Jeremy's heart began to race as he looked anxiously between Greg, Jonah, and Delia. The ship guard's face was expressionless. Delia almost seemed troubled, the slightest of frowns on her face, and the captain looked sombre.

That only made Jeremy’s anxiousness worse.

Jeremy had an idea of what the captain would have wanted to reveal, but he wouldn’t have thought it was the right time to say it now. Greg was the one who knew about this land, not him. And the captain had just said how he would be the one figuring out how to take them back home.

“No,” Jeremy said to himself. He was wrong. He must have been.

As he argued with himself, he watched as the captain also surveyed the three of them quietly, his eyes panning from one to another whilst his mind strung together words for his speech. Or perhaps the old man just wanted to watch them squirm under his gaze for the last time.

The sound of the lapping sea slowly ceased, leaving in its wake a stretching silence between them. And with the comforting companionship gone, an eeriness settled in, tension turning the cool air into a biting presence. The sense of foreboding grew stronger with each passing second and uncertainty twisted in his gut as he tried to read the faces before him, until finally, Greg spoke.

“Are you all ready?” he said.

There was little need to say more for Jeremy to know what he wanted to talk about. He could tell by the captain's tone. This was it; the moment that had played in the back of his mind finally manifesting itself in reality — Greg was going to tell them he was stepping down as captain. It was a thought that made it feel like a storm was brewing in his stomach. Jeremy also knew what would be coming straight after the announcement; Greg would ask if he wanted to take over the helm, and he still didn't have an answer.

Delia and Jonah gave a nod to the captain’s question, and then the man's eyes turned to him.

All Jeremy could manage was a deep breath. The small bout of air travelled his stiff frame but provided no aid to his tensed muscles. He felt like Sisyphus, the Titan condemned with the weight of a boulder, rolling it uphill against gravity, though Jeremy’s burden was figurative — the gravity of their impending conversation. And if he acceded to Greg's request, the weight of his burden, or rather responsibility, would become the crew itself.

Was he ready for that?

Jeremy looked around nervously, spotting crew members casually walking by within earshot. "Shouldn't we be discussing this somewhere more private?" he asked, hoping to buy himself a little more time.

"It's a quick discussion," Greg said. "And I'll want you all to think about what I'm about to say. It’s not a quick sort of thinkin'. I want you to brew on it over the next week."

The captain's eyes then turned to the crewmates Jeremy had spotted. “Don’t worry about them. I won’t be shoutin’ for me to be heard, and there’s no one who’ll be eavesdropping on us. Does that solve your problem?”

Jeremy nodded reluctantly. Then the captain looked towards Jonah, continuing when he received a nod of understanding from the ship guard too.

"I might have already told you all that this little bird won't be ferryin' us any longer," Greg said. "The Kraken did some serious damage to her, and she's not made for these waters. So she won't be able to take us back home. And If I haven't told you, well, here you go.

"But that won't be the only change for this crew," he said. "If my white moustache and bald head haven't given it away, then you'll be surprised to know I'm old, just like this little bird. And like her, I'll be retirin' too."

Greg looked each of them in the eye as he spoke, and Jeremy felt the fluttering of his stomach worsen when his gaze matched with the man.

"This will be the last trip I do as the captain," Greg said before pausing, letting the words sink in. "When we next step on land, I'll be the captain in name only. I can't have the hierarchy collapse, or it'll be chaos, so I'll still be orderin' you runts around. But don't be coming to me with problems.”

Jeremy was right, but why the captain had told them now, he didn’t understand. He could barely even think about it through the deafening pounding of his heart.

"I trust you can deal with them yourselves,” Greg said. “Like the Sirens and the men from house El. Over the years, you’ve all grown, and I’m proud of you. Truly."

The captain then turned his sights to Jeremy, the next words addressed to him. Now it wasn’t the sound of his heart that troubled him, but the pace at which it ran. It was like Hermes, racing away whilst the rest of his body struggled to keep pace.

"The next point of order," Greg said, "is about Jonah."

What?

"Jonah is leavin' the crew."

What?!

The single-word question echoed in Jeremy's mind and the rest of his body froze. It was a bolt from the blue, a bolt from Zeus himself, causing his mind to ring, and his body to stiffen, confused by the captain's statement.

Jeremy had expected the next point in order to be about him. And though in the back of his mind, he knew Jonah was a possibility, that he would eventually want to leave for whatever reason, he didn’t expect to hear it now. Not before making home to Askern.

Jeremy turned to Delia, expecting her to be just as shocked or to even speak out in alarm, but she was quiet, her eyes downcast and her palms clenched on her lilac dress.

She already knew. Of course, she did.

"Jonah wanted to tell you both, and I'm not sure if he's had the chance to or not," Greg continued. "If you haven't, Jonah, then I'm sorry for saying it on your behalf."

