Your Sweet Siren Song

Chapter 6: Aria

  If I had known what I had gotten myself into, I don't think I would've sided with Vaxray. I probably would have relocated my clan and forgotten about the pirates. I would have told them it wasn't worth it.

  Everything started out well enough. After I finished my alfredo- which was the most glorious food I have ever eaten I might add, Ophie led me back to their ship. When they brought me on board, the crew all gave me curious looks. I flashed my sweetest smile.

  One crew member with fluffy blonde hair and the greenest eyes I had ever seen raised an eyebrow and looked at Ophie. "Are you going to introduce us to your new friend?" he asked.

  "Everyone, this is Aria," they said. "I do not mean to raise alarm, especially during this time, but she is a siren."

  Everyone immediately started to protest. "She could kill us!" one crew mate with long brown hair said. "I promise you she won't. She has information on Vaxray and she can lead us to him. Having a siren on board will be useful," Ophie announced. Although their speech was directed at their crew, the last part sounded like a threat towards me. Their crew didn't seem too convinced but no one argued.

  Afterwards, Ophie led me under the ship to a small cabin. There was a tiny bed shoved against the corner and some lanterns hanging around. Books and scrolls were stacked in a corner. It felt strangely cozy, almost like how my den felt back in the cavern. I squeezed the sand dollar in my pocket. "This is where you'll be staying," they said.

  "I like it," I admitted. I walked in and admired the place. I turned around to look at Ophie, who was leaning against the doorway, an unreadable expression on their face.

  "Rest up. I'll come to check on you in a bit," they said, then left me alone.

  I wanted to think of more ways to trick them, but I was exhausted. Shifting from siren to human was a lot harder than I had expected it to be. I promptly crashed onto the bed and fell asleep. In what I assumed was a few hours later, I was shaken awake. Ophie glared down at me.

  "Time to get up, sleeping beauty. It's time for you to do your chores."

  "Chores?" I asked.

  A sly grin made its way across their face. "Yes, chores. My ship needs cleaning. You caused quite the ruckus when you and your clan attacked her, so you get the pleasure of cleaning her up."

  I groaned but got up anyway. They tasked me with mopping the deck. In all honesty, it was not all that terrible. The worst part was when a seagull came over and pooped on a spot I had finally finished mopping.

  As I silently cursed at the seagull and cleaned up its mess, a pirate came striding over. He looked about my height with two missing teeth, one on each row. He had a dark stubble and a long jet black ponytail. His most defining feature were his eyebrows, both shaped into permanent arches.

  "So, you're the siren that Captain Ophie brought on board," he said. His speech sounded a little slurred, like he'd been drinking. That and his break reeked of alcohol.

  "That would be me, and you are...?" I asked, still mopping the deck.

  "Josie," he said. "What's your name?"

  "Didn't Ophie tell all of you earlier?" I asked. Josie laughed. "Yes, but half of what they say goes in one ear and out the other."

  That didn't seem like the proper way to treat a captain. I stared at the floor for a second before saying "Aria. My name is Aria."

  "Well, it's a pleasure to meet ya, Aria. Now, Captain Ophie seems to trust ya, at least to some extent. However, me and the crew- not so much. You're gonna have to earn our trust. For instance, in, I dunno, a duel?"