Sons of the Tide (mlm)

Chapter 11: Sharks

Caleb

As soon as Joseph went overboard, Cecelia was screaming. She dropped her sword and reached her hand into the water, but he was already gone. Caleb swore and one of dropped oars, using the other to smack away a pirate.

"Go after him, I can handle them!"

She slammed her hands into the side of the boat, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't swim. I can't fucking swim."

Caleb looked back at her, dropped his oar, and dove into the water. God, let him still be alive.

Caleb looked around franticly, and when his eyes finally found his sinking form he swam as fast as he could. He grabbed onto the net, trying to pull it off but all he managed to do was slow the fall into the reef. If he hit the coral too fast, it would hurt him. A lot.

Joseph was flailing, panicked, clearly struggling with the lack of air. Caleb was running out of air, too, with the small amount of time before he'd jumped not enough to get enough. He swore internally and pushed off a rock, shooting himself up to the surface. As soon as his head broke the water, he gasped, and immediately dove back under.

Joseph had reached the bottom of the reef, and the net was tangled in coral. He'd stopped flailing, but he was trying to yank the net free.

Caleb swam to him, his heart pounding in his chest. Everything was happening so fast, he didn't know what to do. Joseph was going to run out of air and drown if he didn't get him out of that net.

He finally made it too him and tried helping him pull, but it was no use. The rope was too securely caught in the coral around him. Joseph reached through the net and gripped his arm, motioning frantically to his chest. He was out of air.

Caleb grasped his hand and pressed his other to Joseph's lips, then to his, then mimicking take a deep breath. It took a moment for Joseph to understand, but he nodded quickly once he did.

Caleb moved the net as best he could and slipped his hand around Joseph's neck. Joseph's lips pressed against Caleb's, and he blew air through them. Once Joseph had enough air, Caleb forced himself to pull back. He nodded in question and Joseph copied the gesture, much calmer now that he had air.

Caleb pointed up and Joseph nodded again, and Caleb swam up to the boat. He needed a knife to cut the net.

When he got there, he gasped for air and hauled his torso over the side of the boat. Cecelia was panting, covered in blood. Caleb could smell the blood of the pirates mixing with the salt water. "I need a knife, he's stuck—"

She cut him off by yanking a dagger out of her boot and handing it to him. "Get him back."

Caleb gripped the dagger tightly and dove back into the water. When he got back to Joseph, he was trying to get free. It took two seconds for Caleb to see what had him panicking.

Sharks. Drawn to the reef by the blood in the water. Shit.

Caleb grabbed one of the sections of rope and started cutting. The sharks ignored him, but Joseph was a sitting duck. One of the smaller ones shot forward and sank its teeth into his shoulder before Caleb could ward it off.

Dammit. Caleb pushed it away by its nose and kept cutting. Joseph was gripping his shoulder, bubbles coming out of his mouth as he tried to scream in pain. Caleb took his face in his cheeks and looked him in the eyes, willing him to calm down.

Joseph's eyes were wide with fear. Terror. Caleb needed to get him out of there. But first, air. He mincing taking a breath again and Joseph nodded, wincing in pain.

He kissed him again, this time staying connected longer. When he pulled away, Joseph was staring at him. He looked back at the rope and began sawing away at it.

When enough of the rope was cut for him to finally get free, Caleb grabbed him by his waist and pushed off the coral. The sharks followed, nipping at anything they could reach on Joseph. Caleb became more violent with them, practically daring them to hurt him more. They backed off when he punched one in the nose so hard he rocketed into the ocean floor.

When they broke the surface, Cecelia was there, reaching out for him. She hauled him onto the boat and pressed her hands to his bleeding shoulder. "Shit!"

Caleb climbed into the boat, water soaking every inch of the wood, and picked up two oars. He rowed as fast as he could, but Joseph was losing blood and losing it fast.

Caleb dared to look at his barely conscious form and immediately regretted it. He looked so pale and fragile. He hated it.

When they finally reached the ship, the crew were ready to receive them. They pulled Cecelia up, and Caleb threw Joseph over his shoulder to climb the ladder while one of the crew jumped into the rowboat to secure it.

Cecelia was shouting for bandages, but Caleb could see the severity of the wounds. He was bleeding out.

He swore and put his hand into Joseph's forehead. He was on fire. "Cecelia! I need a blade. I lost yours in the reef."

She whipped her head to him, anger flaring. "Don't you ducking dare put him out of his misery!"

"Now!" He said it with such aggression that one of the crew tossed him a small knife as a reflex.

He picked it up, though Cecelia started toward him, and sliced through his own forearm. He barely winced as he dropped the blade and dug his fingers into his open wound.

Cecelia stopped in her tracks, as confused as the rest of the crew. They'd forgotten his mother was a witch.

He used his blood to draw a pattern of symbols on Joseph's forehead. Then neck, then the exposed part of his chest. His arm was a bloody mess by the time he slammed his hand into Joseph's chest and spoke in a foreign tongue.

The bloody symbols flashed slightly, then faded into Joseph's deep skin and he coughed. He'd fallen unconscious, but now he was coughing up the water he'd inhaled while under.

Caleb flipped him onto his side and held him up so the water could exit safely, then looked up at Cecelia. "Get him into bed, and clean the wound."

She nodded and took him, and with the help of other crew members carried him to his cabin. Caleb wanted to get up to help, but the little bit of witch magic he used drained him so badly he felt like he was going to pass out. He leaned against the rail of the ship, breathing heavily.

He barely registered the man holding a cup to his lips until the water dribbled down his chin and onto his bloody chest. He gulped it down, not realizing how thirsty he was. The same man wiped his arm and bandaged it tightly, which hurt like hell.

Caleb sucked air through his teeth when the man's finger brushed against the wound. He didn't stop wrapping, but he did say, "Sorry, my bad."

Caleb shook his head. "No, it's okay."

Once his wound was wrapped, he sighed and his head dropped to his chest. The man held his head up and patted his cheeks. "Come on, demigod, stay with me."

He could recognize the fuzzy face as the cook, Milo. He swallows thickly and nodded. "Sea water."

That was all he could manage to say before he devolved into a coughing fit. Milo shouted at his cremate to get a bucket of water from the sea, and soon enough it was sat beside him. Caleb shoved himself up and dunked his arm into the water, hissing in pain. "Fuck."

After a few minutes in the water, Caleb pulled it out and Milo helped him unwrap the bandages gently. To Milo's surprise, the wound was mostly closed, and already starting to get pink scarring around the ends.

Milo looked at his face, then back at the healing wound. "What—how?"

Caleb smiled, still panting. "Demigod, mate."

Milo huffed a laugh and patted his arm. "I'll get you another drink. Rum for the pain, alright?"

Caleb nodded once and leaned back against the rail, propping his arm up on his knee. It had been a really long fucking day.