"It's fine," Jonah replied, shooting an apologetic smile towards Jeremy.

"He also asked for my blessin' to extend his invitation to both of you," Greg said.

Jeremy felt his racing heart reach his throat now, making it difficult to breathe, suffocating him slowly.

"You don't need to accept. And you don't need to decline. It's your choice, truly and freely," Greg said. "What you do need to do is make this decision later. After we walk in the sand of Inia Telle. After you explore it a little. And after you learn what it is to be an adventurer because that's what you'll need to be if you want to survive out there." He gestured to the approaching land with his head.

"Then, and only then, tell me your decision," he said, looking at all three of them in turn. "Understood?"

Jeremy nodded, unable to speak. Not knowing what to say. Not knowing how to feel.

"Who will be the next captain is up in the air," Greg continued. "Jeremy, I'd be happy for you to take the reins. But I'd be equally happy if you decide to go with Jonah. There's no pressure on you."

Then the captain turned to face Delia.

"Del, I know you've probably already made a choice, and that's fine," he said. "But I need you to seriously think about it. Just because I give my blessin’ doesn't mean I want you to go, you understan' that, right?"

She nodded silently.

"Jonah," he finally addressed. "You'll be on your own here when the crew and me leave. But remember that my doors are always open to you."

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"Thank you," Jonah responded.

"Good," he said, looking at each of their contemplative faces. "Anyone have any last-minute questions?"

"What will we tell the crew?" Delia asked.

"About what? People leaving isn't that strange," Greg said.

"About everything. You retiring. Jonah leaving. This land we are going to," she said. "We haven't even told them about brother. No one but us even knows the name of the place we're going to, and you're the only one who knows what to expect. Do you not think the crew won’t question any of it? Or learn about things that you're trying to keep hidden?"

"I'll announce my retirement once we're back to Askern. It's the same with your brother Calgur. They'll learn about him as I discuss my retirement," Greg said. "With us three gone, Me Jonah and Calgur that is, I imagine a few to leave the crew too. And If Jeremy doesn’t want to take my seat and the numbers of shipmates dwindle a little, I might even propose a merger with whatever ragtag group Calgur’s gone and made.

“As for the Kraken killer leavin’, Me or Jonah can tell the crew the night before we depart to Askern.”

“And the land?” Delia asked. “They’ll —”

“And so what if the crew doesn't know the name of the land?” Greg continued, ignoring her interruption. “They won't find out—"

"If they find out,” Delia said, emphasising the words. “I’m not saying they will, but if they do, won't it cause the same issue as knowing about ranks?"

"If you let me speak," Greg said, shaking his head. "To answer your first question, no, I don’t expect them to question much. To answer your second question, no they won't learn anything I'm trying to keep under the barrel. It's the whole reason I'm making sure you all shepherd them. It doesn't matter whether they learn its name or not. The only ones who know which way we've been heading are the navigator and me. And truth be told, I'm clueless as to how we ended up here," Greg said. "To the crew, this land will be like any other. No one will bat an eye to finding land in the sea. It's not novel…"

He trailed off, his eyes widening with a flash of panic. But like thunder and lightning, it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"...It might be novel, actually. But it won't matter. It's not out of the ordinary per se." Greg muttered. "Regardless, no one in Askern can even come here, so it doesn't matter."

"If no one can come here, how did we get here then?" Delia asked.

"I genuinely don't know," he answered. "The point is, it doesn't matter if the crew knows the name of the land or where it is. No one in Askern would know of it, and no one from Askern would be able to reach it."

"Not even the royal guards?" Delia asked.

"Few know of this place amongst them," he said. "And they call it a different name."

"What do they call it?"

"Right," Greg said, clapping his hands and ignoring her. "Now that I've answered all the importan’ questions, I'll take my backside elsewhere and give out my last orders as the official captain of the Flightless Owl."

He gestured to the three of them. "I'll leave you three to talk about what I've said."

Then he walked away towards the viewing port, where the rest of the shipmates were vying to see the island in the darkness of the night. When he was out of sight and mixed with the crowd, Jeremy turned to face Jonah and Delia.

An awkward silence hung in the air, and Jeremy amused himself at Jonah's blank face — the ship guard could hear silence, it was the only thing he could hear, but did he know how awkward it was?

"Jeremy, we—"

"So you're both leaving then," Jeremy said.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy," Delia said. "Jonah wanted to tell you, but he didn't get the chance. You were up in the crow's nest the whole time and –"

"It's fine, Del," Jeremy said. "I'm not upset about it. Really. And if I’m honest, I… sort of expected it."

"You did?" Jonah said, surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, there was never any reason to," Jeremy explained. "It's just that the captain was leaving, and so I expected Delia to leave as well. And if those two were gone, well, I sort of imagined you would leave with them."

