Page 177 of A Touch of Chaos

As the sun set, Dionysus noticed clouds gathering on the horizon, and it wasn’t long before it was dark, and the sky was filled with lightning.

Dread filled his stomach. This was not a normal storm.

“Those clouds came up quick,” said one of the pirates, a note of fear in his voice. Normally, a seafarer would try to outrun a storm, but there were some—those that were divine in nature—that were impossible to outrun, and this one was supernatural. It meant they had caught the attention of some kind of sea deity. Dionysus just hoped it wasn’t Poseidon.

When the ship began to rock and the waves grew tall, to the point that the water came up over the rails, he knew it was time to move.

A flood of crewmen were suddenly on deck, racing to bring the sails down, secure hatches, and stow loose goods.

Then it started to rain. It came down in a sheet, almost as though someone were dumping a continuous stream of water into the ocean. It was so thick, Dionysus could barely see. The only thing that helped was the lightning, which cracked across the sky, almost like frost on glass. It was beautiful but also terrifying.

“I told you!” Leo said. “I told you he was a god!”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Leo!” another pirate called.

But Leo was the only one who wasn’t an idiot.

“We are moving fast,” one of the pirates cried. “It’s almost like this storm is dragging us to the coastline!”

A few heads turned toward Dionysus, suspicious.

“Unless the water is wine, it’s not me,” he said, but he decided it was time to make their escape. As much ashe wanted to be on land, he did not want to be on this ship when it crashed.

Normally, while he was in Poseidon’s territory, he would not dare use his magic, because he did not wish to draw his attention, but if the storm was the work of the God of the Sea, then it was already too late. So he turned his bindings into vines, breaking them with ease. He did the same with the ones around his legs. When he looked at Medusa, he nodded to her wrists, and the ropes turned to vines. She tore them easily and then ripped the gag from her mouth.

“Stay down,” he said. “Wait for my orders.”

The pirates were so busy with the storm, they did not see him rise to his feet. Not that it would have done them any good. By the time they did notice, he had transformed into a jaguar and attacked his first victim.

He launched himself at the pirate, grabbing him by the nape of his neck before taking him down. He only had enough time to utter one scream before he was silent. It was enough of a disturbance to catch the attention of the rest of the crew and suddenly, Dionysus found himself under a spray of bullets. He was relieved to find they were not in possession of Hydra venom, and just as the bullets pierced his skin, they were quickly pushed out of his body as he healed.

Dionysus roared and turned, leaping toward his next victim, biting into his arm before tossing him off the ship. Two pirates raced forward with knives. Dionysus leapt on one while the other drove his blade into his side. The pain was sharp but more annoying than anything. He turned and tore into the man before throwing him across the ship, his body hitting the mast and sliding to the deck.

It was then Dionysus noticed that Medusa was gone.

“Fuck,” he said as he returned to his human form.

“She went overboard.”

Dionysus turned to see Leo, who had crouched behind a group of wooden boxes.

“You are certain?” he asked. His first thought was that one of the pirates had taken her below deck.

The mortal nodded.

Gods-fucking-dammit. Why didn’t anyone ever listen to him?

Dionysus took a step toward him. He expected him to cower, but he didn’t.

“You are smart, Leo,” he said, and then he raced to the side of the ship.

Though the rain had ceased, everything was still dark, and the sea raged. The only time Dionysus could see was when lightning flashed in the sky. That was when he saw Medusa in the water. She was struggling to stay above water, but she was also surrounded by dolphins—the pirates.

“Fuckers,” Dionysus muttered.

He jumped from the ship and shifted into the form of a shark as he made for the dolphins, biting down on one of their fins. They scattered quickly, but then he felt a sharp blow to his face. Medusa had punched him.

He shifted into his true form again as he surfaced, sputtering.

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