Chapter 5

Asneer pulled at my lips as I watched the witch slink out of the tavern. Allowing her to leave this wretched place in one piece was a miracle in itself. Sea witches, with their eerie powers, made my skin crawl. The moment she revealed her ship encased in a bubble, I recognized her as the sinister creature who had plagued sailors and their vessels for longer than I"d walked this Earth. She was the stuff of legends and nightmares, a terror of the Seven Seas. I never anticipated she would seek me out, bearing a request.

I must have been the greatest fool ever to have entertained an offer from a sea witch. However, when she dangled the Wraith before my eyes, my mouth began to water, and all reason and caution sailed away with the wind.

The Wraith was a legend, a ship whispered about in hushed tones, long believed to be lost to the unforgiving sea. Yet, there she was, presented to me as if on a silver platter. So what if I started a war with the siren king for slaughtering his daughter? With the Wraith, he would have to catch me first. The prospect of possessing such an elusive ship had ignited a fire in my soul, one that no threat, no matter how ominous, could extinguish.

Cael came up beside me with a stern look on his face. "Do you truly intend on accepting this suicide mission?"

"I intend to get my hands on that ship," I clarified. "Now, whether or not I do everything else she requested of me is yet to be seen."

Cael sat down in the seat the witch had recently vacated and stared into my eyes. "Seems to me she's got you over a barrel. That one is cunning. I don't know how you intend on tricking her into giving you that ship without following through on her other demands."

I usually would not allow any of my crew members to question my motives, but Cael had been my friend long before we knew how to sail, and I trusted his judgment, not that I intended to listen to it. He was also my first mate, which allowed him some leeway.

Cael"s skepticism was evident as he leaned back in his seat. "Tangling with Medusa sounds like nothing but trouble," he remarked, shaking his head.

"We'll cross that ocean when we get there." I stood, and when I did, all my crew members' eyes shot to me. No one grumbled or dared complain when I motioned for them to move out. It was a day ahead of schedule, but we had a new job to do, so I planned to set sail with the tide.

My boots thumped across the pier as I headed for the dinghy. Several of the small boats were piled high with my men, and in a matter of seconds, we paddled back toward the ship. I scaled the rope ladder and started yelling orders as soon as my feet hit the deck of my ship.

"Weigh anchor and prepare to sail," I boomed across the deck.

"Heading, Cap'n?" Cael yelled from the helm.

My gaze swept across the vast expanse of the ocean, tracing the ship"s graceful progress as it effortlessly cleaved through the rolling waves. "A hefty sum has been offered to kill a leviathan that has been lurking around the Bahamas. It was last sighted near the island of Andros." I could see the greed and excitement in the crew's eyes as I announced our next target. "And if we happen to run into a siren on the way, we will take her as well," I said with a devious smirk.

"A siren this far north?" Flynt scoffed as he tightened the jigging.

"That's what I've been told." I looked toward Cael, who still wore a sober expression on his face. I had no intention of telling anyone else about my encounter with the sea witch and what she wanted us to do. Sometimes, the less my crew knew, the better.

My gaze danced across the surface of the water once again. The sea witch didn't give much detail on the whereabouts of the siren princess, only that she was looking for me. I had to stay on my toes. I despised surprises, especially when they took the cunning form of a siren. With a mere song, she could lead my entire crew to a watery grave, a fate I was determined to avoid.

As the ship ventured deeper into the boundless expanse of the ocean, well on its course toward the Bahamas, I retreated belowdecks. The serenity of my cabin beckoned, a sanctuary from the unknown perils that lay ahead.

Leaning over my desk, I surveyed the chaotic mess of maps, compasses and calipers, musty books, and a tarnished spyglass. With a swift, impatient sweep of my hand, I cleared the clutter aside to reach for a map hidden in the depths of the mess. It was a tucked away, cherished secret.

Unfolding the yellowed, creased parchment, I gingerly spread it across the worn surface of the desk before taking my seat. This map was a coveted relic among sailors, a treasure hunted by those who shared my perilous profession—sea monster hunting. The map was a masterpiece, years in the making, adorned with cryptic lines and symbols and highlighted regions where sea creatures prowled. My gaze settled on the small islands of the Bahamas, Andros nestled among them. It was there we set our course, heading toward the depths of the deep blue waters just off the coast.

