Blood, thick hot blood, covered his hands. His eyes widened with horror, ear piercing screams and wails echoed around him. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away from all the blood. Oh, God, there was so much blood. Bile rose in his throat and he hunched over, hand covering his mouth. Blood covered his mouth and he gagged.

"What did you do?!" someone roared furiously. What had he done? "She loved you!" And he loved her, right? Tears blurred his vision. His body was pulled to hide behind a stone column before a bone spear could get lodged in his head. A hand slapped him across the face.

"Pull yourself together, Alden!" Shocked back to the present, Alden glared at the man in front of him. "We need to get out of here before we are killed by those monsters." Screams rang out throughout the cave, sounding like thunder that never ends. Alden pressed his hands against his ears, yelling.

"Alden!" the man shook Alden's shoulders.

"Shut it, Jayson," he snapped, pushing Jayson back. "I get it." He grimaced and tried to ignore the drying blood on his hands. As quickly it all started, silence filled the air. Jayson's eyes widened in fear and he tried to drag Alden to the cave's entrance.

"We need to get out of here now," Jayson demanded as an ethereal hum filled the air. Melodic harmonies tugged at Alden's mind, lulling him into a sense of longing. His eyes glazed over, a smile on his face. He slowly turned, the water calling out to him with promises of the love he had lost.

Jayson grabbed onto Alden and dragged him out of the cave. They ran to the large ship in the bay. The song echoed out from the cave entrance, washing over the bay. Jayson's breathing picked up and Alden shook his head, trying to block out the noise. "Hoist the sails!" the first mate shouted, jumping into the shallow water and climbing up the ladder on the ship's side. "Climb, Captain!" Jayson demanded of Alden.

Alden climbed up the ladder and fell onto the deck. The crew bustled all around him, frantically yelling out orders to flee. "Get us out of here!" Alden ordered, running up to the ship's helm. He grabbed the helm as the sails were hoisted. A strong breeze caught the sails and set the ship in motion.

"Did you get it from those devils, Captain?" one of the crew asked, a glint in his eye. Jayson stood proud and tall next to Alden, holding up a diamond heart. The crew erupted into cheers. Alden felt the pit in his stomach grow. Dark clouds covered the once bright sunny sky and rain began to fall. A single tear slid down his cheek.

"The Sea Goddess Nereia was given a jeweled heart made from the tears of their sister, the Earth Goddess Faunwa," a woman adorned with pearls and jewels spoke proudly. Her scales were a deep royal purple. The upper half of her body rested on the rocks, sunning herself. "This jewel has been in my family for generations." She tilted her head back to gaze up at a man.

The man had sandy hair and piercing green eyes. He wore brown boots, a white tunic, black pants, and a red tail coat with gold trimming. A white father attached to his hat. A smile graced his features, his eyes full of love as he gazed down at the Siren. "A heart?" he asked, sitting on the rock above the woman. "Why a heart, Asherah?"

The woman smiled brighter than the sun that began to set. He laughter echoed on the ocean breeze. "Why a heart indeed, my dear Alden," she hummed, dipping her fingers into the water, creating soft ripples. Her tail kicked up in the water.

Alden's smile grew impossibly softer, his eyes full of love and adoration for the siren princess in front of him. "My mother used to tell me the rain was Faunwa's tears." He lifted his hand toward the clear skies. "She'd mourn that their domains kept her from her sister, so she'd cry and rain would form."

"In my world, the waves and tsunamis are Nereia's way of telling her sister that she misses her, too," Asherah explained, gazing down at the small waves. "Despite being forever apart, they still loved each other." Her smile faltered as sorrow began to fill her eyes.

Alden put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know how you feel," he murmured assuringly. "If only humans and sirens learned to love each other despite being apart and different from one another." He gently squeezed her shoulder, brushing part of her dark hair out of the way.

"Is it too much to ask for peace, my dear?" A single tear slid down her cheek, dropping into the water below and creating a small ripple.

"Of course not," Alden comforted, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her head. "These things take time. Do not be angry, my beloved. We will find a way to for peace." He took off his hat and placed it on Asherah's head. The siren princess's smile nearly blinded him, her soft laughter washing over him like a comforting embrace.

Alden was the son of a noble pirate family and Asherah was the heir to the siren throne. If they were to marry, they'd be bridging the worlds of humans and sirens. The first step toward an alliance between the two races. However, their families didn't trust each other. They opposed the marriage and wanted nothing more than to wipe out the other. It was a horrible, never-ending cycle.

His lungs heaved as he coughed, head popping up above the water as violent waves tossed and turned. His limbs felt sluggish and heavy as he tried to swim back to the ship. How had everything gone so wrong? He coughed as salt water filled his mouth. Panic started setting in once more. The storm had begun to rage the moment the ship had left the bay. He was thrown from the helm and fell into the sea. Many of his crew had fallen.

"Praise Kera!" Alden gasped as his hand grabbed onto the ladder, clinging for dear life. It took all of his strength to pull himself back on board the ship. He grunted and flopped onto his back against the hard wood. Looking up at the dark stormy skies, Alden's chest heaved.

The jeweled heart cast a soft blue glow, a soft hum resonating. Alden grunted as he sat up, gently cradling the heart in his hands. He tilted his head as the soft glow grew brighter and brighter, the hum grew louder and louder until sudden silence followed by pitch black.

"What in Faunwa's name?" Alden shakily exhaled. Dread washed over him in freezing cold waves. His soaked clothes clung to his body causing him to shiver. The warmth had disappeared, leaving him in an icy void.

"You traitor," a furious, disembodied voice echoed above the raging storm. The ship jostled in the harsh waves. Alden pushed himself up to his feet and walked toward the bow, raised a hand to shield his eyes from the pelting rain.

"Who's there?" Alden shouted over the wind.

"You killed one of my children. You stole their inheritance." Alden's eyes widened as the waves in front of the ship rose high to reveal the shape of a woman. Her body was in the arch of the wave, her hair flowing down the back of the wave.

"Nereia..." Alden's blood froze, his body tensing up as fear gripped him.

The sea goddess raised an arm and commanded the water. Waves rose up on all sides of the ship. "You have committed an unforgivable sin." Thunder boomed as she spoke with deadly calm.

"I—"

"Silence!" the goddess snapped, fury flashing in her eyes, lightning illuminating the sky. She leaned forward until the ship was suspended below the giant wave. "As punishment, you will lose everyone you care about before you lose yourself. Your descendants shall suffer the same fate as you. Eventually, you all will surrender to me. My domain will be the last thing you ever see before you are consumed."

Alden's eyes widened considerably. "No!" he gasped in horror. He fell to his face, bowing before the vengeful goddess. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." He held up the jewel. "Take it back. Please, spare my family. Don't...don't do this," he pleaded.

"I will be waiting for you." Nereia's cold voice rattled his bones. She snapped her fingers and the storm dissipated instantly. The goddess melted back into the sea, and the jewel sank beneath the calm.

"Asherah!" Alden screamed with mixed emotions, fists slamming onto the deck of the ship. Rage and sorrow swirled around his heart, merging into an empty numbness. With the rising sun, darkness crept into Alden's heart and mind. A part of him died that night, sinking with the jeweled heart, lost to the sea.