Chapter Text
Captain Leonard Snart watched the waves crash onto his ship. The salty air made his coat stick to his skin. The open sea stretched on for miles, even as he used his spyglass to survey the area for trouble.
Everything was quiet. This was definitely the right place.
He could hear his crew laughing below deck, their merry cries making him grin even as the gulls above cut off their voices from being distinguishable. It was easy to picture what they were doing: Axel’s drunk impressions of the rest of the crew while Mick egged him on, bottle of rum in hand with Hartley’s head shaking in disgust. Shawna would be counting their quota of the day, using her trusty compass to see what direction they should be heading, Roy at her shoulder. Mark would be keeping watch, one eye out the window always checking for an incoming storm to blow them off course. There was one other member missing though, her voice not with the rest.
Len turned the ship wheel to stay on course. Lisa’s voice came from behind him. “She sails like a beauty.”
“That she does,” Len agreed. “Not the smoothest, but we’ll manage.”
Lisa pursed her lips and jutted out a hip in the way she always did. “Lots more storage on this one, Lenny. Can we keep her?”
“No. I promised Sara we’d get her back in one piece.”
“But that’s no fun. What’s the use of having cannons if they’re locked up tighter than the Queen’s jewelry box?”
Captain Sara Lance has graciously let Len and his crew use her ship The Waverider while his own ship The Rogue’s Revenge was getting repaired. A battle had taken off the gun deck, cracked the bow, and caused one of the masts to crash into the water. It had been the first and last time Len had overestimated his enemy and gone into a fight guns blazing. It was a miracle none of his crew had any lasting injuries besides Mick now sporting a snazzy red eyepatch where he’s caught a cannon ball with his face.
“Do you know where we’ll be meeting Sara yet?” Lisa asked. “All the testosterone downstairs is making me sea sick.”
Len turned the ship to starboard, causing Lisa to hang onto his arm tightly so the wind wouldn’t topple her. “Don’t you have Shawna to talk to? You’re normally friendly.”
“Not today,” Lisa huffed. “She stole the locket I wanted from our last pillage and sold it to get Mark a new knife for his collection.”
“That won’t be tolerated.”
Lisa smirked. “You gonna scare her? Can I watch Lenny?”
“No, I’m not going to scare her.” Len walked away from the helm, tucking one of his coat sleeves back into place where one of the buttons had popped off. “I’m just making sure things are perfectly clear.”
Lisa seemed to be okay with that answer, walking beside her brother with a new spring in her step.
She was younger than him by a few years, but Lisa’s youthfulness always took Len by surprise. His own age was close to 40 while she was in her mid 30s with long, curly brown hair that made her easily look 20. Her gold jacket complimented her white trousers and fitted corset. Gold bangles also matched her gold revolver tucked into a leather band on her right thigh. A sight to behold when most women pirates weren’t that pretty.
The deck still needed to be cleaned, even as another wave crashed close enough to speckle Len’s boots with water, and one of the ropes holding the middle sail wasn’t tied. His whole crew was going to have an earful at this rate.
They were all below deck, just as Len had suspected, but their laughter quieted when he made his way down the stairs, slow and deliberate. The cabin was tidy save for the barrels of gun powder and rum normally chained together acting as stools.
Axel was caught mid sentence, his face turning red while he kept his tongue in check. Hartley made a face at him and the gunner finally finished his sentence in a rush.
“—That’s why the Captain always walks with a slight lean to the left.”
Laughter bubbled out of Mick and Roy, but it was subdued, no longer the boisterous sound there had been moments before. Len gave them both a scowl, Mick taking a long swing of his rum while holding extensive eye contact and Roy ducked his head in an apology. Even Mark didn’t make a sly remark as Len made his way to the center of the room.
“Am I interrupting something? Was there a party I wasn’t invited to?”
Shawna held her breath, playing with her bandana and looking anywhere but straight. Lisa glared daggers.
“‘Course not, Cap,” Mick said. He was still holding tight eye contact. “If we had had a party and you weren’t showin’ I would’ve ordered a hooker or two just to piss ya off.”
“Funny,” Len sneered. “So if this isn’t a party or any of my business, I expect your posts to be filled in the next few seconds before I make it my business. Are we clear?”
There was a rush of agreement and few squeaks from Axel who went to check on the cannons and other necessities stored in the lower deck. Mark and Roy left first to carry on their assignments. Hartley dragged his violin case behind him, going off to practice in solitude. Even Mick grumbled when he too went and joined Lisa, chatting on about the dinner menu.
“Ms. Beaz, could you hold off for a moment,” Len addressed. Shawna jumped a foot in the air when he singled her out, but stood her ground. Len pretended Lisa hadn’t lowered her voice to hear their conversation.
“It’s come to my attention items of property owned by other crew members have gone missing. Care to educate me on the matter?”
