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English
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Published:
2021-08-29
Completed:
2023-02-20
Words:
96,015
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46/46
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True Treasure

Summary:

The story is in two parts.

The adventures of a young princess discovering the experience of a lifetime through stowing away on a pirate ship to escape the cruel hands that belong to her 'people' and finding the family she never knew she needed.

Notes:

Warning: nothing too major

A/n: So this is one of the storylines for my 'Only Human' AU, and, because it's inspired by one of the dreams I had the other night, I just couldn't resist not posting this. Let me what you think of it.

Inspired by the movie 'Treasure Planet'. So underrated.

Chapter 1: Authors Note (Before we begin...)

Chapter Text

Before we start, I want to say...

I dislike the Tag Update. It's so frustrating wanting to post something, only for the warning to tell you you have too many tags on there and you have to delete how many there are. It just frustrates me so much, I was like, "WTF" as I was deleting the tags I wanted to keep. I wish they didn't update the tags. 

Thanks for listening to my rant. 

Anyways, moving on...

I managed to save a screenshot before I made the changes. 

file:///var/folders/lr/d79fjphs3gxcrmhb8fdrxgk00000gr/T/com.apple.Safari/WebKitDropDestination-xrMA9oOs/Screen%20Shot%202021-08-27%20at%2011.45.08%20PM.png

 

Now that the introduction's over

 

Plz enjoy the story

Chapter 2: Authors Note (Before we begin...)

Chapter Text

The night a map falls into her hands, an opportunity arises. 


Pandora "Blue", the youngest daughter of a strict, overbearing King, longs for life out into the oceans of the Seven Seas, but the dream of venturing to see the wonders of the seas was nothing more than a distant goal since she was to be engaged to an arrogant prince. She was about to get her chance of a lifetime one day when a fatally injured pirate passes on a map to the thought-to-be legendary Lost Isles to her, reminding her to beware of the "Silver Head". 

With the map now in her hands and a plan to escape her corrupt family and an arranged marriage that would mean the end of her freedom, Blue stows away on the prestigious Healing Odyssey through disguising herself as a cabin boy and persuades Captain Rodney Copperbottom to sail to the Lost Isles and find the loot of a thousand wonders stolen by notorious Captain Theodore Gray. 

The journey is not going to be easy, though, with Rodney's supposed friend—the forewarned Silver Head—plotting a mutiny and putting her life in danger to get to the treasure first...

Chapter 3: Prologue

Notes:

Warning: nothing too major

Word Count: 144

Chapter Text

On the clearest of nights when the winds of the Seven Seas were calm and peaceful, the great merchant ships with their cargoes of Acurian Solar crystals felt safe and secure. 

Little did they suspect that they were pursued by Pirates. And the most feared of all these pirates was the notorious Captain Theodore Gray. 

Like a band of blood-hungry sharks overtaking their prey, Gray and his band of renegades swooped in out of nowhere.

And then, gathering up their spoils...vanished without a trace.

Gray’s secret trove was never found, but stories have persisted that it remains hidden somewhere at the farthest reaches of the world. Stowed with riches beyond imagination, the loot of a thousand wonders...the Lost Isles. 

There are nights when the winds of the Seven Seas, so inviting in their promise of flight and freedom, made one's spirit soar. 

Chapter 4: A Princess's Spirit

Notes:

Word Count: 808

Chapter Text

As her white horse jumped over a fallen log, she rode across the woods, her bow and arrow safely on her back and side. Her sword, a long blade with a golden handle, bounced on her other side as the horse panted rhythmically with the steps. 

The maiden, a young woman of 15, flipped her head to the side to push her left-sided bangs from her face. Her eyes, blue like the oceans of the world, were filled with determination and wonder, focused on the path ahead of her. From behind, neighs belonging to other horses of the riders chasing her rang across the sky. Smirking to herself, the maiden urged her horse onward and sped on across the forests. 

No matter how hard the chasers tried to catch up with her, she was faster and smarter than them. She safely avoided a few low-hanging branches, leaving two of her chasers to be hit instead. Jumping to the other side of the river was easy for her, but another two successfully landed in the water instead. Despite the hills ending with a cliff ahead of her, the maiden leaped over to the other side with ease, leaving the rest of her chasers to find an alternate path. 

She whooped, leaning her head back to face the sky, and urged her horse onward. She took one last glance behind her to find her chasers no longer on her tail and smirked, continuing on her way. 

It was already close to midday by the time she made it to the docks. It was already busy to the point where people, mutants, robots, and any other people of species, color, and age had to step to the side during their journey. The maiden halted her horse to a slow walk and viewed around the docks with wonder and content. Despite the citizens nervously stepping aside for her to pass, she only gave them a reassuring smile. Her eyes then landed on the seas in the horizon line. Her nose inhaled the salty scent of the calm waters and exhaled with content. 

“The fair Princess of Mapplebarrow.” 

“Possibly about to meet a potential suitor…” 

From around her, whispers from the villagers took in the place of the once lively chatter of the docks. The maiden—the fair Princess—didn’t pay mind to it. 

However, a couple of children ran right in her path. The young boy barely hit her horse, sending him whinnying in shock. The maiden calmed her horse and stepped off his back to approach the now scared boy. “You alright?” She patiently asked him. 

Though frightened, the young child nodded as his sister helped him up. 

The maiden smiled at him and picked up the toy that he had dropped when he hit her horse. “Don’t worry. Just try to stay out of trouble and be careful next time, okay?” She tenderly told him. 

The boy smiled shyly at her and took his toy back. He called out his gratitude to her just as he and his sister ran off in another direction. 

Once the villagers’ worried whispers gradually changed back to loud chatters and shots from ships, the Princess mounted herself back on her horse and turned her gaze back to the vast ocean. She’d give anything in the world to see all the wonders out there…

“Princess Pandora!” A man’s voice, one filled with patience and kindness, brought her back from the views of the seas. General Holden, the man who had been in her father’s Royal Army for as long as she remembered, stood in the front of the soldiers that had been chasing her prior to her arrival at the docks. He was a dark-skinned man, his black-brown hair barely visible with small streaks of gray and kind hazel-brown eyes, dressed in a red jacket, white pants, and black boots. His sword rested on his side as he sat on his horse. “We must head back to the Castle, milady. Your father is possibly waiting for your return. The family of the prince set to wed you must be here now.” 

“Oh, is that today?” The Princess--or, in her case, Blue-- groaned. 

“Oh, don’t be so down, Your Highness,” Holden reassured her. “Hopefully, he’s better than the last ones you had to meet.” 

Blue smiled back. Whenever she was not looking forward to meeting one of her potential suitors, he was always there to make sure she’s in spirit and decide for herself. “Race you back to the castle, then?” She challenged playfully. 

Despite the soldiers’ groans, Holden couldn’t bring himself to not smile back at her. “You are just like your mother, child. Headstrong and kind.” 

Blue chuckled and whipped the reins, urging her horse forward. Holden and his men followed behind not even a second later. Yes, this all is going to have to wait.

Chapter 5: Duties in Mapplebarrow

Notes:

Warning: mentions of parental death,

Word Count: 1,614

Chapter Text

As she had predicted, her father was waiting for her in the throne room upon her return. However, upon seeing his dissatisfied and unamused expression, she knew she was in for it. 

Things hadn’t been the same since her mother’s passing ten years ago. Her father, the man once kindhearted, beloved by all of the kingdom of Mapplebarrow, grew cold and distant from her until her stepmother came into the picture a few years after her mother’s death. Blue’s hopes that her new stepmother would help put his life and hers on track again had withered away the second she understood that she is exactly like him—cold, ignorant of her feelings, not even bothering to give her the motherly love she lost so long ago. 

The fact that her father had grown stricter and more of a stranger to her over the years didn’t help her life, either. He was a hero to her heart, the model she had wanted to be one day, but it was all gone in the span of one night her mother passed. Her main handmaiden, Juliet, and General Holden were the only ones who understood her more than her parents; always giving her advice and the love she needed, the General teaching her his ways and knowledge of fighting and defending himself, albeit to the dismay of her father. Even her grandfather on her father’s side had been there for her until he and her paternal grandmother, his wife, were forced to leave Mapplebarrow and never come back at her father’s orders. 

To this day, no matter how hard she tried to get him to see things through her eyes, it was all to avail, hence the admonishing of her sudden absence. 

“I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you, young lady,” Todias lectured Blue sternly as he sat on the throne. Queen Martha—taller than Blue by a couple more feet, ginger curls wrapped in a tight bun, cold violet eyes—glared down at her with the darkest scowl on her face. 

“Father, I said I was sorry. I just forgot…” Blue added. 

“As a result of your sudden absence…” Todias started. 

“Sudden and reckless absence!” Martha joined in. 

“…the family of the prince set to wed you was…” 

“Well, they nearly refused to marry you! They waited so long to see you, and you disappeared from right under our noses!” Martha wailed dramatically. Blue internally rolled her eyes at her annoying drama. “It was going to be a wonderful meeting. And now this stunt of yours was this close to making us the laughingstock of the entire kingdom!” 

“Your Majesty, if I may…” General Holden, albeit a stern glare from Todias and Martha, piped in calmly. “It wasn’t her fault. I assigned one of my soldiers to keep a close eye on her while she was out and about, but she had managed to slip away from his eyesight. We had to chase her through the entire forest until she nearly ran over a fisherboy, and—” He stopped himself too late and facepalmed at his slip of tongue. 

“Fisherboy?” Todias nearly shouted as he stood up from his throne. “Oh, please don’t tell me you went down to the docks again, didn’t you young lady? Didn’t you?!” 

“Nothing...happened,” Blue shrugged nervously. 

“Oh, Pandora, how many times must we go over this?” Todias lectured her. “You could have been captured by one of those barbarians, those-those pirates!” 

“They’re not barbarians!” Blue argued. 

“They're dangerous. Do you think I want to see my young, only daughter get caught in some devilish man’s gold-hunting scheme?” Todias tenderly lifted her chin up to face him. 

“I’m not a little girl anymore, Father. I’m growing up...” Blue gently told him. 

“Your Majesty. The royal family of the Prince…” one of the Advisors interrupted her, catching the King’s attention. “They’ve sent a letter here today.” 

“Yes, of course. I’ll be right there,” Todias told the Advisor before facing Blue again. “Pandora, I don’t want to see you throw away your entire future for some pirate chase. We’ll discuss this later on.” He and Martha, who got up from her throne as well, followed the Advisor to the meeting room. 

Pandora sighed through her nose, close to crying. “Yeah, what future?” She mumbled under her breath and made her way to her quarters. 


It was so peaceful in the gardens at night, which made evening walks more bearable for her. Blue, now dressed in her nightgown, walked across the path, passing by dozens of roses blooming under the moonlight, two of her handmaidens not too far behind her. That’s something that annoyed her; someone always hovering over her to prevent her from escaping again or doing what she felt was right. Despite her stepmother telling her it’s just for her protection, she knew it was not that. It had been this way since she was 13. The air had grown chillier, hence the reason she had a shawl around her, something Blue didn’t mind. 

She glanced up at the night sky, her blue eyes shining under the bright stars. They looked so beautiful tonight. Her smile never stayed on her face for more than a moment when her mind returned to the confrontation between her and her father. 

The fact that her father refused to understand what she wanted to tell him, how he shot down at the people he saw as ‘pirates’, hurt her more than she could imagine. She had heard stories about them from her paternal grandfather when she was but a young child, full of excitement and wonder, and wondered what it was like being one. Going out on adventures, discovering hidden riches, battling dangerous enemies and monsters. It was something she’d love to have more than anything. Of course, her father had refused to let that happen, with the constant lectures of her being a proper princess and daughter, and her stepmother constantly shutting her words down and treating her more like a perfect, dressed-up doll. Her real mother never did that to her when she was younger, but the lingering fear of forgetting her beloved face and light-filled laughter stayed within her. 

If she was being honest, being trapped in a life with no happiness or love scared her. 

As if on cue, memories of her past came back to her like a flood. Memories of her mother, still alive and lovelier than she knew; her grandfather staying up late and telling her exciting tales of pirates battle and adventures; the two of them sparring with wooden swords, him letting her win the impromptu fight. Those were the things she longed to have again. 

Her grandfather and she were so close, as well as her and her mother. She had been told a lot of times how much she looked just like her; soft, long blonde locks flowing against the wind, wide, beautiful ocean-blue eyes bright like the salty seas, fair skin, a pair of tender lips curled up into a grin. It was obvious to the citizens who she looked like more. 

Now that they weren’t around anymore, she felt lonelier than before, albeit Juliet and Holden by her side every day of her life. No matter how hard she tried to get her father and stepmother to understand where she was coming from, she lost them further and further into the deep. It didn’t make it any better that her stepmother attempted to get her to follow her own ways of being a lady. 

Now that she was getting older, it was no use talking to her father like she used to back then. 

Blue sighed and wiped her tears from her cheeks. 

“Be honest. Was I too hard on her?” She could hear her father’s voice from the meeting room. Through the window, she could see only her father and another advisor conversing together. Thank God her stepmother was not in here, she would have sugarcoated this. 

“I believe so, your Majesty,” the other Advisor answered him kindly. “And you know she’s not wrong. She’s not a little girl anymore. Children don’t stay young forever. They need to grow up and lead their own lives. You just need to nurture her spirit.” 

“Nurture it? I’m at the end of my rope with her,” Todias stated. “Ever since her mother passed, well…she’s never recovered from it. And you know how smart she is. She’s creative and astute. She made her first painting when she was eight. And yet, she’s always defying my orders and testing my patience, and when I talk to her, she’s like a stranger to me. I don’t know, I’ve tried everything…” 

Looking back, Blue understood what he meant by that, but in her own view. As she got older, he became more strict with her and demanding for her to stay from the docks, though he didn’t know what it was really like there. Blue had stopped trying to submit to his cruel orders and became more headstrong and less happy with her life in Mapplebarrow. 

Just as she was getting ready to get back inside for the night, a low boom resonated from above, sending gasps from the two handmaidens. Blue glanced up at the source and saw, to her horror, an airship flew past them from above as smoke sputtered from the side. The aircraft soon landed outside the gardens, a fire being caught on not a second later. 

Before the handmaidens could stop her, Blue instantly rushed towards the airship, lifting the front of her dress for easier running. She didn’t know how this happened, but whoever was in there, she’s not leaving them in there.

Chapter 6: Chance Encounter

Notes:

Warning: contains minor character death, violence, blood.

Word Count: 1,696

Chapter Text

“Your Highness! You can’t be outside!” One of her handmaidens pleaded, but Blue didn’t stop running towards the fallen ship. Her heart raced from within her chest, her feet hitting the ground rhythmically. 

“Hey, mister! Mister, are you alright in there?!” She called out to whoever was trapped inside the ship and banged on the glass. A four-fingered clawed hand slammed against the window, prompting Blue to yelp terrified and jump back. 

The hatch instantly opened up, and a reptilian alien man fell out with a coughing fit. A small chest fell out of his arms in the process. The sudden opening of the hatch also allowed the smoke that was trapped in the airship to flow out, signaling that there was a fire going on. Blue knew in an instant that this is a Testudinidae man from one of her history books. 

The Testudinidae suddenly grabbed her by the arm, pulling her close. “He’s a-comin’, lass. Can you hear him? Those footsteps and cackling laughter, stompin’ and echoin’ like the Devil himself?!” He exclaimed, getting close to Blue, before letting her go and coughing again. 

“Uh, are you alright? Do you need a doctor?” Blue asked him worriedly. 

“He’s after me chest. That fiendish Silver Head and his band of cutthroats.” The reptilian man ignored her question and attempted to pick up the fallen chest. He soon picked it up, albeit with a strained grunt, and placed it over his shoulder. “But they’ll have to pry it from old Billy Bones’ cold, dead fingers afore I—“ He stopped when another painful coughing fit sent him tumbling to the ground and dropping the chest. 

Blue gasped horrified, now growing worried for the Testudinidae’s wellbeing. She rushed over to him and picked up the fallen chest, which, to her surprise, was light, by the handle. “C’mon, give me your arm,” she told him, took his hand, and wrapped it around her shoulder. 

She grunted as she helped him off the ground and half-dragged him across the ground. “Good lass,” the reptilian man mumbled. 

“Father’s not going to be happy,” Blue uttered as one of her handmaidens rushed over to help her. 

It wasn’t long before she had managed to sneak Bones inside the castle and straight to her quarters. It was a true miracle her father or stepmother never noticed. 

Blue opened the door to her quarters, with Bones’s arm around her shoulder and the chest in her hand. As if on cue, Juliet saw the Testudinidae man in Blue’s arm and gasped with shock. “Pandora, what were you thinking?!” She nearly exclaimed. 

“Julie, he’s hurt bad!” Blue explained and set Bones down to the ground tenderly before she put the chest down as well. The handmaids all gasped and murmured with worry at the weak reptilian man. 

“Oh, my word…” 

“What will Their Majesties say?” 

“Get him some water! Quickly!” Blue urgently ordered the handmaiden who helped her. With a quick nod, she rushed out the door and to the kitchen. 

Bones was close to dying, weak from the accident. “Me chest, lass,” he said weakly, reaching for the chest. 

Blue understood and slid the chest over to him. Bones weakly pressed the code for the parcel. “He’ll be comin’ soon.” The chest opened up, and he pulled out a spherical object wrapped in a cloth. “Can’t let them find this.” 

“Who’s coming?” Blue suddenly gasped when the Testudinidae grabbed her by the arm, gently this time. 

“The Silver Head…” he rasped near her ear. “…beware…the Silver Head…” 

Blue’s eyes widened at his words. What does he mean by the Silver Head? She didn’t have enough time to ask this, for Bones slowly fell to the floor, his final breath rattled as it left his body. The spherical object was now in her hands as he had given it to her. 

Julie gasped, covering her mouth. “Oh…” 

At that moment, a distant boom from outside, followed by frantic cries and screams, distracted the women from the fallen Testudinidae man. The tense booms that grew louder by the second brought the fear to grow in the women present in the room. 

“What was that?” One of the handmaidens gasped terrified. 

“You better hide it, lass, just in case,” Juliet told Blue. 

The Princess didn’t think twice. She quickly rushed to her bed and hid the spherical object underneath her pillow. Without thinking, she then strolled cautiously towards the window facing the docks from afar to see what was happening outside. Though she could only see fires that could be large upon closeup, Blue knew in an instant that there was danger happening. 

“Father! Something’s happening down at the docks!” Blue shouted and rushed out just in time to collide with Todias, who held her close tenderly. He understood the fear and shock in her eyes. 

“General, gather your men and head down to the docks! As fast as you can!” He called to Holden. 

The General instantly called for his men and didn’t hesitate to dash outside to confront the attackers at the docks. 

“Juliet, take Pandora to her quarters and stay there with her!” Todias then ordered Juliet. The raven-haired maiden quickly took Blue gently and led her towards her room, locking the door in the end. 

Far down at the docks, citizens were already running from the unknown attackers, some of them staying back to fight back with everything they had. Though they were able to hold them back for long, they were soon knocked out or killed in the process. General Holden and his men made it to the docks in time to find the docks already in chaos. 

“Let’s go, men! If they’re here for the Royals, we can’t let them get them!” Holden shouted to his men. They all yelled in agreement and charged at the attackers. 

Soon, the ambush fell into a battlefield. 

Holden would occasionally lead a few people to safety before fighting off the ambushers. Some of his men were having a hard time fighting back against the attackers, others bravely led them away from the fleeing villagers. 

Blue took another chance out the window. The General and his army, her father, having joined the fight a moment later, included, were close to losing the battle. A man standing on top of a box, their leader presumably, laughed darkly, his hand holding a long blade. 

Her eyes narrowed with determination. Before anyone could even stop her, she dashed towards the door, unlocking it in the process, and sprinted down the stairs in a flash. “Princess?! What are you doing?!” Juliet shouted after her. 

“Guard, get me my horse!” Blue, without answering Juliet, called out to one of the few remaining guards. 

“But, your Highness, your father explicitly stated that…” he began. 

“Just do it!” Blue cut him off with courage. 

By the time Martha saw that Blue was gone, she rushed to the doors, only to find Blue already en route to the docks. “Pandora, come back here this instant! Pandora! What’s happened to you?!” Even with her voice growing louder despite the distance, Blue still urged her horse on, unafraid of the danger ahead. 

Todias avoided one of the attackers’ hits and finished him off with one blow before a stray arrow barely missed him by the arm. Grunting in pain, he fell to the ground and dropped his sword in the process. 

“Your Majesty!” General Holden cried before he avoided another attacker’s swing. 

Todias glanced up at the person, revealed to be the leader in front of him, his eyes widening. With a dark chuckle, the leader pulled out a gun and aimed it at him, ready to pull the trigger. 

However, an arrow instantly shot the gun out of his hands, startling both the leader and Todias. When they turned towards the source, Blue stared down at him with bravery, a crossbow firmly in her hands. 

“Pandora, are you mad?!” Todias cried out to her in worry. 

Blue didn’t answer him, only shot at the leader again, this time hitting right through his leg and sending him falling off the box. She then ducked behind another box when one of the ambushers shot at her before shooting at them again. 

As one of his minions helped him off the ground, the leader took a glance at Blue when she jumped out of her hiding place to shoot at a few more ambushers. Yet the fires behind them made it harder for her to see, Blue could see the clear look of the figure himself. His hair was up in a fin-like hairstyle, his hair color unclear, though she could tell it was a silver hue. 

Blue narrowed her eyes at the leader, her crossbow still in her grip. It was a silent warning, a warning that anyone brave enough to understand. 

The figure glared at her, one of the ambushers holding his arm around him. “Fall back!” His voice rang across the docks. 

At his command, the ambushers started to follow behind the leader and minion, their yells echoing across the sky. The second they left, the docks were completely littered with fallen bodies, and some of the buildings there were destroyed. The living soldiers began to help those that were injured from the ground and carried them back to the Castle. 

Todias, albeit his arm injured, rushed towards his daughter, who discarded the crossbow, and hugged her tight. “Pandora! What were you thinking?! You could have been hurt, not to mention get yourself killed!” He sternly lectured her. “Did they get you?! Are you hurt?!” 

“I was going to ask you the same,” Blue replied, even though she saw his arm covered in blood from the arrow that shot him. 

“Everyone, get back to the Castle! Now!” Todias ordered the remaining living guards. 

“What do you suppose they were after?” 

“Not the King or Princess, that’s for sure.” 

“We can’t be certain of that yet.” 

As the guards and Royals made their way back to the castle, their questions shifted to the uncertainty of whether the attackers were after the King and Princess or resources. They have undecided themselves, but Blue might have an idea.

Chapter 7: The Map

Notes:

Warning: mentions of death, threats of...imprisonment? I dunno, plz tell me

Word Count: 1,491

Chapter Text

After the thrilling battle with the attackers, later discovered to be pirates, Todias had ordered the villagers that had escaped the docks to seek refuge in another town until everything was all sorted out. Todias and Martha would have bellowed at Blue the second they saw Bones’s body on the ground in her room, but luckily, she was able to explain that he crash-landed near the gardens and was terribly injured before he passed shortly after. Juliet and the handmaidens also backed up her story, much to her relief, and had also stated that even though he could be a pirate, he still deserves a proper burial. Blue thanked the stars above so many times her father tolerated Bones enough to have him buried near the cliffs near the seas. 

Some time later, the family of three, Holden, Juliet, and some of the servants gathered around the fireplace, lit up to keep everyone warm and dry. Apart from the wound that would leave a permanent scar on his arm, Todias was unharmed and safe. However, that didn’t stop him from scolding her gently about stepping into danger at the last minute. 

“What in the world were you thinking, Pandora? You would have been hurt or killed at the docks by those pirates, not to mention compromised the entire mission,” Todias sternly told her. Blue had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as a shawl. “And didn’t I warn you that you shouldn’t be carrying around those crossbows? You could have been hurt…” 

“Lay off her, your Majesty. If it weren’t for her stepping in at the last minute to save you, you would have been left for dead in the docks,” Juliet stopped him before he could go on even further. 

Todias glanced at Holden and the servants for support on his scolding, but all he received were shrugs and nonverbal agreements on Blue’s selfless acts. Sighing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat in his armchair. Blue turned her attention towards the spherical object that she had soon discovered was a golden orb with strange markings on it. 

“Well, certainly a lot of trouble for that odd, little sphere,” Martha added as one of the maids handed her a teacup. 

Blue picked up the sphere from the accent table and studied it. 

“Holden, do you recognize those markings on this object?” Todias asked Holden. The adults weren’t paying any attention to Blue messing with the sphere. 

“No, unlike anything I’ve ever encountered…” 

As the adults conversed, Blue pressed some buttons on the sphere before it made a whirring sound, which meant that it was unlocked. Without thinking, she smoothly turned the controls on the sphere. 

“Even with vast experience and superior knowledge, it’ll take years for astrophysicists to unlock its—” Holden was cut off when green, bright lights instantly flew out from the orb. “What the—?” 

Blue gasped in awe as Todias and Martha stood up from their chairs. The servants and maids also inhaled in wonder and shock at the lights’ sudden appearance. The lights flew around the room for a moment until a grid finally formed around them. The smaller lights spiraled around them, changing into stars and islands. 

“Oh, my—”

“It’s some form of map,” Holden understood. 

Blue stared around the grid in wonder and saw a familiar piece of land. Mapplebarrow, she understood. She tapped on the island, which made the adults gasp in surprise when the holographic map started to move. 

“That’s the China Seas,” Holden exclaimed and yelped when another island moved past him. “The European Lands!” 

One of the Lands collided with Blue, breaking apart for a moment and forming together once more as it flew past her. 

“The Frozen Fjords, and that’s the Carribean Seas, and…” Holden paused for a moment at another island, different from the ones on the holographic map. It had a large volcano-like mountain at the far end of the island, bits of the shore in the front. Dozens of greens surrounded the mountain. 

Blue’s eyes widened when she recognized the familiar island. 

“Why, it—it’s…” Holden began. 

“The Lost Isles,” Blue finished, her smile growing. 

“No,” Todias breathed in disbelief. Martha looked like she was ready to faint. 

“That’s the Lost Isles!” Blue spoke louder, excitement growing within her tone. 

“Gray’s Trove? The loot of a thousand wonders?” Juliet quoted in wonder. 

“You know what this means?” Holden added. 

“It means that all that treasure is only a boat ride away,” Blue smiled, chancing a glance at the sphere in her hand. 

“Whoever brings it back will hold an eternal place atop the pantheon of explorers! He’d be able to experience—!” Holden’s dramatic speech was interrupted when the green lighting was gone, and the room went back to normal. “Whoa! What just happened?!” 

“Father, this is it! This is the answer to all our prayers!” Blue spoke to her father, still holding onto the map. 

“Pandora, this is absolutely no way—” Todias began to protest. 

“Don’t you remember? All those stories that Grandpa used to tell me?” Blue reminded him. 

“That’s all they were! Stories!” Todias told her. 

“With that treasure, we could improve the village and help everyone else a hundred times over!” Blue went on. Her heart was still racing from realizing that not only was the legendary hoard of Captain Theodore Gray a reality, but this is finally giving her the chance she needed. 

“Well, this is-it’s just—oh, my…” Todias said with a slight chuckle in the end, close to aggravation. 

“I do not care whether this legend is real or not. I will not have my stepdaughter wander around searching for some ridiculous story,” Martha piped in, clearly annoyed at her excitement. 

“You saw a map that revealed that the myth of Captain Gray’s Trove is real! What more proof do you need to understand this?!” Blue argued with her. 

“Juliet, General, will you explain how ridiculous this is?” Todias turned to Juliet and Holden. 

“Well, she’s not wrong, your Majesty,” Juliet told him with honesty. “The map revealing the location of the Isles is proof enough for one to travel there.” 

“And even then, they’ll need a crew, captain, and a ship to get there in possibly three months’ time,” Holden joined in. 

“That’s no excuse! Pandora, didn’t I warn you?! Stop chasing around those silly legends?!” Todias then turned his growing aggravation on Blue. 

“Well, they’re not!” Blue argued, horrified that he still refused to believe that the Lost Isles is real. 

“I say they are! Captain Gray, the Lost Isles…” 

“You’re not listening to reason…” Blue started. 

“Treasure, pirate! Poppycock!” Todias ranted. 

“But it’s real! You’re just not seeing the picture!” Blue begged him. 

“Absolute poppycock! And let me tell you, this ridiculous—” 

“Now, your Majesty…” Juliet stepped in front of him before he could approach Blue. 

“‘Now, your Majesty…’” Todias imitated her sentence in a mocking, angry tone. “‘Now, your Majesty…’ Well, now his Majesty will have his say!” 

“Please, sire…” 

“Juliet, the girl is still a child! It’s high time she moves to the prince’s home far away!” Todias’s voice bellowed across the room. 

“Father!” Blue cried. 

“Yes!” Martha nodded in agreement with Todias’s shocking declaration. 

“What?!” Holden gasped appalled. 

“No!” Juliet yelled. The maids and servants in the area were also horrified to hear their King demand for his daughter to be sent far away against her will. 

“I mean it! Young lady, this is your last night here in Mapplebarrow. Once you arrive there, you will not go anywhere without an escort or never leave the palace again from now on! And that’s my final word in the matter!” Todias admonished Blue. 

“You can’t do this, Father!” Blue instantly shouted, her shock fading away. “There’s a legend out there waiting to be discovered, and you’re just going to send me away to some prince I haven’t met yet?!”

“It’s what’s best for the kingdom! I will not have you going around chasing some fairytale and humiliating our family!” Todias countered. 

“So you’re willing to not believe that a legend is real?!” The blonde girl, finally finding her voice again, argued. 

“I’m willing to protect my kingdom from shame and humiliation!” 

“You can’t just—“ 

“I know my place! It’s time you learn yours!” Todias cut her off angrily. 

Blue looked like she wanted to keep on arguing, her back straight in a brave stature. But the tears and the lump forming in her throat prevented her from fighting back verbally. Without anything left to say and defend herself and her freedom, she instantly dashed towards her room, the map safely in her hands. Juliet and Holden stared on at where Blue had run off and faced the King pleadingly. Even if he did hear what she was begging him to do, there was no way he would even reconsider it. The General sighed in defeat and heartbreak, with Juliet trying to fight back her own tears.

Chapter 8: Final Decision

Notes:

Warning: mentions of implied false imprisonment, mentions of parental death

A/n: I've been listening to Mulan 1998 'Short Hair' while writing this scene, and it was so empowering

Word Count: 1,564

Chapter Text

Blue soon made it to her quarters and slammed the door shut, not caring if it would break something in the process. Despite how much she wanted to, she failed to hold back her tears. As her back slid down against the door, her sobs broke out from her throat and resonated across the room. The map now resting beside her, Blue rested her head on her arms, her legs crossed underneath them. 

She didn’t know what to do. Her father has planned on sending her away from Mapplebarrow to some prince’s palace and refusing to let her leave from there on her own terms. From the way the handmaidens and servants had told her, he was arrogant, rude, egotistical, corrupt, almost like his parents. He reminds her so much of the last few suitors who had arrived to see her; they were not in it for love, but for the wealth and status of her and her father. 

No matter how much she tried for her father to reconsider, that she’s not ready for marriage yet, he would always shut down her beliefs and opinions, stating that ‘it’s all for the good of the kingdom’ and ‘he wanted what’s best for her’. Not for the best for her, in her case...to make the kingdom stronger. That’s one of the reasons she felt so trapped. He had been so power-hungry and corrupt since he remarried. She had seen what his greed had done to the villagers. They were barely getting by because he raised the taxes that needed to be paid over the years. 

Crickets chirping from outside and the ocean waves crashing from afar by the cliffs were the only sounds joining her heartbreaking sobs. The atmosphere in her quarters was tense and silent, the deafening quiet growing stronger as her sobs died down. 

Her head raised itself on its own and stared out into the open seas. For as long as she could remember, her grandfather had told her so many wonderful stories of the oceans out there. He even went so far as to get her a book of the legendary—not legendary anymore—Captain Gray. 

“Do you think somebody will find the Wost Isles, Gwandpa?” Blue had asked him when she was still young, barely three years of age, and curious about the wonders of the seas. 

“Sweetheart, I think it’s...more like a legend,” her grandfather, still in his prime, had replied to her. 

“I know it’s weal.” 

Her grandfather, her beloved, sweet grandfather, smiled at her. “You win, Wolf Cub. It’s real.” 

Blue took a moment to pick up the map and stared at it with tear-filled eyes before turning her gaze back to the sea. It’s all out there, waiting for her to discover every single legend speculated to be more than just a story. 

“I’ll be out there one day with you, lass. Seeing all the wonders of the world, finding adventure around the corner. I’ll take you with me one day, and we’ll see it all…” Her grandfather’s words echoed in her mind, even after the day he was forced to never come back. Even with her tears dried, she still can’t stop thinking about him and how life would be like if she stayed here any longer. 

Is this what her heart truly wanted? A lifetime of misery and loneliness, trapped in a loveless and cruel marriage with a cruel prince she doesn’t know yet? Unable to venture out into the vast sea and find so many adventures to discover?

No. This is not what she had planned for. A lifetime of hatred, devastation, and one’s unwillingness to understand that she is not a child anymore and ready for this is not her plan. 

Her decision has been made. 

With her eyes now narrowing to determination, Blue soon picked herself off the floor and started planning. 

For what seemed like hours in the dead of the night, Blue packed up as many essentials as she could while successfully trying to not startle her father or anyone else in the castle awake. The next thing she did was find clothes suitable for a cabin boy. If she needs to cover her tracks, she’ll have to find a ship that will be sailing sooner or later. 

Once she found the clothes she needed, she stood in front of the vanity, her cheeks stained with trails of her tears that ceased falling from her eyes. With one hand taking hold of her hair, the other picked up a pair of scissors in a firm, yet loose grip. Even when she got older, already to make her own choices, her father strictly forbade her from cutting off her golden-blonde locks. “It’s an honor to have such beautiful hair. No man would want a woman with short hair,” he had told her, venom laced in his tongue. 

Right now is not the time to let his words get to her. Without a second thought, Blue brought the scissors to her hair and began cutting it. 

It wasn’t long before she got it to the length long enough to pin it up with a hairpin and hide it underneath a cloth. Just as the moon slowly descended behind the horizon, she was dressed in a white shirt, brown pants, a red belt-like cloth around her upper waist, and boots. 

Blue double-checked her backpack and to see if she's not missing anything. The map, safely in the side pocket of her backpack; her sketchbooks and small art supplies; her essentials; some food she had managed to nab from the kitchen on the way out; the pendant—a special gift from her mother before she passed—a beautiful red gem shining under the faint moonlight safely around her neck and hidden underneath the shirt. She’s got everything. 

With her backpack around her shoulder, she was close to the door before her eyes caught sight of someone standing near the stairs. Her heart would have blasted from her chest if she didn’t know it was Juliet and no one else. A solemn expression crossed her face as the moonlight disappeared behind the windows. 

Blue felt terrible to leave her like this, but this isn’t the life she wanted so long ago. She had been there for her throughout everything that had happened up until this point; her mother's death, the remarriage, her grandfather’s forced departure. 

And now she’s being forced to leave one of her few beloved friends behind. 

Juliet approached Blue, her solemn expression not even fading away by the second. “Blue...I don’t want to lose you…” she gingerly brushed a strand of hair from her hair with a delicate movement and cupped her cheek. 

Blue relaxed lightly from her touch. It was something that kept her grounded before she could even break apart. She smiled softly and held her hand still on her cheek. “I can’t stay any longer. I have to go…” She told her, close to crying. 

Juliet smiled back at her and hugged her tight. “I know. I’ll miss you, dear.” 

Blue hugged her back, her head nearly buried in her shoulder. She soon pulled away from her and stared into her gentle, grey-violet eyes one last time before she bolted quietly for the door towards the gardens. 

With a solemn, warm grin, Juliet watched Blue sneak her way across the gardens and begin to climb up the walls surrounding it. Blue stopped at the edge of the wall when she got to the top to glance back at her handmaiden. Smiling one last time, she swung her leg over to the other side and disappeared behind the vine-covered wall. 

“Ancestors...please keep her safe…” Juliet silently prayed. 


Blue didn’t bother taking her horse with her this time. If she did, that would mean leading her father and his guards straight to her in no time flat. It was a short walk from the castle to the road leading to another town from Mapplebarrow. She couldn’t risk going down to the docks near the Kingdom. Her father would surely find her there. 

As she walked down the side of the dirt road, she stopped for a second and looked back at the Kingdom. It was fading to nothing more than a dot appearing in her sight. The fog slowly lifted from the ground as the sun began to rise from behind the horizon. Blue sighed through her nose and continued down the road. A short moment afterward, she saw a cart with a man driving the horse down the dirt road and stuck her thumb up. Luckily, he saw her and stopped the horse in its tracks. 

“Going somewhere, lass?” The man, a stout fellow with a hat over his head, asked her. 

“Heading down to the docks. One that’s in the other town far from here,” Blue replied in a boy’s voice. 

“Yeah, we’re heading down there as well. Wanna lift?” 

Blue smiled in relief at his answer. With help from another man, his son-in-law, she got in the back, joining the rest of his family. Soon, the cart was now en route to the docks of the other town. 

As the cart continued down the path, Mapplebarrow grew smaller and smaller by the second. Blue watched on until the kingdom was nothing more than just a piece of land. 

“I’m not turning back now. My adventure’s just beginning.”

Chapter 9: The Healing Odyssey

Notes:

Word Count: 3,615

Chapter Text

After what seemed like a day and a half, the cart carrying the family and Blue made it to the port of the other town far from Mapplebarrow, perhaps 10 miles. Blue was glad and relieved that the family didn’t see through her disguise. If they did, she’d be worried that they would send her back or leave her on the side of the road, making her walk all the way over. Nevertheless, she let out a sigh of relief she never knew she had been holding the entire time. 

A moment before they arrived, Blue took a moment to study the area of the port. Countless ships of shapes, sizes, and colors sailed across the waters leaving or arriving at the port. Gulls and manta birds occupied the skies, their calls echoing across the air. 

The toddler girl, who was sitting in her mother’s lap, giggled as she tried to crawl across Blue’s legs. The older girl couldn't stop herself from laughing with adoration as her mother gently picked her up and held her. 

The cart soon came to a stop once they got through the gateways of the port. Blue stepped out along with the family and gasped in amazement at the sight before her. 

“Thanks for the ride,” she politely told the driver in her best male voice. 

“No problem, kid,” he replied to her before he went to help his daughter and son-in-law step out. 

An elderly woman, the grandmother—she can’t tell whose grandmother—seemed to understand what she was looking for and gestured for her to come close. “See Captain Rodney. He can help,” she whispered to her. 

“Where can I find him?” Blue whispered back, her voice back to normal. 

“At the Healing Odyssey. But you didn’t hear it from me,” the grandmother told her. 

“Oh…Captain Rodney…” Blue mumbled in thought. She thought the name sounded familiar to her. 

Blue walked around the busy port in search of the aforementioned Healing Odyssey. Whenever the area became too crowded, Blue would find an open spot for her to go through and continue on her search. Eventually, she decided to ask for directions from a robot standing on a ladder near a window, with an orange-furred alien holding the bottom of the ladder to steady him. 

“Second berth on your right!” The robot instructed her. 

“You can’t miss it,” the alien told her. 

“Thanks,” Blue said with a short wave and started down the staircase. 

With the directions she had finally received, she continued her search. It wasn’t long before she finally came to a stop where the ship she was looking for would be. She gasped with admiration and wonder upon seeing the ship. 

The Healing Odyssey was bigger than she believed. A gargantuan galleon painted blue and gold along the edges, and a crest of a Phoenix right in the front of the ship. 

“Whoa,” Blue gasped with awe. Her eyes were shining with amazement at the exterior of the vessel. They then landed on the plank in front of her. There was no one guarding it at the moment. 

Breathing deeply, Blue stepped on the plank and made her way up. 

“Stow those casts forward! Heave together now!” A voice with a Scottish accent commanded. 

Blue stepped on the deck and took a moment to analyze the environment around her. From all around, there were humans and mutants of sizes and species alike on the ship. Most of them were human, others were mutants. They scattered around doing the work that needed to be done on the deck. 

“Oh, this is incredible,” Blue mumbled to herself. 

One of the crew came by and picked up the plank from the side of the ship. He stopped for a second to take notice of her. A young boy, almost her age, has brown, messy hair, green eyes, and fair skin. He is dressed in an orange vest, white shirt, brown pants, and black boots. When his emerald greens made contact with her ocean blues, everything seemed to slow down for them. 

She didn’t know who that boy was, but her heart was beating faster the longer she stared at him. Her eyes were wide as plates, her cheeks burning red with each second. 

“Hey, Bandicoot! Get moving, kid!” Two passing mutants lightly slapped him in the back of the head, which sent the boy moving again. 

Blue stayed where she was, her eyes still trained on the boy. 

“Roth, I checked the ship from stem to stern, and as usual…” A feminine voice broke her out of her thoughts. 

Blue turned to her side and spotted a young woman conversing with an older man. The woman has auburn curls tied in a ponytail, sky-blue eyes, and a full upper lip. She is dressed in an off-shoulder, long-sleeve shirt with long, brown cuffs, orange-brown corset vest, dark red shawl tied around her waist, dark grey pants, and brown boots. She has a long blade held onto her side by a belt. The man she was conversing with has gray hair and blue eyes and is wearing a gray and red, golden trimmed uniform and pirate hat. 

Blue tilted her head confused as she tried to understand why she looked so familiar. 

“Hey, kid!” 

Another voice turned her attention from the two discussing and nearly yelped when she saw how tall the man before her was. The man was about 7 feet tall—to her, he looked like a giant—and had white hair like snow, blue-and-purple eyes, and blue horns, one of them broken on the left. He wore a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, an ice-blue vest that stopped mid-waist, white belt-shawl, belt that held two swords on his back, dark blue pants, and winter-like boots. 

“Best you get moving, squirt. Cap’s not gonna be happy to see stowaways on his ship,” the man leaned down to her level and handed her a mop and bucket of water before winking at her. 

As he walked off, Blue gaped at him confused and astonished. He knew that she wasn’t in the crew. How is that possible?

A shrill whistle startled her from her thinking. She yelped quietly and held onto the mop handle. 

“Prepare to cast off!” The man—Roth—shouted. 

At his shout, the crew quickly rushed to their stations and prepared themselves for the launch. Blue set the mop handle near the wall and headed to the stairs that would lead her to the sleeping quarters. 

With gentle steps, Blue entered the sleeping area and saw numerous hammocks on each and every post. She scanned the area until she found one that wasn’t occupied and set her backpack and coat she had brought with her on it. She sighed with relief as no one was down there with her. Checking to find no one watching her one last time, Blue headed back up to the deck, not noticing a creature watching her from the darkness of the upper corner. 

“We’re all clear, Captainess!” Manolo, a man with dark brown and black hair tied back into a ponytail which curls at the end, and bangs and hair curl upwards into a curly swirl, called from the rat’s nest. He is dressed in a no-sleeve shirt, red jacket, black vest, golden-yellow belt-shawl, black pants, and matching boots. 

“Well, Roth, are we ready to sail out of here in this creaking tub?” The woman, the Captainess, turned to Roth with a small grin. They stood at the helm with two men—brothers, one of them with blonde hair, blue eyes, and is dressed up in a blue shirt with a v-neck collar, black vest, dark brown pants, and brown boots; and the other dressed in the same attire, but with the shirt in the color of green, and his brown hair swept up in the front and matching brown eyes-a man with red-auburn hair and blue eyes, dressed in a red coat, long-sleeve shirt, red vest, pants, and shoes; and a man with grey-blue skin covered in red markings on his face, arms, and the rest of his body, dressed in only dark brown pants and boots at the helm wheel. 

“My pleasure, Captainess,” Roth nodded at her. “All hands to station!” He shouted to the crew. 

Just as Blue was coming up to the deck, some of the crew scrambled around and climbed up the shrouds to let the sails loose. A couple of the sailors were racing one another to the yards, while others took their fast time to get to the sails. 

“Loose all solar and natural sails!” 

At Roth’s order, the crew undid the ropes holding the sails closed on the yards. Blue unwittingly bumped into the green-eyed boy, who was pulling on the rope. He sent her a friendly, understandable smile before continuing his job. 

As the Healing Odyssey moved towards the launching part of the docks, Blue took a moment to glance over the side of the ship to find a group of fish departing from the side and into the open waters. “Whoa,” she gasped in slight amazement. 

“Heave up the braces! Brace up!” 

The sunlight dawned on the solar sails, which lit up when the energy was activated from the sunlight. Blue rushed over to the main mast and studied the solar energy transferring from the solar sails to the system below the deck. A large mutant hippo with a pirate hat, dressed in a purple jacket, white shirt, black pants, and shoes, held onto the controls as he watched the system warm up. 

Blue instantly found herself flying from the deck floor, gasping with surprise. This was a sign that the crew traveling would experience the absence of gravity along the way. She couldn’t help but laugh as she floated around. 

“Ralph, engage artificial gravity!” The Captainess, who hovered only a few feet above the ground, ordered a burly man with burly dark auburn hair, brown eyes, and thick eyebrows, dressed in a red open vest, green-blue belt cloth around his waist, and dark red pants. Roth only retained his posture like her, while the two men and the other went flying upwards. 

“Aye, Captainess!” The man saluted, remaining on the ground due to his weight. He pressed down on a control, which activated the gravity throughout the ship again. 

Blue landed on the deck again with ease, the two brothers crashed right down on the floor, their grunts in sync with one another. The Captainess, Roth, and the other man landed on their feet, barely falling over. 

“South by Southwest, Drax, heading 2-1-0-0,” the Captainess then said. 

“Aye, Captainess. 2-1-0-0,” the grey-blue-skinned man replied and turned the wheel to shift the ship towards the exit of the launching port. 

“Full speed, Mr. Roth, if you please,” the Captainess added. 

Roth leaned down to a communication line, so his voice could travel down to the bottom part of the deck. “Take her away!” 

The mutant hippo saw the systems fully charged and pushed the lever forward. Up above, Blue heard the thrusters rev up and quickly held onto the railing. 

“Brace yourselves, gentlemen,” the Captainess muttered to the three men. The blonde man, regaining his posture, muttered her words in a childish manner. 

The second the thrusters sent the Odyssey flying across the waters and out through the opening, the three men screamed as they went flying backward, with the Captainess standing perfectly in place. The men soon hit the wall, their grunts mixed together, and fell to the ground in a dizzy state. 

The Odyssey sailed across the waters, the speed slowing down to a cruising pace. Blue climbed up the lower shrouds and hung onto the ropes leading up the main mast. Her eyes widened into an amazing stare as she gazed out towards the neverending ocean. From behind her, the docks shrunk down to nothing more than just a dot until she could no longer see it. The elation in her grew when she understood what happened. 

“I made it. I’m free at last. I wish you were here to see it all, Grandpa.”  

A beaming smile crossed her face. She gazed out into the vast seas ahead of her. The wind whipped past her bangs, the cloth covering the rest of her hair safe and tightened. 

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The seas were all so beautiful, just like Grandpa had described them to her. She had never been this far out into the seas before, and she was loving every second of it. 

The joyful excitement in her veins made her face warm up. She felt like she was walking on seventh heaven. 

A call, one she had heard before, brought her gaze from the vast oceans to the side. What she saw made her eyes widen more and her smile grow. “Wow.” 

A whole migration of whales flying over the waters hovered harmoniously beside the Odyssey. In an instant, Blue recognized them as “Orcas Cloudus”, or “Flying Whales”, as her grandfather had told her. She had read about them before in one of her books. They were born with the ability to fly over the seas and were often seen traveling in pods. 

A family of whales flew next to the Odyssey. The baby calf looked directly at Blue and called to her in a playful manner. Blue giggled as the baby calf returned to its parents. 

“Oh, blimey. An Orcus Cloudus,” the red-haired man gasped in astonishment. He whipped out his camera in a flash, ready to take a picture of one of the passing whales. “Smile!” 

“Uh, Patterson, I’d stand clear if I were—” The Captainess was unable to finish her sentence in time. A liquid from the whale’s head cavity shot out from it and flew straight into the man’s face before he could even take a picture. 

The Captainess chuckled under her breath. Shouts from another room brought her attention from the helm where the man stood. 

A mutant red-eared slider with lime green skin, a mustard yellow plastron, and a blue-green carapace with a teal design slid in at the front of the helm, skidding to a stop. He has red stripes over his eyes, yellow stripes on his upper arms and thighs, black eyes, three fingers on each hand, and two toes on each foot. He wears a blue mask with long mask tails, grey fingerless gloves with blue trim that extend nearly to his elbows and matching knee-high socks. He also wears a blue belt with a strap that goes over his right shoulder. Attached to his belt are a pair of blue pouches (one on the side and one on the back) and the Turtle emblem placed on the left.

“Captainess!” The blue turtle suddenly saluted, until three more in different colors crashed into him. Their grunts of pain and yells were in sync the second they crashed into each other. A second later, the four turtles now stood upright and saluted to the Captainess in a soldier-like manner. 

The larger and muscular turtle has bright green skin, a yellow-orange plastron with a jagged top edge, and a spiked dark green carapace . His elbows and shoulders have spikes on them, and he has yellow sclera and teeth, a sharp tooth protruding from the right side of his upper jaw. He has donned on a red mask with a tear on the right side that covers the top of his head and has long torn mask tails. He wears red cloth on his elbows, off-white bandages around his hands and ankles, and small bandages on his leg, plastron, and arm. He also wears red shorts and a red belt with the Turtle emblem placed on the left.

The other standing beside the blue turtle has jade green skin with geometric purple markings on his upper arms and thighs, a light brown plastron , and a dark brown and green carapace . The vertebrae of his spine protrude from underneath his carapace. He also has a large head, yellow sclera, teeth, and thick black eyebrows. He wears a purple mask that covers the top of his head with short rectangular mask tails and a silver pair of asymmetrical goggles with one red (right) and one blue (left) lens. He wears purple fingerless gloves and socks, a silver tech-gauntlet on his wrist with a blue touchscreen, purple knee, and elbow pads, a purple belt with matching pouches, and the Turtle emblem placed on the center. He also has a purple battle shell that fits over his real shell.

The last one, the younger turtle, has blue-green skin, yellow markings on his shoulders and thighs, a bright yellow plastron with neon pink, purple, and blue stickers on it. He has a blue-grey carapace with a yellow design, black eyes, and a tooth gap in the right side of his upper jaw. He wears an orange mask with short mask tails, orange wristbands and socks, and orange knee pads with faces on them (a dead face on the right and a smiley face on the left). He also wears a brown belt around his chest and a strap over his right shoulder with the Turtle emblem placed over his heart.

“Mad Dog Brothers, reporting for duty, ma’am!” The four turtles all spoke at once. 

“Late again, as usual, boys,” the Captainess smirked at them, leaning against the railing of the helm with her hand and her other on her hip. “And where did you all sleep this time? In the kitchen? I thought the Captain has specifically told you to never sleep there under any circumstances.” 

“Well…” the larger turtle chuckled nervously. “The chicken and beef stew were good…” the other three turtles glared at him. 

The Captainess hummed, nodding her head a bit. “Now, get moving, boys, before the captain sees you all screwing around on the deck.” 

“Aye, Captainess!” The four turtles saluted again. 

“Outta the way!” 

“Outta the way! Me first!” 

As the four turtles scrambled to their stations, the Captainess chuckled under her breath amused. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a young teen holding onto the ropes of the lower shrouds and watching as the whales fading away in the distance. A cloth was tightly wrapped around their head, letting the bangs flow free in the wind. They were dressed in a white-pearl shirt, blue cloth around the waist, light brown pants, and boots. 

The Captainess tilted her head as she studied the young teen. “Hmm..” 

“Ah, ‘tis a grand day for sailing, Aaliyah,” another male voice turned her attention to the deck again. A man with silver hair, up in a fin-like hairstyle to the right, red eyes, and a small stubble, approached the helm. He was donned in a black long coat, white shirt with the neckline open in V-shape, grey-black pants, and dark black shoes. “And look at you. You’re as trim and as beautiful as a new ship with new sails and a fresh coat of paint.” He took off his hat and bowed like a gentleman before flashing her a smug smile. 

“You can keep that kind of flimflammery for your port floozies, Ratchet,” the Captainess—Alli—shot back, no sign of a smile for his compliment at her. 

Ratchet’s smile dropped. The crew, who was overhearing his attempt to flirt with her, chuckled quietly before he glared at them. “You cut me to the quick, Captain,” Ratchet continued, prompting Alli to roll her eyes and shake her head. “I speak nothing but my heart at all times.” 

“And, um, by the way, did you happen to know this new cabin kid, by any chance?” Alli then pointed out, looking over at the young teen at the shrouds. 

At the sound of the two conversing, Blue turned around to notice the Captainess and Ratchet. It wasn’t Alli, who was staring at her rather suspiciously…but the man with the silver fin. Her ocean eyes scanned over his appearance as he briefly glanced over at her. 

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when she recognized the man from the docks that night. 

The Silver Head. The one Bones had warned her about. 

Ratchet took a moment to study the teen. “...no, he’s not with us…” he replied after a moment. 

“Well, whatever the case, someone’s gotta keep an eye on the kid,” Alli continued. “In the meantime, keep your flirty comments to yourself, or my hubby’s gonna come up here and beat your ass,” she finished with a sly smirk, staring down at Ratchet. 

The silver-haired man pouted deadpanned while the crew laughed loudly upon hearing her comeback. Even Blue, who was coming back down from the shrouds couldn’t hold back her giggles, even though she had her mouth covered. 

“Boys!” 

A new male voice rang across the entire deck. Everyone, aside from Alli, froze in their places and faced the owner with wide eyes. 

Blue did the same and nearly gasped when she saw the man step outside to reveal himself. 

The man has baby blue hair, matching eyes, and light fair skin. He was dressed in a light blue shirt with a large V-shape neckline barely revealing his chest, dark blue long coat, light brown pants, and boots. A belt was strapped across his right side and around his waist, with his sword safely seathed. A compass hung around his neck and rested in front of his chest. 

At that moment, a small monkey with white hair, a small tuft of light green fur on his chest, and brown eyes instantly jumped upon his shoulder and chittered while glancing around the deck.

Blue’s eyes widened the second she recognized the man. “Captain Rodney Copperbottom?”

Chapter 10: Captain Rodney

Notes:

Word Count: 1,656

Chapter Text

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The Captain of the Healing Odyssey, Rodney Copperbottom, the Blue-Eyed King. It’s no wonder she thought she heard that name before. 

She had read and heard so many stories of him and his Crew of Misfits since she was a kid. Her grandfather himself had claimed he encountered them before during one of his journeys across the seas. 

“They’re exactly as I’d imagined they would be. Brave, determined, willing to risk life and limb to protect their people. Maybe one day, one of us will be in his crew.” He’d told her years ago before her father had shut down his claim. 

The stories of the Blue-Eyed King and his Red-Haired Queen had circulated her hometown for as long as she could remember. Said to rob the rich and give back to the poor, help those who need it more than anything. 

Blue never thought she’d meet him up close for the first time. 

“I’ve got word that there’s a stowaway on board,” Rodney began, his voice stern. The crew turned to one another when the mention of a stowaway came up. 

Blue quickly took hold of the mop and began to clean the deck without making eye contact with him. Even though she was beyond excited to see him in person, she didn’t want to risk getting on his bad side. 

“You boys wouldn’t happen to know who it is, would you?” Rodney continued. 

There was no answer from the crew. Some of them uncertainly stared at him, others glanced down at the ground without a reply. 

The monkey saw Blue—the teen he saw in the sleeping quarters—and chittered quietly to the Captain. Rodney heard him and followed his eye of direction towards the teen. His eyes narrowing, he approached the cabin boy. 

Blue barely finished mopping the part of the deck before a shadow loomed over her. She wasn’t expecting to see the Captain himself standing over her with suspicious eyes when she turned towards the owner of the shadow. She quickly stood straight, her hand holding onto the mop, attempting to hold back the fear in her eyes. The monkey glared at her with an angry chirp. By then, the crew gathered around the two with anticipation. 

“I won’t tolerate stowaways breaking into my ship,” Rodney lectured her, his hands on his hips. 

“Sorry…” Blue began before she stopped herself. She cleared her throat and spoke in a deep voice. “I mean, uh, sorry you had to say that, Cap. But you know what it is when you get those manly urges, and you just gotta hit something…fix things…and cook outdoors…” 

“You got a name, kid?” The Captain sharply stopped her. 

“Uh…” Blue stammered. 

“The Captain’s asked for your name, lad!” Drax sternly told her when he stepped up to her. 

Blue instantly came up with an answer. “Blue…” she replied. 

“Blue?” Rodney raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Yes. My name is Blue,” Blue answered with a sheepish grin. 

“Blue? Never heard of that before.” 

The monkey studied her with suspicion while he sat on his shoulder. Blue gulped nervously as she made eye contact with the creature. 

“Give me a good reason I should let you stay on this ship.” Rodney glared at her. 

“Trust me, I’ve got a good one.” 


When Rodney had heard about the mythologies of the Lost Isles, he was a kid. Even then, he thought it was only a story. Nobody had lived reaching the legendary island and escaping with the celebrated golds. 

At least that’s what he heard. 

However, when a blue-eyed kid, who had just managed to stow away on his ship, mentioned finding a treasure map leading them to the now no-longer-legendary Lost Isles, he was quick to gather both him, Alli, the Kratt Brothers, Percy Patterson, and Roth in the study room. Once they were inside, Rodney locked the door before facing Blue. 

“Gray? THE Theodore Gray?” He asked, nearly exclaiming in surprise. 

“That’s impossible. No one’s been able to find the Lost Isles and leave alive,” Alli spoke up. 

“Of course no one has, even if it was all real, let alone find a supposed map,” Roth added. 

“Well, this kid does,” Blue continued in her deep voice and pulled out the map from her pant pocket. “And I think I can prove it.” 

“Oh, come on, kid. Like that’s ever gonna—“ Martin, the oldest brother, started as Blue began pressing the same buttons and smoothly moved the map. He was cut off when the map opened up the lights again, and the room was soon enveloped by the map diagram. 

Without a reply, Blue pressed on the islands they had left behind. When she did, the map moved until it stopped at the Lost Isles. Rodney, Alli, Roth, the Kratt brothers, and Percy stared at the Lost Isles in awe. 

“…I will never doubt you again,” Martin broke the silence. 

“Gray’s Trove? I can’t believe it,” Alli gasped, astonished. 

“I thought it was all a myth,” Percy barely whispered. 

“Not anymore,” Roth replied, his eyes almost as wide as plates. 

Once Blue closed the sphere, Rodney was quick to head towards his desk and frantically search through drawers until he found the map he needed. He mumbled to himself incoherently until he found the location of the Lost Isles. “Alright. Here is the location of the ship that stole the money from the townspeople…” he pointed at one spot on the map. “…but here…is the Lost Isles.” He finished as he gestured to a small island. 

“Getting there will only take us about three months,” Alli added. 

“Wonder?” Rodney turned to the small monkey on his shoulder. Wonder chittered for a moment. “Sounds fair to me.” 

“So are we really going there?” Blue asked, hope in her eyes. 

“Depends on how much you’re paying us,” Rodney answered. “And how you’re going to do that.” 

Blue gave a one-sided smirk. She knew this would happen, so she had to plan. She pulled out something from her back pocket and held up a small diamond for him and the others to see. Wonder took the diamond and studied it with wide, sparkling eyes. 

“Keep talking,” Rodney urged on. 

