Defying Sea (Rewritten)

Prologue

The gentle wind soared throughout the entire ship, whistling a pretty tune. The fresh smell of the sea gave a particular fresh feeling as the gentle waves came crashing down. Being in the middle of the sea during midnight was surely peaceful, it felt like lying down on a hammock beneath a large tree on a windy day.

Though the inside of the ship was the complete opposite. Bright and colorful lights brought in the life of the party, crew mates were dancing, some were singing, about hundreds of pirates were celebrating after taking over an empire ship. The captain though, he refused to celebrate just yet, though he encouraged the others to loosen up a bit. He gathered his closest mates to talk on a lower floor where the bedrooms were. He slammed a map onto the wooden table, the sudden thud waking them up from their half-asleep state. It was the middle of the night, the atmosphere was too comforting until this very meeting.

"Captain, you need to relax, we got the loot, what else is there?"

"So MUCH more!" The captain barely raised his voice, pointing at a certain area on a map. It was a large-sized island. It was marked with a red circle, grabbing everyone in the dark room's attention. "This is Athena. A civilized island with about a hundred people living in it. When we find it, we will surely be in the history books."

"You mean, IF we find it. Captain Con, you're not serious, are you?" One of the crew mates asked. "That's Athena you're talking about. Thousands of other pirates have travelled land and sea to get to Athena. None were ever seen again!"

"That's because they don't have the wits, the brains, and the brawn like we do!" The captain's voice was even louder this time. It was if they couldn't hear a single word he was saying. Or they were either refusing to listen. "We've been through so many ups and downs, we were honored as the greatest pirates of all time!"

"YOU were honored as the greatest "pirate" of all time. We're just labelled as your crew mates!"

"That's because I trust all of you! You're my family!" the captain almost pleaded. His ambition stood strongly, but something seemed to get in the way of it. The crew noticed that. One of them stood up with hands on the table that began to sway just a bit from the sailing.

"Well consider me out of the family. I'm sorry Augustine--"

"Con," the captain corrected with a sudden interruption.

"Con, I'm over. I'm sorry, but you've taken us for granted. I'm dropping myself off at the next stop."

"FINE-!"

"Papa?" a tiny voice crept through the door behind Augustine. He turned around only to see a small child, a little boy who held a light blue blanket. His dark grey shirt seemed to be larger than his own torso. His long and rich brown hair was ruffled for he had just woken up. Augustine's angered gaze softened when he saw the kid. The boy rubbed his right eye. "I can't sleep."

"My son, having nightmares again?" Augustine kneeled down to meet the child's height, looking into his large brown eyes. Both of them seemed really exhausted, it was certainly a long night for the boy and his father.

"Yeah," the boy nodded his head, being easily swept up in his father's arms. Augustine glanced at the rest of the adults, a calm look in his expression. His son comes first. Especially for tonight.

"C'mon my boy, lets tuck you back into bed," Augustine began to carry him to the boy's bedroom. The night light spilling through the wooden cracks was like a walk through a garden at night. It was so peaceful, so calming as the waves of the sea crashed ever so quietly. The boy got a quick glance of the sea, the moonlight reflecting off his brown orbs.

Finally, they arrived at the child's room. Augustine began to tuck his son in, smiling warmly. But the boy seemed incredulous, he frowned. His father laughed at the face. "What's wrong, son?"

"Why aren't you celebrating with the other adults?" He asked ever so innocently. "I heard you screaming."

"You see," Augustine sighed as he sat at the end of the boy's bed. He tried to convert the words into a more kid-friendly sort of tone, clearing his throat at the thought of his own son understanding difficult and mature themes at such a young age.

The furniture began to slightly sway, Augustine noticed. He took a deep breath and felt something lean on him. He looked down to see his son leaning on his side, he smiled and wrapped his arm around the boy. He'll grow up fine and well, I'm sure of it.

"My dear son, you're gonna meet plenty of different people. And when the time comes, you'll either have the choice to open your heart and trust them.. or realize that maybe it wasn't meant to be," Augustine began to comb his son's ruffled hair with his own fingers. "Either way, you have to respect who they are."

"Do you think people respect who you are?" The tiny child asked, getting sleepy in his father's company. Augustine was taken aback by the question, though he knew he must give an answer. It's his son. Whatever he says impacts his son's future and he wants it to be bright.

"I don't know, my son. But I promise you, I'm gonna handle everything. We'll all live happily, especially you, you mapaglarong batang lalaki," he began to playfully ruffle his son's hair again, smiling as the boy laughed. Augustine chuckled softly. "Back to bed, son."

"Goodnight, papa," His son whispered beneath his light blue blanket, smiling brighter than the moon ever has.

"Goodnight, Rogue, mahal kita," Augustine pressed a soft kiss on the boy's forehead, getting back on his two feet slowly until he was certain the child was back to sleep. The father smiled warmly, quietly leaving Rogue's room. He closed the door behind him gently, the sudden change in atmosphere as he entered the dark halls of the ship.

"That boy loves you, Con," the same crew mate who planned on leaving walked up to the captain, arms crossed against his chest. "He admires you, he'd follow you anywhere."

"I know," Augustine sighed, almost losing his footing as the ship swayed a little too harshly. He huffed. Did we predict the weather wrong?

"Look, Captain," the crew mate sighed, maintaining his footing back as well. "I won't be leaving if it means making sure you protect that boy. Rogue is.. like our little brother."

"Mph," Augustine chuckled. "See? We are family!"

"Alright, alright, don't push it, old man."

A/N

Hey guys! Welcome to the rewritten version of Defying Sea. I will be making improvements especially with the plot. I hope you guys enjoy reading this story!

mapaglarong batting lalaki - "playful boy"

mahal kita - "I love you"