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There were legends told about the ocean. Legends of creatures with the top half of men and the bottom of a fish, lurking in the water. Ships would go missing. Those that survived the wrecks told tall stories of these creatures that would lure the crew off the boat with their sweet songs, causing the crew to throw themselves overboard. No one who heard their sweet call would survive.
Eren Jaeger was determined to hear the Siren’s call and live to tell the tale.
Easier said than done, he knew. First, there was getting a crew together. While his family wasn’t seafaring by trade, they had plenty of connections, living in a town near the bay. It didn’t take him long to procure a decent vessel and Mikasa helped him get a fine crew (except for that horse-faced bastard).
Eren knew no bug crew would willingly join Eren on his hubris quest. So, he had to make this personal mission of his appear like just a simple trade job to get people to come. Only Mikasa knew of his true intentions, and she tried to talk him out of it many times. She reminded him how dangerous it was. How people who heard the sound went mad, and how he could end up throwing himself overboard if he wasn’t careful.
“I already lost one family. I can’t lose you, too,” she’d told him, burying her face in her threadbare scarf.
“That’s why you’re here, Mikasa,” he’d responded, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I know, no matter what happens, you won’t let me fall.” Eren had smiled at her.
She’d nodded, reluctantly agreeing to help him.
Together they’d come up with a plan. When they were close to where the wrecks were reported, Mikasa and the crew would tie Eren to the mast. The crew would then stuff wax in their ears to keep from hearing the Siren’s call. That way, Eren couldn’t jump being tied up, and the crew wouldn’t hear either the siren’s voice or Eren’s wailing from where he’d be tied up.
The crew knew of the route, and therefore knew of the plan to put wax in their ears, but Eren and Mikasa kept him being tied to the mast a secret until they were way on their way.
That didn’t stop some of them from figuring it out, though.
Jean had taken one look at the route and immediately cornered Eren.
“Are you stupid?” Jean asked him.
“I have no idea what you mean,” Eren said, faking ignorance.
“Don’t bullshit me, Jaeger. I know you didn’t suddenly get into trading cargo,” Jean accused.
“What do you even know, Jean-boy?” Eren groused.
“A hell of a lot more than you, obviously,” Jean retorted. “I know the real reason you’re doing this, and I know it’s a suicide mission.”
Eren scowled at him. “Well, if you think it’s so bad, why don’t you just leave?”
Jean scoffed. “And let you kill yourself and endanger Mikasa? I don’t think so. You’re gonna need me,” Jean said smugly.
Eren rolled his eyes. They both knew Mikasa could handle herself no matter what situation she was thrust into, but he wasn’t about to call out Jean for the real reason he was coming on this adventure.
Eren and Jean were both too prideful to admit they actually cared about one another.
“Don’t chicken out the day of, horse-face,” Eren said.
“In your dreams, you suicidal bastard.”
All too soon they neared Siren’s point. Only then did Eren tell them of his personal goal. The crew took tying their captain to the mast with surprising ease and he was tied down by Mikasa and Jean while the rest of them put wax in their ears and held positions.
The long coil of rope was tight around his body, coming up to his neck and holding him in place. He wiggled around to test and found it sufficiently strong enough to keep him from sliding out.
“Comfortable?” Mikasa joked.
Eren gave her a wry smile. “As comfortable as I can be.”
Mikasa patted the rope near his shoulder. “I’ll be at the wheel, but I’ll be watching out for you,” she told him.
“I trust you,” Eren said earnestly.
She nodded, leaving for the wheel and putting wax in her ear.
The unfortunate image of Jean filled his view and he worked to keep the scowl off his face.
Jean gave him a self-smug smile. “You know, we should have done this sooner,” he sneered, looking up and down at him in glee.
Eren’s frown turned into a cocky smirk. “Yeah, I bet you’d love me all tied up, huh?” Eren retorted.
“Don’t make this kinky, bastard,” Jean said, face heating up. “I meant those ropes will keep you from being a suicidal moron.”
“Sure,” Eren said. “You better plug your ears. We’re getting close,”
Jean sighed. “This better work,” he told him.
“It will,” Eren said confidently.
Jean patted the rope near his shoulder as well, and Eren almost tried to swat it away before remembering he couldn’t even move his hands. Then, Jean was turning away, putting in his share of the wax, and standing next to Mikasa.