Blue pulled out a little bag from her side. Opening it up, she poured some more gems on the table and smirked, as if she had won. 

Rodney, Alli, Wonder, Roth, the Kratt brothers, and Percy studied the gems with interest. They then turned to Percy. “Don’t look at me. I’m already on board with this,” he said, holding his hands up in defense. 

“I’m gonna have to agree with him here,” Chris added, with Martin nodding in agreement. 

“Captain?” Roth turned to Rodney. The blue-haired man stared down at the gems, then at Blue, then back at the gems. 

Blue held her breath, despite having the smirk still on her face. He’s got to accept it. They’re known to only help others and expect nothing else in return…

Rodney finally sighed through his nose. “Of course, it’s going to take longer to get there than the original destination. Roth, could you…” 

“Let the crew know. I’m on it,” Roth nodded before he exited the quarters. 

“The guys are not going to be happy about it,” Alli playfully remarked as Percy and the Kratt Brothers followed behind.  

“Yeah, well, they’ll be ecstatic about a treasure-filled island,” Rodney replied. The two lightly kissed one another on the lips before Alli exited the quarters. 

Just as Blue was about to leave, Wonder landed on her head, making her gasp. He hung upside down from her head and tilted his head at her. 

“Hang on a moment, lad. I need to talk to you, first,” Rodney told her.

Blue gulped quietly and turned to face him. Wonder leaped off her head, grabbing the spherical map from the desk before putting it in a chest in the dresser. 

“Now, I gotta ask, how did you know where we would be? What gave you the bright idea to stow away on my ship?” Rodney asked her, his arm folding across his chest.

“Uh, I heard stories,” Blue replied, speaking in her deep voice. “Plus, I wanted to see the entire oceans on my own. And not with anyone else to stop me.” 

Rodney chuckled at her answer, shaking his head, and approached the large map on the wall. “That’s what everyone in the crew said when they joined this ship.” 

“Yeah,” Blue stated and lightly juggled a pear she took from the barrel in the galley. “Y’know, these pears, they remind me of the ones back home…on Mapplebarrow. You ever been there?” 

“Eh, can’t say that I have, kid,” Rodney replied, not even facing her. 

Blue took a bite out of the pear and set herself on the desk. “Come to think of it, just before I left, I met this old guy, who was, uh, looking for a silver-headed buddy of his.” 

“Oh, really?” Rodney asked, his back still facing her. What Blue didn’t know was that he understood what she meant by that. 

“Yeah. What was that old salamander’s name?” Blue pretended to think before she replied. “Oh, yeah. Bones? Billy Bones?” 

“Bones? Bones, Bones, Bones…” Rodney mumbled the name a few more times. He shook his head, humming negatively, and approached her at the desk again. “Not ringing a bell. Probably a different Silver Head. There’s a slew of silver-heads roaming ports here and there.” 

“So, about the map…?” Blue changed the topic. Her heart was rising with each second. 

Rodney smiled at her. “Yep, this will do,” he said as Wonder gathered the gems. 

Blue internally sighed with relief as she beamed with victory. This journey will be one that will never be forgotten. 

“But not for first-class,” Rodney then smirked slyly, along with Wonder, who now sat on his shoulder. Blue’s smile faltered after a second.

Chapter 11: Blue Meets the Crew

Notes:

Warning: slight explicit language, physical violence

Word Count: 2,872

Chapter Text

The mop landed on the deck floor with a squish and moved in a sweeping motion under Blue’s hold. Despite the amount of work that had been handed to her, she didn’t complain too much. The sky was cloudy, thunder barely audible in the distance. 

She didn’t mind that. The air was cool and nice against her skin. 

“‘Women shouldn’t be working for themselves.' ‘A woman should not be doing a man’s job’,” she mumbled to herself in a mocking tone resembling her stepmother’s and blew raspberry under her breath. “Get real. I can work better than these assholes.”

“Anyone I know?”

Blue gasped when a voice came up behind her. She spun around to find the white-haired man from before standing in front of her, his hands behind his back and a mischievous grin on his face. 

“So, Captain’s let you onboard?” He asked her, still grinning. 

“Just as long as I can work here. Besides, it was already too late to turn back,” Blue replied, turning back to her work. 

“Glad to know,” the man stated. 

Before one of them could say anything else, Blue was suddenly shoved to the side by a huge man with a big mustache as he passed by. She yelped and caught herself by the rigging of the ship. 

“Watch it, twerp,” the man warned her with a Mexican accent and walked away. 

Blue would have charged after him, but the white-haired man caught her by the shoulder gently, stopping her in her tracks. She scoffed under her breath and was about to continue to mop. 

Whispers from three in the crew brought her attention to them. The mutant hippo, a small worm on his shoulder, and another smaller man with a white beard and mustache murmured amongst themselves near the barrel. Blue stared at them for a moment until the hippo stopped and directed his buddies at her and the man. The girl tilted her head at them while the white-haired man glowered at them. 

“What are you looking at, weirdos?” The hippo folded his arms at them. 

“Yeah, weirdos,” the smaller man mocked at them. 

Blue growled at them, his fists holding onto the mop tightly. Whoever these guys are, they’re giving her bad vibes. 

“Oh, no. We got trouble,” the man mumbled to her. She glanced in his direction, her eyes widening. 

Standing near Alli, who was gazing through a telescope, was a tall, muscular, slender Virus. He had purple tentacle-like dreadlocks, red skin, yellow eyes, and long claws with a left long index finger. He is dressed in a long black coat with a glider, the ends of the coat reaching the middle of his ankles. 

“You sure you’re the Captain’s wife, honey? ‘Cause I ain’t seeing a ring on you,” the Virus said to Alli, seemingly flirting with her. 

“I don’t need to have a ring. And even if I do, men like you would have to be careful flirting with me,” Alli said as she ignored his comment. 

“What? Should we go…” 

“Hold on. Let’s see if he can heed her warning,” the white-haired man stopped Blue in her tracks. 

“Well, maybe I can take you to the far end of this ship…” the Virus was about to wrap an arm around Alli’s waist, but she stopped him at the last second. 

“Hey! What did I say? You can touch anything on this ship except me,” Alli glowered at him as she held his wrist in a firm grip. Giving him a warning glare, she let go of his wrist and started back towards the quarters. 

The white-haired man chuckled under his breath, with Blue staring at the departing Captainess in wonder. However, the Virus wasn’t done yet. In one swift move, he suddenly grabbed her by the arm again, sending a pained yelp from her, and pulled her close to him forcefully. 

“Fiery, eh? Just the way I like ‘em,” the Virus smirked darkly. 

“Let go!” Alli thrashed against his hold, but it was getting futile by the second. 

Blue could feel the determination and anger grow in her the longer she watched Alli try to escape the Virus’s hold. Before the white-haired man could stop her, Blue charged forward, held the mop in a firm grip, and swung it straight at the Virus’s face. The sudden hit not only forced him to let Alli go, sending her barely falling against the mast, but caught the large crew’s attention. 

The Virus glanced around to face his unknown attacker until they landed on the blue-eyed cabin kid. He held a mop in his hands, his brave face staring back at his yellow eyes. The wet end of the mop faced the sky as he held it like a bo-staff. 

“Get the hell away from the Captainess,” the kid ordered bravely. 

The Virus stared down at him angrily. “Cabin boys should learn to mind their own business,” he snarled at him. 

“Why, you got something to hide, bright eyes?” Blue snarked at him. 

The Virus growled and suddenly grabbed Blue by the front of her shirt, lifting her up from the ground. The mop fell out of her hands in the process. Alli gasped with horror as the white-haired man helped her up. 

“Maybe your ears don’t work so well, boy,” the Virus sneered close to Blue’s face. 

“Well, too bad my nose works just fine,” Blue bit back at him, refusing to back down to her fear. 

The Virus growled at that and instantly slammed her against the mast. At that moment, most of the crew started shouting for the Virus to finish her off. “Yeah, slice him! Dice him!” 

“Leave him alone, you bastard!” Alli demanded the Virus, but there was no use ordering him in this. 

“Any last words, cabin boy?” The Virus growled. In response, Blue spat in his face, to which the crew gasped. 

The Virus angrily roared, ready to bring his left index finger, which was glowing red, down on her. 

“Hey!” 

The shout from someone forced him to stop. When the Virus and Blue turned towards the source, they were not expecting to see the boy from the launch, Ralph, Manolo, and some more of Rodney’s crew staring down at the Virus. 

“Oh, no. What the hell are they doing?”  

“Bandicoot? Might wanna stay out of this, kid. This don’t concern you,” the Virus warned him. 

“Oh? Even when you’re threatening one of our cabin boys?” The kid—Crash Bandicoot—inquired. The crew murmured at his statement. 

“Why are you even protecting him, mate? You don’t even know this kid,” one of the Sando Brothers, Carl, snapped at him. 

“Well, we know that he saved our Captainess from Thrax’s dirty hands,” Manolo added next. “Besides, if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.” 

“Oooh,” the crew gasped. 

The Virus—Thrax—growled, about to attack them, but suddenly, loud chattering and small hands began to attack him straight in the face. The instant attack also forced him to let Blue go and drop her to the ground. Wonder chittered angrily as he slammed the back of his long coat over his face. He smirked victoriously, standing on his head, and jumped off and onto Alli’s shoulder before Thrax pulled the end off of his head. 

Seeing that Blue was free from his grip, he growled. Blue whimpered, attempting to back away, despite the mast blocking her way out. Before he could attack her, a vice clamp grabbed him by the arm with the glowing index finger, stopping it from making contact with Blue.

Rodney held onto his arm with the vice clamp, not even looking at Thrax, and carried a pear in his other hand. “Mr. Thrax…” he greeted nonchalantly. He bit into the pear, still holding Thrax with the device. “...you ever see what happens to a fresh pear...when you squeeze...real hard?!” He briefly glanced back at Thrax with a grin before he harshly twisted his arm and nearly crushed it with his vice clamp device, which caused him to yell in pain. 

Most of Ratchet’s crew laughed at the sudden action. Blue restrained the urge to laugh as she sat on the floor. Even then, Crash helped her off the floor by lifting her by the arms. 

Rodney’s glare turning to the crew was all it took to silence them. 

“What’s all this, then?” Roth asked as he strolled down the stairs. He glanced at Blue and Crash before facing the majority of Ratchet’s gang. “You know the rules. There will be no brawling on this ship. Any further offenders will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage.” 

Roth then stopped in front of Thrax, narrowing his eyes at him. “Am I clear, Mr. Thrax?” 

Thrax wanted to snap back at him, but he caught a glimpse of Ratchet, who only glowered at him a warning. In a span of three seconds, Thrax backed down lightly. “Transparently,” he replied almost reluctantly. 

Roth stared down at him for a moment before he made his departure. The rest of the crew followed, leaving Blue, Rodney, Alli, and Crash, with Wonder on Alli’s shoulder in the deck. 

Rodney suddenly picked up the mop and zeroed in on Blue. “Blue! I gave you a job!” 

“Hey, I was doing it until that Virus guy started to—“ 

“Belay that!” Rodney shouted at her, cutting her off. Blue didn’t flinch from his yell, staring daggers at him. “Now I want the whole deck swabbed spotless…” he shoved the mop in her hands. “…and heaven help you if I come back and it’s not done!” 

Blue glared back at him with a fierce look in her eyes, though the fear of getting kicked off lingered in her. Rodney then turned to Wonder on Alli’s shoulder. “Wonder?” 

Wonder chittered and went to his own shoulder. “Keep an eye on this kid, and let me know if there are any more distractions,” Rodney instructed, glancing at Blue one last time while gently holding Alli, as they walked off. 

Soon, it was only Crash and Blue left on the deck with Wonder. The monkey chittered at Blue angrily and sat on the small nest attached to the mast. The blue-eyed girl sighed and started to mop. 

“You okay?” Crash asked her as he examined her for any injuries. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Blue replied, her eyes facing the ground and not him. Partially because nobody has ever stood up for her like that, and partially because she was closer to him than she first met him. “Has this ever happened before?” 

“Eh, only a few times. Even with Rodney giving warnings to not try anything with his gal, Thrax doesn’t like to take no for an answer,” Crash shrugged. 

“And yet she’s able to fight her way out of situations like this?” 

“Oh, yeah.” 

“And I saw that she and Rodney are…” Blue drawled in the end questionably. 

“Married? Yep.” 

“How did it happen, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“Why you asking me for? You should ask her or her hubby.” 

Wonder’s irritated chitter cut their conversation short. They turned to the white-haired creature, who glared at them from the nest. 

“Hey, just try to be more careful next time, okay?” Crash asked. 

“Alright, I will,” Blue chuckled, the deepness in her voice fading away a bit. 

Just as Crash was about to walk off, he stopped and turned halfway to face her again. “Oh, and by the way…welcome to the Healing Odyssey Gang.” 

Blue only blushed and held onto the mop in a tight grip as she meekly nodded in appreciation. Even as he was gone, Blue couldn’t bring herself to stop thinking about him. She sighed dreamily, leaning the side of her face against the end of the mop. 


Most of the crew—Rathet’s crew—mumbled to themselves until footsteps coming down the stairs silenced them. Ratchet stepped up to the center of the brig with an eerily calm expression. “So…we’re all here then,” he began. 

“Excuse me,” Warren Stone shuffled right in front of him and made it to his seat innocently. 

“Fine,” Ratchet continued. He stepped up to the Sando Brothers, still eerily calm. “Now, if you pardon my plain speaking, gentlemen, are you all…” he instantly whipped out his sword. “…STARK-RAVING, TOTALLY BLINKING DAFT?!” He shouted in a flash, startling the crew, and swung his sword around, missing Stone miraculously. 

“After all that hard work getting us hired in the crew…” Ratchet angrily glared at the group. “…you want to blow the whole mutiny before it’s time?” He finished as he got in front of Thrax. 

“The kid was sniffing about,” Thrax defended himself. 

“You stick to the plan, you yellow-eyed twit!” Ratchet snapped at him. “And as for the kid, I’ll come up with my way of dealing with him without the captain around.” 


Throughout the rest of the day, Blue worked hard swabbing the deck as clean as she could. Within hours, the skies changed to a dark blue with hints of purple and dozens of stars occupying the night atmosphere. As she worked, she reminisced about the happier times she shared with her mother and grandfather before they all vanished under the wrath of her ‘father’. From the day her grandfather began telling her amazing stories about his journeys across the world, to all the wonders he had promised he would see with her when she got older. 

Blue gave a small smile in remembrance of her grandfather’s sincere smile before it fell. Soon after, she pulled off the cloth from her head, letting her short hair flow free, and wiped the sweat from her forehead with said cloth. Wonder chittered and climbed up to her shoulder. He may be warming up to her right now. 

“Well, this has been a fun day, huh?” Blue sarcastically said. “Making new friends, like that Virus psycho…” 

Wonder gagged in agreement, making her laugh. 

“…and that Bandicoot kid…” Blue sighed dreamily, her cheeks turning light pink. “What a dream…” 

Wonder saw the yearning stars in her eyes and wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully. 

“Well, thank heaven for little miracles,” a voice that belonged to Rodney forced her to stop, gasping with fright, and spin around to find him leaning against the railing of the upper deck with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. “Up here for an hour, and the deck is still in one piece.” 

Blue’s eyes shrunk when she remembered she had the cloth off. She was about to hastily put it back on, but Rodney stopped her. “Hey, leave it off, kid. Short hair suits ya well,” he chuckled lightly. 

Blue smiled lightly, blushing a bit. This was the first time someone had complimented her like that. She glanced down at the deck floor, holding onto the mop. “Look, I, uh…what you did back there…” she sighed after a second. “…thanks…” 

Rodney, his arms still crossed over his chest, approached her until he was only a few steps away. “I should be thanking you, too…for saving Alli back there first. But, kid, I gotta know. Didn’t your father teach you how to pick your fights a bit more carefully?” 

Blue’s smile faded when he mentioned her ‘father’. She turned her heartbroken gaze back to the floor and continued mopping. She didn’t know it yet, but the question stung her heart more than anything. 

Rodney understood her silence. “Your father not the teachin’ sort?” 

Blue stopped for a moment, still not facing him. “…No. He’s more of a...refusing-to-love-you-for-who-you-are-and-breaking-your-heart sort,” she answered, attempting to keep the sadness in her voice. 

Ever since her mother died, he became a different person. He used to be her knight-in-shining-armor in her heart, but when her mother passed, he just…changed. She held great contempt towards him, even when he had banned her beloved grandfather from coming back. From the way she answered Rodney, she was devastated and hesitant to reply about her ‘father’. 

Rodney sighed as he watched Blue approach the railing and joined her on the other side of her. “Oh. Sorry, kid,” he said, looking at her with sympathy. 

Blue chuckled lightly, setting her mop aside. “Hey, no big deal. I’ll go by just fine without him.” In truth, she didn’t know if she could move on without him. For all she knew, he had given her a roof, food, and a room of her own, and yet…he still treated her as if her voice never truly mattered to him. 

“Oh, really?” Rodney asked, rubbing his chin. A smirk came over his face again. “Well, since you’re part of my crew now, like it or not, I’ll be putting a few skills of mine in that little head of yours to keep you out of trouble,” he poked Blue in the forehead, from which she swatted his hand away. 

“What?” 

“From now on, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” 

“You can’t—” 

“You won’t either so much as eat, sleep, or scratch your butt without my say-so.” 

“Don’t do me any favors!” Blue protested. 

“Oh, you can be sure of that, kiddo,” Rodney insisted, putting an arm around her. “You can be sure of that.”

Chapter 12: I'm Still Here

Notes:

A/n: play "I'm Still Here" from Treasure Planet while you're reading this

Word Count: 3,260

Chapter Text

From that day on, Rodney held onto his word. 

Every morning throughout the journey, Blue had to wake up earlier than she used to back in Mapplebarrow and work in the galley with Crash and Mikey, one of the Mad Dog Brothers. And thank the gods above that she’s not a morning person. 

Though making meals for the crew was incredibly easy since she had spent some time with Juliet and most of the handmaidens in the kitchen whenever she had free time on her own learning some experience with cooking. Mikey and Crash were amazed at not only how good and experienced she was in the kitchenette, but the recipes she had learned from Juliet were better than the ones they had beforehand. Even the crew themselves were most impressed at her skills. 

For what seemed like days of the journey, Blue got to know the crew of the Healing Odyssey better while keeping up her facade. Peter Quill, Migo Martinez—the white-haired man—and Alex were like brother figures to Alli, the Captainess and Rodney’s wife. Manolo Sanchez, Ralph, and the Mad Dog Brothers—Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey—also saw her as a sister. The rest of the crew—consisting of Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Tulio, and Miguel, as well as the Kratt Brothers and Percy, who had come along with the others as experts on things zoology and astronomy—also made sure to make Blue feel like she belonged in the crew. 

They did warn her to stray from Phineas T. Ratchet and his squad of thugs. When she had asked about how they got aboard, Migo had been the one to tell her that Rodney and Ratchet had been friends since their days of youth, but Rodney always made sure to be wary of him as times changed for them. When Rodney had declared to the crews that they were heading to the Lost Isles, he had thought he saw a glint of greed in his eyes, so he had to keep a sharp eye on him. 

Blue agreed to keep away from Ratchet and his guys. Not only because they were giving her so many bad vibes…but they might be the same people who had attacked her home.

Apart from their stern, soft warnings of Ratchet and his gang, Blue also had a growing bond with Crash Bandicoot. The story that he told her was that he and his younger sister were left orphaned by their parents but taken in by a kind witch doctor when they were kids. Since then, he tagged along with Rodney and the others, while his sister and dad helped others with their own skills. As Blue told her own story, she made sure she left out the parts where she was royalty, only that she was being forced to marry young against her will, hence the reason she had to run away from home. 

“Sorry you had to go through it,” Crash had told her. 

“Yeah, well. But at least I made it out of there before my finger had a ring on,” Blue had shrugged casually. 

The biggest bond she shared during the journey was with Rodney and Alli. When Blue first explained her half-true story about how she stowed away on the ship, Alli shared her own tale of how she avoided the similar fate as she did; she first met Rodney she was training some years ago, thus their romance blossoming, but her aunt had attempted to force her in an arranged marriage against her will, so she planned her escape the day the wedding was to take place and joined Rodney and his crew, hence their blossoming love shifting to their neverending love. 

While Blue didn’t mind being around the crew of the Healing Odyssey, Rodney had been the one to help her break out of her shell. 

At first, it was the cloth for her hair that he aided her in ditching. Then it was her hair. As the days passed, changing to weeks, it grew longer. Blue needed to cut it to stay the length she needed to keep her disguise from being uncovered, and Rodney was there for her with scissors and a comb in less than a minute. She didn’t need to tell him, he understood that. But gradually, the trimmings became less frequent, leaving Blue to grow her hair out until her golden curls reached above her shoulders. 

Chores around the ship brought them closer as well. At one point, Rodney assigned her and Crash to scrape the barnacles off the hull of the ship, which was able to hover above the water with the artificial gravity on the boat turned off temporarily. 

“Put some elbow into it!” Rodney gently ordered, making sure that Blue or Crash don’t fall off the boards. With Blue on one side and Crash on the other, the two teens worked hard to tear off the barnacles off the hull. At least the process is quicker with the two of them together. 

Later on, Blue and Crash were assigned to peel potatoes down in the galley with Mikey to help them. The sunlight seeped through the ceiling, giving the room a bit of light. 

While Mikey and Crash gradually peeled some of the potatoes, Blue easily did the same as she skinned the potato in her hand. Occasionally, she would glance up through the ceiling as memories of her past came back to her. 

“I am a question to the world…” 

Blue would watch through the window of her room when she was still younger, Juliet always there beside her. Her father would be gone off on trips a lot of times until she lost count. No matter how much she wanted to go, he would always refuse to allow her to come along because ‘a princess does not travel on her own’. It broke her heart terribly. 

“Not an answer to be heard, or a moment that's held in your arms.”  

Juliet sympathetically hugged a toddler Blue close to her, as if telling her it will all be alright. 

“And what do you think you'd ever say?”

Rodney brought her up to the upper deck as he wanted to show her something. As they were passing a beautiful island with a purple-pink galaxy shining above, the Captain took it upon himself to teach her how to tie a knot. 

“I won't listen anyway.” 

Without noticing Blue leaving, he demonstrated and finished tying the knot. When he turned to face her again, he was surprised to see her gone and her rope already tied. 

“You don't know me, and I’ll never be what you want me to be.”

He rushed to the edge of the upper deck to find her walking on the railing. He took a moment to examine her knot and his own and glanced back at her impressed. 

“And what do you think you'd understand?”

Blue scrubbed the deck with a brush in her hands on the floor. A shadow loomed over her, giving her the chance to glance up at Rodney. With a smirk on his face, he stood over her, his hands on his hips. 

“I'm a girl, no, a woman.”

Blue, not one to back down from the challenge of height authority, stood up straight, her eyes filled with determination. 

“You can't take me and throw me away.”

Rodney handed her another bucket of sudsy water and pointed at the deck next to her. Without a word, Blue dumped the water on the deck and continued working. In hopes of passing the time, she called for her memories where she was happier before the downfall of her peace arrived. 

“And how can you learn what's never shown?”

Before she was even seven, Blue had made her first drawing of her and another prince—one who would have loved her for who she is—as she sat in the middle of the throne room. With a wide smile, she held up the paper. 

“Yeah, you stand here on your own.”

Her father entered the room, some of his servants following behind him. When Blue got up from the floor and showed him her drawing, he only ignored her, waving at her in a dismissive manner. The servants who saw this gave her sympathetic, worried frowns before they left with him. 

“They don't know me 'cause I'm not here.”

Her heart broke apart slightly the second her father disregarded her achievement. With a sorrowful frown, Blue sat back down on the floor and clutched her drawing to her chest. 

Later on, as the nights took place of the orange-colored afternoons, Blue used the free time she had left to stand at the front bow of the ship. She had been terrified of falling off when she took the first few steps, but gradually, the fear began to fade away. 

“And I want a moment to be real,”

Once she got to the front, Blue stayed there, enjoying the peaceful silence. The cool winds of the seas blew crisp and calm against her bangs. With the cloth off of her, the back ends were now cold from the soft breezes. Her mind was lost in the beauty of the evening stars, wishing she would float forever in the night. 

The stars reflected off her eyes, as if the cosmos were her colors instead of ocean blue. 

“Wanna touch things I don't feel,”

Dinnertime soon around the corner, Blue sat on the staircase as she sipped her warm drink. She glanced over at Rodney, who was telling a lively, thrilling story to his crew and the others. Wonder stood beside him and demonstrated to them by acting as visuals. Alli sat beside him, her hand resting against her cheek, with a dreamy, loving look in her sky-blue eyes at her husband. 

“Wanna hold on and feel I belong.”

As Wonder pretended to be a dragon by using forks, the crew laughed, some of them slamming their hands on the table. Blue smiled, seeing this side of the Captain. 

“And how can the world want me to change?”

After dinner, Blue, Crash, and Mikey were assigned to wash the dishes. With the two guys at the kitchenette, Blue sat on an upturned bucket. Just as she was finished with the first stack of plates and pots, Mikey brought in more dirty dishes, plopping them in front of her. He walked off with an apologetic smile. 

“They’re the ones that stay the same.”

Blue’s dropped open as she turned her head at where Mikey walked off to. She angrily grabbed a pot and began scrubbing while taking a short glance at his back. 

“They don’t know me, but I’m still here.” 

For what seemed like hours, Blue worked hard until she was down to one last pot. Before she could even get up, her eyes had instantly fallen shut, and she wound up falling asleep, her head and arm resting against the large pot on her lap. 

Rodney—accompanied by Wonder, who sat on his shoulder, and Alli—came back down into the galley to find her asleep. He would have woken her up to scold her if he didn’t see the clean dishes stashed peacefully. 

“And you see the things they never see, all you wanted, I could be”

Rodney gently grinned, rubbing the back of his neck, as Alli chuckled under her breath when she saw the blue-eyed kid out like a light. Without a word, Rodney took off his coat and tenderly draped it over Blue. 

“Now you know me, and I'm not afraid”

Awoken quietly by the sudden warmth and heaviness, Blue opened one eye slightly and caught a short glimpse of Rodney as he ascended up the stairs. She smiled lightly to herself before she fell back asleep. 

“And I wanna tell you who I am”

Rodney woke up Blue the next morning and asked her to follow him to the launch bays. Although she was confused, Blue complied. 

Once there, she assisted him in preparing one of the longboats, which, to her amazement, could hold a handful of people at once. It didn’t take long for her to learn how to easily prepare a longboat for launch. Blue took a chance to face Rodney with a tender grin. 

“Wanna show you this woman”

Rodney ordered her to untie the knot on the other side. Without any fear, Blue leaped to the other side and efficiently untied the knot holding the boat. 

“They can't break me as long as I know who I am…” 

Rodney gave her a quick salute after he landed on the boat lowering from the launch bay. The smile on her face fell as she watched him fly from the Odyssey in a solar skiff. 

Within moments, it brought back a heartbreaking memory. 

She didn’t know how bad the relationship between her father and grandfather was. The only red flags she had ignored were how she was sent from the room they were in and loud shouting from both men that grew from small whispers. Whenever she would ask her father about what happened, he would coldly brush her off or snap gently at her to mind her own business, only to be lightly lectured by Juliet.  

The night before her father sent him into banishment, her grandfather went out of his way to read the stories of the Lost Isles one last time, since he was the only one who knew something bad was going to happen.  

“I’ll be out there one day with you, lass. Seeing all the wonders of the world, finding adventure around the corner. I’ll take you with me one day, and we’ll see it all…” He promised her just as he was tucking her in. He didn’t want her to see or hear the sad tone in his voice, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep his promise to her. 

She didn’t know that one day would be the last time she would get to see her grandfather.

“They can’t tell me who to be,”

The door slamming from outside her quarters woke a 12-year-old Blue from her slumber. The sun was shining through the slightly-open window, the curtain moving from the soft wind. In a flash, she sat up from the bed, her eyes wide. 

When she saw her grandfather departing and walking at a heartbroken pace towards his ship, she knew something was wrong. 

“‘Cause I’m not what they see.”

Blue dashed down the stairs as fast as she could. She stopped near the end and spotted her father and the horrible monster of a stepmother arguing with Juliet. The raven-haired maid seemed to be tearfully begging the King to reconsider his decision, but he turned his back on her in reply, his arms folded and his head held high in an ignorant manner. Blue heard Martha mumble something in the lines of “Well, good riddance,” in a cruel whisper. 

Without anyone noticing or stopping her, Blue raced out through the gardens and stopped at the entrance facing the docks near the castle. 

“Yeah, the world is still sleepin’ while I keep on dreamin’ for me.”

Tears were filling up her eyes the second her grandfather’s figure began to shrink second by second. Her heart began breaking into pieces and falling to her stomach when she understood.  

No, he can’t leave.  

He’s her inspiration, the father figure who worked hard to get the man who made her understand how cruel the decisions he’s made are hurting others around him, her guidance. 

Shaking her head, she started to walk slowly, then began running as fast as her legs can carry her from underneath her nightgown. Even though she cried out for him to stop, her heartbroken cries filling the morning air, he looked like he wanted to turn back, but he couldn’t. 

So she kept running for him. 

Despite her falling to the ground when she got closer to the dock, Blue kept running, her tears growing more frequent and her cries growing louder. She was already through the gateway of the small dock when her grandfather boarded the boat taking him to wherever he was forced to go. 

By the time she caught up with him, it was already too late. 

“And their words are just whispers and lies that I’ll never believe.”

Her one hand holding onto the pole, her other reached out to the man she saw as her true hero as he disappeared into the horizon. Her devastated cries filled the air, her desperate screams calling for him to come back.

The day her grandfather, her beloved, brave grandfather left against his will, parts of her that he helped her gained faded away with him as well. 

Her dreams of venturing through the Seven Seas with the man who loved her for her were soon gone...

“And I want a moment to be real,”

Rodney instantly reappeared from below the ship. With a wide grin, he motioned for her to jump in the longboat. 

A bright smile returned to Blue’s face. Without hesitation, she jumped down into the longboat, with Rodney catching her so that she wouldn't fall. 

“Wanna touch things I don't feel,”

Rodney then began to show her how the controls worked and how to operate the longboat. He didn’t notice Blue staring up at him with a soft beam crossing her face as she listened briefly. He also didn’t realize that Donnie and Manolo taught her how to operate solar vehicles beforehand. 

“Wanna hold on and feel I belong.”

Blue handled the rubbers and pressed the switches. Before Rodney could even stop her, she instantly grabbed the rubbers and drove the longboat at a fast velocity. Rodney yelped, holding onto the railings to keep himself from falling off. 

“And how can they say I never change? They’re the ones that stay the same.”

The two sailed across the night atmosphere until they pulled up next to a comet. A spark of mischief sparked in her eyes. Within a second, she drove the longboat into the comet’s tail and brought the sails down. 

“I’m the one now, ‘cause I’m still here.”  

Blue laughed with happiness as she steered the boat to spin wildly around through the icy tail of the comet. 

“I’m the one, ‘cause I’m still here.” 

Rodney held onto the railing tightly so that he wouldn’t fall off. When Blue finally straightened out the boat and brought the sails back up, a thin layer of ice covered their heads and shoulders. Blue lowered the boat out of the tail and back into the open air. 

“I’m still here.”

Blue and Rodney shared happy, lighthearted laughs as the blue-eyed girl ran her hand through her hair and Rodney shook his head wildly to get the ice off of him. 

He took a moment to stare at the cabin teen beside him. The light shining off the shooting star highlighted her golden-blonde hair and features. For a moment, her blue eyes were shining with wonder and joy, brighter than the stars he had seen throughout his life. It was like seeing a small glimmer of life through her eyes and simper. 

He felt relieved to see her smile and laugh like this. 

“I’m still here.”

Blue closed her eyes, drawing in a deep inhale of the crisp air of the night. She sighed in pure happiness. A powerful surge of ecstasy took over her body as the wind blew against her face and hair. 

“I’m still here.”

For the first time in her life...she felt so free.

Chapter 13: Maelstrom

Notes:

Warning: minor character death

Word Count: 2,125

Chapter Text

The two soon made their way back to the Odyssey. The longboat floated just beside the launch bay doors opening from the side, ready to be brought back in. As Wonder walked in and greeted them with a lively chitter, Blue took one side to pull on the ropes, with Rodney taking the other. Blue pulled the ropes faster than he could, so she nearly fell beside Rodney, who laughed. 

“Having a little trouble there, Cap?” Blue playfully questioned. 

“Aw, get away from me,’ Rodney chuckled, gently nudging her back to her side. The boat was soon evened out, and they continued to pull on the ropes to bring the longboat back in. “Whew. Blue…” 

He tied the rope off with a soft grin. “If I could maneuver a skill like that when I was your age, they’d be bowing in the streets as I walked by today,” he declared before sitting down, with Wonder climbing down to his shoulder. 

“I don’t know. They weren’t exactly singing my praises when I left home,” Blue, speaking in her deep voice, took over tying off the rope the way she was taught. She soon plopped down and leaned her head back. 

Rodney wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, slouching on his seat. 

“But I’m gonna change all that,” Blue finished. 

“Oh, really? How so?” Rodney asked, gently playing with Wonder’s head. 

“Uh, I got some plans. I’m gonna people see me a little different,” Blue replied, placing her hands behind her head and leaning back, a small smile forming. 

The last part made Rodney’s smile fall and shift into a frown of somber and slight concern. “Oh…” he spoke softly. “Sometimes…plans like that go astray…” 

“Not this time,” Blue confidently replied with calmness. 

Rodney hummed softly, pondering for a moment. He took out the device that he had used to protect Blue from Thrax and started studying it for any problems. When he saw one, he tried to fix it with his own bare hand. Wonder, seeing this, departed to somewhere for a moment before returning with a wrench in hand. 

“Oh, thanks, Wonder,” Rodney smiled, taking the wrench from his small friend and finally being able to turn the bolt. 

Blue watched him fix his device with curiosity, bringing her arms down from her head. “So, uh…how did that happen, anyway?” She asked barely tenderly, her voice close to her normal tone. 

Rodney took a moment to look at her, then down at his device. His expression was one of solemn content as he turned the device around lightly. “You give up a few things…chasing a dream of a lifetime…” he answered her. His eyes held thoughts of his past, remembering those who doubted him and treated him like something they can ignore. 

“…was it worth it?” Blue’s voice was barely a whisper. While she didn’t know it, her voice was now evident in normality when she asked him that. 

Rodney, seemingly slightly surprised at her question, glanced back up at her before he chuckled lightly. He proceeded to take a seat next to her on her right, resting his arm around her. Wonder chittered and nuzzled against Blue’s chest as she held him gently in her arms. 

“I’m hoping it is, kiddo. I most surely am,” Rodney replied, leaning his head back with a content beam as Blue did the same. 

For one moment, everything seemed perfect. 

But then…it ended. 

A strong force suddenly blew against the side of the Odyssey, rocking the boat dangerously. The force also sent Rodney and Blue yelping and holding onto the railing tightly so that they wouldn't fall off. Wonder squeaked with fright, now holding onto Blue’s shoulder, and chittered with worry. 

“I got you, kid,” Rodney soothed Blue while he held her close to him. 

The ship soon balanced out, the hulls groaning as it moved upright. 

Rodney, Blue, and Wonder soon made it up to the deck. “Manolo, what the hell’s going on up there?!” Rodney called up to the rat’s nest. 

Blue’s skin crawled from the wind blowing harshly against the sails. Her heart dropped with terror. 

“Ay Dios Mio! The Island Pelusa!” Manolo gasped horrified when he saw the source of the powerful source through his spyglass. 

In the distance, an island a few hundred meters from the ship detonated into oblivion when a large volcano erupted in the midst, sending a massive wave shock towards the Odyssey. 

“It’s gone SUPER LOCO!” Manolo cried from the nest. 

“Evasive action, Drax!” Alli shouted, racing up the stairs. 

“Aye, Captain!” Drax steered the ship from the eruption. 

“All hands, fasten your lifelines!” Roth ordered while holding onto the rigging of the ship. 

In a flash, the crew rushed towards the mainmast, grabbing their rope and tying it around their waists. Rodney and Blue did the same, with Wonder finding a smaller rope while chittering frantically. 

The Odyssey sped away from the eruption with as much speed as it could muster, but an enormous cloud from the blast soon caught up with the ship. The shock wave broke the windows and sent flying flaming rocks tearing through the sails. 

“Mr. Roth, secure those sails!” Alli ordered Roth. 

“Secure all sails!” Roth instructed the crew, who began climbing up the shrouds to the sails. “Reef them down, men!” 

Blue and Rodney, as carefully as possible, shuffled across the bow of the ship to get to the rigging of the jib sails. Even with fiery balls zooming past her, she didn’t flinch or fall from being barely hit. 

Meat Sweats stayed on the deck to fire a laser cannon at the flaming rocks from the eruption. He successfully hit three of them, which exploded from the impact. “Yeah, baby! Ba-boom!” He laughed maliciously. 

Most of the crew have managed to begin pulling the sails in while avoiding getting hit by the flaming rocks. 

Blue pulled the ropes from the bow of the ship as hard as she could while gaining his balance. Rodney had a hard time tying down the rig, but he refused to give up now. A lone rock landed dangerously close to his hand, which made him yell. He tried to grab onto his lifeline, but he started to fall from the bow. 

Blue’s heart dropped, her eyes widening, the second she saw Rodney in danger. “Rodney!” She shouted. 

Within a second, she rushed in just in time to grab his lifeline, wrapping it around her wrist to get a better grip, and began pulling him up with as much strength as she could muster. Even with the flaming asteroids still flying past her, she didn’t stop. She was soon able to get Rodney back on the bow of the ship. 

The Captain sighed with relief just as Blue rushed to him. “Thanks, kid,” he breathily said to her. 

Blue beamed in return and helped him stand upright. Though the moment didn’t last long. 

A sudden groan brought their attention to the front of them. Blue nearly gasped at the sight of a larger ship, seemingly abandoned and damaged, floating towards them as it moved across the waters. No matter how many times Meats Sweats shot at the ship, the blasts weren’t enough to stop it or slow it down. In response, most of the crew screamed and scurried away to find someplace to protect themselves. 

Rodney held Blue close to him, neither of them turning away from the broken ship hurling towards them. Before it could even make hard contact with the hulls, the abandoned ship suddenly moved away from the Odyssey and towards the eruption again. 

At least it used to be an eruption. 

Rodney and Blue’s hearts plummeted to their stomachs when they saw why. A large tunnel of water formed where the island used to stand...and started to drag the Odyssey and the remaining shipwrecks and fallen rocks in. 

“Captain! The island!” Peter shouted. 

Martin dashed up beside Alli, who narrowed her eyes at the tunnel, and gasped with horror. 

“MAELSTROM!” He shouted as loud as his lungs could muster. 

As if on cue, the skies changed from fiery red to dark gray with the ocean’s mood. Rainfall started to fall down on the deck hard, and the winds became strong enough to send the crew tumbling around. 

“We’re being pulled in!” Drax tried to hold onto the wheel for much longer, only to get thrown off from the harsh winds. 

Alli charged in and took over the wheel. “No, you don’t, you—” 

As the Odyssey got closer to the maelstrom, the tunnel grew bigger by the second. A shock wave erupted from the hole, sending a gargantuan ripple towards the Odyssey. The billow knocked Blue and Rodney off their feet on the deck. 

“Damn these waves! They’re so erratic!” Alli shouted. 

“No, Captain! They’re not erratic at all!” Chris corrected her with a navigational panel at the helm. ”There’ll be one more in precisely forty-seven point two seconds, followed by the biggest magilla of them all!”

“Last magilla? That’s it! We’ll ride that last one out of here!” Alli lit up, a determined smile now replacing the frown. 

“All sails secured, Captainess!” Roth called from below the helm. 

“Good lad! Now release them immediately!” Alli ordered. 

Roth appeared hesitant at her order, yet he complied slowly. “Aye, Captain! You heard her, men! Unfurl those sails!” He ordered the crew that was coming back down from the shrouds. 

“What? But we just finished—“ Carl Sando started. 

“Tying them down!” Ben Sando finished for his brother. 

“Make up your bloomin’ minds!” Gothel shouted annoyed as she climbed back up with the others on the shrouds to the sails. Roth climbed up the shrouds as well to help unfurl the sails. 

Blue was about to join in, but Alli stopped her. “Blue, make sure all lifelines are secured good and tight!” 

“Aye, captain!” Blue saluted and hurried towards the main mast to tighten the lifelines. 

Roth and the crew members on the yards unfurled the sails, their annoyance soon subsided. Meanwhile, Blue tightened each and every lifeline as hard as she could. 

“Lifelines secured, Captainess!” She exclaimed once she got the job done. 

“Very good!” Alli replied. 

However, another shock wave erupted from the maelstrom tunnel just as the Odyssey got closer, now barely floating over the opening since it had its artificial gravity on. The wave pushed Alli away from the helm. 

The wave also sent Roth falling off the yard and screaming into the abyss below. Luckily, his lifeline was secured tightly thanks to Blue, therefore stopping his fall. Grunting, he began to pull himself up by the rope but stopped halfway when a shadow loomed from behind the sails. 

Thrax laughed darkly, approaching Roth’s rope. “Take care,” he darkly said as his left index finger glowed. 

Roth gasped, his eyes widening. Before he could say anything, Thrax cut off the rope. 

The older man screamed with terror as he plummeted into the dark maelstrom. Soon, his screams died down to nothing more than an echo when he disappeared in the darkness. 

Thrax’s dark victory was short-lived by Chris’s cry. “Captain, the last wave! Here it comes!” The brunet shouted as the navigational panel signaled the last shock wave. 

“Hold onto your lifelines, guys! It’s going to be a bumpy ride!” Alli shrieked from the helm, keeping her hold on the steering wheel. The Odyssey soon began to descend into the abyss below. 

Wonder squeaked terrified and held onto the rigging of the ship, whimpering with fear. Rodney held Blue closer to him than he remembered and braced themselves against the mast. His body shielded hers, his arms around the mast so that she wouldn’t fall out. They closed their eyes tightly as the darkness started to envelop them and the Odyssey. 

When the ship fell into the dark abyss, it was silent and still for a few seconds. 

In an instant, the last magilla exploded from the seemingly endless hole. The final shock sent the Odyssey flying. The flames were powerful enough for the solar sails to power up, charging up the thrusters and sending the ship flying back into the open ocean. 

The sudden blast sent the crew tumbling backward, the Kratt Brothers and Percy yelling before they hit the wall and a pile of ropes. Just as the last magilla was close to touching the Odyssey, the ship safely flew into the air for a few seconds before landing back in the safer waters and sailing smoothly. 

Cheers and applause brought Rodney and Blue to open their eyes slowly and see the clear night sky first. Their eyes soon landed on the crew and Alli at the helm. 

They were all in the clear, alive and safe.

Chapter 14: Makings of Greatness

Notes:

Warning: mentions of minor death, angst and fluff

Word Count: 2,217

A/n: I swear, I got teary-eyed while listening to the ‘Silver Comforts Jim’. Please grab som tissues for this

Chapter Text

A relieved, proud Alli stood at the helm, her hands still holding the wheel, as the crew cheered wildly. Wonder opened his eyes to find the danger gone and nearly fell to the deck floor in a faint if Blue hadn’t caught him in time. 

“I gotcha,” she tenderly soothed him, petting his back. 

“Captain! That-oh, thank goodness!” Percy stammered as he and the brothers pulled themselves off the floor and untangled themselves from the ropes. “That was- that was absolutely- that was the most—” 

“Oh, no big deal,” Alli sighed, dusting herself off. “Actually, Christopher, your oceanology advice helped us out of this mess.” 

Chris chuckled proudly, earning a deadpan expression from his older brother. 

Alli walked down the stairs just before she was ambushed into a tight hug by Rodney. She laughed as he spun her around with his arms around her thighs, his laughter echoing with hers. 

“That was fast thinking there, love,” Rodney told her, setting her down to hold her by the waist. 

“Exactly how you taught me,” Alli replied back. 

“Why I love you,” Rodney finished before the two kissed tenderly. 

Wonder gagged in playful disgust at the moment, but Blue only chuckled lightly. She was suddenly taken by surprise when a pair of arms pulled her in and hugged her tight. 

“Blue! You okay? You hurt?” Crash hurriedly checked over her for any injuries, his green emeralds filled with worry for her. 

“I was gonna ask you the same thing,” Blue chuckled, forgetting to add the deepness in her voice. “...and yeah, I’m fine.” 

Crash gently smiled at her. Her cheeks burned redder than she remembered, but she saw that his face was red as a rose, too. She didn’t bother fighting away those thoughts from her head this time. 

“And, uh, I need to congratulate you, Blue. You did an amazing job with those lifelines,” Alli then turned to Blue with a proud grin directed at her as Rodney went to stand beside her. 

Blue tucked a few strands of hair from her face and stared down at the ground modestly. Rodney, a smirk crossing his face, nudged her playfully. Blue nudged him back in return, and they chuckled as Rodney ruffled her blonde hair. 

Alli smiled tenderly at her husband and cabin kid bonding. “All hands accounted for, Mr. Roth?” She asked for Roth. 

No response came for her. The crew turned around to look for the older man, but there was no sign of him. 

“Mr. Roth?” 

Thrax passed by the crew, a somber expression on his face, and approached Alli. He had a hat safely in his hands. Rodney’s eyes widened when he recognized it before. 

“I’m afraid...Mr. Roth has been lost,” Thrax told Alli with a devastating frown and handed her Roth’s hat. 

Alli took it gingerly from his hands, staring down it with a heartbroken expression. 

“His lifeline wasn’t secured,” Thrax continued before facing Blue. The crew, Rodney, Crash, and Alli did the same. 

“No, I checked them all!” Blue exclaimed. She rushed past some of the members but stopped short when she saw one bar on the mast...empty. “I—I did. I checked them all. They were secure! I swear!” She turned to Alli almost pleadingly. 

Alli didn’t say a word, and Blue couldn’t tell if she was seeing the truth in her eyes, angry, disappointed, betrayed, or both. The younger girl couldn’t find it in herself to say anything else. Crash stared at her sympathetically, seeing the look of guilt in her eyes. 

Rodney saw how devastated and close she was to crying. He knew her well. She would never put anyone’s life on the line on purpose or watch someone die on her watch. Now she was just standing in the middle of it all, unsure if anyone around her believed her. 

He saw Thrax smile darkly to himself out of the corner in his eye as he watched the crew stare at her unbelievingly. The blue-haired man’s mouth emitted a small growl as he glared at him. There’s no way Roth died from Blue’s doing. While he didn’t know it, Ratchet was also glaring at Thrax, ready to kill him off with a single glint of rage from his red eyes. 

Alli glanced back down at the ground, holding onto Roth’s hat. “Mr. Roth was a, um…” She cleared her throat to keep tears from streaming down her face. “...fine sailor. Finer than most of us could ever hope to be. But he knew the risks as do we all. Resume your posts. We carry on” She regained her composure and retreated to the shared quarters as the crew departed. 

While they didn’t notice it, Alli took a moment to stop at the door to her and Rodney’s quarters and glanced in Thrax’s direction. She could tell there was a dark, murderous smirk on that sick bastard’s face. Furrowing her eyes one last time at him, Alli stepped into the shard quarters. 

Blue was borderline scared and heartbroken. Her eyes were already filling up with tears at the sight of everyone not believing her truth. Before Crash or Rodney could say anything, she suddenly dashed off, a short cry emitting from her lips. 

“Blue!” Crash called to her, but she was already gone below the deck. He sighed, feeling terrible for her. He wanted to comfort her, but at the same time, she most likely wanted some time alone, so he went off to another part of the deck. 

Rodney turned his gaze from where Blue had departed to back to Thrax, who was already heading off somewhere. Anger began to grow in him again. Whatever that bastard did, he’s not going to get away with it. He motioned for Alex and Migo to approach him. When they did so, they leaned in close to what he needed to tell them. 

“I want you two to keep an eye on Ratchet and Thrax,” Rodney whispered to the two. “Roth’s death...I don’t think Blue was responsible for it.” 

Though unsure about what the Captain meant, Alex and Migo nodded in understanding and went to their stations. 


Thrax chuckled darkly as he walked down to the brig. It was all going according to plan. Roth is gone, the blame’s all on the kid. There’s no way anyone’s going to stop him. 

A hand suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around forcefully. Thrax was nearly surprised to find an enraged expression belonging to Alli staring him up. Her sky-blue eyes were dark with anger and suspicion. 

“...what did you do?” Her voice was but a low growl. 

Thrax only smiled charismatically. “Don’t think you’d be happy to hear this news, baby.” He went to walk around her again, but she stepped in his way again. Her angered flare did not leave her face, either. 

“What did you do?” She snarled a bit louder. 

“Sorry, but that’s not my problem!” He yelped when Alli slammed him against the wall and instantly pulled out her sword, pinning it against his neck. 

“So help me, God...if you think about hurting the kid in any way like that again...I will not hesitate to put my sword right through your goddamn heart,” Alli’s growl became audible for him to hear. “What did you do?” 

Thrax tried his best to hide the fear in his eyes from her. “...I already told you...Roth’s lifeline wasn’t secured…” he answered. 

Alli narrowed her eyes at him, close to slicing his neck open. Even if he did admit to what he had done, there’s no way he would admit it in front of the crew. Gripping her sword at his neck one last time, Alli scoffed and pulled away from him. She sent one last glare at him as she put away her sword and stomped off, leaving Thrax in the brig. 


There was no one out on the deck that night. Though the stars were littering the blue-purple sky, the crew had retired to their sleep. One, however, was too overcome with sadness to even stay in her hammock. 

Trudging herself up the steps, Blue, not even bothering to put on her shirt, kept her head down, her eyes close to letting the tears fall down her cheeks. She stopped near the railing, her hands holding onto it to steady herself. A heartbroken half-wail left her lips, even though she had her fist in her mouth. Her breathing became labored the longer she tried to hold back the lump that had been trapped in her throat. Her cries were already growing louder, no matter how much she tried to keep it down. 

She tried to be strong for so long after her mother passed, after her grandfather was forbidden to come back to Mapplebarrow and see her again. But now...she’s got no one else to turn to. Rodney probably hates her, too. The crew possibly lost all trust in her, as well as Alli. Everything just became too much for her, and she was just starting to fall apart. 

She wanted to make things right, she wanted to help others who needed it more than anything. Now she screwed up, far from Mapplebarrow, from the mainland, and she’s lost and alone. 

A hand tenderly rested on her shoulder, which prompted her to face the owner with teary eyes. Rodney stared at her with sorrow and remorse, much to her surprise. There was no hatred or shock in his orbs at her uncovered disguise. 

Blue didn’t know what to do right now. She was trapped, her cover’s been blown. Why isn’t he taking her down to the brig, to punish her, to have her imprisoned? He should be giving her dozens of lashes on her back right now, hurt her even further…

The silent tension was soon broken when Rodney took off his coat and wrapped it around her body. “It’s cold out tonight, kid. You’ll catch a chill,” he told her softly. 

Blue stiffened for a moment. Her eyes were wide, tears ready to spill down her cheeks more. Her bottom lip shook as she tried to hold in another lump in her throat again. “I’m so sorry…” 

“Don’t apologize for that, Blue,” Rodney smoothly stopped her. “It wasn’t your fault. If it weren’t for you, we would’ve been stuck in that black abyss.” 

“What hurts me the most is that I’ll never be able to do something right.” Blue’s voice cracked. 

Rodney’s heart broke apart to hear her cry like this. She looked so helpless and broken. She didn’t do any of this. She was doing what she knows was right. 

He crouched to her eye level and lifted her chin gently. “Hey, listen to me. We all make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we have to put ourselves down for it. You’ve got so much greatness in you. You just need to take the helm and chart your own course. You gotta stick to it, no matter what anyone says. And when the time comes, you get to cut open the sails and show what you’re truly capable of. You’re something special, Blue. Never letting fear get to you, even when it all comes falling down.” He then tenderly smiled. “One day, I’m going to be there, catching all of the light coming out of you.” 

Blue didn’t know what to say, just stared up at Rodney with wide, teary eyes. Strings tugged at her heart on each side of her. For the first time in her life, it wasn’t from sadness. She had never heard those kinds of words from her own father before or from anyone else in a long time. She sniffled, screwing her eyes shut, and rested her head on his chest. 

Rodney stiffened for a moment and glanced around in hopes that no one was watching him. When there was no one around, his face changed to sympathetic, and his arms instantly wrapped around her. 

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, kid. It’s alright,” he tenderly soothed her, hugging her. 

Blue finally sobbed quietly, her body shaking. She never knew she needed to hear those words up until now. Over the time she spent in the Odyssey, Rodney had become more of a father to her than her real father ever did. She didn’t want to admit it, but he reminded her so much of her grandfather. 

Rodney soon pulled away from her. “Ahem. Anyways, I’ll keep an eye out on the deck...and you better get some shut-eye,” he told her and tenderly pushed her towards the stairs. 

Blue was only halfway down when she stopped and faced him again. Rodney smiled at her warmly, letting her know that her secret is safe. Blue grinned, laughing a bit, and continued her way down the stairs. 

Rodney’s smile fell the second she was completely in the sleeping quarters. Wonder climbed up to his shoulder, squeaking with solemness. “The hell am I doin’? Next thing I know, they’ll be saying I’ve gone soft.” 

Wonder chirped and nuzzled his head against Rodney’s cheek, which sent him to chuckling. The blue-haired Captain sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, continuing his night watch. However, he didn’t notice a figure standing on the yard of the mast above with a dark smile.

Chapter 15: Ratchet's Plot

Notes:

Warning: injury, blood, mentions of death

Word Count: 3,731

Chapter Text

As the morning light shone through the ceiling, the crew slept peacefully in their hammocks, some of them snoring like a noisy engine and others murmuring in their slumber. Fortunately, Blue slept through the loud snoring, so she wasn’t too disturbed by it…that is until Hypno-Potamus was sleeping over her. 

Just like that, his hand accidentally slapped her in the face, waking her up. Groaning in annoyance and already waking up, Blue swatted his hand away and fell to the floor from her hammock. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes still closed. 

Blue put on one boot before she reached for the other. However, a familiar little critter took it out of her reach and skittered away before hiding behind a chest. 

“Wonder?” Blue tiredly ran a hand down her face and stood up with an exhausted sigh. She trudged to the chest, tucking the back of her shirt into her pants. She got on her knees and looked behind the chest for the mischievous creature. 

“Wonder, knock it off. It’s too early for this,” she tiredly whined. She didn’t notice Wonder sneaking up behind with her boot in hand until he kicked her straight in the rear, sending a pained yelp from her. 

“Hey, Wonder!” Blue immediately turned back, now fully awake. Wonder blew a raspberry at her and started running around with her boot. “Hey, come back here!” 

She couldn’t help but laugh as she chased him around the sleeping quarters, careful not to wake up the crew. Wonder dashed out from the sleeping quarters and into the deck above, with Blue not too far behind him. She jumped at Wonder and landed right at the entrance leading to the galley, her boot finally in her hands. 

Blue only sighed, her chin resting on her wrist, as Wonder came back up from the galley with a small bucket of water in his hands. In a second, he splashed water on her face and cackled wildly. “That’s it, you little squid!” Blue laughed and tried to grab Wonder, but he avoided her attempt and dashed back below the deck. 

Blue dried off the remaining water from her face hastily and peered down through the hatch. She hopped down the stairs while trying to get her boot on and stumbled on the last step. 

She scanned the area for any sign of Wonder, but so far, she only saw the empty kitchenette. Her eyes then landed on the half-empty barrel holding the remaining pears. When she peeked inside, there were only about 100 to 150 pears left in there…until a pair of eyes peered through some of the fruits, serving a dead giveaway. 

“Aha! Gotcha!” Blue laughed, instantly leaping into the barrel and grabbing for the mischievous monkey. They both giggled when she caught him finally and tickled him in the chest, receiving laughing chitters and gentle swats on her fingers. 

“What I am saying is, we’re sick of all this waiting!” 

“There’s only the Captain, his woman, and his crew left!” 

Voices were hushed from outside the barrel. Blue clasped her hand over Wonder’s mouth to keep him quiet and peeked out from the hole of the barrel. Ratchet’s gang were talking to each other without even noticing her spying out from the hole. 

“We are wanting to move!” Meat Sweats demanded. 

“Don’t move until we got the treasure in hand!” An arm she knew belonged to Ratchet clenched his fist as he barked at his crew, who flinched. Blue gasped quietly when she saw Ratchet conversing. 

“I say we kill them all now,” Thrax smirked evilly. 

Ratchet growled and grabbed the virus instantly by the throat. “‘I say’?! What’s this ‘I say’?!” He lifted him up with his hand still gripping his neck. “Disobey my orders again like that stunt you pulled with Mr. Roth…” 

Blue thought her stomach was going to turn. So it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t cause the death of Roth. 

“...and so help me, you’ll be JOINING HIM!” Ratchet threw Thrax against the barrel she and Wonder were hiding in. The monkey nearly squeaked with terror, but Blue calmed him down by hugging him close. 

Thrax lifted himself up by the brim of the barrel. “You think the Cap’s tough…” he smirked darkly. “...I know otherwise.” 

He reached into the barrel, trying to grab a pear. Blue, despite the fear growing from getting caught, took one near her and let Thrax take it from her hand without giving away her position. 

“Is there something you got, Thrax?” Ratchet asked. 

“It’s that girl,” Thrax still grinned. Ratchet eyed him with bewilderment. “Methinks he’s got a soft…” the purple-haired virus poked the fruit to make a point. “...spot for her.” 

The crew of villains nodded in agreement, some of them murmuring. Ratchet pondered about it for a moment before he scoffed in denial. “That can’t be. A cabin girl? A girl would have been caught dead if she stowed away on some ship.” 

“Well, this girl did. And the Captain had decided to let her live,” Thrax continued. “And so did you…” 

Ratchet glared at him before turning to his crew. “Now mark me, the lot of you! I care about one thing and one thing only! Gray’s Trove! You think I’d risk it all for the sake of some hand-me-down blue-haired son of a dishwasher and some nose-wiping little snake?” 

Every word that flew out of Ratchet’s mouth made Blue’s heart drop even further than she had recalled. She wasn’t even watching them converse anymore. She was already lost in the fear, the hurt, the betrayal from the Silver Head. 

“What was it now? ‘One day, we’ll take on the world together, with no one to hold us back’ ,” Thrax mocked Ratchet’s words. “And I’d always known you’d meet Ted’s granddaughter. That little princess down at the docks. It’d be a terrible shame if she found out you left him to die from that ship fire that night.” 

The second the mention of her grandfather’s name, as well as his aforementioned death, flew from Thrax’s lips, Blue finally understood what he meant. Her stomach dropped to the endless bottom. Her heart broke apart like a delicate glass window. Millions of thoughts were racing through her head, a lump forming in her throat and preventing her from breathing. 

Ratchet’s eyes widened but suddenly narrowed again as he turned to face him again. “Shut your mouth! I cozied up to that Copperbottom kid to keep him off our scent. And that kid ain’t Ted’s grandkid. The princess is his granddaughter.”

Blue glanced back through the hole of the barrel. She was already wishing it’s just some sort of dream. Maybe it was all a nightmare, and she was trying so hard to wake up. But seeing the dark fierceness in Ratchet’s eyes, it was all true. 

“And I ain’t have met this kid before…” Ratchet pointed angrily at Thrax. 

“Land ho!” A voice shouted from the above deck before more could be said. 

The crew suddenly became excited and dashed up to the deck, leaving Blue and Wonder alone again. 

