Northern Isles, OverWorld
Seven Days Ago…
"Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth!" Steve shouted as he came running down the gravel pathway towards her house. She was outside watering her flowers before going to bed.
She set the watering can down on the ground and looked over towards Steve. She could tell he was distraught and scared. He ran up to her, jumping over the oakwood fence. He approached her.
"Pirates!" Steve said, "they're back. And this time they have more ships!"
Annabeth knew the entire island was in trouble. Fighting them off the first time was only successful because they knew of the attempted attack in advance. But this time, the scout ships were moored up for the night. No one was onboard them at this time.
She looked out into the horizon. Six massive, wooden pirate ships were closing in fast. They were determined to cease the island. Everyone in the Village was just coming to realization that they were again being attacked, arrows on fire began raining down like a heavy rainfall.
Faint whistling sounds could be heard as the arrows rained down, hitting the tops of houses, the ground, and two livestock barns. The rooftops of the houses hit by the flaming arrows instantly ignited, beginning to burn.
Everything was happening so quickly, it was causing Annabeth to lose focus on how to react. She could either send archers out on the ships to fight the pirates head-on, or she could evacuate the entire Village, retreating to a nearby neighboring Village on the other side of the island.
The houses, because they were built with wood, were burning to the ground quickly. Of course the wind had a part in helping the fires rage.
"Annabeth?" Steve said as he waved his arms around in the air above his head. "Earth to Annabeth? Hello!"
Annabeth was unable to grasp the fact that her village stood no chance against the powerful, vicious, gold hungry pirates. Fun fact, the island she and everyone else lived on was rich in gold and iron. Two resources the Pirates found very resourceful and useful. Why did they need gold and iron so much?
Before coming back to reality, Annabeth examined her surroundings. Steve was still standing by her side. Houses and the barns were engulfed in raging, unbeatable fires. Villagers were running amok, trying to find a way to safety.
What everyone needed now was a leader. Someone who could guide everyone to safety. Her Village was counting on her. If she were to do nothing, a lot of innocent Villagers could die or be captured by the pirates. Was she really going to let that happen?
The dark and beautiful crystal clear sky was now beginning to fill up with smoke. Ashes from the fires began floating downward towards the ground. The Farmers were releasing their animals from the barns, setting them free. They'd be better off running away than being burned and cooked alive. So off all the animals went. Cows, pigs, chickens, and sheep. The only animals that remained were tamed dogs, parrots, and tamed cats.
As pet owners ran amok, their tamed dogs and cats followed them. Suddenly, Annabeth came back to reality. Steve was shouting her name repeatedly. After getting a good look at what was happening around her, her choice was made.
She reached into her inventory, pulling out a white conch shell. She put the pointy end of the shell up against her mouth. After taking in a deep breath, she exhaled into the shell. She had officially called upon the experienced archers.
Hopefully by doing so she was making the right decision. Alex came running up Steve and Annabeth. She was holding her bow in her hand.
"What in the name of might is going on here?" Alex questioned as she took a good look around at everything. The Village was in complete and utter chaos.
"Pirates," Steve answered, "we can't let them beach their boats, much less let them get closer to us."
"So what's the plan then?" Alex asked as she looked at Annabeth and Steve. As she waited for an answer, a small group of archers ran past her. They were running down the gravel path towards the ocean.
"Hold them off as long as you guys can," Annabeth said, "I'm going to evacuate the Village. I need time."
"Then time you shall have," Alex said as she turned around and quickly ran away Steve and Annabeth. She caught up to the other archers.
Annabeth lifted her head and looked over Steve's left shoulder. She was trying to see the incoming pirate ships. As she continued to examine the ships, she noticed two of their ships were turning. That could only mean one...the pirates were going to use their deadly cannons. Annabeth needed to hurry and evacuate as many Villagers as she could.
The archers won't be able to hold the pirates off much longer. The arrows could only deal minor damage. The arrows never stand a chance against the solid iron cannonballs.
Suddenly, Annabeth thought of a different way to escape. The only other way off of the island is by boat or swimming. Being on a boat was much safer than swimming. The vast ocean was occupied by many dangerous aquatic animals. Sharks, Sea Snakes, and poisonous pufferfish to name a few.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The first of many rounds of cannonballs were launched from the ships. They flew through the air towards the Village. With it being dark outside, it made spotting the incoming cannonballs very difficult. Together Steve and Annabeth began running around the dying Village, trying to calm blockheads down before directing them to the four ships.
As the panicking villagers began making their way down to the four ships, the heavy fire from the pirate ships continued to wreak havoc. Not a second went by without firing. One pirate ship had its cannons aimed at the four wooden ships.
"Hurry to the boats!" Annabeth shouted loudly to everyone. The calm and orderly fashion fell apart once she had said that. The Villagers returned to panicking once more. The pirate ship targeting the only means of escape, fired its first round of cannonballs.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to head to the boats, Annabeth?" Steve questioned. He was worried that fleeing by ship was not the smartest thing to do. What would happen if everyone was onboard one of those ships and it was sunk? Was Annabeth really making the best decisions? With the time she had, she was just doing the best she could.
"I don't see any other options. Our Village was first. Our neighboring Village will next. It's not safe anywhere. Not anymore at least. We all know for a fact that all they want is the gold," Annabeth answered Steve.
As the entire Village approached the beach, they all began running for the dark oakwood built pier. The four ships laid dormant and vacant. No one was onboard.
The cannonballs from the enemy pirate ship slammed into two of the four ships, causing significant damage. Wooden planks began flying high into the air. Because the cannonballs were so heavy, they smashed right through the wooden deck like it was a piece of paper. Fragile. Those two ships would no longer be able to be used to escape. They were heavily damaged and now deemed unseaworthy. Now there was only two damaged ships remaining.
Sedrick and Alex joined the crowd of scared blockheads. Steve and Annabeth were amongst the crowd. Sedrick and Alex approached them.
"Times up, Annabeth," Alex mentioned.
The short line of blockheads led all the way up to one ship. All Villagers were boarding just that one ship, leaving the vacant one alone. Could everyone fill up an entire ship?
Sedrick, Steve, Alex, and Annabeth all made their way towards the empty wooden ship. They all climbed up the ramp and onto the poop deck. Once onboard, Steve and Sedrick pulled the ramp up onto the deck. No one else could board this ship now. But by the looks of it, everyone else managed to fit onto one ship. Annabeth was especially shocked. She didn't have any clue as to how they managed to do that. Kudos to them.
Steve, Sedrick, and Annabeth began opening the sails. Once the first sail dropped, it caught the wind. The ship slowly began backing away from the pier. The other ship lowered their sails too. Their ship began moving backwards slowly.
And just like that, the two ships were beginning their escape. Hopefully everyone could get to safety. As the two ships drifted apart from one another, the pirate ships seized fire. Their ships sailed up to the pier, and tied their ships down. For now they have the upper hand. But it won't be much longer before they lose that upper hand.