All too soon, they were at the point. At first, nothing happened. The sea stayed calm, the weather still fair, and the only sound that could be heard was the waves caressing the boat and the sound of seagulls, telling Eren they were close to some land, even though no land was marked at this point.
Then he heard the faint sound of… chimes? It was a small, twinkling sound that seemed to come from everywhere around him. He looked to see if anyone else had heard it before mentally slapping himself for forgetting they had wax in their ears. The noise became more defined. No longer chimes, but a faint melody, all at once foreign and familiar. Then a voice that sounded like silk. It undulated, in-and-out like waves lapping at the shore. It was beautiful. It filled his head with swirls and left a pleasant buzz on his skin.
It was calling to him. There weren’t words, but there was a persistent nagging in the back of his head, like the song was meant for him and him alone to hear. It was telling him a story; it was giving him a promise. An offer.
Come, it said, Come and know.
He made to move forward, and then struggled when he couldn’t seem to get anywhere. What was happening? Why couldn’t he move?
The rope. He was covered in rope. Why was he covered in rope? He had to move out of it. Wiggle around and get out and go. He had to get to the voice. It begged him to come. Come urgently. To come and partake. He needed to get out. However, no amount of wiggling could get him out of the rope. He cried aloud, feeling how stuck he was.
“Help!” he cried. “Help me!”
Nobody on the boat moved.
Eren growled. “Someone, please! Help! Help me!” he tried again, bucking at his restraints.
Still nobody answered him. Why was nobody listening to him? He was their captain, and he needed out now!
“Let me out please, please!” Eren cried more, as the voice surrounded him, warned him he would never know if he didn’t go.
Mikasa turned to him and Eren cried again. “Mikasa! Please!”
She looked at him coldly.
“Mikasa, come on! Can’t you hear it? Can’t you hear them? They’re calling me! You have to let me go! I have to know!” He strained again, pleading with her to let him go. The melody was everywhere around him, permeating his very being.
Mikasa gave him a pained look before burying her face in the red scarf and turning back to the helm.
Eren yelled in anguish and anger. He had to get out. Somehow. He had to go. He had to go to the sea. He had to know.
In his haze and fervor, he bit down on the rope, tearing with his teeth, and was surprised to see the rope fray under his frenzied bite. He bit again and more tore, until the first coil was broken, torn away. He bit and tore and gnashed his teeth against the thick rope until he could move his arms and then he worked the rope out from around him, all the while the crew ignored him. He didn’t stop his frenzied pace until he was out and then he made for the water.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Jean look at him, eyes widening, and immediately bursting after him, but by the time he got to the edge it was too late, as Eren had hit the water and dove in.
He chased the voice, the song, through the water, wanting to know. He desired it. He desired them. He chased and chased and even got as close to seeing a glowing figure in the water, before the lack of oxygen made itself known. He choked on water and only then did he panic. But he was too far down now. And the song was still going, and the glowing someone was right there. The last thing he saw was blue eyes and bright hair before his world went black.
His consciousness returned in parts.
First, it was sensations. Something hard and cold on his back. Fabric clinging to his skin. Something pressed next to him. Something brushing his damp hair gently from his face.
Then it was sounds. The ebb and flow of something. Water drip, drip, dripping onto stone. The sound of his own breathing. Somebody humming.
It was the humming that forced him to pry his eyes open, and then immediately close them once his senses were bombarded with light. He winced, groaning in discomfort, and the humming stopped along with the thing brushing his hair. A hand, presumably the thing that had been brushing his hair back, moved to cup his cheek, and a shadow fell over him.
He tried to open his eyes again, and this time was met by the most beautiful sight. A figure stood over him, his golden hair haloed by the light and his deep blue eyes sparkling kindly. Eren was immediately entranced.
“Are you an angel?” Eren muttered, because what else could look so vibrant and glow so ethereal?
He thought the figure blushed, and then he heard a giggle.
“Not exactly,” said the figure with a voice that sounded like seafoam.
Eren stared for a moment longer, trying to remember how he’d ended up on the ground staring at the most gorgeous face. Then reality crashed into him and he sat up abruptly, nearly colliding with the person’s head. The person backed off, giving Eren space. Eren was starting to breathe heavily, adrenaline working his way through his body.
