The restless flames within the fireplace breathed the lounge room to life with its warm light that reached for the room, the soft crackling of the fire the only sound that could be heard. I patiently sat in the comfort of the olive green velvet chair situated in a cozy corner in the living room as I waited for my mother to tell me the tale of Captain Poison Jack like she did every other night. When she finally sauntered into the room, slipping a silk robe over her night gown, I immediately grinned as I raised myself on the velvet surface of the chair and began to bounce up and down excitedly. She gave me a warm smile as she approached me.

"You ready my little monkey" She said, impersonating the voice of a pirate. I eagerly nodded in response as I then lept from the velvet chair's surface and then extended my arms pleadingly toward her so that she could pick me up and put me in her lap, but with my arms raised in the air, that only left me vulnerable and her with the opportunity to tickle me. I roared with laughter as she seized me with her wriggling fingers, my body writhing under her tickling hold, she looks at me with a large grin on her face.

We soon later settled, occasionally letting out a burst of giggles, as she then picked me up and placed me on her lap as she sat us down on the surface of the velvet chair, softly moving my hair from my face. She then lightly pinched my nose, giving me another wide grin.

"Look at how big and strong you've grown" she said, looking at me with her kind blue eyes that I had inherited from her "you are just as handsome as your father" she stated as she then softly prodded my nose with her index finger teasingly. My mother then rose from the velvet surface of the chair, carefully placing me back down onto the chair, as she then began to make our famous pillow fort. Once completed, she beckoned me to come over to join her. We both snuggled up together as we lay on the floor, smothered by cushions, finally ready to begin.

"Captain Poison Jack was the most cruelest man to have ever wandered through these lands" She started, holding me closely as we looked to the roof of the pillow fort as she painted the tale of Captain Poison Jack with her words. "He murdered whoever he pleased and pillaged wherever he pleased. No ruler knew what to do, they tried stopping the Captain countless times but nobody knew how to since the Captain could not be stopped as he was too powerful. But then one day, when he was pillaging a village near the city of Peinsilir, robbing its people of they're riches, he was unexpectedly stopped by a beautiful women."

"She had long, golden hair and eyes that were so blue that they made the ocean jealous, which is a very difficult thing to do. Captain Poison Jack couldn't help but become mesmerized by the girls beauty that it even stopped him in his tracks. She then spoke to him knowing that she had the Captains attention, 'turn back now or I will fight for my friends and family.' Captain Poison Jack was simply amused and decided to humor himself in accepting her challenge. He had thought to himself that if anyone were to stop him it was definitely not going to be a scrawny village girl, everyone who had been sent to stop him were champions of their village, big and strong men taller then trees who had easily been defeated by Captain Poison Jack."

"They sparred until night and she defeated him, everything his men had stolen was returned back to the village but the girl was simply unforgettable and the Captain had no intention of leaving the village without the girl who's name he found out to be Geia. He asked her to come with him but she refused without hesitation. The Captain had never wanted something more in his life."

"He stayed in an attempt to win her heart over like she had his. It took him weeks but eventually she gave in and they then got married. But little did the Captain know that the Gods were watching and with a weakness as strong as his love for Geia, it was too easy for the Gods. One night the Erinyes were sent to visit Captain Poison Jack by the Gods."

"The Erinyes were furies who punished men for their crimes against natural order. You would be able to identify the Erinyes sisters as they were winged women with arms and waists entwined with poisonous serpents. They wielded spears and were clothed in short-length skirts and boots of huntress-maidens. The purpose of they're journey was to subject the Captain to a curse where he would lose all of his riches, including his most prized possession, his wife."

"After subjected to the curse, he was then sent to below and was never to be seen again. The curse caused his wife to forget he had ever existed and his riches to wander the many seas aimlessly. The curse was created in a way that it could never be broken by any mortal. Captain Poison Jack's treasure still wanders the many seas, with all its riches, if you were ever to come across the treasure you would be the luckiest fool to have ever existed."

"I'm going to find the treasure one day" I stated to my mother as my eyes then peeked up at her, she looked down at me with an impressed smile.

"If you do my little monkey, be careful, the faintest of riches can corrupt anyone" she whispered softly as her eyes then made they're way back up to the roof of the fort.

"Mother.. Why did the Gods only send the Erinyes after Captain Poison Jack had fallen in love?" I asked as it seemed strange for the Gods to only curse the Captain after he had fallen in love and not when he only had his love for his riches.

"Because, a pirates most potent weakness is his love for another and the Gods understand this very well which was why they only sent the Erinyes after Captain Poison Jack had fallen in love with Geia" my mother answered "and if you ever see the Erinyes with a pirate Captain as foreboding as Captain Poison Jack, its because his love has become cursed."

The warm memory was then suddenly forgotten as the sound of footsteps replaced her soothing voice, the memory of my mother becoming a blurred image, slowly retreating back into my mind.

I began to stir uncomfortably in the tight hold pressing me against a hard surface as I groggily started to peel my eyes open, a painfully annoying throb suddenly seized my head causing me to groan obnoxiously at the unbearable pain penetrating my skull.

I forced my eyes to stretch open as cold light suddenly drowned my vision, the image of the bottom of a persons sharp jaw came into view and as they looked down at me with those familiar piercing emerald eyes, I realized it who it was. Captain Axel Dieter had me secured in his strong arms' embrace as the Captain and the remainder of his crew members walked through the cavern, some men carrying torches to light the way of the Caverns tunnels and some men bearing the weight of an injured friend leaning against them for support.

I softly pushed the Captain away slightly so that I could sit properly and comfortably in his grasp as I then caressed my head that throbbed with pain. "What happened" I whispered softly, scared that if I made a noise any louder my head would explode. I opened my eyes to find Captain Axel Dieter's penetrating emerald eyes locked onto me.

