Staring out at the night sky, I could see the lights of buildings on the horizon, like little fireflies. Soon, we’d be in Athens, and I was actually kind of excited. I turned the volume up on my phone and blasted my music into my skull, drowning out the other noises of the night.


    I had found myself enjoying this trip a lot more than expected, despite the attack of a giant mythical sea monster and Erik dying. Well, almost dying. I felt it when it happened, but I didn’t know what ‘it’ was until I got down to the cove and saw it myself. The team had been none too pleased with my act of cowardice; hiding under the deck while we were attacked. I could only assume I would get a ''talking to'' when we got back to the Cathedral.


    Siobhan and I had been up all night trying to find the Queen Anne''s Revenge again while the others rested. Siobhan was scary, but despite how much she terrified me, I felt like I was growing fond of her. Like, fond of being around her, not fond of her as like a person...


    I made my way from the front of the boat to the back where Siobhan was at the wheel. She looked tired, but refused to give the wheel to her first mate. She turned to me and smiled and I pulled my headphones down around my neck.


    “Heya gorgeous.” She said, with far less gusto than usual. I rolled my eyes.


    “I really wish you’d stop that.” I whined.


    “No ya don’t lad. I know that look on yer face. You’ve had yer heart broken and you’re looking to make sense of this crazy new world you’ve stumbled inta. Ya like the way I treat ya, despite yer bitchin’.” She said it with a straight face, which was uncommon for her.


    I stared at her for a while, shocked. I hadn''t seen this side of her before. It made the whole crazy drunken pirate thing seem like an act. I opened my mouth, but she continued.


    “Ya don’t have to tell me the story lad, but I’m ‘ere if ya need to tell it.” She grabbed my wrist and pulled me close, right into her. I rag-dolled off the wheel first.


    “Ow.” I complained.


    “You’ll live.” She teased. Siobhan wrapped her arm around my waist and held me there while she steered. I tried to pull away, but she held me firm.


    "Is it that obvious?" I asked. Siobhan nodded.


    "Aye, ye wear yer heart on your sleeve. And all over yer face." She told me. She wasn''t wrong.


    Erin used to frequently tell me I wore my emotions very plainly on my face. Like when she''d be talking about something for hours and my eyes would go vacant. Or how when she''d say something stupid and my eyebrows betrayed me.


    Since getting here, anyone who had talked to me told me I looked ''broken hearted''. It was like being told I had spinach between my teeth. I cringed, and hoped to change the subject.


    “So how did you end up in the Order?” I asked, figuring I wasn''t going anywhere anytime soon, with the way she was holding on to me.


    “How’d ya mean?” She adjusted her bandana that was holding back her huge frizzy mess of red hair.


    “I mean, were you young when they recruited you? What’s your story?”


    “Me great, great ancestor was Grace O’Malley, Queen of the Seas. She helped support the Order for years, smuggling Order members and the odd Artifact.” She explained. I had no idea who she was talking about.


    “So you’re a prodigy, like Amelia and Ethan?” I asked. Or any of the others who weren''t me, it would seem. The Order of Vigilance felt like a family business, and I was the outsider. I was only here cause they thought I was a valuable asset, being able to pick up Death''s Scythe. I felt like I had done a good job of proving them wrong.


    “Err…not quite." She answered. "I was a disappointment to me family. Da was a drunk, Ma was never around. Granny used to watch me when I was a wee lass and told me stories of the sea. After I spent a few years as a runaway, the Old One found me runnin’ with pirates. We played a game of dice and I won the Dutchman from him. But it was conditional on me Bonding to the damned thing. E'' said it would just jump back to the Vault if it wasn''t Bonded. I scoffed him off at first, but the first time it blipped back from underneath me, I learned." Siobhan visibly shivered. I could feel her against me, like a cold wind had caught her.


    "I ''ad been a wild youth, but the Order gave me purpose. As I grew into a woman, many tattoos and piercin’s later, I realized that I could end up like me Da and be miserable me whole life, or I could be like Granny and sail the seas with a purpose. I officially joined up and they did some funny blood magic that bound me to the boat. And me cloak and sword." She finished.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    “Old One? Sword and cloak? Oh God, the cloak doesn’t sing too does it?” I raised my eyebrows in mock horror. She laughed at me, and it’s contagious. She held me a little tighter, and I didn''t mind.


    “The Old One is one of the Order''s founders. I think they call ''em Progenitors. Bunch of ancient windbags, bossin'' ''em around from the shadows. Never got the man''s actual name. And naw, the cloak does somethin’ different. ‘Ere, hold this.” She said, letting go of the wheel. The ship started to list as it spun. I grabbed hold and it almost sent me flying. She was a lot stronger than she looked.


    She backed away from me a bit and grabbed the edge of her white cloak and swished it back and around her, spinning as she went. She transformed into a majestic looking swan.


