Chapter Nine

       “Hello, mother,” I said, subtly bowing to the Queen of the Sea. The red haired goddess swam slowly towards me and lightly kissed both of my cheeks. She pulled back to smile at me. She scrutinized my body, starting with my hair and moved all the way to my fin.

       “Your hair looks brighter,” she said in a neutral voice. “The blue flatters you. It looks less human.” She smiled. Her eyes slowly dropped to my black shirt where they narrowed coldly. Her lips were pressed in a grim line. “That does not.”

      “I wasn't aware that clothing isn't allowed anymore,” I said, raising my eyebrows. I crossed my arms over my chest.

       Queen Atargatis' chilling blue eyes were focused on me, her expression was unreadable. “Kleio, leave us,” she ordered, never taking her eyes off of me.

       Chloe quietly slipped out of the room, and out of my peripheral vision, I saw the orange tip of her fin go between the curtains.

       “Well, Lysithea,” Queen Atargatis said, staring at me disapprovingly. “You'd know Lumina's current laws if you'd come home more often.”

      “Forgive me,” I started to say bitterly, “But, Lumina's way of life isn't exactly my thing.”

       Queen Atargatis swam to the lavender couch and gently sat down. Her green fin stretched out horizontally on the cushions, curving upwards at the end over the railing. Her red hair floated weightlessly above her head for a moment before gently settling around her face. She placed her index finger over her red lips, staring at me.

       “And what is 'your thing', Lysithea?”

       “Well, I live on land with people.” I told her. “It's kind of weird to have to eat your coworker or friend.”

      The red haired goddess suddenly laughed. “We are people. Those are humans. There is a difference.” She reminded me with a flick of her wrist. “Besides, we rarely get the chance to indulge on humans. Mers can barely hold their breath long enough to surface the water. Let alone hunt.” She tilted her head to the side, glancing at the portrait of the Sirens. “No, our diet consists of shallow vegetation and fish.” She said in a sad, wistful voice.

       I had nothing to say to that, so I remained silent. The thought of eating a person really freaked me out. Sucking out a life force is one thing. Actually cutting into skin and bones and swallowing flesh was entirely different. The idea of something that cannibalistic made me nauseated.

       “As delighted as I am to see my youngest daughter, I know you are not here for a simple family gathering.” The queen pursed her lips.

       “I'm not,” I agreed, a hint of a smile played on my lips. Queen Atargatis knew me well. My aversion to Lumina was pretty obvious to everyone.

       “Well, tell me,” she ordered, gesturing me to speak with her hand. “What has you bothered, Lysithea?” I didn't like it when she called me that. I've asked her to call me Lylie years ago, but she'd never listen. Eventually she'd become angry and offended that I wanted to change my birth name. It wasn't that. I just thought that Lylie sounded more modern. It was a nickname at first, and then it just eventually stuck around.

       “Before you jump to conclusions, please let me explain the situation first,” I told the queen, watching her lift an annoyed burgundy eyebrow.

    “Just tell me, Lysithea.” She seemed relatively calm. Maybe she'd be understanding and approach the Crave situation with caution.

     “Well, my intern at work has an adopted brother.” I watched her puzzled expression form over the word intern. I took a deep breath and braced myself. “And he's a Crave.”

       Her vivid blue eyes suddenly went wide in utter astonishment. She hopped up at once, looking at me levelly in the eyes.

       “How is that possible?” She mused to herself. She looked alarmed, and her eyes were deep in thought. “Can you bring the body down here?” She suddenly looked at me.

       “Body?” I asked her in confusion.

       “Well you certainly buried him, didn't you? Surely you didn't leave his corpse out in the open for humans to see.” Uh oh. Here comes the tricky part.

       “He's, um ... I didn't kill him.” I admitted. Queen Atargatis looked at me with confusion. Her burgundy eyebrows puckered together as she frowned.

      “I don't understand.” Her frown deepened, and I could tell that she was getting irritated with me. She liked to know the facts of every situation. “You are obviously unharmed. What happened?” She demanded, anger glinting in her eyes.