Blue barely let go of Wonder, who chittered with worry for her, as everything began to sink in. Understanding what was going to happen, Wonder climbed out of the barrel and started his search for Rodney. 

A few tears started to spill out of her wide eyes. A storm of wild, incoherent thoughts attacked her mind out of nowhere. Anger, betrayal, maybe all of them? One of the feelings was recognizable to her in a flash.

Heartbreak. 

Sadness. 

Sorrow.  

Ratchet knew that Thrax was responsible for Roth’s death, blaming her in the process…and he let her believe it, beating herself up for hours on end. He had used Rodney and his crew as means to get to the Lost Isles. That’s why Bones died giving her the map…so that Ratchet and his gang wouldn’t get to it. 

And her grandfather. Her poor, kind grandfather. She’d never have the chance to see him again, and that silver-haired bastard killed him, left him to die. 

Blue closed her eyes tight as the tears finally broke loose. In the eye of the hurricane of her mind, one thing was all she could hear. 


“Ha, ha, ha! There it is!” Manolo shouted with glee from the helm, pointing to a familiar island. “Feast eyes and click heels!” 

The crew dashed up to the railings to get a better look, their smiles and excited glints in their eyes evident. Rodney and Alli rushed out from their quarters and stopped on the upper deck. Their hearts soared with happiness when they saw that Manolo was right. 

The Lost Isles. Standing there with all its glory and wonder. It was exactly as the map itself had described. 

“I can’t believe it. The kid’s right,” Rodney breathed with amazement. 

“She really did it, love,” Alli added, leaning in against Rodney. 

The blue-eyed Captain stared at his wife surprised, to which she beamed at him. He smiled back at her. The moment was cut short when Wonder climbed up to his shoulder and squeaked with frantic worry. 

“Wonder? What’s wrong?” Rodney paused for a second as Wonder chittered at him. Alli stared at her husband’s friend with worry as Rodney’s eyes widened a bit. 


Blue slowly pulled herself out of the barrel. Her breathing was growing uneven as she stumbled lightly, her fingers lightly hitting a spyglass with her hand on the table to steady her. She rubbed her face as everything came together. Her eyes opened up to face the floor, progressing everything. 

Warning the Captain and his crew became her first objective the second her mind came to be clear. 

She rushed towards the stairs in a flash. She was barely halfway up the steps before a fin-haired figure appeared at the top, stopping in his tracks in sync with hers. 

Blue’s heart felt like it was going to stop when her eyes came face-to-face with Ratchet. Her breathing almost stopped on its own. 

Ratchet had thought the kid, who stowed away on the Healing Odyssey, who risked his life protecting Alli and saving Rodney, who went out of his way to help whenever possible, looked awfully similar to the young Princess of Maplebarrow. Apart from the pendant that had been around her neck the entire time, now out in the open for all to see, a hard glance at her widened, fear-ridden ocean blues and short, golden curls was all it took for him to recognize her. 

“You…” a snarl was hidden in his voice as he narrowed his eyes on her. As he started to approach her, stepping down the steps, she backed away, her heart now racing as her own horse did. 

Blue was soon backed up against the table, left with no way out. Her eyes were now filled with as much fear as it was revealed to him. 

“Playing games, are we?” Ratchet growled at her, close to her fear, maybe a mere few inches. Blue unknowingly let out a terrified whimper. He knew that she had heard everything. 

“Ratchet!” 

Both of them turned towards the owner before Ratchet could do anything. Rodney stood halfway on the steps, his face holding a suspicious, angered look—not at Blue, but at the Silver Head. 

“What the hell is going on down here?” Rodney demanded, narrowing his eyes at him.

Something brushed against Blue’s hand. A quick glance down revealed a knife close to her fingers. Another glance at Ratchet being confronted by Rodney gave her an idea. 

Within a second, Blue grabbed the knife, rushed forward with as much strength as she had in her, and jammed the knife right in Ratchet’s leg before making a mad dash past him. “Run!” She shouted. 

“Blue?! What the hell—?!” Rodney started, but she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her. 

With swift speed, Blue and Rodney rushed towards the captain’s stateroom, leaving Ratchet yelling in pain and clutching onto his leg. 

Ratchet pulled the knife out of his leg, with blood spewing out from the wound and staining his pants. He crawled himself up the stairs since his leg was in so much pain to move. He scanned across the deck for any sign of Rodney and Blue until he found them rushing into the stateroom, the Captain slamming the door shut. 

“Oh, damn it all,” Ratchet growled to himself. He pulled himself up from the stairs, groaning when the pain in his leg came back again, and whistled loud enough for his crew to hear. 

“Change of plans, boys!” He pulled out his sword with a dark smirk. “We move now!” 

The band of villains cheered wildly and rushed down the deck to ready themselves. 

“Strike our colors, Mr. Chato!” Ratchet commanded the man above. 

“With pleasure, Captain!” Chato saluted with a cruel smile, yanking the flag for the Odyssey off. 

Meanwhile, Chakal broke down the door to the locked armory and came back out a moment later with guns now in his large hands. He roared as he held them up, with the villains cheering wildly. After they grabbed the guns, they then rushed up to the stateroom. 

The flag belonging to the malicious crew rose from behind Ratchet, who stood there with a cruel smirk. 


The second Rodney had slammed the door shut, with his own crew, the Kratt Brothers, and Percy now gathered in, Blue explained everything as fast as she could. When she got to the part where Ratchet had talked about the mutiny and how he was responsible for her grandfather's death, it was all it took for Rodney’s scowl to appear in a span of a second. 

He marched straight towards the cabinet and unlocked it. “That goddamn Silver Head! I shouldn’t have trusted him from the beginning!” He loaded a pistol and tossed one at Percy. “Patterson, familiar with these?” 

“Oh, I’ve seen—well, I’ve read—“ Percy stammered over his words before the pistol instantly went off, barely missing Rodney and shouting the globe next to him. Alli and Gamora yelped when the gun went off. 

“Uh, no. No. No, I’m not,” Percy admitted sheepishly. 

Rodney rolled his eyes, sighing. “Wonder!” He called to Wonder. The monkey chittered, pulling out the key for the chest, and unlocked it. 

The door to the stateroom glowed orange while fizzing spurred from the other side. The villains were trying to get in. 

“Blue, defend this with your life,” Rodney handed the map to Blue. 

Alli grabbed a musket from the wall and cocked it. “Everyone, get back.”

Meanwhile, the villains were trying to melt off the lock with their guns. 

“Oh, you’re taking all day about it!” Ratchet groaned, shoving two villains aside. He pulled out a larger gun and aimed it at the door. 

The door exploded from the blast, and everyone got in to search for the other crew. Ratchet glanced around until he saw a human-sized hole near him. He growled just as one member got close. “Get them!” He threw the member through the hole. 

Rodney, Blue, and his crew made a mad dash on the walkway towards the launch bay. Crash held onto Blue’s hand so that she wouldn’t fall behind. With the sound of the villain’s shouts behind them, they ran faster than they ever remembered. The crew soon made it to the area, but Percy yelped when he tripped and fell upon entering the launch bay. 

Alli quickly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him out of the way before slamming the door shut, just as the villains could catch up to them. She fired the musket at the lock, sealing it. “Get to the longboats! Hurry!” 

The crew made it to one of the longboats, Crash jumping in first before helping Blue on, Peter helping Gamora in first before jumping in himself, and the guys stumbling around trying to get on. 

“Ahh, I hate this! I hate this! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…!” Leo yelped when he nearly fell but grabbed onto the railing of the longboat and pulled himself in behind his brothers. 

Alli pushed down the lever to open the door below the longboats. The lock was already melting from the villains attempting to get in. 

Alli rushed in towards the longboat and leaped in with expertise next to the guys before cocking her musket. 

Blue didn’t realize that a creature, apart from Wonder, had snuck up behind her and took the map from her pant pocket until she felt something fall out. Looking over to her side, her eyes grew when she saw a small mutant Silverfish take the map. A lot of reasons to hate that mutant Silverfish, and working with the villains to get the map is one of them. 

“No! No, no, no, no!” Blue cried, desperately trying to catch that damn creature. She leaped out of the longboat, Wonder following behind, and chased the Silverfish on the walkway. 

“Blue, no!” Crash yelled when he saw Blue leap back onto the walkway. 

“Crash, get down!” Rodney ordered, stopping him from joining her. 

As if on cue, the door was soon broken down, and the villains charged in firing at the crew, missing them and only hitting the sides of the longboat. 

“Chew on this, you pus-filled boils!” Alli yelled, firing her musket at the pursuing villains. The crew fired back, also missing them. 

Percy stood up with a flash, the pistol in his hands, and fired it straight at a part of the ship hanging from above. The part fell onto the walkway right in front of some of the chasing villains, who fell to their deaths. 

Alli, Rodney, and the others stared at the falling villains with astonishment. “Did you actually aim for that?” Migo asked Percy, impressed. 

“You know, actually, I did,” Percy replied, also impressed. 

Rodney saw more villains charging in and firing at them and pushed Percy down, firing back at them. 

Ratchet pulled the lever up to the bottom exit, a smirk dark with greed, as the hatch began to close again. 

“Ah, damn it!” Rodney cursed to himself when he saw the hatch closing. He then glanced up towards the cables of the boat. “Alli, when I say now, shoot up the forward cable, I’ll take this one,” he instructed Alli, who nodded. 

“Wonder, get him! Wonder!” 

A feminine yell caught Ratchet’s attention next. He turned around and saw Blue trying to catch the Silverfish, while Wonder chittered and ran across the other longboat to catch it off. 

Blue had managed to catch the Silverfish, only for it to suddenly slash at her side, She yelled in pain, unwittingly letting it go, and held onto her side. When she pulled it back, blood greeted her sight on her palm. Just as the Silverfish was close to turning around the corner, Wonder leaped in and started to battle with the silver creature for the map. 

Crash was about to reload his pistol when he saw Blue close to falling on her knees on the walkway. His heart dropped to his stomach. “Blue,” he whispered in fear. “Raph, throw me to the walkway!” He yelled to Raph.

“What? But—“ Raph started. 

“Just do it!” Crash cut him off. 

Though hesitant, Raph picked up the green-eyed boy and threw him to the walkway. Crash landed with ease and started for Blue. 

Wonder and the Silverfish continued to battle for the map until it flew out of its hands by accident and fell into a pile of ropes. The two animals glanced at one another before Wonder slammed a part sitting on the walkway on the Silverfish’s head, sending it to fall out of the ship, and dashed away. 

Blue tried to keep herself from falling on the walkway but nearly fell down until Crash caught her. “I gotcha,” he softly told her, lifting her bridal style. 

Just as he did, Ratchet ran around the corner, albeit stumbling due to his injured leg. He caught a quick glance at Crash’s emeralds, a hint of anger and betrayal hidden in his orbs, before the boy made a mad dash towards the longboat, with Wonder on his shoulders. 

Ratchet readied his gun and aimed it at Crash. However, a click greeted him when he tried to shoot. He opened up the ammo and saw it was empty. That brat or Rodney must have emptied it beforehand. Ratchet growled under his breath as he watched Crash run away with Blue safely in his arms. 

“Now!” Rodney yelled and fired his pistol at the rear cable while Alli shot at the forward cable, just as Crash jumped down towards the longboat with Blue and Wonder. The cables broke from the shots, and the ship free fell, barely making it through the exit. 

Alex and Martin caught Blue when Crash tossed her into safety, but Crash was left hanging from the railing as the longboat fell through the hatch. Wonder fell straight into Chris’s arms, holding onto him for dear life. 

“Crash!” Tulio and Miguel pulled Crash in swiftly. Alli yanked down on a line, and the sails opened up, letting the longboat start up. 

“Parameters met, hydraulics engaged,” she pressed a few buttons on the control panel. The boat took off, with Alli driving at the rubbers. 

“That’s it. Come to Papa,” Meat Sweats aimed the cannon at the longboat. 

“Hold your fire! We’ll lose the map!” Ratchet tried to stop him, but the cannon was fired. A laser ball hurled towards the longboat. 

“Captain! Laser ball at twelve o’clock!” Peter shouted. 

Alli tried to steer the longboat away, but she didn’t have enough time. The laser ball collided with the ship, causing an explosion on the engines and injuring Alli on the side. 

The boat that had hovered over the island began to plummet down. Alli attempted to keep the boat steady as it dove towards the ground. The crew yelled, with Alex holding onto Blue so that she wouldn’t move about too much. 

“Everyone, brace yourselves! We’re in for a bad landing!” Rodney yelled. They ducked down in time before the longboat crashed through a tree, the mast breaking off from the impact. It was enough to send the bot crashing down into the ground, sliding against the earth before flipping upside down. 

Then everything went black.

Chapter 16: Meet the Rusties

Notes:

Warning: slight language, blood, bits of angst in there

Word Count: 3,852

Chapter Text

Her ears were ringing as darkness enveloped her vision. She tried to open her eyes, but there was still blackness around her. 

As voices rang around in her ears, her vision became clearer. At first, it was blurry, but then it was getting clear. While the darkness faded away, her body was being pulled from underneath the boat and dragged across the ground. A few heads hovered over her, their mouths moving, but no sounds audible. 

“…do you think I want to see my young, only daughter get caught in some devilish man’s gold-hunting scheme…?”

“…children don’t stay young forever. They need to grow up and lead their own lives…”  

“…whether this legend is real or not. I will not have my stepdaughter wander around searching for some ridiculous story…”  

“…I’m willing to protect my kingdom from shame and humiliation…”

“…it was already too late to turn back…”

“…you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us…”  

“…didn’t your father teach you how to pick your fights a bit more carefully?” 

“…you’ve got so much greatness in you…”  

“You think I’d risk it all for the sake of some hand-me-down blue-haired son of a dishwasher and some nose-wiping little snake?”

“I’ll be out there one day with you, lass. Seeing all the wonders of the world, finding adventure around the corner. I’ll take you with me one day, and we’ll see it all…”  

The ringing gradually faded from her ears, her eyes slowly blinking. She felt the side of her shirt being lifted and numbing pain. A hand tenderly stroked her head in a caring manner. 

“…ue? Blue?!”

“Give him some ro…ack up…” 

“C’mon, Bl...stay wi...e, okay?”

In a span of three seconds, the pain became less numb, the wound already closing up. At the same moment, her vision came back clearly. When she turned to her side, a faint, orange glow was disappearing from underneath Alli’s hands as she crouched on her knees beside her. 

“Wha…” Blue tried to sit up, but Rodney held her back by the shoulders. 

“Just take it easy, kid. You almost scared us back there,” he gently told her. 

A few good seconds from where they are, the crew pulled themselves out of the wreck and stretched their bodies. Luckily, no one was injured badly, just some small bruises that would form later on. 

“Oh, my goodness. That was more than I ever want to have again,” Percy remarked and stretched his back. 

Alli chuckled, standing up and helping Blue up from the ground. ‘’Well…I’ve had softer landings.” However, a sharp pain erupted from her side. She groaned in pain and barely fell to her knees. 

“Alli!” Rodney rushed up and caught her in time, with the crew rushing in to help her up. He tenderly moved her arm that was blocking his view and nearly gasped at seeing blood staining her vest. “Oh, baby, why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Kid, please tell me you got the map,” Alex then turned to Blue. 

Blue was about to answer and search for the map, but then…her heart dropped when she realized something. 

The map. It wasn’t on her before they abandoned the ship. 

“…no,” Blue replied, her eyes wide with horror. Her voice was now normal, having forgotten to deepen it. 

The crew glanced up at her confused. “No?” Rodney repeated back questionably. 

“What do you mean?” Migo queried her next. 

“What? No map?” Tulio asked, anger growing. 

“The Silverfish,” Blue continued. 

“You lost the map?” 

“It took it from my pocket when we were leaving. I tried to go after it…” Blue quickly explained. Her voice was close to cracking as her eyes began to fill up with tears. 

“You lost the map, and you couldn’t pick it back up?!” Tulio shouted at her. 

“Hey, leave her alone, alright?! It wasn’t her fault she lost it!” Migo bellowed at Tulio as he stood in front of her protectively. He instantly slammed his hand over his mouth when he realized what he had said. 

The crew gasped loudly, Donnie inhaling the most dramatically. Rodney and Alli’s eyes went wide when they found Blue’s cover blown. 

“What?! Blue is a girl?!” Alex nearly shouted. 

“Oh…” Migo’s only word was mumbled behind his hand. 

“Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. You knew, you knew she was a girl the entire time?” Peter turned to Rodney and Migo. 

“The whole time,” Rodney replied, half-defeat and half-knowingly. 

“And you never told us?! How could you?!” Peter yelled. 

“It’s for a good reason, Quill!” 

Alex started chasing after Migo, who screamed and ran around while attempting to lose him. 

“Migo! I’m gonna kill you!” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Dude, calm down!” 

“Don’t run away from me!” 

“Hey, hey, hey, hey! Hey, Quill! Stop!” 

“You keep running away, I’m just gonna kill you more!”

Alli perked up when another ship arriving from above reached her ears. She looked towards the direction of the source and narrowed her eyes. “Everyone, just shut up and get low!” She sternly commanded. Migo and Alex stopped running around when she said it, everyone else turning to face her. 

Another longboat flew towards the smoke, where the engine had fallen. 

“We got company.” 

As the longboat passed over them, the crew ducked down until it was gone. Alli peered up from behind the fallen ship, holding onto the musket to support herself. 

“We’re going to need to find a more defensible position,” Rodney loaded his pistol and placed it on his side. “Blue, I need you to come with me for backup. I’m going to scout ahead.” 

Blue wanted to stay and help the crew with Alli, but at the same time, she felt safer with Rodney. If she stayed with the crew, they’d most likely blow up at her even more, try to kill her, even though Alli would attempt to hold her back with the wound on her. 

“…aye, Captain,” Blue replied, a slight crack in her voice. 

Alli groaned again and nearly fell, but Percy and Migo caught her. “Whoa, whoa, hey. Steady, steady. Alright, let’s have a look at that,” Percy helped set her down gently and started examining her wound, the crew now huddled around in worry. 

Rodney, Blue, and Wonder walked in silence, apart from the sounds of the unknown from somewhere. They saw the wildlife plants, barely gasping in wonder. They had never seen anything like this before. The strangest thing was, there were no sounds of any animals, the place may be uninhabited. 

Blue gradually walked behind Rodney, her arms hugging herself, as they traveled deeper into the woods. It was becoming so overwhelming. It was so new and foreign to her, and she was already getting scared from it. As angry voices shouted at her from her mind, she could feel tears flooding in, the lump in her throat forming. 

“How could you lose it so easily?!”  

“It’s no wonder they don’t love you!”  

“You’re not worth it!”  

Blue tried to silence the angered voices, but they were already becoming too much. The guilt about not knowing she lost the map until it was too late was getting deeper in her. And now she was stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere, hidden from the outside world, thousands of miles from the familiar mainland, lost with no map and hunted down by the most bloodthirsty pirates. 

She kept her head down as she was now behind Rodney and Wonder. The tears were now growing evident, her breathing shaky. She failed to stifle a heartbroken whimper. The anxiety, hurt, loss from the night before came flooding back to her, failing to stop it in time. Every inch of her body was close to breaking down as she shook uncontrollably. 

Without thinking, Blue let herself fall, her body going weak on her, and soon began to sob while she hugged herself. 

Wonder saw that Blue wasn’t beside him and Rodney anymore. When he saw her, he whimpered with concern and leaped off of Rodney’s shoulder, rushing towards Blue. 

Rodney noticed that Wonder wasn’t on his shoulder and turned around. His heart shattered to find Blue on the ground on her knees and hugging herself while Wonder hugged her leg in hopes of comforting her. “Blue?” 

Blue could barely respond to him, only sobbed as the overwhelming devastation and loss took over her. Her tears streamed down her cheeks and fell to the ground under her knees. 

Rodney nearly rushed over to her and crouched to her level. “Hey. Hey, Blue. Look at me. C’mon, baby…” 

At his soothing tone, Blue glanced up at him with red eyes from the tears. “I-I’m so sorry…” she cried softly, still gripping her arms. 

“Do you want to walk?” Rodney tenderly asked her. He got a shake of the head from her as a reply. 

Without a word, he turned around and helped her up on his back, her arms wrapping underneath his armpits and his hands carrying her legs. Wonder, chittering fretfully, clambered up to his shoulders again. Soon enough, the pair was walking again, Rodney carrying Blue piggyback style. By then, her tears ceased to sniffles, her breathing hitched. 

“Rodney?” Blue was scared to ask, but she needed to know. 

“Yeah?” His voice was soft, hesitant to break the silence. 

“Are you mad at me for losing the map?” She asked, trying to limit more tears from breaking out of her eyes and the crack in her voice now apparent. 

Rodney glanced back at her surprised for a moment, and his face changed to solemness and concern. He had witnessed how she responded, how close she was to breaking down when Tulio yelled at her. He had never seen her so ready to cry like this before. “No, I’m not mad at you. It’s not your fault. If anything, I’m mad at myself for letting Ratchet on the ship. I didn’t think he would go this far to get to the treasure first. I’m the one to blame for all this…” 

“But, Rodney…” 

“Blue, it’s true. I’ve been making sure he or his guys don’t try anything with you, Alli, or my crew.” Rodney sighed after a moment. “I’m sorry I put you all in danger.” 

Blue, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, sniffled. “I’m sorry for losing the map…” 

“Blue, c’mon, sweetie, don’t apologize. That Silverfish’s the one who did this to you. I thought we were gonna lose you back there,” Rodney continued with a sorrowful grin. “I’m just glad you’re safe.” 

“But what about the map?” 

“We’ll get it back. We just need a plan after we find someplace safe,” he reassured her. 

Blue nodded and buried her head in his shoulder deeper. It tore Rodney apart from the inside to see Blue like this, and he didn’t want to send her back on her own, either. They walked deeper in the forest, with Blue occasionally holding onto Rodney tighter and the Captain pulling her close in response. He hated to admit it, but, like how she saw him as a father figure, he saw her as a daughter. If anything happened to her, like how Thrax had confronted her when she saved Alli, and how the Silverfish had attacked her, he’d never forgive himself. 

As they were walking, an eye poked itself out from behind the plants and studied the pair walking through the forests. Rustling from behind the thicket prompted the three to stop in their tracks. The eye pulled back into its hiding place just before they turned towards the source. 

Wonder nearly squeaked with terror, but Blue, who had been set back down by Rodney, tenderly soothed him by stroking his head. Rodney took hold of his pistol, charging it up, and cautiously stepped towards the thicket. Blue stayed behind, holding onto Wonder, the fear growing in her. 

Rodney approached the strange-looking plant but found nothing there. He hummed confused and continued to search for whoever or whatever was behind the shrubbery. 

“I’m a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, and here is my spout…” 

Blue’s skin went cold with chills when something messed with the chain of her pendant. She didn’t want to move in fear of getting hurt, but at the same time, she wanted to hit whoever was behind her. She knew it was a person because he was singing in a high-pitched Mexican accent. 

“When I get all steamed up, hear me shout…”  

“Just tip me over and pour me out…” the same voice changed to a deeper tone before chuckling quietly. 

Rodney was the first to notice the person—or rather, a robot—crouching behind Blue and messing with her pendant’s chain. “Hey!” His shout startled the red robot, who yelled and jumped a bit away from Blue, yet he held onto the chain. 

“Hi there,” the red bot greeted the two humans and laughed. Blue wanted to get away from him, but he had his hands on her pendant, and she prayed to God that he doesn’t try and take it from her. 

“Listen, if I seem to be getting smaller, it’s because…I’M LEAVING!” he suddenly screamed and ran off after taking the pendant out of her neck. “Pendant, don’t fail me now!” 

“My pendant!” Blue cried, her eyes filling with tears again. That pendant was a special gift from her mother. She lost the map, she can’t lose her pendant, too. 

“Hey, you got her pendant!” Rodney screamed after the robot and chased after him. Blue soon followed behind a few seconds later, Wonder chittering and running beside her. 

The chase didn’t last long. After running through some bushes, the red robot tripped over a small rock and nearly crashed into some more robots. He grunted in pain, now laying on his back. “Aw, great Ya happy now?” He sarcastically asked the approaching humans and Wonder. 

“Not until you give her back her pendant, you mugger!” Rodney snatched the pendant from the robot’s hand. 

“I’m not a mugger. I happen to be—” The robot grunted as he pushed himself off the ground. “—a scrounger. I didn’t know she was the wearer of that pendant.” 

Rodney helped Blue put her pendant back on as the robot spoke. The second he did, a dark blue bot and an orange bot with wheels surrounded the three in a flash. Blue gasped as Rodney stood in front of her protectively. Wonder chirped angrily, snarling at the dark blue bot. 

“Alright, buster. You think you can mess with my brother, you’re…” a yellow bot with a brown pigtail-like part angrily approached Rodney and Blue before she stopped short. “…you’re kinda cute,” she stated flirtingly. 

Rodney took a step back in unconformity, with Blue hiding behind Rodney. “Piper, would you behave yourself?” The orange robot impatiently lectured the female bot. Wonder tilted his head at the dark blue bot, who copied his motion. 

“Well, we’ve been marooned for so long,” the red bot added, placing an arm around Rodney’s shoulder. Wonder moved to Blue’s head as the yellow female bot examined her. “I mean, solitude’s fine, don’t get me wrong, but for heaven’s sakes, after ten to twenty years…YOU GO A LITTLE NUTS!” The red bot exclaimed in the end, startling Rodney, Blue, and Wonder, before chuckling. 

Rodney and Blue took a moment to glance at one another. Based on the red bot’s behavior, he looked like he may have been trapped here for about twenty years. 

“Oh, right, of course. I am, uh…” the red bot began, but hesitantly stopped for a second. “My name is, uh…” 

Rodney and Wonder stared at him perplexed. Blue whistled in a “cuck-coo” tone while circling her finger around the side of her head until Rodney gently hit her hand down, making her giggle. 

“Fender! Of course. I’m Fender,” the red bot finally finished. “Used to be Bumper, but, uh, had to change when we came into the country. And you are?” 

“Rodney,” Rodney began briefly, putting away his pistol. 

“Oh, what a pleasure to meet you, Rod!” Fender took his hand and shook it wildly.

“It’s Rodney,” Rodney corrected him, pushing his hand away. 

“Hey, you never got to introduce us to your daughter!” The larger, green bot stated, finally noticing Blue. 

Rodney nearly choked on his breath after hearing those words. Blue’s eyes grew wide when she heard the green bot call her Rodney’s daughter. 

“What? No! No, no, I’m not his-We’re just—“ 

“No, Blue’s not my-I mean-We’re not exactly-“ Blue and Rodney both stammered between nervous laughter. 

“That’s funny. I can totally see the resemblance,” the yellow bot—Piper—added. 

Rodney and Blue stared at her, then glanced at each other before they chuckled nervously, the blue-haired Captain rubbing his neck and the younger girl rubbing her arm awkwardly. They didn’t even face one another to find how flattered they were by Piper’s compliment. 

“Anyway…” Fender started, leaning against Rodney. The latter gently shoved him off and tenderly took Blue by the shoulder. 

“Look, we’re in a lot of trouble here. We need to find a place to hide, and there are pirates after us…” Rodney began explaining. 

“Oh! Pirates! Don’t get me started on pirates! I don’t like them!” Crank, the bot in wheels, exclaimed in frustration as Rodney and Blue began to walk away. “I remember Captain Gray. This guy’s got a bad temper, to be honest…” 

At the mention of the name, the two stopped in their tracks and spun around in a flash with wide eyes. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on! You all knew Captain Gray?!” Blue nearly shouted in surprise. 

“Well, he suffered severe mood swings while we knew him,” Piper joined in, with Diesel nodding in agreement. “I’m not exactly a therapist, but I could always tell when he was ready to blow.”

“But that means—but wait, but then, you guys gotta know about the treasure?” Rodney asked hopefully. 

“Treasure?” Lugnut, the bigger green bot, inquired. 

“Yeah, Gray’s Trove? Y’know, the loot of a thousand wonders?” Blue quoted from the storybook she had read countless times in her childhood. 

Wonder nodded as he sat on her head and pulled out the diamond Blue had given to Rodney before the journey started as an example. Diesel agreed and flipped one of his ear switches, a dollar sign appearing on his mouthpiece. 

“It’s—well, it’s all a little-lit-little f-fuzzy,” Fender stuttered, twitching as his circuits fritzed. “Wait, I—I r-r-remember,” he said with a glitch in his words. “I do. I—Treasure! Lots of treasure! Buried in the center—center—center of the mechanism!” He began to malfunction as his eyes shifted colors and his voice pitch changed randomly. 

Rodney stared at him with concern, and Blue tilted her head when the mention of ‘center of the mechanism’ came up. 

“And there was this big door, opening and closing, opening and closing…” Fender continued before he stopped, almost shutting down but shot back up. “And Captain Gray wanted to make sure no one could ever get to his treasure, so I helped him—“ He began to malfunction again, sparks flying out of his head and spinning around, and screamed. “Data inaccessible! And reboot! Reboot! Reboot!” 

“Fender?! Fender?! Fender!” Rodney shouted over the glitching. 

“Snap the shit out of it!” Blue suddenly slapped Fender across the face. The Rusties, Rodney, and Wonder winced at the hard hit. The attempt broke him out of the fritz miraculously. 

However, Fender glanced at the two humans questionably. “And you two are?” 

“Wait, wait, wait! What about the treasure?!” Rodney asked, nearly yelling. 

“I wanna say, Roderick and Bethany?” Fender asked back. 

“Th-the center of the m-mechanism, or—“ Blue stuttered, in hope of getting him to remember what he was telling her and Rodney. 

“I’m sorry. My memory isn’t what it used to be. I’ve lost my mind. Haha! I’ve lost my mind. Neither of you have found it, have you?” He briefly patted Rodney down before pointing to the open space in the back of his head. Multiple wires were sticking out randomly. “My missing piece? My primary memory circuit?” 

“Was he like this before we came down here?” Blue turned to Piper and the Rusties. 

“We got marooned after him, maybe about ten years ago,” Piper explained. 

“Well, what I heard was that they were planning on doing us in before they left us to fall apart,” Crank piped in. 

“Listen, guys. We really got to find a place to hide, so we need to get moving,” Rodney stating, taking Blue by the hand, and started to walk away with her again. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You’re leaving already?!” Piper stepped in front of them, clearly shocked at them leaving. 

“We have to. We stay here any longer and don’t find somewhere to hide soon, the pirates are gonna kill us!” Blue added, her eyes filled with desperation. Wonder nodded in agreement, terrified at the idea of Ratchet and his gang finding them. 

Diesel trembled with fear at the pirates hunting them down and quickly hid behind Lugnut. 

“Hey, just let us come with you!” Fender quickly joined in. 

“What?! Fender, are you crazy?!” Crank dashed up to him, practically panicking. 

“Uh, no thanks. I’d rather find somewhere on my own.” Rodney walked past the Rusties and barely took a few more steps before Blue stopped him. 

“Rodney, wait!” 

“Look, I just wanted to get my crew outta here alive, okay? What if these guys are lunatics?” 

“They’re not lunatics!” Blue hissed to him. “Listen, maybe Fender knows more about the treasure than we do. If they help us find somewhere to hide, maybe they can help us find the treasure.” Wonder nodded in approvement, chittering sorrowfully. 

Rodney took a moment to glance back at the Rusties before facing the two again. At that moment, he understood that Blue was right, even if he hated to admit it. He sighed, blowing a strand of hair from his face, and turned back to the Rusties. “Alright, look, if you guys are going to come along, you’re gonna have to stop talking.” 

“Huzzah!” Fender jumped up, laughing with joy, and dashed up to Rodney, leaping into his arms. “Oh, this is fantastic! Me and my best buddies are out looking for a—“ He stopped short when Rodney gave him a deadpan expression. “Being quiet,” Fender whispered. 

“And you’re gonna have to stop touching me,” Rodney finished before dropping Fender, who yelped when he fell, to the ground. 

“But wasn’t she touching you a moment ago?” Lugnut pointed out. 

Rodney and Blue took a moment to stare at one another but gave no reply why. 

“Touching and talking. Two big no-nos,” Fender backed away a bit. 

“Alright. Now I think we should—“ Rodney started, but Fender interrupted him. 

“Hey, uh, listen. Before we go out on our big search, would you mind taking a quick stop at our place? Kinda urgent,” he chuckled sheepishly and pulled back some tall weeds. When he did, a tall, moss-covered structure stood atop a hill from the distance.

“Fender, I think you just solved our problem.”

Chapter 17: Bargaining for the Map

Notes:

warning: language, mentions of death, angst in the end

Word Count: 3,737

A/n: I'd recommend listening to "Dr. Zhang" from The Meg Soundtrack while you're reading the end. Makes the feels more real.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take long for Rodney and Blue to rush back to the crew and explain they found the best place to hide in. Alli attempted to keep her pride by walking with the injury on her side, but Rodney called her out on her bluff before he carried her bridal style halfway to the structure. When they got there, the sun was already setting behind the trees and beyond the horizon. 

While Rodney carried Alli in and Crash helped Blue in, the crew got in on their own and examined the area. 

“Uh, pardon the mess, people. You’d think in twenty years, we would’ve dusted a bit more often,” Fender chuckled nervously. “But, you know, when you’re baching it, you tend to, uh…” he chuckled near the end as he picked up a chessboard and tossed it to the side before picking up a large pair of pants and hiding it behind his back. “…let things go.” 

“Well, that explains a lot,” Alex mumbled, only to yelp in pain when Tulio smacked him upside in the head. 

Piper and Diesel had managed to create a bed-like structure for Rodney to lay Alli down to rest against a boulder where the mattress was. “Aw, that’s sweet. Old fashioned romance and young love work well together,” Piper squealed with adorableness, glancing over at Blue and Crash at the last part. 

The two teens froze, their cheeks rosy red, and awkwardly glanced around anywhere to avoid their eye gaze. 

“Luckily, we got these,” Fender stated and pulled out a box of food and fresh fruit for the crew to see. 

“Holy mother of—! How did you manage to find this stuff?!” Peter nearly shouted with astonishment. 

“Well, before Gray marooned me, he found a way to make food last forever. And I was lucky to grab some beforehand,” Fender explained proudly. 

Percy turned his attention towards the dome-shaped ceiling. “Blimey, look at these markings. They’re identical to the ones on the map. I suspect they are hieroglyphic remnants of an ancient culture.” 

When the crew looked up, they saw engravings identical to the map. Some of them were covered completely by the most, leaving the rest to be exposed to the open. 

“Blue, guys. Stop anyone who tries to approach,” Alli’s voice was strained. When she attempted to sit up, she moaned in agony. 

“Alright, yes, listen, love. Stop giving orders for a moment and lie still. I’ll give the orders for right now,” Rodney gently pushed her back against the boulder after Percy folded his coat for a pillow for her. 

“Very forceful, babe. Go on, say something else,” Alli replied with a small grin. Rodney replied by smiling back. 

“Blue, your bandage? You think you can give it to us?” Percy turned to Blue. 

“Uh-huh,” Blue nodded and headed to another part of the structure where she can take off the bandage. She had been using it to bind her chest during the journey so that no one would know that she is a girl. 

“Y’know, when you said something about being married, I didn’t think you’re serious,” Piper added with a small grin, glancing at Rodney and Alli. 

“Trust me, you guys aren’t the only lovebirds,” Rodney answered. 

“What the hell are you sayin’, Cap?!” Crash spun around to face him with a reddened face. They didn’t see Blue’s face also red from behind the paper walls as she was able to remove the bandage. 

“Hey, don’t play dumb with us. You guys were growing closer than we thought,” Migo teased him playfully. 

“Uh, you’re one to talk,” Gamora joined in with a smirk as Blue stepped out from behind the paper walls with the bandage in her hand and fully clothed. “You’ve been hanging around with Percy since the whole voyage started. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t help but notice how lovey-dovey you get whenever you stare at him.” 

Miguel and Tulio cackled hard while Manolo, Alex, Peter, Groot, Drax, Rocket, and the Kratt Brothers laughed wildly. Ralph laughed so hard he fell on his knees and slammed his fist on the ground. The Mad Dog brothers held onto one another as they roared with laughter. Rodney and Wonder chuckled under their breaths while Alli stifled her laughter to not make her pain worse. The Rusties glanced at Migo and Percy with mischievous grins. 

The white-haired Yeti’s face burned red and stared down at the ground sheepishly, while Percy did his best to prevent anyone else from seeing his red cheeks. 

“Hey, look!” Fender’s cry brought everyone to glance up at him standing at the front entrance of the hideout. “There’s some more of your buddies! Hey, fellas! We’re over here, fellas!” He jumped up and down waving his arms around. In an instant, the villains pulled their weapons at him. 

It took a second for Blue and the crew to realize that the villainous band was outside right now. 

Shots barely missed Fender, who yelled in panic and nearly fell off the entrance. “Fender!” Blue pulled him down suddenly just as another shot missed him. Rodney and the crew fired back at the villains. 

However, it didn’t last long. 

“Stop wastin’ your fire!” Ratchet angrily shouted at the villains, who stopped firing and groaned in disappointment. 

As she remained hidden with Fender safely beside her, Blue recognized the voice belonging to the Silver Head. A scowl crossed her face when she remembered how cruelly he spoke of her and Rodney. The crew reloaded their pistols, waiting for Rodney’s signal. 

“Hello, up there!” 

Rodney peeked out from behind the entrance, his pistol in hand, and saw a white flag tied to a stick being waved around. 

“Rodney!” Ratchet pulled himself over the small hill with a large branch in hand. The leg where Blue had stabbed him was now wrapped around in a bandage. “If, uh, it’s alright with you and your lady, I’d like a short word with you and the kid. No tricks, just a little talk.” 

Rodney chanced a look at Blue, who almost looked as uncertain as him, before glancing at his crew. 

“He’s probably here to bargain for the map. Undoubtful,” Tulio mumbled to himself, though the others heard him. 

Realization dawned on Blue before the others could. “That means...he thinks we still have it.” 

Rodney had agreed to speak with Ratchet, but it was clear that he needed to have a word with Blue as well. Even though Rodney was adamant about making Blue stay, she was set on hearing what Ratchet wanted to tell her and merely advised Rodney to hold her back if she ever snapped. 

With everything talked over beforehand, Rodney, Blue, and Wonder gradually stalked over to where Ratchet is. As they got closer, Blue took a moment to stare at his leg. It was exactly where she had grazed him when the attack at the dock happened, and she had gotten back at him twice. 

Ratchet slowly took a seat on a boulder, wincing slightly, as Rodney, Blue, and Wonder soon approached him. “Oh, this poor leg here’s gone weak since that game of tag we had in the galley,” he glanced at up Rodney and Blue, laughing in the end. 

There was no laughter in response. Rodney gave him a stone-cold glare, standing almost protectively in front of Blue so that Ratchet wouldn’t so much gaze at her way. He had refused to forgive for letting Thrax frame Blue for Roth’s murder, refused to forgive him for letting her grandfather die, refused to forgive him for letting harm befall Alli. Most of all, he refused to forgive him for everything he ever did to him and his crew and for betraying him. 

Ratchet’s grin dropped, his expression overcome with what appears to be guilt. Blue had already told him everything beforehand, so there was no use trying a friendly approach. 

“Whatever you heard back there, at least the part concerning him and you, I didn’t mean a word of it,” Ratchet began. 

Neither of the two’s expressions lifted. Their stares remained in him, finding no real meaning in his words. 

“If the whole group found out I’d gone soft for you guys, we would have been gutted,” Ratchet continued. 

For a moment, Rodney’s expression softened a bit. Maybe there is still hope to salvage the friendship…

Ratchet took a second to glance back at the villains to check that they weren’t overhearing the conversation. “Now listen to me…” he whispered. He leaned in and placed his hand around Rodney’s shoulder, receiving a mild discomforted expression from the bluenette. “If we play our cards right, we can all walk away from this rich as kings.” 

Rodney pretended to be interested, his hand under his chin. “Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow with a cosmetic smirk. 

Blue wanted nothing more than to refuse the offer right here and now, but her mind was telling her to hear him out before she could blow up at him. He turned his back on her grandfather, he did the same to Rodney and the crew. 

Ratchet chuckled, gently hitting him on the shoulder. “Your cabin kid gets me that map, and, uh…an even portion of the treasure is yours and his,” he finished, briefly nudging him and held out his hand. 

Blue couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Ratchet was seriously talking to the Captain like he was so naive to trust him, after what he did to him. He just went from apologizing to straight-up bribing in less than a moment. Does he really think he could just get away with it like that? 

Rodney glanced down at Ratchet’s hand, his smile gradually faltering to an unamused frown. “Boy, you’re really…something,” he began as he circled around Ratchet. “All that talk of friendship, taking on the world together…what a joke.”

“Now, wait a second here, Rod…” Ratchet started. 

“Hey, at least you taught me one thing that I taught Blue. Stick to it, right? Well, that’s just what I’m gonna do. I’m going to make sure that you won’t see one drabloon of our treasure!” Rodney now glowered at the silver-headed man, standing a bit beside Blue. 

“That treasure is owed me by thunder!” Ratchet bellowed. 

“Well, try to find it without her map by thunder!” Rodney shouted back. 

Ratchet seemed taken aback by Rodney’s angered refusal. He looked like he thought Rodney was willing to give away the map without hesitation. And not only that...he knew that Blue was a woman all along and refused to have her punished for that. 

“You don’t know what she really is, do you?” He started again, a low growl hidden in his voice. 

Rodney stood his ground, refusing to back down from his enraged stare. 

“Remember how Captain Theodore Gray claimed to never have any family?… He’s got a great-granddaughter,” Ratchet continued, a dark smirk growing, and faced Blue. “And you want to know who that is?” 

Rodney thought his heart was going to burst. He turned to look at Blue, who looked almost as shocked at him herself. Her eyes were wide as saucers. 

“You’re lying,” Blue growled, her voice dangerously low and her breathing getting heavier by the second. 

“And your father is his grandson,” Ratchet continued. “Gray fell in love with one of the hostages he took a long time ago…a princess, just like you. She returned his feelings, and they grew closer. Before you knew it…your dear grandpa was conceived.” 

Blue couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her grandfather…was Captain Theodore Gray’s son? And she is his great-granddaughter?

“But her family caught up with them soon after and took her back, but she was already pregnant with your granddad. And the King himself…he was too desperate for an heir to force her to get rid of a pirate’s bastard child,” Ratchet chuckled condescendingly as he circled around her. “So she kept your grandpa, and they were both forced to be locked up forever…that is until he broke away from his royal prison. So he traveled across the world, took on life as a pirate, saw the entire lands and oceans. And just like his father, found the woman of his dreams, thus your father…” 

“Shut up for one goddamn second…” Blue snarled, anger becoming more evident in her. 

“And it was barely years later before you came along. Your father found out he was born in the lineage of pirates and wanted nothing to do with piracy,” Ratchet continued, his smirk growing dark. “He just went and found a kingdom, where your mother lived…” 

Wonder glanced worriedly between Blue and Ratchet. 

“He figured once he married her, he could wipe away the dirtiness of the pirate blood off of him for good, but it wasn’t enough. Your grandfather, God bless his soul, convinced him to see you for about 12 years until one day...the cruel King himself had enough.” 

“Ratchet…” Rodney warned, his voice also dangerously low. 

“He confronted your grandfather one day and had him banished far from Mapplebarrow and forbade him from seeing you again. And the poor, old man himself, he was so devastated having to never be able to see you again that he went out of his way to prove that the Lost Isles was real himself.” 

Blue’s eyes widened. He knew? Grandpa knew the Lost Isles was real? He had been searching for it for as long as he lived until he died?

“Thrax had said that you left Grandpa to die in that fire. How did that happen?” She asked him, a growl hidden in her throat. 

Ratchet didn’t notice the dark tone in her voice. “It just happened. He was close to getting that map, but everything just went wrong. One moment a battle was happening, and the next, a spark formed just like that…” he snapped his fingers in the end. 

Blue kept her stare trained on Ratchet as he went on. “We all abandoned ship, but your grandfather...a bullet grazed him through his shoulder, and he was too weak to get back up. I would have gone back for him, but sacrifices had to be made to get what others wanted.” 

Sacrifices. 

Something her own father had done to those who dared oppose his corrupt dictatorship. 

He was willing to sacrifice her happiness, her freedom, for the sake of his reputation. He was willing to sacrifice her desires, her dreams, her own life, just to clean off the bloodline of a pirate that wasn’t even her own grandfather’s fault in the first place. He was willing to sacrifice everything she had ever build, everything she had ever worked hard for...because he hated her grandfather, his own father, for the life their ancestors had thrived in before them. 

“You betrayed Rodney and his crew. You let me believe I was responsible for a death that your own Virus caused. You lied straight to our faces,” Blue glared at him with rage burning in her ocean blues. “And above all...you left my grandfather to die, all for this treasure hunt?” As she spoke, her voice grew. “I had been miserable for years because my father unfairly banished him. I had been miserable because I had lost the man who saw me as who I am truly am and loved me for that. You remind me so much of the man who was responsible for my misery! Because you were so willing to sacrifice others to get what you wanted! You were insane enough to leave others to die for yourself! You turned your back on my grandfather! You turned your back on Rodney and his crew! You are and always will be a heartless pirate!” 

She wanted to rant at him so much more, but her tears were already streaming in down her cheeks. Rodney and Wonder stared at her wide-eyed. Ratchet also seemed stunned for a second.

His expression soon turned back to anger. “Oh, you still don’t know how to pick your fights, huh?” 

Blue stood her ground, her anger in her eyes unwavering. 

“Now, mark my words,” Ratchet stood back up from the boulder, his back straight. “Either I get that map by dawn tomorrow, or so help, I’ll use the ship’s cannons to blast you all to kingdom come!” His voice echoed around for miles, yet Rodney and Blue stood their ground, not flinching from his shout. 

Ratchet was about to walk back, but he stopped short. “You, hop to it,” he demanded to Wonder. But the small monkey only stayed on Rodney’s shoulder, barely shaking with terror. 

“NOW!” Ratchet barked angrily. Wonder squeaked in fear and hid behind Rodney. 

Ratchet growled angrily and limped away with the branch in his hands. Rodney’s scornful glares stayed on his back before he made his way back to the fortress with Wonder whimpering on his shoulder. 

He didn’t see Blue beside him and turned around to find her standing there. What shocked him was how her body was shaking, even though she tried to stay composed. He slowly made his way to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. When he did, Blue turned to face him with teary eyes, although she tried to stay angry at Ratchet. 

There were no words between them right now. It was clear Ratchet cared more about the treasure than Rodney and the crew. The bluenette gently wrapped an arm around Blue and walked with her back to the hideout. 


Rodney allowed Blue to get in through the entrance first, Wonder climbing up with her. 

“So, how did it go…?” Fender trailed off when he saw the heartbroken expression on the young girl’s face. 

She passed the crew and Rusties to the other side of the hideout, her arms wrapped around herself. For a moment, her eyes met her right palm shaking with anger and hatred. Her breathing grew heavy, growls coming in between. She yelled and slammed her fist against the wall, sending an echo across the area. The crew and Rusties flinched from her sudden burst of anger. 

Blue’s broken frame shook heavily. A half-whimper left her lips as she sobbed. “God-fuckin’-dammit! How could I have been this stupid?!” She wailed, closing her eyes tight

She slid against the wall with her back against it and sat on the floor, her arms now wrapped around her body. She buried her head in her arms, her body shaking with devastation. 

Alli and the others had overheard the entire confrontation from the structure but said nothing for a while now. They knew that Blue needed some peace at the moment. 

She felt so betrayed, abandoned, lost. Her father had lied to her, about her grandfather, about her heritage, about everything. He made her feel lonely and lost without the only two people who loved her and helped her find her way out of hatred and corruption. He pushed her grandfather away from her out of hatred, all because of a bloodline that wasn’t even his fault. 

At first, when Ratchet had told her that she was Captain Gray’s great-granddaughter, she didn’t want to believe. But the longer she thought about it, the more everything began to sink in. How could her own father lie to her like this? She already knew the answer to the truth Ratchet had told her, but she wanted to ask it again so many times now. 

Crash saw how broken and hurt she was and took a step before Peter stopped him. “Crash...just...give her some time,” he told him. 

Crash only looked at him before gently breaking himself free from his hold and walked towards Blue. Wonder whimpered remorsefully for her and followed behind. 

Blue didn’t hear Crash and Wonder approaching her since she was deep in her thoughts, even as they sat down beside her. Her one hand had raked itself in her blonde hair, her eyes remaining on the ground. The pain was still there in her as memories of her grandfather and the stories he had told her came flooding back. 

“I just don’t get it. How could I have been so fuckin’ stupid? It’s no wonder Father didn’t want me near the docks. And how could people go to so many lengths to get to some hoard of gold, just a material possession? They attract pirates like dead flesh does to flies. They’re willing to sacrifice an innocent life, my own grandpa, to get to that damn treasure…”  

“Blue?” Crash softly spoke, breaking her out of her thoughts, nevertheless, she continued to stare down at the ground. “You alright?” 

A shake of her head in reply. 

“Do you want a hug?” 

This time, a slow nod. A positive, yet heartbroken answer. 

Crash scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a side hug. Blue rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes now clasped shut in a failed attempt to hold back more tears. Wonder whined and hugged her leg, nuzzling his cheek against her pants. 

Miguel sighed and approached Blue and Crash. He sat on the opposite side of her and embraced her tenderly, rubbing her arm in comfort. Soon, Peter, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket approached Blue and Crash and tenderly pulled her in a hug. Manolo, Migo, Martin, Chris, Alex, and Ralph soon came along and joined in the peaceful hug. 

Tulio watched the others comfort Blue, sighing through his nose. He never should have been so hard on her when she lost the map on the ship. It wasn’t her own fault, and he just blew up at her. Without a word, he strolled over to where the others are, and, though hesitant to join in, slowly encroached Blue in his arms, his hand rubbing her back. 

“...sorry, kid,” he quietly told her. Blue only replied by leaning her head against his shoulder and her forehead connecting with his. 

Rodney watched it all happen from the side. Through the open gap between Migo and Manolo, he can see Blue’s body relax under the comforting embraces of the crew. A solemn frown crossed his face. She was already suffering through so much; the attempted forced marriage, having to run away from home, being framed for Roth’s death, only to find out she was related to a bloodthirsty ancestor. 

It was in that instant he knew. He’s done letting people treat her like this.

Chapter 18: Blue vs. Thrax

Notes:

warning: language, mentions of death, minor death

Word Count: 2,827

Chapter Text

Night had fallen hours later, and the crew was still trapped in the Rusties’ home. They felt like prisoners because Ratchet and his gang had camped right at the edge of the woods. And with Alli immobilized from her injury, everything was worse. 

Blue’s rage had died down when the evening stars appeared. She sat near the entryway, her arms resting around her legs. Crash and Wonder had stayed next to her to keep her company, which is something she greatly appreciated. 

She let everything sink in after the terrible confrontation with Ratchet. She remembered how Rodney looked when she had asked him about his invention, how most doubted him when he dreamed of doing good for people. She was starting to wonder if Ratchet knew about his skills beforehand and had planned on using them for himself. 

She just couldn’t understand what she ever did to deserve all the pain and suffering she had gone through for most of her life. Her mother’s passing, her grandfather’s banishment and death, her father’s lies and disloyalty, Roth’s demise, Ratchet’s betrayal, all the pain she was dragged into. None of those were ever her fault, nor did she ever deserve it. But those people, the people who made it all happen, they made her feel like everything was, that she did, that she’ll never find a place in the world. 

Rodney saw the hurt in her ocean blues. He wanted nothing more than to give her all the unconditional love and mercy they refused to give her for so long. He would give anything in the world to make her feel like she truly mattered, to protect her from the cruelest of hearts. 

“Guys…” Alli spoke. Her voice was tired, maybe weak. “We need to…stay together, and…and…” she trailed off, fading between unconsciousness and awake. 

“And what?! What?! We need to stay together and what?!” Rodney exclaimed, worried and impatient. 

“Rodney, you have…wonderful eyes,” Alli replied, smiling up at Rodney, whose eyes widened and cheeks burned red. 

“She’s lost her mind!” Rodney shouted. The crew gasped with terror. 

“What?!” Blue shot up from the ground horrified. 

“Can’t you help her?!” Crash worriedly asked Percy. 

“Damn it, Crash! I’m an astronomer and zoologist, not a doctor! I mean, I am a doctor, but I’m not that kind of doctor! I have a doctorate, but it’s not the same thing, you can’t help people with a doctorate! You just sit there and you’re useless!” Percy shouted and placed his hands on his head in distress. 

“It’s okay, Perc. It’s alright,” Migo gently set a hand on his shoulder to console him. 

“Oh, yeah! Blue and Rodney know exactly how to get out of this. It’s just, they have this knowledge of things,” Fender added with oblivious joy. He faced Rodney and Blue, who now faced through the entryway. “…uh, right?” 

“Without the map, we’re dead,” Rodney stated, facing the Odyssey resting high above the water. “If we try to leave, we’re dead,” he then glanced over where Ratchet and his gang are resting. 

“If we stay here…” Rodney trailed off, rubbing his chin. He sighed with defeat and leaned against the open entry. Wonder frowned with concern as Blue covered her face with her hands dreadfully. 

“Well, I think they could use a little quiet time,” Fender broke the short silence and started to walk off with the Rusties. “So I’ll just…slip out the back door,” he finished whispering. 

Both Blue and Crash’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Back door?” They both turned towards Fender and the Rusties, who were opening a metal sphere in the floor. 

“Oh, yeah. We get this delightful breeze through here,” Lugnut added as Blue and Crash rushed in to help and pulled it until an open space greeted them. 

“Which we think is important, because ventilation among friends…” Crank joined in. 

Blue and Crash peered over through the open space and gasped with amazement. An endless tunnel was filled with catwalks, pipes, and mechanical systems. For as far as she knew, it seemed like the bottom was only maybe a few hundred feet away. 

“Wow. What is all this stuff?” Blue asked. 

“You mean the miles and miles of machinery that runs through the entire course of this island? Not a clue,” Fender answered. 

“Hey, Rodney! Rodney, I think I found a way out of here!” Blue cried, climbing on top of the mound. Wonder chittered as he climbed up to her shoulder. 

“Blue, wait! I’m coming with you!” Crash called after her. 

“Blue, don’t go! You have to stay here!” Rodney exclaimed to her. 

“We got no other option! I have to go!” Blue insisted. 

“Blue, I’m your father, and I order you to stay where you are!” Rodney argued, close to losing his patience. 

“I’ll be back!” Blue then jumped through the open space, Wonder screeching as he held onto her arm. Crash followed behind, whooping with excitement. 

“Cannonball!” Fender shouted as he jumped in last. 

Rodney groaned exasperated, facepalming himself, once they were gone. It was then he felt eyes staring at him. He turned around to find the crew and Rusties gawking at him with wide, open mouths. 

“…what?” He asked them confused. 

“…did you just call yourself her father?” Martin finally broke the short silence. 

Rodney blinked before he laughed nervously. “Nobody tells Alli or anyone of this.” 


As she had expected, it was a few hundred-feet fall from the open space. The four made their way across the catwalk until they found a hatch that led straight to the villains. 

Blue and Crash slowly opened the hatch and peeked over to find the villains sleeping. The fire was still burning before they left. Wonder perked up on Blue’s shoulder, squeaking quietly. 

“So what’s the plan?” Fender asked loudly, popping up between the two. 

“Fender!” Blue quietly yelled as Crash shushed him. They both put their hands over his mouth to keep him silent. They dreadfully glanced over at Ratchet, who luckily was still asleep and turned over on his side. 

“Okay, here’s the plan. We sneak back into the Odyssey, disable the laser cannons, and bring back the map,” Blue quietly explained as Fender and Crash nodded in understanding. 

“That’s a good plan. I like that plan,” Fender replied, his voice muffled with the two’s hands over his mouth. “The only thing I’m wondering is—how do we get there?” 

Crash looked up, a smirk forming. “On that,” he whispered, pointing to the longboat. The four glimpsed at one another and grinned. 


Soon, the four got the longboat near the Odyssey so they can peek over the railing. When they found no one there, Blue and Crash got on first, the emerald-eyed boy helping Blue in first. Fender followed behind next, only to yelp when he fell over. 

“Fender!” Crash hissed as Blue shushed him. 

“Sorry.” 

The four cautiously made their way towards the stairs leading them to the launch bay. “Alright, I’ll get the map. You guys wait here,” Blue whispered. 

“Roger, Blue! I’ll neutralize laser cannons, madame!” Fender saluted. 

Blue’s eyes widened as Fender started to walk off. “No, Fender!” She whispered yelled, but he was already on his wheels down the hall, singing to himself. 

Blue sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Crash, you should go with him, just so he doesn’t cause a problem.” 

“Not going to happen. I’m not going to leave you to get the map by yourself. We’re in this together,” Crash replied to her. Wonder nodded in agreement. 

Blue sighed through her nose, rolling her eyes playfully. She promptly made her way towards the launch bay, with Crash and Wonder following close. 

Fender soon found the control room, coming to a stop and standing up. “Disable a few laser cannons. What is the big deal? All we gotta do is find one little wire—“ 

He opened the panel to the wires, only to gasp when he saw numerous wires. 

“Oh, mama.” 

The two teens and Wonder soon made it to the launch bay, carefully tip-toeing across the walkway. Wonder then pointed at the pile of rope where he saw the map fall in. Blue and Crash understood, and the latter knelt down, digging through the ropes until the map was revealed. 

Blue and Crash both sighed upon seeing it. “Yes,” Blue whispered as she picked up the map. 

A loud alarm broke the relief a second later as it blared throughout the ship, startling the two and Wonder. 

“Bad, Fender, bad. Okay, fixing,” Fender scolded himself and placed the wire he had in his hand back in. 

The trio rushed back towards the stairs leading them to the upper deck. 

“Stupid robot’s gonna get us all…” Blue, Crash, and Wonder stopped short halfway up the stairs. Their hearts plummeted when they saw who was blocking their tracks. “…killed.” 

Thrax stood at the top of the steps, his finger claw glowing red and a dark, sadistic grin on his face. “Hi, baby,” he nonchalantly greeted them. 

“Run!” Crash cried, taking hold of Blue’s hand. Without a moment’s hesitation, the two and Wonder dashed down the halls. 

Wonder squeaked terrified on Blue’s shoulder as they ran down the corridors. Crash knocked over some barrels behind him and Blue in hopes of slowing Thrax down. Thrax avoided the barrels quickly, chuckling evilly with his eyes trained on the two teens. 

Wonder saw how close Thrax was getting to catch Blue and snarled angrily. He instantly jumped off her and landed on Thrax’s face, battling with him for a moment. 

“Wonder!” Blue screamed, about to turn back. 

“We gotta go!” Crash still held her hand and pulled her along with him down the corridor. 

Thrax saw the two teens getting away and snarled before grabbing Wonder and throwing him towards a pipe, which sucked Wonder in and sent him jolting through the other pipes above. Blue and Crash, though worried for the little monkey, didn’t stop in their tracks or turn back. They kept running down the hall until they bolted around the corner to hide. 

Blue powered up her pistol, with her and Crash catching their breaths. If they want to survive, she’ll have to kill Thrax. She hated to do it, but he looked like he wanted to kill them so badly. 

The second the Virus sounded like he was close to their hiding spot, Blue shot out from the corner and aimed her weapon at him, stopping him in his tracks. However, before she could even shoot, the lights suddenly went out. 

“Whoops. Okay, don’t—don’t panic. Breathing in…” Fender breathed in, his eyes shining the lights. “...breathing out.” 