    “You can turn into a bird?” My voice lacked any enthusiasm as I struggled with controlling the wheel.


    Siobhan-Swan honked at me indignantly and snapped at my knee.


    “Hey! Cut that out!” I shouted. I couldn''t hold the wheel and dodge a swan at the same time, so I did the sensible thing and let go. The wheel spun out and the ship listed heavily, but only for a second, as Siobhan grabbed hold, in human form of course.


    “As ye know, we don’t pick our Artifacts lad, they choose us. It’s helped a great deal actually.” She patted the cloak affectionately, stories of the past shining in her bright emerald eyes.


    The moon danced across her face, making her pale skin and spray of freckles stand out. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and smirked when she noticed me staring.


    “You try not to die out there and come back to me won’t ye?” She stroked my cheek, and I felt myself lean into it.


    “To be completely honest, I don’t think I can.” Siobhan looked at me quizzically. “I mean, I’ve died before, a couple times now. But between my impeccable luck and Death’s Scythe, I don’t think I’m capable of staying anymore dead than your crewmen.” I chuckled, but she didn''t share the mirth. She was analyzing me, probably reassessing all her forwardness.


    I had a bad habit of ruining good things.


    “Yea, I know. I probably reek of death and destruction.” I said, admitting defeat.


    “Not quite. In this line o’business, I’ve seen many a fine lad and lass die early, despite even the best Artifacts at their call. I’ve made a point to not get close to anyone except the monsters. Vampires, succubi and the like make for good travelin’ companions. The crew came with the ship, and to be honest, they don’t have much in the way of personality. But you lad, you can live forever. It’s a gift.” Siobhan pulled back my hood and placed her hand behind my neck and looked at me all serious.


    “It’s a curse.” I told her. "I still feel all the pain."


    “Trust me, when ya finally figure out the way that thing works, you’ll understand how much of a boon it is in our line o’work.” She told me, stroking the back of my head. Her affection wasn''t rushed or manic as it was before. This time there was something different.


    She leaned in slowly and kissed my forehead, before she diverted her full attention to the wheel. She was set to get us as close as she could to Athens without docking the cursed ship.


    I couldn''t tell what she was thinking, and she made a point not to look at me. I thought I could see tears, forming like crystals, in the corner of her eyes but she would turn away if I looked to close.


    I headed back down the stairs to the deck and put my headphones back on. I reveled in the sound of my music thumping into my head. As I moved to the center of the deck where I had the most space and I called to my Artifact; the Scythe appeared in my hands in a plume of black smoke. I looked over its sleek wooden rod and grotesquely ornate blade. The skull at the end had glowing red eyes, the black blade jutting from its mouth. It looked uncomfortable to me.


    I tried to remember some of my training and used the lack of living things in my proximity as way to get used to it. My twirls were awkward, and I caught myself in the leg or shoulder a couple times, but the powers of the Artifact didn''t seem to affect me. Slowly, I felt more comfortable speeding up my routine and fighting pretend enemies that weren''t there.


    I knew I looked ridiculous, like some kid in his backyard swinging an anime replica katana. I could feel eyes on the back of my head. I turned to see if Siobhan was watching, but she was no longer there. Her undead first mate had the wheel and his sunken hollow eye sockets stared into me. That was when I noticed that most of the zombie crew was staring and it creeped me the hell out.


    Suddenly a horrid idea struck me. I raised the Scythe into the air above my head and reached outward like Chase had explained. I closed my eyes and felt the pull and push of the Artifact and its bond to me. It was like watching the ebb and flow of a deep black wave. When I opened my eyes, the two closest crewmen stiffened and stopped what they were doing. I could feel them attached to me; joined in some kind of spiritual link. The Scythe called out to the fragments of their souls that kept them going. I paused, thinking about what to do with my new found power.


    I commanded them to have a fist fight.


    The two zombies instantly started decking each other in the head and it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I laughed out loud and then pulled back on my powers, retracting the Scythe’s influence. The two crewmen shook their heads and returned to work like nothing had happened. I could still feel feel them though, as if on a single thought, I could call back out to them.


    I could also feel their desire for release. They craved death; true death. I felt bad about their servitude to the ship. I felt even worse when I realized that I just forced two of them to fight each other. These creatures were once men and women. They had families and friends when they were alive. I’m sure Siobhan would be pissed if I helped her crew pass on to the afterlife though. There would be no one left to run the ship.


    But it unnerved me and I suddenly didn''t feel like the powers of Death''s Scythe were something anyone should have. I thought of the Reaper, Alma, and I made a mental note to check in on her whenever she came back. I wondered if I could control her the same way. I looked at the Scythe with guilt and banished it back to wherever it is that it goes.


    In the morning, we’d be in Athens, and I might actually have to be an asset to the team. But at what cost?