"You hit your head on the roof of the cavern" he said just as softly as I had spoken, making his voice rough and coarse like the stubble spread across his jaw. "You were instantly knocked out" he murmured, pressing his lips into a thin line as he watched me flinch from the insufferable pain pulsing in my head.

"What happened to the ship and the others?" my question coming out as an inaudible whisper and if the cavern hadn't been so quiet I doubt that Captain Axel Dieter would have been able to hear my question.

"Gone." He stated, juggling my weight in his embrace, his eyes looked distant as the piercing emerald suddenly avoided me. After a quiet pause I decided that I wasn't comfortable being carried by the Captain anymore.

"I should probably start walking on my own now" I mumbled my suggestion quietly to Captain Axel Dieter as I then gently pushed myself from his arms that were cradling me. He cautiously helped me down onto the floor so that I could make a bold attempt to stand on my own, but once I was left to stand without assistance, I groaned from the sudden rush of blood. I was drowned in instant nausea as I felt as though I was going to pass out from the overwhelming pressure of the blood flow.

"You need rest" Captain Axel Dieter hissed softly to me, his icy emerald gaze piercing me as his lips pressed into a disapproving line. He came closer to me in an attempt to swoop me back up into his arms but I lazily swatted his hands away.

"I'm fine" I said slowly as I was becoming dizzy from the throbs pounding my head like a drum.

"You don't look 'fine'" the Captain commenting the observation dryly as he snatched me back up into his firm embrace, pressing me to his taught chest. I immediately demanded that he released me, but his grip only tightened.

"Put me down now" I commanded weakly as I pathetically slapped my hand to the hard surface of his chest that probably felt like nothing to him since not only was that the most feeblest assault any human being had ever attempted in the history of human beings but it was also protected by the layers of fabric that padded my impact. I peered up at the Captain as my legs dangled over the edge of his biceps, his frigid emerald gaze directed ahead.

"Just close your eyes' dimples, you hit your head badly on the caverns roof, and you need rest" he instructed and I found myself slowly nodding obediently, deciding to shut my eyes, giving into the warmth of the heat radiating off Captain Axel Dieter's body and the protective hold of his arms protectively wrapped around my exhausted form. Although there would have been any other place I would have rather fallen asleep in, oddly enough the Captain's hold comforted me to sleep.

Later, I found myself groggily cracking my eyes open to the faint sound of distant voices, as I found myself in a foreign location that appeared to be a cave of some sort where the Captain and the crew members seemed to have made a camp site with a dwindling fire at its center, its soft crackling having lulled what appeared to be all of the crew members to sleep.

The voices that woke me up had begun to grow louder as if the situation were insisting me to feed my curiosity. So instead of ignoring the possibly private conversation, I decided to go investigate. As I was standing up to go and inspect who the voices belonged to, I found Captain Axel Dieter's coat draped on my form to keep me warm. I lightly pulled the coat off and slipped it on as I walked over the sea of crew members lost in their sleep, their soft snores decorating the room.

I made it to the caves opening and made my form hidden as I tried to decipher their conversation and who the voices belonged to as curiosity unusually beckoned me to engage my ears to eavesdrop.

"... as far as I am concerned" I realized it was Captain Axel Dieter speaking, but I wasn't sure to whom at this point "everything is going as it usually does, the lack of memories from the previous decades spent together, the usual events, but I've noticed a change... the sea serpents debut was unexpected and could've killed my dearest! Do you gods have something planned?" Gods? Perhaps he was talking to himself.

"Yes," I unusually recognized this voice but I couldn't grasp who it had belonged to,"there does seem to be a change, but that can only be explained by alterations in time, time is fickle after all and many things can change and that is expected" I quirked my eyebrow at what the familiar voice had said, interested in what the topic of this conversation was about.

"It's because of you, you don't need to hide it Dante, you've interfered in the past, what's stopping you from interfering this time around?" I heard Captain Axel Dieter huff out, his voice laced with irritation.

"Yes because I am the result of a sea serpent slithering its way into a cavern, you know that isn't possible, even for people like me and yourself!" The familiar voice spat, sounding just as frustrated as Captain Axel Dieter and then I quickly realized who the voice belonged to, the man with the azure eyes, in the alloy box! Confusion began to surge through my brain.

"Keep your voice down Dante!" Captain Axel Dieter hissed "Your reckless behavior might wake him up!"

I heard someone clear their throat.

"There is a reason I have been summoned to interact with you men this hopeful night" this time a female spoke and instinctively I poked my head out from the corner I had squashed myself into so that I could feed my curiosity, clutching onto Captain Axel Dieter's leather coat where my heart rate increased as I set eyes on the scene.

The women, Captain Axel Dieter, Dante. She who had spoken was blindingly glowing in heavenly light her image fitting the description of an Erinyes sister, "you would be able to identify the Erinyes sisters as they were winged women with arms and waists entwined with poisonous serpents. They wielded spears and were clothed in short-length skirts and boots of huntress-maidens." Captain Axel Dieter stood rigidly to the left of the furie with his eyes intensely fixed onto her, "and if you ever see the Erinyes with a pirate Captain as foreboding as Captain Poison Jack, its because his love has become cursed." And then my eyes had found azure that smirked at me knowingly, my heart jumped as I quickly rushed back to my corner, hearing the words that came out of the woman's mouth next "I have a proposition."

[tea.... hee :p anyway... let me know your thoughts!! any questions I may answer but some things may have to stay strictly confidential, I also have to thank everyone who has been reading this trash so far! I love you guys x]