       “Well, I was going to fight him.” Queen Atargatis' expression suddenly grew very dark. She did not like the fact that I hesitated. “But, he never once made a move for me. And when I read his mind, he was totally innocent. I know it sounds impossible, but I don't think he knows what he is. Either that, or he's extremely talented in concealing his thoughts.” I didn't bother telling her about the incident on my bathroom mirror. I wanted to take care of that myself.

       “Lysithea, how could you?” She demanded in a booming voice.

       “I wasn't going to attack an innocent, mother,” I said darkly.

     “He's a Crave,” she said, exasperated. She threw her hands up in the air angrily. “He's not innocent. None of them are.”

       “I don't think he knows that,” I insisted. “You have to admit, for a Crave to completely ignore the impulse to rip me to shreds... well that's pretty weird. He definitely seemed clueless.”

      She shook her head, disagreeing with me. “Nymphs are cunning. Do not misjudge that Crave. A Nymph wouldn't make such a large effort to conceive with a human, only to abandon their progeny once they were born. Trust me just this once, daughter. There is no such thing as a 'clueless' Crave.”

       “But, what if he is? I don't want to murder someone who has absolutely no idea Mermaids or Nymphs exist.”

      “Do I have to remind you, child?” Her blue eyes flashed with anger. She swam up and pointed towards the portrait of the Sirens. “Our beloved Protectors are dead because of the Craves.”

      My eyes scanned each of their faces. Faces I knew well. Floii, Helene, Makone, Jaquez, Sullaen, Agatha, Lilith, Kyros, and my twin sister, Lucicia. All of those Sirens were formidable with their magic, but still lost in the end. All, with the exception of Lucicia, died by the hands of Craves.

       “Tiresias, Kleio and yourself are the only Sirens remaining. Are you willing to jeopardize you and your sister's lives because you're too stubborn to preform your duty as the Protector of Lumina?” She asked coldly. “Do not spoil their memories with your betrayal.”

       I huffed in exasperation, feeling frustrated and annoyed. Her words were like a knife, sharp and cruel. How dare she bring up the deaths of the other Sirens, insisting that I will ruin their memory if I save a Crave's life who may not even know what he is. That was a low blow, and she knew it. I should have known that this would have been her reaction.

       “When you return to your human life,” she said the word with disgust. “I want you to destroy the Crave and bring the body to Lumina. Understood?”

       No. I do not understand. I wasn't comfortable with killing someone without a fight. Taking a human life once a year was already weighing heavily on my conscious. I didn't want to add another. Especially a death of my own control, not Atargatis'. I wanted nothing more than to swim away, scowling off and muttering a string of swear words about the Sea Queen.

       But, I didn't do any of those things. Instead, I nodded obediently and softly said, “Yes.”

       “Good.” She seemed pleased. “You are of course welcome to stay in any of the guest rooms for as long as you want. However, I'm sure you will decline as usual. Please spend some time with Kleio before you leave. She misses you.”

        She then moved toward the violet curtain and held it open for me to leave. “I have business to attend to. You may go now.”

       Without so much as a glance at Queen Atargatis, I quietly swam out of the room.

       Despite my annoyance with the Sea Queen, I actually slept in one of the guest quarters for the night. Chloe found me later that morning, aimlessly swimming in the castle hallways of Lumina alone. Her golden blonde hair swirled around her face as she came to a stop in front of me.

      “I know you hate it here, but I'm honestly afraid that scowl will become permanently etched on your face for all eternity.”

        I started to laugh then. “Sorry, it's kind of depressing down here.”

      “It is,” she agreed with a smile. She grabbed my arm. “Come swim with me.”

Chloe didn't give me a chance to argue. She pulled me through the corridors in the castle until we finally met dark open ocean. We swam through the city, and I got a play-by-play of everything that I missed here.

     “That's Bruno's shop over there. He sells kelp burgers,” she said, pointing towards a pile of stones that looked like a sorry form of a stand.

       “Kelp burgers? Does Atargatis know about that?” I suddenly started to laugh. The idea of a Merman grilling burgers underwater was just about ridiculous. An image of a Merman wearing a white apron holding a spatula suddenly came to mind.

       “Yep.” Chloe said, grinning. “She has no idea that it's a human thing. I can't imagine what will happen to poor Bruno when she finds out.” Chloe's expression was amused as we passed over Bruno's Burger Shop or whatever it was.

