Rhode was staring.

This came as no surprise to Kain. In fact, he was more curious about why Dalphie wasn't doing the same. After all, his ability to not only keep up, but remain unexhausted by the swim wasn't exactly how a normal human would behave.

Of course, Melitta had them all beat. She swam circles around the group, then would dart ahead, before rejoining them once again. He could only feel grateful that she'd agreed with a giggle to leave her dress in place. It looked strange with her silvery-blue scaled tail, her fins, and a rucksack she had retrieved from the forest before they'd left, but saved him the trouble of figuring out how to handle a naked mermaid.

The trip itself took a number of hours. They'd started in the cove. Melitta led them out via an underwater tunnel that sliced through the rocky cliffs and ended in the open ocean. The tunnels were dark, but the group wasn't in them very long due to the current tugging them along. After that, it was a matter of locating where she'd last seen the Airlea, then attempting to track down where it'd drifted to after she'd left.

Due to the sirens and mermaids swimming beneath the surface, and Kain's lack of gills, conversation was nonexistent for the most part. The only exclusions came when they'd pause for Melitta.

Occasionally, for reasons unknown to Kain, she would pause and close her eyes. He'd then tread water while watching the mermaid hum softly. The two sirens would whisper to each other, and Kain would marvel over the fact that while neither of them had gills, they didn't seem to surface while swimming for a breath of fresh air. After a minute or two, Melitta would open her eyes and declare them ready to move once again.

They reached the Airlea at the break of dawn.

"How're we going to get aboard?" Kain wondered aloud.

The women surfaced next to him. Rhode eyed the ship with a frown; Dalphie's lips pursed in a thoughtful manner.

"There is a rope," Melitta explained. "I brought it with me last time."

Careful to avoid the undercurrent, he trailed behind Melitta as she led the way to the opposing side of the ship. True to her words, a single rope dangled over the railing and dipped down into the water.

Without waiting for the rest of them, Melitta dipped beneath the surface, before returning a split second later. Only this time, she was treading water with her legs. Without a word, she seized the rope, gave it a deft tug as if to test her weight, and began climbing up the side. He couldn't help but feel surprised at the show of strength as she easily scaled the ship and straddled the railing. Then, she glanced down at them and gave a smug smile.

"Are you coming or not?"

Giggling, Dalphie was the first to follow. This left Rhode and Kain looking at each other, before he suggested she go first. Without a word, she took the offer, leaving Kain to be the last one to scale the ship. Exhaustion seemed to set in the moment his feet hit the deck and it took everything Kain had to keep standing.

The sun had fully risen, and that strange, neverending energy of his had disappeared. Still, he stubbornly pushed his tired body into action as he joined the others around the twin barrels the rope had been secured around.

"I was not sure if I would need to come back," Melitta was explaining. "But, I thought it safer than leaving the rope on a grappling hook. So, I dug these out from below deck when searching for his sword."

"Lucky for us," Kain said.

Melitta beamed as if his words had been a huge compliment. Rhode, meanwhile, leaned so her back was resting against the barrels, her weary gaze flicking between all of them.

"What's next?" she asked. "I don't know about all of you, but I'm tired. I'm not sure how much I'd be able to get done like this."

Melitta and Dalphie exchanged unreadable looks, before they both shrugged and declared themselves fit to work. Thinking this over, Kain turned his gaze to the crow's nest. Hazy memories of that night flicked through his mind, but he pushed them away and focused on the women once again.

"If we set our course, then we can take turns resting," he suggested. "We just need to check and make sure there aren't any major leaks. I can do minor repairs after a bit of sleep, and anything else we'll just have to manage. Hopefully, that won't be an issue."

"We could split up," Melitta mused.

After a few moments of discussion over who would check where, the group broke up to check for damages. Before heading below deck, Kain took the time to force himself up the nest's ladder. Relief flickered through him as he found the maps and tools Iliana had brought him when he'd been stationed as the lookout. The paper was in reasonably poor shape--it wasn't meant to be left out day after day as it had been--but still legible. So, he gathered everything up and climbed back down. He placed them atop the barrels for safekeeping, then went about checking his portion of the ship.

A short time later, the group reconvened. The damages were minor, and nothing worth worrying about at that time. Relieved, Kain drew their attention to the maps.

"Which way are we going?" he asked, looking to Melitta.

