Siren's Song

WRATH OF THE SEA

Blood, thick hot blood, covered his hands. His eyes widened with horror, ear piercing screams and wails echoed around him. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away from all the blood. Oh, God, there was so much blood. Bile rose in his throat and he hunched over, hand covering his mouth. Blood covered his mouth and he gagged.

"What did you do?!" someone roared furiously. What had he done? "She loved you!" And he loved her, right? Tears blurred his vision. His body was pulled to hide behind a stone column before a bone spear could get lodged in his head. A hand slapped him across the face.

"Pull yourself together, Alden!" Shocked back to the present, Alden glared at the man in front of him. "We need to get out of here before we are killed by those monsters." Screams rang out throughout the cave, sounding like thunder that never ends. Alden pressed his hands against his ears, yelling.

"Alden!" the man shook Alden's shoulders.

"Shut it, Jayson," he snapped, pushing Jayson back. "I get it." He grimaced and tried to ignore the drying blood on his hands. As quickly it all started, silence filled the air. Jayson's eyes widened in fear and he tried to drag Alden to the cave's entrance.

"We need to get out of here now," Jayson demanded as an ethereal hum filled the air. Melodic harmonies tugged at Alden's mind, lulling him into a sense of longing. His eyes glazed over, a smile on his face. He slowly turned, the water calling out to him with promises of the love he had lost.

Jayson grabbed onto Alden and dragged him out of the cave. They ran to the large ship in the bay. The song echoed out from the cave entrance, washing over the bay. Jayson's breathing picked up and Alden shook his head, trying to block out the noise. "Hoist the sails!" the first mate shouted, jumping into the shallow water and climbing up the ladder on the ship's side. "Climb, Captain!" Jayson demanded of Alden.

Alden climbed up the ladder and fell onto the deck. The crew bustled all around him, frantically yelling out orders to flee. "Get us out of here!" Alden ordered, running up to the ship's helm. He grabbed the helm as the sails were hoisted. A strong breeze caught the sails and set the ship in motion.

"Did you get it from those devils, Captain?" one of the crew asked, a glint in his eye. Jayson stood proud and tall next to Alden, holding up a diamond heart. The crew erupted into cheers. Alden felt the pit in his stomach grow. Dark clouds covered the once bright sunny sky and rain began to fall. A single tear slid down his cheek.

"The Sea Goddess Nereia was given a jeweled heart made from the tears of their sister, the Earth Goddess Faunwa," a woman adorned with pearls and jewels spoke proudly. Her scales were a deep royal purple. The upper half of her body rested on the rocks, sunning herself. "This jewel has been in my family for generations." She tilted her head back to gaze up at a man.

The man had sandy hair and piercing green eyes. He wore brown boots, a white tunic, black pants, and a red tail coat with gold trimming. A white father attached to his hat. A smile graced his features, his eyes full of love as he gazed down at the Siren. "A heart?" he asked, sitting on the rock above the woman. "Why a heart, Asherah?"

The woman smiled brighter than the sun that began to set. He laughter echoed on the ocean breeze. "Why a heart indeed, my dear Alden," she hummed, dipping her fingers into the water, creating soft ripples. Her tail kicked up in the water.