The Pale Woman's Song

Power

They had lost so many, siren screams echoing in her head as she charged down into the city, straight for the palace. So many had been snatched up in those unending coils, dragged back as the ocean fought to keep it at bay.

But they had gotten into the city, and they were relatively safe unless it realised its prison opened both ways. But Calligenia dashed towards the palace, the Aaronnax floating like a beacon overhead.

She pushed her way inside, quieting the panicked sirens with a flick of her fin. They knew the danger they were in, and there was no pint in softening the blow as more filtered into the massive room, golden blood leaving a guided path.

"Where are the children Kaiko cried from one of the carved alcoves, handing the child back to his mother. "Ant and Fontane and Finn".

Calligenia couldn't answer, it wasn't that something had happened to them, but she herself hadn't spotted them amid the chaos. The thought of them out there pulled at her heart.

"The children were seen boarding one of the pirate's vessels". The siren that had spoken curled around her brother as Kaiko and Will swum closer, the latter had emerged from a cluster of other sirens who had been examining one of the carved walls.

It was with a relieved sigh that Calligenia relayed the message.

And then a panicked scream shattered the moment of peace, followed in seconds by an ear-shattering crash.

In a flash, a message, hurried and short, was delivered with a panicked set of whistles and words.

'Pirates fired missiles'

Calligenia roared in fury as she relayed orders to the nearest siren, instructing them on how to get out of the city. and then she was off like a bolt of lightning, quick and angry as golden blood crusted against her scales.

She burst from the tunnels like a phantom, enraged and filled with the fury of the seven seas.

the second missile hit, shattering the wall protecting the city, rocks and roof caving in as Lemuria was exposed for the world to see.

Calligenia was furious.

Her city had been attacked.

Her city had been attacked.

Calligenia was ancient and she was furious beyond compare. Her blood boiled in her veins as the storm above increased, currents being swung around wildly as Siren's fleed, pulling with them the human children, gouged from the sinking hull of one of the ships. The lead had already turned and ran.

Then the third missile was launched.

And then the tsunami hit.

With a crash to shake the world, the current increased tenfold, pushing back the submarines, and as each one screamed against the others, so did Calligenia.

Her soul aflame, she shrieked as she commanded the waves, heart held out bare with fury and pain.

Pain for her sisters; Pain for her brothers; Pain for those lost.

Pain for her kingdom, reduced to rubble.

Pain for her people's spirit...Diminished to nothing but husks of their former glory.

The storm subsided slowly, the crashing of waves and roar of wind never leaving.

Until an inky form crashed to the seafloor.

And then, just as quickly as it had come on, the roaring of nature vanished, leaving the cool waters silent. Quieter than they had been before the oceans creations inhabited it.

The groaning of the ships had subsided and the fish refused to move from where they had hidden under fin and rock.

And then Feyre raced out into the open, towards the limp form of her friend, cradled in waves and sand like a weightless strand of kelp.

Amata wanted to follow, but then a small arm was round hers, and she glanced down to see Ant trembling as he held her, eyes trained on the shrinking form of Feyre.

She pitied the child, she truly did. the fearful and distant look in his eyes were like that of someone who had seen horrors untold, and she worried what it would mean to Feyre.

"Did you know she could do that?"

"Calligenia is old, she was one of the first of us created. She was gifted extraordinary power, like many of the ancients." She wrapped an arm around the child as the other two inched closer, watching as Calligenia was dragged back to the city.

"Oh"

"Did she...", Fontane couldn't finish the sentence as Amata turned to her. She knew that she was in no danger, but after seeing what she had, a part of her feared the Siren.

"Know the mer? Yes. She would tell Feyre and I stories of them when we first became what we are now. Perhaps you can ask her to tell you some"

And then, when they had thought it all over, a scream tore through the waters, and in the distance, emerging from the ruined pile of submarines, came the monumental.

Its arms flung around wildly, blood tinting the waters like an ominous haze as it lashed out at the waters and ships holding it prisoner.

Amata griped her spear as she softly pushed the boy off, straightening her shoulders and flicking her tail.

And then a young siren raced towards them, golden sceptre clasped in an iron grip. To Amata he swam, until she motioned to the boy at her side, and he handed it over with visible reluctance.

'We are trusting you with many of our lives'. With that, he darted back off and down to the exposed city.

"What did he say?", and questioned as he clasped the sceptre.

"Only that we trust you"

"But I don't know how to use it. There's not exactly an instruction manual attached". He looked down at the golden rod as if all of the answers would reveal themselves.

"They say the sceptres magic has a way of communicating with its bearer", Amata spoke softly as the hull of one of the submarines groaned against the monumental's power, "perhaps it will help you"

"But it just feels cold". Ant muttered, flinching as a tentacle lashed out towards them.

Amata knew there was little time left before it escaped, but the young boy in front of her was there only hope. And yet he doubted the greatness and power she saw in him, in the way his eyes reflected the movement of the waves, in the ways he was so comfortable in the oceans cold embrace.

She could see the powers he denied.

She could sense the sceptres magic latching onto that of his own.

He did not want to believe what she could see so ingrained in his soul.

What the sirens could see.

Calligenia rose up from the deep with feyre in tow as the monumental roared and broke free.

And then Amata was racing toward it with all the fury of the seven seas filling her veins.

Introducing Calligenia, the royal badass.

I promise Amata will get her chance.