Chapter Three: Alliances

"So," Geoffrey twiddled his thumbs, "Where does it hurt?"

But Athena didn't care about her injuries. She barely even felt them. She could focus only on one simple thought: home. With hopes faded and faith lost, Athena succumbed to a restless sleep, leaving the unwitting sailor to guess at how to care for the wounded queen.

Xoxo

Geoffrey was the closest thing to a physician as was available. "Blasted doctor," he muttered, "had to go and contract scurvy, the nitwit." In light of the medical man's inability to remain healthy himself, Geoffrey was, at that moment, the mermaid's best chance of survival. Everyone had already dispersed, leaving the young sailor alone with Athena.

Perhaps it was delirium setting in, or possibly wishful thinking, but Athena found many similarities between this Geoffrey fellow and her beloved king. Even aside from the physical attributes—coarse tufts of red growing from the head and face, muscular build—the novice sailor's uncertainty reminded Athena of the young prince she had grown to love so deeply.

Athena could tell that her friend was feeling on edge. Their typical laugh-until-you-cry, all-around fun, swim through the courtyard had taken a dive into the not often visited realm of solemnity. Prince Triton tried hard to look everywhere but at Athena; there was a telltale blush accompanying each stunted, one-word response he gave to her inquiries. Despite the awkward atmosphere of this particular outing, Athena's heart was racing. The fourteen-year-old mergirl had recently begun to take keen interest in the prince, who was two years her senior. Could Triton possibly see her as something more than the child he had befriended so long ago?

"I went with Mother to the eastern corals today. Have you gone there before?"

"Once."

"Oh, they're beautiful! Don't you think so?"

"Sure."

And so it went. Athena rambled on, while the prince kept his thoughts to himself. The more Athena spoke, the angrier she became. What had happened? Triton was acting so strangely.

"Look here," Athena proclaimed heatedly, halting the prince's movement by grabbing his arm, "If you're going to keep being such a grumpy guppy, and not tell me what you're thinking, I'm going home."

Bewildered by the girl's seemingly sudden change of demeanor, Triton said nothing. Athena's heart beat wildly. A lump formed in the back of her throat. She relaxed her grip and began to turn away from him.

"Wait!" It was Triton's turn to reach for Athena. Taking hold of her hand, he spun her around to face him. Before he had the chance to think it through, he brought his lips down to meet with hers, and it was as though time stopped.

Athena had spent hours imagining what this moment would be like. She had daydreamed every possible scenario—but in all of her wildest imaginings, she never anticipated that her first kiss would go quite like this.

When Triton pulled away, Athena noted that the color of his face was comparable to the redness of his hair. Still, his eyes were downcast. It was as though Triton feared Athena would be outraged at the breach of etiquette and the barriers of their friendship.

"I should—I think I'll just—bye." Without leaving Athena any time for a response, the prince sped off in the direction of his quarters, too flustered to remain in the presence of the mergirl.

The happiness of that memory dulled Athena's current pain only for a fleeting moment, and then it was back to the real world. What were her options here? Cracking an eyelid open, she peered out at the concerned sailor. He appeared to be genuine enough. He would help her get well, but then what would happen? That terrible captain had plans, certainly. Athena could only guess at the terrible possibilities.

If the queen had any chance of escape, it would have to come after she had healed more. There was no getting around it: rely on Geoffrey's expertise, or die.

"I will cooperate." Geoffrey and Athena locked eyes, the former displaying an expression of surprise. Although the mermaid's voice was weak, her tone had a commanding quality that indicated both pride and sophistication.

"What do you require, lady?" Urgency replaced Geoffrey's initial shock.

"My scales," The queen breathed, "are too dry."

Geoffrey sprung to action, collecting seawater by the bucket and gently covering Athena's body with the cool stream. As the liquid flowed over her body, the queen let out a sigh.

There are many myths surrounding the magical qualities of the merfolk, but on that day Geoffrey bore witness to one of their more unlikely attributes. Athena's body was covered in fresh bruises, with quite a few moderately sized gashes. Where the salt water came into contact with these injuries, however, they began to heal.

Geoffrey recruited a few extra hands to move Athena from the deck to a washtub in the cabin, which they then filled with salt water.

Over the course of scarcely two hours, Geoffrey watched in awe as the fresh black and blue of the bruises faded into greens, purples, and yellows, until finally returning back to the natural peach and blue of the mermaid's skin and tail. The cuts on her body, deep and shallow alike, underwent a process of forming scabs and then healing back together, leaving barely a scar.

The human's boyish wonder amused Athena greatly, once she was coherent enough to feel anything other than pain.

"How is this even possible?" Geoffrey marveled, "It should take weeks for those to heal!"

Athena found it easy to relax in the genuine sailor's presence, "Oh, merpeople are always able to heal quickly in the water, especially with small injuries such as these."

The sailor was fascinated, "What about the bones? You had so much bruising due to breaks, I believe."

The queen smiled faintly, "A few days, certainly. Then I will be good as new, ready for whatever this captain of yours has planned."

Geoffrey and Athena were alone, in what Athena knew to be a washroom. Tubs made of tin lined the wall opposite from the door. One tub had been filled with seawater as per Geoffrey's request, although the mermaid was too tall to fit comfortably.

Both parties fell into a weighed silence after the uncomfortable subject of Captain Holmes came up. The man was not unreasonable, but capturing a mermaid was a rare occasion. It was unlikely that Holmes would set her free.

But Geoffrey's curiosity outweighed the tangible discomfort in the room. "What is your name? How did the pirates capture you? What is it like, down there in the sea?"

Athena allowed herself to laugh. "Well, if you really want to know, I will tell you everything."

And she did. As the sea queen's tale went on, Geoffrey's resolve hardened. He had known the mermaid for only a short time, and he was about to risk everything to help her.

"I will get you out of here. Somehow, it will be done. You have my word."