The emergency red lights came on about five seconds later. 

When it did, Thrax was gone. 

Blue gasped and instantly spun around to find the other side behind her empty as well. She cursed at herself for not shooting him sooner. 

Crash stepped out from the hiding place as well, placing himself beside her. They glanced around in hopes of finding Thrax before he does first. Blue’s finger remained on the trigger, reminding herself to shoot Thrax if given the chance. 

The silence was gravely tense. The two tried to listen for any footsteps that weren’t their own. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t notice Thrax bringing himself down from the ceiling above and landing quietly behind them, ready to make the killing blow. 

Wonder suddenly burst out of another pipe right in Thrax’s face and instantly screeched in terror, poking the Virus straight in the eyes. Thrax yelled in pain, holding his eyes, as Wonder was sucked back into the pipe. 

Thrax’s scream caught Blue and Crash’s attention. They spun around, their eyes widening, just as Thrax struck Blue with a swing of his arm, sending her falling to the ground. The pistol fell out of her grip and clattered to the floor several feet from her. 

Crash yelled, jumping on Thrax’s back, and fought with him by pulling him by his dreadlocks, which made Thrax cry out in agony. Blue shook off the dizziness and saw the pistol lying a few feet from her. Without hesitation, she scrambled towards it, just as Thrax threw Crash off of him and was about to jump at Blue. 

“This has gotta be cannons,” Fender unplugged the wire, which, unfortunately, made him and the objects in the room float up. “Maybe not!” 

Crash shook off the dizziness and held onto a beam from above as he floated in the air. The anti-gravity is off. Damn it, Fender…

Blue and Thrax also began to float in the air, the pistol following behind. The younger girl kicked the Virus from her, sending him flying through the hatch. 

Unfortunately, she was forced to follow through the broken space. “Crash!” She cried desperately. 

“Blue!” Crash shouted with worry, failing to grab her hand. 

Thrax grabbed onto a rope, pulling himself up towards the mast. Just as Blue came close, he swiped his claw at her, barely missing her. The attack sent her flying spinning and flying higher and higher. Blue grunted when she hit the crow’s nest. 

Luckily, she was able to grab onto the villains’ flag before she could even fly out into the cosmos against her will. Her eyes landed back on the ship and widened suddenly when she saw Thrax climbing up closer to her, a dark chuckle leaving his mouth. 

Crash glanced up in time to find Thrax getting closer to Blue on the mast. His heart dropped to his stomach. “Shit. Blue,” he mumbled to himself. He grabbed onto a rope, tied it around the bar on the mast, and tightened it so that it wouldn’t break loose. With determination burning in his eyes, Crash followed closely behind. 

Blue’s attention shifted from the homicidal Virus to the pistol floating a few inches from her. “Come on, come on, come on,” she attempted to stretch her arm further to grab the firearm while keeping a hold on the flag. Unfortunately, the pistol flew from her reach, floating up to the cosmos. “No!” 

“Oh, yes,” Thrax chuckled evilly as he soon arrived at the crow’s nest. He started to cut the rope holding the flag. “Do say hello to Mr. Roth.” 

Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw Crash below the crow’s nest. He gave her hand signals, telling her to get ready to jump. Blue quickly clambered down the flag and grabbed onto the mast. It’s now or never. 

Thrax barely finished cutting the rope before he leaped right at Blue, his snarl now filled with anger. 

Everything felt like time had slowed down. 

While Thrax was quick, Blue was faster than him. In less than a second, Blue pushed herself off the mast, and Crash leaped from below the crow’s nest, his hand outstretched to catch her. 

“Tell him yourself!” Blue shouted and kicked Thrax in the back, sending him towards the flag. The momentum also sent Blue flying towards Crash, who grabbed her hand and pulled her close while grabbing onto the rope that wasn’t cut. 

The rope holding the flag snapped in an instant from Thrax’s colliding with the cloth. 

Thrax tore open the flag to free himself, only to stop when he saw too late how smaller the two teens were. Crash held onto the rope with one hand while holding Blue with the other. 

The second Thrax understood what was happening, he let out a long, terrified scream as he ascended to the skies above until he disappeared. 

“Back ya go, you naughty plug!” Fender kicked his feet madly to get to the panel. He plugged the wire back in, only to shriek when he fell to the ground bellyflop style. 

Blue and Crash yelped when the antigravity was reactivated and fell into the crow’s nest. Once they sat back up, Crash sighed with relief when he saw that Blue was alive and unharmed, apart from a mark on her face where Thrax had smacked her. They hugged one another, Crash’s hold tightening as if he was afraid to lose her. 

The communication line rattled until Wonder, covered in black dust, shot out from the pipe and landed on Blue’s shoulder. He coughed and hacked out the soot from his body. 

“Wonder?” Blue tiredly asked, receiving a weary chitter in reply from Wonder, who rested his head against her neck. 

“Laser cannons disconnected, Captain Bluey, ma’am!” Fender called from below with a salute. He was covered in numerous wires, and the teens knew well most of them were not his own. “Gee. That wasn’t so tough.” 

Blue stood up, with Crash helping her up, and pulled out the map from her pocket. She sighed with relief and barely placed the map back in before Crash hugged her again, making her yelp in surprise. 

“I thought I was gonna lose you,” he softly said. Blue slowly hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. 

“Well. Mr. Roth, now you can find some peace…”

Chapter 19: The Portal

Notes:

Word Count: 3,195

Chapter Text

The two teens, Fender, and Wonder quickly made their way back to the Rusties’ hideout by using the same way they came through. Fortunately for them, the villains were still asleep by the time they got back, so they anchored the longboat and took the hatch leading them to the Rusties’ home. 

Crash climbed up first before helping Blue up. Once she was in, they pulled Fender up from the hole. Wonder chittered, climbing up to Blue’s shoulder. Blue took out the map from her pocket, her smile forming when she saw where she thought Rodney and the crew were sleeping. 

“Rodney! Rodney, wake up!” Blue dashed towards the Captains’ sleeping place. “I’ve got the map.” 

Her relief and happiness ended too soon. 

An all too familiar hand took the map from Blue’s hand as he appeared from the shadows. Blue gasped and backed away as a dark chuckle flowed from the cruel Silver Head’s mouth. 

“Fine work, cabin girl. Fine work, indeed,” Ratchet smirked darkly, examining the map with greed. 

Blue finally understood. Fear was evident in her widening eyes. She glanced to her side to find Rodney and Alli gagged and tied up as two of the villains held them tightly. The crew was also gagged and tied up, with one of the villains aiming his weapon at them. 

Blue turned to her other side, only to face more of the villains coming out of the shadows and surrounding her. “Thanks for showing us the way in, kid.” 

“Blue, run!” Crash cried. 

Blue quickly made a mad dash in hopes of escaping, but they caught her before she could even take another step. She yelped and grunted as she tried to escape from their strong grip on her. 

“Leave her alone, you bastards!” Crash yelled angrily, about to charge at them, only to wound up getting caught as well by two more villains. 

Wonder growled when he saw Blue in trouble and bit on Hypno-Potamus’s leg. The mutant hippo yelled in pain and used his magic with one hand to grab Wonder and throw him in a small cage one of the mutants had in their hold. Wonder whimpered, trying to break free. 

“What’s this sorry stack of metal?!” Gothel grabbed Fender from the hole and held a dagger to his throat. 

“Not the face!” Fender’s pleading was silenced when the blade was pushed closer. 

Ratchet chuckled evilly, tossing the map lightly as he approached Rodney. “She’s just like you, Copperbottom. She hates to lose.” 

Rodney’s outraged grunt was muffled behind the gag as he gave him a contemptuous glare. If Ratchet tried anything else with his crew or Blue, his hands would have been free right now, and he’d give him the worst beating he’d ever given to anyone. 

Ratchet’s smug chuckles faded when he attempted and languished to open the map by twisting it. When it didn’t work, he rolled his eyes in frustration and struggled and failed every time to open the map. He grunted when he tried one last time and glanced at Blue. 

The young girl, her angered expression changing to amusement, shook her head with a smirk. Without any knowledge to get it open, the map was useless in Ratchet’s hands. 

“Open it!” Ratchet demanded, shoving the map in Blue’s hands once she was released. 

Blue didn’t do anything, only stared up at him. Ratchet’s rigid stare made her gawk back at him with rage and determination. 

Ratchet’s patience was wearing thin. He whipped out his gun while still glaring at her. “I’d get to work.” 

Blue followed his eye direction towards Rodney and Alli. The two adults shook their heads at her as if telling her to not open the map. 

Blue’s eyes went wide as plates. She hesitated, gripping onto the map as tight as she could. 

Ratchet sighed impatiently, seeing her hesitation. “You’re really making me do this, aren’t you?” He turned his glare towards Crash, who froze with terror upon realizing. Rodney, Alli, and the crew were petrified, but not as horrified as Blue, who gasped quietly. 

“Blue, don’t do it! Whatever you do, don’t do it!” Crash’s pleas were cut short when one of the Sando Brothers holding him punched him on the side of his face to quiet him. 

Though she flinched from the hard smack, Blue still felt conflicted. Her heart was close to breaking apart faster when Ratchet clicked the safety off the firearm. Her glances were quick between Ratchet and Crash, who struggled to break free from his captor’s hold. 

Just before Ratchet could pull the trigger, Blue, after sending Crash and Rodney an apologetic look, glared back at him. Her eyes refused to part from his as her fingers pressed on the buttons, unlocking the map. 

Instead of the same lights indicating the entire islands, a stream of green lights flew from the map and hovered in the air. The hologram of the Lost Isles was revealed for the astonished villains to see. 

“Oh, the powers that be. Would you look?” Ratchet whispered in bewilderment. 

The hologram dissolved to a vibrant green line and flew right through the entryway. Ratchet laughed darkly. “Tie them up, and leave her with the others until we—” He was cut off when the line flew back to the map. 

Blue had closed it and locked it when the lights returned to within. “You want the map? You’re taking me, too,” she challenged him. 

Ratchet looked like he was ready to kill her, but one look in Rodney’s sapphires and Alli’s sky blues daring him to harm Blue in any way stopped him. Instead, he chuckled while shaking his head. 

“We’ll take them all.” 


With Ratchet’s word, Blue, the Odyssey crew, and Rusties were forcefully boarded onto the villains’ two longboats; the villains had to get another longboat to carry most of the crew with them from the Odyssey. They followed the blinking line that faded away from behind. 

With some of the crew and Rusties on one longboat, Rodney, Alli, Crash, and the rest sat in the back, still tied together, the Sando Brothers watching them. Blue was forced to sit with Ratchet, who had encased her so that she wouldn’t get away. 

Rodney couldn’t keep his worried gaze off the young girl. It didn’t help that he had to watch her lean back to avoid making physical contact with him. Though he knew the second he tried to break free, the villains would surely lay harm on his crew, so he remained silent. 

The two longboats soon came to a stop in the middle of the forest. The villains stepped out of the longboats, with Meat Sweats staying behind to keep an eye on the crew and Rusties. Ratchet took the lead with Rodney, with one of the villains forcing him to move forward, Blue, and Fender all behind him. 

Wonder, who had been taken out of the small cage when Blue convinced Ratchet to let him go, chittered nervously, hiding behind her shoulder. “It’s okay, Wonder. It’s okay,” Blue comforted him. 

“Blue, I—I don’t know about you, but I-I’m starting to see my life pass in front of my eyes,” Fender approached Blue from behind. “At least, I think it’s my life. Was I ever dancing with an android named Loretta?!” He exclaimed in the end. 

“Fender, shh!” Blue quickly shushed the red bot, who covered his mouth. “This isn’t over yet.” 

Ratchet stopped in front of a wall of tall weeds. The line blinked rapidly through the tall stalks. Gray’s Trove is near. 

“We’re gettin’ close, boys! I smell treasure waitin’!” He shouted gleefully, whipping out his blade. 

At his words, the villains cheered and hailed in excitement. Ratchet yanked Blue hard by the arm, which made her yelp in anguish, and pulled her along with him. Rodney silently growled at how hard Ratchet was gripping her as he was forced to move ahead. 

Ratchet cut through the weeds to clear a path. However, the villains stopped cheering, their eyes wide with confusion and anger. 

There was no giant hoard of gold. Only a vast, empty cliff of a colossal canyon, where the line ended. 

“Where is it?!” 

“I see nothing! One great, big, stinkin’ hunk of nothing!” Chato yelled in rage. 

The line stopped blinking and shrunk back into the map, locking itself on its own. 

“Blue, what’s going on?” Rodney questioned Blue, who fidgeted with the map, to no avail. 

“I don’t know. I…I can’t get it open,” Blue replied as she frantically struggled to press the buttons to open the map. 

“We should have never followed this girl!” Gothel angrily shoved Blue hard enough to make her fall. the younger girl yelped and hit the ground with a pained grunt. 

“You could do what you like, but you shouldn’t have pushed her!” Rodney snarled at Gothel, only to yell when one of the villains aimed the pistol at his side. 

“I suggest you get that map going again and fast!” Ratchet barked at Blue. 

However, she couldn’t reply to him. She saw something underneath her when she fell from Gothel’s hard push. A spherical indent, the chisels identical to the map, was covered in moss. She wiped the moss off of the indent until she could see it more clearly. 

“Let’s rip her gizzards right out right now!” 

“Throw her off the cliff!” The villains all yelled angrily as they began to corner her, though she didn’t look back. 

Rodney worriedly glanced between Blue and the villains, fear evident in his sapphires. Even with the grip of the villain holding him was strong, he wanted so hard to fight tooth and nail to protect her. 

Before they could do anything to her, Blue slammed the map on the pit, and the markings lined up with one another. A burst of green light fanned out through the ground, which made the villains stop in their tracks and gasp. 

The light faded away before a green holographic, flat demographic globe rose from the map. The pirates and Blue stared at the map with awe. 

Blue raised her hand to touch it, but a loud humming from afar brought her away from it. Seven trails of green traveled from the bottom of the valley and soon joined together, shooting up the side of the cliff in a towering line. 

The line shot up to a hundred feet in the air until it parted to form a triangular doorway. An image of a colorful celestial sky. 

“Holy Mary Mother of God,” Ratchet gasped. Blue and Rodney stared at the image open-mouthed. 

“The Lagoon Nebula?” Blue questioned. 

“But that’s halfway across the world,” Rodney stated with wide eyes. 

Blue turned her gaze to the map. “A big door…” she repeated Fender’s words and chose a different location on the globe. 

The portal opened to reveal large cities floating in the sky, clouds moving past them. Small shuttles flew around.

“Opening and closing…” 

A sandstorm appeared in the place of the floating cities. 

Blue studied the globe as lands of the world moved in a rotation manner. “Let’s see…the Caribbean Seas…Mapplebarrow…” Blue selected her home island—the place that would have been her prison. In reply, The portal opened up to show the crew Mapplebarrow’s docks. 

“So that’s how Grandpa Ted did it,” Blue continued to press different locations on the globe. “He used this portal to roam the world, stealing treasure.” 

“But where’d he stash it all?” Ratchet impatiently shoved her aside and vigorously pressed on different locations. One by one, it didn’t show the treasure hoard, only empty or inhabited places. “Where’s the damn treasure?!” 

“Treasure! Treasure!” Fender grabbed at his head and pulled at his wires. “It’s buried in the—“ 

“Buried in the center of the mechanism,” Blue and Rodney both mumbled all at once. 

It wasn’t a second before Blue put all the pieces together. Her eyes lit up when she understood. 

“What if the whole archipelago is the mechanism? And the treasure is buried in the center of this island?” 

The villains glanced at one another when she stated this and began to dig at the ground madly with their pickaxes or bare hands. However, one pickaxe was dented from the hard, metal ground. 

“Then how in the living hell are we supposed to get there?!” Ratchet yelled in frustration and continued to flip through more locations. 

Blue gently nudged him aside from the hologram. “Just open the right door.” She pressed on the image of the Lost Isles in the center of the globe. 

The portal opened one last time to reveal an underground space with machinery in the ceiling. Without a word, Blue reached her hand through the portal. The entrance glistened upon contact like it was water. She passed through to the open area, her eyes astonished and filled with wonder. 

Ratchet followed behind and lightly pushed her back before taking the lead again. He nor the group didn't notice that he had tripped a silent alarm as they stepped over the threshold. 

The group followed the two through the portal and came to a stop at the edge of the threshold. Their eyes slowly widened with excitement as their mouths slowly dropped open and shifted to wide grins. The villains cheered with joy and ran towards what laid before them, one of them unintentionally letting Rodney go. Ratchet remained at the edge and took in the view. 

“The loot of a thousand wonders,” he gasped with amazement.

“We are going to need a bigger boat!” Chato laughed with glee, grabbing as many gold coins as his hat could carry. The other villains gathered their own wealth in open chests or bags they had brought with them. 

Blue, Rodney, Wonder, and Fender marveled at the sight. Gold, coins, gems, chests full of artifacts, many other riches they could count, all covered the entire area in small hills like snow Blue had seen back in Mapplebarrow. 

A literal horizon seemed endless to them in the center of the island where Gray had stowed away the treasure. The long pieces of machinery shot lasers in open holes that were surrounded by the treasure, so she understood that they are laser guns. 

Blue, Rodney, Wonder, and Fender stood at the edge of the walkway, their eyes staring out into the endless hoard of treasure. Captain Gray’s Trove, right in front of them for the very first time. The stories they had heard for as long as they can remember are all real. 

“Oh, Grandpa, I wish you were here to see all this,” Blue mumbled to herself with a solemn smile. 

“This is all seeming…very familiar,” Fender scratched his head. His statement brought Blue from the gold and towards something else. She squinted her eyes until they widened upon recognizing it. 

“Rodney,” she gently nudged Rodney in the arm. The Captain followed her eye direction and also recognized it. 

A ship sat on top of a high mountain of gold, a large pile of treasure sitting on the deck. The sails looked like they were wrecked. 

“But I-I c-can’t remember why,” Fender stammered. 

Rodney glanced over in Ratchet’s direction next. The Silver Head was too distracted by the vast treasures before him to notice them at the moment. At the same moment, he saw an opportunity. 

“Fender, Blue, c’mon. We’re getting out of here, and we’re not leaving empty-handed,” Rodney whispered to Blue and Fender. He headed towards the ship with the young girl and red robot behind him and Wonder walking beside him. 

“But—but, Rodney! Blue!” Fender whisper-yelled as he pursued them. 

Ratchet gradually strolled to the middle of the treasure hoard and fell to his knees. His red eyes gazed at the gold coins and jewels shining underneath the lights. “A lifetime of searching…” he grabbed a handful of coins and jewels with each hand. “…and at long last…I can touch it.” 

On the one hand, Blue wanted to go back to Mapplebarrow, to prove to her father that the mythical Lost Isles had been real the entire time, using the treasure she had helped find as evidence and to help improve the town’s lives. But at the same time, the people she held close to her heart, her mother, Grandpa, and Juliet, had taught her to always remain kind and determined. She had promised herself she wouldn’t be greedy like her own father. 

“You know what’s strange? I can’t tell you how frustrating it is, you guys…” Fender rambled as Rodney helped Blue on the ship first before getting himself. The two then reached down to help Fender onto the deck. “…’cause there’s something just—it’s nagging at the back of my mind.” He yelled dramatically and belly-flopped on the deck. 

Blue, Rodney, and Wonder glanced up from the fallen red bot. The blue-haired Captain gasped at the same time as Wonder, their eyes growing in shock. “Grandpa Ted?” Blue inhaled. 

“In the flesh!” Fender sat up with huge eyes. 

The light from one of the laser beams gave them a clear view of the decomposed body of Theodore Gray. Old pirate garbs and an object hidden in the skeletal palm were all that was left of him. The skeleton sat on top of a 24-carat throne that rested over a pile of gold and chests. 

“Well, sort of, except for skin, organs, or anything that-that resembles flesh that’s not there,” Fender added. Rodney and Blue walked up to the long-dead corpse. 

As Blue examined the skeleton of her great-grandfather, Fender continued. “A-and yet, it’s so odd, you know? I mean, I remember, there was...something horrible Gray didn’t want anyone else to know, but I-I just-I can’t remember what it was.”

Blue then studied the object hidden in the skeletal palm when the light from one of the lasers shone a light on it. She pried the bony fingers away from the object, revealed to be some kind of metal piece, and held it up from a closer look. 

“Oh, a mind is a terrible thing to lose!” Fender dramatically wailed as Rodney comforted him. When Blue turned towards him, the back of his head was revealed. In an instant, she saw it was the same shape as the object. 

“Fender, I think I just found your mind. Now hold still,” Bleu approached Fender, placed a hand on his head, and figured about how she could get the piece in. 

“Aah! Blue, your hands are very, very cold back there, and—” Fender was cut off when the missing piece was pulled back in by the wires like a magnet. 

“Whoa!” His voice became distorted as Fender turned his head around. His eyes went on a short glitch before returning to brown orbs. “Hello,” he greeted, coming out of his daze. “You know, uh, Blue, I was just thinking…” 

He paused for a moment. “I was just...think—” In a flash, he understood. “It’s all flooding back! All my memories!” He exclaimed happily as Rodney smiled and Blue giggled. 

“Right up until Gray pulled my memory circuit so I can never tell anyone about his booby trap!” 

At that moment, a loud explosion came from overhead.

Chapter 20: Booby-Trapped

Notes:

Word Count: 948 (honestly, I wasn't expecting this chapter to be short)

Chapter Text

“Speaking of which…” Fender stated nervously. Blue, Rodney, and Wonder followed his eye of direction, their hearts plummeting. 

Ratchet and his band did the same, most of them gasping with shock. 

From above, the laser cannons detonated in the ceiling. Explosions flew from the sides. 

“Gray wanted to make sure nobody could ever steal his treasure, so he rigged this whole island to blow higher than a Kalespian kite!” Fender exclaimed. 

The machinery soon fell from the ceiling and impaled the core straight in the center. The sudden collapse caused the core to instantly begin falling apart. Some of the treasure was blown away by one of the lasers that were thrown off balance, while most fell through the cracks. The villains began to scream and run away to avoid getting hit by the lasers. 

“Run, Rodney! Run for your lives!” Fender shook Rodney’s shoulder. 

“Blue, you go with Fender and help Alli and the crew!” Rodney ordered Blue and ducked down beneath the ship’s control panel. Wonder jumped up on the panel while watching him with worry “If I’m not there in five minutes, leave without me!” 

“I am not leaving my buddy, Rodney!” Fender grabbed Rodney by his ankles and pulled him back. Rodney sent him a stern glare as he held two broken wires. “Unless he looks at me like that. Bye, Rod!” He quickly let go of his boots and rushed off. 

“Blue, go with him now! That’s an order!” Rodney turned to Blue. 

“I’m not leaving you here!” Blue argued. 

“That is an order, not a suggestion! Go now!” Rodney countered back. 

Without a word, Blue scowled at him and rushed towards the shrouds to climb and fix the damaged sails. 

Rodney wanted to call after her, but then he knew better than to try and talk her out of it. “Yep, stubborn like Alli,” he thought to himself, a small smile forming. He then started to work on fixing the panels, with Wonder lending a hand by finding a forgotten toolbox beside the panel. 

The lasers continued to break apart the core of the island. More treasure fell through the cracks and into a forming inferno. 

“No!” Ratchet yelled, trying to grab as many coins and jewels as possible after a failed effort to stop it all from falling. 

Two of the villains fell into the inferno when they were trying to get away with a chest full of gold. 

Ratchet turned around when he heard his crew’s desperate cries. They quickly ran towards the exit, some of them empty-handed and others’ bags filled with the treasure they had collected. “Come back here, you cowards!” he shouted to them. 

An engine igniting brought his attention from his running crew and towards Gray’s ship. He squinted his eyes until he saw Blue working on the ship’s sails as she pulled it up. 

Seeming surprised for a moment, a dark grin replaced his shocked expression. 


Meanwhile, the Rusties and Odyssey sat in the two longboats, Meat Sweats watching them. The island rumbled from the traps being set. Alli and some of the crew nearly gasped when the ground shook, but the rest ignored it. 

“Tulio, did you ever imagine it would end like this?” Miguel quietly asked Tulio. 

“…the kid dressing up as a boy was a surprise,” Tulio replied. 

“Any regrets?” 

“Besides dying on an island? Yeah, I never got to see the treasure…and blowing up at Blue when she lost the map.” 

“My regret, besides dying on an island, is…our greatest already ending, and no one will know what happened to us.” 

“If there’s any consolation, Miguel, you…made my life…an adventure,” Tulio then began to sob. 

“And if there’s any consolation, Tulio…you made my life…rich,’ Migo added, now crying as well, as Tulio continued to sob. 

Meat Sweats rolled his eyes in annoyance as he overheard the two converse. 

“All my life I’ve dreamed of an adventure like this…” Percy solemnly stated. He was tied back to back with Migo and some of the guys. 

“We’re just sorry we could have been more helpful to you guys,” Chris turned to Alli and the others. 

“Oh don’t be daft. You all have been very helpful. Truly,” Alli chuckled. “And I’m really glad to have you all as family.” 

“And I am honored to have you as a friend and sister,” Gamora told her. 

Migo sighed in frustration. “I feel like such a useless weakling,” he threw his hands to his forehead in despair. 

He stopped short before he looked at his now free hands. The rope hung off from his left wrist. 

“…with double-jointed wrists,” he finished to himself. Percy turned to him perplexed when the Yeti had an idea. 

Migo quickly placed his hands behind his back again, his back now straight. “Uh, excuse me. Brutish pirate?” 

Meat Sweats burped and turned to him confused. “Yeah, you. Uh, I have a question for ya. Is it that your body is too massive for your teeny-tiny head…” Migo continued as Percy, Alli, and the crew glanced between one another and back at him with wide, worried eyes. “…or is it that your head is too teeny-tiny for your big, fat body?” 

Meat Sweats glanced down at his body before he snarled and stomped at Migo. “I’ll pummel you good!” He lifted Migo up by the front of his shirt. 

“Yep. Yeah, sure you will! But before you do, I got one last question…” Migo smirked as he aimed Meat Sweats’s pistol at him. “Is this yours?” 

Meat Sweats’s eyes went wide as he froze. Alli, Percy, the Kratt Brothers, and the crew stared at him surprised before they all smirked at one another.

Chapter 21: The Treasure or Blue?

Notes:

Warning: villain death, mentions of false imprisonment

Word Count: 1,647

Chapter Text

The ship engines sputtered before they started up, sending the boat floating in the air. With Blue steering the ship, she turned it towards the portal, the gold still in there. 

Blue laughed, with Wonder shouting with glee. “Yes! Wonder, we’re so outta here!” 

A dark chuckle broke Blue’s attention from the wheel. With a terrified gasp, she and Wonder turned to find Ratchet stepping aboard the ship with a dark grin. “I gotta hand it to ya, kid. You’re a lot more trouble like Copperbottom than I expected,” he smiled evilly as he approached her. 

Blue, without hesitation, picked up a sword near her and pointed it at his chest, stopping him in his tracks. “Get back!” 

Ratchet glanced down at the sword that was aimed at him and back at her. His smirk was no longer there, but his eyes had narrowed to the darkest greed she had ever seen. “I like ya, kid…but I’ve come too far to let you stand between me and my treasure,” he said in a low growl and began to approach her again. 

Blue backed away until her back met the wheel, stopping it from turning. Though she tried to stay brave, the fear in her eyes became more evident the closer he got to her. 

“Let her go!” 

Ratchet and Blue turned towards the source of the voice, just as Rodney landed on the floor safely and aimed his pistol at Ratchet. His eyes were glowing with determination to protect Blue and anger at Ratchet threatening her. “Let her go,” he demanded again. 

“Rodney!” Blue cried. 

Ratchet chuckled, shaking his head. “Copperbottom. You’re really going to stand up for this kid? She betrayed you.” 

“She saved our lives!” Rodney countered. 

“She lied to your faces!” 

“She ran away from the place that would have been her prison if she stayed any longer!” 

“We’re pirates, Copperbottom!” Ratchet argued, his attention no longer on Blue, to Rodney’s relief. “After everything we’ve done together, this is the thanks you’re giving me?” 

Rodney kept his grip on the pistol firm and hard, his glower towards Ratchet hardening with each second his words spewed out. “You betrayed and used me. You attacked my crew. You endangered my wife. You threatened my cabin kids. And make no mistake...you’re more like your crew of villains than I could have imagined…” 

Blue’s eyes widened at Rodney’s words towards Ratchet, her sword still in her grasp. Apart from Juliet and General Holden, no one has ever stood up for her like this before. 

“You don’t have the nerve,” Ratchet taunted him. 

Rodney pulled the safety off and rested his finger on the trigger. “Try me,” he challenged him, a low growl following behind. 

Ratchet glowered at him, the greed and madness in his eyes, 

Blue didn’t know what had happened. One second, Rodney was ready to shoot Ratchet, even if his heart was aching to kill someone, and the next, a lone laser shot through the side of the ship. 

The deck lurched beneath the three, sending them tumbling off the other side. Blue screamed as she was thrown off the side by the sudden force, the blade falling out of her grip. 

Rodney was able to grab onto the side of the ship when his feet hit a tilted platform, with Wonder managing to grab onto his coat before he could fall. Ratchet and Blue weren’t so lucky. 

The two slid down the leaning platform and were sent flying off the edge. Blue had barely managed to grab onto a protruding part of the opposite wall before she could fall into the fiery inferno below. Ratchet tried to catch another part on the opposite side of her but failed to do so. His failed attempt resulted in him hitting the wall instead and falling to the inferno below, his screams fading to nothing more than an echo. 

Blue’s heart was beating faster than ever when she heard Ratchet’s scream stop. He must have fallen into the fiery casym. But she didn’t turn her attention to that. The fear coursing through her veins drove her to hold onto the part with all her strength. 

Gray’s ship gradually drifted towards the laser beam, despite Rodney holding onto the side. The beam hit half the deck and sent some of the treasure flying. 

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Rodney yelled with determination. He pulled back the ship away from the beam, his grunts strained as he desperately held onto what was left of Gray’s Trove. 

Wonder instantly rushed up to his shoulder and chattered wildly with worry and terror. “What? What?” Rodney asked, confused. 

It was at that one second he understood. 

With his one hand holding onto the railing of the ship, Rodney frantically searched everywhere for Blue. Ratchet was long gone, but he didn’t care about that right now. There was no sign of the blue-eyed girl anywhere. 

“Blue! Where are you?!” He shouted with worry. 

“DAD!” 

At Blue’s frantic cry, Rodney instantly turned his head to the source. His heart plummeted with terror to find her hanging onto the metal wall, the piece slowly protruding back in. 

“Blue!” He gasped. 

He quickly pulled out his device, changing it to a vice clamp to hold onto the ship. He stepped out as far as he could to the ledge and stretched his arm out to her. 

“Grab my hand, Blue!” He called to her. At that moment, Blue was terrified of letting go, despite the piece getting deeper back in the wall. Her eyes were close to breaking into tears as her hand was merely inches away but unable to grab Rodney’s hand. “Come on!” 

“I-I can’t!” Blue cried. 

In an instant, the part vanished, leaving her to fall again, screaming in terror. “No!” Rodney shouted. 

Blue was able to grasp another part, which unfortunately was departing back against the metal wall. Her yelps became filled with fear and hyperventilating breathing. Her eyes welled up with tears, partially blocking her vision. 

The world around her was falling apart. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to die a helpless, fair damsel who had to escape from her cruel, royal life for nothing. 

This could be it. The end of everything she had fought for. The death of her freedom. She could die a cruel, unforgiving death. She had never felt this so scared in the longest time of her life. 

Rodney panted heavily as he struggled to hold onto the ship with the vice clamp. He stole a quick glance at the treasure still resting in the ruined deck, then back at Blue. The young girl yelped with fear as she tried to hold on for much longer. 

His heart nearly shattered to hear her cry while she hung over the fiery river of death. She had an entire life of freedom waiting for her, a family who saw her as one of their own, just as her grandfather did before her. She doesn’t deserve to die like this, she’s still a young human being, growing into a brave, headstrong woman. In an instant, he knew he would never forgive himself if he lost Blue like this. 

His vice clamp stretched further the longer it held onto the ship. He looked back at the treasure one last time. 

Only this time, there was no treasure. 

There was something that pushed a former friend to derangement and greed, and something that, most likely, would mean the end of an innocent girl’s life who was never justified to be so cruelly handled like a prisoner. 

He sighed through his nose, his eyes closing tight for a moment. “Oh, damn me for an idiot!” They shot open again with more fire of determination. 

At his finger’s command, the vice clamp released itself from the ship. Rodney skidded down the slanted ramp towards Blue in a flash. Wonder held on to him tight, waiting for the inevitable doom. 

In that final moment, the part disappeared into the wall completely. 

Her grip on it was gone. Her eyes grew wide as her body continued to fall one last time. 

Everything seemed to slow down in that one moment. 

A prolonged scream, one filled with fear and devastation, released itself from her lips and echoed around the area of the walls. Her arms flayed around as her body fell towards the burning river below her. Her tears fell out of her eyes trained on the edge above. 

Just as she was ready to accept her death…

A hand instantly grabbed her by the wrist, catching her right in time. Her scream was cut short, and her hand took hold of the familiar feeling of the sleeve without thinking. Blue glanced up, her eyes now wide again to find Rodney holding onto her like her life was worth more protecting than the treasure. The vice clamp held onto the edge of the platform, holding the two above the lava river. 

With one swift move, Rodney pulled her up and quickly grabbed her by the middle waist, holding her close. “I got you,” he softly said, which spurred her to hug him tighter. 

Before Blue could even ask about the treasure, the sound of something exploding and gold coins falling to the river or the ground resonated from above the platform. A bright light appeared in place of the ship. Blue yelped and buried her face in Rodney’s shoulder, while the captain turned his head away to avoid staring at the light of the explosion. 

After the radiating light had disappeared, the two and Wonder watched the last of Gray’s Trove plummet down the blazing river. They didn’t need to ask what happened. The laser beam had destroyed the ship that had slowly moved towards it on its own. 

“We gotta go!” Rodney pressed the button for the vice clamp to pull them up.

Chapter 22: Saving the Crew

Notes:

Warning: near-death experience

Word Count: 2,682

Chapter Text

Blue, Rodney, and Wonder soon made it to the portal without being injured. With the treasure now all out of the way, it was easier to run through the trembling ground. They all jumped through the portal and landed on the other side with ease. 

“Rodney, you gave up—?” Blue started. 

“Hey, just some material stuff, kid. I’ll get over it,” Rodney shrugged it off. He didn’t want to end up like Gray or Ratchet. Wonder chittered and nuzzled against his cheek affectionately. 

Blue thought about how the villains who made it out alive were able to get away with most of the treasure. But that’s when she remembered something. 

Before she could even start, someone interrupted her. 

“Aloha, Bluey!” Fender shouted. 

The Odyssey pulled in gradually on the waters in front of them. Fender stood near the helm with an anxious frown. “Hurry, people! We got exactly 2 minutes, 45 seconds til island’s destruction!” He pointed at an electronic panel from the navigation system. Blue, Rodney, and Wonder glanced at one another with worry. 

“You’re doing fine now, Tulio. Now ease her over gently-gently!” Alli instructed Tulio, who was stumblingly steering the wheel. They stood at the helm, with Alli leaning against the mast and holding onto her side. 

The Odyssey accidentally hit the side of the cliff. Luckily, Rodney was able to push Blue lightly away so that she wouldn’t get hurt. 

Below deck, the villains, who are now tied up and locked in the brig, screamed when they felt the impact from outside. “We were better off on exploding island!” Chato cried. 

Crash rushed and helped Blue in with Rodney pushing her up, leaving Miguel and Alex to help him in, just before the ship pulled away. 

“Take us out of here!” Alli ordered Fender as she carefully pushed herself off the mast. 

“Aye, Captainess!” Fender saluted and pushed the controls of the ship. The thrusters powered up and sent the ship sailing through the waters and away from the exploding island. 

“Love, you dropped from the heavens in the nick of—“ Rodney started breathlessly with a relieved grin. 

“Oh, save it once we get out of here, babe,” Alli gently cut him off with a soft smirk before she strolled off. 

Rodney noticed Alex, Migo, and Manolo grinning at him. He scoffed, rolling his eyes, and shoved them aside as they laughed. 

Out of nowhere, suddenly, flying debris crashed into the mizzen sail and tore it away from the mast. When the crew glanced up horrified, the wood of the mizzen mast fell onto the deck and destroyed the laser cannon. The thrusters almost sounded like they were ready to power down. 

“Mizzen sails demobilized, Captain! Thrusters only at thirty percent capacity!” Fender quickly reported. 

“Thirty percent? But that means…we’ll never clear the island’s explosion in time!” Tulio realized. The Rusties and crew glanced at one another with fear. 

Dread pooled in Blue’s stomach. There’s got to be something she could do. 

The sound of splashing from below the ship brought her to the railing. A horse made out of water leaped out of the lakes and landed on the deck before glancing up at her. A Nokk, she understood. She had read about it in stories before. 

Blue rushed up to the railing and gazed back at the portal amidst the eruption. Her eyes returned to the Nokk, who nickered and lightly grazed its hoof against the wooden deck. It didn’t hold any anger or desire to drown her. It looked like it wanted to help her. Help her get out of here with the crew. 

A crazy idea that just might work came up in her head. 

“We gotta turn around!” Blue yelled before she dashed towards the stairs. 

“What?!” Alli asked as she watched her dash off. 

“There's a portal back there! It can get us out of here!” Blue exclaimed. 

“Pardon me, Blue, but didn’t that portal open up onto a raging inferno?!” Tulio asked her with fear in his tone. Rodney glanced back at the portal, where he can see the core erupting. 

“Yes, but I’m gonna change that!” Blue continued as she rushed up to the Nokk. Rodney turned back to the portal, using his scope this time to zoom in on the holographic globe. “I’m gonna open a different door!” 

“Captain, really, I just don’t see how this could work—“ Martin began. 

“Listen to what she says!” Rodney cut him off sharply and made his way to help Blue. Crash didn’t hesitate to follow behind him. 

“One minute thirty-five seconds til island’s destruction!” Fender shouted. 

Blue grunted in frustration when she tried to figure out how she needed to get on the water horse’s back. The Nokk, though, was patient with her. It bowed down and allowed Blue to get on before standing back up. 

“Donnie, get that laser cannon to the back of the ship!” Rodney called to Donnie. 

“Donnie’s on it!” the soft-shell turtle mutant nodded down his goggles and picked the wooden mast off the laser cannon, which, thankfully, was still intact. With his brothers’ help, he took the cannon to the back of the ship through the helm. 

At the same moment, reins suddenly appeared, the muzzle strapping itself around the Nokk's mouth with ease. The Nokk nickered and stepped up on the railing, just as Rodney and Crash caught up with it and Blue. 

“Now listen, no matter what happens, just keep that ship heading straight for that portal!” Blue told Rodney. 

“Fifty-eight seconds!” Fender yelled. 

The Captain looked like he wanted to stop her from doing this on her own. He almost lost her to Ratchet’s greed, he almost lost her to Thrax’s homicidal actions, he almost lost her to the deathly grip of the flaming inferno. He didn’t want to lose her. 

But in the span of two seconds, he held himself together. If he stopped her from going, not only will the Odyssey fall victim to the exploding island, but Blue would believe he lost faith in her before they die. 

In an instant, he knew she could do this. Despite his expression mixed with devastation and concern, Rodney gave her a nonverbal answer to go. 

“Blue…” Crash stopped Blue for a moment before she could leave on the Nokk. “…be careful.” 

Blue beamed gently back at him before she kicked the Nokk on the side and took off in a flash. Without any fear of dying stopping her, Blue urged the water horse onwards, briefly riding on air before they landed on the waters again. 

“Well?! You heard her! Get this damn ship turned round!” Rodney yelled to Alli up on the helm. 

Alli seemed hesitant for a moment until she turned back to Tulio. “Tulio, get us back to the portal!” 

“Aye, Captain,” Tulio promptly turned the wheel. The Odyssey followed the turn and hastily drove towards the portal. 

“Donnie, now!” Rodney called up to Donnie. The purple-wearing turtle did as he was told and pushed the lever, powering up the cannon. The sudden momentum of the cannon sent the ship flying at a fast speed. 

The Nokk panted heavily as it sped across the waters, even though the fires were close to drying it up in a second. The air felt warm as Blue dashed across the rumbling ground below her. 

But she wasn’t scared. 

Not now. 

Because she had done this so many times back in Mapplebarrow, when she would avoid her father’s soldiers, when she would expertly dodge low-hanging branches and fallen logs, when she would fly across the air for a short time, when she would perfectly turn around every corner to lose her chasers. With all her years of self-defense, swordsmanship, archery, and horseback riding, she had enough faith to know that she would make it. Her hands holding onto the reins, Blue focused on the portal, her eyes filled with courage. 

She had lost her mother, then her grandfather. She’s not going to lose her Captain, her crew. Her family. 

Crash saw how close she was to getting crushed from one of the debris, which thankfully didn’t happen, and was about to climb up the shrouds. 

“Crash! What the hell are you doing?!” Peter grabbed him by the leg and started to pull him back down. 

“I gotta see if she’s alright! She’s gotta be!” Crash protested, trying to break free from his hold. By then, Raph, Ralph, and Drax helped Peter pull Crash down from the shrouds. 

“Get down from there, kid!” Ralph exclaimed as the four successfully tugged Crash from the shrouds. 

Crash wanted to break free, but their hold on him kept him from moving. The last thing he wanted was for Blue to get hurt. Even though he had been astonished to find that she had been dressing up as a boy to get aboard the Odyssey, he still treated her as a human and saw her as a free-spirited girl. He had been so afraid of losing her since Ratchet had confronted her about her ancestors, since Thrax had threatened to kill her. He had been so afraid for her since everything started. 

And now she is fighting through the burning wreckage to get him and the crew out to safety. 

“Please let her be okay. Please let her be okay,” Crash mumbled to himself. 

At one point, the ship nearly crashed into a wall, and the right elevator broke off. “Down to the right! The right, damn it!” Alli shouted. 

“I know! I know! Will you just let me drive, woman?!” Tulio yelled at her and straightened out the ship. The Odyssey swiftly avoided any oncoming debris flying from the exploding core. 

“Twenty-five seconds!” Fender screamed. 

Up ahead, a large canyon that was being filled with a fiery lava river below came into view. Even though she saw how large the canyon was, Blue didn’t stop. It’s almost like the hills and river she had leaped over back in Mapplebarrow. Breathing deeply, she whipped the reins, spurring the Nokk faster. 

Crash saw this and grew worried. “Come on, kid,” Rodney mumbled to himself. 

The faster the Nokk sped, the deeper courage began to seep in Blue. 

“Seventeen seconds!” Fender yelled at the top of his lungs. Wonder couldn’t bring himself to look and covered his eyes, yelping with terror. 

Blue and the Nokk were now pulling in on the canyon. The water horse leaped over the burning lava river. 

Time seemed to be trapped frozen for a moment. Rodney and Crash stared on wide-eyed, their mouths dropping open. The Rusties held their breaths waiting for Blue to make it. The crew silently prayed for Blue to keep going. 

Just as it looked like Blue wasn’t going to make it, the Nokk landed perfectly on the other side, barely missing the edge, and kept running through the waters. Blue made a straight path towards the portal, her eyes landing on the location she knew would lead them straight to safety. 

“Seven…” 

Tulio kept his eyes on the portal, squinting as the explosions grew brighter. 

“Six…” 

Crash took a deep breath as he held his breath anxiously. 

“Five…” 

Blue outstretched her arm towards the holographic globe as she got closer by the second, holding onto the reins to keep her steady. 

“Four...” 

Rodney rushed up to the helm and pulled Alli protectively close. Alli shut her eyes as tight as she could, gripping onto her husband’s jacket sleeve. Wonder scurried up to her chest and hugged her tight. 

“Three…” 

The Odyssey was closing in to pass through the portal. The crew and Rusties readied themselves for the worst and held their breaths for their supposed final moments. 

“Two!” 

Blue finally pressed on the location on the holographic globe. 

In an instant, the Odyssey flew through the portal and into the open oceans of the docks. The island on the other side suddenly exploded into oblivion, the explosions rumbling and shaking the waters. Some of the remains flew out from the other side, but the ship got away fast enough and landed on the seas. 

Blue whooped joyfully and held her arms up in the air as the Nokk ran beside the ship. Crash saw that she had made it out alive and unharmed and laughed as he pushed his hair off his face. “You did it, Blue! You did it!” Rodney laughed as the Nokk galloped around the ship. 

Blue high-fived him as the Nokk flew over the deck and landed on the other side of the waters. Wonder screamed with delight and jumped around. Crash shouted and laughed in elation, jumping around on the deck and throwing his fists in the air. 

“I told you! I told you guys she’s got greatness in her!” Rodney yelled with a proud smile. 

The villains cheered below the deck, happy to be out alive and grateful to Blue for saving them. The crew cheered wildly and bounced around. Peter and Alex whooped, locking their arms around one another, and jumped around. 

Alli rushed down the stairs and enveloped Rodney in a tight hug. The blue-haired Captain laughed, hugging her back and spinning her around. Migo and Percy also rushed up to one another and enveloped each other in an embrace. When they realized what they were doing a second later, they pulled away and chuckled shyly, their cheeks red and a dopey grin on Migo’s face. 

The Nokk came back up to the deck and allowed Blue to jump off. The young girl took a moment to glance back at the water with a grateful smile. The Nokk bowed its head at her before returning to the waters. The second it was gone, Wonder dashed at her, climbing up her arm, and hugged her by the neck. Blue giggled, hugging him back. 

The four turtles were the first to ambush Blue with a tight hug, their laughter ringing in the air. The Odyssey crew soon followed behind, their cackling in sync with her giggling. Ralph ruffled her blonde hair while Alex shoulder-bumped her. Tulio rushed in and spun her around in a tight embrace. “Well done, kiddo!” 

“Yes!” Blue cupped his face and hugged him tightly.

Crash charged in and brought her in a tight embrace, spinning her around with her arms around his neck and his around her back, before he set her back down. 

For a moment, there was no sound from the crew to them, their cheers muffled as they stayed in their own world. Crash held Blue close to him, burying his face into the side of her head. His eyes were clamped shut as his hold on her grew stronger. His hand held onto her hair, his fingers messing her curls. 

Blue didn’t mind the touch. She hugged him tighter in reply, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder. 

“I thought I was gonna lose you,” Crash whispered, not even pulling away from her. 

“I’m still here,” Blue mumbled back to him. 

Rodney stood near the stairs, his arms crossed in front of his chest, as he watched the crew surround Blue and Crash hugging her tightly as if he was afraid of letting her go. Alli stood beside him, holding onto her side tenderly. The two shared heartfelt smiles with each other. 

“Bluey, that was unforgettable!” Fender and the Rusties approached Blue after Crash pulled away from her. “I know you don’t like touching, but...get ready for a hug, kiddo, ‘cause I gotta hug ya!” 

Fender laughed and wrapped his arms around her. Without a word, Blue picked Fender up and spun him around, hugging him back and giggling. Piper squealed with delight and rushed in before hugging Blue. Diesel and Crank joined in on the embrace, their waves of laughter joining in. Lugnut came in and trapped the Rusties and Blue in a strong hug. The crew shared light-hearted laughs at the touching moment. 

“Hey, you hugged us back! I promised myself I wouldn’t cry!” Fender beamed tearfully before weeping with joy. Blue giggled and gently pat him on the back. “Does anyone have a tissue?”

Chapter 23: Blue Stays/Epilogue

Notes:

Warning: fluffy, happy ending (and yes, I ship Migercy)

Word Count: 2,236

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

They had enough time before they arrive at the other docks of Mapplebarrow. Rodney excused himself to check on the last two longboats that the crew had brought prior to the Lost Isles’s destruction. He mumbled to himself as he tied the ropes to the walkways, Wonder watching him. 

“Well, thank God for this, am I right?” Rodney spoke to himself, though Wonder nodded in agreement. 

“You never stop worrying, do you?” 

Rodney paused when Blue’s voice came from behind him. He turned around to find her leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and a small smirk in the form on her lips. 

“Oh, Blue,” Rodney sighed with relief. “I was checking to see that the longboats are safe and secure,” he said before stopping to find a messy knot on the cleat. 

Blue hummed thoughtfully, rubbing her chin, as she approached him. She knelt down and resecured the rope around the cleat just the way Rodney taught her. “That should hold it,” she gave Rodney a little smirk. 

Rodney chuckled, shaking his head, as the two stood up. “I taught you too well, did I?” 

Blue raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a knowing look. 

“Now, if you didn’t know, we found out that some of the villains had managed to bring back most of the treasure from the Lost Isles,” Rodney explained to her as they made their way to the deck. “We’ve been giving back what the poor lost to the rich back to them for as long as we’ve been together. And believe me, if those who lost everything to greedy hearts and cruelty ever saw that treasure, they’d be able to get their lives back in less than a second.” 

Blue’s expression held great admiration for his and the crew’s selflessness. Just three months ago, she had thought they’d abandon her by the next dock if they ever found out she was a girl. But Rodney, out of the crew, was the first to know, and he never judged her for it. He loved her like she was his own daughter, and she was sure Alli was the same as him. Just like she loved him like a father she never got to have. 

A small, genuine grin fell a bit when she reached the railing to stare out towards the docks. Rodney followed behind and stood next to her. “Sorry about you being Gray’s great-granddaughter,” he told her. 

“Eh, he would’ve been a terrible relative, anyway,” Blue shrugged. “All I know is I had an amazing grandpa who loved me as I am. Ever since I was a kid, he had been the bravest man I had looked up to. He’d traveled to hell and back to see me again and keep me safe. One time, he told me that the greatest moment he had wasn’t the adventures he had out in the seas...it was meeting me for the first time when I was born. Father couldn’t bring himself to keep him from seeing me, it’d make him look bad,” she chuckled in the end. “I still remember that moment, even after he was gone.” 

Rodney stared at her sympathetically and heartfeltly. “Hey, what if we send you out into the open world. Just you on your own,” he offered her, wrapping an arm around her. Wonder chirped, climbing up to Blue’s head. “Full of yourself and no ties to anyone!” 

Blue took a moment to think about going back. If she did, that would mean leaving behind the people who saw her as who she is and love her regardless. Even then, she’ll still have to avoid her father’s rage of her running off and finding a legend that was thought a myth. Though she knew the clear answer. 

Glancing up at Wonder, who hung upside on her head, Blue smiled and lifted him from her head. “You know, when I got on this boat…” she tickled Wonder, who giggled and lightly swatted her hands from him. “...I would have taken you up on that offer in a second. But I met this captain, a brave man with a smart mind and a good heart…” she continued. “...and he taught me that I could chart my own course, experience my own dreams, and live life on my own terms.” 

Rodney beamed sweetly at her. “That’s what I’m gonna do,” Blue finished, staring out into the vast oceans. 

“And what do you see off that bow of yours?” Rodney asked her. 

Blue turned her attention from the docks and back to Rodney. “A future of my own terms…” 

Rodney chuckled. “Heh...look at you, kid. Glowing like a solar fire.” Blue held her head high as she gazed at him. 

“You’re something special, Blue. You’re gonna rattle the stars,” Rodney’s voice almost cracked as he spoke. 

However, Blue nearly gasped when she remembered something and dug through her pockets hastily. “Blue, what’s wrong?” Rodney asked her. 

She didn’t answer him for a moment. Her eyes lit up when she pulled out a small bag, something inside jingling at her pulling the bag out. “I know that it was last minute, but..” Blue opened the bag to reveal the remaining pieces of Gray’s Trove. “...I wanted to give this to you and your crew...so that you could fix up the Odyssey.” She handed the bag to Rodney with a tender grin. 

Rodney took a moment to stare at the bag, then back at Blue. To her confusion, he placed the bag on a barrel next to him and pulled her in a tight hug. She gasped, her eyes wide and welling up with tears. 

“The greatest treasure I could ever ask for…” Rodney pulled away and wiped away a tear from Blue’s cheek. “...is having you in my crew.” 

Blue beamed back at him with teary eyes. She instantly hugged him back, with Rodney embracing her in return. Whether or not she would ever see Mapplebarrow again, she knew for certain, but she felt content knowing that she at least got the family she never had. 


It wasn’t long for the Odyssey to arrive at the docks. Not long after, authorities arrived to take away the remaining villains; Donnie had left a message to them before they arrived at the berth about the mutiny and that Ratchet had perished. 

The authorities were soon taken aback when they found the treasure the villains had taken before the destruction of the Lost Isles. When they asked about how they got it, Rodney and Blue only replied, “From an old friend.” 

They had specifically ordered the authorities to help the Odyssey crew give the treasure to the poor who needed it more than anyone else. In less than a second after Rodney announced this, cheers and excited cries from the citizens broke through the skies and unabatingly waited as the crew handed the last of Gray’s Trove to them. Some of the villagers gave God’s blessings to them, while others remained patiently until they were next. Blue, Crash, and Donnie helped pass the time by recounting the stories of Captain Gray and the adventure she shared with the crew. Blue only left out the part where she was a royal and ran away from the kingdom. Some of the children would gasp with excitement and switch between fear and amazement occasionally at certain parts. 

Once the treasure was all given away to the poor, the crew made plans for the next adventure, but as of now, they needed rest. Alli had already been sent to a nearby medical center, where her wound would be treated. It was also required for Fender and the Rusties to be fixed again. Rodney was quick to step in, though he required parts to get the fixing process started. 

As Blue and Crash waited with the crew in the medical center, Blue let out a yawn as she allowed her body to relax. It must have been hours, maybe more than fifty, since she had some sleep. She leaned back on her set and rested her head on Crash’s shoulder. Her eyes flutter shut, a content hum leaving through her tongue. 

Crash noticed Blue’s head on his shoulder, her eyes already shut. She was instantly out like a light, a content grin in her sleep. Manolo, Alex, Migo, and Peter noticed this and wiggled their eyebrows playfully at Crash, the biggest grins they could muster plastered on their faces. 

Instead of glaring back at them, Crash gave a small smile at Blue and subtly wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer while not waking her up by accident. Before long, his eyes closed as well. 


Some weeks had passed since then. The Odyssey was now fixed and upgraded, with the remaining treasure from Gray’s Trove being traded. The Rusties had been fixed thanks to Rodney’s mechanic skills. 

When Blue had consulted with the crew that she was staying, they were elated, to say the least. Mikey had explained how he liked how well her cooking was and how she always helped out in the kitchen, his brothers agreeing on her amazing cooking skills. Tulio and Miguel had appreciated Blue for saving the crew from the fiery death of the Lost Isles, even calling her the ‘Goddess of Courage’. 

“Blue, the Mighty and Powerful Goddess!” Their dramatical declaration of her nickname had sent the crew into fits of laughter. Though Blue didn’t mind the new nickname. 

In the end, as she and the crew had predicted, Migo and Percy had grown closer than before the journey started. Blue couldn’t hold back her fangirliness whenever she saw Migo and Percy holding hands or Migo giving him a loving smile. Even Rodney and Alli shipped the two hard. 

As Rodney explained how he knew Blue was a girl up to that point, Alex had also admitted that he and Migo made a bet that if one was correct on Blue being a cabin boy or the other a girl, they win 15 gold coins. Alex had defeatedly handed a chuckling, smug Migo his 15 gold coins, as he had won the bet. 

Even after the Odyssey was upgraded and fixed, they still had some money leftover. They figured they would use it for more weapons to replace the ones they lost and to add another ship cannon for the ship. 

A few days later, night had fallen. The crew had stopped by the docks at an island in the Caribbean Seas for a fun night. The Kratt Brothers and Percy had also decided to stay in the crew, their bonds with the gang stronger than in the beginning. 

In the inn, the crew laughed and chattered with one another about plans for their next adventure. They decided to stay clean for the night since they needed to be ready the next morning. Word of their adventure to the Lost Isles spread around town like a wildfire, making them popular. Sooner or later, it’s going to reach across the entire world. 

“Now that was an adventure!” Miguel crossed his hands behind his head as he leaned back on his chair. 

“Yes. Yes, it was, and, um…” Tulio started, but then his smile faltered. “It was so much gold!” He sobbed, covering his face with his hands. 

Wonder and Blue both rolled their eyes at his dramatic behavior. They knew that Tulio saw how much the poor needed the gold, but he was too afraid to admit it. 

Tulio sniffled and breathed in deeply just as Miguel was about to place his hand on his shoulder. “I’m fine,” Tulio stated, which made Miguel pull his hand back. 

“Hey, don’t act so smug. We saw how much you wanted to help those kids,” Fender added to him. He and the Rusties were now cleaned up and repaired, thanks to Rodney’s mechanic skills. 

The crew chuckled as Tulio gave them a deadpan expression, yet he beamed gently to himself. 

Later on, as the band in the inn played a lively tune, the crew felt like having some fun tonight. Crash and Blue bowed to one another before his arm interlocked with hers. They moved along to the beat and danced together with wide grins, Blue giggling as Crash spun her around before they parted. Even Rodney and Alli joined in the promenade, the blue-haired Captain twirling his wife around and dipping her down. Fender and the Rusties joined in, the female yellow bot forming some moves of her own. 

At one point, Blue had moved to the window, sparing a glance at the Odyssey crew laughing and moving along to the beat. Her smile stayed on her as she viewed the lively scene in front of her. After a moment, she turned her view towards the starry night. 

Blue sighed as she marveled at the night sky through the window. It was so beautiful. She had no idea how long it had been since she experienced happiness like this. 

A starry image of her grandfather and mother and those before her in the family, the people who love her as she was, stared back at her, their smiles evident for her to see. Blue smiled back, a small tear trailing down her cheek. 

This is her new life now. And she had lived to see it all on her own. 

For the first time in her life...she was finally free.

Notes:

Holy crap! I did it! I finished the first part of True Treasure! That took longer than I thought!

Well, if you made it this far, congrats! And I hope you enjoyed reading this...

...because the adventure's not over yet...

Chapter 24: Part 2 Summary of True Treasure

Chapter Text

After one adventure ends, another begins.

Two years following the events of finding the Lost Isles, Blue now resides with Captain Rodney and the Healing Odyssey crew. The peaceful days of helping those in need come to an abrupt stop when the crew is given the task to bring back the Guardian Gems from the mythical Land of Wonders. Blue also encounters the mesmerizing, yet dangerous Goddess of Chaos Eris, who warns her of danger greater than her tyrannical father chasing after her.

As the new adventure starts, romance starts to bloom between Blue and Crash Bandicoot, the cabin boy who first met Blue when the voyage to the Lost Isles started.

With new friends joining the excursion and new enemies waiting around the corner, Blue and the Healing Odyssey crew fight for the Gems before a more dangerous band of villains use them for their corrupt advantage.

Chapter 25: The Adventure Begins

Notes:

Word Count: 2,102

Chapter Text

In the Realm of Chaos—Tarturas—there lived only constellations of stars in the forms of different creatures, big and small. No man had ever made it alive, hence the reason no one dared to venture out to the Realm of Discord. The earth stood in the middle of the constellations as various comets and stars moved about freely. 

A shadow, which gradually shifted to a woman with dark hair that moved from no strains of gravity, emerged from the darkness of the area and towards the earth. 

“Wake up, my beauties. Rise and shine,” her airy voice prompted the creatures to come to life and crowd around their mistress. “It’s a brand new day, and the mortal world is at peace.” 

The woman then morphed herself in front of the floating earth, the light now revealing her appearance. The end of her purple dress was only swirls of smoke as her skin was a dull purple color and her eyes a bright shade of yellow. “But not for long,” Eris, the Goddess of Chaos, smirked darkly, as she stared down at the earth. 