Shawna gulped, even as her eyes grew furious. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir. I do my job as your navigator and that’s it. Are you asking me if anything of mine was taken?”
Len leaned back on one of the barrels and picked up Mick’s discarded rum. The bottle was empty, but the glass could still be used. It still had purpose.
“You see, Ms. Beaz,” Len began. “My ship is much like this bottle: strong, clear, a unit. Now, when you bash the bottle on its side...”
The bottle cracked when it connected with the edge of the barrel. No glass cut Len’s fingers, but the floor was now covered in drops of rum and the remaining shards.
“Then we have a problem. The ship is cracked, broken, disappointing a way. Much like I was when I heard someone was stealing property that didn’t belong to them. Do you understand?”
Shawna didn’t move. “I didn’t know it was hers, I thought it was a trinket left over from our last stash—“
“Liar! You knew it was mine the whole time!” Lisa screamed back, even as Mick held her arm to keep her in place. Len waved them away as he pushed himself up.
“You see, I do not tolerate thievery on my ship,” Len said. He was now inches away from Shawna’s face and could see the sweat dripping from her brow. “I expect you to give my sister your next bounty, half of it for the locket you stole, and the other half to keep my temper at bay.”
“But the only map is the one from Wells,” Shawna protested. “There’s no new treasure—“
“Then find one,” Len snarled. “This is not my problem. You should be lucky I’m not firing you out of a cannon for your incompetence. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Captain.”
Len stepped back, satisfied. “Good. Now clean this mess up. Be sure to use gloves so you don’t get cut.”
Shawna dropped to the floor immediately, picking the glass up from the floorboards. Lisa winked to Len as he passed her to move to his private chambers.
“If anything else happens while I’m gone you let me know, Lise.”
XXXXX
The lighthouse stood out like a beacon of red and blue against the darkening night sky. Even as Len watched from The Waverider there were jagged rocks keeping the ship from moving forward.
“Stop here,” he commanded as the anchor was dropped into the watery depths below.
“Ya sure this is right?” Mick asked. The wind was knocking against the sail, causing the ship to move back and forth like a seesaw.
“It has to be,” Len explained, coming down from the bowsprit with a flourish. “The map said so.”
”Kinda a dump, doncha think?”
The sea was turning black by the hour, the sun setting with a stream of red and gold against the waves. There wasn’t another boat or soul for miles, the lighthouse being the only monument left to show there had been life there many years ago.
Lisa came to Len’s side, swaying back and forth to not fall over. “Wells’s treasure is here? Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Captain Harrison Wells had been a thorn in Len’s side for the longest time. They had always been at odds, especially when they were pitted against each other. While Len honored the Pirate Codes, Wells didn’t. He pillaged and murdered wherever he went, wreck after wreck the only warning other pirates had if they didn’t want to cross paths.
“What’s so special about this treasure anyway?” That was Axel’s voice. The gunner sailed through the air from the crows nest, touching down at Len’s other side to tie a knot in the rope he had used. “If it ain’t got my booty, I ain’t buying.”
Len growled, a sound low in his throat. “It’s a chest of Well’s deepest, darkest secrets. No one knows what’s in it, but Sara said it was dropped here two days ago. Must be important if Wells is rumored to come back soon.”
That information had cost Len a fortune, but he had paid it happily, even slipping in a little extra to make sure no one else heard anything. Not that Sara would ever give him up, she hated Wells just as much as he did for ruining her life. It was still better safe than sorry.
Everyone was silent when Len went to grab one of the longboats to disembark on his journey. Only Mick and Mark joined him, everyone else electing to stay on the ship. Roy had made a move to get into the boat too, but the chattering of his teeth let Len know the boatswain wasn’t going anywhere without catching a cold.
The longboat cut through the waves like butter, even when 10 feet of water threatened to topple them over and drown them. Len strained to see in the dark, only a lantern let him know there were no rocks up ahead.
Mark pointed to the side. “There! You see it?”
The sea obstructed whatever Mark had been pointing to, but for a moment Len had seen it too, a patch of sand they where could dock, thick enough to hold at least one person at a time.
Mick turned the boat as ordered, hitting the sand head on until they stilled and Mark went to get off, finding his footing easily.
“Careful, Captain. I don’t know how thick this is.”
Len balanced himself on the longboat’s edge, Mick immediately moving to the back to balance the boat out on all sides. The lantern held very little light, the new moonlight the only other source to see beneath the blackness of the sea. Len squinted, holding onto Mark for support. Something was moving down in the depths, an animal or unknown guardian holding the treasure hostage. Another huge wave swept up against the side of the longboat.
“Captain, your orders?”
Mark’s hair and clothing were doused with water, Len’s jacket already clung to him too. They still pressed on, the boat moving with every wave.
“We cast the net here. If anything gets caught, we fish it out.”