“Where am I?” Eren asked, looking wildly around. He could tell he was in a shallow cave, could see a path out from the water, but he didn’t know where this cave was. Where his ship was.
His crew…
“Where’s my ship?” Eren demanded, wheeling on the person, and then his anger was turned to shock when he really looked at them.
His savior/captor was a slim man with short, bobbed hair, a fringe covering his forehead. But more startling was that this man had no legs. Where his legs should have been sat an iridescent blue tail.
Siren.
Eren’s eyes widened, and he made to back up, only to yelp when his leg began throbbing in pain.
“Hey, calm down,” the Siren said, “you’re injured.”
“And who’s fault is that?” Eren groused.
The Siren blushed again and looked down. “Mine, I guess, but you need to stop moving, you’ll make it worse.”
Eren did not heed his words, scooting away from the water and wincing every time his leg jostled around.
“Please, I just want to help!” the Siren pleaded, eyes rounded in worry, but Eren wasn’t buying it. He had heard the many tales of Sirens and how they’d steal a man’s ship and leave the crew for dead. He’d even heard a gruesome tale of the creatures eating people. No matter how doe-eyed and sweet looking this merman was, Eren wasn’t going to fall for its trap.
He needed to get out of here before the Siren stopped toying with him and started feasting on him. He continued to back up, and gave a particularly harsh cry as his leg hit a sharp rock. Yet, he still didn’t stop, putting as much distance as he could.
In the midst of his panic he heard singing. Crystal clear, melodious singing. It filled his senses, and flooded him with a sense of calmness. He didn’t even realize he’d stopped moving, too entranced by the beautiful sound surrounding him. He was aware of hands caressing him, something tearing, his leg being moved and jostled, but that all paled in comparison to the notes of the sea rushing through the room and lulling him into a deeper state of calm and tranquility.
Then, the singing abruptly stopped and with it came cold and sharp awareness. The Siren was closer now, his shirt sleeve was torn, and his leg was wrapped in some sort of makeshift splint. It didn’t take too long to put the pieces together.
“You enchanted me!” Eren accused.
The Siren, to his credit, look sheepish, guilt pasted across his soft features. “I’m sorry, but you were hurting, and I didn’t know how else to stop you.”
Eren growled at that, but didn’t answer. He probably wouldn’t have stopped for him, true, and his leg would have most likely been even more banged up in the process, but he couldn’t trust this creature. He had already shown his incredible power over Eren with just a Siren’s song, which had made him completely immobile. He was right to fear the iridescent mer.
And yet…
“Why are you helping me?” Eren asked bitingly. “Shouldn’t you be robbing me blind or, I don’t know, devouring me?”
Eren heard the Siren giggle, and if he wasn’t so angry and scared, he might’ve found the sound pleasant.
Eren’s glare had the merman stopping, coughing uncomfortably. “Sorry, it’s just, is that what humans told you?”
“Is it not true?” Eren questioned.
“No, not at all,” he said. “Well, actually sort of,” he backtracked. “We do raid human ships, and we drown sailors, but we don’t eat the humans,” he explained.
Eren huffed. “So you don’t eat humans. Great. That’s one crime you creatures don’t commit. But you still drown sailors. So why save me?”
The blond stared past Eren in thought. “I’m not sure, actually,” he said. “I don’t really enjoy drowning sailors, but I do it if I have to.” He looked at Eren with a new intensity that made Eren want to squirm from his gaze. “Maybe it was something about you. Something about your eyes.”
“Huh?” Eren said dumbly.
The man moved forward a bit, moving his hand as if to cup Eren’s face. Normally, Eren would flinch away from a creature as powerful and deadly as this man, but he found he could not move. Maybe it was another Siren’s trick to make him immovable. Or maybe it was just the weight of baby-blue eyes on him keeping him in place.
He let the Siren cup his face, brush a thumb just under his eye, and he had to physically keep himself from leaning into the gentle touch.
“I read somewhere in a book about eyes being windows to the soul,” the mer said. “Maybe I liked the color of your soul.”
Eren swallowed thickly, feeling heat rise to his face. This had to be a trick. Some kind of mermaid sorcery.
“Y-you read books?” Eren said a little breathily, trying to latch onto some form of conversation.