      We continued sightseeing through Lumina. The underwater city was a definite reminder that I made the right choice in permanent residency on land. Everything here was just so boring. What did Mers do for fun?

       As if reading my mind, Chloe suddenly grabbed my hand, forcing me to face her. My sister's expression turned eager with wide dangerous eyes. I immediately recognized that look and backed away.

       “No,” I told her, my voice was firm. I started to swim in the opposite direction and tried to get away from her. She suddenly grabbed my arms again, surprising me, and I dove into her mind out of habit.

       … starving. I just want one fix. It's been too long...

       “Chloe, no. You know how I feel about that,” I told her, narrowing my eyes. “I don't judge you for your lifestyle, and I'd like the same respect.”

       “Who said anything about judging you?” She said, rapidly blinking her dark blue eyes. She flicked her wrist towards her face, making her golden hair flow behind her ears with the rush of water. “I need a wing-woman. I just want you to have my back. Do your mind-control thing, or whatever it is you do in case things go bad. Please?” She asked, pouting her lips.

       I tried to keep the disgust off my face. “I'm not going to help you kill someone. Sorry,” I said bitterly.

       “You aren't! I don't expect you to do anything, Lylie, Jesus,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I just want to spend some quality time with my sister. Is that too much to ask?”

       “Yes.”

       “I'm serious, Lylie,” she nearly growled.

       “So am I,” I retorted sharply.

       “You kill for the Mijoyed,” she reminded me. She considered for a moment. “Even though your human always looks like a creepy pedophile or a drug addict.”

       “So? A human is a human. It's not like Atargatis knows the difference,” I said bitterly. I was shocked. Truthfully, I didn't realize anyone knew that about me. But, I did try to find lowlife criminals for the Mijoyed. If I was forced to kill against my will, I'd rather it be someone who more or less deserves to die. If I stopped a serial killer from killing again, then I couldn't be that terrible, right?

       “You don't have to do anything. Just go with me, please.” Her expression suddenly turned soft and pleading. She looked genuinely sad. “I never get to see you. Tiresias has a harpoon shoved up her a*s, and the Mers are equally as lame. I want you to come with me. Stay in the water for all I care and don't watch. I just want you to come, okay?”

       … miss you Lylie. We used to have so much fun together. Please come ...

      I pulled out of her mind, overwhelmed by the urgency and pleading in her mental voice. I took several deep breaths and sighed.

     “Fine.” I growled in annoyance. Chloe was relentless when she wanted something. It would probably be easier for me in the long run if I gave in now and spared myself the torment to come. “I'm not participating in any way, and I'm not watching. I'm only swimming with you. That is it,” I warned.

       Chloe's smile stretched across her face, looking smug. “Thank you.”

    We started to make our way towards the surface, rolling our bodies rhythmically and pumping our fins. My fingers stretched out as I propelled myself towards the surface, feeling the force of the water against my palms.

       Chloe was very graceful when she swam, and as I glanced at her, I noticed she was overdoing it just a bit. Her movements were starting to get less practical and more dance-like with each stroke.

       The environment around us was sheer black, but we could see perfectly clear and could tell where we were going. The higher we swam, the lighter the ocean became. The sun began to penetrate the water, gradually lighting up our surroundings. The water was now a cerulean blue, and we were about twenty feet from the surface.

       “Do you hear that?” Chloe asked me, holding her index finger upwards whilst listening.

       I could. It was the sound of a rumbling engine far away from us. The blonde Siren didn't give me time to answer her.

       I suddenly saw the tip of her orange tail in my peripheral vision, swimming towards the noise like an arrow shot from a bow. I quickly swam after her, increasing my speed to catch up. I was easily the fastest swimmer out of my sisters, and it didn't take long for me to overcome her.

       I could see the bottom of a small boat making its way towards us. Luckily for Chloe, but not so much the boaters, it wasn't moving very fast.

       “Chloe, wait!” I managed to say before she shot towards the surface. She rolled her eyes at me before she broke the top of the water. We were both still in our Siren form, which is pretty risky if anyone saw us. However, Mermaid sightings were rare, and most of the time no one ever believed the witness anyway.

