Alaric was 80% sure he was in a fever dream. The rest of the crew was asleep—understandable, considering they had all drank themselves senseless. They had finally found the treasure they’d been sailing around for weeks searching for, and it was practically tradition to drink afterward.

So…how had it gone from celebrating to a mermaid tangled up in his nets? He’d heard splashing around the side of the ship and with his muddled brain, figured it was just a fish. Thinking he could haul it up and get some extra food for the crew, he staggered over and yanked on the net. He didn’t expect to pull up a fucking mermaid.

He blinked at least sixty times, half-expecting it to disappear. As a pirate, he’d seen almost everything the sea had to offer—or so he thought. He cautiously poked at the sparkling tail, only to get slapped on the hand by it in return.

"You’re… a big fish..." He slurred, the words mushing together as they tumbled from his lips. He stumbled toward the crane that controlled the net, nearly tripping over his own boots. With a loud groan, he pulled the lever, shifting the net and dumping the mermaid onto the middle of the ship’s deck with a wet thud.

It took him a moment to realize he had just dragged a fish out of the water—fish need water! His mind screamed at him through the haze. Panicking, he grabbed a jug lying nearby, he went over to the side of the ship, and scooped up as much seawater as he could. He rushed back and poured it all over the mermaid, drenching them and the deck.

This was going to be a long night.