The Siren of the Titanic

Chapter 18: Leviathan

The king looked away saddened. "What is it, my lord? What is it that I must face?" If the king is scared it must be pretty bad.

He sighed and looked me dead in the eyes. "I know you studied mythologies and religions as a human, did you ever hear the story of Leviathan?" I nodded. Indeed I had heard many stories of the creature. "Leviathan is known in mortal stories as a huge whale, a sea monster, or a water dragon, all of which are true, as she takes many forms. Leviathan, or by her 'human' name Morgaina, is none other than my sister.

"You see this all started many years ago, and not even on this world. My mother is the Goddess of Water in a world known as Cecidia, a world far from this one. The story of how that world came to be is a long story, and one for another time. However what you need to know is that our mother sent us here to this world to calm the waters of this world. I was to protect the creatures of the day, Leviathan the creatures of the night. However my sister had a very dark heart, and her creatures became more and more dangerous. Sharks, for example, are more dangerous at night, no offense Alto. Her creatures became more dangerous, especially to humans, and it came to a point where people began to fear the oceans, that's when the order came.

"My mother could see what was happening and, with a heavy heart, told me to end my sister. However she and I are of equal power, I could not kill her, only sealed her deep in the Mariana Trench. She has stayed alive down there, creating some of the scariest and dangerous creatures, however, the seal is breaking. One of two things need to happen, either she dies or the seal is re-tied. That's where you come in. You are one of a kind, you are a 'kraftig havfrue' or 'powerful siren'. Only one is born every thousand years, as cliche as that sounds." He chuckled to himself for a minute before clearing his throat.

"You three will need to stay here for training. Kylin will finish your physical training while Leora will teach you the magical aspect. You need to learn to work as a team, but there are others who will help you along your journey. Any questions?"

"Yeah, actually," Alto was obviously upset. "why are we doing what you couldn't. Why are we doing your dirty work?" Alto's face was contorted in anger, his sharp teeth shining in the light. The king only sighed.

"I can no longer leave this place, when I sealed my sister, I also sealed a part of myself, I physically cannot leave this cavern anymore. When the seal releases, that will no longer be an issue, but I would be of no help. Forgive me."

I patted Alto on the shoulder, trying to soothe him. "So what you're saying is that you'd prefer if we allowed the seal to break and kill her off?" It was Talon's time to question.

"Yes, as awful as that sounds, I want my power back, but it is not necessary. As much as she has done, I still love her." He lowered his head, his hair covering his eyes.

What if there was a third option? My instincts sounded, like a second me, whispering into my ear, so I put my voice to it. "What if there was a third option?" Gareth's head shot up, his iris-less eyes burning into me, so I continued. "What if there was a way to turn her good again? Why did she become bad, to begin with?" That seemed to get the king thinking.

"Truthfully, I don't know why she turned, she just seemed to flip a switch. She was a kind gentle person, for crying out loud she's the reason why the merfolk exist in the first place." When he saw that we were confused he explained. "Long ago, Leviathan, or Levi as I called her, fell in love with a mortal man, but he was mortal, she was not. One day he fell into the ocean and died. She used her power to bring him back and turned him into the first mer. Several others followed suit, every time someone would be sacrificed to the 'sea-gods', Levi would turn them. Eventually, a society grew. I never figured out why she changed, why she killed rather than save. Maybe you can find out."