       I could see the top of her tail, where the other half of her body was blurred. The transition to human skin became distorted from the water. I could barely make out her damp blonde hair plastered on her skin.

       She suddenly submerged herself once again to look at me. “There are two of them. Males. You sure you don't want to join me?” She asked, winking.

     I gave her a dark look before shaking my head. She shrugged and shot towards the surface once more.

       By now, I could finally feel the pulsing energies coming off of the boaters. The taunting auras rolled into me, growing stronger as the boat approached us. It took an incredible amount of will power to remain still and not follow Chloe.

       I bit my lip and took several deep breaths, trying to relax my anxious body. They are humans. People. Think of Garret, Chelsea and David. Ignore them. Don't hurt anyone.

       I kept myself distracted with those kinds of thoughts, ignoring the terrible temptation to kill the people on that boat.

       I watched Chloe suddenly begin to shapeshift her fins away, and I looked in the opposite direction out of courtesy. Not that she cared if I, or anyone, saw her naked.

      Despite my earlier remarks about not watching Chloe hunt, I couldn't help myself. I slowly started to swim to the surface, feeling my head suddenly break through to be welcomed with the prickly wind.

       “Hey, over here! Please help us!” Chloe shouted, waving her hands in the air. The two guys on the boat suddenly glanced our way. Their expressions became worried and the driver abruptly killed the engine. They started to run towards the edge of the boat with concerned expressions. I could imagine these guys believed we were two helpless girls who had lost their way at sea only moments away from drowning.

       I froze, not particularly wanting any attention towards me. Aggravated with Chloe's carelessness and lack of tact, I unwillingly forced my telepathic energy on the males.

       A tanned guy with dark black hair held my gaze as I delved into the darker aspect of my telepathy.

       Forget my face. I whispered against his mind. I usually hated to hypnotize people, but this was a simple command, and, well, I truly didn't want to be seen out here, regardless if these people live to tell the tale.

     I repeated the same with the other guy, who had similar physical characteristics as the first man. They were probably related. Siblings perhaps. Two brothers bonding out on their boats with a few beers. I could see several fishing poles and a case of Coors Lights.

       After a moment, they seemed to forget all about me and focused their attention solely on Chloe. They couldn't see me, but I could definitely feel them.

The crescent moon shaped tattoo on my chest started to glow a vibrant blue, emitting a bright light several feet away from me in the water. It throbbed painfully, reminding me of my natural instinct to suck the life out of the boaters.

       I couldn't stand it any longer, so I shapeshifted myself some legs. I watched the blue light suddenly fade away as my Crest blended in with my skin. I took several breaths through my now freed nose, feeling relieved that I was cut off from my deadly Siren side.

     “Please help me,” Chloe said with desperation. She sounded absolutely terrified. I rolled my eyes at her theatrical display. Those guys were putty in her manipulative hands. They were not going to stand a chance.

       “The ladder is behind the boat. Jared, toss the girl a life jacket,” one guy said, looking at Chloe with concern.

       “No no. I think I can swim to it,” she said as she started to breaststroke her way to the back of the boat.

       I watched the two guys make their way to the back, bending down to stretch out their hands to her. Chloe grabbed the first guy's hand and allowed him to pull her up.

    Both of their eyes widened, and they started to clear their throats uncomfortably when they saw that she was completely nude.

       Chloe stood up straight, dripping wet in her naked glory and casually ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

      “You, ah... do you want a towel?” The guy named Jared asked, purposely not looking in her direction.

       “Well that wouldn't be much fun, now would it?” She purred seductively. She ran her fingers slowly against the curves of her body, and I swear that one of the guys' mouth dropped open.

       The two brothers suddenly looked at each other, cocky grins slowly stretched across their faces. For all I knew, they were probably planning some kind of weird kinky threesome.

      “You do have a very nice body, I must say,” the younger guy said appreciatively. Jared suddenly elbowed his brother, rolling his eyes.

       “Really, Trevor?” He said, laughing. He mumbled something else that I couldn't make out, and all three of them started to laugh.

       Chloe approached Trevor slowly, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He was the more weaker of the two. Chloe could sense that, and so could I.