Azure irises lit up at the mention of books. “Oh yes, many books,” he said cheerfully. He backed away from Eren and Eren was torn between being happy he could breathe again, and missing the contact of the Siren’s cool hand on his overheated face. His heart pounded in his chest, as if he’d swum all the way to the other side of the world. This had to be Siren sorcery.
Curiously, though, the Siren didn’t seem to notice Eren’s predicament, too focused on the topic of all the books he’d read. In his effort to calm down, Eren had missed the beginning of the Siren’s speech, but he didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.
“-and those are just the ones I found from the downed naval vessel,” he continued. “I really don’t enjoy downing ships and drowning sailors, but the knowledge humans carry with them is fascinating. I’ve read multiple maps from multiple countries. I’ve read stories of fairies and of wars. Your world is so wonderful from what I’ve read!” he exclaimed, looking entirely too starry eyed for a fierce killer.
“So why do you do it, then?” Eren asked, getting his wits about him. “If you don’t like drowning sailors, why do it? Can’t you just steal books off the ships?”
The man looked contemplative at that. “I suppose it’s just what I’ve been taught,” he said. “The god Neptune says humans steal from our domain, and therefore, we should be able to take from theirs.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t really agree with him on that. The real reason I became a siren was to see all the human stuff.”
Eren puzzled at that. This kind, beautiful looking mermaid was not at all like the vengeful, cannibalistic creatures he’d heard of. Now, stepping back, he wondered if the Siren was really using magic at all. Maybe he really was just that mesmerizing.
“Have you never been to land?” Eren asked him.
The blond shook his head. “I’ve only read about it in stories. Flaming water, lands made of ice, and fields of sand spread wide,” he said, eyes bright with wonder. “It’s my dream to see it all.”
Eren looked into those eyes as they shone with fascination, and suddenly he wanted to see that, too. He wanted this creature, no, this person, to see their dreams come to fruition. He wanted to see those eyes light up at the first touch of land and watch his smile widen as he took in all the things Eren took for granted on the land. He’d love to experience life through those curious eyes.
But…
“I guess it’d be hard for you to go on land with a tail,” Eren said.
“Oh, I have legs, too,” the Siren said.
“Eh?” Eren spoke, confused.
“I can change my form at will. So sometimes I have a tail, and sometimes I can have legs,” he explained.
“Well why haven’t you gone on land, then?” Eren asked.
“We’re in the middle of the ocean, silly,” Armin said. “It would take far too long to swim all the way to land alone, and that’s only if I knew where I was going. It’s not like I have a ship like you.” The man perked up, as if remembering something. “Speaking of, your ship is fine. Your crew has stopped close to where we are, actually. I think they’re still looking for you last I checked.”
“Really?” Eren asked. They hadn’t left. That was good. He could go home without much problem. He’d surely get chewed about by Jean and worse, Mikasa, but they’d be happy knowing he was safe.
The boy nodded. “I should help you get back. You need to return to your people,” he said.
“You should come with me,” Eren blurted out.
The Siren stopped in his tracks. “What?”
Eren blushed, feeling his heart begin to pound again. “You want to see the land, yeah? You should come with me. I-if you want to that is,” Eren stuttered out.
What was he thinking? This was a Siren. A Siren that very nearly drowned him. And he was inviting him onto his ship. He had definitely lost it now. He would get them all killed.
“Y-you mean it?” the Siren asked, and the blue of his eyes looked so vulnerable, so bright with excitement, Eren couldn’t think straight. All his previous worries seemed to melt at the hopeful expression on his face.
“Yeah, I do. As long as you want to,” Eren decided.
“Wow, um, yeah. Yes. I mean, I’d be leaving my pod, but the only one I really care about is Annie, and I think she’d understand-”
“Annie?” Eren asked.
Armin blinked. “Annie, yeah. She’s my friend. Or, I guess, she’s as close to a friend as I have here.”
“Right, sorry. The name just sounds so…”
“Human?” the boy finished, chuckling a little. “What, did you think we all had foreign sounding names? Maybe we were named after different types of fish?”
“Er, well…” Eren blushed, unwilling to admit that, maybe yeah, he’d thought they’d have some weird fish-themed name instead of something simple like Annie.
“Oh, I never told you my name!” the boy exclaimed. He waved his hand in an approximation of a human greeting. “I’m Armin,” he said cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you Armin,” he replied, and returned the gesture. “I’m Eren.”
