Song of the Sirens (14 page)

“So the ancients were right about
sirens, well, except about the half bird part.”

“No. That was something we started to
guide humans away from discovering us. Humans are easily confused, especially
in antiquity. They believed anything that could surround truth with some sort
of interesting understanding.

“Sirens are vicious. They resemble
mermaids in the water, but once air touches their tails, they change to
resemble humans. There are a few differences between them and mermaids.
Mermaids are very beautiful and have the potential to be destructive. Usually,
they aren’t, and are more concerned with protecting the waters and the
wildlife. Only certain ones can turn human. They’re docile, sophisticated,
cultured, and civilized.

“Sirens were once beautiful, but they’re
destructive. Their beauty lured sailors, and their song dragged them into
trances. The men did anything they commanded, and once their purpose was
fulfilled, the sirens ate them.”

I cringed. I heard these tales before,
but knowing they were true put a different and sinister spin on things.

Riley continued, “They used to feed on
marine animals, but when they discovered humans, they decided they were more
fun. They loved how men easily fell into their hands. Sometimes their song and
power created storms, like the one that moved in last night. I knew they were
alive then and up to no good. When you told me about your dreams and their
voices, I knew they were still strong and sane enough to realize they wanted
out and attempted freedom.

“Back in the day, the sirens only lured
and ate men who fell during battles at sea, or those traveling great distances.
Then they went after innocent sailors and fishermen. They even destroyed the
entire boat and dragged the men down into the water. At some point, they formed
the idea to hunt humans. They went on land, stalked their prey to understand
the new and forbidden world, and used their song to lure them. The sirens tore
them apart with their bare hands and teeth. They ate meat raw, and this
gruesome behavior intensified with the thrill of hunting.”

I recoiled. They sounded more and more
like zombies.

“When the humans heard their voices,
they lost control over their thinking ability and succumbed to whatever the
sirens wanted them to do. It was usually to go to the sirens so they could
devour their prey. The sirens were direct, only doing this to feed and sustain
their lives. The remainder of their day wasn’t sinister, but they changed over
time.

“They didn’t want to live in secrecy
beneath the water. Their behavior led to ancient civilizations discovering
mermaids, but over time, as the sirens became elusive or killed off any
eye-witnesses, the discovery turned into a legend.

“The sirens were once playful and only
lured humans when they ventured too far in the ocean. They were territorial and
viewed their actions as necessary. For a while, the rest of my kingdom allowed
them to get away with it. After some time, they became jaded. The same old
thing bored them, and they became cynical with new ideas for games. Hunting
humans on land eventually bored them, too. They had unsettling bloodlust and a
taste for chaotic destruction.

“My people finally stepped in and
prevented them from continuing. We hunted them down and dragged them back to
the sea. They faced our Pantheon of Elders, and when they refused to return to
their senses, the King exiled them to the middle of the ocean, the deepest
parts where humans couldn’t get to.

“When they heard their sentence, they
went even crazier. They turned against their own kind and ripped apart other
mermaids, mermen, and merchildren. Blood filled the waters of our beautiful
city.

“The king used his trident to secure the
kingdom. He did something similar to what he’s done tonight. He created a powerful,
invisible wall around the kingdom. This prevented any from entering or leaving.
But at that time, he was also able to drive the sirens out by the sheer force
summoned by his weapon, the trident.

“As the sirens swam out of the city, the
warriors waited on guard all around, anticipating them and prepared to use
their power over water to push the sirens into the cave. Another set of
warriors waited by the cave, prepared to use their abilities to keep the sirens
from escaping, and closing off their tomb with the boulder. Then we erected the
gates in case they succeeded in removing the boulder. The sharp points, curved
down toward them, would’ve cut them apart if they tried to escape.

“The sirens were already stark raving
mad when centuries of human flesh didn’t satiate their hunger. But, with their
already disturbed mentality and turning to cannibalism, we threw them into the
caves of Theoisis thinking that starvation and lava would destroy them without
releasing their toxic blood into the water.

“They were trapped in the cave for
centuries. Most forgot about them, but as a protector, I remained vigilant in
keeping them imprisoned. After all these years, they proved to be cunning. They
used your father to loosen and remove the boulder with the submarine pincers.
We got to you in time, but another few minutes and your father would’ve budged
the boulder enough to allow many more to escape.

“We had no idea they would survive that
long. We had no idea they were strong enough to reach into your minds.”

I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged
my legs. “So, we wait?”

“Yes.”

“That story you told me before was
true?”

“I tried to get info out of you without
divulging too much.”

“You could’ve just asked and then erased
my memory.”

“Unlike sirens, we don’t look forward to
using our mental abilities that way. We try to avoid using them against humans
all together.”

“How long will the search take?”

“I dunno, but you can’t stay here
forever. As soon as my men clear the nearby area, we’ll start moving you up. In
fact, moving you may lure them out.”

I jerked my chin toward him and scowled.
“You mean bait?”

Riley shook his head. “It was just a
crude and abrupt thought. I would never do that.”

“But King Neptune would. Your men would
if the idea came across their minds.”

“I’m sure they would.”

I controlled an onslaught of tremors and
looked down at my father with an overwhelming need to protect him, save him,
and do whatever it took to ensure our survival. He would do the same for me.

A final wave of shudders rocked my body.
I swallowed, pressing down on a dry and aching throat. Staring back out into
the pool, I said, “Let’s do that, then.”

“Do what?”