Leviathans were elusive sea monsters that had a fondness for lurking within the shadows of the Earth"s undersea craters. If there was a leviathan haunting the waters around Andros, that was precisely where it would lie in wait, hidden within the heart of those dark, bottomless chasms.

I smiled to myself as I rolled up the map and tucked it away in a safe place. It had been a long time since I last encountered a leviathan. My blood sang with the possibility of battle and the kill.

"Storm a'brewing off the starboard!" Rat's voice rang out over my jumbled thoughts.

I took the coins from my pocket, securing them in a hidden place, and then ventured back up to the deck.

As I stepped onto it, the salty sea wind rammed me hard. The ocean was an unpredictable and moody mistress. She would turn on you in seconds without a moment's notice, and she had little regard for those who dared to cross her.

I looked in the direction that Rat indicated from high up in the crow's nest. The dark sky hung low, and the crack of thunder was so loud it rattled my teeth. Sheets of rain scurried across the vast expanse of the ocean, a warning of the tempest that lay miles ahead, lurking in the dark, brooding depths.

Within minutes, the rain pelted my skin, drenching me to the bone. I shoved my unruly wet hair from my eyes and strode toward the helm, where the ship"s wheel groaned under the strain of the squall.

"Batten down the hatches, boys! It looks like we're in for a wild one!" I bellowed, my voice lost in the roar of the storm. The wind howled, and the rain stung like a swarm of angry bees as we charged headlong into the squall, a relentless force of nature that threatened to consume us.

Rhea

The closer Iventured to the Caribbean Sea, the more the water warmed around me. The rising temperature was an unwelcome change, far removed from the comforting coolness of Aquarius"s dark ocean floor. Exhaustion weighed heavily on my shoulders, and fear gnawed at the edges of my resolve. A relentless ache in my belly constantly reminded me of my hunger. It was a perilous combination for a siren, especially one already teetering on the edge of her wits.

I had traveled for days to reach the Caribbean Sea, and I was calling myself a fool with each mile I swam. Doubt festered within me, a nagging suspicion that the sea witch had sent me on a self-destructive mission. How I would ever convince a heathen, a hunter of my kind, to take me to Medusa was a mystery as vast as the ocean itself.

I pondered the option of using my beguiling song to persuade him, but I knew I couldn"t sing the entire trip. The odds were stacked against me, and the weight of the task ahead was crushing, like the depths of the sea.

A sunken ship resting on the ocean floor ensnared my attention, pulling me away from my thoughts. I cautiously approached it, marveling at the new residents of the boat. The ship had become a vibrant ecosystem of its own, swarming with fish of every imaginable shape and color that swirled around its sunken hull. Crustaceans scurried across the decaying deck, breathing life into this forgotten vessel.

My pulse increased as a tiny octopus shot out of a circular window, ink trailing in its wake, fleeing the scene as I drew closer. The shipwreck, with its thriving life, offered a stark contrast to the solitude and uncertainty of my mission, and I found a moment of comfort in this submerged world.

A smile tugged at my lips. I should have kept going, but my curiosity got the better of me. I ducked into the porthole that the octopus had just vacated. Darkness engulfed me as I edged deeper inside the ship. Rays of sunlight peeked through the rotting floorboards, disrupting the gloom and offering glimpses of the ship"s interior. I was giddy with excitement. These human objects held a certain allure, something I had never witnessed before in the world of sirens and sea. My father would have a fit if he knew I was this close to human objects.

I continued down, winding through the debris and destruction. A small cry of surprise escaped my lips, shattering the eerie silence as I came upon the skeletal remains of a human. Foolish curiosity had my hand lifting as my fingertips brushed across the smooth bone of the skull. My eyes traveled down the form, brushing over the material that swayed in the current, covering the bony extremities. Humans really weren't that different from us, except for the legs.

I left the sailor behind, continuing deeper, slowing when the ghostly creak of the wood echoed through the water. I nervously chewed on my bottom lip. This whole vessel could collapse at any moment. Good sense begged me to leave, but thick wooden barrels caught my attention, pulling me deeper into the darkness. I approached one and pulled until the waterlogged boards gave way. Hissing in pain, I pulled my hand to my chest as a splinter of wood lodged in my palm. I yanked the offending piece out, waving my hand through the current as my blood tainted the water. Ignoring my minor injury, I glanced into the barrel, studying the contents. My stomach heaved as a sour scent invaded my nostrils. Whatever this was—or used to be—was pungent. A quick glance revealed an array of barrels, each bearing identical symbols on their sides. I had no desire to investigate them further.