       I could see the slight compulsion enthrall him as he stared at the blonde Siren. His gaze became hazy and admiring. Chloe suddenly reached out to grab the back of his head and pulled herself closer to him. She slowly pressed her lips to his, and he went with it eagerly.

       Jared stood there, glancing away in uncertainty. This was going in a direction that he wasn't sure about. The wary expression was all over his face. His brother was making out with some hot chick they randomly found, and now he was standing there being the creepy loner who wasn't getting any action. Jared smirked and went to get himself a beer.

       “Come swim with me?” Chloe asked the other brother sweetly. The helpless Trevor simply nodded at her request, not even commenting on the bizarre choice of activity for a girl who nearly drowned.

        She led him to the edge of the boat where she paused to grin. She threw me a sly wink, knowing that I compelled the guys to forget I existed, and suddenly dove into the water. “Well don't just stand there. Aren't you coming?” She asked Trevor once she broke the surface, fluttering her eyelashes.

       Trevor had a goofy grin on his face as he nodded. I had a feeling he would do just about anything Chloe asked him at that moment. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it on the ground. He suddenly jumped in the water after Chloe, and I heard Jared grumble a sound of annoyance as he faced the other way. He had no intentions of watching what was surely to come.

       Trevor's lust got the best of him as he grabbed Chloe's face and started to make out with her. The two were giggling between kisses and splashing each other. Chloe pulled away from him and playfully dunked him beneath the surface.

    Trevor suddenly came back up, spitting out water and laughing wholeheartedly. He wiped his eyes and shook his head.

       “Playful little thing, aren't ya?” He asked, impressed.

       “You have no idea,” she said, smirking. I rolled my eyes at that.

     “Yeah?” He asked, breathless. His body was bobbing up and down as he struggled to keep himself afloat.

      I was thankful that I didn't have to look at my sister nude anymore. All I could see of the happy couple were their heads. Chloe's damp blonde hair clung to her back and spread out where it touched the water.

      Jared took a sip of his beer as he glanced at the other side of the boat, purposely not watching Trevor and Chloe. He had no idea what was coming. Neither of them did.

       They began to kiss once more, only this time, Chloe slowly started to pull them both underwater, never breaking the kiss. Trevor seemed to enjoy this, and I watched an eager grin stretch across his face.

      I knew what came next, and I quickly turned away. Chloe would soon shapeshift back into a Siren before her human knew what was happening, and she'd suck out his life force silently underwater. No one above the surface would be able to hear the screams. It was a very sneaky way to hunt, with most friends and relatives believing that their loved one tragically drowned. Chloe, of course, would also vanish below the sea, none the wiser.

       I knew the struggle was over when I heard several clusters of bubbles break through the surface. With a sad sigh, I quietly slipped underwater, deliberately choosing to not look at Jared. I didn't want to see what his reaction would be when he discovered his brother and the girl they just met tragically drowned.

       I ran out of oxygen and quickly shapeshifted back to Siren form. I wouldn't meet Chloe's eyes for a long time, and I couldn't look at the innocent person she had just killed. I felt sick to my stomach and silently cursed myself for agreeing to come with her.

     Without so much as a glance towards Chloe, I suddenly dove headfirst, sending myself further and further away from her. I couldn't be around that any longer, and I had to swallow the bile that had risen in my throat. How could she be okay with that? How could she be okay with murder?

       The ocean grew darker in direct correlation with my emotions, reflecting my dangerous mood.

Author's Note

This is a really long chapter. Apologize in advance! I will probably cut it in half somewhere..

Reviews

[avant security guard]

I skipped to the last chapter to see how well you kept it up--bravo--this needs to be published--you can make money on this

[Strigoikillerr]

Aww well thank you!! :] It's only about halfway finished, and it still needs to be edited

[Daydreamer54]

Well she could have preventing it, but her sister and the queen wouldn't have liked that and at least now we know how its done. *sigh* poor other guy, but he was probably be next...

[Strigoikillerr]

Prevented what? And I know.. so sad, poor Trevor :(

[Daydreamer54]

She could have prevented chloe from killing that guy.

[Strigoikillerr]

Oh yeah, she probably could have. Even if she had, Chloe would have killed regardless.. that's just what she believes. :( Survival of the fittest. lol