“Just look at them. I pull one tiny thread….” Eris pulled a gold thread from the earth. “…and their whole world unravels into chaos. Glorious chaos,” she reveled in the thought as clouds moved away when she clenched her fists. Her eyes lit up when she spotted something. “And what could be more perfect than this?” 

Two ships, with one painted blue and gold along the edges and the crest of a Phoenix in the front, trailing behind the other, sailed across the seas. 

“A priceless mineral…” a faint glow appeared from the back of the first ship as Eris spoke. “…a selfless captain, and a runaway princess.” She finished when she noticed the second ship. 

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Eris smirked with evil delight. She turned to a sea creature. “Cetus? You know what to do,” she cooed to the creature, which purred and rose above the earth. 

“Let the games begin.” 

Cetus then hurled itself towards the earth and formed into its true form as it plummeted. It landed unnoticed into the waters just ahead of the two ships. 


She had no idea how long it had been since she found freedom on her own. Maybe a year or longer. But she didn’t care. She was finally happy with the family who loves her as she is. 

Ever since the pilgrimage to the Lost Isles, Blue had been rediscovering her life through means of venturing with the Healing Odyssey crew and the Rusties, who had joined them during the adventure, to raid ships that had stolen from those who had been unjustly wronged and giving back to them. It had been thrilling the first time she fought alongside the crew against bandits that had taken resources from a small town, and she’d love nothing more than to do it again. She had been sailing across the Seven Seas and finding new adventures to encounter, just like her own grandfather did before her. Just like her ancestors did. 

That’s right. She’s the great-granddaughter of Captain Theodore Gray, the man who had stolen innumerable wealth and locked it all away in his secret trove, the Lost Isles, once thought to be a legend, now destroyed because of his long-living greed. But still, it doesn’t change the kind-hearted, headstrong spirit that rested within her. 

As days passed and turned to months, the memories of Mapplebarrow faded away from her mind until they became just a thought that she didn’t want to regain again. Her father surely had given up searching for her now. It was what she was hoping for. 

Rodney Copperbottom, the Captain of the Odyssey, stepped in as the father she needed her whole life. When she first stowed away on his ship, when she first saved Alli, when he saved her life in return, that was the moment he accepted her for the kind spirit and strong mind she inherited from her grandfather. It didn't matter to him that she dressed up as a cabin boy to escape the cruel life of a royal nor was she the descendant of a mad pirate. All that mattered to him was that the young girl who had stolen his and the crew’s hearts was and always will be part of his crew. 

When they had heard of a bandit ship that had stolen a gem from a mythical land, they saw this as an opportunity to fight their way in and get it back. As of now, the Odyssey is trailing behind the bandit ship, closing in on it. 

The crew and Rusties stood in a line, their backs straight and their heads held high, as Rodney and Alli walked past them. Wonder sat on Rodney’s shoulder, and Blue walked alongside the two with a content, excited grin. 

“Sailors, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” Rodney spoke as he arrived up the steps. “A most priceless mineral was stolen and on its way to the buyer.”

He turned back to face the crew with a smirk of determination. “It’s a shame it’ll never get there.” 

The crew and Rusties laughed and cheered in agreement. Blue couldn’t contain her smile from growing bigger. 

“After today, we head back home!” Rodney announced. 

The crew all yelled and readied themselves for the battle. Migo was quick to peck Percy on the cheek before heading towards the railing. Manolo laughed as he climbed up the shrouds with Alex and Peter. Blue hastily grabbed her daggers and placed them on her side. She then grabbed her sword and pistol, strapping them as well. 

“Drax?” Rodney called. 

“Aye, Captain,” Drax replied and turned the ship towards the bandits’ boat. 

“Wonder?” Rodney then called for Wonder. The monkey chittered and hit the lever that sent the knives out from the side, ready to grab the ship. 

“Ready for this, cub?” Alli asked Blue as she got her swords ready. 

“Born ready!” Blue replied without facing her. The excitement grew in her the closer they got to the ship. 

“Let’s do this shit!” Rodney shouted from the top of the shrouds. 

The Odyssey instantly collided with the bandit ship, and the battle was on. Rodney whooped as he swung from the shrouds, flipping in the air, and landed easily before battling with the bandits. 

Wonder chittered as he rushed up the catapult. He pulled on the rope and catapulted to the other ship. He landed on one bandit, which sent them falling, before he leaped at another that was fighting Blue. Without missing a beat, Wonder shoved the hat down on his face and flipped the back of his coat over him, rendering him vulnerable. Blue saw this and kicked him out from underneath the feet. 

“Thanks, Wonder,” she thanked Wonder, who smiled proudly as he sat on her shoulder, and went to fight someone else. 

The crew continued to battle with the bandits, with Migo grabbing a large piece of wood and swinging straight at a few thieves, and Rocket cackling while he threw bombs at others as he stood on Groot’s head. Lugnut had no effort on taking down a small group of bandits, with Diesel joining in by pretending to be a ref before holding up Lugnut’s arm in victory. Piper easily took down a couple of bandits by plugging her nose and shooting her two ponytails at them. 

Alli quickly tied a rope around one of the bandits’ feet while fighting off another. She then cut the rope, sending the bandit flying and screaming, as she held the other with her arm around his throat. Rodney picked up two fallen swords with his own and spun them around, catching two bandits off guard. 

Another one came up at Rodney, ready to land the blow, but he blocked the blades, sliding underneath him across the ground. Just as the bandit was about to swing his blade down on him, Rodney took off his hat before knocking him out in the head. 

Some more charged at Rodney and Alli. The two locked their arms with one another, their backs meeting each other. Rodney spun Alli around as she knocked them all out by kicking them in the faces. Once the bandits were all down, Rodney set Alli back down. 

“Did you catch that last move? Pretty cool, huh?” Rodney beamed. 

“I thought we overworked it. Just a bit,” Alli replied. Ralph nodded in agreement as well as the bandit he had in his hold before the bigger man punched him in his face, knocking him out. 

“Aw, y…” Rodney started, dismayed. “Overworked it?” 

Blue giggled at the comment as Wonder snickered. However, she spotted another vessel with red sails coming up at the bandit ship. It wasn’t like the other ships she and the crew had robbed together. 

Two more soon appeared from the other side. One of them with blue sails, and another with gold-and-white sails. Blue’s heart dropped when she saw how close the three ships were getting. 

“Uh, Rodney—“ Blue was unable to finish her sentence in time before the red ship collided with the bandit craft. 

The sudden force nearly knocked everyone off their feet, but Blue fully fell to the floor, grunting when her back met the deck hard. 

“What the hell was that?” Peter asked, rubbing his head. 

Alli saw one of the bandits that weren’t knocked out charging right at Blue. Her eyes widened with terror. “Blue, look out!” 

Blue heard her warning and spun around to find the bandit yelling and charging at her with the sword. She yelped and shielded herself with her arms. 

However, someone grabbed the sword with his teeth as he glared at the bandit, who gasped and chuckled nervously as Blue’s mysterious savior. He then threw the bandit over the railing of the ship, sending him flying to the waters. 

Blue opened her eyes when she didn’t feel a sword slicing through her arms. She nearly gasped at the sight of a man with tanned skin, wearing no shirt, but pants and shoes. 

“Hold the phone…” Rodney recognized the man before turning towards more arriving on the ship. They all scanned the deck in dismay when they saw the fallen bandits. 

“What? What did we miss?” One Asian man with a green hat asked. 

“What? No battle?” His brother with a blue hat added. 

“No treasure?” 

By then, the two ships met with the other ship. Soldiers poured out from the vessels and swarmed across the bandits’ ship deck to gather the fallen men. They were dressed in gold helmets and a light-and-dark blue outfit. The soldiers from the other ship were wearing a red-and-gold uniform, their helmets matching gold. 

Alli’s eyes grew when she recognized the soldiers. “Hold on, that’s…” 

Yells from the other guards stopped her before she could continue. They charged at Rodney, Alli, and their crew, and the arriving team. Some of them started after Blue, who was able to push herself up after watching the man save her life. 

“Oh, shit!” Blue cried, her hands up in defense. 

But just before they could arrest her…

“Stop!” The Captain shouted, his arm out to stop the guards. His shout attracted Rodney, his crew, and the new team, as well as the other soldiers. “It’s her!” 

The guards understood and quickly sheathed their weapons before bowing respectfully to a bewildered Blue. “Princess Pandora, please accept our sincere apologies. We didn’t recognize you before…” 

Blue would have spoken up, maybe accepted their apologies, or asked for an explanation, but her eyes landed on someone else up on the deck where the bandits might be hiding the object. 

A man with brown hair in a long ponytail, dressed in a blue tunic, dark blue pants, brown boots, and dark blue shirt underneath, fought off a few bandits with no effort. From the way he fought them off, he was so strong and skilled. 

Blue’s eyes still remained on the man—the prince himself—as she walked past the guards and approached the upper deck. Rodney, his crew, and the new team, now joined by their Captain, watched her walk towards the upper deck with confusion. 

“Blue?” Rodney asked with worry. Even if she did hear him, there was no reply. 

Through a series of sword parries, flips, and kicks, the prince fought off the bandits. With the two knocked out, he took out one last bandit by kicking him in the face. 

When she got to the top of the stairs, Blue was finally able to recognize him. “Proteus?”

Chapter 26: Awkward Reunions and Meetings

Notes:

Word Count: 1,433

Chapter Text

The man stopped fighting when he heard her call out his name. “Pandora?” Just as he was about to turn around, he was suddenly knocked down by two of the other man’s guys. Blue gasped with fright while the Captain winced and chuckled playfully as he leaned against the wall. 

The captain’s men let up when they saw that he recognized her. Proteus shook them off as he stared at Blue in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” 

“I was gonna ask you the same thing,” Blue replied to him. 

“What happened to you? Where have you been?” 

“You know him?” Gamora asked Blue in skepticism. 

“We…bumped into one another back in Maplebarrow a few years back,” Blue slowly answered sheepishly. 

At that moment, a yellow dog barked happily as he walked up to her and sniffed her curiously. Wonder growled at him with suspicion as he sat on Blue’s shoulder. 

“Copperbottom?” The Captain finally noticed Rodney amongst the fallen bandits now being arrested. 

“Sinbad. I should have known,” Rodney smirked as he took a few steps towards the upper deck. “You’re here for the same thing, are ya?” 

“Yep, but for different reasons,” the Captain—Sinbad—replied. “Grab the treasure, hold it for ransom, get rich, retire to Fiji.” His crew cheered and laughed in agreement. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out, buddy. We were here first. Go find your own treasure!” Ralph argued. 

“What he said,” Donnie nodded. 

“How’d you like to meet my weapons?” Jed pulled out gloves connected with triple blades. 

“That can be arranged,” Rocket growled, aiming his cannon gun at Sinbad’s crew. 

“Come at me, bro!” 

“I dare you to see what happens!” 

Sinbad and Rodney’s crews began to fight and argue about who gets to the treasure first, some of them already touching foreheads while growling. Even though the guards tried to hold them back after they rounded up the bandits, it did nothing to stop them from fighting verbally. 

As Proteus and the others watched with worry, Blue took the opportunity to sneak past and approach the door to the cargo hold. Using a hairpin she took with her, she fumbled with the keyhole until it unlocked. Blue smirked to herself before she quietly entered the room, with Wonder sitting on her head. Without her even knowing, Sinbad and Proteus saw her sneaking into the cargo hold room and followed behind. 

“I call getting the treasure first, you hear me?!” 

“Don’t ignore my warnings!” 

“I dare you to get to it first!” 

“Bring it on, buddy!” 

The two crews continued to argue, even as the soldiers tried to hold them back to prevent the tension from growing. 

“Enough!” 

A feminine shout startled the crews out of the argument. They all turned towards the owner, who was now walking towards them, two guards beside her. Alli’s eyes grew larger than plates when she recognized the owner. “Annie?” She gasped with shock. 

“I can’t believe it! Alli?” The woman—Nabel—inhaled when she recognized Alli. The older woman had brown hair tied in a shoulder-length ponytail, chestnut-brown eyes, and light tan skin. She was dressed in a light blue shirt-dress that reached her knees, shawl wrapped around her waist, dark blue pants, and tan-brown boots. 

“First, the Prince of Syracuse knows Blue, who’s a runaway princess, and now you two?” Peter asked, almost agitated. “What the hell is going on here?” 

“Alli never told us she has a sister,” Mikey stated. 

Donnie and Leo stared at their younger brother deadpanned. “She did, when we first met her.” 

“Oh. I don’t listen to anything you say.” 

“Alli, where in the world have you been? I’ve been sending soldiers all over the world for you, I tried sending letters. Who are they?” Nabel gestured to the crew as she spoke. The guys nervously waved at her, some of them standing stiff. 

“Well…” Alli chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “It’s kinda a long story. Remember the Pirate King I told you about before I ran away on the wedding day?” Alli stepped up beside Rodney, who wrapped an arm around her waist. “We’re...married now…” 

“Married?!” Nabel nearly screeched. 

“Married?!” Sinbad and his crew exclaimed. 

“Yep!” Peter nodded, a faint smile through his mouth. 

“Copperbottom, you never said you have a wife!” Jed said, shocked. 

“Well, I tend to keep things private for personal reasons,” Rodney chuckled. 

“Wait. The Pirate King? That’s him?” Nabel gestured to Rodney. Alli nodded, humming in answer. “What’s he doing here? What are you all doing here?” 

“We heard a rumor that the bandits here had taken a Crystal from a mythical land,” Alli explained almost gradually. 

“Oh, you did not…” 

“Whatever it was for, we couldn’t let those guys get their hands on it,” Alli continued. “And that’s why we ended up here.” 

“Well, it looks like we’re here for the same thing…” Donnie started. 

“...but for different reasons,” Leo finished. 

Rodney glanced around for any signs of Blue. His eyes furrowed when she wasn’t nearby. “Wait. Where’s Blue?” 

The voices faded from outside the farther she walked from the door. Blue’s heart soared with wonder when she saw the special treasure. 

A pure white crystal hovered over the table, encased by a glass case. The light shone from the crystal and lit up the room that was trapped inside. 

Wonder gasped, his eyes sparkling at the mineral. “Wow,” Blue breathed in admiration. 

“Pandora, we need to talk,” Proteus stepped up in front of Blue, his hand on her shoulder. 

“Heard about it, read about it...never actually seen it,” Blue ignored him, slightly pushing his hand off her shoulder and gradually walked towards the crystal. Sinbad followed behind a few steps from her, his smirk filled with amazement at the mineral. 

Blue soon made it to the table where the glass case sat and studied. It didn’t take more than a second to recognize it from the stories she had heard. 

“The Crystal of Life.” 

“It’s my job to find it and bring it safely back to the Cities,” Proteus explained to her as he moved up to stand beside her. 

“Really? Now, see, now, I-I feel bad, because you’re going to get fired,” Sinbad remarked in a teasing manner. 

“You can’t be serious,” Proteus stated as Sinbad walked around the table to study the Crystal. “First, you disappear for ten years, show up out of nowhere, and rob me? And now Pandora disappearing for two years and coming back?” 

“I wish it wasn’t you. I do, really,” Sinbad chuckled with honesty as he returned to stand next to Blue. “But…” 

“It is me, Sinbad.” 

“Proteus, we had a special handshake, some code words, a secret hideout. It was fun, big fun, but, uh, we were kids.” 

“We were friends! You’re not going to steal this. Not from me. And what would you do with it anyway?” Proteus gestured to the Crystal. 

“He’s right. According to legend, the Crystal helps the world thrive and pass on to the afterlife,” Blue added. 

“Exactly. So, just imagine how much all of us would pay to get it back,” Sinbad beamed as he stared at the Crystal. 

“Let me say it again. A long time ago, you and I were friends,” Proteus moved to stand between the Crystal and Sinbad. Blue had moved to the side as she watched the two converse. “If that ever meant anything to you, prove it now.” 

Sinbad stared down with a frown before he replied. “You’re right...that was a long time ago.” 

He was about to reach to remove the case, but Proteus grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him away, tripping him in the process. Blue yelped as she backed away in time before Proteus took one of Sinbad’s swords. Sinbad rolled away easily and pulled out his other sword. The two glanced at one another with smirks, the Prince twirling the sword in a teasing manner as he stood in front of the Crystal. 

“Come on, don’t get all heroic, Proteus,” Sinbad grinned. He stood up and lazily batted Proteus’s sword with his, only for the Prince to strongly parry it. 

Knowing how serious it’s going to be, Blue stood on the side safely as she watched Sinbad and Proteus fight. Wonder glanced between the two men as he sat on Blue’s shoulder. 

Sinbad and Proteus ended with a draw, their swords clashing against one another. They stared at each other down as they deflected their swords. 

“If you want the Crystal, you’re going to have to go through me,” Proteus softly said. 

The moment didn’t last long, though.

Chapter 27: Battling Cetus

Summary:

Warning: slight language

Word Count: 1,950

Chapter Text

A large tentacle smashed through the wall, separating Sinbad and Proteus and sending them falling to the side. Blue and Wonder yelled the same time the tentacle broke through and fell to the ground as well. The arm retracted and flayed everywhere, barely missing Sinbad. 

“Blue!” Rodney, Alli, and Nabel rushed in to find the three on the ground and the arm pulled back through the open hole. The blue-haired man dashed to Blue, helping her up from the ground. “You okay?” 

A loud roar and shouts from outside brought the six back to reality. “What the—?” Sinbad gasped. 

The group ran outside to the deck, only to stop in their tracks when they saw more arms rising from the sea. The guards of Proteus and Nabel all rushed in to fight the arms off. 

“Dear gods,” Proteus mumbled. Sinbad and Rodney became slack-jawed at the sight before them. Alli, Nabel, and Blue both gasped with horror. 

The sea monster rose its head above the water, revealing its full appearance to the attacking soldiers. It roared and began flapping its arms around to take out the yelling guards. The front of the bandit ship lurched forward from the creature’s weight as it continued to climb aboard. 

Wonder growled and leaped off Blue’s shoulder, dashing towards the sea creature. “Wonder, no!” Blue cried, despite Alli holding her back. 

Spike barked as he ran towards the creature. He bit on the end of one arm and hung on as the sea monster tried to shake him off. Sinbad chuckled, impressed. “Go, Spike,” he mused to himself. 

Spike growled as he held onto the end of the arm. After a few moments, he was flung off and towards Sinbad’s ship, still chewing on the detached end. 

“I gotcha! I gotcha!” Luca yelped when Spike landed on him. 

“Ready to leave?” Alli turned to Rodney. 

“Well, moments like this I wasn’t expecting,” Rodney replied to her. 

“But what about Wonder?!” Blue cried. 

Loud chitters brought the six towards Wonder, who was already being chased by one of the arms of the sea creature. Another arm appeared instantly in front of him, cutting off his chance of escape. Just as the arm behind was about to grab him, Wonder leaped up and avoided getting caught before he quickly tied the arms into a knot. 

The sea creature roared in annoyance as it tried to unknot itself. Wonder stood on top of the knot with a victorious grin. The moment was short-lived when another arm swatted Wonder and sent him flying towards Alex, who caught him in time. 

Sinbad turned to a distraught Proteus. “Well, I see you’re busy, so, uh, stay in touch,” he put his sword away and lightly punched Proteus in the arm. He walked to the edge of the railing and held onto a rope as his crew that had made it back to their ship called for him to hurry. 

Rodney and Alli did the same on the other side. “C’mon, Blue! Time to go!” Rodney took Blue by the hand and helped her up. 

“Wait! You’re just going to run off?!” Nabel shouted after her sister. 

“Uh, yeah?” Alli beamed as if it was obvious.

Nabel snarled before she darted towards the battle with a sword she had picked up along the way. Proteus took one glance at Sinbad, who only shrugged, and joined in the fight. 

“Same time, next week?” Sinbad turned to Rodney. 

“Oh, yeah,” the blue-haired Captain nodded. 

The four were ready to get back to their ships, only for the creature’s tail to separate the two vessels from the bandit ship. Sinbad yelled and tried to keep his balance on the rail. Rodney, Alli, and Blue did the same, their yelps in sync with one another. 

On Sinbad’s vessel, the masts and sails were torn apart from the force of the tail. “Sinbad!” Kale shouted, barely hit by a lone mast. 

The Odyssey was no different. The crew yelped as they avoided the falling masts and sails while retaining their balance. “Blue!” Crash cried with worry. 

“Oh…you…my…my ship!” Sinbad angrily sputtered as he stared at his ship. 

Blue saw Proteus and Nabel, along with their men, trying to fend off the sea creature. Since they were stuck here for now, they might as well help. With determination burning in her eyes, she jumped off the rail and charged towards the lower deck. 

“Blue?” Rodney noticed Blue dashing off to somewhere. 

Proteus threw a spear at the sea creature while avoiding its tentacles. Nabel jumped on a limb and stabbed her sword straight on it. However, another arm appeared out of nowhere and knocked her onto another deck. She screamed and fell on her shoulders hard. 

Her men saw her in danger and rushed in to protect her. The creature lifted its head and shot out its tongue, grabbing the soldier beside her, and brought it to its mouth. 

Nabel and Proteus only stood there helpless. 

“Heads up!” 

The two turned to find Blue standing on a pile of explosives with a torch in hand. She lit a barrel of gunpowder and jumped on the end of the plank that the barrel was sitting on. The momentum of her jump sent the barrel flying. The sea monster saw the barrel and grabbed it with its tongue, catching it in its mouth. 

Sinbad went over to help Nabel up from the ground with Proteus’s help. Blue, Rodney, and Alli stood beside them, impressed at Blue’s plan. “Now, stand by for sushi,” Sinbad stated. 

It was only for a few silent seconds before the barrel exploded within the creature’s mouth. The sea monster growled and shot out a heap of slime all over the deck. 

The six all groaned in disgust as they tried to avoid more of the slime. Rodney had stepped in front of Blue to take the brunt of the slime. 

The man that was eaten was also shot out with the slime. He landed not too far from where the six are and sat there stunned for a moment. Nabel was about to ask if he’s alright, but he quickly grabbed his sword, bubbling up with rage, and yelled as he charged at the sea monster again. 

The group watched him startled. “Give that guy a raise if he lives,” Alli remarked to Nabel. 

The sea creature became angrier than before. It started to flail its arms around, destroying the sails and mast. “Come on! Come on! Let’s go!” Proteus grabbed Sinbad by the arm, but he remained where he was. 

“Wait! Stand your ground!” Sinbad then whistled to catch the sea creature’s attention. 

“W-what are you doing?” Nabel asked confused. 

“Hey! Hey, hey! Lobster boy, over here!” Sinbad ignored her as he provoked the sea monster. Blue understood and joined in. 

“Hey! We’re over here, you ugly-ass lobster! Come and get us!” She shouted, waving her arms around. 

The sea monster growled and shot its tongue out at them. Sinbad shoved Proteus out of the way before he pinned it down with his sword. The others stepped out of the way as well and watched the sea creature struggle to break its tongue free. 

“Run!” Rodney yelled as he took Alli by the hand. 

“Fall back!” Proteus called to his men. 

When Alli caught sight of one of the masts that had broken from the creature’s attack, an idea lit up within her. She rushed towards the mast, grabbing the rope that had fallen. “Grab hold!” Alli wrapped the rope around the mast, with her holding onto one end and Nabel grabbing the other. 

Rodney, Blue, Sinbad, Proteus, and the guards rushed towards the upper deck in the back of the ship as they watched the two sisters. 

Nabel grabbed Alli’s hand since she knew that she had no choice but to trust her. 

“Let’s go!” Alli and Nabel began to climb up the pillar. The auburn-curled woman used her foot to grab the dagger and catch it with her teeth. “‘C’mon!” 

The sea monster barely caught up with them and wrapped a tentacle around the base of the pillar. The two sisters soon reached the top, with Alli getting to the other side of the mast. “And the plan?” Nabel asked her. 

“How about try not to get killed?” Alli asked back, quickly grabbing the knife again. “Hold on!” She cut one of the ropes so that the mast was angled down at the creature below. Nabel held onto the rope that was holding the mast. 

“Here! You’ll need this!” Alli tossed the knife to her. 

“Where are you going?!” Nabel asked her with worry and confusion. 

“Fishing,” Alli nonchalantly answered when she got to the very top of the mast. She pulled herself up on the rope and made her way across as steadily as she could. The creature below snarled as she continued to walk on the rope like she was an acrobat. “Left, right, left, right, left, right…” 

The sea creature saw her walking across the rope and swung its tentacle above at Alli. The auburn-curled Captainess leaped the rest of the way, swinging by the rope as it snapped, and landed on the other mast. Nabel gasped with fear. Below, Rodney, Blue, Sinbad, and Proteus saw Alli leap to the other mast, their eyes widening with anxiousness. 

Alli was able to land on the other side safely and took out her other dagger. The mast was now pointed at the same angle as the first as Alli rushed up to the end and grabbed the more stable rope. 

Nabel took a moment to glance down at the roaring sea creature and the poles pointed down at it. She finally understood why Alli was adamant about doing this now. The two sisters then raised their knives, ready to cut the rope. 

It’s now or never. 

“Now!” At Alli’s shout, they both cut the ropes. 

The two masts then began to fall towards the sea creature. Their hands held onto the ropes that had wrapped around them to keep them from falling. Just as the sea creature glanced up, the sharp ends of the masts slammed on its head. 

The sisters let out victorious yells as the soldiers cheered. Rodney and Blue cried happily and hugged one another. Sinbad whooped with glee as Proteus beamed with relief. 

Nabel and Alli landed on the deck with ease as the sea monster slid back into the waters. Rodney rushed up to Alli, Blue not too far behind, and scooped up Alli by the waist, spinning her around as he laughed. 

“You okay?” Alli turned to her sister. 

“Yeah. Thanks for sticking around,” Nabel beamed gratefully to her. 

“Heh. Just like old times,” Alli returned the smile. 

Blue’s heart suddenly dropped when she glanced over Nabel’s shoulder. A tentacle slid up behind the three fast as Cetus was falling back into the ocean. 

“Rodney, watch out!” Blue made a quick dash for them. Just as Rodney, Alli, and Nabel heard her cry, Blue shoved them out of the way in time, only to get caught in the tentacle and taken to the sea. 

“Blue!” Rodney started after her. 

The tentacle holding Blue hostage went into the water, dragging her down to the depths. Rodney, soon followed by Sinbad, dove straight into the waves to swim after the sea creature. Proteus went to dive in as well, but Nabel and two guards quickly grabbed him and held him back. 

“Proteus, don’t!” Nabel struggled to hold onto the Prince. 

As Blue was dragged further, she saw Proteus breaking free and him and Nabel forced to watch as Rodney and Sinbad attempted to catch up with her.

Chapter 28: Eris, Goddess of Chaos

Notes:

Word Count: 1,344

Chapter Text

Cetus swam deeper and deeper towards the bottomless depths, its tentacle refusing to let go of Blue. The young girl grunted as she fought to break free from the tight hold. Even though she was close to dying from drowning, she kept on fighting against the tentacle’s hold. 

She stopped fighting when a large shadow loomed towards her as the creature continued to sink. In an instant, the light from above the surface revealed a woman with dark black hair, piercing yellow eyes, and a devious smirk. Blue let out a burst of air without realizing it when she saw the woman in front of her. 

The woman then blew a large bubble towards her. Before she knew it, Blue was engulfed by the bubble, which formed an air pocket, as the creature finally let her go. 

She gasped for air as she fell on her knees and hands and coughed greatly to hack out the water from her throat. Breathing heavily, she glanced up slowly and saw with wonder how the water was still around her, but she wasn’t affected by it. Blue gradually stood up and pushed her wet curls from her face. 

“The day began with such promise,” a feminine voice echoed around the globe. Blue scanned around to search for the owner. “And now, look…”

Blue soon found the woman standing behind the globe, nearly startled. “…my sea monster is dead, and I still don’t have the Crystal…” 

The woman instantly teleported from behind the globe and appeared right in front of Blue. “...all because of you, Pandora.” 

“...uh-huh. And you are?” Blue asked. 

“Eris, the Goddess of Discord. No doubt you’ve seen the likeness of my temple walls,” the woman introduced herself. 

Blue chuckled quietly, a bit nervous. “Y’know, they don’t do you justice,” she remarked. 

“Uh-huh. Now, about my sea monster,” Eris stated unamused as she pointed her finger at her chest, making her step back a bit. 

“Right, right. Listen, I am so, so sorry about that. I don’t suppose a heartfelt apology would do?” Blue asked with a shy eyebrow. 

Eris laughed, and Blue stared at her confused. “Heartfelt? From you? Pandora, you have a good heart.” In wisps of black, Eris formed into her human size and walked towards her. “That’s what they like about you,” 

Blue’s eyes widened in surprise at her appearance. 

“So, I’m going to let you live,” Eris continued, caressing her cheek. “But there’s just one little thing you need to remember…be wary of your father and stray off his scent.” 

“Right, you see, that’s a problem for him, ‘cause, uh, he doesn’t know where I am,” Blue told her as she backed away. “Covered tracks, new identity. Y’know, live life on my own terms.” She turned around and suddenly yelped when she saw Eris now in front of her. 

“You’re not thinking big enough, Pandora,” Eris softly scolded her. She then went behind her, grabbing her knife, and reappeared in front of her. “Your father captures you before the eve of your eighteenth birthday, and you’ll be trapped as an imprisoned princess for all forever,” she explained, caressing Blue’s cheek with the dagger. “Stay hidden until the eve of your eighteenth birthday…and you’ll be a self-reliant princess…an independent woman…a free girl.” 

Blue rubbed her chin, pondering in thought. She remembered the law stating that if someone turns eighteen, they’ll be free to live their own lives. It was all over the world for as long as she can remember. Her father loathed that law very much, but there was nothing he could do to change it. 

“You let me live, you give me signs he’s near…I become independent,” a smile formed on her lips. “So far, I don’t see a downside…if you keep your word.” 

“Pandora, when a goddess gives her word, she’s bound for all eternity,” Eris explained as she marked an ‘X’ over her heart with the dagger. 

“All right, you’re on,” Blue accepted. 

“I knew you’d see it my way,” Eris told her and moved to the other side. “So, while you’re avoiding your father…” She sliced the bubble to reveal an island, different from the Lost Isles. “…follow this star over this island. You’ll find yourself in Tierra de Maravillas...the Land of Wonders.” 

"Tierra de Maravillas. I’ll see you then,” Blue agreed with a small grin. 

“It’s a deal, then,” Eris held her dagger for her to grab. When Blue did, it just formed into a mist and disappeared. “So where were we? Oh, yes…” Eris leaned in close to her. “...you were drowning to your death.” 

Before Blue could even react, the bubble opened up and flooded in a flash. She tried to hold her breath, but the water knocked her out and left her floating in the water. It wasn’t long before Rodney and Sinbad caught her and swung her arms over their shoulders before quickly swimming back up. As they swam towards the surface again, Eris watched from the shadows of the ocean with a sly smirk. 

“She’s so cute...and so headstrong…” she remarked to herself. Cetus, back in its constellation form, floated up beside her. “Cetus, well done,” she praised her purring sea creature before glancing back up. 


Rodney and Sinbad burst back up out of the water, Blue safely in Rodney’s hold. Sinbad saw the Odyssey and Chimera fast approaching them, Kale ready to grab them if given the chance, and nudged Rodney to catch his attention. With Rodney holding onto Blue with one arm and his hand clasped with the other, Sinbad reached out for Kale, who swung the three out of the water and flung back onto the ship. 

The sudden, harsh landing prompted Blue out of her unconsciousness and to cough out water while sitting up in a flash. The crews that had surrounded them instantly cheered. 

“Miss Blue, you’re alive!” 

Spike barked happily and licked Blue on the cheek, while Wonder clambered up to her shoulder and nuzzled his face against her other cheek. Rodney sighed with relief when he saw that Blue was alive and safe. 

Jin rushed up to Blue with a grin. “Glad you made it.” He then turned to his brother and walked back. “Pay up. She lived,” he told him, who groaned in annoyance and handed him some coins. 

Blue continued to cough out water as Rodney rubbed her back. “Don’t scare me like that again,” the Captain gently lectured her. 

“You okay, baby? What happened?” Alli knelt in front of Blue, tenderly caressing her cheeks with her thumb. 

“You wouldn't...believe me...if I told you,” Blue breathlessly answered. 

“Try us,” Sinbad urged her. 

“Alright. Here it goes,” Blue pulled off her boot and shook it to get the water out. “So I meet Eris, Goddess of Chaos. She’s told me my father’s after me and to get to Tierra de Maravillas.” 

There was total silence on the ship. The crews stared at her, not saying anything for a moment. 

Migo was the first to burst out into laughter. “That’s a good one!” 

Miguel and Tulio were soon followed by the rest of the crews laughing. The Mad Dog brothers and Kratt brothers held onto one another as they cackled. 

“Goddess of Chaos? Oh, I’m writing it down,” Kale chuckled to himself. 

Blue blew a wet strand from her face when she saw no one else believed her. She figured it would happen. 

“C’mon, Blue. We gotta get you cleaned up,” Alli helped Blue up from the deck and led her to the lower deck. 

“So that’s it, then? No Crystal. Now what?” Manolo asked Rodney. 

“Little patience, Manny. It’s not like we don’t know where it’s going,” Rodney reassured him before he walked over to the railing. 

As Alli walked her to the quarters, Blue noticed out of the corner of her eye the two separate ships belonging to Proteus and Nabel sailing away. The older man glanced at Blue with a hint of relief that she’s safe.

“Men, all sails to the Cities!” He ordered the soldiers.

Chapter 29: Return to the Cities

Notes:

Warning: none. Let me know if there are any

A/n: sorry it took so long. I've been busy with...things...

Word Count: 3,143

Chapter Text

A royal ball was held in the honor of the anniversary of Nabel’s reign and the arrival of the Book of Peace. Down at Syracuse, dozens of Royals and people sailed and traveled to the Kingdom of Syracuse. When they heard about the tale of Pandora returning after two years of absence, their excitement grew with anticipation. 

As the two ships arrived at the docks, people cheered wildly. Most of them whistled while others shouted with glee at the arrival of Proteus and Nabel. Proteus turned to where the Book of Peace, the object he was transporting to the Cities as well as the Crystal, is being carried. 

The Book was soon taken to the top of a tower, where the guards transporting it rested the pedestal in its rightful place. At the feeling of being where it belongs, the Book brightened until people could see it from the tower. 

The celebration was held that night, with the Ambassadors and Leaders from the Cities to celebrate the arrival. The Royals had arrived as well, not wanting to miss out on the greatest moment. 

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of this moment,” King Dymas began with a tender smile. “The sacred treasure that has protected us for a thousand years is now in Syracuse.” 

Proteus and Nabel, now dressed in their royal garbs, beamed greatly as some cheered. 

“To the Book of Peace!” Dymas raised his glass. 

“And to you, Queen Annabelle and great Leaders,” an Ambassador tapped his glass with Nabel’s, who nodded her head in thanks. “And I’ve heard that your sister’s come back after nearly 8 years.” 

“Well, it was an unexpected surprise,” Nabel chuckled. 

“And what of Pandora? Is she alright?” Jasmine, the Princess from Agrabah, asked as she pet her pet tiger. 

“She’s faring. She just had a tough battle,” Nabel answered. 

At the same moment, guards rushed towards the main entrance of the area. The guests’ mumbles changed from worry to surprise. Proteus and Nabel furrowed their eyebrows as they watched the guards dash towards the entrance. 

Rodney’s and Sinbad’s crews stood at the entrance of the room unfazed by the guards holding their weapons at them. Blue was now clothed in a dress with a blue vest, puffy sleeves that stopped above her wrists, and a matching skirt that parted down in the middle to reveal the dark azure fabric; Alli had given her the dress, even though the theme was formal. She had remembered how hard Crash was blushing from seeing her like this, chuckling at the memory quietly. 

“You see, this is what happens when you use the front entrance,” Sinbad remarked. Kale hummed in agreement. 

“What are they doing here?” Dymas asked in disgust. 

“At least they’re not out robbing someone,” Proteus patted his father on the shoulder as he walked past him. Nabel followed behind with a comforted grin. 

“That’s because everyone worth robbing is here!” Dymas exclaimed when they were out of earshot. 

Wonder spotted food over at the tables and chittered to Spike, who slobbered at the fight of sustenance. They easily made their way past the guards’ legs, which made Blue giggle silently. 

Alli and Sinbad glanced over one of the guards’ shoulders and smirked. “I’ll bet you ten crowns you’re about to put your swords down,” Alli told the guard. 

“I’ll take that bet!” The soldier challenged her. 

“Guards. Put away your swords,” Nabel called from behind. The guard begrudgingly lowered their swords and let Nabel and Proteus pass. “I haven’t seen you for 8 years, and now twice in one day? You’re smothering me.” 

Sinbad chuckled as he clasped hands with Proteus. “I knew you’d wanna thank the kid for saving your lives…again.” 

Proteus laughed, shoving Sinbad lightly, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “You all probably heard we just had free food and wine.” 

“We’re just glad you’re alright,” Nabel told Blue. “The Leaders and Royals wanted to talk with you when you arrived.” 

“You hear that, guys? Dinner and drinks are on the Prince,” Sinbad declared to his crew. 

“C’mon. There’s someone I want you to meet,” Proteus said to Sinbad before leading him somewhere.

“I’ve also got someone who wanted to see you two,” Nabel told Rodney and Alli. Once they were gone, the two crews were stopped by guards. 

“Weapons?” One of them demanded. 

Kale glanced at the guys before he growled, pulling out his swords. The guards gasped startled, and Kale laughed at their reaction. After he set his knives down, Rat joined in as well as the others. 

Blue stared at the guards, who glanced at her nervously. Without a word, she started to detach the skirt, revealing normal blue pants underneath. She handed the skirt to Groot, who held onto it for her, and pulled out two knives she had on her legs and the gun she carried on her side underneath. Once she was unarmed, Blue took the skirt back from Groot and attached it around her waist again. 

The guards stared at her astonished at her calm demeanor. 

“What? I’ve got pants underneath,” Blue nonchalantly said before she walked off. The guys chuckled and followed behind her. Jed was the only one to stay behind to remove the numerous gear he brought with him. 

Sinbad and Proteus walked through the crowd as the chatters continued. Sinbad took a goblet from someone, who stammered before he stopped. 

“There she is. I’ve told her all about you,” Proteus stated as Sinbad downed the drink. “Sinbad, I would like to introduce you to my fiance…” 

Sinbad turned around, only to stop, his eyes growing, when he saw a familiar face. A young woman with dark brown hair held up by a crown was speaking to someone before Proteus stepped up to her. “The Lady Marina, Ambassador from Thrace,” Proteus continued. 

Marina took a moment to examine Sinbad. The latter could only stand there and marvel at her beauty. 

“So this is the infamous Sinbad,” Marina smiled, her hand around Proteus’s arm. “I’ve heard all about it this morning. First, you tried to take a Crystal that some bandits took, and then you and Princess Pandora saved his and Nabel’s life. So which are you? A thief or a hero?” 

Sinbad didn’t say anything. His eyes softened as he examined her. 

“Sinbad wanted to give me an opportunity to thank…” Proteus stopped short when he saw Sinbad was gone. “…him.” 

Spike devoured the food that was lined on one table. Wonder rolled his eyes at him as he took a small plate of fruit. Before he could even eat, a yellow dog-cat creature appeared in a flash of blue and glowered at him while growling. Wonder chittered in confusion before the dog-cat creature transported him from the table and above where Blue was walking. The monkey screeched as he flayed around his arms before he fell from the air.

Blue saw him in time and caught him in her arms, gasping at the same moment. Wonder took a moment to glare at the dog-cat creature, who was smiling smugly at him. Four mice then appeared beside the creature, their squeaks miniature and their eyes gazing at Blue. 

“Pandora!” 

Blue turned towards the owner of the voice, only to be nearly tackled in a tight hug by someone. Her gasp of fright left her lips the same time the person ambushed her. When she pulled away, Blue got a better look at her. “Allura?” 

“I can’t believe it! Where were you?! We’ve been worried sick! We heard you disappeared! we thought they killed you!” Allura rambled on as she held Blue by the arms until the younger girl gently broke free from her hold. 

“Allura, I’m fine. I just…I needed to get away from all this for a while,” Blue smiled tenderly. 

“With these people?” Allura gestured to Rodney’s and Sinbad’s crew. Blue turned around and understood what she meant. 

“Well, Sinbad’s crew, I’ve only known them for almost a day, but Rodney and his crew, they’re not exactly like that,” Blue beamed as she explained to the white-haired Altean. 

“What do you mean?” Allura asked her, confused. 

“I may or may not have come across them and went to the Lost Isles…” Blue drawled on the first part. 

“The Lost Isles?! Gray’s Trove?!” Allura gasped. 

“Yep.” 

“I’ve heard! The stories had been going around for two years!” Allura exclaimed with giddiness. The four mice crawled up to her shoulders as the two conversed. 

“At first, I wanted to prove to my father that it was real, but I changed my mind at the last moment.” 

“So you never came back?” 

“I couldn’t. I didn’t want to end my freedom married to some pompous prince,” Blue continued. 

“Oh…I understand…” Allura, though discontent at Blue’s truth, said with a solemn grin. “…so who in the world are you falling for?” 

Blue blinked, her face glowing a faint red. “Uh, I don’t know what you mean.” 

“Because I couldn’t help but notice that the young fellow with the green eyes over there wouldn’t stop watching you.” 

Blue followed Allura’s eye direction and found Crash standing a few feet away and holding a goblet. His face was rosy red as he stared at her with a dopey grin, but the smile disappeared when Blue made eye contact with him. He quickly turned his head around, though he occasionally glanced back at her for a quick second. 

Blue deciphered what Allura meant, her face burning red. “Uh, heh-heh…” she laughed nervously and glanced at Wonder. “Well…” 

“Pandora?” Another voice interrupted her. “Is it really…” 

Just as Blue turned around, a man wearing a crown she knew well came from Egypt stepped up to her, his laughter growing, and hugged her in a flash. “Pandora!” 

“Rameses!” Blue nearly coughed from the sudden strength. 

“We took you for dead!” Rameses set her back down while still smiling with glee. 

“Look at you! Pharaoh!” Blue gasped in astonishment at his attire. The last time she had seen him, he was only a Prince of Egypt with his brother, but now, he’s the Pharaoh. 

“And look at you! What on earth are you dressed as?” Rameses questioned, examining her dress. 

Moses, his brother, also chuckled with relief when he saw her and hugged her tightly. “Oh, Pandora! It’s so good to see you again!” 

Once Blue pulled away, she turned around in time to find the Sultan and the other Leaders observing her and Allura conversing. “Oh, thank heavens you’re alright, dear child!” The Sultan hastily took her hand and shook it with a relieved grin. “We’ve been so worried since you disappeared from Mapplebarrow that night! What happened? Did you get injured?” 

Rajah, Jasmine’s pet tiger, walked up to Blue, passing the Princess. “Rajah?” She asked curiously. 

Blue heard her call a bit too late. She nearly gasped as Rajah sniffed her hand with curiosity. Wonder growled, hiding a bit behind her hair. “Wonder, it’s alright. That’s just Jasmine’s tiger,” Blue quietly reassured him. 

The same dog-cat from before appeared in a light of blue and landed in her arms, startling her a bit. He licked her in the cheek, which made her giggle, and purred as he snuggled against her chest. Wonder almost chittered at the dog-cat angrily and narrowed his eyes at him. 

“Pandora, where in the world have you been? Everyone has been worried sick,” the Stonekeeper from the Yeti village sternly told her. 

“Yeah, that’s what Allura told me,” Blue respectfully stated. “Listen, it’s kind of a long story, but I had to get away from all of this for a while now.” 

“What in the world for?” 

“Well…” Blue hesitated before she sighed. “…my father was going to send me away against my will to keep me from finding the Lost Isles.” 

At the mention of the name of Gray’s Trove, the Leaders’ and Royals’ eyes widened with astonishment. 

“Hold on a moment there. You mean, Gray’s Trove? THE Gray’s Trove? The loot of a thousand wonders?” Thorp, the Stonekeeper’s son, gasped. 

“Mm-hmm,” Blue nodded. 

“It’s real?” The Sultan asked next. 

“WAS real,” Blue emphasized on the first word. 

“And you found it?” 

“With Rodney and his crew’s help.” 

“The treasure was there?” Fergus, king from Clan Dunbroch, beamed with excitement. 

“Every last bit of it.” 

“What was it like?” Allura asked with anticipation

“Really big. So big you could house a thousand ships.” 

“And Captain Gray? What does he look like, child? Tell us everything,” the Sultan urged her on. 

“Well, he was already dead when we found it…” Blue continued. As she told the tale of the adventure to the Lost Isles starting with her meeting the Odyssey crew, the Leaders and Royals were unable to hold back their shock and excitement at certain moments of her story. As she had portended, the story reached across the world, though some doubted it for a while now. It wasn’t long before she got to the end where she had decided to stay that the Royals and Leaders understood that her story was similar to the tale going around for two years. 

“So those people didn’t do anything to you? They just took you in?” Elsa, the Queen of Arendelle, asked after Blue finished the story. 

“No questions asked, though they did become shocked when they found out I dressed up as a cabin boy,” Blue answered. 

“You did?!” She flinched lightly at the Leaders and Royals’ sudden shout with a sheepish grin. 

“Eight months on the sea with nothing but eggs and pickles! You don’t know what that can do to a man,” Rat shivered as he held a bundle of food he took from the table. 

“Oh, please. You should have seen Blue in the kitchen. She’s a great cook!” Mikey praised with a wide smile. 

“Exactly! Last time she cooked some truly exquisite crepes. She told us she learned that from her handmaiden friend,” Donnie piped in. 

Rat saw Sinbad stomping past him and jumped. “It’s almost too easy. There’s only a handful of guards,” he told the captain. 

“Forget it. Let’s get back to the ship,” Sinbad snapped and walked past Manolo, Mikey, Rat, and Kale. 

“Just like that? But it’s almost ours,” Kale questioned. Sinbad only ignored him and stomped off. 

When the four turned behind them, they saw Proteus and Marina glancing at one another when they couldn’t find Sinbad. 

Kale gasped when he understood. “What? Who is she? An old girlfriend?” Rat asked with a smirk. 

“Who now?” Mikey turned to Kale and Rat. 

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. We’ll see you guys next time,” Kale responded to the two and turned to follow Sinbad with Rat. Manolo and Mikey looked at each other, the box turtle shrugging. 

Jed was just about done unpacking his gear when Sinbad’s crew passed him. “Jed, pack up.” Kale ordered. 

“What? I—I…I just put the…” Jed stammered in disbelief. He groaned in disappointment as he picked his gear, leaving the two guards confused. 

As Sinbad’s crew left, Eris watched from the rooftop. She wickedly chuckled to herself. “Oh, this is just too easy…” 

Blue walked with Jasmine and Allura around the area. Wonder chittered, sitting on her shoulder. “Well, look at it this way. Now that Sinbad’s gone, Dymas can relax and enjoy the night,” Blue spoke up in hopes of enlightening the tense air. 

“I suppose you’re right,” Allura stated with a small grin. “He’s very proud to have the Book in Syracuse. He’s been planning for this day his whole life.” 

“And I can tell it's going to be Proteus’s responsibility?” 

“…his and Marina’s responsibility,” Allura corrected. 

“Now, if you don’t mind me asking, can you tell us more about Rodney and his crew?” Jasmine asked next. 

Blue took a moment to search for the crew until her eyes landed on Rodney and Alli, who were conversing with Nabel and another man, the Queen’s arm around his. “Well, Rodney and Alli…they’ve been together for about 8 years now. Rodney’s been like a father to me since I came around, and Alli didn’t mind that at all.” She then turned towards the Rusties, where they were performing some sort of trick. “And the Rusties, we came across them during the voyage. They’ve been marooned in Gray’s Trove until we found them.” 

“Those poor things,” Allura remarked. 

“And Manolo, Alex, Migo, Peter, and Ralph?” Blue then gestured to the four, the blonde-haired man drinking from a goblet. “They may look like bad guys, but they’re not exactly as bad as you think. In fact, they’re actually great people.” 

As if on cue, Alex’s eyes widened, and he spat out the drink in front of Manolo, who spun around suddenly. Alex groaned until Manolo turned back around with two empty cups covering his eyes. “My eyes!” He yelled comically and cackled with Alex, Migo, Peter, and Ralph. Some of the guests that had gathered around also laughed.

Allura and Jasmine couldn’t help but giggle at the four. “And what of Patterson and the Kratt brothers?” Allura questioned next. 

“They stayed with us. And Percy…” Blue held back her stifled giggles before she could continue. “…he got together with Migo.” 

“He did?” The two Royals gasped in surprise. 

“Oh, yeah. And you see those turtles? Right there?” Blue then pointed to where the Mad Dog brothers are. Donnie proudly showed off his inventions to some swooning maidens, with Leo and Raph flexing their muscles. Mikey demonstrated his skills on a chair, holding onto a goblet with his foot. “These guys are fun to be around with. Mikey’s a great cook and artist, Donnie invents things, Leo’s…well, he and Raph are like leaders in their team.” 

“I see. So they never did anything to you?” Allura asked her. 

“No. They just…took me in, treated me like I’m one of them,” Blue answered with a small beam. “And Rodney…he was the first to help me find myself.”

She remembered it all well. When Rodney first complimented her on her hair when she had the cloth off, when he gave her the fatherly love and support she never got from her own ‘father’, when he risked his life to protect her and his crew in dangerous situations, when he comforted her rather than punishing her when he found her out of her disguise, when he chose to save her instead of the treasure. 

When he hugged her like a true father should. 

The two Royals noticed how Blue stared at Rodney with admiration and understood. 

“Hey, Pandora!” Thorp called before one of them could say anything. “My dad and the Leaders want to see you and Rod’s crew!” 

“What? What for?” Blue asked. 

“Something about that Crystal. The one you guys were after.” When Thorp mentioned the Crystal, Blue glanced at Allura and Jasmine.

Chapter 30: Legend of the Land of Wonders

Notes:

Warning: none. Let me know if there are any

A/n: sorry it took so long. I've been busy with...things...

Word Count: 1,436

Chapter Text

The Crystal glowed in the center of the council room, its light occasionally fading away before returning. The Ambassadors of the Twelve Cities, Leaders, and Royals stood behind the desks. Rodney, Blue, the Odyssey crew, and Sinbad, who had unwillingly been brought before them, stood behind the Crystal, glancing between the mineral and the Leaders and Ambassadors. 

“Let’s start over again,” Dymas spoke as he paced around the room. “A ship filled with bandits took this Crystal from an unknown island, planning on either selling it to the richest buyer or keeping it for themselves. Captain Rodney, Pandora, and his crew stepped in and took down the bandits before Sinbad followed behind and Proteus and Nabel came in to arrest the bandits. The big question is…how did they get the Crystal and where did they get it from?” 

“We have numerous assumptions, however we are certain on which one seems to be right,” the head of the Ambassadors spoke up. “When the bandits were captured after the Odyssey and Chimera arrived, the leader was detained and questioned.” 

“It took nearly 12 hours to break the leader to speak,” the Stonekeeper joined in. “He had explained that a band dubbed Damagers had paid the bandits to find the Crystal and bring it to them.” 

“Was there anything else they told you?” Blue asked respectfully. 

“We tried to ask him to tell us where they found the Crystal and what its power is, but he wouldn’t answer,” Dymas told her. “He was too stubborn to answer.”

Blue turned her attention towards the Crystal. It glowed, barely lighting up the room. 

“The other bandits seemed like they were willing to answer, but all they could muster was ‘Tierra de…’. We still couldn’t understand what they meant,” Proteus added. 

When the two words flew out of his mouth, Blue took a moment to ponder until it all clicked. 

“…Tierra de Maravillas…” she spoke softly. 

“What?” Proteus stared at her perplexed, as well as the Royals, Leaders, and Ambassadors. 

“Blue, what are you saying?” Rodney asked her. 

“Land of Wonders. Eris told me to get there…” Blue answered more clearly. 

“Uh, who?” Migo asked. 

“Pandora, listen to reason,” Dymas told her unconvinced. 

“Trust me, Dymas. That’s where the bandits got the Crystal,” Blue continued. “Eris told me to get there. She said that I have to meet her…” 

“She had a short confrontation with the sea creature before she got taken beneath the water,” Rodney gently cut her off as he explained to the Leaders and Ambassadors. Blue scoffed quietly, insulted. 

“Land of Wonders? That’s impossible,” Zumba, Alex’s father, argued gently. “It was only a myth. Just a legend.” 

“Should have been a legend,” Meechee, the Stonekeeper’s daughter, corrected. 

The people in the room turned to face her with perplexed expressions. Blue was beyond surprise at her statement. 

“What?” Migo quietly asked. 

“What do you mean?” The Stonekeeper questioned her. 

“Dad, you said the bandits had taken the Crystal from somewhere, right?” Meechee asked him. 

“Yes? What of it?” 

“What if the Land of Wonders was that ‘somewhere’?” 

“You don’t think it’s all real?” Brenda, Percy’s friend whom Blue was told about a handful of times, piped in. 

“That’s where we come in. Gwangi, the evidence,” Meechee told Gwangi. 

As he and the other two Yetis that Migo had spoken to her of walked in with a few books in their arms, Blue couldn’t stop her heart from rising with hope. Do they really know more about the Land of Wonders than they do? 

“Here’s your proof,” Gwangi said to the Leaders and set the books and a few other items on the table. 

“First part of evidence: the Walls of Fog. Evidence shows that it hides the Land of Wonders from unwanted visitors,” Kolka began as she held up a book for the Leaders and Royals to see. “And there’s also the Guardians of the Land. They protect their shared home from potential threats, but they only allow those with the worthy of hearts to enter.” 

“Second part: the Creatures of the Elements. We believe they are co-protectors of the Gems themselves,” Gwangi joined in. “Each of them has a special skill of their own, representing the element they were created as.” 

“And then, there’s this…” Meechee picked up one of the books to show Blue and Rodney. “…the Grotto of the Gems. Hidden at the center of the island and protected by the Guardians.” 

“Bunch a crap, if you ask me,” Fleem mumbled to himself. 

“Was there anything else that proves that the bandits took the Crystal from there?” Blue asked Meechee. 

“Show her the last one,” Meechee told the other Yetis. “It’s the first piece I’ve ever found. The thing that started all of this,” she told Blue and Rodney as Gwangi flipped through the book until it stopped at a page…

…where the star floated over the Land of Wonders. 

Blue gasped, her eyes growing. 

“No, no, no! Not the trigger!” Ralph yelled. 

Gwangi nodded and showed the image of the star to Blue again. Memories of the star and the Land of Wonders as Eris first confronted her came flooding back to her in an instant. 

“…follow this star over this island…” Eris’s voice echoed in her mind. 

“You did see it!” Meechee exclaimed happily. 

“Where is it now?!” Gwangi asked her quickly. 

“I don’t know!” Blue yelled, grabbing at her head. 

“Think!” 

“Reach into your memory!” Kolka told her. 

“Slap her!” Fleem joined in. 

“Blue, don’t say you know where it is! Don’t say it!” The Odyssey crew, excluding Rodney and Alli, yelled over one another. 

“No! They needed to follow the star over the island!” Blue exclaimed loudly before she covered her mouth with a small gasp. 

“Did you say, ‘follow that star over the island’?” Kolka asked her. 

“Slap her!” Fleem yelled. 

“Fleem!” Meechee, Kolka, and Gwangi scolded him. 

The crowd murmured at the revelation. The Leaders, Royals, and Ambassadors glanced at one another. 

“Blue, listen. Listen to me,” Rodney gently took Blue by the arms to make her face him. “You said that you met Eris, the Goddess of Chaos. Did she really tell you to get there?” 

“Yes,” Blue nodded. 

“Did she tell you the bandits got the Crystal of Life from that island, too?” 

“No, she didn’t. But I’m positive the bandits somehow got through the Guardians and Creatures and took the Crystal easily.” 

“She’s not wrong,” Proteus added. 

The Leaders, Royals, and Ambassadors faced him in confusion. The Odyssey crew and Sinbad did the same as well. “What?” Sinbad inhaled. 

“The bandits had learned that the Crystal contains an untold power that would give life to people and let the passed journey on to the afterlife,” Proteus explained. “But if it fell into the wrong hands…” 

“…then the real world and afterlife would be in danger,” Blue and Rodney both finished, stimulatingly glancing at one another. 

“Wait, but what about the Gems? What are their purposes for?” Migo questioned. 

“Each Gem had been created in one element, thus given the power of said element and letting the world thrive,” Meechee explained. 

“They could spawn a new land,” Manolo added. 

“Or, if in the wrong hands, destroy one or all,” Alex finished. 

The crowd frantically murmured amongst one another. “If Sinbad and these men ever leave the Cities, they can never come back! Son, listen to reason,” Dymas rushed to his son. 

“No, Father, you listen,” Proteus stepped forward. “Pandora either saw the island itself, or she’s telling the truth, and the Land of Wonders is real. Either way, the Gems cannot be stolen.” 

The Head Ambassador glanced back at Blue and the Odyssey crew after a moment of discussion with Marina and the other Ambassadors. “Pandora, you realize that if the Gems cannot be safely returned to the Cities…the lands could be in jeopardy.” 

Blue looked back at Rodney, Alli, and the Odyssey crew. She didn’t need to verbally communicate with them. They may not fully believe her at the moment, but they knew right there and then that she was determined to get to the Land of Wonders. 

She sighed and nodded. “With all my life…they’re not going to get to the Gems.” 

The Head Ambassador exhaled deeply. “So be it. The Odyssey and Sinbad have until dawn to prepare for the journey to the Land of Wonders.” 

The crowd spoke in whispers as the Odyssey crew and Sinbad looked at each other. Wonder clambered up to Blue’s shoulder with a worried chitter. 

Blue groaned to herself. What in the world did she get herself into this time?

Chapter 31: A New Journey

Notes:

Warning: slight language

Word Count: 2,577

Chapter Text

The ship that was provided to the Odyssey crew and Sinbad’s sailed out through the harbor of Syracuse. Though it was the early morning; the citizens watched the ship sail off, most of them cheering and rooting for Blue and Alli to come back safely. Nabel had volunteered herself to come along, as well as Allura, Matt, and the S.E.S.. Since she hadn’t seen Alli in eight years, she didn’t want to risk losing her in dangerous situations again. 

Just before they left the docks, Blue got to know the people who would be joining them in the journey: the Paladins, consisting of Takashi Shirogane, Keith Kogane, Lance McClain, Pidge Holt, and Hunk Garret, as well as Coran, the advisor of Allura’s father; Brenda, Percy’s friend; Maria Posada, Manolo’s lover whom he hasn’t seen since he joined the Odyssey, and Joaquin Mondragon; Marty, Gloria, and Melman,, Alex’s old friends, Gia, Vitaly, and Stefano from the Circus Zaragoza and the four men who call themselves ‘The Penguins’; April O’Neil, the Mad Dogs’ friend from childhood; Gabriel Van Helsing, famous monster hunter, Carl Issacson, and Anna Valerious; Vanellope von Schweetz, “Fix-It” Felix, Jr., and Sergeant Tamara Calhoun; and Chel, a Native from the City of Gold. Though it broke her heart a bit to see some of the crew’s families see them off. She wished it was her father. 

As Rat lit some lanterns to help with the light, Blue stood near the railing, leaning her arms against it, as she stared at the star ahead. The morning light gradually replaced the night sky in colors of pink and orange. Her blue eyes focused on the star, her mind filled with voices of encouragement and determination. 