"Ah, but it's Jonah who wants to leave, not me," Delia said. “And you knew he was leaving?”

"The captain told me about it… I don’t know when to be honest. Time has been a little bit of a blur" Jeremy said.

“Yeah, I get that,” she said.

“Also, you say Jonah’s the one who wants to leave,” Jeremy said. “Is there a chance of you staying, then?

"It's not likely," she said, giving a small, sad smile. "Pa is leaving. Jonah is going too. And sailing has never been my thing. We've done the same travel route for the last three years, and now that I know there's a whole new world to explore?" She shrugged. "It just feels natural to leave."

"I see…" Jeremy said. "What about you Jonah? Why are you leaving? I'm guessing it's not to guard a bakery."

Jonah gave a bemused and questioning smile, though he didn’t say anything about the remark, speaking straight on topic. "It's to find out about the Shipwright," he said. "The man who made me who I am. Greg told me I'd be able to learn about him from here." He nodded towards Inia Telle.

"Could you not just ask Greg?" Jeremy asked.

Jonah shook his head.

"Do you think he'll tell him anything?" Delia answered at the same time.

"That's a good point," Jeremy said. "Was the shipwright from here, then?

"Yeah. he's from somewhere around here, to use Greg's words," Jonah said.

“And how do you plan to learn about him?" Jeremy asked.

“Greg also said he'll give us travel logs once we get over to Inia Telle," Jonah said. "I guess we'll follow it and see what we can learn. I doubt the captain will give us it if we can’t do anything with it."

"I see."

The trio fell into a companionable silence whilst the shipmates around them fell into the frenzy to the slowing down of the ship. The helmsman ran back towards them, returning to his post and steering the rudder to direct the ship towards the mooring. They were about to dock.

Jeremy watched the crew prepare the anchors and winches to creep from one location to another, though he stood where he was instead of joining them as he usually would have.

His heart wasn’t racing anymore, but the absence of it, or perhaps the revelation from the captain, made him feel almost hollow now. How many more of the crew would leave?

"Jeremy," Jonah said, bringing him back to focus. "Will you be coming with us?"

It was the question Jeremy didn't know how to answer. If he did step up to be the new captain, what would he really inherit? Money for a new ship? A fractured crew? He knew for certain that Greg was right — many of the older members would retire along with the captain. Perhaps some would even offer to go with Jonah and Delia if they were staying here. All of the crew had family back in Askern, but unless they had their own partners, or parents reaching old age, he didn’t see why they would be chained to the land of Askern.

The thought also made Jeremy wonder whether Greg would even let anyone else from the crew join Jonah. The captain seemed to be wary of this land, telling them to give it thought only after traversing through it. He warned of its dangers repeatedly, and so the casual crew member likely wouldn't live long here. He wouldn’t either unless he awakened.

Regardless of whether more members left or not, Jeremy would need to rebuild the crew. He would need to get a new cook, and find a group of ship guards to replace the pirate punisher; Jonah was a one-man army in that sense.

Jeremy would also need to profusely apologise to the merchants who no doubt put the crew onto a no-show blacklist — they didn't pay for merchandise until it arrived so they never lost anything other than potential income, but they were always unhappy when things didn't go the way they wanted. And he would need to create new relationships if the ones Gregs had were burnt.

If he didn’t do all that and chose to leave himself, what would he do? Roam around aimlessly? Be a burden to Jonah and Delia?

Jonah was Ares, a capable fighter. He was the only awakened amongst them other than Greg, and would offer protection. Delia was Athena, smart and intuitive. She was the only one amongst them that could take meaning from abstract points.

Jeremy… what was he without the sea? Would he become Hestia, and be relegated to the mundane chores?

"Jeremy," Jonah said, grabbing his attention. "You good?"

"Yeah, sorry," he replied. "I was just lost in thought."

"You don't need to answer now," Jonah said. "Like the cap said, take your time."

Jeremy gave him an appreciative smile. "I will. Thank you," he said, before turning his eyes back towards the scurrying crew members.

"We'll need to join the adventurers guild," Delia said. "Pa practically said so."

"No, he said we need to be adventures," Jonah replied. "Being an adventurer doesn't mean you have to join the guild."

"You don't know that."

*Neither do you."

*We both know I'm going to be right though."

"Of course, you will Del, why did I even question you," Jonah said. Jeremy noticed him roll his eyes in jest, to which Delia replied by poking him in the ribs.

"Ow. You know I'm still injured," Jonah complained.

"And you just hurt my feelings."

The second mate then turned his attention to the two, watching their exchange with nostalgic amusement before the barrel man's words rang in his mind. "Jonah," he said, interrupting their odd teasing, "are you actually deaf?"