Sons of the Tide (mlm)

Chapter 16: Captain Justeene

Joseph

The Tides Voyage arrived at Justeene's island within a week, and were docking at the rundown port before noon. Cecelia was in a wonderful mood, evident in the fact she was glaring bullets at him from her spot on the quarter deck as he helped pull the ramp to the dock over the side of the boat.

Caleb, who'd been getting on well with the others the entire week, was one of the first off the boat. Joseph practically had to drag Cecelia off the ship, and she made it as difficult as she could until they got to the dock.

Somehow, as always, Captain Justeene was waiting at the end of the dock with her hand resting on her sword and a wide smile across her face. Cecelia ripped her arm away from Joseph's grip and shot him a glare as they approached her.

Justeene opened her arms wide as Cecelia finally stopped in front of her. "Cecelia!"

Cecelia narrowed her eyes over her shoulder at Joseph as Justeene wrapped her arms around her tightly. "Mother."

Joseph was next to receive a hug, then a firm handshake. "Joseph. I thought I saw your ship on the horizon."

Justeene had the uncanny ability to spot any ship anywhere near her island no matter what she was doing or where she was. It was honestly slightly creepy. "It's good to see you, Captain."

"Taking good care of my daughter I hope." She gave him a look, one that told him he'd better be.

He nodded. "Of course. Though she takes plenty good care of herself."

Justeene huffed a laugh and smiled at Cecelia. "It's how she was raised."

Cecelia crossed her arms and cleared her throat. "Yes, well, we aren't here on a social call. We're here to talk business."

Justeene sighed and looked at Joseph. "I figured as much. Come, we'll talk in my office."

Cecelia followed her mother, arms still crossed, and Joseph glanced back at his crew. "Tie down the ship, then you can go."

Meetings with Justeene always took hours, no matter the subject. His crew didn't need to be waiting around the ship for hours on end when they could relax in the many, many taverns Justeene ran around her island. The island was similar to the Drunken Lagoon in the fact it was a safe space for pirates and other less-than-legal persons, but Justeene ran her establishment very differently. No ship entered without her express permission, and her island was strictly hers. No other pirate lords entered without invitation, and if they did, well...

She had many sunken ships surrounding her port. Some of them were even dragged onto the outlying shores to send a message. It was a very well understood message.

Justeene lead Joseph and Cecelia to the center of the small, crowded town beside the beach, where a replica of her personal ship was propped up on wooden stilts. She used the ship as a home and office for her business.

Even pirates needed ships, and she built them. Once she'd retired from life on the seas, she settled down, started her business, and had her daughter. Who, against her wishes, ran off to be a pirate and fell under Joseph's crew years later.

Justeene entered her ship and led them straight to the belly of the ship, where her office was located in the back. A few of her workers were leaned over tables with the schematics to ships, and Joseph noticed a few new models as he passed.

They entered her office and closed the door behind them, and Justeene gestured for them to sit in the large seats at her desk. "So, what business are we discussing?"

Joseph sat, but Cecelia stayed by the door, sulking. Justeene ignored her as she sat in her own chair, opposite Joseph. "Well, we've recently gained a very valuable asset and our plans to take down Hawke are well within sight."

Justine's eyebrow quirked up and she clasped her hands on the desk. "What kind of asset are we talkin'?"

Joseph took a breath and hoped she believed when he answered, "A demigod."

"No shit?"

"None."

Justeene shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "Don't tell me it was the new man on your crew? The tall one with the blue eyes?"

"Caleb." Joseph nodded. "His father is Pontus."

Justeene scoffed slightly, her un-patched eye wide. "God, he looks just like his mother."

Cecelia pushed off the door frame and stepped closer. "You know Caleb's mother?"

"Who do you think stole my eye?"

Cecelia sputtered. "She-- Holy shit, his mother was the witch?"

Joseph looked between them as Justeene nodded. "What are you talking about?"

Justeene turned back to him gesturing to the patch over her left eye. "When I was young, right before I finally became Captain of my own ship, I nearly drowned. I washed up on the shore of some tiny, secluded island, half alive with a hole through my stomach the size of an orange.

"When I came to, I'd been taken into this tiny hut. A witch had saved me, but she couldn't heal the severity of my wound with just her magic," Justeene explained. "She needed a healthy part of my own body to take to replenish the part of my stomach that was missing. I told her to take my eye."

"Hold on." He leaned forward in his seat. "She took your eye?"

"Yes. Carved it right out of me. Saved my life, too." She clasped her hands in her lap. "Her son was in the reef when he saw me. I'd been thrown from my ship--they discovered I was a woman--with a canon ball tied to my feet and a wound from multiple bullets being shot through the same spot. He dragged me to his mother."

"Caleb."

"Must've been. I didn't see him again, and the witch sent me back to that ship with nothing but an eyepatch and a pistol and I took the captain's place." She shook her head. "I owe that boy my life. My entire career."

"Damn."

Cecelia whistled. "Small world."

Justeene nodded. "Well, if this boy is truly a demigod, what is your plan?"

"We need ships. As many as you can spare." Joseph looked at her steady, the feeling finally able to put the pieces of his plan into motion giving him a new hunger for it. "And we need to kidnap one of his pirates."