She closed her eyes for a moment, doing the same little humming thing she'd done before. After a moment, she opened them again and studied the map. Then, she gave a sheepish shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm not sure where we are on there," she explained. "But, they went..." She turned around, peering out into the open ocean, before gesturing in a vague direction. "That way."

Kain furrowed his brows and picked up Artemios' compass. After a minute of consulting the map and where she'd gestured, he drew his finger across the map in a small circle.

"I'm not quite sure where we are myself," he admitted. "But, my best guess is we're somewhere around here, given that we were here," he paused to point to an area a bit off the coast of Eol, "before we somehow ended up on the island. Which means, if they're traveling in that direction," he drew his finger across the map, "then they're most likely shooting for Eol."

"It would make sense," Dalphie said.

Her agreement seemed to be enough for the other two, as they both seemed to relax with her words. A bit confused, but too tired to question it at this point, Kain set about giving out instructions to get the ship moving. A few replaced sails, adjusted rigging, and tugs of the steering wheel later, the ship was drifting in the right direction. Which, for now, was enough for Kain. After extracting promises to wake him if things changed, Kain made his way to his and Iliana's old cabin before collapsing into his bed.

'We're coming, Iliana,' he mentally promised. 'Stay safe.'

He was out within minutes.

¸.•*¨*•.¸♪¸.•*¨*•.¸♥¸.•*¨*•.¸

"Kain."

He jolted awake. His eyes met Melitta's, the mermaid's hand on his shoulder. She offered a smile in response to the yawn that instantly escaped his lips.

"It's time to switch," she explained.

"Oh."

She stepped away from the bed and he rolled over, yawning again. Within seconds his feet hit the floor and he ran his hands through his hair, sleep-muddled mind piecing together everything that had happened the night before. When he turned his eyes to meet hers, Melitta shifted her weight, one hand hidden behind her back. He raised a brow.

"What?"

Her smile grew. "Surprise!"

Kain starred as she pulled the hand out, revealing a gray-knitted cap. He blinked a few times, but the item didn't disappear.

"How...?"

"I was actually going to give it to you last night," Melitta explained. "I asked a few friends and we managed to find it by following the currents. But, then everything happened and..." She shrugged. "There didn't seem to be a good time."

He took the cap from her hands, happiness flooding his mind. Turning it over in his hands, he couldn't help the sense of relief that came with the realization there wasn't a single string out of place. A grateful smile graced his lips, and he soon tugged the cap over his snowy hair. It only took him a few seconds to carefully tuck each lock out of view.

"Thanks."

Melitta studied him with obvious curiosity. "If you don't mind, what's so special about it? I didn't ask before, since you were obviously upset about losing it, but... a hat's a hat. It would have been simple to pick up a new one when we reached port."

"That's..." Kain began, hesitation fluttering through him. "Well..."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Melitta added.

He shook his head. "It's no big deal. My mother knitted it for me."

"You've met her?" Melitta asked, eyes wide.

"Surprised?" Kain countered, wry amusement playing across his expression. "I guess that part didn't get put in the stories."

Melitta shook her head, her expression turning curious. "No, definitely not. If the they were to be believed, you and her never met after she handed you to Umae."

That's because we weren't supposed to. Kain stood, absently tugging on his cap as he considered how to respond. After a few seconds of silence, he shrugged. It's not like it matters, whether she knows or not.

"We met once," he replied. "In secret, of course. Captain called me to his quarters. He'd convinced her that if we left right after, there'd be no danger to it. It's not like they kept her in their sights every second of the day. So, we met and she gave me this." He tapped the top of his head. "Course, I was a bit of a brat about it and didn't have a nice word to say to her. For the longest time I hid the cap beneath my bunk and refused to touch it. When I was little, I had some idea in my head that she'd abandoned me. For some reason, the fact that it was for my own good just wouldn't stick."

"That's pretty understandable," Melitta said.

He shrugged. "Maybe. Anyways, we exchanged letters after that. Or, I guess, she sent them and Captain forced me to read them. Eventually, I figured out she loved me. This cap and I have been together ever since, even if I've only seen her in person that one time."

"I'm glad I found it, then," Melitta mused, an almost wistful edge to her voice. "It's hard, losing a parent."

Kain studied her. "Yeah..."

