The Hunters of Artemis: A Siren's Call

12)Sirens

"You know A-Artemis?" The revelation still had me startled.
"Not personally," replied Calla breezily. She cupped her perfect hands on the table before her as she leaned in closer to me. "But well enough to know she does not care for those around her; a child like you should not intwine herself in asinine matters."
The war Dedun and Artemis had been talking about came to mind. "You're helping Loki." It wasn't a question on my part but a declaration.
"Helping," said Calla with a wrinkle of her perfect nose as if the accusation had offended her. "As if we hold the same values," she shook her golden head softly, seemingly amused.
My eyes narrowed. "I hear he wants to destroy the world as everyone knows it. "
"Slight exaggeration," said Calla breezily. "Tis similar to what you mortals do in politics. Fear mongering to cause an uproar, to get one side to go against another. It is typically a successful strategy, is it not?"
I thought of the definition before shaking my head gently. This wasn't the same as politics. "So, this Loki guy doesn't actually want to turn humans to slaves, kill off the Olympians?"
Calla looked amused. "If you truly knew what the Olympians were capable of, I am doubtful you would wear such a judgmental expression."
I couldn't say I knew a whole lot about the Olympians. Just what Dedun told me for the most part. "Turning humans to slaves," I said at once. "You didn't deny that part."
"It wouldn't happen to all of humanity," said Calla simply, as if that made the situation better. "You and your brother would be safe."
There was so much wrong I was finding with Calla now. How quickly it was to automatically dislike her. "Why are you messing around with my brother? You can't find a nice immortal guy to settle down with?"
Calla giggled innocently. "Are you always this judgmental regarding your brother's experiences with women?"
Well, yes, but that was beside the point.
"My brother doesn't typically bring home immortals who want to destroy the world," I replied, my eyes narrowing further.
"Ohh Gabi, let us not pretend I am special," said Calla sympathetically. "Kelly, Chloe, Ashley? What about the girl your father married, Lauren? What of your feelings for them?"
I could feel my face paling. She was either a mind reader, or worse, Sam told her everything about us. "How did you-"
"Sam tells me everything," confirmed Calla curtly. "I do not want to be your enemy, Gabi."
Sam exited the coffeeshop with a small carrier. Calla leaned even closer across the table to speak to me. "I would allow Artemis and her merry group of fools to erase your memory, young one. You do not want to be on the losing side of this war. I'll protect you."
I nearly started trembling in place, my eyes transfixed locked with Calla's.
"Herbal tea," Sam chirped, setting down Calla's cup in front of her. "And an expresso," said Sam, setting down a smaller cup in front of me. I stared at the cup and then back at Sam. There was no way he would have known what to get me; I never order the same thing frequently at coffee shops. But there was someone who had heard my order. Someone where I now wondered if it was possible for her to transfer thoughts to Sammy's brain. My eyes shifted from the expresso and then back to Calla. She only provided me a soft wink.

I finished up the rest of my shift mostly in silence. I was polite to the customers and robotically replied to Tanner when he gave me the upcoming week's schedule, but I wasn't paying too much attention to anything. By the time I got home that night, I quickly wolfed down my bowl of chili while Grandma and Grandpa quizzed me about my day. Evidently, Sam was out on his date with Calla. She had already met my grandparents. Diane and Walter loved her. The entire dinner when not quizzing me was spent gushing how amazing Calla was and that they couldn't wait to see her again. It was as if she had them and Sam completely brainwashed. Everyone was oblivious that she wasn't human. I couldn't text or call Sammy; I couldn't warn him what I knew about his new girlfriend. He wouldn't believe me and I couldn't blame him. He would either think I was acting similar to all the times I disliked the idiot girls he brought home. Or worse, would Calla harm Sam if I tried to warn him? Would he wind up like all of those dead guys who washed up on the shores of Lake Michigan?
While thinking of everything, I could only think of the term I had heard Dedun and Artemis use to describe the killers behind the attacks. Siren.
In Greek Mythology, sirens were dangerous creatures who lured sailors to their deaths with their enchanting songs that would cause them to shipwreck on their island.
I started searching on my phone the second I got up to my room. My dad would probably kill me for all the data I was using on my phone, but this was an emergency. It's not like he could really punish me all the way from Europe. What was he going to do, ground me? He already sent me to Kenosha and got me nearly killed by a basilisk and engaged in a war against immortal gods. Good job, dad.
Once I found a few terms to describe a siren, I pulled my head away from my phone to stare in horror at Pele. The more I read, the more I saw that interactions with sirens nearly always ended in death for the young men. That would mean that was what was killing all of the young men between Kenosha and Chicago. "What do I do??" I asked Pele. The dog merely raised its tired head to watch me before laying back down. A soft snore sounded a few seconds later. "You're a lot of help," I mutter before cringing. I knew who I had to go see in order to get help, it was the same people who wanted my memory erased.
***