Keith

Keith gripped Lance tightly as he looked up, watching the guards above. The school of fish was dense. Almost too dense to notice the giant Siren and his passenger slipping underneath the cloud of iridescent fish. Their fins had lines of bioluminescence as well as along their scales nit, unlike Lance. Though . . . Lance just as all Sirens and those that live on the lands above have their own special sort of markings. A way to tell one another that they are like one another. A sign of shared intelligence and responsibility.

He sucked in a deep lung full- gill full? of water. The sunlight filtering in from the sun was left behind as they slipped into the entrance of the cave. Where the hardness grew thicker there began a thin lining of plant matter growing along the walls that dimly lit the tunnel. There wasn't so much as a sound. The only thing Keith could make out was the dull sound of the thrashing of the fish outside. Someone must be harvesting to have spooked so quickly.

He reached up further on Lance's shoulder so that he could see what was going on. He couldn't see or hear as Lance could. He wasn't entirely sure of what was going on and doubted he'd have any idea if there was something wrong until it was on top of them.

Lance was moving slow. They'd been graced an easy entrance but that didn't mean they wouldn't be-

Keith gasped with horror, the sound silent as they entered a chamber that split into three branches. Displayed directly ahead of them were the skulls of Alteans and Galra alike displayed like trophies at the forefront of the room. The markings of the Alteans was buried all the way to the cheeks of their skulls, the sill glowing remanence of their magic glowing just below empty eye sockets. The jaws of the Galra were supported so that their fanged maws were on display to make them look animalistic. They were twice the size of the Alteans if not larger. But what really chilled his bones and soul were the piles of scales set bellow the skulls of the land dwellers. On each piles of unique scales was set the skull of Siren. Big and small, there were many.

Lance himself faltered as they came into view. Keith couldn't see his face, but he could feel the way his body lurched. There were piles of blue, turquoise, and navy. Lance crept forward and reached for the scales, brushing them with his fingers. Their colors were similar to Lance's. Granted there were many Sirens with blue tails, but not many that Lance would stop to reach for. Keith watched Lance's hand tremble as he grabbed one of the lighter scales.

"No," He whispered but very quickly turned into outright screeches of anger. "No, No! No!" Keith wished he could get him to be quiet. But how? He couldn't reach him. Couldn't swim well enough here. Instead, he just watched as Lance scrambled to touch and look at each of the piles, even clutching the yellow and green scales of faceless Sirens that Keith would never meet. But it was clear enough. This was Lance's family. All of them.

They were set out on display. Why would anyone do this? Scatter the remains of someone's family in their own doorway? It was as if the Alpha was awaiting Lance's return.

Keith's heart raced as he glanced around them, tightening his grip on Lance as the Siren's cries shifted into horrifying sounds that Keith could only describe as the hateful cry of a creature out for blood.

The prince stilled as music slowly slithered into the room, lulling him, tempting his curiosity.

'I loved and I loved and I've found you. My dreams have carried me to you like wings of the bird. My heart fits like a key into the lock of your hand. Never can I escape. Come to me for I have loved and I have loved and I've finally found you. Waiting for the rising sun, darling follow me. Meet me in the promise land. Follow my voice and let your worries melt into the shadows.'

Keith's head turned towards the sounds of gentle, beautiful notes echoing from the tunnel to his right. He could see glowing beads, not unlike those that hung in the trees of the forest hanging from the roof of the cave. Not that he cared. He was entranced by the sound the second he'd heard the song. He needed to reach for it. But Lance was far faster than Keith. He turned towards the sound with a cry of challenge. Keith didn't understand. He didn't need to. He just needed to reach the sound.

He pushed off Lance as soon as he entered the new cozy cave chamber. Keith dropping to his knees before the Siren in front of him. He felt like he was swimming through thickened water. He wanted nothing more than the attention of the creature in front of him. His hands sunk into the sand at the floor of the room as he awaited his turn, heart filling with jealousy at the sight of the second siren resting relaxed and dazed bellow the larger siren in front of Keith. Any thought of Lance was forgotten as he stared up at the Amber eyes that glowed down at him almost in confusion while their owner mated their partner below.