“Take us up, and use us to lure the
sirens. We have to get back to the surface. Baiting them would be the easiest
and fastest way to expose them, right? And once we’re on the boat, you can
focus on them.”

He nodded. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Can you protect us while we go
up?”

“Yes. I’ll keep some men near the floor
of the ocean as a few take up your dad. I’ll help you. If sirens move up, we’ll
detect them.”

I thought for a moment. “No, it can’t
work. The waters are too dark. How can you see anything?”

“We can see very well in dark waters,
plus we can sense movement and feel changes in current. Our bodies are very
different. This can work if you’re positive that you want to place yourself in
danger.”

“I’m not in any more danger out there
than I am in here.”

Riley leaned over and dipped his hand
into the water. He cupped his palm and remained still for half a minute. He
leaned back and sat up straight.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“I sent a message to my men to meet me.
The sirens may interpret my signal.”

“Can they read your signals?”

“I don’t know. They’ve been known to
read signals from others long ago, but I won’t take chances. I sent a simple
message for the guards to meet me. Since they know where I am, I didn’t say
where I am or who I’m with.”

We waited and waited. Silence claimed
the conversation, though I wanted to know so many things. It wouldn’t matter,
because once this was over, I knew I would never remember.

Three mermen breeched the surface of the
pool, the same three who gave report to Riley about half an hour ago. They
appeared young, though immortality probably had something to do with that. They
could’ve been hundreds of years old, for all I knew.

The men had dark hair, strong and lean
bodies, and the features of Greek gods. The two men on the right had blue eyes
with matching blue tails. The third had violet eyes with a tail of the same
color.

The mermen hardly glanced at me. They
set their focus on their protector. Riley explained the plan and sent them out
to coordinate the warriors. They returned to carry Dad.

I secured my mask and mouthpiece and
helped the men lower Dad into the water. Riley slipped into the pool, took me
by the waist, and eased me into the freezing water. The others, along with my
father, disappeared from sight before I ducked beneath the surface.

Once we left the cavern, Riley took my
hand and laced our fingers together. We faced death and danger, but that didn’t
deter the mild rush of butterflies in my belly from Riley’s finger lock.

He took off in a sprint and dragged me
toward the surface. Goodbye, butterflies, hello, again, nauseating fear. I
couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but held complete trust in the
mysterious men. What choice did I have?

We whisked past bubbles and debris in
obscurity. I tried to kick and swim, but in the end, Riley pulled me.

The mermen were anxious not only to get
us mortals out of the water, and keep much needed nourishment away from vexed
beasts, but to get rid of the unwanted variable in their already complicated
equation. Having us safely on the boat eliminated an unnecessary worry and a
detrimental distraction to their protector.

In this flustered plan, the mermen
either forgot or didn’t know that sudden ascent from such a watery depth could
seriously harm, or even kill, humans. I felt the staggering effects. I was in
need of Riley’s power.

Riley moved so swiftly that he dragged
me. I didn’t even bother to keep up with him, but when extreme discomfort hit
my extremities and chest, I tugged against Riley’s grip.

Pain scourged across my body along with
an ache so severe that I almost yanked Riley back to make him stop. I lifted my
left arm against the powerful current and clutched onto his wrist to ease some
of the pain where he kept a harsh grip. He glanced down.

He slowed down and pulled me up at the
same time. He raised our hands above his head, raising me a few feet higher
than him. He gripped my waist with the other hand. I pried open my eyes and
looked into his.

My head bobbed back and forth. I curled
in on myself and wanted to pass out, but the pain kept me unevenly awake.

Riley didn’t offer a thumb up to
communicate this time. He never stopped moving, only slowed down, as we
continued to ascend. He wrapped his arms around me. One arm went beneath both
knees and the other under my right arm and around the tank on my back. He
cradled me, then took off.

I figured this rapid pace was his normal
speed. I lowered my chin and tucked my head into Riley’s chest to prevent the
current from snapping my head back. Now that he held me in his arms, instead of
stringing me along, Riley swam even
faster
.

A cruel throb cleaved through my body,
and the ache intensified. I couldn’t curl into Riley and remain still. After
taking in a long breath, I blurted out the bubbles in a silent scream. I clawed
against Riley’s shoulders, pushing away until he slowed down and looked at me.

I shook like a mad beast. Agony tortured
me, pounded against my insides. I didn’t care about anything other than this
excruciating sharpness at the joints and lungs and the burning sensation in my
chest.

The pain ignited and spread like a
wildfire out to my skin. It felt like both icy and fiery insects crawling under
my skin. I wanted to tear off my flesh to get rid of them.

The hasty ascent affected the brain and
ears, causing dizziness, disorientation. I tingled beneath the pounding waves
of intense agony. Bends, thy name incited unbridled pain and fear.

At this unruly pace, I could care less
about surviving or seeing my father again. Hell, I didn’t care if a siren
ambushed us, snatched me up, sped off into the darkness, and ate me alive. This
pain was worse than death. In fact, it made me want to die.

Riley gave a thumb down and shook his
head.

No crap, Sherlock!

I felt like smacking him, though the
movement would slow down under water and lose its intended effect.

I clutched my chest, preparing to rip
the fabric of my shirt off and claw into my breasts to slash out my own heart
and lungs.

Riley was smart. He knew about gases in
the bloodstream and the importance of stabilizing them. He knew about
decompression sickness, the bends, and he had healed me earlier. Most divers
experienced less extreme symptoms, but none of them resurfaced at the pace of a
merman!