“Blue, everything okay?” Gamora walked up next to her with a concerned expression. 

“Do you really think I’m crazy?” Blue turned to face her. 

“We’re willing to believe you, even if it sounds insane,” Gamora replied. 

“Exactly. If there’s any gold and riches in this place, I’m willing to go along with you, too,” Rocket joined in as he stepped up on the opposite side of Blue, receiving a stern glance from Gamora. Soon after, Peter, Mantis, and Drax joined. 

“You do realize the journey’s going to be dangerous,” Drax told Blue. 

The younger girl only beamed at them tenderly. “I’m not turning back.” 

“We know,” Peter also smiled at her, as well as the other Guardians. 

Meanwhile, Rodney and Sinbad stood at the helm, their eyes trained on the star as Blue was. While the Captain of the Chimera was doubtful of Blue’s claim of the Land of Wonders, Rodney was certain that there’s more than to her truth. 

“So do you really believe that kid?” Sinbad asked Rodney. 

“I’m willing to believe that she’s telling the truth,” the bluenette Captain answered. “And even if she did see a Goddess, I’m betting my life that’s what she told her.” 

“So any idea how we actually get to the Land of Wonders?” Kale walked up next to the two with a lantern and map in hand. 

“Land of Wonders?” Sinbad only chuckled, much to Rodney’s confusion. “People get killed there.” 

“So where are you going?” Rodney asked them, close to agitation. 

Sinbad pulled out a map and laid it on top of Kale’s. The new map showed a woman in a hula skirt gesturing to an island. “Fiji!” 

“What?” Rodney nearly gasped. 

“Fiji? This time of year?” Kale asked doubtfully. 

“Think of the beaches,” Sinbad placed his hands behind his head. 

“Oh, beautiful, if you like mosquitoes,” Kale sarcastically said. 

“Think of the sun.” 

“Monsoon season,” Rodney added. 

“Oh, then the women.” 

“They’re cannibals, Sinbad,” Kale blankly told him, setting his hand on his shoulder. 

“Exactly.” 

Rodney couldn’t hold back his disappointment and anger at Sinbad. He was not willing to believe Blue’s claims to get to the Land of Wonders and of meeting Eris. Both he and Kale groaned in disappointment, the bluenette shaking his head, as they walked away from him. 

“C’mon, guys!” Sinbad frowned. 

“Blue’s been in my crew for as long as I’ve known her,” Rodney argued, turning to Sinbad. “And you’re just going to give up a mission for lounging on an island?” 

“Listen, you sound like my mother,” Sinbad used his hand to mimic talking as he brushed off Rodney’s persuasion. “Your kid’s talking crazy.” 

“Excuse me?!” Rodney nearly yelled. 

“You and I both know that the Leaders and Ambassadors are not going to let those punks get those Gems.” 

“So you’re just going to run away?” 

“We’re retiring. We don’t need another score, we’ve got enough. Now set a course for Fiji,” Sinbad then turned to Kale, who begrudgingly took the wheel. 

Rodney took a moment to find Blue glaring at Sinbad. She had overheard the conversation from below the helm. Without a word, though with a scowl, Blue stomped off to the quarters below, leaving Gamora and Mantis, an Empath who had decided to join the expedition, worried and confused. 

Rodney could only sigh and shake his head as Blue walked away. 


Blue slammed open the door and stomped down the stairs. Her angry mutters were already being overpowered by Sinbad’s crew’s cheers and chantings of ‘Fiji’ until she was far from the lower deck’s entrance. 

“Sinbad…the Gems…” Blue grunted in frustration. “Ugh! Dammit!” 

However, she stopped short when she saw Sinbad’s door to his quarters open a few inches. Her confusion was soon replaced with shock when she saw the intruder. 

Marina, now dressed in a blue shirt, black pants with a gold belt, and shoes, walked around looking at Sinbad’s things in his room. “Whoa, look at all this!” She breathed in awe as she stopped in front of a skeleton. “I can’t believe it.” 

Blue made sure that she stayed hidden behind the door while, at the same time, peeked through the opening of the door. 

“Oh, but this can’t be real. It’d be far too delicate…” Marina tapped a part of the skeleton, which broke off the second she touched it. “Uh-oh.” 

Blue held back a snicker at that. 

“This is more like it,” Marina went through another door leading to the crews’ sleeping quarters. “Artifact from Venezia…” 

Blue quietly followed behind some good steps from Marina as she examined one of her sketchbooks. “…oh, from Pompeii…” Marina flipped through the pages of her open sketchbook until she stopped at a page filled with a deck of bustling people. “…and that has to be from a deck near Syracuse.” 

By then, Blue was right behind her. “My greatest masterpiece,” she said with a proud smirk. 

Marina gasped and spun around, slamming her sketchbook shut, to find Blue with her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?” Blue asked impatiently as Marina put away the sketchbook. 

“I’m here to make sure you’re telling the truth…or bring back your dead body if you’re lying,” Marina explained, folding her arms. 

“Oh, really? And how are you going to do that?” Blue sassily smirked at her. 

“By whatever means necessary,” Marina answered. 

“Do you have a crew?” 

“No.” 

“Ever been on an expedition before?” 

“N-no.” Marina was getting nervous, Blue could see that. 

“Do you know how to get to Tierra de Maravillas?” 

“Uh, no.” 

“Can you navigate on your own?” 

“Yes!” Marina replied triumphantly. 

“Great! Then you’re gonna need all the luck you can get,” Blue told as she stalked over to her bed. “Sinbad’s gonna find you, dump you in a rowboat, and you’re gonna have to paddle all the way back to Syracuse…’cause he’s going to Fiji.” Just like that, she plopped down on her bed with dissatisfaction and sighed, her hands on both sides of her face. 

“Fiji?” Marina asked her. 

Blue hummed in agreement, discontent, staring down at the floor. She had really hoped that Sinbad would believe her and help her and the Odyssey crew. 

Marina leaned against the pillar, folding her arms. “Just as I thought.” 

Blue thought she misheard it. “What?” she glanced up at her perplexed. 

“Pandora, he’s not a very complicated guy,” Marina nonchalantly told her as she sat next to her. “All someone has to do is imagine the most gutless course of action, and he’s bound to take it.” 

“Listen, he didn’t see what I did,” Blue stated. “But I need to get to the Gems before someone else does.” 

“I bet he’s not gonna lose sleep over this?” 

“Me, too.”

“Because me, I’d be tossing and turning, knowing I’m alive…because I let the world fall into peril,” Marina finished with a growl. 

A grunt of protest—one that did not belong to Blue—turned their attention towards the owner. “I’m not responsible for this mess! And I didn’t ask the kid to bring me into this mission.” Sinbad stalked towards the women from behind the door. 

“I didn’t ask you to join us. The Leaders and Ambassadors did, even they don’t even trust you for more than one damn second!” Blue argued. Sinbad only snarled at her in reply. 

“Look, clearly, I can’t appeal to your honor, but I have other ways of convincing you and the Blue-Eyed Captain,” Marina alluringly told him. Blue’s eyes widened, as well as Sinbad’s. 

“Really?“ He asked nervously. “Uh…just how do you expect to do that?”

“By speaking your language,” Marina finished. She then held up a diamond in front of Sinbad’s face. His eyes growing, he snatched it from her. 

“Keep talking.” 

Marina instantly took his hand, holding the palm up, and pulled out a small bag before dumping the jewels on his hand. She tossed the bag aside and folded her arms with a smug smile. 

Blue took a moment to glance between Sinbad and Marina. It was the same tactic she had used to convince Rodney to let her join his crew and venture to the Lost Isles. The plan that started her bond with the Odyssey crew…

Sinbad lightly tossed the jewels and pondered his decision. “Yup. This will do.” He finally answered. Marina smiled in victory. 

“But not for first-class…” Sinbad smirked devilishly. Marina’s smile fell. 


Sinbad instantly burst from the lower deck, carrying a struggling Marina over his shoulders. Blue followed behind, wondering where he was taking her. The second the three appeared, the crews and Rodney watched them with bewildered expressions. 

“As you can, we are equipped to accommodate the most discerning of royal tastes…” Sinbad stopped for a moment to toss Marina around before placing her back on his shoulders. 

“We have excellent ocean views…” Marina grabbed at his mouth, but he shook her off and spat. Blue stifled a laugh at the action. Jin, Li, Martin, and Chris stared at the three and faced one another in puzzlement. 

Sinbad kicked open the door and strolled down the stairs. “Luxurious living quarters…” he tossed Marina in the food storage. “…with five gourmet meals a day. Veggies, dairy, fruits, meats, and grains.” 

Spike walked down the stairs, with Wonder clambering up Blue’s shoulders. The small monkey tilted his head and chittered in confusion the second he saw Marina. Spike barked happily, catching Sinbad’s attention. 

“Oh, hey, Spike. There you are. I’d like to introduce you to your new bunkmate…” Sinbad patted Spike while putting his cheek next to his face, much to Marina’s disgust. “…well, actually, you’re his new bunkmate, as it’s actually his bunk.” He finished, wiping the drool from his face. 

Spike instantly rushed to Marina, barking happily, and began to lick her cheek. “We do hope you have a pleasant stay aboard the Dawn Maiden,” Sinbad and Blue started to leave as Marina shoved Spike off of her. “Oh, and if he starts hugging your leg, it means he likes you.” He concluded with a cheeky grin. 

Marina shoved Spike off her again, a growl emitting from her mouth. “If you think…” She never got to the door in time, for Sinbad slammed it shut and locked it behind him. From behind the door, Spike barked happily. Blue winced sympathetically, imagining the frown Marina has on her face. 

“How did she even get on the ship?” Sinbad mumbled to himself, examining the diamond, as he strolled up the stairs. Blue followed behind but stopped in her tracks as well as Sinbad. 

His crew members were studying the exact same jewels that Maina had given him. Jin bit on the diamond as Li studied it. Jed looked at it through a special lens. When they saw Sinbad and Blue staring at them, they suddenly tried to hide the jewels as subtly as possible. 

Sinbad glowered before turning to Blue and Wonder, who beamed smugly at him. He groaned in agitation. “You happy now?” 

Blue and Wonder both nodded, their complacent smirks still evident. 

“Gentlemen, we have a new plan. We’re going to Tierra de Maravillas,” Sinbad announced to his crew as he stomped past the men. 

Rodney’s crew silently cheered to themselves, relieved and satisfied. Jin spat out his jewel as the rest of Sinbad’s crew groaned in dejection. “Huh?! What happened to Fiji?!” 

“What? No fun?” Li added. 

“No beaches?” 

A lei suddenly fell on Sinbad’s head. “Rat!” He yelled annoyed. 

“Sorry, captain!” Rat shouted from the rat’s nest. He jumped and hung upside down as Sinbad threw the lei aside. “But did you say Tierra de Maravillas?” 

“That’s right.” 

“Would that be the same Tierra de Maravillas from which no sailor ever returns?” Rat was pushed away in the face by Sinbad but circled back beside him. “The Tierra de Maravillas of lost souls?! Where they grind your bones and pickle your spleen and—“ 

“No, Rat,” Sinbad replied, grabbing Rat by his lei. “This is the nice Tierra de Maravillas. Lots of beaches and drinks. Y’know, with little umbrellas?” 

Rat nodded in enthusiasm. Sinbad’s frown came back, and he stomped up to the helm as Rat mumbled to himself in Italian. 

As Sinbad walked up to the helm, Kale smirked, resting his arms on the steering wheel, and Rodney had his arms folded with a satisfied smirk. Alli’s face was crossed with the same smirk, her hands on her hips. 

“What changed your mind?” Rodney innocently asked him. 

“I’m only doing this for the money,” Sinbad insisted, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Right…” Kale agreed sarcastically. Rodney and Alli glanced at one another with a sly grin. “So how do we get there?” 

Rodney noticed the star in the distance. The star Blue had told him about. “That star’s our lead.” 

Kale turned the wheel, making the ship turn towards the star ahead. The two crews went to work pulling on the rigging to help with the movement. 

Blue leaned against the railing, her eyes trained on the star. The determined gleam returned to the ocean blues as the winds blew against her face and hair. 

Heads up, Eris. I’m on my way.


Meanwhile, back in Tartarus…

Eris watched the Dawn Maiden sail across the seas towards the star in her martini drink. Her creatures stayed on the side, their chitters and growls occasionally filling the silent air. 

“Wow. Our little princess is on her way,” Eris said as her monster growled. “She thinks she’s going to pay us a visit,” she mocked and pursed her lips. 

A sinister smile crossed her face a second later. “Let’s provide some mood music,” she circled the hem of the glass with her finger. Glowing shapes swam around as a gentle, eerie song was unleashed.

Chapter 32: Unexpected Greetings

Notes:

Word Count: 1,310

Chapter Text

With the hours passing until they reach their first obstacle, the crews and the others decided to spend the rest of the time either working on the Dawn Maiden or just doing their hobbies. Blue had seen that some of the Odyssey crew were catching up with their friends since they spent years apart from them. At one point, she thought she saw Tulio and Miguel getting close with Chel, she couldn’t hold back her giddiness at that. 

With nothing else to do, Blue thought about finishing some sketches she had worked on for a while now. As she sat on the bed in the sleeping quarters, her pencil moved on top of the paper, creating lines and shapes. At some point, she thought she heard a splash, but she was so focused on her drawing to see who was coming up behind her. 

It wasn’t until she saw out of the corner of her eye someone peeking over her shoulder that she nearly yelped and fell backward off the barrel. The second she caught her breath, it didn’t take her long to see that the girl was resting her chin on her arms in the open window with a small grin. The girl in question has long, red hair that reaches her waist, wide, blue eyes, a purple seashell bra…and a green tail, which scales glistened under the sunlight. 

“Holy shit…” were the first words that were mumbled out of her mouth. 

“I never knew you could draw so well,” the mermaid complimented her sweetly. “If anything, I’d love to try it on paper like humans do.” 

“You’re a…a, a…m-m-m-“ Blue was unable to spit out a complete word, her tongue trapped in a stuttering manner. She was too dumbfounded to even find herself to break out of her shock. 

“That’s right. A mermaid,” the girl giggled. “I‘m Ariel. And I’m really glad that you got out of the Lost Isles alive, Blue. I’ve been so scared for you since the island got destroyed. The story’s been going around for some time, even my people and home. They’ve started to call you ‘The Blue-Eyed Angel’.”

Blue still stared at the mermaid astonished until she shook herself out of her shock when she heard her say her name. “Wait, wait. Hold on. So you called me by my—how do you know who I am?”

Without a word, Ariel turned to the waters with a grin. As if on cue, the water horse appeared from the sea and rushed up to where she and Blue were. The latter stared at the horse with wonder before she recognized the creature. 

Then it dawned on her. 

“…you sent him?” Blue asked Ariel. The red-haired girl nodded enthusiastically. “You brought him to help me?”

“I had to. I saw how you risked your life to save the Captain during the eruption. And I knew there is good in you,” Ariel explained to her. 

“Wait…you’ve been following us…since the voyage to the Lost Isles?” Blue asked, receiving another nod from Ariel. “But I thought your father hates humans. He’s the king of Atlantica, isn’t he?”

“True, he is the king, but when he found out about how you’re pursuing the Gems to prevent them from falling in the wrong hands, he seemed hesitant on trusting you, since, after all, you’re a human.”

Blue pondered about it for a moment before she nodded. “Well, I guess he does have the right to be like that. But you have to understand, not all humans are good. Most of them are pretty bad, too, and…well, they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want.”

“Bad? How bad?”

“Well, they’d do cruel things, and…they’d hurt people and destroy anyone and anything that gets in their way…including their own,” Blue said with a frown. “And they’ll never stop until they take what they believe is rightfully theirs. Namely pirates.”

“I understand that. My mother died in an accident involving pirates when I was still young,” Ariel told her. “I just wish sometimes that my father doesn’t blame all humans for what happened.”

“Me, too…but with pirates and all,” Blue added. Her eyes were already brimming with tears by then. Her grandfather died in a fire that night when Ratchet left him behind to die, but she never blamed all pirates for that. She just blamed him for it. “My father’s been judging pirates since my grandfather told him about the heritage. He never even told me the whole truth about it.”

“Oh, my God. That’s horrible.” 

“One of the reasons I’ve decided to cut him out of my life.” 

“I’m truly sorry you have to have a father like that. I just cannot imagine someone doing that to their own child.” 

“Hey! You down there?” An unfamiliar voice called from outside the quarters. 

Ariel and Blue both turned towards the door with wide eyes. “You better go! Now! I’ll see you when you can!” Blue hurriedly whispered to the red-haired mermaid. Without hesitation, Ariel pushed herself off the window and dove back into the waters. The Nokk followed her in a haste. 

Blue barely got back on the barrel, the sketchbook back in her hands, before someone opened the door. She quickly righted herself and acted like she had been working for hours. When she looked up, she was not expecting to see the man, Nabel’s fiance’ standing in the doorway. The bangs of his brown hair were swept to the left side, revealing most of his light brown eyes. He wore a white shirt with sleeves that reached his forearms, brown pants, and brown-black boots. 

“Oh, hey,” Blue nonchalantly greeted. 

“I was wondering where you were,” the man greeted back with a good-natured grin. 

“Snuck in with Marina, too?” 

“Nah. Nabel tagged me along with her. Never got the chance to sail the seas, so wouldn’t hurt to join the adventure. She told me a lot about you, by the way” 

“I know. Matthew Todds of the European Lands.” 

“Most people like to call me Matt.” 

A whistle blew from above the cabins. “Prepare for sailing!” 

“Wanna watch?” 

“Love to,” Blue replied. As att headed back up the stairs, Blue chanced a glance back out the window in hopes of seeing a head of red. Only finding none, she sighed through her nose and followed behind Matt. 

Meanwhile, Ariel stayed hidden underneath the water as she watched the Odyssey sail off. The Nokk floated beside her, nickering for a moment. 

“Please keep her safe,” Ariel mumbled to herself. 


Whenever one would hear of the most treacherous, dangerous gang known as Damagers, they’d tremble themselves to death easily. For years, they had tormented the lands all around the world and conquered the oceans. They had lied to, cheated, stole from, jumped the weakest people they can find–they did everything that made the people of the lands fear them as the villains they are. They thought themselves undefeatable, powerful, the masters of the Seven Seas alone. 

But…they still need something much more powerful, something with magic to take control over the entire earth. 

And the Gems and Crystal of Life were the things they wanted. 

With their ships sailing across the waters, scaring off marine life away in the process, their laughter and drunk yells broke apart the silent air in the night. Glass shattered from bottles that were broken. Punches were thrown, grunts in sync. 

A man with a cyborg hand and eye stood at the upper deck, overseeing the chaos below calmly, his black hair with small gray streaks decorating his locks. He wore a gray-black coat, a gray shirt with a V-neck, matching pants, and boots. His belt held two swords on each side of his legs. 

He faced the horizon with a dark grin. The Gems are at their hands, and they are going to get it…

Chapter 33: Through the Dragon's Teeth

Notes:

Warning: none

Word Count: 3, 374

Chapter Text

A knife slipped through the crack of the food storage door and dug at the screw. When the last screw fell off from the hinges, Marina grunted as she kicked down the door with some effort. With an enraged expression, she tossed the knife aside.

“Oh, come on! You look great!” She looked back with a smile. Spike whined when he stepped out of the storage room with a bow wrapped around his ears. 

Marina then scowled again and charged up the stairs. Once she was out of earshot, Spike shook his head to force the bow to fly off before he followed after her. 

Marina took a moment to let her short hair fall loose from her bun before she nearly bumped into Blue. “Whoa! Sorry about that!” Blue apologized. “How did you get out?” 

“Just a knife and determination,” Marina answered her. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” 

“You’re talking about Sinbad, he would have, but Rodney wouldn’t let him,” Blue replied to her. “Though I’d like to see him try.” 

“If I didn’t know better, you look like you look up to Rodney.” 

“He’s the Captain of the Odyssey. Everyone looks up to him.” 

They then headed up to the deck. Kale shouted orders to the crews as they scrambled about. “Look lively! Jed, get the long poles!” 

Marina was able to grab Blue and duck down with her before Jed could accidentally hit them with the long poles. “Oh, pardon me, miladies!” He apologized to them. 

“Hey, we need some pole here!” 

“Jin, bring one over here!” 

“What’s going on?” Blue asked. 

“Heads up, girls. We made it,” Rocket told them before he went with Groot. 

Blue and Marina turned behind them before their faces paled. The daunting, jagged, rocky cliffs stood before them as the ship approached the opening. Tall mountains stood over the waters. Dark clouds formed over the ship as a small opening stood between the two pillars. 

“The Dragon’s Teeth?” They both whispered with fear. 

Someone cleared their throat from above. When Blue and Marina glanced up, Rat jumped from the mast and hung upside down from a rope. 

“Indeed, signorinas. Only the most foolish of Captains would dare sail a ship through this!” Rat yelled in the middle of the sentence. 

“Rat, rig the fores’le!” Sinbad scolded from across the ship. Rat flinched from his shout and chuckled nervously. 

“Excuse me, signorinas,” he told Blue and Marina and swung back up. 

Blue dashed up to stand next to Rodney as Marina went to confront Sinbad, who took control of the wheel. “Are you sure you know what–” Marina began. 

“Yes, we’ve done this kind of thing before…” Sinbad cut her off. 

“Look–” 

“No, there’s no other way…” 

“But–” 

“And yes, you and the women, minus Blue and Alli, both have my permission to stand there quietly and get a free lesson in sailing,” Sinbad added before Marina could even finish. 

“You know–” Rodney started, but the man in red beat him to it. 

“Besides, a ship is no place for a woman.” 

Rodney scowled and grabbed Sinbad by the shoulder. “I’d rather not push my luck with them if I were you,” he warned him. Blue giggled, covering her mouth, as Wonder stifled his laughter. Marina smirked smugly. 

“Jin, easy on the main!” Sinbad called down to the lower deck. 

“Aye!” 

Sinbad’s and Rodney’s crews readied themselves as the ship sailed through the opening of the Dragon’s Teeth. The foggy entrance was torn apart by the ship sailing past. The mast hit the side of the mountain, which made rocks tumble down and land in the water below. Apart from it, there was an eerie silence in the caverns of the Dragon’s teeth. 

“Steady as she goes,” Sinbad said. The crews watched on carefully. 

“Rocks! Off the starboard bow!” Rat warned from his rat’s nest. Sinbad turned the wheel to avoid the rocks. 

The further the ship went into the cave, the more terrifying the feeling in Blue began to grow. All around the ship, there were thousands of ships, torn apart by the sides, middle, or back. It didn’t take her long to understand they never made it out alive. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to know how they ended up like this. 

A faint hum echoed around the cavern walls. Blue nearly whimpered as she held onto Alli, who side-hugged her in acknowledgment. Skulls clattered from above, dangling in ropes from a few ships. Migo felt Percy’s uneasiness and held him closer in reply. The crews stayed silent as the ship continued forward. 

“Steady…” Rodney ordered warily. 

The five glanced up at a ship with a maiden holding a bouquet of flowers. The water dripped from the front bow down the stoney form. 

Blue followed Alli and Marina to the rail as Rodney, Sinbad, and the guys, save from Percy, became trapped under the haunting voices’ spell. “What’s that sound?” She asked quietly. Sinbad shushed her lazily, already drawn to the music. 

Alli was about to get Rodney, but she did a double-take of watery forms leaping out of the front designs of the ships. Her eyes furrowed before they widened. “Uh, guys?” 

Nabel and the girls heard and saw the watery figures jump into the water. While Blue’s ocean blues grew with terror, the women examined the figures move in gentle motions. 

“Uh, Rodney…” Blue tried, but the captain and Sinbad were already caught under the figures’ spell. 

Spike barked at the water as Wonder squeaked and pointed at the figures. The mice squeaked with fear, with Mayhem growling at the attacking figures. The women and Percy rushed up to the rail and saw the feminine figures swimming around the ship. 

“Oh, God…” Blue started. 

“…they’re…” Percy piped in. 

“…Sirens!” Nabel gasped with shock. 

The Sirens leaped out of the water and twirled in the air before they dove back in. The men and male Rusties stumbled around as they followed them from aboard the ship. When the Sirens saw Blue and Wonder staring back at them, they sent them devilish grins with glowing yellow eyes. The blonde-haired girl yelped and backed away with fear as Wonder squeaked and hid behind her shoulders. 

“Hang on!” Alli shouted. 

When the girls and Percy saw the rapids ahead of them, they understood and didn’t hesitate to grab onto the railing to steady themselves. 

“Rodney, please wake up!” Blue frantically shook Rodney by the shoulders, but he was too dazed to even snap out of it.

“Sinbad!” Marina waved her hand in front of Sinbad, who was also too stuck in the sirens’ spell to wake up. 

“Martin? Chris?” Alli called down to the Kratt brothers. They, like the Mad Dog brothers, were all captivated by the sirens’ song as they stumbled around. 

“Jin? Li?” Marina shouted to the Asian brothers. Li accidentally kissed Jin’s armpit and pulled away in disgust. 

“Come and get it, ladies!” Luca took off his shirt to reveal his skinny body and laughed. 

“Kale?” Blue called to Kale. 

“Come with me. We’ll speak of love,” the first mate flirted with the sirens as he leaned against the side of the ship. Rat blew a kiss as he swung around until he hit a pillar by accident. 

“Oh, come on! Quill!” Gamora yelled in frustration when she saw Peter nearly leaning against the railing trying to reach one of the sirens. 

Blue glanced around in a fearful panic. The men, apart from Percy, and the male Rusties were all trapped in the sirens’ spell of song. 

“Who’s bad? Sinbad~” Sinbad flirted and pointed a finger gun. The girls and Percy stared at him exasperated and blankly. 

“Ugh! Men!” Marina grunted in agitation. 

As the sirens grew louder, the rapids became stronger and faster by the second. Blue saw jagged rocks ahead of them, her eyes growing wide with terror. “Alli!” She yelled in fear. 

The red-haired Captainess heard her and understood. She quickly kicked Sinbad off the wheel by grabbing his feet and pulling him from underneath. The ship suddenly turned away from the rocks in time, but it hit the side, sending the girls and Percy tumbling around. Gia yelped and nearly fell down before Calhoun caught her in time. Blue took control of the wheel and brought the ship upright again. 

The Sirens rose up on a wave near the ship and beckoned the men and Rusties closer with their song. Once they got closer, albeit sluggishly, the Sirens then crashed onto the ship and knocked them down on the deck. 

“I saw her first!” Jin pushed Li to the side and clumsily got up. 

Nabel saw rope lying near her and Spike, Mayhem, and Keith’s dog, Kozmo, staring at her. Her eyes lit up at an idea before she grabbed the rope and handed it to Spike. “Grab the crew and Rusties now!” She frantically ordered. 

Without, hesitation, Spike, Mayhem, and Kozmo took each end of the rope and surrounded the crew and Rusties as fast as they could. Just before the crews could get any closer to the Sirens, the three tightened the rope on each side, yanking them back in a pile. 

“Yes!” Blue cheered with reassurance. The women and Percy were also relieved that they got them in time. 

Unfortunately, their relief didn’t last long. 

“Amore! Amore! Amore! My darling!” Rat swung down from above and landed on the bow. 

“Rat!” Blue, Alli, Nabel, and Marina both shouted. 

“I love you!” Rat flirted with the Siren that rose from the waters below him. 

Blue found a rope with a hook and quickly picked it up. Alli, Nabel, and Allura helped Sinbad up from the ground and tied him around the mast to prevent him from escaping. 

“Il mare a le onde andiamo via…” Rat mumbled in Italian as he leaned in closer to the Siren. His hand slipped from the rope he was holding onto, causing him to fall into the water. 

Blue tossed the rope over a beam above her, working as fast as she could. 

The Siren hummed as she kissed Rat, who instantly panicked when he saw he was losing air. 

Blue swung from the deck, hanging onto the two ends, and around the ship, ready to grab Rat. Just as the Siren was about to take him under, she suddenly grabbed him with the hook and yanked him out of the water. The Siren screamed as Rat swung over the deck. 

“Sorry, Rat, but this is for your own good,” she mumbled to him as she tied the tope around the mast. 

Another Siren appeared in front of Rodney, who gradually woke up before he was led towards the railing. “Rodney!” Alli yelled. 

“Spike, get Rodney!” Marina called to Spike. 

Just as Rodney was about to stumble off the railing, Spike suddenly grabbed him by his pants, knocking him out of the spell for a moment as he yelled in pain. He was yanked backward and stumbled around before another Siren appeared in front of him and beckoned him over. She caressed his face, bringing him back under the spell, and began to kiss him.

Alli could only watch with a dark glare before she was suddenly tumbling around with the others. The ship had hit another downed ship and started to fall down a waterfall. As the girls and Percy held onto the ropes and railing, Alli wasn’t so lucky. She flew down the stairs, tumbling past the women and Percy, before she finally collided with Rodney and the Siren. The watery figure had vanished the second the red-curled woman hit Rodey unintentionally. 

Blue and Nabel both gasped in shock as Marina, Allura, and Meechee gaped at the two. 

The Captain had wrapped his arms around her in a daze and started to kiss her unknowingly instead. Alli froze in surprise before she decided to not dwell on it for too long. She instantly punched him in the face, knocking him out in the process. He flew back on his back with a wide smile and hooded eyes. “Sorry, love,” she quickly apologized. 

Large rapids that flew up were coming up ahead of them. Blue dashed in and took the wheel to steady the ship. Debris that had fallen with them flew into the inverted waterfall and smashed into pieces upon hitting one of the rocks. 

“Oh, this is not good!” Aviva yelled with fright. 

“We need a way out!” Gloria frantically shouted. 

“If you have a plan, I’d love to hear it, Aaliyah!” Calhoun told Alli. 

Alli and Nabel quickly searched for a way out until they saw an opening ahead of them, Despite a pile of broken ships in the way, the blue sky and open ocean were in their view. It’s their only way out, and they’re going to have to take it. 

“Spike, Wonder, the blades!” Alli shouted. 

Spike and Wonder ran along the deck and hit the lever that releases the blades. 

“Blue, rear left!” Alli yelled to Blue. 

“What?! But–!” The younger girl began.

“Just do it!” 

At Alli’s insistence, Blue turned the wheel sharply. At the same moment, the blades came out of the side of the ship as they reached the pileup and their way out. 

“Everyone, hang on!” Alli yelled. 

With the women and Percy holding onto the ropes and railing, they sailed through the wreckage and tore apart the broken ships, tearing them to shreds. The Sirens wailed as they tried and failed to get away before they were run over by the ship. 

Percy, Nabel, and Blue were the loudest of the others screaming as the ship flew through the air for a moment before it landed back on the sea again. Birds suddenly flew by, startled by the ship’s sudden appearance. 

While Alli sighed a huge breath of relief, the girls and Percy were all left shaken from the thrilling escape. Blue held onto the wheel tightly, her eyes wide, before she slumped and let out a monumental sigh of consolation. Mayhem appeared in a light of blue next to her and purred as he nuzzled his head on her arm in comfort. 

One thing was still going through her mind at the moment: Eris. She’s trying to slow them down. That’s not something she’s going to allow. 

As Rodney coughed up the seawater from his lungs and grabbed the railing to steady himself, Percy, Marina, and Gia worked to untie Sinbad and the men from the ropes. The blue-haired Captain pulled himself up from the ground and gaped at the view ahead of him, his eyes growing. Turning from the open sea ahead of the ship, he saw Blue at the wheel with a relieved grin and Alli perched at the railing beside her. Rodney understood what had happened and sighed with gratitude and pride. 

“My precious!” Chum cooed as he kissed a fish. 

Manolo did a double-take at him before he slapped the fish out of his hands. “Wake up, idiota!” He yelled in agitation. 

As some of the crew groaned, Percy helped Migo up from the ground. “What happened?” Li rubbed his head. 

“Rodney and Sinbad saved us,” Jin claimed. 

“No. Blue,” Rat corrected as he swung by. 

“Blue and Alli?” 

“They saved us!” 

Wonder and Mayhem helped untie Sinbad, who had already got back to reality and furrowed his eyebrows at Blue and Alli. 

“All right, men. Snap out of it. Let’s get back to reality,” Kale ordered as Spike, Kozmo, Wonder, and the mice rushed up to the deck, with Rodney following behind. 

“Aw, here’s our little heroes!” Alli cooed as Spike walked up to her and pet him on the head. “You guys are so brave!” 

“Yeah, what a good dog,” Marina scratched him behind the ears. Spike smiled happily, melting from the affection they were giving him. 

Wonder chittered and nuzzled his face against Blue’s cheek. “Thanks, guys. You did good,” Blue told him with a relieved, tired grin. 

“You did good, too, kid,” Marina smiled at her. Blue beamed back at her in reply. 

“Yep, she really did,” Rodney agreed, ruffling her blond hair. The younger girl giggled before he side-hugged her, laughing with her. 

Sinbad stuttered for a moment, trying to find his words, before he cleared his throat. 

“Still think a ship’s no place for a woman?” Marina taunted him with a smug smile. 

Sinbad was about to agree, but instead, he growled in frustration. “Absolutely!” he shouted. 

Spike whined and rolled his eyes. “Uh-oh,” Wonder squeaked as he hid behind Rodney’s shoulder. The mice and Kozmo watched with worry and confusion. 

“I mean, look at the ship! This railing was hand-carved mahogany!” Sinbad ranted as he gestured to the railing. “And here! These moldings came all the way from Damascus! Do you have any idea what they went through to make these??!” 

Marina, Alli, Allura, and Gia scowled at him. Rodney was the angriest on Blue’s behalf. 

“That’s exactly what women shouldn’t drive!” Sinbad finished smugly. 

Marina growled at him. “Are you crazy?! We saved your life! And Pandora got us out of there!” 

“Exactly! If it hadn’t been for her, we would have been killed from the waterfalls!” Allura argued. 

“Oh, I would have been fine!” Sinbad brushed Blue aside from the wheel. “I always am!” 

Blue wanted to retaliate but took an angry breath instead. With an enraged sigh, she stormed down the steps and past the crews, who watched her attentively, as she muttered about his being ungratefulness. 

Sinbad glanced down at the side, nearly grunting in frustration. “And you chipped the paint!” He added, just as Blue opened the door to the lower quarters. “Right here! Look at it! That’s more than a little scratch!” 

Blue yelled in agitation and slammed the doors shut without another word. The crews blinked astonished before they turned to him in annoyance and disappointment. Sinbad seemed taken aback when he saw that his crew and Rodney’s were against him now. 

Spike’s bark brought him to face him, the creatures, and the others. Spike sputtered in dissatisfaction and looked away from his master. Rodney and Alli folded their arms across their chests with disapproving scowls as Nabel had her hands on her hips. Wonder, Mayhem, Kozmo, and the mice snarled at him in disappointment. 

“Thank her…now…” Marina pointedly told him. 

Sinbad glared at them, then back at the crews, before he groaned in agitation. “The dog…and the crew…and that…that girl…” he grumbled as he reluctantly stomped his way down the stairs. 

He pounded harshly on the doors, but there was no sound from the other side. Sinbad folded his arms and turned back to his crews and the others. They all crossed their arms and stared at him pointedly. Migo narrowed his eyes at him as Alex, Marty, Melman, Manolo, Joaquin, Ralph, Felix, Martin, Chris, and Crash raised their eyebrows. 

Sinbad groaned again and pounded on the doors a few more times. This time, Blue slammed open the doors with a frustrated scowl. “What?!” 

“Thank you!” Sinbad shouted back at her. 

“You’re welcome!” 

“No problem!” 

“Don’t worry about it!” 

“I won’t!” 

“Good!” 

“Goodbye!” 

“Bye to you!” Blue shouted back before she slammed the doors shut again. 

Sinbad huffed heavily and turned back to his crew and Rodney’s. They all grinned back and went back to work on the ship. Rodney and Alli both nodded after glancing at one another in satisfaction. The women and Percy were all content with how it all turned out. 

Sinbad let out a small grin when they didn’t notice him. He hated to admit it, but Blue reminded him so much of Rodney when they were younger. He hummed thoughtfully, but his smile fell when he saw Spike, Wonder, Mayhem, Kozmo, and the mice smiling up at him. 

“You happy now?” He sarcastically asked them. 

Wonder nodded as Spike yipped. Mayhem chittered as his tail wagged behind him. 

Sinbad huffed and walked towards the upper deck. 

Meanwhile, Alli saw Rodney’s pants were torn where Spike had bitten to keep him from falling over. She and Nabel stifled their giggles and turned away as the auburn-curled woman blushed. 

“What?” He asked in confusion when he heard the sisters. 

“Nothing,” Alli answered squeakily, her face red.

Chapter 34: New and Old Enemies

Notes:

Warning: slight language

Word Count: 2,711

Chapter Text

The Black Diamond, belonging–or stolen, more or less–to the Damagers, sailed across the waters, breaking apart the peaceful waves and leaving behind a trail of foam and disturbed waters. From above the deck, laughter and punches thrown at faces rippled across the air. Drinks clinking against one another joined in the deafening noises. News of the Odyssey crew and the legendary Captain Sinbad after the Gems had spurred them to charge forward and get to the location before the two men do. 

With Killian sitting on the seat in the main room of the ship, he studied the map as the cyborg’s finger tapped on the table. The noises outside were muffled behind the closed door, though wasn’t too bothered by it at the moment. He was intensely focused on the Gems’ location and the men after it. 

As well as something else. 

The door was pushed open by someone–one of Ratchet’s crew who had survived the Lost Isles and escaped prison with the others. “Killian, if you don’t mind,” Hypno-Potamus said as he entered. “Your guys out there are getting riled up, they’re itching for a fight with Copperbottom and Sinbad’s crew. But if you’re concerned, we have other weapons we can use to fight them off so we can get the Gems.” 

Killian hummed as he got up from the table. “Does your men care about the many, many, many weapons useful against them?” 

As he walked outside to the upper deck overlooking the entire ship, two guys brawling about nearly bumped into him and Hypno-Potamus but managed to roll away in time for them to pass. “Well, you said if we get the Gems, you can pay us as well as help us get payback on them, right?” The mutant hippo asked nervously. 

“Oh, yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Killian smirked darkly. Once Hypno-Potamus was dismissed as well as accidentally pulled into the fight, Killian stared on out into the open oceans. 

Yet his dark grin still remained. 

“And I hear that there’s a fine reward for the return of the fair Princess…” he mumbled to himself as a gray-colored creature leaped up onto his shoulder with red-blood eyes. 


Meanwhile, the shared ship had docked beside an island with trees covering the top so they can restock before they continue on. Out of all the islands she had come across, Blue had that feeling about this place. She couldn’t understand what it was, but she knew it was bad. 

“Alright, we’re here for 10 minutes tops. You get lost, you get left. Your own problem,” Gabriel explained to the men. 

Sinbad sulked as he examined a broken part of the ship. “How did a group of women do so much damage?” He muttered to himself. 

“Hey, don’t go trash-talking about my wife and cabin girl. They made this mess, they’re gonna fix it,” Rodney lectured him as he walked by. “Ok, boys. Here’s the plan. We’re gonna need a full set of chisels, a jackknife, and about a quart of cut wood. I’m gonna need all these here in less than 10 minutes. No expectations,’ he explained to Kale and the crews. 

“Alright, men, you heard him. Find some logs and be quick about it,” Kale called to the guys. 

Alli, Blue, Marina, and the girls, who had buckets on them, watched Sinbad mourn the ship with disapproving eyes. “Oh, for heaven’s sake! You need a little tree sap, and she’ll be as good as new!” Marina snapped at him. 

“When I want your advice, I’ll…” Sinbad started, only to see the women walk off with their buckets. “Hey, hey, hey! Where do you think you’re going?!” 

“Men are such babies,” Nabel mumbled in annoyance as she walked out of the ship with Anna, Maria, Gia, Cappy, and Piper. 

“No shit. What was your first clue?” Anna remarked slyly. 

Sinbad stared in astonishment when he didn’t get their answer. “Well, fine, at least take someone with you–” he began again but stopped. 

His whole crew surrounded the girls adoringly, eagerly offering their services to help them. 

“Why, thank you,” Marina smiled in gratitude. “How nice to see some men haven’t forgotten a little common courtesy.” 

“Wait, Sinbad and common courtesy? I don’t think they mix,” Blue joked, earning laughs from Chel and Gia. 

“And who says chivalry is dead?” Vanellope joked. 

“Well, that ain’t true. I’ve got my man right here,” Alli smiled and winked at Rodney, who wrapped his arm around her waist in reply. 

“Oh, Alli. You’re acting like a married couple,” Nabel lectured her. 

“They are married, aren’t they?” Matt asked her playfully. 

Nabel opened her mouth to argue but stopped before she nodded. “Alright, fair point.” 

As the men led the women on the island, Sinbad wordlessly mocked Marina’s words just as Kale passed him with a bucket of his own. “Not so fast,” he told his first mate who stopped in his tracks. 

“Well, you know Marina’s right. Tree sap will be perfect for–” 

“Just! Stay with the ship,” Sinbad sternly cut him off before he leaped out of the ship, not even bothering to see Kale smirk and raise an amused eyebrow. 

Birds chirped from above in the skies, which means that there is life on the island. At least, they’re the only ones on the island. Spike barked happily as he ran around. Wonder chirped amazement at the views around him as he sat on Rodney’s shoulder. 

“The ground seems strange to you, doesn’t it?” Nabel asked her sister. 

“Don’t remember the dirt looking like that,” Alli replied. 

Blue yelped when she nearly tripped, but Crash caught her in time and held her in his arms. “Whoa! Hey! I gotcha!” He reassured her. 

Just as she straightened up, their eyes gazed at one another, stopping them in their motions. The blushing on Crash’s face came back the second he felt his body closer to her than he remembered. After a few seconds, he glanced behind her to find Manolo, Tulio, Miguel, and Alex wiggling their eyebrows at him. Crash quickly let go of Blue, yet he stayed close by in case she fell again. 

What they didn’t notice was Rodney’s fond glance at them during their unintentional moment. They remind him so much of him and Alli when they were younger. 

“I already said thank you! That’s what this was about, isn’t it?” Sinbad asked Blue as he jogged to catch up with the others. 

“It’s more about repairing the ship,” Blue snarked at him as she approached a tree. “I break something, I can fix it. Uh, knife, please?” 

“Hah! Yeah, right, like I’m gonna give you a weapon?” Sinbad laughed tauntingly. His smug grin dissipated when the men held out their own knives for Blue. 

“Thanks, Rat,” Blue smiled and took Rat’s knife. The latter swung over to where a scowling Sinbad is. 

“You know, you oughtta be a bit more courteous,” Rat chuckled, only to be punched by the Captain. 

“Oh, great. Now I’m getting etiquette lessons from a bilge rat,” Sinbad muttered grumpily. 

“Well, she and the women did save the ship, Captain,” Luca added. 

“Thank you, Luca,” Blue smiled at him sweetly. 

“And now they are helping to fix it,” Manolo chimed in. Blue sliced open the tree and held the bucket over the sap to gather it. 

“And very handy, I say,” Jin agreed, his brother nodding. “And brave.” 

“This…girl wouldn’t know how to fix a broken fingernail!” Sinbad ranted, gesturing to Blue. 

The younger girl scowled and whipped around to face him. “Honestly, you are the most boorish, pig-headed man I’ve ever met! And you don’t even know all the shit I had to go through!” 

“Hey, kid! I’ve seen the high-class boys you hang around with…” he chuckled smugly. “…and I’m the only man you and Marina here ever met.” 

As he turned to walk away, Blue’s eye twitched with fury. Before Rodney could stop her, she threw her sap-filled bucket with a grunt at Sinbad, hitting him in the head and covering him in slime. His crew winced as Manolo, Migo, Alex, and Ralph gasped in shock. Gabriel’s eyes widened as Anna covered her mouth. The women and Nabel grinned amusedly as Marina stared on impressed. Wonder laughed while Spike, Kozmo, the mice, and Mayhem gaped astonished. 

Sinbad slowly turned around with a dark glare at Blue. The younger woman only whistled innocently, her hands behind her back. The man in red smirked a second later and began to scoop up some mud. 

“Oh, no…no…no!” Marina instantly pulled Blue out of the way and was hit with the mud that Sinbad was meant to throw at the blue-eyed girl. Blue yelped, covering her mouth in horror as the others looked on with anxiousness. 

“Five on Marina,” Li softly said with his brother. 

Marina, her face caked with mud, growled and wiped off the brown substance from her face. “You…egotistical…” 

“You spoiled…” Sinbad started. 

“...disrespectful, propentous…” Marina picked up a crab that squeaked with fright. 

“...Deluded…” 

“...hapless, self-centered…” she threw the crab at him, but he ducked down in time. 

“...high-and-mighty…” Sinbad was suddenly hit by a rock in the forehead. 

“...untrustworthy, ungrateful, impossible, insufferable…” Marina continued to throw things from the ground at him, who darted out of the way in time. 

“At least I’m not repressed!” Sinbad then got in her face. 

“Repressed?! I’ll show you repressed!” Marina narrowed her eyes at him. She then picked up a large rock plate and was about to bring it down on him…

The ground suddenly trembled underneath them and the crews. The plant life instantly shrunk back to the ground on its own as birds flew off in a panic. 

“What the hell?” Rodney mumbled confusedly. 

Blue turned around behind her and shrieked when she saw something. When the crews heard her, they noticed the sun swinging around. 

At least they thought it was the sun. 

A large tree held a big light towards them, who froze upon seeing it. 

“Put it back,” Sinbad whispered to Marina. She chuckled nervously and dropped the rock plate. 

The ground beneath them rumbled again, but something opened up under the crews. Blue and Marina both yelped and nearly fell when a large eyeball opened up, leaving two halves of the group standing on the eyelids on each side. 

Sinbad and Rodney yelled as they steadied themselves. Alli and Nabel held Blue to prevent her from falling over, with Vanellope holding onto her leg. Migo had managed to grab a yelping Percy tenderly and held him close. 

Rat was not so lucky, for he fell on top of the eyeball and groaned in disgust. Spike barked unfazed and began licking the eyeball liquids, with Rat groaning and Wonder attempting to not vomit. 

The eye instantly moved to face Rat, Blue, and half of the crews. They all screamed as the eyeball moved to Sinbad, Rodney, and the rest, who also shrieked in terror. 

It was at that moment they understood. 

They were standing on top of a fish island. 

The creature roared as it rose up from the waters. 

“Run!” Sinbad shouted. 

“Go! Go, go, go, go!” Rodney called as he took Alli by her hand and pulled her along with him. The crews and others didn’t hesitate to follow behind. 

“It’s a fish!” 

“It’s a big fish!” 

Manolo shouted in panicked Spanish as he carried Maria bridal-style, with Joaquin leaping over the ‘rocky’ ground and keeping up with them. Crash and Blue ran hand in hand so they wouldn’t lose one another. 

Kale walked along on the deck, looping a rope. “Kale!” Sinbad’s shout brought him, Carl, Drax, and the Rusties to glance up to find the light following the running crews. “KALE!” 

Kale’s confusion dissipated when he and the others were knocked down by the ship lurching forward. They were horrified to find the fish’s fin slapping down into the water and pushing the ship farther away. 

As the crews continued their desperate escape, Rodney looked back, only for his eyes to widen when the water was coming in after them. “Sinbad, it’s going under!” He shouted to Sinbad. 

Crash and Blue were ahead of the crews as they approached an open gill. “Jump!” Crash shouted. At his command, they both jumped over the open edge. Mid-jump, Blue crashed into him, sending them falling to the other side. Once they stumped tumbling, Crash was quick to check her over for any injuries. 

Their soft moment was short-lived when they saw the crew jumping from the other side of the gill and towards them. Crash braced himself and Blue for the impact, which came in a second later. The crews collided with the two teens and slid down the fin towards the open water. 

Sinbad shoved a screaming Rat off of them. “KALE!” He shouted. 

“Got it!” Kale steered the ship close enough to catch the crews. 

The groups shouted as they flew off the fin, with Sinbad grabbing Marina, Crash with Blue, and Rodney with Alli. With Matt holding Nabel, the crews grabbed onto the ropes of the ship, catching them in time. The three couples each grabbed a rope of their own and maneuvered to the deck, landing safely beside Kale. 

“Veer off, Kale!” Sinbad ordered. 

“The star!” Marina yelled. 

Sure enough, the star appeared in the night sky that had changed during the escape off of the fish island, which dove below the water with its ‘sun’. 

“Hold your heading!” Blue commanded before she jumped off the deck. 

“Blue, what are you doing?!” Rodney called to her, but she was already on her plan. 

She grabbed a grappling hook and handed the one end to Rat. “Rat, tie it off, now!” 

Rat stammered in disbelief, nonetheless tied it securely, as she rushed to the front of the ship. Blue tossed the grappling hook, which snagged the fish scales with ease. Knowing that this would be a fast lurch, she looped the rope around her wrist. “Everyone, hang on!” 

Before anyone can comprehend, the line tightened, and the ship instantly sped from the fish’s velocity. 

“Wait!” Rat shouted in warning. 

Sinbad yelled as he fell backward, save from Rodney, Alli, Marina, Nabel, and Matt, who had ropes looped around their arms at the ready. Crash wasn’t lucky, either, as he fell backward and hit the wall with a grunt. When he glanced up, Blue laughed genuinely, with her hair flowing against the wind. 

Crash dreamily beamed at her. Her laughter was sweeter than the Sirens’ song. Hearing her made his heart soar…

Meanwhile, Sinbad watched Marina laugh as she clasped onto her rope. He stared at her with a growing smile. He had never heard her laugh this genuinely before…

As the fish quickened under the water, the ship bounced violently from riding the waves left behind at the wake. Sinbad whooped with glee as he stood at the front of the ship. Blue tugged Crash with her and held on tightly to a rigging at the side of the vessel. The two laughed and cheered excitedly, with Blue shooting her arms in the air. Rodney chuckled, his arm around Alli, who smiled tenderly, and his other looped around the rope, while he watched them soak up the thrill of the ride. 

With the star in their sight, the crews soared through and over the waves of the fish’s tail at great speed. 

Eris and Maravillas, here we come, Blue thought with determination. 


With the stars disappearing behind the rising sun and blue skies, the ship continued to bounce hard from the waves as the fish continued on its peaceful journey. With each passing hour, the laughter died down, replaced by green faces and nauseousness. The tossing of the boat was starting to get to the crews. 

“Sinbad! The men can’t take much more!” Kale shouted from the mast as he held onto it. 

“I can’t…” Sinbad nearly retched as he clung to the rigging. “...can’t take much more, either!” 

“I don’t think we all can! Cut the line!” Rodney ordered. 

Alex was quick to cut the line, freeing the boat from the fish’s long run. The ship was soon set on smoother sailing as the fish swam off with no hook or ship.

Chapter 35: How It All Started

Notes:

Word Count: 957

Chapter Text

The crews all groaned as some of them leaned over the side of the ship, though all of them were all sickly green from the numberless bouncing and fast speed. The creatures weren’t any better. While Wonder moaned with Mayhem retching over the side, Spike hiccuped, a booger bubble appearing from his nose as he began to gag. 

“Aw, no, Spike!” Mikey yelled, catching his brothers and the crews’ attention. 

“No, please! No, no, no, no…!”

“Whoa, hold on, no!” 

Spike unfortunately threw up, which made them all groan. “Oh, Spike!” 

Sinbad sat up from the rigging on the deck above them, not much better off than them and Rodney, who held his stomach to soothe it. 

“Hey, where’d he get the carrots?!” Manolo demanded. 

Alli nearly gagged as she covered her mouth, with Nabel standing near the rig to steady herself. Crash, meanwhile, retched and coughed over the side of the ship, with Blue rubbing his back soothingly. Sinbad soon found his legs again and sat on the bench, rubbing his head. 

“It was all your idea, kid,” he jokingly told her. 

“I know,” Blue admitted, her other hand in front of her mouth. “And I know that I owe you and Marina lunch.”

Sinbad glanced at Marina, who had sat next to him, and beamed softly at her, earning a smile in return. Blue noticed that and beamed knowingly. It was obvious that they were getting closer. 

Her attention turned to something ahead of them. “Look!” she exclaimed, pointing at it. 

Sinbad and Marina glanced in the direction. “Here we are. The Granite Gates,” Sinbad stated. 

The ship approached an abandoned stone fortress that stood in the middle of the oceans. 

“I’d never thought you’d get us this far, kid,” he proudly teased. 

“No, we didn’t, either,” Marina chuckled. “But Proteus did. For some reason, he trusts you.” 

“Yeah, well, we’re both royals from different kingdoms. He’s known me since I was a kid,” Blue chuckled. “It’s really hard to leave it all behind, even if it means still retaining your freedom…and finding a hidden tale.” 

Sinbad understood what she meant and bitterly laughed. “Yeah, what could he be thinking?” He muttered as he leaned over the rail, facing the water. 

“How did you guys ever meet?” Blue asked him, stepping up next to him. 

Sinbad glanced at her and Marina before he smiled. “Running for my life as usual…” he hopped up onto the railing of the deck above dramatically. He took a knife from a tangle of rope and gripped it heroically while keeping the rope in his hand. “A couple of thugs had me cornered outside the palace walls. I was trapped…” he let go of the rope and let the sail flutter down in the wind. “A sword at my throat, at my chest, at my…” 

“Pickles and eggs!” One of the crew members popped up from below with a bowl of eggs and a pickle in his mouth and distracted the three from their conversation. The crews all groaned from the thought of food after a long day of nausea. 

Sinbad looked down at where he held the knife in between his legs. He cleared his throat and tossed it aside before Blue and Marina could notice. “Well, you get the idea,” he continued and sat down on the railing. “And then suddenly, there was a fourth blade. It was Proteus. You see, he’d watched it all from his room at the palace. He actually climbed down the castle wall to fight at my side, and, boy, did we fight! It was like we rehearsed it. We were best friends from that day forward.” 

“And Rodney?” Blue prodded. When he didn’t answer, she scooted a bit more and rested her chin on her hands with an eager smile. 

Sinbad chuckled at her enthusiasm. She must be holding great affection for him, which explains she looks up to him a lot. “When he was still a kid, he had a knack for building and inventing things…still does. First met him on his first ambush on another ship. I was so close to getting the prize, but he was one step ahead of me. We ran into one another a couple of times whenever we were in the thick of it. He’d win some…I’d win others. Since then, we were sort of enemies…but he was and still is a damn good pirate.” 

Blue’s eyes shone with admiration at the story of Rodney. She had no idea how incredible he and his crew in past adventures. 

“So…what happened with you and Proteus?” Marina inquired next. 

Sinbad’s smile faltered. He went to speak but stopped for a moment. 

Blue became concerned. “What?” She asked gently. 

Sinbad hopped off the banister with a sorrowful frown. “We…took different paths,” he replied before he walked off. 

Marina furrowed her eyebrow with worry as Blue’s eyes then softened. They glanced at one another, then back at him. 


Back in Tartarus, Eris watched it all happen through one of the bubbles that floated around as she sat in a bubble bath-like cosmos. With each passing second, Blue and her friends were getting closer to Maravillas. They were getting better than she believed, but she wasn’t going down without a battle yet. 

“Enough talking,” Eris droned with an eye roll. “Time for some screaming,” she schemed with a devilish grin, her eyes lighting up with mischief. 

She took the bubble showing Blue and Marina and breathed on it, which iced over from her breath. Taking it in her hand, she shook it as if it was a snow globe and held it up as a snowstorm brewed, and the shadow of a giant owl-like bird appeared behind the roaring snow.

Chapter 36: Daring Rescue

Notes:

Warning: language

Word Count: 3,782

Chapter Text

The crews didn’t know what happened. One moment they were sailing through the Granite Gates, and the next thing they knew, ice and snow instantly rushed in, freezing everything over. The temperature dropped rapidly, and the ship lurched to a stop when the ice froze underneath them. Spike’s drool turned to icicles from the sudden burst of cold. 

“Oh, for crying out loud, now what?!” Rodney exclaimed in annoyance. Blue knew who could be responsible for this, yet she never said a thing. 

Sinbad turned around and nearly collided with Kale. “Whoa! Get a shirt on before you poke someone’s eye out,” he muttered jokingly. Kale rolled his eyes in response. 

“Ok, guys! Get down there and break it up! We’ve got to keep moving!” Rodney called to the crews. 

“Anna, Allura, come with me. We’ve got to get warmer clothes for the others,” Alli told Anna and Allura as they made their way up to the storage room. 

Crash turned around and found Blue shivering, her arms wrapped around herself. “Blue, you alright?” 

Blue nodded, her hum shaky. Crash knew it was a lie, but he didn’t want to make things more awkward than he needed. After hesitating for a second, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Blue stopped shivering miraculously, her body melting slightly from the heat surge. 

“Uh, what are you doing?” She asked him confused. 

“I…literally don’t know what else to do here,” Crash answered slowly as he tried to avoid eye contact. “This is—this is the only solution I’ve got.” 

“…it’s nice,” Blue mumbled to him. To be truthful, to be close with Crash is nice and warm. 

Crash felt eyes on him and turned his head to find the crews and Rusties smirking at him in amusement. They had the biggest grins their lips could muster. Wonder and Mayhem sat on Rodney and April’s heads, the dog-cat creature’s tail wagging, as they smirked at the two youngsters. 

Without Blue noticing, Crash glared at them, his eyes ordering them to keep their mouths shut. 

Soon, everyone was bundled up in their winter clothes and began attempting to crack the ice with pickaxes, spears, and swords, anything else sharp they can use. The Rusties had to stay on the ship if the ice did break apart. 

“Steal back the Gems…” Rat shivered and hit the icy ground with the pickaxe. “…we will retire in the tropics…” 

“Why can’t I go down there and help?” Blue, now dressed in the winter wear Nabel had managed to store for her, huffed, her arms crossed over her chest. 

“One, if I remember correctly, I don’t think a princess should do most of the dirty work. Two, if anything happens down there, I don’t want you getting hurt,” Rodney sternly countered to her. 

“Oh, really? Because you thought I was a former princess myself…” Alli smirked flirtatiously as she walked behind him and stepped up next to him. “…I also have to wait on hand and foot rather than help do the work? Is that what you’re trying to say?” 

Blue stifled a giggle, her hand covering her mouth. 

“Uh, well, uh…” Rodney stammered with blushing cheeks. “…it’s not that. It’s that, uh…this is work that is necessary to be done. And right now, I don’t think your help is necessary.” 

“Oh? Then why are you staying on the ship?” Alli held onto her flirtatious smirk as she leaned in closer to him. 

Rodney could only stare at her astounded, his cheeks red, before he cleared his throat. “I wanted to make sure that you, the girls, or Blue don’t get hurt.” 

“Oh, you’re saying that we’re just damsels in distress?” Alli added with a devious smirk. 

“Uh, no, no. That’s not what I was saying here…” 

“Oh, she got you good, dude!” Hunk smirked mischievously at Rodney. Lance, Pidge, and Keith cackled wildly, the mullet-haired man and the brown-haired lad holding onto one another. 

Blue giggled, her hand barely covering her mouth. Wonder chittered out a laugh as he sat on her shoulder. Crash stared at her lovingly, his hand resting against his cheek. Her laughter sounded like bells from the heavens…

Spike barking warningly interrupted their conversation. Sinbad, Rodney, and Shiro paused when they heard him. Gabriel had also heard him and ceased his conversation with Carl, who started to become terrified from the warning barks. The crews stopped when they sensed something wasn’t right. 

