The Siren's Song

Chapter Two

The purple mermaid watched as his new friend mopped the floor. He had been put in a barrel full of water, which was put on something the pirate could push around. The creature liked the thing on wheels. It was a small, wooden crate with wheels stolen from a ship that had plenty of them. Only a few were kept, as they did have some uses.

"How many mermaids are there?" The human looked at him.

"A lot. Probably half as much as there are humans," the myth answered.

"Why do you have such long hair?" he gave his second questioned.

The sea creature grabbed his length of hair defensively, as if he threatened to cut it all off. "I like my hair!"

"I do too." Horror looked at the fish boy. "It's just that most men don't have such long hair. You look like a girl with it."

"Oh." The smaller's fins perked up again. He'd gotten annoyed enough to lower them, but the fact he didn't have to sing pleasantly surprised him. "Um, thank you?"

"You're welcome." The pirate pushed some of his bright purple hair behind his fin-ear. "You would be a very pretty girl, by the way."

"T-thank you..." Lust hid in his barrel a little. He was flattered by his friend's complement. He was ever told he was pretty without singing a human into doing it. Not that he was complaining, but free complements were weird.

Horror continued mopping until the floor was clean. He turned to his friend's barrel to start pushing him to the next place.

As the two passed Captain Nightmare, he stopped them.

"Horror. We need to talk." He glanced at the sea's boy, his head poking out from the top. It would have been cute, if he wasn't a mermaid. "Alone."

"Oh, uh, sure..." The half-blind pirate got a few wooden blocks he'd started carrying around that day to make sure the little wooden wagon didn't roll away. Once the mermaid's ride was secure, he went with his captain to speak privately.

The purple boy watched him, waiting once he saw him leave. He sunk down, the tips of his purple hair touching the water in his barrel.

"So, what are we talking about?" Horror asked his boss, as he would like to return to his new best friend.

"You can't keep the mermaid! If you don't want to kill him yet, you have to lock him in your bedroom or something!" The head of the ship growled. He didn't like the mermaid being paraded around the way he was. It wasn't safe.

"What?! But he likes it! Don't mermaids control water or something? What if locking him in a room and not entertaining him will piss him off and he decides to sink our ship?! What about that?!"

"If he can control water, he can entertain himself!"

"Well the rooms aren't exactly capacious!

"Oh, you know a big word! But that doesn't change anything! I don't want him out of a locked area again, or else!" The dark leader made one stomp forwards. "And stop wasting a barrel and wagon to carry him around! He can stay on the floor!"

"He's a mermaid, he needs water!"

"No. He. Doesn't!"

The two stood there for a moment, glaring each other down. Horror was the one to back down, looking away. He hated having to lock the poor creature away in his tiny room, or in the disgusting holding cells bellow deck. He hated the thought, but he couldn't just go against his Captain.

The half-blind pirate went to his mermaid friend. He sighed, feeling guilty by how adorable he looked, barely poking his head out from the top of the barrel.

"What did you guys talk about?" the sea creature chirped as he jumped up.

"You can't stay in the barrel..." Horror frowned. "I'm so sorry. But you can survive without being in water, right?"

"Well, yes..." Lust frowned.

"Good... I'll dry you off a bit and put you in my bed. I'll get you so we can eat dinner together! Is that okay?"

The mermaid nodded. "I understand. I'll miss you."

"I will too." The half-blind pushed their little cart to his room, as he might as well let his fish friend enjoy water as long as possible.

Carrying the beauty in a towel, he soon placed him on the bed. He made sure he was comfortable, as he couldn't exactly move around with the whole purple fish tail instead of legs. He left to return the wagon and barrel to their places, closing the door and leaving the mermaid all alone.