The alpha's song had not been intended for land dwelling ears, but it worked just as well. Keith could imagine that the siren was surprised by his appearance. That he'd never have thought to find a live man this far below the water. But Keith could breathe here. He was special. He'd been gifted and now, all the same, he could please the Siren hovering before them. If only Lance would leave.

Keith laid back in the water, his hair flowing out around him like a halo as he presented himself as a gift for the alpha. Their song far superior to any other. Keith's heart swelled as the alpha's eyes focused on him as he pulled away from his partner, a cloud of white following their separation as the dazed mate fell limply to the sand, blinking slowly as the alpha moved above them. They'd carry the alpha's pups and hatch the clutch until they were guppies and old enough to be watched by the father alone. The alpha had no use for a common siren once they'd delivered his successful offspring.

Keith wanted to serve the alpha. Any logical thoughts as to why he couldn't and why he'd never live long enough to even reach the point of breeding was far from his mind. All he wanted was to please. He lifted his legs, mindless to the clothing that would be in the way of the alpha.

This wasn't the prince's instincts. It wasn't something that would likely ever cross his mind in a million years if it weren't explicitly brought up. And never in his right mind would he be convinced that he'd be mated and bred. He couldn't conceive. He couldn't even naturally receive a cock without some sort of assistance unless he wanted to get severely hurt. Not to take into consideration he would find absolutely no appeal to such a thing in his right mind. This was all in the song, all commands of the Alpha for his mate, only it had caught the attention of the land dweller and tugged him under the magic as well. Logic wasn't valid here.

Lance

Lance glared down at Keith while a fire burned hotly in his chest as he turned his gaze to the alpha who left his mate to drift to the sandy floor. His gaze lingering on the land dweller hindered by the alpha's mating song before amber eyes reached sharp blue. Lance would kill him. He'd kill the Siren responsible for the death of his mama, his brother, his sister, his cousin. His best friends who had nothing to do with anything that had happened. He'd kill him. He'd let him bleed out and then he'd beach the carcass for everyone else to see. Lance hadn't done anything. He hadn't been warned. Why hadn't he been told? Why was he only allowed Petal? What had Lance done?

The alpha's body was many times larger than his mate's, not unlike Lance himself. The alpha's scales were vibrant and red and orange under the filtering sunlight. Here in the dimly lit darkness he looked like he was coated in blood. Fitting for a murderous monster.

Lance bared his fangs and growled, the sound vibrating the water around them as he filled the entrance to the alpha's nest. He had him cornered. He could kill him here. He could get rid of the thing once and for all. Next, he'd go after the king's guards. He'd slaughter any one of them that didn't repent and surrender to the fall of their corrupt leader. The leader that had been starving his own people on purpose. According to Keith, everything that was happening could have been fiction. The cove could be populated with enough fish for them to hunt freely while the Alteans worked to fill in the remainder of the old abandoned reefs that needed reviving. Things could survive. Everyone could have survived. They could have lived.

"Well If it isn't the kingdom's whore." The alpha smirked, flashing sharp teeth as he spread out over the expanse of the room, fins flaring in a display to make him look larger. To show his status.

"I'm not a whore." Lance snarled, his pointed ears pressing back angrily. "No thanks to you,"

The Alpha hummed lazily as his amber eyes traveled down to the prince who had laid back openly in wait, blind to his own decisions. "At this point who said it was you?" the siren smiled viciously.

Lance growled as he puffed himself out, fins flaring and spines expanding to bring him out to his greatest size as he reached for Keith. The Alpha gave a snarl in warning, something that would normally send any normal Siren subject into shock, but lance did nothing but reach for Keith and snatch him back.

This was a bad idea. He shouldn't have brought the Altean prince along. In reality, Lance could get away if he needed to. He hoped. He could have avoided putting Keith in any sort of situation like this. He didn't deserve the treatment; Lance didn't want his prince anywhere near the Alpha. He didn't ever want Keith around another Siren so long as he lived. The only songs Lance wanted Keith to hear were his own.

Now wasn't the time to think about songs and what he shouldn't have done when he really didn't have much of a choice. He needed to distract the Alpha. Any original plan they might have had blown away when Keith had been sucked under that mating song.

