. The voice sounded masculine. I nodded.

The sword pressed into my throat. "You're a student," said the other one. "What do you study?"

Small talk? What the fuck? Were these the pirates? What do they care about what I studied? "Medicine."

Wrong answer. I was shoved to the ground and patted down for weapons. They pulled my knife from my belt. I'd carried it for defense, but I didn't know how to use it anyway. I tried not to struggle immensely; they would most definitely be able to defeat me. I was a medical school student, not a fighter.

Still, I looked for opportunities. The sword remained at my throat until a sound in the woods, and I took the opportunity to lurch away. One pirate swore and tried to grab at me some more, so I punched him square in the face. His nose spurted blood, but I was being grabbed again from behind before I could do more.

"We could've brought rope had the captain just let us do this," the one holding me grumbled. "Could've tied him up."

Bleeding-nose Guy glared at me. "That was so rude, man. Come on. Aren't medical school students supposed to be rich? Aren't rich people supposed to be polite?"

They dragged me away again. Bleeding-Nose carried my textbooks, but left the basket of fish behind. Good riddance. I may have been introduced to another problem entirely, but at least I'd gotten rid of the fish.

I pressed my feet in the ground, but it didn't do much but get sand in my shoes. I growled in frustration. The pirates yanked me forward and I did my best not to fall. Despite my struggling, we made it to a large ship hidden in a part of the coast that isn't inhabited. We let a forest grow off the end of the beach instead and sometimes people go hunting, but most of the time no one visited here. Which means even if I managed to scream before the pirates killed me, no one would hear.

They practically dragged me into the boat. Other pirates who must've been part of the group to loot my city came running aboard after us.

"Set sail!" one called. "Hurry up! We were chased!"

The crew readied the boat for departure. I was shoved to my knees and someone brought rope to tie my hands behind my back. A boy about my age approached. His sword hung at his belt. "Percy, what is this?"

The guy holding me kept his hand on my shoulder. "This is our new ship doctor, Captain. You know we need one."

I stared at the Captain. Big brown eyes. Raven-black hair.

"I told you no more kidnappings. God, do you ever listen to me? Bring him back to the shore." The Captain tilted my head up to look at him. "Would you know your way back home if we dropped you off at the shore?"

I knew this guy.

"We don't have time, Captain," someone shouted. "They're coming. We need to leave, now. Or else all our lives are in danger."

Oh, God. I knew him. Captain? No, someone made a mistake.

"No more kidnappings!" he snapped. But there were people already getting the ship ready to sail away, and then we were moving away from the city. Away from my family and home. Away from everything and into nothing.

Eighteen years.

"You'll admit I'm right later," said the crewmate, Percy. "We need a doctor. No more being on the verge of death from a simple flu. We need him, Nico."

It's been eighteen years, but I've finally found him.

He was in distress as we pulled out and sailed away. "We aren't keeping him. We'll come back to Honnet the moment we can. That's an order, Percy. No more kidnappings. For now...for now, keep him in the cells below deck, I guess. I don't want him to throw himself overboard or something." He put his hand on my shoulder. "My deepest apologies, sir. We'll return you home when we get the chance. I promise."

Nico di Angelo. The captain of pirates. My best friend.

He didn't seem to recognize me.

Word count: 1364