The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate

Chapter 10

A few weeks had passed, and the crew was now used to the headstrong mermaid that walked the decks. A few men were still hesitant around her, but that was to be expected with the whole curse ordeal. Hook and Sirena had searched through his entire library by now, finding nothing of use. The captain remained hopeful and determined. Sirena, however, thought they would never find anything helpful. One thing gave her hope, though: the one discovery that they had. Her runes had not changed, meaning the curse would last much longer than a year, as long as she stayed on Neverland. But the pair was still running out of options.

"We have to go someplace else. If we stay here, we won't find anything and the curse will eventually end!" Sirena argues.

"I know that, but if you leave, time will go back to normal and we'll have even less time to find a way to save you!" Hook returned.

"Fine, you go look for a cure and I'll stay here," she insisted, crossing her arms in defiance.

He opens his mouth to fight back but finds no argument that she would take. The pirate paces in silence for a moment, then turns around, deciding to argue anyway. "I can't leave you by yourself here. Who knows how long it will take to find the cure!"

"Unfortunately, I won't be alone. The lost boys and Pan are always here. If it comes down to it, I know Pan will help me." She takes in a breath, then mumbles, "He doesn't seem to have a choice in that."

"Why would he help you?" he questions. "Why doesn't he have a choice?"

The mermaid groans, exasperated, "Because he and I were... Something a long time ago and he hasn't given up on it yet."

His mouth opens in pure shock. "You and Pan. Together? Are you running a rig on me?" Hook can't decide if he is angry, humored, or jealous. The last thought confuses him, making him think, "Why would I be jealous of her and Pan?"

"Shut up! I was young and stupid and looking for a little sympathy, which he was more than happy to give," she seethes. She turns away and sighs, "I didn't see what was behind that overly sweet smile he wore. I should have known better."

Whatever anger Hook had melted away at the woman's words. Taking hesitant steps towards her, he asks in a soft voice, "What did he do, lass?"

She says nothing for a moment, then faces him, "The power-hungry bastard tried to take my magic. Some book he has told him that if a mermaid fell in love with a human, they could take her power. With the help of a spell or something, of course. Anyway, he played me for weeks, convinced me he actually cared. One morning, I woke up and he was gone, but I saw the book. The idiot had the page marked and left it out in the open! I packed my things and went back to my cave. I never told him why I left, so he's still convinced I know nothing. He always comes after me, trying to seduce me again."

"I am so sorry, lass," he consoles, pulling her into a hug, which she accepts. They hold onto each other for a spell, then the captain has a thought. He pulls back and gasps, "Wait, you said Pan had a book about mermaids? We can use that! And if he thinks you don't know his plan, you can get him to take you back to the camp."

She hesitates, "While I don't like the idea of going back to him, you're right. Maybe I can convince him to help with my curse, too. If I turn human before he can take my magic, he's back to square one."

"Even better!" he returns. "But you have to convince Pan that you changed your mind," he pauses. "Maybe you should go to the island and go slow with him. If you burst into camp and immediately go to him, he'll know you're up to something."

She nods, then has her own idea. "If I'm going back to the mainland for that long, maybe you should leave and see what you can find. It couldn't hurt to try if I'll be off conning Pan, anyway. No sense in you waiting around on this ship," she muses. She doesn't like that she has to convince Pan she cares about him, knowing what he's after. So, she wants to be sure it's worthwhile.

"There's just one problem with that, lass. Pan would never let my ship leave. We have no way off Neverland without Pan's permission," he corrects.

Sirena smirks with an evil look in her eyes that leaves the captain uneasy, "Leave that to me."