I hurried from the ship, hoping that the stench of whatever was in those barrels did not linger on me. I squeezed out of the porthole, stalling in the water before I noticed that the inhabitants of the sunken ship had vanished and the sea was eerily quiet. The hushed silence made my pulse race, hinting at the danger.

A dark, shadowy figure ahead of me caught my attention, and I immediately scolded myself for becoming distracted and not paying closer attention to my surroundings. I glanced down at my palm, which was still bleeding, cursing myself for not being more careful.

The silhouette stalked closer and became more apparent, exposing itself as a threat. My heart increased tempo as a giant shark swam closer, battle scars etched in its gray skin. It circled me with a predatory grace, its cold, unrelenting gaze sizing me up. I'd had minor dealings with sharks. Aquarius was too deep and far from the mainland for sharks to frequent. Whenever one ventured that close, Orm and his army dealt with it. This shark was massive in length and inched closer to me with each pass it made. I was an easy bite-sized meal for it, or so it thought.

My lips parted, and my siren song hummed through the ocean. I prayed that it would work against this shark. If not, I had already made the grave mistake of letting it get too close to me. I would have to flee if my song didn't work. Sirens were one of the fastest creatures in all the oceans, so hopefully I could get away. The shark instantly paused. Its body slowly started to drift to the bottom of the sea. I stopped my song immediately. When a shark stopped swimming, it stopped breathing. I didn't want to kill it, even though it was trying to eat me. It was just doing what sharks did.

Even after stopping my song, the shark sank to the bottom. Against my better judgment, I swam toward it, grabbed its fin, and started pushing it. A small trickle of relief filled me as the shark's gills began flapping in the current. In a matter of seconds, it bucked and thrashed. I released it and retreated a few feet. It finally got the message that I was the more significant threat and swam off in the direction it came. My father had always told me that my big heart would get me killed, and based on my current situation, he was probably right. The shark may not have been my doom, but the mission I was on now likely would be.

I collected myself after my shark encounter and continued on my journey. As I swam, the ocean darkened. I braved going to the surface and eased my head above the waters. Night had fallen, and only a few twinkling stars were visible, along with a big moon high in the sky. It was rare that I broke through the surface of the water, so I just floated there for a while, enjoying the beauty of the night sky. A loud cracking sound had me swinging my head around, and I looked to the sky, where an angry storm had built in the distance. Lighting struck again, this time closer and louder than before, and soon after, rain started splattering across my skin. I ducked below the surface. I would be safe from the squall under the water, or so I assumed.

I dove deeper as the waters became rougher. No matter how far I ventured down, the storm seemed to follow. I was using all of my strength to keep from being tossed around. Never had I seen a storm churn the waters this deep before. My body was roughly thrown through the ocean as a whirlpool swallowed me. My lungs threatened to collapse in on themselves as the swirling pool of death suffocated me, its icy grip pressing against my chest…

I inhaled deeply,expecting the cool ocean water to pass through my lungs, but instead, I nearly choked to death as I breathed in sand. I sputtered and coughed, trying to rid the offending substance from my mouth and throat. My body ached, and my skin and scales felt parched and dry. I dared to pry my eyes open, only to be blinded by the bright, blistering sun as it bounced off the pristine beach.

Dizziness enveloped me, my head swirling, as an intense, searing pain surged through my fins. Agony gripped me, and a screech escaped my lips as the torment heightened. I raised my head, sweeping tear-saturated eyes across the tattered remnants of my tail fin. Panic consumed every inch of my being. The extent of the damage left haunting uncertainty of whether I would ever swim again.

Spots danced across my vision when I saw how far the storm had tossed me from the ocean. How would I ever maneuver my mutilated body that far to get back into the sea? I was hopelessly beached.

I laid back down as I tried to calm my hysteria. I just needed to rest for a minute to catch my breath, and then I would claw my way down this massive beach and back into the safety of the ocean.

I struggled to keep my eyes open as my hope plummeted like a ship in a storm. Seagulls cawed in the distance, circling overhead as if waiting for my eyes to close. No matter how hard I fought, I was losing the battle against consciousness. My head buzzed as darkness crept in from all sides. My head dropped onto the scorching sand as my eyes rolled back. An eerie voice whispered, its sinister tone beckoning me to follow it to my death.