---Orion's POV---

Our plan might be good in theory, but everything balanced on a massive series of chances.

First of all, we needed to find a Siren within the entire ocean, someone who was definitely aware of their surroundings and avoiding any Mer territories.

A being that was constantly looking over their back, constantly nervous and sensing their surroundings. Especially in the ocean.

Then, if we managed to find this Siren, we had to be able to approach them without Elijah being sensed in any way possible.

On top of that, we had to somehow convince this Siren that we weren't a threat, even if we were working together with a Siren's mortal enemy.

A sigh escaped me as the headache pulsed sharply in my temples. Things would be so much easier if there was a Siren settlement or known locations that they frequented.

But then again, if everyone knew where to find Sirens, then my whole species would've been extinct a long while ago. Merfolk would've swarmed the vicinity and hunted every single Siren down without a hint of remorse.

Which made Cain's simple question of "Where could we encounter Sirens?" so much more difficult. He eyed me curiously, waiting for a response and sharing a look with Archer and Elijah as I merely sighed and rubbed at my temples.

"It's a simple answer, yet it makes everything so much more complicated." I groaned, as I hadn't even stopped to consider it until Cain asked me the question.

When the others simply gazed at me in silence, I motioned to myself as I asked Elijah "What is the one thing that we have in common, yet pureblooded Merfolk are unable to do?"

Elijah blinked, flitting down to my feet before he groaned in frustration. "Fuck me... Transform and walk on legs." The mer scowled at the ceiling with a muttered, "Of course things can't be easy."

Archer frowned as well, sharing a look with Cain before realization sank in. "Wait... They can be anywhere? Fucking anywhere?" He motioned towards our surroundings, to Cain's island and the people living there in secret.

I nodded slowly as I confirmed, "It is the safest place for a Siren to be without needing to risk being spotted by the Merfolk. As long as they have access to the ocean, they can live their lives peacefully and relatively safe."

"After all compared to us," I stated with a motion between Elijah and myself, "A human's senses are rather dull. They may think Sirens are particularly charming or good-looking, but they wouldn't suspect them to be walking myths."

Elijah hummed in agreement. "I've been on land before. Though in my case with my particular... ancestry, I need to make sure I hide some of my aura so to speak."

I shivered, as I could only imagine how it would feel for a human to be the target of a Merfolk's murderous intent. Even if their instincts were duller than ours, they could still sense when they were in the presence of a predator.

Either Elijah would've been avoided like the plague while he was on land, or guards would instantly swarm whatever settlement he visited, simply due to the lethal aura he exuded.

"Not to mention that pureblood Merfolk cannot transform their tails." Elijah hummed thoughtfully, scratching at his throat before grinning. "It's such an obvious tactic when you think about it. Go where your predator can't follow."

I nodded before amending, "But it's almost impossible for the merfolk to lie in wait around every island, inhabited or not." Merfolk could lie in wait for days on end and observe the islands but they would grow bored and hungry soon enough.

Plus, they ran the risk of being spotted by attentive fishermen, who'd raise the alarm if they were to spot a Merfolk.

Not that the Merfolk cared, or that it mattered. Most of the times, if they were spotted by any humans it was just seconds before the Merfolk had a meal.

That's how the myths about my people started after all. With traveling pods of Merfolk slaughtering entire boatful's, leaving only the straying vessel to eternally roam the sea until it sank.

Any passing sailors who found such a ghost ship wouldn't find a trace of the unfortunate crew who encountered the merfolk. However, there would be plenty of claw marks on the banisters and the sides of the boat, allowing the men's imagination to run wild.

Rubbing my fingers through my hair, I felt frustrated as hell but there was little I could do. Now it was a simple matter of trying to find a Siren.

Like being tasked to find a needle in a haystack.

But sadly enough, the plan to find a Siren, or multiple Sirens, was the one with the best chance of success. Hiring humans to guard the island was too risky, as they could easily be swayed by large amounts of gold.

Nor could humans patrol the ocean without making it very obvious that the island was inhabited and actively guarded.

"Let's just set out and try our luck. In the worst case scenario, Elijah can't sense a Siren and we'll have to just work with what we've got." I finally said, gaining agreements from Elijah, Archer and Cain.

