Anchors Away

꧁13:Rough Waters꧂

The captain was immediately called on deck, while the sirens swarmed the ship and sang songs that would hypnotize any man present to hear their melodies.

"You didn't tell us there would be sirens!" The captain yelled over to Aqua, to make sure she heard him instead of the loud waves crashing on the ship's side as he made his way to the steering wheel, "I didn't know!" She remarked and ran around the deck, maintaining her pretentious act.

As soon as Jones reached the wheel, he steered it harshly to turn the ship to a longer route, 'it's better to delay our visit to the meteor than not to arrive at all,' he thought as he ordered his men to drop the sails that were tied to the other masts, to help the wind push the ship faster.

The pirates obeyed the captain and moved towards the masts to drop the sails, but before they had the chance to do as they were told, the sound of the sirens' mesmerizing voices rang in their ears.

Charmed by maidens' melodies, their minds forgot their captain's demand, even the captain himself.

One's status does not discriminate against men who may be caught in a siren's scheme, be it the nuisances of society or the highest of kings unless your mind's control is more potent than the maidens' voice.

Everyone's minds have been taken over and so now they walk mindlessly, dragging their feet on the wooden deck, each inidividuals moved like puppets, all except three females and a boy who behaved as if the melodies are a normal thing for him to hear.

While Amirah ran around and hid in the lower decks, Oliver quickly made his way to the steering wheel and took over after he gently pushed his father aside.

"As glad as I am, how are you still okay?" Emily asked her brother; he merely responded to her with, "I hear this a lot growing up, I'm used to it."

She kept her gaze on him, confused with his answer, "but I grew up with y- Oh," she paused after she realized, 'right, he had a siren for a friend when he was a midget.'

Emily rushed to one of the masts to untie the sails while Aqua stayed in the back, away from their sight, handling the remaining sails; what everyone failed to notice was how Aqua laughed, played, and sang with the sirens as she slowly lowered one of the men who was tied with rope, nearer and nearer to the maidens swimming in the freezing water.

She wrapped the other end of the rope on her arm and began to leisurely untie one of the sails, to convince the others that she was truly attempting to help them, and not trying to sink the vessel at that very moment.

Oliver focused on steering the ship towards his father's desired direction but paused when he heard a soft voice with which the sirens harmonized, he thought of how familiar the voice was and for a moment his resistance faltered, but snapped back seconds later.

Aqua continued to sing, and mess with the cords until she heard someone call her name making her instinctively pull her rope-wrapped arm, lifting the still bound crew member away from the cold waves, "Marina!" The girl looked over to the steering wheel, the spot where she assumed the voice was coming from.

She locked eyes with Oliver before he asked if she needed any help, Aqua took a few seconds to answer as if her brain was still trying to process his simple question. "I'm kinda struggling, doing two things at once." Just then- did he notice the crew member hanging from the mast, and Aqua's grasp on the other end of the rope while struggling to untie the sails from the mizzen.

Oliver yelled for his sister to take over steering the ship after she finished dropping the sails on her area, urging the ship to move quicker. He headed down to where Aqua stood, avoiding the pirates that lazily moved around the place.

Reaching Aqua, he took hold of the rope that fastened his fellow crew member on its other end, allowing Aqua to untie the now intricately tied knot that she passed and pulled on moments ago. She started to fiddle with the knot once again, pulling on the parts that came undone, only because Oliver was watching her.

The waves harshly cradled the ship, rocking it from side to side, making it more difficult for Emily to maneuver the ship but easier for Aqua to somehow stop untying the rope.

All she needed to do was make the waves harsher to finally sink the vessel, however, the girl's determination might've created a much bigger wave that crashed on the ship's right, the impact causing the left of its side to dip in the water, and everyone on it to stumble or fall over.

The tipping ship forced them to quickly hold on to something for support, Emily stiffened her body and held on to the wheel, while Aqua and Oliver kept their grip on the ropes, but the cords came loose, dropping the sail as they slid down and hit the wall behind them.

The hanging pirate finally made it back on the deck while Aqua collided with Oliver, giving her a painless landing; he received a million apologies from the girl before they simultaneously, stood up and regained their balance, still holding on to one another.

Ocean caught sight of the scene, letting her recollect a similar moment from years ago. She ordered her fellow sirens to stop vocalizing and swim back to the empire, allowing the crew to recover their senses and exit their territory.

Sounds of relief echoed on the main deck, mainly from Emily and Oliver. Everyone gathered around to make sure everything was all right, but the siren stood still in her place, away from the growing crowd, staring at the now tranquil water with a dumbfounded expression.

She failed, and she was less than pleased. The thought made her scowl; unveiling her fangs, vertical pupils, and the scales on her cheeks, as she clenches her fists, digging her nails through her skin, nearly piercing the flesh on her palms.  

The girl managed to keep herself cool. Dilating her pupils back to its rounded form, she took a deep breath, and walked over to the crowd, checking in with the other pirates; attempting to sustain her facade until finally she was left alone.