Siren

First Chapter - The Visitor

I darted in between the columns, quickly switching directions with a sharp twist of my tail, concentrating on not bumping into the long stone pillars.

"Odina!" called the deep, yet familiar voice behind me. My whole body jumped and I lost control of my tail and the right side of my body was sent hurdling into the stone column.

"Oof," I gasped as I felt the contents of my stomach move inside me. I twitched the end of my tail and sneered at it. Control yourself.

My father's gaze granted me no pity as I rubbed my shoulder awkwardly. His glance was accusatory. "Why are you not at the farms?"he asked and I noticed his eyes flick to my makeshift obstacle course.

"I'm practicing for the trials, father," I said, gracefully swimming up. I tried not to flinch at the pain pulsing through my right shoulder.

"The trials? Are you my son?" His face did not move, but his eyes did. I could see his pupils darting between the corals as effortlessly as an eel might

"No, but you know I'm just as good as them," I instead and grabbed his arm. He gave me a humourous look and dropped my arms away from his touch.

"Go help your sister in the gardens. I have work to do," he said and started to turn.

"Father, you know I'm talented. I've been doing this for years," I said and had to stop myself growling at him.

"You belong in the farms. I belong elsewhere. I have company to entertain soon." He left and I scrunched up my face. Company?

I sighed and shoved a strand of hair back inside the elastic kelp that I'd tied my hair inside, so not to get in my face while I swam. I'd considered cutting it short like the mermen did, but I did prefer it longer. I strayed from the path towards the farm, twirling around kelp towers and over the path rails, keeping my movements as sharp as I could. I earned a few dirty glances from the maids my age, with their long flowing hair and slender bodies. I ignored them and propelled myself towards the farm, arriving in a mere minute.

I looked left, west, to where the massive rock holding miles of coral reef sat against our city, like it protected us, and the east to the barren and abandoned part of Atlantis stayed crumbling. Towards the trench. I shivered at the thought and searched for my sister. Her dull grey tail and white hair was easy to find and a flick of my silver tail reminded me how different she looked to me even though she was my sister.

"Sister! Odina! Come here!" I heard Breya squeal from the back of the gardens. I swam over the curled over women, who glared up at me. It wasn't really polite to swim over merpeople, though the path to my sister was so full of slow moving maids carrying woven baskets of kelp and flowers.

"Hello Breya, how are you?" I asked and stroked the top of her small head.

"Look how my kelp has grown," she said with pride. This was her first year in the gardens, and I had to admit her plant section was looking very good, better than mine was now. I glanced over at my bed and saw the boring brownish leaves slowly swaying in the current. Hers were bright green with pink ends. The stems were thick and the leaves were large. I looked over at mine, covered in algae and winced a little.

"They are beautiful, you did a really good job," I said and pulled at the leaf, it resisted my grasp and recoiled elastically when I let go. "Very good." I smiled and rested my hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want help with yours?" she asked and I grimaced.

"No darling. Yours is so good, don't waste your time trying to save mine."

"I'm going to make some fertilizer. Want to come?"

"I won't make my own, but I'll swim with you."