“Eren,” Armin repeated, and it sounded like honey and lavender coming from his lips. He’d probably be mesmerized by his name alone if it came from Armin’s mouth. “I like that name,” Armin decided.
Eren blushed again, and just how many times could he blush in one sitting? “Let’s go. You’ll need legs to join my crew,” Eren said.
“Oh, right. One moment,” Armin said. He closed his eyes, face tense in concentration. There was a blinding light that forced Eren to turn away, and then…
“Okay, let’s go,” Armin said.
And Eren had to look away again because this time there was a very human, very naked man in front of him.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Armin asked. “Is it my legs? Do they look weird?”
“No. Nope. It’s not that. It’s just, um,” Eren huffed, and then he threw off his shirt. “Here,” he said, tossing his shirt in the man’s general direction. “My crew likes to be clothed. That should cover you well enough,” Eren hoped.
“Oh, okay!” Armin said blissfully unaware of Eren’s internal conflict.
The shirt, thankfully, was big enough to cover any private areas on the small man, and Eren tried not to combust at how pretty he looked in Eren’s shirt, which was comfortably oversized on him.
Getting both of them to stand was a task unto itself. With Eren’s bum leg and Armin not being used to walking, they had to both support each other in order to not fall. It was like being in a three-legged race, if one of your partners was injured and the other was as uncoordinated as a baby faun. They made it work. And once they were out of the cave and the ship was in sight, Eren quickly got the crew’s attention. The crew came to their aid, making walking much easier.
They made it aboard and Eren was immediately bombarded by a strong Mikasa and strong-willed Jean. Both of them crowded him with tight hugs and berated him for his reckless behavior. He had to apologize three times before they let it go (though it was clear they still held some anger over his hubris).
After tearing into Eren, they set their sights on Armin, who looked downright fearful of the two.
“Jaeger, who is this?” Jean asked, coldly.
“Uh, um,” Armin stuttered, clearly afraid of being spotted.
Eren immediately came to his defense, getting bodily between the two. “This is Armin,” Eren explained. “His ship crashed in one of the Siren attacks and he’s been stranded for some time. He helped me with my leg and saved me from drowning.”
“Really,” Jean said, still sneering at Armin. “What vessel was it? When did it happen?” Jean pried.
“It was…” Armin trailed off, unable to come up with an excuse.
“What does it matter, horse-face? He’s traumatized. Leave him alone.” Eren defended.
“I’ll leave him alone when he answers my questions,” Jean retorted.
Thankfully, that’s when Mikasa intervened. “Eren’s right, Jean, leave him alone,” she demanded of Jean.
Despite not looking happy about it, Jean did back off, but not before giving Armin a cold glare which made Armin visibly flinch.
Eren turned to him, putting his hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Jean’s just an ass. He’ll warm up to you.”
Armin nodded, unconvinced.
Mikasa also came up to them, putting out a hand to Armin. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
Armin grasped the hand awkwardly, clearly not used to human handshakes. If Mikasa was bothered by it, she didn’t show it, simply shaking his hand and then moving onto the helm.
“C’mon, let’s get you some actual clothes,” Eren said, moving his hand to Armin’s back, and guiding him to the cabin.
Later, when they were nearing land, Eren lead Armin, now fully clothed, to the deck.
“What am I supposed to be looking for?” Armin asked.
“You’ll see,” Eren said vaguely.
And see he did.
Eren saw the moment Armin recognized the strip of land on the horizon. His blue eyes lit up, glistening with the sunset. He saw his face morph from shock to giddiness in tiny bursts. His mouth moved into a smile. His eyes crinkled in delight. He looked like a kid in a candy shop.
“What do you think?” Eren asked.
“Wow, it’s, it’s so big!” Armin exclaimed, and Eren laughed.
“Well, yeah, it’s an entire land mass,” Eren said.
“Yeah, but it’s much bigger than I pictured. And much greener, too. Are those buildings? What kind of buildings are they? Are there castles here? Is there a church or-”?
“Hey, slow down. One question at a time, please,” Eren said.
“Can we explore when we get off the ship?” Armin asked, his big eyes hopeful and pleading.
And how could Eren possibly say no? The Siren had entranced him from the moment he’d heard his voice, and the more he looked and saw and heard from the man in front of him, the more mesmerized he became.
“Of course,” Eren said.
And the smile he gave Eren put the waning sunset to shame.