He dragged Keith back up into his arms with a deep glare, growling when the Prince made a sound of protest to his movements. "Quiet my mate, you have not strayed far. Do not cry my mate, you are mine to protect and love. Smile my mate, come to me, follow my voice and return to me as I search for you through this darkness between us, my love."

"Silence!" The alpha roared as Keith's senses were pulled back out from under the pull of the love song, in turn, to stare up dumbly at Lance as he'd just watched him grow a second head.

Lance turned to glare back at the Alpha, forcing himself deeper into the room. It was far too small for both giants to remain. The Alpha was pressed back into the stone wall, softly glowing blue moss falling to the sandy floor as he brushed against it. "I will not take your orders. You are not my Alpha. You are nothing but a thief, stealing everything from all of us, taking what does not belong to you and punishing those desperate to survive. You are not a worthy Alpha," He glared, waiting for Keith to give some sign that he was fully mentally capable. He couldn't go about this with a half dumb, horny, useless water combatant if he- when he faced the Alpha. He needed Keith to find Petal while he stalled.

"You dare think you have the right to question my right to the leader of the sirens below me? It was my born right to do as I please, to rule over the subjects and bear my own spawn to one day take my place. I was born an Alpha, you are nothing more than a pitiful mistake. You're lucky that I let you escape to the surface, but rather than being grateful, not only did you come back, you brought with you the heir to the royal throne." The red siren chuckled. "I wonder what would happen to you if I were to send you back without him, hm? Or better yet, only a part of him? I'd leave the waters to witness your execution for the murder of the royal son."

"Do you really think that they'd consider killing me over such a creature as this?" Lance gestured down towards Keith, earning himself a confused look from those innocent violet eyes. He already felt guilty and he hadn't even hurt the young man. Yet. "He is nothing but a pet to the royal family, a useless half breed found abandoned. He is unworthy of the throne, his Galra blood tainting his self. There is nothing Royal about him. Besides perhaps being a Royal pain. You'd be wasting your time over a pet of the kingdom, a well loved pet, but not someone important enough to earn my demise."

Keith glared up at him, shoving Lance away before pushing off under him for the exit. Lance knew he wasn't stupid, he understood that Lance was doing nothing but buying him time to complete this mission, to get him out of the way before something happened.

"Then, in that case, there shouldn't be any reason to send you back at all if I can have the pleasure of running my claws through you like I have the rest of your bloodline save for the pup. I couldn't bring myself to harm it. Not to mention your pup has use With the bloodline of your kind mixed with mine, my offspring could be stronger than any other. Your family was full of gifted warriors in its past who have sadly fallen to the changes of the ocean. But I may be lucky enough to draw forth those traits from the womb of the pup once it's been raised old enough to breed. Don't you think?" The alpha chuckled, the sound light and attractive. "At the very least, I've grown attached to the little one you have given your life for. At first, I thought that it would be a pest, especially when it wouldn't stop asking for you. But I am fond of the pup, and you will soon see Lance, that you will not live to see him again." The alpha's harsh demeanor shifted into something far darker. "You never should have come. You should have known your fate should you have returned," 

Lance's eye twitched at the mere implication of raping his little one, raising him to be nothing than a bitch, one incapable of escaping. "You say this, claiming that you care for the pup, but yet you have sent me the precious fins of my baby? What is wrong with you, you sick eel!"

The alpha growled at Lance, baring his fangs. "I do not involve myself in the oversight of my subjects above the lands, that is left to my servants who take action without my notice. There was nothing I could do before the pup was already harmed and my means of mending the little one gone," The Siren across from Lance growled, "If you think you're here to take the pup, you're wrong."

"I'd like to take my chances." Lance inched closer to the Alpha. "I don't care who you are. I am not weak like the others. You can not capture me with your song, If you want something from me, you're going to have to take it by force."

"Now then, what am I waiting for? I shouldn't waste any more time than I have. I should have killed you moons ago," The Alpha cackled before lunging at Lance, claws outstretched and sharp barbs raising. "It's time that I ensure my bloodline's ruling survival. Never should I have pitied you."

So sorry about the wait. I'm still updating on Insta, only to chapter 6, but I figured I needed to actually prove I'm not dead. Hope you liked it. 

Any requests as to what you want to see or predictions as to what will happen? I'd love to hear them.