Sandcastles. So easy to fall apart. Alecto knew this sandcastle couldn't last forever. It was tall, maybe a little deformed. Very impressive work for a couple of giggling children. They hadn't noticed her waking. 

A few shells were placed for windows and a big gate. Her long, black hair was used to simulate a river. Being buried underneath it, she wasn't sure how much she appreciated the artistry. 

She sighed.

Surprised, the children quickly ran away while loudly laughing. 

Alecto got up, the castle crumbling around her. Sand had infiltrated everything. Shaking the sand out of her overall was relatively easy. With a swish it was gone from her three red, bushy tails. After running her hands through her floor length hair until the sand was mostly gone, she looked around.

"A beach, huh?"

It was a beautiful beach, expansive sands and the glistening ocean.  

Aside from a couple and their two laughing children it was empty. She got lucky. No major injuries were sustained and she didn't seem to be in immediate danger. Though Alecto had no clue where this beach was, that was a minor detail and could be disregarded for the moment. Way more important was the fact that her little brother, Charon, was missing. Had he swept up on shore as well? She hoped he did.

Her best option to find him involved asking that couple and she would rather experience another backlash. She really wished demonic customs were a bit more lax. Asking for free information was an absolute no go. They likely wouldn't answer anyhow. 

Either way she should get away from these demons and look along the shoreline. Charon had to be somewhere. Since her spell had worked. Right?

Just thinking about the battle that had happened just an hour ago made her blood boil. 

----------------------------------------

A little earlier…

A sea of unforgiving waves surrounded the two ships. Metal on metal and the humming of magic swirled into a whirlpool of violence. The smaller ship belonged to a traveling merchant, the other was marked by a black flag with a skull. It was a mighty ship, showing just how successful this pirate group was.  The two crews were fighting on the decks of both ships. At first the merchant captain had wanted to surrender, hoping the pirates would spare the lives of his crew. Then a crewmate attacked a pirate and a full out battle had started. 

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On the smaller merchant ship two redheaded siblings were still in their cabin. The cabin was a small room with two beds, a small lockbox and a table. The wood  was creaking under the waves and the battle going on on the deck. The sibling’s father was a friend of the merchant, making them guests for this trip. Though that did not matter at the moment.

“Leave it already, we need to hide!,” begged Alecto.

Her brother just flicked his tails, “It is father’s necklace. We can’t just leave it here.”

“A necklace is not worth our lives!” Alecto tried pulling her brother away from the lockbox, but he had hooked one of his legs around the table. The lockbox was secured to one of the walls and had a simple lock that Charon was trying to open with a little wire he had taken from who knows where. The battle was raging upstairs and Alecto just wanted them to hide until the pirates were gone.

“You should stop yelling, they will hear us,” Charon said still trying to lockpick the box.

“Please. Let’s just hide.”

He flicked one of his tails at her, “You’re not father and this is your fault in the first place.” 

“It’s not my fault the ship is getting attacked,” she said glaring at her brother. 

“You lost the lockbox key,” he looked at her pointedly before going back to picking the lock.

“And I apologized for that,” Alecto crossed her arms, “I’m older so you should listen to me when I say we should leave the necklace and hide.”

“No. I almost have it open. I can feel it.” 

The dull thud of footsteps approached. The two siblings looked at each other. Someone was coming and they didn’t think it would be someone from the merchant’s crew. 

"Hurry up then.", she whispered. Charon kept fiddling with the lockbox. 

Whoever was approaching just stopped in front of their cabin.

The lockbox clicked.

And it sprang open.

A huge, burly pirate stepped into the room. His two fin like tails dragged behind him.

His saber shining with a black gleam. Alecto prayed that neither of them would find out what kind of spell was applied to it.

She and her brother were currently crammed underneath the bed, holding their breaths. Her long, red hair and both of their bushy tails made it hard to fit under there without anything hanging out. 

The man walked through the room, halting in front of the empty lockbox. 

"Did someone already check here?", the man mumbled before leaving the room.

His footsteps went down the hallway. 

The siblings waited a moment more before exhaling and crawling out of their hiding spot.

Charon gleefully spun in place.

"I am the master of lockpicking and hide and seek!"

Alecto just raised her eyebrow, "Uh-huh. Sure." 

Charon reached up and put the necklace around Alecto's shoulders.

"Here this will protect you." 

Alecto lightly touched the pendant, "Protect me? If anyone here needs protection it's the little Charon,” she grinned. She knew what this necklace meant to both of them. It was the one thing their father had left them before he went to serve the demon king. She wouldn’t admit it, but Alecto was glad Charon had insisted on picking the lockbox. 

"I'm already 30!" He flicked his finger in her direction. 

"Which means you are not an adult like I am.” 

He crossed his arms, "You're only a decade older, don't act so high and mighty."

"Sure, sure. Anyway, we should find a better place to hide, oh master of hide and seek." 

"Aye, you two sure should look for a better spot," the pirate from before towered over them.