Marina pulled off her hood as she stood at the front of the ship. Spike rushed up beside her and kept on barking warningly. Alli pulled Blue close to comfort her, with Allura, Anna, Maria, Chel, Gloria, Aviva, and Gia beside her. 

“Stay behind me, your Majesty,” Calhoun ordered Nabel and pulled out her weapon before scanning the area for any danger. 

A white wisp flew from one peak to the other in the distance. Rodney tried to get a closer look at it as Sinbad studied it before his eyes widened. 

“Paladins, fighting positions!” Shiro called. The Paladins drew out their bayards, which formed into their weapons, The crews took defense stances as they held onto their axes and pickaxes. 

Spike barked again, only to whimper and run off to hide somewhere. Mayhem whimpered, shaking heavily, as April held him in her arms to comfort him. Wonder chittered with fear while he hid behind Rodney’s shoulder. The mice and Kozmo were left on edge as they watched for the wisp. 

“Uh, what was–” Blue never got to finish her sentence. 

A large snowbird suddenly broke through the rocky ruins of the mountain. Rat screamed in panic, dropping his pickaxe. The Roc swooped over the ship lowly and above the now terrified crews. “Look out!” Alli grabbed Blue and ducked down with the others in time to avoid the sharp talons. 

Rodney and Sinbad saw the Roc flying around as it scanned the crew members. “Every, back on the ship! Now!” Rodney shouted. 

The crews instantly sprinted for the ship as they slipped and staggered towards safety. 

“Hurry!” Marina called. 

“Come on! Come on, move faster!” Kale yelled. 

While most of the crew made it, Jed was the only one that the Roc had spotted. He tossed his goggles aside and ran as fast as he could with the Roc closing in on him. He noticed water that was broken up from the ice and dove in without hesitation. Despite the fact that Roc had barely missed him, Jed yelled in pain underwater from the ice-sting. 

The Roc roared and grabbed some parts of the Rocky ruins, which caused rocks to tumble down, before going back around for another grab. 

Marina rushed up to the front of the ship when she saw Jed had disappeared under the water. “Jed!” She shouted. 

A second later, Jed popped up from the freezing cold water and struggled to climb out through an ice chunk. Blue rushed in to grab a pile of rope and threw it to Jed. “Grab the rope!” 

Jed grabbed it with ease as Blue began to work on tying it up securely. However, the Roc saw her now in the open and swooped in for the grab. 

Sinbad had managed to help Rodney pull in Kale and Alex on the boat before they saw Blue working on helping Jed. “Rat, your hand!” Kale then moved to help Rat aboard. 

Rodney glimpsed the Roc flying towards Blue, who tied the rope to the front of the ship. His eyes widened with terror. “Blue!” He shouted. 

“Watch out!” Crash cried with fear. 

The younger girl heard them and spun around just as the Roc reached its claws out to catch her. She was frozen in place until Alli shoved her out of the way in time. Unfortunately, she got caught in the Roc’s claws instead. 

“Alli!” Nabel screamed. 

Rodney bolted over to leap up and grab Alli’s hand as the Roc carried her away. However, he was forced to let go when his body slammed into the railing, grunting in agony. His grip slipped off of her hand, and he was compelled to watch helplessly as the Roc flew off with her towards the highest peak of the rocky ruins. 


At the top of the tallest rocky tower, the Roc dropped Alli in the snow. The red-haired woman grunted as she rolled across the snowy earth. At the sound of the Roc landing near her, Alli sat up and gasped when the snowbird roared, setting its sights on her. 

Alli scrambled off the ground and rushed as fast as she could, but the Roc, clearly faster than her, leaped in the air and pinned her down with its talons. Alli struggled to break free to no avail. The Roc roared and grabbed what he thought was Alli in her coat, biting it and flinging it around. When it bit into it, it felt it was empty and tossed the coat aside before it started digging for Alli. 

She staggered to her feet and ran to an icy tunnel and dove into it while the Roc was distracted. Glancing through one of the holes, she watched the Roc before she pressed herself further against the walls. 

She hadn’t been a damsel in distress in a long time, and now she’s trapped. She’s got to find a way out of this…


Down below, Rodney readied himself to save Alli. This wasn’t the first time he had to save her, but he already knew what he was doing. 

“Rat! Don’t let the blocks freeze over!” he ordered Rat as he tied daggers to his feet. 

“Aye, aye, Cap’n!” 

“And Migo!” Rodney added as he straightened up. 

“Aye!” Migo stood up in question. 

“Gimme a hug?” Rodney beamed, his arms outstretched. 

“Uh, excuse me?!” Migo stammered in confusion as Rodney hugged him. 

However, Rodney only grabbed the two knives from behind him and stepped back with a smirk. Migo chuckled amused. 

“You better bring my sister back, or I will end you,” Nabel sternly warned Rodney. 

“Well, I never break promises, do I?” He smirked at her. 

He kicked up a shield and placed it on his back before he ran to the front of the ship. Kicking open a harpoon that was installed before the beginning of the journey, he aimed it at the exact spot of the tower. He tied the ropes around his waist and hands, his eyes narrowing with determination. 

Sinbad whistled for Spike, who barked and pulled the trigger for the harpoon. Rodney followed the rope that flew from the spear shot out of the harpoon and put a dagger in his teeth. Running towards the front end and jumping up for more momentum, he flew in the air as the crews watched him soar towards the tower. 

The spear made its mark on the cliff. As he neared the walls of the tower, Rodney pulled out the two daggers, bracing himself for the impact. Upon hitting the snowy wall face and body first, he grunted, his groan muffled underneath the snow. He had managed to hold himself with the daggers on his feet and hands, albeit with some snow on his face. He shook it off with a growl, sputtering and spitting out the snow, before he started his slow ascent. 

“Oh, Blue couldn’t see the bird?” he muttered to himself in agitation. “Everyone else saw it. It’s big as a fuckin’ ship! But, Blue…she was looking the other way. And Alli? Not a damsel in distress my ass…” 


The Roc snarled as it continued to search for its capture in the rocks and snow. Alli remained hidden behind the tunnel while she tried to come up with a good plan on how to get around the freaking bird. She had managed to get away from it, but she knew it won’t be long until it finds her again. 

A gloved hand suddenly grabbed her and covered her mouth, pulling her backward and sending a softened yelp from her. In reflex, Alli suddenly swung at the person holding her, only to hear a muffled shout of pain she knew damn well. She spun around in a flash with wide eyes. She gasped, covering her mouth, when she saw Rodney, now holding his nose in agony. 

“Oh, shit! Sorry, love! Sorry, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know!” Alli rambled quietly with worry as she moved his hand to examine his face. 

“Nah, it’s my fault, since I’m rescuing you anyway…” Rodney brushed off her worries as he moved his nosed to soothe the pain. “Plus, I think I deserve it…” 

Alli saw the Roc coming towards where they were hiding and quickly grabbed Rodney by the hand to take him to the other side of the tunnel, just before the Roc’s talons crushed where they used to be. They pressed themselves against the walls of their new hiding place as the roc continued to search for her. 

“Alright, so, how are we gonna get down from here?” Alli quietly asked. 

“Alright, uh, shield, daggers, tower, snow…” Rodney mumbled to himself. He had been in such a hurry to save his wife he didn’t have enough time to form a plan. “I’m thinking about it, alright?” 

“You…you mean to tell me…that you climbed a thousand-foot tower of ice…and not have a plan?!” Alli nearly bellowed, but Rodney quickly shushed and covered her mouth to keep her from yelling. At that moment, the roc roared as it stomped past their hiding place. 

Once Rodney removed his hands from her mouth, Alli sighed after she calmed down. “Alright, alright. So what do we have to work with? Ropes?” She asked hopefully. 

Rodney rose his eyebrows with a grin. “...no,” he answered sheepishly. 

“Grappling hooks?” 

“Yea…no.” 

“Your swords?” She asked pleadingly. 

Rodney grunted in aggravation before his eyes lit up. “Hey! I got this!” He held up one of Migo’s daggers. 

“Oh, great. He can pick his teeth when he’s done with us,” Alli said deadpanned. 

“Okay. See, in the hands of an expert, a good knife has over 1,001 uses,” Rodney boasted proudly as he twirled the knife around. However, at one point, he flipped it too hard, which sent it flying and hitting the ceiling of the tunnel. 

In an instant, the ice tunnel crackled, then broke, leaving Rodney and Alli out in the open. The Roc perked up and listened closer. Alli glared at her husband hard, her scowl appearing with her grunt of anger. Rodney chuckled sheepishly before he turned towards the Roc and gasped. 

The Roc turned around in a flash and roared once it saw the two. 

“RUN!” Rodney grabbed Alli by the arm and pulled her along with him as they both started running. The Roc instantly gained chase after them. Its talons stomped after them as they sprinted as fast as they could. 

“Run! Faster!” 

Alli yelled when she saw the Roc taking flight as it crashed into a small hill. She then saw the edge of the cliff, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach. “Wa–wait! What?!” 

“Just jump! Jump!” At Rodney’s shout, the two leaped and fell down the side of the cliff, with the Roc missing them as it flew over. Alli shrieked as they free-fell down towards the earth. 

With quick movements, Rodney had managed to wrap his arm around her waist while shifting the shield from his back to underneath him. With Alli on his lap, he landed on the shield when it first hit the side of the mountain before they started sliding down the snowy, bumpy terrain. 

“I think we lost him!” Rodney yelled. 

Alli glanced ahead and gasped with terror. “I don’t think so!” 

Sure enough, the Roc flew in front of their path. 

“Heads down!” Rodney quickly grabbed the shield from underneath and held it over him and Alli. 

The Roc went to bite them, only to hit the shield and rather the two. Rodney yelped as he was now sliding on the freezing ground, the snow going up to his shirt, before he shifted the shield under him again. Alli yelped as the ruins began to crumble down from the Roc’s hard impact. Debris fell behind them and barely missed them. Rodney used his body to steer the shield away from the fallen debris and safely maneuver around. As the last bit of the ruins fell behind them, the two laughed triumphantly and glanced at one another. 

But a rock from one of the ruins fell in their path, and they were too late to notice it. They both yelled before they hit the rock and shot in the air, flying over the Roc that missed them as it flew. They landed roughly and focused on the path ahead again after glancing at one another bewildered. Alli screamed when the Roc came back in their path and roared at them. 

Rodney was able to find an open cavern off to the side. His eyes lit up at an idea. 

“Lean right!” He yanked Alli by her shirt in the right direction. 

The Roc missed them again as they banked hard towards the opening. Rodney maneuvered up to his feet and pulled Alli up with him. She nearly fell over at the new angle, but he was able to catch her and yanked her back against his chest. They slid inside through the cavern opening and managed to stop themsleves right at the edge of a sheer drop. Alli sighed in relief as Rodney drooped in reassurance. 

The moment didn’t last long. The Roc screeched and broke through the cavern opening. Alli shrieked as the snowbird closed in on them. 

“Jump!” Rodney grabbed Alli, and they both avoided the Roc again as they fell down the slope of the cavern. 

They jumped with the shield over a gap, with Rodney grabbing the shield to keep it from falling off and sticking the landing on the other side. The Roc didn’t slow down as it chased them down through the ice pillars, unable to use its wings with no room around. 

Rodney frantically glanced around until he found a bit of light to Alli’s side. They’ve got only one shot at this. He took out the dagger out from his side. 

“Hold on!” He called to Alli. 

He stabbed the knife on the frozen ground and used his strength to propel them to spin around. Alli yelped and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Once he knew that they were in the right direction, Rodney let go of the dagger, with the speed sending them straight towards the exit. The Roc screeched and followed them behind, getting closer and closer to them. Just as it was about to catch them, the ruins collapsed on it, crushing it to death. 

The implosion from the ruins sent the two flying and bursting from the cavern as rocks flew out through the opening. Rodney and Alli screamed as they free fell towards the ship below.

The crew members glanced up when they heard familiar cries. “Rodney!” Blue shouted. 

“Yup, there they are,” Kale hummed casually. 

“Called it!” Leo beamed proudly and took the coins that Donnie had handed. Martin and Chris smirked as they caught the coins that Jin and Li tossed to them. 

Rodney and Alli yelled as they fell and smacked into one of the large sails, tearing it down in the process. The masts luckily broke their fall. They both grunted as they hit the ground, with Rodney having used his body to shield Alli from the impact. He winced with a groan and got up, now hovering over Alli, who laugh with a small grin. 

“Was it exactly like you planned?” She teased him. 

“Well…” Rodney clicked his tongue in thought. “...not exactly.” 

Alli giggled and smashed her lips against his, catching him by surprise for a moment before he returned it. Their moment was stopped as the mast was lifted off of them, and they were met with faces they knew well. 

“They made it!” Mikey cried, which spurred the crews to shout with victory. Nabel and Blue rushed in through the others and tackled Rodney and Alli individually in a tight hug, the two sisters holding on tightly to each other and the younger girl’s arms around Rodney’s waist. 

“Thank God you’re safe!” Marina and the girls charged in and trapped the two sisters in a strong group hug. 

“We thought you were gone forever!” Rat sobbed as he hugged Alli once the women pulled away. The auburn-curled woman chuckled and patted him on the head. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t see the bird coming at me. I didn’t mean any of this to happen,” Blue tearfully buried her head in Rodney’s chest. 

“Hey, c’mon, squirt. I don’t blame you. You were just saving Jed. Besides, it’s just a small broken back. Nothing that can’t fix it,” Rodney reassured her. 

As he stretched his back, rumbling came from behind the ship. He and the others turned around to find rocks from the ruins tumbling down the slope of the snow-covered tower. The rocks cracked through the frozen waters, breaking it apart in the process and freeing the ship from the icy trap. 

The crews suddenly cheered, with Blue screaming in excitement the loudest and Crash spinning her around by the waist. Miguel and Tulio high-fived and chest-bumped one another before the raven-haired man spun Chel around by her hips. 

Maria cried in elation and laughed as Manolo kissed her all over her face. Gia squealed, hugging Vitaly and Stefano, and the Penguins high-fived each other in victory. Migo and Percy kissed one for a brief few moments before they embraced each other in celebration. The S.E.S. had each other trapped in a bear hug. 

The Mad Dogs and April whooped in giddiness as Mayhem mewled with joy. Wonder danced around with Spike, who barked happily. 

Sinbad took a moment to glance back at Marina and smiled softly at her. She noticed him and returned the gesture, her arms around herself. After all their ruins, he just couldn’t stop keeping away from her. She was getting back into his heart, and, for the first time, he wasn’t even bothered by it. 

Rodney saw the smile he was giving and nudged him in the arm, wiggling his eyebrows at him teasingly. Sinbad, rolling his eyes playfully, lightly shoved him aside, prompting Rodney to laugh softly. 

With the Land of Wonders getting closer, Blue knew there’s still enough time to get to the Gems.

And Eris is not going to stop her, no matter how much she tries.

Chapter 37: Midnight Lullabies

Notes:

Warning: mentions of death, brief mentions of killing an animal

Word Count: 1,650

A/n: I listened to Mat and Savanna Shaw's cover of Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips and fell in love with it, so I had to add it

Chapter Text

The stars were so beautiful tonight, and the skies, now a dark shade of blue, were peaceful. The seas were calm, which made it easier for the ship to sail smoothly. The winds were also nice enough, which gives the crew some fresh air to inhale for as long as they can. 

Blue rested her chin on the railing, her hands underneath, as she stared out at the waters. She had hoped to see a green tail, maybe a head of red again, but as the hours passed, there was no sign of her anywhere. She sighed, nearly leaning her head to the side. 

“Something bothering you, Blue?” Manolo’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. She turned to see him strumming his guitar as he sat next to her on another barrel. 

“It’s just..been a long day,” Blue fibbed. To be fair, it had been a long day trying to get out of the Granite Gates while it was frozen over, but she didn’t want to admit to the others how she met Ariel. 

“Yeah, it has,” Miguel piped in as he played some note on his lute. “Still can’t figure out how the snowstorm came out of nowhere. The point is we got out, and we are making good progress.”

Manolo chuckled. “Yeah, we are. And as far as I know, we’re already one step ahead of those Damagers. I’d like to see them try to find their way around the Granite Gates.” 

Blue also chuckled along with them. She was already imagining their faces when they saw the remaining snow and fallen rocks in their path from the Roc’s ambush the second they arrive. Her eyes then landed on Manolo and Miguel simultaneously laying their guitars together, their sounds breaking apart the silence for a moment. 

“How long have you guys been doing this? Long ago, I mean?” Blue softly asked. 

While Miguel continued to play his lute, Manolo took a moment to stop and glance at her before he smiled fondly at the memory. “I was still young when I began to play the guitar. My mama encouraged me to keep playing, but my father was a bullfighter, like my family line before him, so he wanted me to be one like them. But at the same moment, I feel like it was terrible to kill the bull. It’s wrong, just as much as it feels like it.” 

“So what happened?” Blue inquired. 

“Didn’t want to live up to my father’s expectations, even if it meant shaming my family, so I ran away. Though I missed Joaquin and Maria terribly,” Manolo continued, his smile a bit discontent. “I did write to them daily, almost as much as I can. I ended up meeting Rodney and the others on my second month away from home. I told my story to them, and they took me in. Treated me as if I was one of their own.” 

“And your father?” 

“Found out he passed away protecting the town from bandits, and Joaquin did the rest. They said he died with regrets that he should have been a better parent, but I knew he only wanted what was best for me.” 

“...I’m really sorry,” Blue softened, her frown full of remorse. 

“Nah, don’t be. It wasn’t your fault,” Manolo chuckled, albeit solemnly. “A few of us also lost our parents when we were younger or while we were gone. We weren’t able to get back since we’re far from our homes, but we did send our condolences to remember them. Plus, I knew how you felt after you lost your grandpa.” 

Blue’s heart ached when the memory of her grandfather came up. She never got the chance to see him again, to say goodbye when he was banished from Maplebarrow. She’d never be able to see him again because of what her father had done, because of his prejudice and cruelty. 

She nodded but managed to wipe away her tears before they could even form. “Yeah…that’s true. He was my hero, the man I wanted to be like when I got older…” 

“Did he teach you how to play, too?” Miguel asked her next. 

“He used to, but after my father banished him, he also prevented me from playing again,” Blue replied with a broken frown. “It’s just been so long since I last played…” 

Manolo and Miguel looked at one another before they beamed at one another when an idea came up. “Well, maybe we can remedy that,” Miguel suggested. 

Blue turned to face them again with surprised eyes. “I–I don’t know. I haven’t played in a while. Besides, I never played in front of an audience before, aside from my grandpa and mother…” 

“Give it a try. I’ll be your first audience,” Manolo handed her the guitar. Blue glanced at it, then at him with hesitation. 

Manolo smiled at her kindly. His eyes encouraged her to play anything. There were no verbal words for this. 

Blue sighed and held the guitar the same way she watched him beforehand. 

With a deep inhale, she started playing. 

The chords were smooth from her fingertips. The sounds echoed across the night, breaking away the silence in the air. 

“When life leaves you high and dry, I’ll be at your door tonight, if you need help, if you need help.” Her voice was soft in the beginning as she continued. “I’ll shut down the city lights. I’ll lie, cheat, I’ll beg and bribe to make you well, to make you well.” 

Manolo watched her patiently and kindly, his hand that had formed into a fist resting against his face. He never knew she could play this well. Miguel sat next to her on a barrel and began playing his lute along with her. 

“When enemies are at your door, I’ll carry you away from war, if you need help, if you need help,” Blue continued, her voice gradually getting louder. “Your hope dangling by a string, I’ll share in your suffering to make you well, to make you well…”

As she resumed playing, the crew overheard her and watched with amazement. Rodney beamed fondly at her skill, his arm around Alli’s waist. 

“Give me reasons to believe that you would do the same for me…”  

Sinbad watched from the helm as he steered the ship. His eyes studied how well Blue strummed the guitar. Her voice rang across the night air. 

“And I would do it for you, for you. Baby, I’m not moving on, I’ll love you after you’re gone. For you, for you. You will never be alone, I’ll love you long after you’re gone. And long after you’re gone, gone, gone…” 

For a moment, Blue felt like she was playing a song with her grandfather and mother teaching her with patience and love. A faint smile formed as she continued. 

“When you fall like a statue, I will be there to catch you, put you on your feet, you on your feet. And if your well is empty, not a thing will prevent me, tell me what you need, what do you need.”

A tear began to form. She tried so hard to ignore it as memories of her grandfather and mother came to light. 

“I surrender honestly, you’ve always done the same thing for me. So I would do it for you, for you. Baby, I’m not moving on, I’ll love you long after you’re gone. For you, for you. You will never be alone, I’ll Love you long after you’re gone. And long after you’re gone, gone…”

Crash watched with loving eyes, his arms folded across his chest. He had no idea she’d sounded this beautiful, even more than the Sirens’ song of spell, but now…he’s fallen for her harder than he remembered. 

“You’re my backbone, you’re my cornerstone, you’re my crutch when my legs stop moving,” Blue was the only one playing now when Miguel ceased his lute for a short moment. “You’re my headstart, you’re my rugged heart, you’re the pulse that I always needed. Like a drum, baby, don’t stop beating. Like a drum, baby, don’t stop beating. Like a drum, baby, don’t stop beating. Like a drum, my heart never stops beating…”   

“For you, for you. Baby, I’m not moving on, I’ll love you long after you’re gone. For you, for you. You will never be alone, I’ll love you long after you’re gone,” Blue and Miguel played the instruments together again. By then, the crews were moved by her lullaby. “For you, for you. Baby, I’m not moving on, I’ll love you long after you’re gone. For you, for you. You will never be alone, I’ll love you long after you’re gone. And long after you’re gone, gone, gone…” 

Once Miguel had stopped playing, Blue was the only one left as she gradually finished her lullaby. “And long after you’re gone, gone, gone, I’ll love you long after you’re gone, gone, gone…”  

For one moment, even when the crews cheered after her finale, it was just her. 

She, her mother, and her grandfather so many years ago. Long before they had fallen to their fates, long before she lost them and everything she held dear. 

As the memories of her happy moments replayed over and over in her mind, a tearful smile began to form. 

For once, it felt amazing to play again. 

From above the deck, Sinbad, with Rodney, Alli, Marina, and Nabel beside him, watched his crew, Rodney’s men, and the others applaud Blue in her performance. A tender smile plastered itself on his face as he held the wheel. 

“Hey, Rod. Didn’t know your kid plays so well. Did you?” Sinbad took a chance to look at the bluenette Captain. 

Rodney only smiled warmly as he folded his arms. “Nope. Did not know that, either.” 

But now, he knew she was capable of doing so much more.

Chapter 38: Blossoming Romance

Notes:

Word Count: 2,818

Chapter Text

With the days and nights much calmer than the last before them, the crews were able to relax now. 

Blue knew that the journey to the Land of Wonders would be easier now. Eris must have run out of tricks by now, but she can’t let her guard down just yet. She had to stay on high alert, even when the seas are much calmer now. 

Her eyes surveyed the waters below the ship, her hand resting on the side of her face and her arm on the railing. The aurora aurelias danced around the night sky with the stars. Even though she had seen them before, she was still captivated by the beauty of the auroras. 

Crash saw Blue near the railing as he was walking on the practically empty deck. His heart beat faster the longer he stared at her. His cheeks burned the color of a rose. He knew there was a good chance she loved him as well, but he didn’t want to ruin their friendship. 

Manolo, Peter, Alex, Tulio, Miguel, and Migo walked up behind him with smirks on their faces and their hands behind their backs. “Mm-mm-mm. Y’know, there’s a good chance she likes you back,” Miguel nudged Crash on the arm. 

“Ever thought about confessing to her?” Alex, a smirk across his face, leaned in next to Crash. 

The younger man scoffed lightly, shaking his head. “Nah, I couldn’t. I mean, sure, we’ve known each other for a while, maybe even longer, but…”

“So what’s stopping you?” Tulio questioned him. 

Crash opened his mouth to answer, but he was at a loss for words right now. However, he didn’t need to tell the guys. They understood his silence. 

The next thing he knew, he was suddenly shoved to where Blue is standing. “Get up there,” Miguel beamed mischievously. 

Crash nearly fell over, but caught himself in time. After sparing a glance at her back facing him, he took a moment to face the five men. Migo nodded and gave him two thumbs-up while Alex made a shoo motion at him. The green-eyed man looked back at Blue and sighed deeply before he stepped forward. 

Meanwhile, up on the upper deck, Sinbad watched the brown-haired cabin boy approach Blue. His hands held onto the wheel to steer the ship, but he only paid attention to the two teens. 

Once Crash got close to Blue, he cleared his throat, which brought her from the auroras. “Hey,” she greeted him. “I was just watching the night sky.” 

The young man followed her gaze to the dancing lights, his emerald eyes filled with the colors of the aurelias. “Never thought the skies would be so beautiful at night, huh?” 

“I know I’ve seen it all the time…but I would love to be up there, be at one with the stars,” Blue agreed, her hand against her face. 

There was soft silence between the two. For one moment, no word was spoken from either of them. Only the sea waves splashing against the ship and the whales calling from a fair distance. The stars sparkled from Blue’s eyes, dancing along with her ocean blues. Crash had never thought she’d be this beautiful from the light of the moon above. 

“Blue…” Crash was the one who finally broke the short silence between him and Blue. “I know you told us about how you ran away from home…but I…I overheard Allura and the others call you ‘Pandora’. What’s the real story here?” 

Blue turned to face him, only meeting the soft encouragement and concern in his eyes. She had forgotten about how she made up a lie about her being royalty when she first came on the Odyssey to lower the risk of getting caught. But now with the truth of her past being brought up right out of nowhere, it’s really hard to reimagine the life of being unfairly confined, the life of being unloved and mistreated by a corrupt, greedy prince whom she would have been forced to marry. To her, it’s the worst thing that could ever happen to a young royal such as her. 

Blue sighed after a moment of hesitation. “My father hated the seas and pirates for as long as I could remember. He blamed my grandpa for staining the family blood with Gray’s lifeline and forbade him from ever coming back almost 5 years ago. I was devastated, heartbroken, lost without him or my mother. They had shown me a lot of good things about the world beyond Mapplebarrow, and I wanted so bad to explore it all on my own. But…my father refused to let me go. Until Ratchet had revealed it all to me, he never gave a reason why he couldn’t let me leave beyond Mapplebarrow, just leave all responsibility behind. And…I didn’t want to live a life where I was constantly deprived of freedom, of love, of hope and faith, so…I had to get out.” 

Crash didn’t know what to say. He had heard Blue yell at Ratchet from back at the Rusties’ hideout, mostly thought that she had only yelled at him for betraying Rodney and the Odyssey crew, but he had never thought her own father would stoop this low to keep her under his control. 

“Mother and Grandpa wouldn’t want him to do this,” Blue continued, a solemn frown crossing her face. “But my father was willing to keep his crown, his reputation, clean…at the expense of my freedom and life. I just couldn’t forgive him for that, for all the misery I had to go through because of him.”

“...I’m really sorry,” Crash finally said, his eyes soft with remorse. 

Blue’s hand took gentle hold of her pendant as she stared out to the peaceful seas. “I was still little when my Grandpa first told me about the Lost Isles. Before he was forcefully banished, the last thing he told was… ’I’ll be out there one day with you, lass. Seeing all the wonders of the world, finding adventure around the corner. I’ll take you with me one day, and we’ll see it all…’ ” Her other hand reached up to the night aurora-filled sky before it pulled back. 

Crash saw a few tears leaving her eyes as she recalled the memory of her poor grandfather being banished against his will. He just didn’t understand how a parent could cruelly do that to their kid like that. 

“Do you still miss Mapplebarrow?” He asked her. 

Blue didn’t know the answer. On one hand, she missed her mother, her grandfather, Juliet, General Holden, the people who understood and taught her everything she yearned to learn and know. But at the same moment, her father and stepmother had been the ones who drove her away in the first place. They made her feel as if she was just a prisoner to them, an extension of their achievements and goals, just a prize for them to give away by force. 

She sighed and rested her hand underneath her chin. 

Crash pondered about something for a second before his eyes lit up. 

Blue’s thoughts were interrupted when hands tenderly wrapped around her, enclosing her in a soft embrace. Her cheeks burned red as she felt warmth from behind her. “What are you doing?” Her voice was shaky when she asked him. 

“…Dance with me?” Crash asked back. 

Blue’s cheeks were now the color of a pure rose as she spun around to face him. His smile remained there since he didn’t mind seeing her surprised adorableness. 

“Uh, Crash…” Blue stuttered hesitantly. His gentle hold on her hands was enough to calm her down, so she didn’t object any further. 

“Can we take off our shoes?” she asked even when they got to the center of the deck. 

“What for?” Crash implied back. 

“I don’t wanna step on your feet by accident,” Blue replied sheepishly. 

“Aww, you worry about me. That’s adorable.” 

“What? N-no, I’m serious!” 

Crash only laughed lightly as he pulled her in close to him seconds after their shoes were removed and set to the side. With one hand around her waist, his other took a gentle hold of hers. Her palm was warm to his touch, which sent an amiable feeling across his body. Once he knew that her fear had disappeared from her ocean blues, their feet began to move about. 

The Mad Dogs, April, and Mayhem watched the two move around on the deck as if they were in a ballroom with fond, excited smiles. Alex, Manolo, Peter, Tulio, Miguel, and Migo held onto one another with mischievous smirks whenever Crash would occasionally glance at them and silently tell them to not say anything. Up on the upper deck, Sinbad took hold of the wheel and watched the two with fond eyes. 

For a moment, none of them said a word, just soft smiles and shy, yet bright eyes staring at one another. The sea waves splashing against the ship and faint whale callings were the only sounds breaking the silence between them. They were both grateful, unbeknownst to one another, that the deck was empty apart from the Mad Dogs and the guys. 

At one point, Crash spun her around, his hand still holding onto hers, before he pulled her back in. Blue twirled, her dress flowing along with her movements, and returned her hand to his shoulder. In less than an instant, the uneasiness in her had melted away to something more than elation. For the first time since the joyride with Rodney on the tail of the comet, since she first boarded the Odyssey, the joy and adrenaline for freedom sparked within her again. Her smile grew wider with each passing second, her blue eyes shining with fondness towards the brown-haired boy in front of her. 

Not long after, her laughter and Crash’s chuckles followed behind. The starlight from above shone over the deck, with the aurelias adding color to the waters and deck floor. To them, it made things more exciting. Sinbad couldn’t help but fondly smile at the growing bond between them, even as he steered the ship. 

Crash picked Blue up by the waist and spun her around, making her yelp and laugh in an instant. The blonde threw her head back as she laughed wildly before she was set back down. 

“Aww, young love~” Mikey cooed, his hands clasped together. Raph’s eyes were teary-eyed as Donnie nodded his head in approval. Leo playfully gagged while turning away from the scene before him. 

“Never thought this would happen, but it did,” April beamed softly. Mayhem squeaked in reply, his tail wagging in happiness. 

When Marina came up to the deck, she stopped in her tracks to watch Blue and Crash dance about on the main part of the ship. Her fond smile formed on her face as she observed the two teens having the time of their lives. 

Soon, their dance slowed down until their hands had clasped together and their foreheads connected. Their laughter had died down, but the smiles remained on their faces, evident of joy and affection for one another. Their eyes stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity, even though it was just minutes in real life. 

For one moment, it was just them. 

Them in their own world, where there was more than freedom. 

Where there was happiness, thriving life, unconditional love. 

While Migo, Manolo, and Peter squealed with delight, Miguel, Tulio, and Alex nodded at one another in approval and pride. 

Marina beamed softly at the two youngsters before her eyes landed on Sinbad, who had also been watching them bond. With a thoughtful frown, Marina walked up the stairs to the upper deck and glanced off to the side. Sinbad had noticed her approach him, but he didn’t say anything yet, in fear of breaking apart the silence between them. 

Marina was the one to break it first as she sighed and turned to face him with a soft grin. “This life suits you.” 

Sinbad chuckled, his voice monotone. “Well, I wasn’t made for dry land. And neither was Rodney,” he stated with sincerity. He then turned to her with curiosity in his eyes. “And you? Is it the shore…or the sea?”

Marina grinned and walked her way towards him. “I’ve always loved the sea. I even dreamed of a life on it,” she wistfully stared out across the ship before a frown crossed her face. “But it wasn’t meant to be. I have responsibilities in Syracuse.” 

Sinbad shared the same expression as he glanced at her. “You really had to give it up?” He asked her. 

“Yes,” Marina whispered without even facing him. Even though her eyes were facing the seas ahead of her, he could notice her sorrowful glance. 

With a sigh, Sinbad took Marina’s hand, which made her glance up at him in surprise. He smiled at her and guided her to the wheel before he placed her hands on the handles. The dark-haired woman stared up at him again in question, but he only beamed at her in encouragement. With a simple grin, Marina took the wheel and took in the happiness in her eyes. 

“You know, I’ve traveled the world, just like Rodney has,” Sinbad began. “We’ve seen things no man ever has. But nothing…nothing compares to the open sea.”

“And is this what you’ve always wanted?” Marina asked him. 

Sinbad chuckled with a fond beam. “Not really. When we were young, Proteus and I used to talk about joining the Navy and serving Saracus side by side.” His beam chained to a frown. “But as we got older, our lives began to change. He’s a prince, and I’m…well…” 

When he went to glance at her, he only cleared his throat before he continued. “I was never jealous of him, though…until one morning, a ship came into harbor, a ship with his future on it. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.” 

“What was on the ship?” Marina asked in a whisper as she held onto his every word. 

Sinbad turned to her with a sincere glint in his eyes. “You,” he answered seriously. 

Marina’s eyes widened as he kept speaking. “Proteus met you at the dock. I jumped on the first outbound ship and never looked back…until now…” Sinbad then stared at her longingly. 

Marina couldn’t say anything since she processed everything he’s told her. Their hands held onto one another. Sinbad leaned in, but Marina placed her free hand on his chest, stopping him. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t. She’s betrothed to Proteus, she has duties in Syracuse. 

From above in the rat’s nest, Rat and Carl watched the two young lovebirds, Sinbad and Marina. “Aww, sweet romance,” Rat muttered in Italian. 

“I’ll have you know that when I first came onto this ship, I will not interfere with romance,” Carl lectured him. 

As Rat laughed, they turned their attention to the front of the ship again. When they saw what was ahead of them, their smiles dropped gradually. 

A tall bank of fog stood before them, the bottom floating over the waters. 

Rat’s eyes went huge as Carl went to gather his notebook. “Captain!” 

At Rat’s shout, Sinbad and Marina looked away from each other and towards the bank of fog. Crash and Blue also heard them and found themselves facing the condensation before them. 

Just as the ship was about to collide with it, the wall opened up on its own and allowed the vessel to pass through. Once the ship was completely in, the wall closed behind them. Eerie silence surrounded the ship as it continued to sail across the fog. The cold air sent chills across the skins of those on the deck. Crash held Blue close to comfort her. 

Rodney and Alli exited through the door leading to their shared room. When they were met with the gray colors of the mist, their eyes furrowed with confusion. 

“We’re here,” Rodney mumbled. 

For what seemed like minutes, the ship sailed peacefully through the bank. However, the closer sounds of birds calling appeared, the more evident it was they were close. 

As the vessel neared the exit, light fluttered from behind the fog. The crews, having heard Rat’s shout, opened the trapdoor leading below and piled out onto the deck. They squinted their eyes to see better through the growing lights. 

Wonder, Mayhem, Kozmo, the mice, and Spike all gaped in awe as the ship got closer to the end. Blue gasped as Crash’s mouth dropped open. 

“I don’t believe it,” Keith inhaled. 

“My god,” Lance muttered. 

The end of the wall opened up completely, allowing the ship to pass through and letting the light of the sun befall the crews. When the crews saw a large island before them, they all gasped and muttered to one another. 

“Tierra de Maravillas,” Blue whispered.

Chapter 39: Inland Company

Notes:

Word Count: 2,643

Chapter Text

An island, consisting of two parts, the first larger than the last, stood with pride over the vessel. Clouds swirled around the highest mountain, the shadows dancing over the remaining lands. Birds of different colors and shapes called from above as they followed the approaching ship. 

The crews were all trapped in awe and astonishment at the place around them. 

The Land of Wonders. Tierra de Maravillas. The Hidden World. 

It’s all real. 

They have found it. 

Blue saw a swarm of multi-colored butterflies passing her, her smile wide with wonder. In the direction they were flying, a volcano peacefully rested on the large part of the island. 

It is called the Land of Wonders for a reason. 

The sunlight sparkled from somewhere beneath the water. Blue took a moment to stare down and found an array of fish with colors of many in a rainbow swimming under and around the vessel. She laughed lightly and gasped with amazement as the monster-sized fish grazed peacefully past the ship. 

“Pay up. This place is real,” Jin said to Li, who frowned and handed him some coins. 

“Now you know why I keep her in my crew,” Rodney smirked at a dumbfounded Sinbad. 

“The Land of Wonders is real?!” Donnie exclaimed. 

“Why is Blue always right?!” Ralph shouted, still awestruck at the sight before him. 

“Who cares?! We’re here! We made it!” Leo cheered. 

“Drax, get us to shore!” Rodney shouted to Drax. 

“Aye, Captain!” Drax laughed in victory. 

Blue stared at the star above the volcano. It was still there, after everything the crews had gone through together. 

“Follow the star over the island…” she repeated to herself and laughed quietly. 

They have made it. They’ve really made it…

It wasn’t long before the ship met the shoreline. Kale and Raph barely got the plank down before Spike, who barked happily, dashed down and sped around the beach, with a chittering Wonder on his back. 

“Blue was right! Why didn’t I believe her in the first place?!” Pidge excitedly said with stars in her eyes. 

“It’s incredible,” Allura gasped in wonder. The four mice chittered as they observed the area around them. 

“Meechee, Kolka, how do we get around the Guardians of the Gems?” Nabel asked the two female Yetis. 

“Same thing with the fog. They must be tamed by those with the purest of spirits,” Meechee explained to her and her sister. “By then, they are loyal to those who are able to do so.” 

“So to clarify, the Guardians have to be overcome by someone who has a good heart…” Alex started. 

“…and they help fight off those who oppose us?” Migo finished. 

“How long until they turn against us? We need enough time to get to the Gems before the Damagers do,” Blue added. 

“Not until they turn against us. How long they will be on our side,” Kolka corrected her. 

Branches snapped from inside the forests of trees. The crews all stopped and turned towards the source. From behind the darkness, growls and pounding, approaching steps lurked. 

“What the hell was that?” Lance nearly yelled terrified, with Hunk hiding behind him. 

No one was able to answer his question in time. A large creature with a thunderous roar leaped out from the darkness, hurling towards Sinbad and Marina. 

“Watch out!” Rodney cried, pulling them both away in time just before the creature landed on all fours on where they used to stand. 

Once the dust cleared from the creature’s landing, the crews finally got a good glance at it. The animal’s skin is dirt-brown, its body laced with dirt and rocks. Its tail glided smoothly over the ground, leaving behind a trail. With its shoulder blade replaced by tall boulders, the claws itself were sharp as swords, digging into the ground dirt. The eyes of green fields scanned the crews around it as it sniffed for any potential threats of them. 

“Alright, now I’m a believer,” Migo stated as Percy stood behind him. 

Another creature landing on the other side of the crews prompted them to yelp and turn towards the new attacker. A new animal—except its fur is fiery red, no tail; flaming eyes, and small flames erupting from its nostrils—growled at them. Blue whimpered, which sent Crash to hold her close protectively. 

“Uh, Meechee, how many Element Guardians did you say there were?” Rodney asked the purple-haired Yeti in a whisper. 

At that moment, six more creatures of different colors of skin or fur all appeared either from the ground, out of nowhere, or instantly from the darkness of the woods. A lizard-like animal with crackling lights from its back glared down at Marina, who whimpered with fear as Sinbad lightly shoved her behind him and pulled out his twin swords. 

“Yep, eight of them,” Brenda remarked with wide eyes. 

“How are we doing this, Cap?” Ralph asked nervously. 

“Just breathe. You don’t, they’ll know you’re scared,” Rodney, without breaking eye contact with the Element Guardians, instructed calmly. 

As much as she wanted to, Blue couldn’t hold back the fear in her eyes. However, when she turned towards the blue-haired Captain, he only gave her a nod of reassurance and encouragement. It was all it took for her terror to sink back down to the lowest level possible. 

“Donnie? Can I ask you something?” Mikey asked his purple-clad brother. The two other brothers and April, with a shaking Mayhem in her arms, hid behind one another. 

“Shoot, lil’ bro.” 

“Do you ever feel so…puny?” 

“Most likely. If I said doubtful, I’d be lying, because my chattering teeth are betraying me.” 

Just as the rest of the crews were able to pull out their weapons, most of their loved ones behind them, the Element Guardians snarled and readied themselves to attack. Nabel gasped as Matt stood in front of her, ready to take the kill. Rodney did the same with Alli, his glower dark with determination and his grip on his sword stronger. Barely a second of silence was broken by the Element Guardian’s mighty roars. Birds swarmed away from the branches at the thunderous sounds of their pounding steps as they charged toward the screaming groups as they awaited their fates. But one didn’t back down nor accepted the fate that was thought to be for her…and not even the crews were expecting that, either. 

Blue broke free from Crash’s hold on her, dashed past Joaquin and Manolo, stopped in her tracks just as the Element Guardians were closing in on her, and her arms extended out in front of the crews, her eyes shut tight. 

When they saw Blue rushing in to face the Element Guardians, the others could have sworn their fear for her safety was deeper than their own. However, what made their screams halt and their fear dissipate into confusion was the Element Guardians slowing down in their tracks and studying her with astonishment and circumspection. Sinbad’s eyes widened a bit upon seeing Rodney’s cabin girl stand in front of him and his men protectively as if she had known them for most of her life. 

“Pandora!” Allura cried terrified. 

“What is she doing?! She’s gonna get herself killed!” Gloria exclaimed worriedly. 

As the crews’ murmurs grew to anxious yelling for her to back away, Blue didn’t let them or the Element Guardians’ stares faze her. Her mind was set on getting to the Gems before the Damagers do, and she wasn’t going to let them stop her under any circumstances, even if it means getting herself killed. She didn’t know what has gotten over her running up in front of them like that, but she couldn’t let Rodney or the others get killed just because they set foot on the Island. Her determination overpowered her fear, and it was enough to make sure she stayed where she is as she faced the Guardians. 

The snarls from the creatures resonated from their mouths as they studied her with interest. Their eyes of different colors stared back at her ocean blues as if searching for some hint of fear or any sign that indicates her weakness. But no matter how hard they fought, try as they might, there was no sign of anything that shows how scared she was. 

Only the intention to protect the people that is her family by bond. And the intention to ask them to let them pass without fear. 

In that moment, they understood. 

She has proven herself worthy. 

With soft growls, the Element Guardians backed away from the crews and retreated back into the forests or under the ground once more. 

The crews all stood there astonished and mouth-agape at what they had witnessed. Rodney and Alli were more or less impressed with Blue’s bravery and how she had passed the test. 

“What the hell just happened?” Peter nearly yelled. 

“That’s what we’ve been telling you! You need to have a pure heart to tame the Element Guardians!” Meechee answered in elation. 

“So that means…” Leo drawled. 

“They’re letting us pass! She’s got through to them!” Donnie concluded with a growing smile. 

“And with little time to spare! We have to get moving!” Percy added. 

As if on cue, a floating blue orb appeared in front of Blue and the others. Spike barked and tried to catch it, but it was able to move away in time. Wonder, with a growl, attempted to catch it as well, only to end up empty-handed. He chittered angrily and rushed back over to Blue’s shoulder. She giggled lightly. 

Just then, more floating orbs came in behind the first one until it formed a trail leading into the forests. 

“They’re taking us to where the Gems are. We’ve got to follow them!” Nabel stated. 

“C’mon, guys, let’s go!” At Rodney’s order, the crews soon entered the jungle to follow the blue orbs. Unbeknownst to them, another ship came up to the front of the fog, waiting to enter. 


The sunlight seeped in through the leaves of the trees and on the crews as they walked. They followed the floating orbs while avoiding low-hanging branches and stepping over fallen logs in their paths. At one point, Migo carried Percy bridal-style when his feet were too tired to keep walking. The reddish-brown-haired man couldn’t hide his blushing from the snickering crew, even though he buried his face in the crook of the Yeti’s neck. 

“How close are we to the cavern, kid? Talk to us,” Sinbad called to Blue, who was just in front of the crews. 

Without an answer, Blue pushed past some leaves of trees on either side of her. Her eyes glanced around until she spotted something on a leaf moving. 

Moving upwards.

Moving upwards? Water isn’t supposed to do that. 

Not unless…

Blue extended her finger towards the droplet and let it glide smoothly across her other fingers as it moved up, up, up across. And just like that, the droplet stopped at the edge of her index finger, which she pointed up to let the droplet attempt to hold for a moment longer. However, the droplet was soon floating in the air and upwards to the sky. Blue’s eyes soon landed on thousands more flying around as they ascended into the air. At that second, she saw the opening of a cavern a few feet from where she stood right now. 

“Oh, my god…” she mumbled, a smile growing. “Rodney! Sinbad! Over here!” She yelled over her shoulder. 

Just as she approached the cavern opened, following the floating orbs, the crews soon caught up with her and mumbled and gasped at the droplets surrounding them. “C’mon! It’s this way!” Blue called over her shoulder as she neared her entrance. 

“Blue! Slow down, we don’t wanna lose you!” Rodney cried to her. With Alli and the others not too far behind him, he cautiously stepped down the stair-like rocks towards the cavern entrance. The light from the sun above nearly lit up the front part of the cavern, but not the rest of the way in, so they had to find some logs to light up finding their way through the dark. 

The Rusties had their eyes as flashlights, so they didn’t need to worry about themselves, just the crews. Rodney held Blue’s hand to keep her close and Alli by the waist tenderly. Sinbad and Marina held hands as well so they don’t lose each other in the process. The sounds of water dripping from the wall to the ground echoed around them as they ventured down the rocky halls. From the looks of the cavern, it appeared as if no one had ever been through there for thousands of years…until the bandits had dropped by for the Crystal. 

“Wow, this place is spookier than I thought,” Leo remarked quietly. 

“Oh, so now you’re the expert of obviousness,” Donnie sarcastically sassed. 

“Ssh, guys. Show some respect,” Manolo warned the two brothers as he guided Maria through the darkness, a torch in his other hand. 

It wasn’t long before the crews ended up at a dead end. The wall showed some sort of mural written in a language almost like the ones they know well. The crews mumbled silently as they pondered about what to do next. 

“Okay. Kolka, Meechee, what else is there?” Rodney asked the two Yetis. 

“There is supposed to be a secret entrance around here,” Meechee explained, skimming through her notebook for answers. 

“A secret entrance? I don’t see one around here. How did the bandits get in, anyway?” Brenda nearly exclaimed. 

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Gabriel added. “There has to be some sort of magic to get through to the Gems. Something that the bandits did, but nobody else knew.” 

“Well, we gotta think up something and fast, the Damagers could be here any moment now,” Alex stated. 

As the others tried to come up with an idea, Blue saw something in the mural and squinted her eyes to study it closer. “Crash?” She quietly called the green-eyed male. 

Crash heard her and walked up next to her. With his torch, they saw the words written in the language. 

Spanish. So that’s why it’s called La Tierra de Maravillas. Maybe this could be it…

Aqua…de Vida… ” Blue spoke in faint Spanish. 

And just like that, the entrance was revealed. 

Sounds of water rushing through the ground halted the crews talking and brought their attention towards the source. Blue and Crash turned around in time to find trails, large and small, on the dirt floor flowing across and past the crews, who had stepped back in time to avoid stepping on them. Slowly but surely, the trails then flowed on the walls until they reached the ceiling above them and formed a puddle that hung over the crews. 

The crews gasped in astonishment, their mouths hung open, before they turned towards Blue and Crash. 

“Did you just…?” Migo started. 

“It’s Spanish. It wasn’t that hard,” Blue defended herself. 

Sinbad and Rodney studied the puddle with caution. “Is it safe?” Nabel asked worriedly. 

“One way to find out. Blue, you go first,” Rodney told the younger girl. Without a second thought, Blue stepped on Rodney’s hands that had clasped together and was soon pushed up until she was on his shoulders by her knees. “Think you can reach it?” 

“Not at this height. Kale, my sword,” Blue extended her hand for Kale so he could give her her blade. 

Once it was in her hand, Blue then aimed her sword at the puddle. Just as it reached the top, the blade slipped out of her hand and disappeared behind the water. The next thing she knew, she was off Rodney’s shoulders and yelped as she fell through the puddle. 

“Blue!” Rodney and Allis’ cries were the last things she heard as she fell through the puddle.

Chapter 40: The Gems of the Island

Notes:

Word Count: 1902

Chapter Text

In an instant, she flew in the air as she yelled before she fell back down. Luckily, it was only a few feet, so her landing wasn’t harder than she thought. Her sword landed before her, a few inches away. Blue groaned as she rubbed her head to soothe the pain. However, the second she opened her eyes, a gasp of wonder and shock escaped her lips. 

A large grotto with an opening allowing the light to shine through welcomed her vision as she stood up steadily. Vines had overgrown in most areas, covering some parts of the grotto in greenery growths. Water dripped from some sides and fell to the ground, a few waterfalls here and there landing in the other small lakes safely. Birds sounded from outside the grotto, the calls echoing from the exterior to the inside. A few hordes of flowers had decorated the place, hoping to make it nicer than scarier. 

In the center…stood the Gems. 

The Gems of the Island. 

The Minerals of Elements. 

The colors sparkled from the lights shining from the sun, giving the walls a colorful glow, while they stood on the stony pedestals with pride. 

Blue gasped, a smile growing, as she picked up her blade. They’ve made it. They’ve found them…

In that moment, a shadow appeared in a wisp. Blue didn’t need to ask who it was. 

“Bravo,” Eris slowly clapped as she appeared from behind the shadows. “No other mortal has ever made it to the Land of Wonders before...” 

She chuckled and leaned on the armchair of the stone throne. “...alive, that is.” She laughed again and sat on the throne through her wisp. “Make yourself at home.” 

Blue nervously laughed, no matter how much she tried to hide her fear. “Thank you. Uh...nice—nice place you got there,” she spoke, glancing around the large grotto.

“Like it?” Eris floated towards her with a smirk. “It’s been like this for a long time before your birth.” 

“Huh. That’s, uh, really interesting…” Blue mused. “Well, as you can see, my friends and I are busy, so we’ll just, uh, take the gems and get out of the way.” 

Eris chuckled. “What makes you think I’ll let you take them?” She innocently smiled. 

“Uh, you’ve been trying to stop us…” Blue pretended to ponder. “...and you told me my father would be after me.” 

“You?” Eris mused, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yep.” 

Yells resonated from the other side of the puddle. Blue gasped, whipping her head towards the source. 

“Oh, they’re here,” Eris smiled wickedly. 

Rodney was the first to be shot up from the puddle, his yells in sync with Wonder’s, who flayed his arms around. They barely stayed in the air for a second before they fell on the ground hard. Blue winced at the rough landing. 

Alex, Migo, Marty, and Percy followed behind and fell next to Rodney and Wonder, their screams cut off the second they met the ground. Some of the Odyssey crew weren’t too far behind as they plummeted on top of the others. Gamora, Alli, Anna, Gia, Marina, and Nabel landed with ease, while Matt, Crash, the Paladins, and Sinbad and his crew weren’t so lucky. Soon, the Odyssey crew, S.ES., and Sinbad’s men were piled on top of one another. 

Wonder saw Eris and immediately screeched before flinging himself onto Blue’s arm and trembling in fear. 

“You!” Ralph’s yell prompted the crews, S.E.S., Paladins, and the others to instantly turn towards Eris and whip out their weapons to aim them at her. 

“So Blue was telling the truth! You’ve been slowing us down the entire time!” Rodney quickly placed Blue behind him in a protective manner as he glared at Eris. 

The dark Goddess chuckled evilly. “What a clever, little man you are.” 

“You thought we’d fail, then the Gems would be taken, and the Cities would be…” Sinbad started. 

“Left without any form of protection and tumble into glorious chaos,” Eris finished. “You humans are so predictable. Proteus couldn’t help being ever so noble and protecting you. And you couldn’t help betray your family,” she floated over to Blue as she taunted her. 

“I didn’t betray my family! I had to run away!” Blue argued. 

“Oh, but you did betray your father. You disobeyed his one rule,” Eris then floated up behind Crash and shoved him towards Blue, who caught him in time. “Look at him, Pandora. Your father’s not even in his grave yet, and you’re moving in on this boy.” 

Blue stared up at Crash in her arms, conflicted with all emotions, before she turned to the ground with shame in her eyes. She had to lie to Rodney and his men about her running away so she could get away from her father’s control and cruelty. But now she couldn’t bring herself to lie any longer. The truth had to come out one way or another, sooner or later. 

“Face it, your heart is as black as mine,” Eris taunted her, leaning in towards her. Blue tried to blink back tears, still facing the ground. 

Sinbad growled and stepped in front of Blue and Crash protectively. “You’re wrong about her!” He protested, glaring at her. 

“She knows I’m not,” Eris insisted. 

“You don’t know her better than me and my crew!” Rodney joined in with a hard glare at the Goddess of Chaos. Wonder and Spike both growled at her as well as Mayhem, Kozmo, and the mice. 

“Oh, yes, I do. And more importantly, so does she,” Eris countered smugly and tossed Rodney, Crash, and Sinbad aside to circle around Blue like prey. “In your heart, you know your family is disappointed because they saw something that isn’t you,” she finished with a whisper as she thumped her in the back of her head. 

“No!” Blue yelled defiantly. She refused to be like her father, she refused to be the cold, heartless person that he wanted her to be. 

“You wanna bet? I’ll tell you what. Let’s play a game,” Eris smiled lightly. “And if you win…I’ll give you the Gems.” 

What the crews, Blue, or Eris didn’t notice was a familiar redhead slowly peeking out from the water and hiding behind a rock to watch with worry. With anxious eyes, Ariel noticed Blue and her friends being confronted by the Goddess. 

“Now my game has rules, Pandora. I’ll ask you a question. One simple question,” Eris bopped Blue in the nose. “If you answer truthfully, the Gems are yours.” 

“Give me your word,” Blue rose a skeptical eyebrow. 

“You still don’t trust me?” Eris pouted. 

“Uh…no,” Blue replied deadpanned. 

Eris exhaled exasperated. “Isn’t it a pity we live in such skeptical times? Oh, all right. You have my word as a Goddess.” She drew an ‘X’ over her heart. “Fair enough?” 

Blue took a moment to glance over Rodney, Sinbad, and the others. With reassuring smiles from them, it was it took for her determination to rise again. After a sigh, Blue turned back to Eris. “Answer your question.” 

“Excellent. Now we all know what happens when you get the Gems,” Eris began as she stood next to the Elemental Gems. “You return them to the Cities and save the Earth. But if you don’t get the Gems, you have a choice to make…” she then made her way over to Blue and the crews. “Either sail to the ends of the world with the crew of your dreams…or return to Mapplebarrow for a lifetime of misery,” she finished as Blue stiffened. 

“You’re either a princess…or a cabin girl. So here’s my question, Pandora,” Eris then rose to the air. “If you don’t get the Gems…will you go back to Mapplebarrow?” And then she vanished. 

Blue stood there for a moment, thinking hard and honestly, contemplating the decision. She turned slightly to see the crews and Rodney watching her with soft eyes. She didn’t know if there were betrayal, anger, mistrust, maybe both, in their orbs about her truth. She had lied to them about her heritage, she had lied to them about her running away from Mapplebarrow, she lied to them about everything. She didn’t know if they could forgive her for that. If she didn’t get the Gems, that would mean failing them, the Cities, the whole world. But if she did get them and let the Cities get them back…she could still find a way to get out of her father’s control for far longer until her 18th year. She could leave the Odyssey crew, find her own path, just like Rodney had told her. That way, they’d be happier, have their own families, get back to their homes, see their loved ones again. Maybe they’d continue their own adventures like in the stories and return to the needy from the selfish and unkind. 

It was either die knowing the crew she saw as family hated her for her lies or run away to another part of the world knowing they’d be happy and safe. 

For one instant, she knew the answer. 

“...I’m not going back,” Blue answered bravely. 

Rodney, Sinbad, and the crews were astonished by her reply. 

“If I let the Damagers take the Gems and the Crystal…no one will be safe. Not Mapplebarrow, not the Cities…and not my family,” Blue continued as she turned to the others. 

Crash’s lips formed a fond smile, knowing that she was braver than she could admit. 

“...I’m not going anywhere…until the Gems are safely far from the Damagers,” she finished with a determined grin. 

Rodney beamed at her with pride. It was something that he saw in her; she won’t give up until her goal is completed, but at the same moment, the safety of everyone around her is to be provided for. Still hidden, Ariel beamed widely at Blue’s bravery and honest answer. 

However, a storm cloud emerged and swirled around between the crews and the Gems. The cloud then created a tornado that swirled upwards with the wind. An enraged defeated Eris appeared from the tornado as she glared down at Blue. The goddess held up a fist, growling as she tried to and failed to bring it down on her, wanting to squash her so bad. 

Ariel bit her bottom lip with worried eyes. Rodney and Alli wanted to step in and protect Blue so bad, but this was her battle, and she’s got to face it alone. Sinbad and Marina had the same anxious look for her as well as everyone else. 

Finally, with a reluctant sigh, Eris summoned the Gems to float from the pedestal towards Blue and wrapped themselves in a bag. Blue took the bag containing the Gems. “Well, well, well. This must be really embarrassing for you, Eris,” she said smugly. 

Eris hummed and leaned in close to her. “Don’t push your luck, Pandora. You’re cute…but very headstrong,” she mused in distaste. She morphed down to human size and stood beside her. “And lucky for you, I’ve got places to go, things to destroy…” she caressed her face before she floated upwards. “...stuff to steal. Ta.” 

And then she disappeared in a flash of smoke. 

After the Goddess was gone, Blue glanced down at the bag holding the Gems with a wide grin before turning to the crews behind her. Rodney and Alli returned her beam in reply. 

“Alright, boys! Let’s go!” Sinbad cheered.

Chapter 41: Battle for the Gems

Notes:

Warning: contains fighting, violence

Word Count: 1734

Chapter Text

Sinbad and Rodney both leaped through the tree leaves as they made their way back to the ship. After looking on both sides to find no danger, they then made a mad dash towards the vessel to ready it up. 

However, a gray-colored creature with blood-red eyes and wings keeping it afloat dashed up in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. Sinbad stepped back for a moment, but then crouched down to gather some dirt and tossed it at the creature. It howled in pain, scratching at its eyes, which gave the two the chance to make a break for it. Unfortunately, some more of the creatures, similar to the first, entrapped them in a circle, their growls and chitter high-pitched and occasionally in sync. 

Rodney went to reach for his sword, but one of the creatures snarling at him was all it took for him to reconsider. Suddenly, the Damagers stepped in from behind and encircled them, their weapons ready. Some of Ratchet’s crew glowered down at the blue-haired Captain as they chuckled for their long-awaited payback. 

“Nowhere to run from this, boys.” 

At a cruel familiar voice, Rodney and Sinbad glanced up and scowled at the approaching Damager. 

“Killian,” Rodney snarled.

“I see you’ve met the Arnines,” Killian smirked as he walked around behind the creatures. “Deadly dangerous. Capable of killing and destroying in seconds. They even fly at a fast speed. Bet you and your men can’t top that.” 

“Okay, listen. If you’re here for the Gems, it’s already too late,” Sinbad spoke up next. “We’ve got them. The Guardians are on our side now, our crews are strong. We’ll use them if we have to.” 

