Dive: Stucky

Part 1: A Siren's Song

Any sailor who heard a siren's call was as good as dead. They knew better than to follow it into the depths of the sea, but sometimes it was too much for them to bare. Most sailors knew what it was when they heard it, but the sirens were cunning and beautiful, as were their songs. Their calling made all the humans long to follow.

Come, come, be free

Come, come, be with me,

Come, come, beneath the waves,

I will save you from the grave,

See the water,

Hear it speak,

Come, come, be free,

Come, come, be with me.

That song was sung by all of them, each had it memorized by heart. That was the song that beckoned unknowing sailors, and the song that caused them to be dragged down and eaten by the sirens, lost to the ocean forever.

But there was one particular siren that they all knew and feared. The 'Blue Devil' they called him. He had long, flowing brown hair, a beautiful blue tail with intricate design, and missing his left arm. He would always go for the kill, no matter what kind of person he had dragged under, save it if they were children. He mostly preyed on men, men that had muscle but not enough brains to resist his lullaby. 

That day, he was chasing a ship full of sailors. Since less and less ships were roaming the seas because of siren attacks, most of them had to travel far to find ships, and most were starving. And sailors had gotten smarter, harpooning them or catching them in nets, and even going as far as to tie them to the bow of the ship so that their skin would dry out and they would die. So this one was determined to get an undetected catch.

He scanned the deck, looking for a worthy victim. He saw a plump man swaying around, probably due to the fact that he was holding a jar of amber water with foam at the top. The siren remembered them calling it 'beer' once. He watched as the man staggered to the rail, clinging onto it to gain his balance. He considered this man to be a around a full meal, maybe lasting him for a few days. He had been without food for weeks, so he was starving by now, and his desperation was starting to get the better of him. He began to sing his song.

Come, come, be free,

Come, come, be with me.

The words reached the man's ears, and his eyes widened. He scanned the troughs below, searching for the creature that had made the sounds. His eyes seemed clouded with drunkenness, but he could just make out the figure below in the churning water. A blue, scaly tail slipped above the surface, then disappeared back under.

"Sirens!" he cried, running away from the railing. "Sirens are here!"

The siren sighed in frustration, sinking slightly, bubbles flowing to the surface as his tail hung in front of him. He needed to find a younger, more gullible sailor to lure down here.

As night approached, he resurfaced again, and saw no one on the deck except a young man standing at the bow, gazing out into the ocean. The siren's eyes stared in wonder as he took him in. He was tall, muscular, and blonde. A breeze ruffled his hair, and he was wearing suspenders. In other words, he was the most beautiful human he had ever seen.

He began his song, wanting to get close to him.

Come, come, be free,

Come, come, be with me.

The man's eyes widened as the song reached him. He looked down into the water just as the siren giggled, echoing up to him. His tail pumped him back down as the man's gaze followed his figure. The siren resurfaced on the other size of the boat, continuing his haunting song.

Come, come beneath the waves,

I will save you from the grave.

The man raced over to the railing and leaned over, raking the waves in search of the siren. But all he saw was a tail go under again. The siren laughed and resurfaced on the other side of the boat, his song calling out once again.

See the water,

Hear it speak.

Again, the man ran to the rails, but just missed him as he dove back under, chortling at his confusion. It was then that the man realized what the siren was doing. He was teasing him.

Come, come, be free,

Come, come, be with me.

The man ran down the steps of the ship, through the galley, and onto a little built-in dock in the back of the boat. He slid onto his knees and looked out into the water. The siren resurfaced, very close by, gazing at him with curiosity. He cocked his head slightly to the side as he watched what he would do.

"Hello," the man said, his perfect lips parting into an encouraging smile. The siren tried to mimic him, but his razor sharp teeth showed, causing the man's smile to falter immediately as he caught sight of them. "You've got some sharp teeth, huh."

The siren nodded, bobbing a little closer. The man didn't seem bothered by this, so he assumed that he had never even seen a siren up close before. This would be an easy catch after all.

"You have a beautiful tail," the man said, gesturing at his back. The siren just nodded again, coming closer. "You aren't gonna eat me, right?"

The siren didn't respond to this question. In all honestly, he wasn't quite sure why he hadn't pounced yet. Something seemed to be holding him back, and he wasn't sure what it was. He was starving, but he couldn't bring himself to eat the beautiful human in front of him.

"I'm Steve Rogers," the man said, putting out a hand.

The siren took this gesture as a threat, and swung around, pumping his powerful tail and gliding away under the water. He was faster than a torpedo, so it was hard for the Steve's eyes to follow where he had went.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Steve called, standing back up. His eyes were now desperate to find the creature again.

The siren resurfaced a few yards away and looked back. He was starting to lose interest. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to eat this human. But if he wasn't planning to eat this man, then he had no point in sticking around. It made him more vulnerable the longer he stayed surfaced.

"Come back, please," the man begged, looking at him hopefully.

But the siren decided he had enough for one day, turning back around and slipping gracefully back under the water. But he promised himself he would come back. 

For reasons unknown, he wanted to see that sailor again.