The Siren Song - Book 2 of the Legends of Henge Series

Chapter 41

Lance Taylor

After ending a full blown war between the Mermaids and the Sirens, I would have at least expected some gratitude. Maybe a couple awed looks from my teachers, an award of some kind. A parade wouldn't be out of the question.

Yet another trip to Aurum's office for a scolding was not what I had imagined would come of this. "You had finished your Quest weeks ago," Aurum was saying. "And yet you all decided that it was in everyone's best interest to go back and involve yourself in a conflict that had nothing to do with you!"

"We stopped a war!" Luna argued, eyes blazing.

"Miss Ulric, I don't want to hear a word from you after you left your Quest against your leader's orders," Aurum hissed.

"Obviously, he thought better of it, since he was there as well!" Quinn defended. Hero's face flushed.

"He didn't think better of anything. He was blinded by puppy love and decided to abandon the majority of his teammates to join an ill-thought-out plan of unneeded heroism."

"Unneeded?" I scoffed. "If it weren't for us, hundreds more would have been slaughtered.'

"If it weren't for you, hundreds of Sirens wouldn't be dead on that shore and they wouldn't be declaring war on the Council!" Aurum shouted.

"That's not our fault," I argued. "Without us figuring out that Mako was a fake, the Mermaids would have lost hundreds over nothing. And we both know the Sirens declared war on the Council long ago when they sided with Crevan."

"Mr. Taylor, you've been on thin ice since you what you pulled in detention so I wouldn't push it," she said, in a threateningly low voice.

"Professor," Arielle interrupted.

"Miss Clements," Aurum narrowed her eyes and I could see that it hurt Arielle to be called that.

"We were only trying to help. We were trying to prevent more bloodshed," she insisted.

"Well, you all must have been so battle hungry that you forgot how to negotiate because there was no evidence of prevention from either side."

"Nesia was all that made it through to Queen Nerida," Arielle continued. "We sent half down to Atlantis to find her and explain what was going on. The rest of us got caught by the Mermaids but Nesia was able to find her and she paid for that."

"You were reckless and put all of your lives in danger-"

"And you put our lives in danger last year when you put us right in the middle of this!" Arielle cried. "You can't just pull us out now. We're apart of this and that's your fault!"

"During the week, you will be confined to your dorms. Any breaking of this rule, will result in privileges such as the bonfire being taken away. Do I make myself clear?"

All in all, that wasn't a bad punishment. We would be bored as hell but at least we'd have the weekends.

We all filed out of her office silently. Arielle and Lark disappeared almost immediately but I didn't really care enough to find out why. If they wanted to risk losing the bonfire, that wasn't my problem.

"Hey, Lance!" Jonah ran to catch up with me.

"What do you want?" I asked cautiously. I wasn't really in the mood to listen to his pestering.

"Hey, I just want to apologize for some of the things I've done this year," Jonah admitted. I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm serious. If I wasn't, I would have let that Siren kill you on the beach." I shrugged, accepting that. "And I want to apologize for making all that stuff up about you and Anvi."

"What stuff?" I questioned, honestly not remembering what he was talking about.

Jonah frowned and licked his lips nervously. "Well, I made fun of you all year long because I knew you didn't like her. And I was kind of watching on the beach. None of the Sirens took a form for you. I won't tell anyone or anything. It's your secret, you know. But I felt bad after figuring it out."

"What are you talking about, Jonah?" I snapped.

"Well, Professor Wilson said earlier in the year, remember, that the only kind of people that Sirens don't take form for are virgin asexuals and..." Jonah was losing confidence.

"And you think I'm asexual now?" I scoffed.

"Well..."

"I'm not. I like girls!" I insisted. Jonah's face flushed and he nodded.

"Right, sorry."

We walked in silence for a minute. "You really thought that I was asexual?" I burst out.

"Well, it was either that or I was right all year long." Jonah shrugged.

"What?"

"You fought with Quinn most of the time and I know she's got a thing for Anvi, so maybe it was just that. But maybe you're attracted to Anvi, too," Jonah explained. Maybe it was my imagination, but I could see a devilish smile in his eyes.

"Wow," I growled. "I thought you were actually trying to make peace. I guess not. See you around."

Jonah hung his head and I felt a prickle of guilt before I shoved it aside and caught up with Ryker and Chetan.

"What was that about?" Ryker asked.

"Nothing," I huffed and they left it alone. I glanced at the two girls in front of us. Harper and Anvi.

Anvi's hair seemed messier than usual. Of course it is, I thought. Idiot.

There was no way that I could be attracted to such a short, know-it-all, annoying princess like her. Sure, she was pretty. I could admit that, but I didn't like her at all.

Besides, if my Siren was her, that only meant I found her attractive. It didn't mean anything else.

Update 2...

Question of the Chapter: Woman crush over forty

My Answer: Lana Parrilla