The Call [Loki x Siren Fanfiction]

Chapter 9

Thank you for the ride, Agent Hill!” I say before closing the door to the truck. I give her an awkward wave before turning to the beach. Since it is light outside and it is relatively warm, the beach is swarming with humans. I sigh but begin the trek down to the water. I wish the humans would leave at least one beach alone. I am glad they are enjoying it as well, but having all these people around makes it much harder to change without being caught. 

I make it to the shore, and I start walking down, away from most of the humans. I want to run to the ocean and dive into it, but that would attract too much attention, and I need to stash my clothes too before I get in so I will have something to wear when I go back to the surface. I have learned that lesson the hard way. Plus, humans are much more likely to assist you with transportation if you are fully clothed. It makes them uncomfortable if you do not have a piece of cloth covering you. 

I’m so excited to be home. I’ll sleep in the caves and play with the crabs and fish. I can swim as hard and fast as I want, I can sing at the top of my lungs without hurting anyone, and I can just feel the waves. 

After walking for nearly ten minutes, I’m finally far enough down to change without humans being able to tell what I’m doing. I quickly strip down to my undergarments and slip into the water. I let myself rest on the sand as the waves come in and out. I close my eyes and just try to unite myself with the water. I release my emotions entirely, every moment of longing building up to now. Now, when I can return to myself. Now, when I can be me. 

In a beautiful moment, I feel my legs unite and the muscles move and meld into my tail. I feel my bone structures shift, and my scales begin to coat my skin once more. Unlike changing to human form, changing back feels amazing. It’s like scratching an itch that is always there and you can never reach. It’s like knowing you have met every goal you have ever had. It’s being peaceful and comfortable where you are, knowing you are safe and loved, even if you are being loved solely by the ocean herself. 

I grab my clothes and ball them up tightly, tucking them under my arm. I can move the water to avoid the clothes, similar to a concave circle. I languidly use my tail to propel myself to a cave in deeper waters. I find one small enough that I can get in, almost up to my waist. I tuck the clothes in, away from the water as much as I can. I swim down to the ocean floor, running my hands across the sand trying to find a shell. I find a fairly big one, and use it to mark the entrance. 

There have been so many times when I’ve left clothes in a cave, but forgot to mark it and lost my clothes. Occasionally I’ll be cave exploring and find a set of clothes that are anywhere from a few months to a decade old. The nice thing is that they always fit. I haven’t aged since the day I came home for the first time. What a wonderful day that was. 

Once I am satisfied with the storage of my clothes, I turn back to the open ocean, giddy with excitement. I look around before deciding to travel up the coast for a bit- I know there is a lot of rubbish that humans leave there. I can spend weeks there, rescuing creatures from plastic rings and discarded nets and many other things. It is sad to see, but I enjoy my work. 

As a guardian, I have many jobs, but they all revolve around trying to protect the ocean. I save the animals, and collect garbage, try to control the dead zones, and sometimes save the ocean and the animals from humans directly. I can’t count the many times I have had to sing a fishing boat into the depths because they were harming animals other than the fish that they should take. 

I have no qualms with the food chains, but I step in when someone is doing something they shouldn’t. Usually I save dolphins from nets, guide sharks away from humans, but lately I’ve been more focused on my own survival. I can’t even sleep in the same cave two nights in a row, I have to find a new place to leave my belongings every time I come back, I try to avoid changing on an open beach when a human could see me; because if I don’t it makes it easier for groups of humans to find and attack me. 

I run my fingers over the scars on my body, little patches to remind me of past wounds. Raised lines on my human skin, thicker scales on my guardian skin. 

I shake my head, trying to shake the memories out of me. I suddenly slap my tail and spiral towards the surface. I breach, and fly several feet above the water. I let a shriek-like laugh escape my lips. I go up and down for hours, just letting myself relax and be free. 

I am home.