We could simply travel from one heavily populated island to the other. If I knew my own species well enough, I knew they'd chose to stay somewhere where they could blend in with the regular humans.

It was rude to consider, but humans had a rather particular and strong odor that could easily cloak that of a Siren. It made sense to mingle with the human inhabitants of the islands and muffle our own scents.

That way any passing Mer would think nothing about the faint Siren smell they detected. Most of them would assume a Siren had passed through the area a long time ago and would hurry to try and track the source.

After we prepared and made sure the freed people would be safe, we set out to the closest inhabited island. It was interesting for both myself and Elijah to try and find another one of my kin.

And this time for Elijah, without any bad intentions for the Siren.

-----

As expected, finding any trace of a Siren was hard. Even with both Elijah and myself regularly diving underwater simply to check if we caught a whiff there, we still hadn't found anything.

"Land ho!" The shout overhead made us look towards the island in the distance, slightly wary of the results this time. The last island we had ventured to, hadn't even allowed Cain to guide his ship into port.

The harbormaster had taken one look at Cain, or rather his dark skin, and adamantly refused to let the ship stay docked. The portly man had even threatened to call the guards on accusation of theft, claiming no black man would ever make it to be a captain.

The encounter had left a sour taste in my mouth and the only reason why we hadn't left the ship in shackles, was due to Elijah taking one look at the harbormaster and smiled.

The already sickly pale man had taken on a shade of green and had wordlessly waved us back to the ship. Elijah had simply shrugged his shoulder before humming. "Didn't smell anything on the wind. Plus I doubt Sirens would remain on land with that kind of filth. They're too kind hearted."

He was right about that. I had encountered racists before, slavers and slave owners who had used and abused people simply because they looked differently. Those were the islands that I tended to avoid, because being there just made me sick to my stomach.

Not to mention that there was always the risk that one of those slavers would look at myself or the Siren in question. They wouldn't see a person, but a good looking produce ready for the taking.

I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face, already feeling exhausted about the mere idea of dealing with more humans. Especially given the fact that only a small amount of Cain's crew could come on shore and Elijah had to make sure he didn't stand out.

After all, they were there to find a Siren. Not scare it off into the ocean.

"Huh..." Elijah hummed, nose in the breeze that flowed in from the port, carrying the scents of the island in its wake. "I don't know if this Siren is inexperienced, young or just stupid. There's one here alright."

I blinked, taking a whiff myself before frowning. There wasn't even any attempt at hiding their scent by mingling it with the humans.

But then again, why would they? If they were content with living their lives on the island among humans, the Merfolk had no means of getting on shore.

At least, not to their knowledge. They would be more than a little surprised if Elijah managed to sneak up on them.

Luckily we managed to board with little to no trouble. The harbormaster in this settlement didn't care for skin-color, as long as the fees were paid and the rules were followed.

"While one party is setting out to find the Siren, the others will try and gather any resources we may need back home." Cain murmured, guiding me down the gangplank before sighing as Elijah simply hopped over the railing and landed smoothly. "Without drawing any unwanted attention, may I add."

Elijah blinked, looking over his shoulder to the rest of the crew, as if he didn't just leap from the deck of the ship with cheeky ease in front of a slew of fishermen.

I nodded before adding "We need to be extremely cautious. If they run and get to the ocean, there is no way to track them down or keep up with them."

One look at Elijah already showed that the mer was not going to let this Siren escape. He'd have too much enjoyment in tackling them to the floor and dragging them back to the ship.

In fact, the mer seemed to be rocking back and forth on his feet, eager to start this search. If anyone were to look at him, it seemed that he was more than ready to hunt instead of search and gently convince the Siren.

We're doomed. We're so fucking doomed.

There was no way in hell that we weren't going to cause a scene. Even if Elijah held himself back and tempered down his lethal aura, all the Siren needed was one single look to know this man was a predator.

Even if, by some miraculous guidance from the gods, I was the first to catch sight of the Siren, I would have one hell of a time trying to convince them I meant no harm.

After all, I bore Elijah's mark on my shoulder. One whiff of the mer or one look at that mark, and the Siren would assume they were being lured into an ambush.

I shivered before sending a quiet prayer to the deities above. We'd need all the luck we could get.