Mermaids were the only of the gods' children that he'd ever made an effort to learn everything about. As such, he was well aware that like sirens, mermaids didn't age. He couldn't help but wonder how old Melitta was. Had she outlived her family beyond Callias, or was there another reason for her words? How had her mother been, when whatever had led to Melitta escaping her life as a Bella had come to pass?

Well, it wasn't any of his business. A virtual stranger like him wasn't supposed to question someone about their life secrets. As such, he started for the cabin door.

"The other bed is Iliana's," he explained. "You can take it, if you want. Sleep well."

"Thanks."

It only took a matter of seconds for him to reach the deck. He stretched his arms over his head, smiling as soft pops echoed the action. The sun sat high in the sky, telling him it was most likely midday. The sight of the deck nearly empty at such an hour stole his smile away. Had the situation been different, Kreon would be talking with Artemios about their course, Saul and Ancus would be playing dice, and Iliana would be taking care of whatever odd job she'd snagged for herself. The utter silence that stretched across the deck was unsettling, and far too strong of a reminder that the only family he'd ever known was... gone.

I should ask Melitta what happened to them. I wonder if they collected the bodies. Sailors are almost always offered the chance to join the children of the sea.

He pushed aside the pain that stung his heart. It didn't matter if he'd probably never see them again just as long as they were alive. If he were to be completely honest, he'd been avoiding the subject. The idea that they might not have been saved was an uncomfortable one. He didn't want to think that the men who'd raised him were gone for good.

I'll ask her... eventually.

"Kain!"

He glanced up. Dalphie was leaning over the railing of the crow's nest, a bright smile in place. Her coal locks were being whipped around her face by the breeze, but she didn't seem to care. Yet again, her beauty froze him in place for a number of seconds. What's wrong with me?

"Catch!"

She tossed the Artemios' looking glass and compass down at him, the maps rolled up in her hands, and he had to scramble to catch both. As if she hadn't just risked breaking their navigation tools, Dalphie then swung her legs over the railing and climbed down to meet him on deck. He stared blankly at her, his mind stuck between scolding her, and just gawking like an idiot. As if reading his thoughts, Dalphie patted his head reassuringly, took the tools from his arms, then practically skipped over to sit with her back to the side of the ship.

"You..." he began, his mind struggling to draw up the right words.

"Sit with me," she suggested.

Giving up, he nodded his agreement and moved to join her. She laid the tools and maps out in front of them, then drew her legs up to her chest. In seconds she had her arms crossed over her knees, and her chin settled atop of them. She cocked her head to the side, watching him with a pleasant smile.

"Hello."

Forget beautiful, she's really... strange. "Um... hello?"

Dalphie giggled. "It's okay to think I'm weird. Most people do."

"Is it that obvious?" he asked, then resisted the urge to cover his mouth. He hadn't meant to blurt the question out.

"It is," she said. "You're easy to read, which is a good thing. I prefer heroes like that."

He knitted his brow in confusion. "Heroes?"

"Heroes," she agreed.

He stared at her for a moment, attempting to see where she'd gotten that idea from. Sure, he was attempting to save Iliana, but anyone would do that. She was his best friend, he'd have to be heartless not to chase after her in this situation. That didn't make him a hero--it made him normal.

"I'm not a hero," he said eventually.

She seemed to consider this for a moment, then gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "Perhaps not yet, but you will be."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just a feeling I have."

"It's wrong."

He dropped his eyes away from hers and drew the maps closer to him. He focused his gaze on where he'd guessed them to be the night before as his thoughts spiralled over her words. He wasn't being humble when he refuted the idea of him being a hero.

Heroes, the mortal, or immortal kind, were selfless. They rescued the helpless, and inspired awe in those who met them. That wasn't Kain. He was selfish, and he knew it.

A hero would have long since abandoned the sea. They would have taken up the role in life that Kain himself was running from. Even his proposal to Iliana, something that might have seemed kind to outsiders, was selfish. If he'd married her, no one would ask him to settle down with a family. He'd have an excuse to keep from getting attached to people who wouldn't be content to let him stay aboard the Airlea for the rest of his life.

Dalphie hummed thoughtfully to herself for a long moment. Then, when he finally raised his eyes to meet her gaze once again, she just offered him a bright, close-eyed smile.

"If you say so."

He did.

Kain was no hero. 

A/N: Any thoughts on this? Agree with Kain? Disagree? Disappointed at the thought process behind his proposal? 

See you in the next chapter!