Mick brought the net over the side, letting it sink to the bottom. They waited a moment, the howling wind dying out their raging heartbeats. A minute, then two, and Mick went to check the net. The rocks were now silhouettes in the darkness as the lantern started to burn out.
“Fire’s not gonna hold,” Mick grunted.
Len’s eyes stayed on the water. “So light another.”
“Can’t. I know fire better than anyone. These wave’ll kill it before it runs its course.”
“How long?”
Mick stared wistfully at the rope tethering the net to the boat.
“Mick,” Len snapped. “How long?”
“Hold your horses, I‘m thinkin’! Net’s stuck I can’t get it out, but we got a few minutes. Then it’s lights out.”
Mark shivered. ”And we’ll be sitting bait for sharks. Or worse.”
Len snarled, starting to undo his boots to toss them aside as well as his cutlass and piztol. His hat went last on top of his coat as he prepared to jump.
“Then I’m going in. We’re sitting ducks out here.”
“No,” Mark interrupted, starting to shed his own coat. “I’ll go. I know the sea better than anyone.”
“Which is why I need you to stay up here with Mick,” Len said, patting Mark’s shoulder to look over the edge. “I’ve done this thousands of times. What’s another wet undershirt to add to my collection?”
Mark nodded, stepping back, but still had that scowl on his face when his orders were belayed. He didn’t say another word however because the captain always had the last word.
Len dove with his arms over his head. The pressure hit him square on, even as he kicked lower. A fish swam in Len’s face, but he pressed on, feeling the rope of the net next to him, taunt and straining. It was too dark to see other than shapes and the stream of bubbles coming from Len’s own mouth when air left his lungs. The net was stuck for sure, something heavy caught in its grasp.
He resurfaced, taking a huge helpful of air, and reached the side of the longboat to shake off whatever water had been stuck in his ears.
“Well?” Mark asked.
“We got something,” Len grinned. “If we all pull we should be able to get it out.”
They pulled as a unit, making sure to use the waves to their advantage. While Len definitely had the most balance, Mark and Mick pulled their own, only slightly stumbling when the net started to come undone from the bottom of the sea.
“If it’s a shark I’m naming him Crunchy,” Mick said.
“It better not be a shark,” Mark grumbled. “I ain’t pulling my weight to get eaten by a barracuda.”
“Barracudas and sharks are from two different classes,” Len corrected. His shoulders burned from the constant pulling, and his knuckles were white with his grip. “I should know. I’ve been bitten by both.”
Something knocked on the side of the longboat and all three of them went to look, almost capsizing the boat in the process. Mark was the first to drawback, whistling.
“It’s huge.”
The box was huge, almost the size of half the longboat. Mick was able to haul it up all on his own, grunting when it sank neatly between two of the benches. There was a definite eeriness to all of this that Len couldn’t shake off for the life of him.
It might’ve also been the reason he barely registering Mick clasp his shoulder and start to row back to The Waverider.
“Ya picked good. We gonna open it now or not?”
Len smirked. “As anxious as I am, let’s wait for the whole crew. Can’t let us take all the credit for sailing out here in the middle of nowhere.”
The chest was beautiful in a dark and disturbing sort of way. Len had to give Captain Wells credit, his taste was expensive. Large markings covered the lid and sides depicting butterflies with their wings getting sliced by strings of gold. Diamonds covered areas like fireflies and rubies were the drops of blood when the butterfly wings were severed from their bodies.
Len didn’t stop staring at it until they had rowed back to his ship, Lisa, Axel, and Shawna cheering at their arrival. Roy helped bring the box up, groaning at the extra weight, and everyone crowded around the box to see what was in it.
“If it’s gold I want to get a huge keg to celebrate!” Axel bellowed.
“No duh it’s gold,” Hartley said, pushing him aside. “Screw a keg, we’ll need four or five to compensate.”
Mick grinned. “A keg for each.”
“For all the trouble it took us, it better be worth more than that,” Shawna grumbled. “I’ll make Wells pay for a new wardrobe, plus a keg for everything he’s done.”
“Ooo I can’t wait! Open it, Lenny,” Lisa pleaded.
Len stared at the box again, finally deciding. Each of his crew members looked back at him like vultures, ready to spring on their prey.
He used his cutlass to pry the chest open with Mick’s help. The lid was heavy and at least half of them had to pull to get a good look inside. When they did fully open it, their eyes went wide. There were a few stray jewels and gems in the box, but that wasn’t what drew Len’s attention.
Curled up in the middle of it all was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen with wispy brown hair and a bare chest. In place of legs, a tail the same color as the rubies on the lid covered his lower body. Gold streaks cut across the tail in a pattern of shooting stars, like constellations painting skin. A long, golden necklace with an emerald the size of a fist was the only thing the creature was wearing.
Hartley was the first to speak. “What the hell is that thing?”
Axel lips twisted in a smile that like a jester. “Wale, if it ain’t the catch of the day, I don’t know what it is.”