Killian only scoffed and summoned the Arnines to ready to attack. “You should know better than anyone else.” 

The Arnines growled and hissed at their targets. Their blood-red eyes pierced into their souls. The Damagers all laughed as if they had won the battle that hadn’t even started yet. 

“Someone always gets hurt,” Killian finished with a dark grin. 

But Rodney and Sinbad had other plans in mind. 

“Don’t count on it yet,” Rodney smirked. 

“MAYHEM!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. 

Before any of the Damagers or Arnines can move or even attack, Mayhem appeared in a flash of blue, scratched at Killian’s face, and transported him to where he now hovered over Hypno-Potamus and Meat Sweats. As the dog-cat moved away safely to Rodney’s shoulders, the cyborg-handed man fell on top of the two mutants, sending them tumbling to the ground. 

“Get them!” One of the Damagers shouted. 

At his cry, Rodney and Sinbad’s crew instantly ran out of the bushes from behind the Damagers. 

In an instant, the fight started. 

With the Arnines already taken down by Wonder and Spike, who had Rodney’s defense weapons on their backs, the rest of the crews took on the villains. 

It was complete chaos of a battle. 

Kozmo teleported from one end when an Arnine came up on him to behind it and took it down by surprise. The mice ambushed another Arnine from behind as well and tackled it until they tied it up by the feet and wings. Spike bit on one of the Damager’s legs, which sent him screaming before getting knocked out by Wonder, who had a frying pan in hand. 

Manolo and Joaquin held onto their hands as Meat Sweats pushed down his hammer against their blades. “I’m done playing with you troublesome meddlers!” 

“I got it. I got this!” Joaquin’s voice was nearly high-pitched as he fought back against the hammer’s strength. 

“No, no, no! I-I-I got this!” Manolo grunted as he did the same thing his friend did. 

Maria charged in between the two and flipped up front, kicking Meat Sweats in the face. She landed gracefully and stood in a kung-fu pose. “Did I tell you guys I also studied kung-fu?” She smugly asked the two guys, who stared at her in awe. 

The S.E.S. and Migo had already shifted to their Yeti forms and started fighting the Damagers that were taller than the crew. Percy and Brenda stood together, their backs touching one another, as they shot the Arnines charging in at them. 

“Just like old times, huh, Percy?!” Brenda asked excitedly. 

“Well, I’ve been in better moments!” Percy replied back before he shot down another Arnine. 

Ralph slammed down one of Chakal’s men before he punched another bandit in the face. Calhoun furiously fired at some of the Arnines as Vanellope laughed while glitching away from the creatures that chased her down. 

“Felix, can you help the Rusties get the ship ready?!” Rodney called to Felix as he hid behind a rock. 

“Can do!” Felix shouted before he successfully dodged the Arnines and made a mad dash at the ship. The Rusties were also lucky to avoid the battle as they made their way to the Odyssey. 

“I’m-a going with-a him!” Stefano cried and followed behind Felix. 

“Blue, go with the others!” Rodney then turned to Blue, who reloaded her gun as she hid behind a boulder along with him. 

“Not without you!” Blue refused. She made a quick glance behind the boulder as she finished reloading. 

“Remember what happened last time you disobeyed my orders?! Back on Gray’s Trove?!” 

“You saved me, didn’t you?!” 

Rodney opened his mouth to argue, but he nodded his head after a moment. “Touché.” He then leaped from behind the boulder and charged at Killian, his blade at the ready. 

“Take your best shot,” Killian growled. 

Rodney yelled as his blade connected with Killian’s robot hand. For a moment, the blue-haired Captain and the Damager leader had an all-out duel until the other man knocked the blade out of Rodney’s hands.

“Okay, that one sucks,” Rodney grunted when Killian’s robot hand grabbed him by the face. He threw him to the ground, sending him skidding on the back until he hit a boulder. 

At Killian’s signal, the Arnines encircled behind him and snarled at the supposedly fallen Captain. However, they didn’t notice Rodney pulling out something from behind his back underneath his coat. The Arnines roared and instantly flew in at him on Killian’s command. 

Rodney suddenly threw the object at the charging creatures. As if on command, the object burst open, with a rope coming out from all sides, and entrapped the Arnines in a large pile. They fell to the ground, their roars and growls now agitated as they attempted to break free. 

“What the–?” Killian asked confused. 

“Oh, you have gotta let me try that!” Blue lit up and took out another device from Rodney’s bag as she charged at Killian. 

“Kaleidenade! Throw it!” Rodney yelled at her. She did so at Killian, but he caught it with his robo-hand as the device powered up. 

It suddenly exploded in his face. Killian screamed in agony and blinked a few times. As Blue dashed at him, dozens of colors and stars moved about in a kaleidoscope manner. The young girl grabbed him by the neck with her legs and threw him around, slamming him hard to the ground. He skidded across, his glare now staring up at her.

Alli and Nabel took on some other Damagers, their backs meeting each other. They shot down their enemies without a single miss. With Nabel focused on her targets, her smile filled with determination, Alli whooped and laughed as she perfectly hit the charging Damagers. Her older sister’s smile grew wider. She hadn’t heard her little sister laugh this genuinely in this long. 

With the entire shore trapped in a battlefield, Felix, the Rusties, and Stefano worked to get the ship up and running. “Well, what do we have to lose?” Felix nearly yelled. With Fender, Felix, and Crank working at the navigation system, Diesel, Lugnut, Piper, and Stefano hastily readied the sails. 

At one point, one of the Arnines roared as it charged in on Sinbad and Marina. The red-clad Captain didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her protectively just as the creature was ready to make its kill. However, a long shot of fire sent it screaming in agony as it barely missed the two and fell to the ground. When they glanced up, they found the Fire Element Guardian throwing fire at the Arnines from its tail. 

“No way!” Hunk cried astonished. 

“The Element Guardians are on our side! What did I tell ya?!” Meechee yelled 

At the same moment, the rest of the Element Guardians erupted from the bushes and rushed at the 

In an instant, the battle became more intense than before. Damagers’ screams were mixed with the Guardians’ roars of defiance and courage. The Earth Guardian ran through the crowd of villains and occasionally threw a few to the side with its hard-rock head. The Snow Guardian froze most of the other Damagers to the ground by their knees and feet. With the odds now against the Damagers, the crews were able to fight back 

“Okay, now it’s on,” Crash 

A few other Damagers, led by Hypno-Potamus, charged at him and Blue. However, the brown-haired lad was able to grab her by the hand and spun her around so she could hit the villains in the face. She laughed as she kicked Hypno-Potamus underneath the chin. When Blue smacked him again with her foot, she flew back to Crash, who caught her smoothly and spun her around to allow her to swiftly hit Hypno-Potamus in the face 

The emerald-eyed lad dipped Blue down with a mischievous smirk as she giggled. With one last spin, Blue punched Hypno-Potamus square in the face, knocking him 

“Whoo! What a gal!” Crash 

On the other side of the battle, Nabel and Matt fought off the enemies vigorously. The ponytailed woman battled with Killian as her blade made numerous contact with his robo-hand. At one point, he thought he had an upper hand on her, but she was one step ahead of him Just when he was about to knock her out unconscious, Nabel crouched down fast and swiftly kicked him down from underneath before wrapping her arm around his neck. Matt was also able to hold him down by the 

“Not so tough now, are ya?” Matt smirked down at 

However, Killian only darkly smiled back at them. “You would think that…”

Chapter 42: Escape

Notes:

Warning: slight language

Word Count: 2,630

Chapter Text

Before Nabel or Matt could even ask, Killian threw both of them off him with a growl. They skidded across the ground, nearly colliding with Alli and Rodney. 

As he stood in the center, he pulled out a grenade from his trench coat. At that, the crews all gasped and stopped fighting the Damagers, who had also stopped to face their leader. Blue covered her mouth horrified as Crash’s eyes widened. They had known Killian to be a maniac, but they didn’t know he would go this far. 

“How about we make a deal?” Killian’s evil smirk remained as he held the grenade over him. 

“You give us the Gems, and maybe I’ll reconsider putting this down…” His eyes then landed on Blue, who instantly paled upon recognizing the dark glint. “…and how about handing over the Princess?” 

Blue gasped with terror. Her eyes grew with the same fear of being brought back to Mapplebarrow by force. Crash didn’t need to let her tell her verbally, for he instantly stood in front of her protectively to keep Killian’s sights off of her. 

“Over my dead body!” His voice was filled with anger towards the man who had threatened her. 

“You want our cabin girl, you’re gonna have to go through us!” Manolo shouted next as he stood beside him. Maria and Joaquin joined him in his stance. In less than a second, the crews were already in front of Blue, their eyes filled with determination and defiance against Killian and his men. Sinbad and Marina held onto their blades as they glared down at the robot-handed man. 

Blue didn’t know what to say. For the first time in her life, her family—the crew who had been there for her in every single battle against herself and her doubts—are protecting her from the potential end of her freedom. 

“You want to take her back…I suggest you deal with us first,” Rodney scowled, his arms crossed in front of his chest. 

Killian laughed in disbelief. His hand remained to hold onto the grenade. “You’re willing to protect a runaway princess?” 

“If she still has a future ahead of her and choices to make of her own,” Rodney replied, still unmoving from his stance. 

“And has a loving family who accepts her for who she is,” Alex added. 

“And also is loved by someone who treats her as a human being,” Migo finished. 

“That girl is a royal,” Killian argued. 

“That girl is more of a human than her family and you will ever be, and what’s more, she is one of us…” Rodney countered. 

From behind him, Blue grinned to herself at his defending her. 

“...which is a better treasure than any alliance with people like you!” Rodney continued as he took a couple more steps toward an astonished Killian. “Like I said, if you and your men are still hellbent on taking her back by force, you’ll have to find a way through me and my crew first!” 

“And me also!” Sinbad added with a determined frown. 

“And me!” Shiro stepped in with his arms crossed in front of his chest. 

“Through all of us,” Nabel finished, her eyes narrowing at Killian and the Damagers. 

Blue could have sworn her eyes were about to get teary. Her truth to them came out in the way she never wanted it, and they still stood up for her. Even then, they treated her as one of their own. 

But she couldn’t let her hopes yet, not when they are in a life-or-death situation. 

Killian glanced between Rodney and Sinbad and their crews, unsure of whether he should surrender or carry out his threat. The Damagers were also uncertain if they were going to win or lose the battle with the crews.  They had never been in this kind of situation before. 

Just then it looks like one and the other weren’t going to give in, Killian sighed and held the grenade higher. “Sounds like a risk I’m willing to take,” He smirked darkly. 

Just when he was about to initiate it, Rodney whipped out his gun instantly and shot it straight out of his hand. Killian yelled in pain when the grande was launched out of his palm and landed in the grassy areas. His pained expression soon changed to one of horror when he saw the pin wrapped around his finger. It must have been caught on it before Rodney shot it out of his grip. 

Rodney and Sinbad also paled upon seeing the pin from the grenade trapped around Killian’s hand. “Go, go! Go!” Rodney suddenly grabbed Alli and Blue, who yelped upon being snatched, and fell down with Sinbad and the others. 

The Damagers ran away from where the grenade was dropped and took cover. The Element Guardians also reacted as the crews by hiding behind their respective shields. 

In an instant, the grenade exploded, sending dirt and rubble from the explosion and flying over and on the inhabitants and crews. The crews, Damagers, and Elements Guardians looked up to find only a hole where the grenade exploded. 

“That’s it?” Peter asked. 

No one needed to answer his question.

The ground then suddenly rumbled underneath them before anyone could. Loud roars from the sides of the crews and Damagers erupted across the skies, which scared the birds to fly off. 

Blue glanced at her side and gasped with terror. The crews and Damagers followed her gaze and understood why she became terrified. 

The volcano on the island spewed out lava and ash from the top. Rocks from the pit flew from the exploding top and sailed across the air. 

“Get back to the ships!” Rodney shouted. 

“Retreat!” One of Chakal’s men cried with fear. Without hesitation, the Damagers all made their frantic escape to their ships, all while tripping over one another and screaming. Killian started up at the roaring volcano in horror before he gradually followed behind his men. This was not supposed to happen. This is not how he had planned things out. 

Blue stopped in her tracks to face the Element Guardians, who–much to her confusion–were not even hiding or finding a way off the island. 

Rodney glanced back to find Blue staring back at the Element Guardians. “Blue! Blue, we have to go!” 

But she didn’t move or turn her gaze away from the Guardians. They only stood there, watching her intensely but patiently. She wanted to go back, to try and convince them to come with them, but it was as if they were signaling her to stop. 

There was no need for words at this moment. 

Their eyes stared back at her ocean blues, as if they were telling her to go, this is their time. 

The Gems will always work, but they had done their job protecting this island. So now she must do hers protecting her family. 

“BLUE! We have to leave!”

Rodney’s voice was drowned out by then. Blue hesitated, whether she wanted to help the Guardians get away or just leave them. She really to help them, but something stopped her. 

“Go. We’ll be fine.”

A voice, faint but stern, told her. Blue face the Earth Guardian, its forest green eyes facing her. 

“The Gems will protect you even without us. We’ll always be around.”  

After a moment of clarity, Blue dashed towards the ship. 

With the Damagers now gone by then, with no Gems and no Princess, the Odyssey crew and Sinbad’s men raced to escape the explosion. The volcano grew more powerful with each second, sending fiery rocks hurling toward the beach and ocean. Rodney had managed to get on the Odyssey, with Peter and Alex’s help, once everyone else got back on. “Start the ship! Start the freakin’ ship!”

“Aye, Cap’n!” Fender fired up the thrusters. 

The thrusters powered up and were ready to set the ship going. Blue dashed across the sandy beach as she narrowly avoided fallen rocks, big and small, in order to catch up with the Odyssey. 

Wonder and Spike saw Blue speeding towards the ship and started barking and chittering wildly. The crews heard their cries with confused eyebrows. When they glanced over the sides of the ship to see what they were crying at, they understood. “It’s Miss Blue!” Jed shouted. 

“Blue!” Crash cried with terror. 

Upon seeing the Odyssey almost out of her reach, Blue sped faster. Her legs almost gave out, but she wasn’t going to top. Not when the island’s about to go down with her. 

The crews’ frantic shouts for her to hurry and encouraging her to make spurred her to run faster than she’s ever done in her life. In that moment, giant spouts of lava and sand came out from underneath the sandy earth, which made Blue yelp but otherwise kept her going. 

A giant wave of burning ash flowed from the boiling mouth of the volcano and flowed down the sides and toward the jungle. 

Alex’s eyes widened as Ralph’s mouth dropped open. “Holy sh–”

“Blue, run faster!” Manolo shouted to her in Spanish. With his cry, Blue began to pick up speed, not even bothering to glance back. If she did, that would slow her down, and she can’t risk that. 

“Someone, cast her a line!” Marina yelled. 

“I got it, I got it!” Luca frantically grabbed a rope from a pile and tossed it over the side. 

The wave of ash flowed faster and closer to the beach. The spouts appeared in many other places, but Blue didn’t stop, even when one came too close to her for her comfort. 

The rocky, thin land in the form of a dock laid before her. Blue saw it and ran faster, her eye narrowing with determination. It’s going to be a short miss.

Time seemed to slow down for her. 

Blue made a leap at the rope that hung from the side. Her hand reached out to grab it. 

The crews held their breath as her fingers inched closer to the rope. 

Just when she barely missed it and fell to the sea…

An object suddenly pushed Blue up by her foot, which sent her flying towards the rope. This time, she caught it with ease as she yelped. Some of the crews caught the rope from slipping off, barely hanging over the railing. Blue didn’t have to ask what it was that shot her up, she had a guess who it was. But she didn’t have enough time to take it in. 

She glanced behind her shoulder just in time to find the island now sinking beneath the roaring waters, the volcano’s lava steaming from the coolness of the ocean and the boiling fires mixed together. She could have sworn she saw the Element Guardians staring back at her with grins as they disappeared behind the strong waters. 

In less than a minute, the island had sunk into the depths below. 

Tierra de Maravillas, gone forever. 

The Land of Wonders now lost from the outside world. 

Blue panted heavily from the running in her quest to escape from the booming fate. She then climbed up with the crews helping her on the Odyssey. 

“Get her up! Get her up, get her up, get her up, get her up!” 

Blue nearly fell off the railing, but Drax, Hunk, and Crash caught her in time. “What the hell were you thinking, kid?! You got no business putting yourself in situations like this!” Rocket lectured her half-angrily. 

“Don’t scare me like that again!” Crash trapped her in a tight hug. When he realized what was said, he quickly stammered as his face burned red. “U-uh, us! I mean us!” 

The crews chuckled in amusement, some of them wiggling their eyebrows mischievously. 

“But what about the Gems? Did we get them?” Allura asked with concern. 

Without an answer, Blue opened the bag that she had on her the whole time to reveal the Gems, undamaged and glowing in a pulsating manner. Just like that, the crews cheered in victory. 

“Hold on, where are Killian and the Damagers? They can’t get away with threatening to take Blue,” Ralph asked angrily. 

“Yeah, I’ma give them a piece of my mind,” Marty cracked his knuckles. 

“Forget them, guys. They’re not worth it,” Rodney told them. 


Meanwhile, the Damagers had managed to get away in time from the sinking of Tierra de Maravillas, but they had one problem: they have no Gems and no Princess. 

Their sulking from the failed mission was suddenly interrupted by ships–Proteus’s and Nabel’s–charging in on both sides. They yelped panicked as they struggle to get away, but the two ships were too fast and caught them. 

“Don’t move! You are all under arrest!” The Captain of Nabel’s guards called to them. 

Killian sulked internally as he watched the guards come in to arrest him and his men. The Damagers’ reign had ended. 


The journey back to Syracuse was expected to be a few days’ time, since they had made it past the previous challenges on the way to Tierra de Maravillas. There was a new route, shorter and much less challenging, that Percy and Chris found after the crews escaped the island’s fiery destruction. It wasn’t hard to take it, considering that the crews were itching to get back home. 

Night had fallen by then, and most of the crews had retired for the night. With Kale at the wheel, Blue sat at the farthest end of the ship. Wonder slept peacefully next to her as she sat on the barrel, her hand resting on her chin. 

She inhaled the salty air, taking in the peaceful moment. 

“You got away again.” 

Blue wasn’t startled this time. She knew that voice anywhere. “I figured you’d get me out,” she smiled at her familiar red-haired friend. 

“All while staying hidden. And those Damagers?” Ariel asked her. 

“Far as we know, they must have gotten out. But I bet they’re caught by authorities at a dock.” 

Ariel giggled quietly in order to lower the risk of getting caught. “I bet they are. But…why are you still up?” 

“Well, Eris is gone, but I can’t risk lowering my guard for a moment. I have to make sure she’s not stirring up some shit.” 

She was suddenly interrupted by Wonder’s soft chitters. She glanced at her side and saw him mumbling in his sleep, his leg twitching. 

“I guess Wonder wasn’t up for an all-nighter,” the blue-eyed girl remarked with a chuckle and gently shook Wonder. “Hey, Wonder. Wake up.” 

Wonder gasped, his eyes shooting open. 

“Hey, you’re just having a bad dream,” Blue giggled and hugged him. “Heh. Silly monkey. Ah, dreams can’t hurt you. See? No monsters here.” 

Wonder looked around over her shoulder before he sighed in relief. However, when he saw Ariel, who tilted her head at him with a smile as she leaned over the railing, he suddenly screeched and instantly encased Blue’s face in a tight hug. 

“Hey, hey, hey, stop,” Blue laughed as she gently pried Wonder from her face. “It’s alright. She’s just a new friend of mine.” 

“Oh. Sorry about that, little guy,” Ariel apologized genuinely. “You’re such an adorable, little cutie.” 

When Ariel went to pet him on the head, Wonder only grumbled before she scratched at his chest. He chittered playfully, lightly swatting at her hands, which sent the girls into small laughter. 

“Yeah, he really is,” Blue chuckled in amusement. 

“Sorry it took long for you to find me.” 

“Nah, you got good reason to.” 

It wasn’t long before Ariel had to get back home after a small chat with Blue. She didn’t need to ask her, her father had to be worried about her at some point. 

Right now, getting the Gems to Syracuse is all that matters.

Chapter 43: Tour of Treelighty

Notes:

Warning: mention of murder, attack

Word Count: 1,772

Chapter Text

The trip back to Syracuse was anything but eventful. For the past few days, the ship only encountered soft ocean waves and no other trouble, apart from a small storm. Apart from that, there were no problems. 

But Blue felt uneasy for the rest of the journey back. And she didn’t have to ask why. 

Eris did warn her that her father is after her before the whole thing went down. He’d be hellbent on getting her back, even if it means killing someone in his way or destroying something in his path. He really wanted her to marry someone of royal blood so badly. When Ratchet had told her about how her grandfather came to be and why her father wanted her away from the docks for so long, it’s no wonder he was willing to clean his blood of pirates. 

Even though she was far out of his reach, for now, she still has to lay low. Just until her 18th birthday. 

When the ship carrying the crews and the success of their mission entered through the gates to Syracuse, they were suddenly greeted by loud cheers from the citizens. For the first time in Sinbad’s life, he was instantly surrounded by wild applause rather than fearful cries thrown at him and his crew. He was used to those for a while now, but now he was rewarded for his bravery and determination to save the Gems and the world from the Damagers’ wrath. 

“Praise Sinbad and the Odyssey Crew!”

“You’re all my heroes!” 

“Thank you all!” 

Blue took a moment to glance at Sinbad and could not hold back her proud grin when she noticed how elated he was to hear this much appreciation. She knew how it felt to fight for acceptance and unconditional love. She understood that. 

The Royals and Leaders, as well as the Delegation Council, were the ones to greet them when they made it to the palace of Syracuse. Proteus stood alongside his father, a proud grin facing Blue and Sinbad as the crews approached them. 

“King Dymas,” Sinbad greeted the King, who went to take the Gems from him. “Whoa! Hey! How much do you got?” 

Dymas beamed gratefully and genuinely. “I offer you and Pandora the gratitude of the Twelve Cities and the apology of a King for doubting you.” 

Blue grinned back at him in return. She had never felt this proud of herself in so long. 

Sinbad chuckled. “No, really. How much?” He asked jokingly. 

“Sinbad,” Dymas scolded him lightly. With the Gems now passed to the Stonekeeper, who handed them to Thorp, the crowd applauded with relief and elation. 

“C’mon. I believe this is going to be one heck of a party. Everyone’s going to want to know the whole voyage,” Proteus said as he wrapped an arm around Sinbad. 

“Fair, winds, calm seas. Yeah, not much to tell about,” Blue jokingly added. 

“And what, leave out the part where you managed to outsmart a goddess by being honest?” Ralph asked her playfully. The crew chuckled at that. 

“What’s wrong with you, buddy? No fun if you’re actually acquainted with someone?” Alex mischievously nudged him on the shoulder as he motioned to something. When Ralph faced the direction he pointed at, his face burned red at seeing a particular platinum-blonde woman with a braid on her left shoulder, the Queen of Arendelle. She beamed at him and waved in greeting. 

Ralph gaped at her, his face rosy red. Nevertheless, he waved back in return. Some of the guys snickered at his lovestruck stance. 

“Love. I know it when I see it,” Manolo jokingly said to the guys. 

“Oh! I almost forgot! It’s Pandora’s birthday today!” Allura gasped with delight. 

Blue’s eyes sparkled when she remembered. 

“Oh, my God, your birthday! I forgot about your birthday!” Alli added with a smile. 

“How did we forget about it? Shame on us for ignoring the b-day gal,” Migo teased Blue as he ruffled her hair. She giggled in reply. 

“We must have been so focused on the mission the whole time. It slipped our minds during all that,” Gabriel theorized. 

“That’s true.”

“Yep.”

All of the crews agreed all at once. 

“18 already? Why did we not know that?” Rodney said. 

“Annie, please tell me there’s something we can do for her?” Alli giddily asked her sister. 

“Well, I recall Blue saying she’s never been outside the kingdom walls to visit another town before,” Nabel said as she pretended to ponder before she lit up slightly. “Perhaps she would like a tour of our home?” 

Blue’s eyes glowed more with excitement. 


With Sinbad and some of his crew staying in Syracuse, the rest went along with Blue to Nabel and Alli’s home kingdom. They were able to use the teleportation system to get here faster, so there was no need to travel by boat. A few minutes after, they were now at the gates of Treelighty. Blue gasped in amazement at the large, golden gates. 

Crash couldn’t bring himself to turn away from her wondrous stare as he followed behind her. Rodney saw his lovestruck face and smirked at that. 

The young girl walked through the gates and was soon met with a hill filled with busy streets and market shops. On the top stood a kingdom surrounded by tree branches that acted as bridges for those who wish to cross them. Blue was about to walk, but she was nearly run over by a passing cart. With a yelp, she nearly fell over if Crash hadn’t caught her in time. However, they refuse to pull away from each other, only stare into one another’s eyes a moment longer. 

Their moment was short-lived, though, when Rodney faked a cough to catch their attention. They then pulled away from one another, nonetheless, their hands stayed connected so they wouldn’t get lost. 

At one point, Blue saw a dress in the same style as the one she wore now, but in light blue and white. Nabel saw the sparkles in her eyes and understood. 

Some time later, the girls, Rodney, and Crash waited outside as they leaned against the wall of a small bridge. Alli and Nabel had already gone inside with Blue, so the two guys had to wait outside. Crash saw a pair of guards coming in and hid almost panicking behind the wall of the bridge. However, the guards saw Rodney, having heard word about the Princess’s husband helping her and the Mapplebarrow Princess find the Gems, and greeted him as they walked by, with Rodney returning the greeting. 

When they heard the girls walk out of the clothing store, they glanced up, only for their mouths to fall open upon seeing Blue in the dress she had eyed the whole time. The younger girl giggled as she twirled around in her new outfit, the skirt flowing about with her motion. Rodney smiled warmly as he folded his arms in approval. Crash, however, had the same lovestruck grin on his face as he stared at her marvelous beauty. When he saw it, Rodney playfully nudged him in the harm, startling him out of his daydream. 

Later on, Nabel and Alli continued their tour around the kingdom, with them occasionally stopping as Blue would often glance at items in market shops and found a few things to her liking. Despite the shopkeepers’ insistence for the Queen to take them for free, Nabel still paid for them because, in her words, “even as Queen, there is to be respect and equality around this kingdom”.

There were so many things that Blue never got to experience outside Mapplebarrow, apart from adventuring the Seven Seas. So many market shops her father wouldn’t allow her to go, so many things she thought she would miss out on. 

All the while, Crash stared at her lovingly. Her smile was of wonder and excitement, her eyes shining with the brightest stars. 

By sunset, the village was soon getting the lights up for people to walk through. Blue held onto a bag on her arm, her hand being held by Crash so they wouldn’t get separated. Rodney, Alli, and Nabel followed behind the younger two. 

“I have to admit, the way Rodney acts as a father towards Pandora is truly sweet of him,” Nabel remarked. 

“Oh, yeah. That’s what makes me love him,” Alli agreed. “He goes out of his way to make sure his crew and family are safe.”

Meanwhile, Crash kept staring at Blue occasionally. This is the moment he needs to tell her. 

He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Hey, Blue?” He began. 

Luckily for him, Blue stopped almost the moment he finished. “Yeah, what’s up?” She asked him. 

Crash cleared his throat as he was clearly nervous. “Look, we’ve known each other for almost three years now, and…seeing you as the real you…it makes me understand you even more.”

“Yeah?” Blue added, her eyes growing. 

“What I mean to say is…uh…” Crash stammered. “Blue, I just wanna let you know that I…” 

A gunshot rang through the sky, interrupting him and startling the five. When they attempted to find the source, all they could see was the crowd screaming and scrambling around for safety. A few more gunshots rang through the air again, which scared them even further. 

“What was that?!” Rodney yell-asked. 

“We’re under attack! Guards!” Nabel cried. In an instant, the soldiers of Treelighty ran through the doors of the castle upon hearing the gunshots and towards the village below. 

Crash held onto Blue’s hand as long and hard as he could, but he was unable to keep up with her as someone knocked him over, his grip accidentally loosening from hers. “Blue! BLUE!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. 

“CRASH!” Blue called back as she attempted to fight her way through the scurrying crowd but unintentionally disappeared behind the thousands of faces. 

Rodney found Crash on the ground and shoved a few scared civilians aside to help him up. “You okay, kid?” He asked him. 

“I lost Blue! I can’t find her anywhere!” Crash explained, nearly panicked. 

“We’ll find her!” Alli added. 

Nabel had managed to order the guards to scatter and find the attacker. Wonder suddenly came in all panicked and began chittering with terror. “Wonder? What is it?” She asked him worriedly. 

The small monkey continued to chitter as he mimicked Blue. “What? You found Blue? Where is she?” Alli questioned him next. 

When Wonder mimicked someone that had taken Blue, Rodney’s heart dropped, and his face paled. “Oh, no…” 

“What is it?” 

“…they found her.”

Chapter 44: The Truth Unfolds

Notes:

Warning: mentions of death, discrimination, threats of false imprisonment

Word Count: 1,948

Chapter Text

Blue had thought that her father might have not known where she would be right now. If anything, she had hoped he’d stop at any moment soon. 

But she was dead wrong. 

When she recognized the armor of the soldiers that took her as she tried to get back to Crash, her heart had dropped to the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want to know how they found her, she didn’t want that answer. As they dragged her back to the ship where her ‘father’ would be, she fought as hard as she could against the soldiers’ grips, despite their strength and size. They would have taken her weapons and thrown them away when they had the chance, but they were too busy attempting to subdue her to even think about it. 

Even when they got her on the ship that would take her back to Mapplebarrow against her will, they still couldn’t keep her from fighting further. 

“Get your damn hands off of me!” Blue growled as she kicked and thrashed around with all her might. “You’re manhandling a woman! I’ll kick your asses!” 

“Pandora!” 

Blue stopped fighting upon recognizing her ‘father’’s voice. When she glanced up, she scowled back at the dark glare of the man she had hated from the start. 

He hadn’t changed much when one would see him from afar, but judging by the apparent wrinkles and a few grays in his hair, he had spent the last few years searching for her. What hasn’t changed, however, was the clear anger and distaste in his dark brown eyes. General Holden stood a few steps behind the King with a worried look for Blue. 

“I’m so glad I have found you, my dear,” Todias spoke with what Blue could understand was disdain. “Free her.” He ordered the guards, who did so by throwing her to the ground. 

“Father. I should have known,” Blue grimaced at him as she stood upright with as much courage as she could muster. “You sent one of them to fake an attack in the village to kidnap me.” 

“Don’t act like it’s a terrible thing to commit,” Todias scolded her. “I did what I had to do to save you from those pirates. They must have manipulated you and placed some sort of spell on you to turn you against me.” 

“A spell?! They helped me find myself again!” Blue argued. “They made sure I have a safe place here in the crew when they found out that I had to disguise myself as a cabin guy!”

“Cabin boy?!” Todias was astonished, nevertheless, he was beyond enraged. “Why, if your stepmother were here now, she’d suffer from another heart attack! Almost like the one that had taken her life a year ago while I was out at sea!” 

“Good, I’m sure she’d be happy in hell, after all the misery I had to suffer from you and her altogether!” Blue countered. “Besides, I’m pretty certain Grandpa and Mother would be very disappointed in you for letting it happen, to begin with!” 

“Anyone wish to concur with my daughter?” Todias asked with venom in his voice. 

Holden and the soldiers glanced at one another hesitant on whether they should side with the King or the young Princess. There was no answer. 

“I didn’t turn you against me. Those blasted pirates did! Anyone could ever care about them! You can chew on that when you’re back at the palace and locked away from the world!” Todias continued as he went to his quarters. 

“I’ve already found out where my heritage came from. You’re Theodore Gray’s grandson!” 

At Blue’s declaration, Todias stopped in his tracks. His back still faced her, but she could tell he was pissed off that she found the truth on her own. Holden and his men glanced worriedly between her and Todias. 

“I don’t know what you speak of,” Todias said in a low voice. 

“Theodore Gray. Your grandfather. Your father’s father. He stowed away the Lost Isles from the world to keep it all for himself,” Blue continued. “Not long after, he met Grandpa’s mother, and his world came to be. Grandpa and his mother were forced to be treated like prisoners until he got away on his own.” 

“Yes. Then he stained my blood,” Todias’s voice grew as he gradually faced her with the most ferocious scowl. 

“No. He lost you to greed and hatred.” 

“He betrayed us!” Todias bellowed, spinning around in his heels. 

“You betrayed him! And if you couldn’t have him, then no one could! You lied to me and Mapplebarrow, and you’ve been lying ever since!” 

“I did it to protect my family, my kingdom, and you!”

“You did it for yourself! You don't give a damn about anything but yourself and your power over an entire kingdom! You don’t even give a damn about my grandfather, your father!”

“He’s not my father!” Todias boomed. His enraged voice startled the soldiers around them. “He’s something, a traitorous creature, who stained my blood, my legacy, with his corrupt ways!”

“He died finding the map to the Lost Isles to prove those who doubted him, including you, wrong!”

“Good! One less pirate to worry about!”

“What do you know about pirates, Father?! You only see them as barbarians because you couldn’t even bother to know one better!”

“More than you! All you’ve ever done is listen to that loony old man’s tales and dishonor the kingdom!”

Blue blinked at Todias’s remark. Not only has he accused her, shamed her, of doing what she loves and breaking down the boundaries he had forced upon her…but he had trash-talked about her grandfather for as long as she had been alive. 

That’s all he’s ever done. Put her down for her hobbies, her bravery, her kindness, everything that’s made her who she is now. Villainized the man who helped build her imagination, inspired her to play swordsmanship, archery, find the world on her own. 

And this man she once called ‘Father’ dared speak so low of her grandpa again. 

Her eyes instantly narrowed once she found herself from her shock again. “You’ve asked me to throw away my life for you…but my answer is no.” She bravely replied. 

That sent Todias off the deep edge. His teeth gritted against one another, and his eyes soon turned dark with rage. “You dare speak to your father in such a manner—!” 

“Sire, we’ve got chasers!” 

A lookout called from the rat’s nest. Todias took the spyglass from one of the guards and looked through it. 

As it was known, Rodney, Alli, and Crash charged at the King’s ship on horses. Todias glowered at them. 

“Here comes my family,” Blue mumbled with pride that only he could hear. 

“Hoist anchor! Cast off now!” Todias ordered. 

The crew of Todias’s ship hastily went to work on getting the ship moving. When no one was quick enough to kick off the plank, Todias did so as the ship started to move from the dock. 

“You there! Take her to the dungeons below!” He then ordered one of the soldiers standing next to Blue. “Have her locked up until we get back to Mapplebarrow! Once we make it back, I will see to it that she is not to leave the palace, or better yet Mapplebarrow, for the rest of her days!”

Just as the soldier was about to take Blue away, Mayhem appeared in a flash of blue and attacked the King straight in the face. He then teleported him above a pair of barrels in the air and leaped away in time for him to fall straight below to the barrels. 

“Mayhem! Good boy!” Blue gasped with delight as the cat-dog creature, who had landed safely in her arms, mewled happily. 

On either side, the Odyssey and Chamira charged at the ship at high speed. By then, Rodney, Alli, and Crash had managed to make it to the ship in time when their horses landed on the deck.

“No! It can’t be!” Todias gasped in disbelief. 

“And it’s about to get messier for you!” Crash told him. 

Before Todias could even comprehend, the two ships collided with his own vessel, with the Chamira’s blades sticking to the other side. The sudden impact forced the soldiers and the King himself to tumble down to the ground. Blue, the soldier next to her, and Holden were the only ones who kept their balance steady. 

Blue saw her chance and kicked the man down by the feet. She then pulled out her blade with a determined grin. 

“Guards! Get them!” Todias ordered. 

And just like that, the battle was on. 

As Sinbad’s crew charged at the soldiers from one side, the rest of the Odyssey crew and others came in, their war cries and determined shouts filling the air. With nowhere else left to go, Todias and his men were left to battle with them. 

Holden quickly went to Blue and stood back-to-back with her, his own sword in hand. “General Holden, you didn’t want him to find me?” The blue-eyed girl asked confused. 

“I begged for him to see reason, but he wouldn’t listen,” Holden explained as he fought with one of the soldiers. “He became mad with greed and hatred over the last few years. Is it really true, what you said about the heritage?” 

“Yeah, it all is. Sorry if it’s a shock to you!” 

“Well, it’s no wonder he didn’t want you near the docks!” Holden understood. 

Meanwhile, Sinbad, Rodney, and their crews fought as hard as they could against Todias and his men. The Paladins battled with a small group with ease. Allura and Maria took o two other soldiers, their backs facing one another. The S.E.S. had no problems, either, with Gwangi holding a couple of soldiers in a headlock with both arms and Fleem successfully scaring off a few more. 

Gabriel, who had werewolf powers from the time he had to battle one, easily took down a few more with no effort, while Anna fought off fiercely with another. The Rusties individually battled with the rest of the army, either with their own bodies or with weapons in hand. 

It was a whole battlefield of chaos. 

Blue had never felt a thrill of energy like the past ambushes she had joined with the crew. It felt like an adrenaline rush all over again. With her blade in her hold, she faced off one of the soldiers, with Holden having to turn against one of the King’s men. 

Todias saw the two, their backs facing one another. “Holden?! My own General?!” He gasped, shocked. His cape was suddenly flung over his head by Wonder, who slammed a shield on him and cackled as he dashed off to somewhere. 

“And I’m also surprised that the crew you stowed away in seems to be treating you well!” The General remarked as he finished his single battle with the soldier. 

“Trust me, there’s more I could tell you!” Blue answered, finishing off her own fight with the other. 

In an instant, most of the soldiers either fled away by jumping into the oceans to swim for safety or were left behind to be captured by Rodney and Sinbad’s crew. 

“Did we get them? We got them all?” Sinbad asked. 

However, Blue or anyone else couldn’t answer him. They were looking around the deck for any sign of the King, who was nowhere to be found. By then, dark clouds had appeared, and the rain began falling down, staining the deck to a shadowed brown color. 

Blue’s eyes widened in horror when she realized something. “Oh, God…”

Chapter 45: One Last Battle

Notes:

Warning: mentions of false imprisonment, mentions of threat

Word Count: 1,341

Chapter Text

As lightning stuck down, a large shadow appeared behind the flag that had been pulled down unintentionally during the fight…and right behind Blue. 

Luckily, Alli saw it in time and rushed towards her. “Look out!” She grabbed a yelping Blue and pulled her away just before Todias tore apart the flag with his own blade. 

His roar matched the mighty thunder that echoed across the stormy skies. His eyes which were once dark and gloomy brown were now infuriated with rage and insanity. Alli pulled the younger girl behind her protectively as she stared down the mad King. 

“You…” Todias pointed his sword at Alli. “You will pay for turning my daughter against me!” 

Before he could even take another step further, Holden instantly trekked in front of the two women. His sword was held in his own grip as he glared down at the man he once served beside. He may have been unable to stop him from finding Blue, but he’ll be damned if he lets her lose her life and freedom to a lifetime of misery and isolation. 

“Holden…get out of my way!” Todias demanded. 

Holden inhaled deeply as he continued to have a staredown with the King. “No,” he answered bravely. 

Todias’s eye twitched with fury at his defiance. “What did you say?” He growled lowly. 

“I will not let you destroy another life like you did Theodore’s,” Holden spoke with determination. “Pandora was right about you. You never cared about her happiness and well-being or anyone’s life, for that matter. I should have put an end to that a long time ago.” 

“How dare you…?!” Todias raised his sword in the air, ready to make the kill. 

Blue screamed as Alli held her close protectively. Holden stayed where he was, prepared to take the blow for the Princess and Alli. 

“Blue! NOOOO!” Crash cried. The Odyssey, Sinbad’s crew, and the rest all gasped with terror. 

Suddenly, Todias was pulled back by his cloak and away from the three. When he turned around, he was met with a determined grin of Rodney, his own sword ready for battle. 

“Mind if I cut in?” He asked cheekily. 

Without a word, Todias yelled and charged at Rodney. The fight began with just that. 

As the crews and others stepped back to give the two room, Todias and Rodney battled, with the stormy seas raging in the background. The sounds of their swords clashing matched the thunder booming above the clouds. No matter how hard Todias tried to outsmart Rodney, the younger Captain was one step ahead of him. From the sidelines, the crews and others cheered wildly for the bluenette man to win the battle. 

Not only that, but for Blue’s freedom and safety. 

At one point, Todias had Rodney pinned down and slammed his blade, but barely missing by a few inches from his face and on the wooden deck. “Trying to make a point?” Rodney joked. 

As the battle continued, Crash saw the wheel controlling the anchor when an idea came up. He rushed towards the wheel and struggled to free it. “Blue, help me drop the anchor!” 

Blue understood and dashed over next to him. They lift the object holding the anchor together, setting it free. The second it hit the ocean floor, the ship lurched to a stop, despite the two ships on either side holding it into place. 

The force nearly got the crews and others to topple over, with Crash holding Blue so she wouldn’t fall over. 

Unfortunately, Todias was not so lucky. He fell over, losing the grip of his sword in the process, and hit the wooden floor hard. When he sat up, he was met with his own blade aimed at him by Rodney, who stood over him. 

“Please! Please, don’t hurt me!” Todias pleaded. “I was only doing what’s best for my family!” 

“Sheath your sword,” Rodney commanded as he handed him back his weapon. 

With shaking hands, Todias took back his sword and put it away. “You have to understand, I wanted what was best for my people and kingdom. Everything I did, I did for Mapplebarrow and my daughter.” 

“Bullshit,” Rodney sneered down at him. “You threatened to have her locked up for life because of something that was out of her control. You destroyed the chances she had to see her grandfather again. You betrayed and lied to her for as long as she lived. Do you really expect me to give you mercy?” 

“Surely, a man knows how to follow orders, like a good soldier would,” Todias added. 

He then suddenly whipped a gun from his side and aimed it right at Rodney. The Odyssey, Chamira, and the others gasped with horror. 

“Rodney!” Alli cried. 

Blue’s eyes, which were wide with shock for a moment, suddenly shifted to determination. She broke free from Crash’s hold and raced towards the masts. “Blue?” Crash asked confused. 

“If I had met you a long time ago, I would have killed you off right here and then,” Todias now had a grin dark and insane. Rodney’s eyes became filled with conflict as he was forced to throw his sword to the side. “As I said before, I will do whatever it takes to preserve my daughter from the world…even if it means locking her up forever.” 

“So you’re going to treat her like a prisoner? The same way your own father went through when he was her age?” Rodney challenged him. 

“Goodbye, pirate,” Todias grinned darkly, about to pull the trigger. 

However, one of the masts suddenly swung in and grabbed him by the back of his cloak, except Rodney, who ducked down in time. The mast soon stopped and left Todias yelling in fear and hanging over the waters below. 

Rodney stood back up and became astonished at his unseen savior. Blue landed on the deck with ease, a smile on her face. 

“Very stylish, kid,” Rodney remarked. 

“Eh, learned it from the best,” Blue beamed proudly. 

For the first time in her life, she saw what her ‘father’ truly is. A coward with no regard for anything but himself and his benefits only. It’s no wonder. 

“Pity. You know, I would have preferred to see you hanged,” Rodney said to the King. He then cut the rope that hung over one of the other masts holding Todias. When he did so, Todias fell to the water below, his scream cut short. He soon came back up, sputtering and splashing around. 

Blue giggled as she watched him pathetically try to float to save his own life. “Huh, what do you know? Guess your father’s too much of a wuss,” Crash commented to Blue, who nodded in agreement. Wonder blew a raspberry at the King as he sat on her shoulder. 

The storms had cleared in less than a moment, but Mapplebarrow’s ship had been badly damaged from the Chamira’s and Odyssey’s hits on both sides. 

Todias was soon drenched and tired out by the time he reached the stairs leading to the dry land of Treelighty. However, he stopped when he saw feet before him and glanced up to find displeased and enraged faces of the Leaders and Council of the Twelve Cities. Syracuse’s and Treelighty’s guards were also behind them, ready to take action if orders were given. 

“Todias. We’ve heard about you,” Proteus scowled down at Todias. 

The King of Mapplebarrow stammered nervously. Maybe he could try and get them on his side. “Sires, the pirates are getting away! They’ve sabotaged my army and kidnapped my daughter! Stop them!” 

Luck was not on his side. A pair of cuffs locking his hands together stopped him from speaking any further. 

“You attacked my people. You deliberately threatened my sister and her crew. And make no mistake…there are consequences to actions such as yours,” Nabel glowered at him. “Take him away,” she then ordered her men. 

With two guards on either of Todias’s sides, they took the defeated King away in cuffs. With that, his reign is over.

Chapter 46: Sailing Beyond the Horizon

Notes:

Warning: mentions of death, slight language

Word Count: 2,847

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

In less than an hour, Todias was finally arrested for deliberately causing panic in Treelighty and kidnapping Blue to try and forcefully take her back to Mapplebarrow. It was apparent that he had planned on marrying her off to another prince and his family, who were refusing to leave until Nabel threatened to have them arrested as well for trespassing and verbal threats. As Todias had said, Martha had died from a heart attack almost a year after Blue ran away from Mapplebarrow. When the doctors that had tended to her were asked, they said it was from stress and the decline of her health. 

But the others knew it was from something else. They pushed the thought away for a while now. As of this moment, there were other problems to deal with. 

As the sun started to set after a full day of reloading their ships, the Odyssey and Chamira crews said their final goodbyes. 

“You sure you guys aren’t coming? We could use some more extra,” Ralph inquired to Calhoun and the others. 

“No thanks, big guy. Somebody’s gotta stay behind and make sure Todas gets what’s coming to him. After all, he did kidnap Blue right after she turned 18,” Calhoun replied. 

“And besides, the Gems needed to be calibrated and ready for defense systems,” Kowalski explained. “May take days, but they’ll be up and running in no time flat.” 

“Good to hear,” Alex beamed at the four guys. 

“Hey, kid,” Skipper called to Blue. 

“Yes, sir?” Blue asked respectfully. 

“You did good.” 

Blue was astonished. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah.” 

She didn’t know what to say. She had lied to them about her running away from Mapplebarrow as a Princess, she had lied to them about everything. Even then, she still felt bad for that. “…I just wish you wouldn’t. I lied to you all. You sure you want to keep me around?” 

“Who says we don’t? You saved our asses from those Sirens,” Marty added with a grin. 

“You tamed the Elemental Guardians,” Gwangi joined in. 

“You helped us get ahead of the Damagers with that fish island,” Chris piped in. 

“And you saved Rodney’s ass, like…four times, if I remember correctly,” Migo finished. 

“If anything, we’re truly grateful for all you’ve done to help us,” Tulio finished. “And who cares if you're a princess or a cabin girl? You did things no one would ever think possible.” 

Blue’s eyes were streaming with light tears by then. She had thought that they would hate her for lying to them. A second later, she beamed back at him and the others. 

“Alright, who’s coming, and who’s going?” 

“Alex, you sure there’s enough room for any of us?” Gloria asked. 

“Rodney?” Alex turned to Rodney, who only grinned in reply. 

“Hell yeah we do. If you wanna come along, we’re not stopping you all.” 

“I wanna come, too!” Stefano piped in. 

“Vitaly, come with us!” Gia giggled excitedly as she pulled onto Vitaly’s hand. 

The orange-haired tried his best to pout stoically but failed. “Alright. Why not?” He grinned lightly. 

“Maria, come with us,” Manolo took hold of Maria’s hands. 

“What?” She and Joaquin all gasped astonished. 

“I already talked with your father, he’s letting you go with me.” 

“But what about San Angel?” Joaquin asked next. 

“I already have a few of my men stationed there to help keep San Angel safe,” Kida piped in, with Milo beside her. “The people there are in good hands.” 

“C’mon, guys, this is gonna be awesome! You’ll love it there!” Chris explained to Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy Z. 

“Really? There? With you guys?” Koki asked astonished. “Is there any way we can help around there?” 

“Rodney said he’d help us set up a workspace for you guys. That way, you’d be able to help teleport and keep working on inventions,” Martin added. “There’s no way you won’t fit in there.” 

“As long as I’m with you guys. Count me in!” Jimmy Z agreed. 

“I want in this, too!” Aviva beamed greatly. 

“Hey, thanks for helping us on the journey,” Ralph said to Vanellope and Felix. 

“Anything for you, stink-brain,” Vanellope jokingly added. 

“Sorry we couldn’t go along with you, Ralph. There are some things needed to be done around here,” Felix apologized. 

“Nah, doesn’t matter. Just glad to be with you guys again.” 

“Aw, man. I owe you guys one,” Migo stated as he rubbed the back of his neck. “for helping us get this far.” 

“And we owe you one for listening to us,” Meechee beamed at him. 

“So….can we come along?” Fleem asked. 

“Fleem!” Meechee, Gwangi, and Kolka collectively scolded him. 

“What? I want to see what they do around there,” Fleem defended himself. 

“Why not? The more, the merrier, am I right?” Percy instantly approved. 

“Eh, why not? I can’t leave without my friend,” Brenda joined in. 

“April, you gotta come along with us! I’m sure you’ll fit in among us!” Raph said to April, who held Mayhem in her arms. 

“Really? You really don’t mind?” The puffy-haired girl was uncertain, yet the excitement grew in her. 

“Absolutely! We could use another member of the Mad Dogs!” Mikey added with a beam. 

“Alright, yeah, I’m in!” 

The four turtles cheered in celebration as they entrapped her and Mayhem in a tight hug. 

“Allura, I’m sure you won’t come along with us?” Alli invited Allura and the Paladins. 

“That’s a generous offer, but I have to stay in the Cities to help ensure the Gems are secured and safe,” the Altean Princess answered. 

“Exactly! Somebody’s gotta stick around and make sure the Princess is protected as well,” Lance added. 

“Uh, does that include the Gems and the Crystal?” Keith questioned in a matter-of-fact tone. 

“He’s right. You can’t forget them, either,” Hunk intercepted.

“Right, those, too,” Lance agreed. 

“That’s understandable. All the same, we wouldn’t have done without you…including Blue,” Alli then turned to Blue, who smiled at her in return. 

The Chamira and the Odyssey were now ready to be departed. Proteus, however, spoke with Sinbad as the two crews sent one another goodbyes. 

“What? No fun if you’re actually invited to the party?” Proteus jokingly asked Sinbad. 

The Chamira captain spared a glance at Marina, who frowned as she listened in the conversation. “No, it’s just, uh, there’s a hammock in Fiji with my name on it,” he answered. 

Proteus grinned with reluctance. Regardless, he clasped his hand tightly. “Good sailing, Sinbad.” 

“Get a haircut,” Sinbad told him as he turned to leave with his crew. “You’re gonna be king someday.” 

Kale placed a hand on Marina’s shoulder as he beamed sincerely at her before ruffling Blue’s head, which sent her laughing. Rat held Marina’s hand to his face and then walked off, trying to hide his tears. 

Spike nudged Blue by the leg. The young girl couldn’t help but giggle as she pet him on the head. Marina also pet him by the ear, and he nuzzled in her hand as he whimpered. 

When Blue glanced up to face Marina, she was a bit disheartened to find the older woman trying to hold back her tears. “Marina?” Blue asked, hesitant to rest her hand on her shoulder. 

Marina forced herself to smile through her growing tears as she rested her palm on her shoulder. “Guess you managed to prove the doubters wrong,” she said. “You did good, Blue. Good sailing.” 

Blue smiled a bit before it fell as she watched Marina walk off. Her eyes then landed on Proteus. It was clear he had seen Marina watch Sinbad depart with his crew. With a sigh, she walked up to Proteus. “You think it might be obvious?” She asked, worried that she might make things a bit harder. 

“Might be? More like, truly obvious,” Proteus answered with sincerity, which sent relief and a bit of guilt into her. 

Blue pondered about something before her eyes lit up. “What if we can talk to your father about it?” 

Proteus glanced at her in question. 


At the top of the castle, Marina stood behind the railing. Her eyes scanned the open ocean as gulls screeched in the distance. She had known that Sinbad and his men would leave, but it didn’t make the situation any less painful. 

“Just another uneventful day in Syracuse,” Proteus mused as he stood next to Marina, who chuckled. “You know, I stood here with a woman once. She would stare over the ocean and wish she would sail beyond the horizon. She saw such wonder.” 

“And what happened to this woman?” Marina asked. 

“She got her chance. She sailed the seas. And she fell in love.” 

Marina sighed as she understood what he meant. “Proteus, I…” 

“Marina, follow your heart,” Proteus gently cut her off, his hands now placed on her shoulders so she could face him. “Mine is here in Syracuse. Yours…” he then wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “…yours is sailing with the next tide.” 

Marina instantly hugged Proteus as tight as she could. “Proteus…” 

In that moment, she knew they were going to get their happy endings. 


Back at the Chamira, Sinbad was already boarding behind his men. His gaze returned to the castle where Marina might be now. He stared longingly at it, wishing he could go back and see her one last time. 

“Hey.” 

He turned to face Rodney, who had called him, and Blue as she stood beside him. “I know it’s not easy to let go…but there’s always someone who would sail the seas with you,” the bluenette captain sympathized with him. 

“Speak for yourself. You got a brave, honest wife,” Sinbad smiled softly, to which Rodney chuckled. 

“Take care of yourself, buddy.” 

“Same to you…Captain Copperbottom.” 

 Rodney saluted him before he walked to follow his crew. Blue, however, stayed behind. “I’m really sorry. She must have loved you very much,” she said sympathetically. 

“Yeah, well. It’s probably for the best,” Sinbad tried to shrug it off, but it was clear to her how much he loved Marina back. He then faced her again with a soft smile“You’re a lot like Copperbottom, kid. You never give up…even when it’s all hopeless.” 

Blue smiled up at him. She has grown up a lot like Rodney had before her. 

“Captain,” Kale called to Sinbad, who hummed without turning away from her. “We’re ready to sail.” 

Sinbad glanced down with a soft frown. “All right, Kale. Take us out.” 

“Aye, aye, Captain. Cast off!” Even when Kale had turned to call out to the crew, his concern didn’t waver. 

“Any chance we’ll see one another again?” Blue asked playfully, in hopes of lightening the mood. 

With a bit of success for her, Sinbad grinned lightly again. “Yep. Take care of yourself, Blue.” 

Blue beamed back at him before she dashed off to follow Rodney. When her back was turned, his gaze returned to the palace. After a moment, he sighed and pushed himself off the railing. Spike whimpered sadly. 

With the Chamira now leaving Syracuse, Sinbad moved to the front rigging and leaned to the side as he studied the horizon. 

A pile of rope suddenly fell on top of him. “Rat!” He yelled agitated. 

“What?” 

Sinbad furrowed his eyes when he heard Rat call from behind. He turned and found his crew staring at him mischievously. 

“Excuse me, Captain!” He was then met with a familiar silhouette hanging from the rat’s nest. “You need to replace these rig joints pretty soon. The mizzen ropes need the support.” 

Sinbad grinned broadly when he recognized her. “These joints are from the Jasmine Sea. That’s halfway around the world.” 

“Then we better get started,” Marina mused smugly. 

Sinbad sliced the rope he held onto, using it to pull himself to the top of the sails where she stood. “Well, you know that means going through the Hydra’s Lair.” 

“Mm-hmm,” Marina hummed in agreement. 

“The Minotaur’s Haven.” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

“The Cyclops’ Den.” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

“Under the Swansea Bridge.”

“Mm-hmm.” 

“Through the China Seas,” Sinbad finished as he swung around so he was closer to her. “That’s a very long voyage. And it’s very…very dangerous.” 

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” Marina told him innocently. 

His arms then wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. When he leaned down to her, their lips connected after her arms wrapped around his neck in turn. 

Meanwhile, below the nest, Spike barked when he saw Sinbad and Marina together. He rushed towards his personal catapult, sat up on it, pulled the bone that would jettison him towards the couple, and flew right on top of them. A second later, Spike was running over them, occasionally liking them in happiness. 

“Spike!” Sinbad groaned as he tried to shove Spike off of him. 

“Spike!” Marina laughed fondly. 

“Spike, down!” 

From below, the crew laughed in amusement. The Chamira sailed off into the sunset as Sinbad and Marina readied themselves for another voyage. 


Back at the Odyssey, Blue watched the Chamira sail off before them. She had seen Marina manage to get aboard the other ship before it sailed off, so she knew she made it. It was a bit hard talking to Dymas about letting Marina leave with Sinbad, but seeing how his son was willing to let her be happy, he couldn’t say no to him. All in all, she silently wished Sinbad and Marina a good life. 

“You sure there’s no other way you can stay?” Nabel asked her younger sister. Matt stood beside her as they spoke with her and Rodney. 

“I wish I could stay, Annie, but I can’t,” Alli apologetically told her. “I mean, my home is the sea, and it’s hard to break away from it all. I promise, I’ll come by for the holidays if possible.” 

“I understand,” Nabel replied. “For what it’s worth, Mum and Papa would have been proud of the woman you’ve become.” 

Alli beamed at her sister. “And they’d be proud of you, too.” 

Nabel smiled back at her. The sisters then hugged one another, their hold strong as if they wanted this moment to last forever. 

“Aww, this is nice,” Matt mused wholeheartedly. 

The girls then pulled away from each other, Nabel’s hands on her shoulders as she gazed at her younger sister one last time. “Be safe out there, Alli,” she tenderly told her. 

Alli smiled at her. “Don’t forget about me,” she answered back. 

Once everyone who had decided to come along was on board, the Odyssey began its departure from the docks. The rest who stayed behind stood with Nabel and Matt on the docks as they watched the ship leave the port. The Queen smiled warmly, a stray tear streaming down her cheek. 

“Bye, sister,” Nabel mumbled. 

Blue watched the docks of Syracuse fade away to nothing more than a dot on the horizon from the railing. When it looked like it was out of sight, she then turned her attention towards the sun setting over the ocean line. A faint smile formed on her face. 

“Hey, you know Mapplebarrow’s in good hands now,” Leo reassured her. “They’re gonna have someone watch over it while you’re gone.” 

“I know,” Blue beamed at him. 

“And, uh…” Donnie cleared his throat. “May I remind you that you still have a small moment to complete?” 

She didn’t need to ask what he meant. Crash’s cheeks were burning red as they approached one another. They didn’t pay attention to the crew already working at their stations. The sounds had drowned out by then. 

“Uh, Blue…would it be a total cliche if I kiss you right now?” Crash inquired. 

“Do you need to ask?” Blue giggled. 

Now a few inches from each other, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he did the same around her waist. They soon leaned down to one another, and their lips connected with each other. They could have sworn they heard someone cheer from the side, but they didn’t care about that at the moment. 

Rodney and Alli studied the two from the upper deck with fond smiles, his arm around her waist by the side. She rested her head on his shoulder as he returned the gesture by leaning his cheek on top of hers. 

Wonder suddenly broke in between the two teens and hugged them as he chittered. Blue and Crash couldn’t help but laugh at his sudden appearance. By then, the crew had seen every bit of it and surrounded the two. Peter and Alex jumped around in joy, their arms linked around each other. The Rusties encircled the teens, trapping them in a bear hug. 

This is the life Blue had been looking for. The one she got to have after so long. 

And the man she finally got to keep. The man who loves her as she truly is. 

But most of all…

She has a loving, true family. 

The family who loves her unconditionally. 

One thing is certain. Her journey isn’t over. 

And she can hope that in some way, her story will be heard and remembered.

Notes:

A/N: holy shit...I think I made it. I actually finished it. Where has the time gone?

Anyways, I hope you liked the story as much as I do. Thanks for getting this far.