Sirens And Sins {HIATUS}

1. Oblectament

Killing humans was fun if you did it with the ones you loved.

There was no one Ariel loved more than his younger sister, Miranoe. They've always been close for normal  siblings. They played together and wept together until they became two halves of a single whole. Ariel was often mistaken for her; they both had long red hair, round cheeks, and eyes the same hue as the ocean during sunset.

It was no surprise that they also killed humans together.

The Elst Sea was a popular attraction for stupidly brave sailors who wanted an easy shortcut to better waters. Ariel had never swum far out from the Elst, but he knew, as did all avaritias, that there was a country made of riches across the sea. Ships often attempted to pass the large White Ocean to get to the country of riches, but some sailors were too impatient and used the Elst as a shortcut. Elst was avaritia territory, and they made it a sport of wrecking ships and stealing treasures. 

Ariel had nothing against humans, of course. Like most sirens, he'd never personally met one. Humans were bedtime stories told to curious baby sirens, full of mysteries and odd behaviors. Some claimed humans have mastered the way of the birds, and could fly into the sun, while others said humans had four legs but walked on two to attract mates. 

He didn't care about any of the stories. Ariel just loved collecting the fallen treasures from the drowning humans ships. 

Near the edge of the Elst, where Ariel lived, there were rocky black cliffs stabbing out of the sea. Sailors had to pass the impressive rocks to leave the sea, and the cliffs were the best spots for sirens to attack from. Legend had it that the cliffs were made out of mermaid blood, during the ancient sea battle between mermaids and sirens long ago. Ariel always felt a bit of pride thinking about the structure. His ancestors had shed blood to create it, and he was the descendants of those very brave sirens.

Miranoe thought otherwise.

"I don't want to do it," Miranoe hissed to her brother as they swam past a colorful school of fish. 

Ariel pouted at her. "But Mira!" 

She gave him a look. The gills on her neck fluttered in annoyance. "Ariel, every time we go there, you always want to cause a shipwreck and the ruined ship pieces float everywhere, making it hard for me to collect my clams. I want at least one week of clear waters."

Ariel swam in front of her and grabbed her scaly shoulders. "Mira, please, I'm begging you. The local sirens at the palace said that this ship was huge and made of gold and jewels! Imagine that, a ship worth more than the entire ocean sailing through our waters. How could we pass up an opportunity to go?"

Mira sighed and shook him off. She picked at a string of clam shells strung across her chest, a birthday present from their eldest sister. "We are not obligated to go." 

Translation: They did not have to see every ship passing through the Elst as if it was their duty to. 

"You could have found a more suitable companion to accompany you."

Translation: Why me?

Swimming around her in an excited (and slightly impatient) frenzy, Ariel exclaimed, "Of course I have to bring you! You're one of the best swimmers in the sea, and you can out-swim a ravenous shark!"

Mira twisted her golden-red lips to one side. "You flatter me too much."

"And, of course, I have the most beautiful voice in the entire ocean. I could make killer whales weep and cry out for their mothers. Working together, we're the best damn team anyone has ever seen."