THE MOMENT
"Well, you're a demigod of the god of the ocean, that's kinda nepotistic, don't you think?" Walter, the prisoner, asked. He was completely out of hope and was well aware that the pirates were going to kill him, or at best, sell him off as a slave. He wasn't going to spend his last hours afraid of speaking his mind. In fact, he hoped his words would anger them enough to kill him.
"No," the bearded captain grinned as he shook his head. "It so happens that I don't think that way at all."
"Makes sense," Walter nodded with a chuckle. "Gotta delude yourself, huh? If you really were the greatest ship captain of the high seas, more people would agree on the matter. Instead, you're having to force a prisoner to tell you what you want to hear. I'll tell you, this whole time we've been headed back to your home port, not once have I heard your crew praise you behind your back. I've heard some complaints though; very unbecoming of the 'greatest ship captain of the high seas'," he said.
"Complaints?" The captain leaned his ear close enough for his beard to bristle up against Walter's. "And who is it that's been complaining about their captain on his very own ship?"
Walter's mind did some staggeringly quick calculus. He didn't know any names, but it would be easy enough to point out the half dozen crewmen plotting a mutiny. If he called them out then and there, they might decide to act, and there may have been more men involved than he assumed. The last thing he needed was to stray afoul of successful mutineers. He'd just been talking to talk, but now he realized he had an opportunity to earn some trust.
"The sea itself," he answered suddenly. It was a genuine surprise that his mouth moved and he heard his own voice as soon as the thought popped into his mind. And yet, he wasn't entirely convinced it was his thought.
"If he wants to be recognized as the greatest, he needs to challenge the sea," this time, the thought formed in his mind, and it wasn't his voice. It was a soft, gentle feminine voice telling him how to proceed. He got that sense clearly even if he had questions popping up.
"The sea?" The captain asked, and Walter nodded.
"I'll admit you're the greatest ship captain of the high seas, and I'll happily tell everyone I know, if the sea agrees you're the greatest. All you have to do is challenge it."
"My father is the god of the ocean, and you think I do not have his blessing?" the captain laughed.
"He will not interfere with a contest," the strange voice eased Walter's mind and encouraged him to continue with the plan.
"You're kind of an ass," Walter smiled. "Are you still confident that you do?"
"Very well," the captain laughed. He hopped up on the rail and stood steady as the ship bobbed and swayed. "I CHALLENGE YOU, SEA! I AIM TO PROVE I AM THE GREATEST SHIP CAPTAIN OF THE HIGH SEAS!" Him, and the entire crew were facing out over the horizon, waiting for a sign.
"Nothing," the Captain shrugged as he looked down at Walter, still on the ship's rail. "I guess I win by default, huh?" he asked.
"I don't know...," Walter shrugged. He'd seen what was coming, and the voice assured him that he, and the other planned mutineers would survive. "... I guess we'll see. A great ship captain should be able to survive a tsunami, right?"
"Tsu..," the captain was a slow man, but experienced. He didn't see anything out over the horizon, but that statement couldn't have come from nowhere. He slowly turned as he registered that he had never looked the other way. "..nami..,"
He'd never seen a water wall so high until that exact moment. As he stood there, stunned, his mind decided to focus on the question of whether he'd ever even seen a mountain that high. He didn't think so, and he had certainly never seen one that kept growing taller either.
"Oh."
Walter, and almost a dozen sailors woke up safely on a beach somewhere, while the Captain and his loyal men did not.