Chapter 131: THIRD POV.
"I'd rather not waste any more time here in the middle of the sea than we absolutely should. He is still out there somewhere! We have to find him, and every second we spend dealing with random vessels is a second wasted," she said, turning her head to glare sharply at her sister.
Her face was tight, her mind completely fixed on the single goal that had driven them across the sea for days.
"Did you even stop for a single moment to at least check who is standing on that ship!!!" Artria yelled at her, stopping right in front of her and pointing a trembling finger out toward the approaching scout boat.
Her face was flushed with frustration, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps because she had actually taken the time to look across the water.
"What?" Persephone frowned, her brow furrowing deeply as she grew confused by her sister's intense words.
She didn't understand why Artria was acting so hysterical over another random boat. And yet, the very moment she turned her body around to glance at the ship in the distance, her entire world seemed to stop.
Her breath lodged in her throat, and her heart completely sunk into the stomach.
"No..." she said softly, her voice dropping into a tiny, breathless whisper.
Her hands slipped from her waist, her arms falling uselessly to her sides as her entire body began trembling in pure shock and fear.
The cold, unbothered expression she had worn during the entire pirate massacre shattered into a million pieces, leaving her looking like a frightened child.
****
The exact moment Jacob saw the massive swarm of gray sharks turning around and heading straight for the First Hornet, his face turned incredibly stern.
He leaned over the front railing of the scout boat, watching the line of white foam cut through the bloody water like a fleet of miniature torpedoes.
'If those things reach the ship, we'll be completely finished,' Jacob's heart plummeted at the terrifying thought of the First Hornet sinking down into the dark depths like the previous three pirate ships.
He knew the ship didn't have the thick oak defenses of the main warship, and if a dozen massive sharks started ramming the hull at the same time, the wood would split apart like dry twigs within a few seconds, leaving him and the captain helpless in the water.
"Captain! Whatever you do, do not leave this ship under any circumstances!" Was the only thing he said in a loud, commanding voice before turning around and plunging directly into the open sea.
"Wait! Don't do it–" Priscilla reached out with her hand, her white ears dropping in sudden panic, but Jacob had already leaped over the wooden railing and into the freezing water before she could even step forward to stop him.
She rushed to the edge of the boat, gripping the rail tightly as she stared down into the ocean. She saw the smooth water's surface ripple in a perfectly straight, incredibly fast line the very next second, moving away from the boat with impossible speed.
Jacob, who had already shifted completely into his powerful merfolk form the moment his skin hit the cold water, swam at absolute top speed through the dark currents.
The clothing on his body vanished like usual after the brief flash of light, while his lower half transformed into a massive, muscular tail covered in dark, gleaming scales that pushed him through the ocean like a powerful engine.
His incredible speed caused the very surface of the water to ripple and wake as he swam just below the waves, heading directly towards the oncoming swarm of furious sharks.
He didn't care about the sharp teeth or the bloody frenzy of the pack; his only focus was protecting the boat and the captain he had left behind.
To stop them from reaching the First Hornet and sinking the ship into the mud, he decided to meet them head-on in the middle of the open water, using his own body as a shield.
"Come at me!" Jacob screamed beneath the surface, a stream of silver bubbles escaping his lips as his fist clenched tightly. The water dragged against his knuckles, but he pulled his arm back with all his might, bracing himself for a brutal, chaotic fistfight against a dozen ocean predators.
He aimed his body perfectly, preparing to punch the leading shark right in its thick snout to break the momentum of the charge.
Yet, things did not go the way he expected.
The exact moment before both sides collided in a messy frenzy.
The massive shark swarm suddenly halted their wild charge entirely, their bodies twisting sharply in the current as they came to a dead stop just a few feet away from him.
Then, without a single bite or snap, the terrifying predators completely dispersed, swimming away into the deep blue shadows of the ocean as if they had suddenly been frightened by a ghost.
Jacob floated silently in the quiet water, his arms still raised in a fighting stance with a completely bewildered, confused look on his face.
He blinked his eyes under the surface, looking around the empty water, wondering why the frenzied animals had suddenly given up their attack so easily.
*******
Shortly after the sharks vanished, two slender figures suddenly emerged from the dark blue water, swimming rapidly towards him through the remaining currents.
Before he could even say a single word or adjust his posture, the two figures slammed directly into his chest, their arms wrapping around his neck and shoulders as they hugged him with an incredible, desperate strength.
The sheer speed of their sudden collision pushed his body backward through the water, but luckily, he was easily able to stabilize himself and hold his ground by swinging his massive, powerful tail back and forth against the current.
' You guy's....'
Jacob said absolutely nothing as both sisters hugged him tightly in the middle of the quiet sea.
While their bodies were cold to the touch, he didn't mind in the least, rather he felt extremely happy deep down to meet them again.