Chapter Text
Lando hates the ocean. He hates fish, their slimey texture, their taste- he hates their personalities.
He strapped his quiver onto his back, pulling the band tight. He slotted his harpoon into it. A pearly hooked blade, crafted by the finest weapon smiths.
His boot clanked against the wood of his boat, his crew (The grid, they were called) were a group of top tier siren hunters. He was the captain, the ships brain. Daniel was the lookout, Kimi and Ollie were cabin boys, Yuki and Pierre were the cooks, Max and Lewis were navigators, Charles was the boatswain and Carlos was his second in command.
The ship worked well together, everyone was a piece in the ships puzzle.
“Lando, are you sure about this..?” Max asked, his voice wavering. Fear. Lando recognized what fear was, he just didn’t feel it, the same way he didn’t feel any other emotion.
“If you are…” he hesitated. “…scared, you may get off at the next trading port Verstappen.”
“I’m not going to abandon the ship Lando, but it’s not a good idea to sail through dangerous waters.”
“My decision has been made Verstappen. I don’t base my choices off of fear, if you disagree, leave the grid.”
Max just sighed, shaking his head and walking off of the helm.
“Hamilton, I need you to finish charting the way to Oceana, I need it by sundown, or I won’t know where to go from the new trading post”
“I’m working on it lando, but it’s hard, these waters are dangerous, all of this for one siren is absurd!”
“If you disagree with me, you may leave. Go back to the royal life we saved you from, sir.”
“Lando!”
Lando just walked away, leaving his right hand, Carlos, to steer the ship.
“Boys, what are you up to?” Lando called out, walking to the cabins on the lower deck.
Ollie and Kimi grinned. “We’r putting Max and Charles’ hammocks together” Kimi snickered.
“Of course you are.” Lando sighed. “Have fun with that” He ruffled Ollies hair, smiling at the two boys before leaving.
“Land ahead!” Daniel called from the mast, Carlos nodded, steering the ship into the harbor, they had some goodies to sell, and Yuki had been begging for new inventory all moon cycle anyway.
They docked the ship, per usual everyone had free rain to leave and do whatever they wanted for the day, but had to return at nightfall.
Lando watched as Ollie and Kimi scurried off the ship, hand in hand. He wished he could have that sometimes, love.
But Lando’s lack of love in what makes him so powerful, it’s what makes him immune to the sirens.
Yuki and Pierre came back with a few bags of food a while later, Charles helping them carry it, with max not far behind him.
They set sail once everyone was back, Daniel with some new silk clothes, Ollie and Kimi with some poor guys money, Carlos with a haircut (it doesn’t look any different) and Lewis with some guy named Nico.
Lando gave him a weird look, but Lewis just shrugged, he rolled his eyes but let the man stay.
The waters weren’t calm, but were by no means stormy, lando taking the wheel as Carlos went to bed. Almost everyone was asleep, aside from himself and max, who was just sitting watching the waves in quiet silence. It was only a two moon journey to reach oceana, but the jagged rocks and crushing waves made it so nobody dared to venture out there. Nobody with a sense of self-preservation. Nobody who feared.
The grid didn’t see much of lando for those next moons, he didn’t speak much, barley ate and wouldn’t let Carlos steer the boat. Eyes locked set on the mountainous rocks ahead. He eventually slowed the boat, fighting against the waves that crashed against it.
He’d sent Max and Daniel down to the cabins with Kimi and Ollie, for their own safety, Lewis and Nico holding onto the mast, and Yuki and Pierre binding out in the kitchen. Charles was gripping the railing, eyes squinted, as the waves sprayed up in his face.
“Plug your ears mates! I can hear him!” Lando called out.
The grid nodded, passing around the wax.
Lando managed to steer the boat through the maze of rocks, getting into the eye of the storm, where a siren lay on a dry rock, sunbathing.
He had short brown hair, pale skin and a shimmering black and orange tail. Checkmate. The siren looked up at their ship, baring his teeth.
Lando ushered his crew down the ship, getting them to the lower level before trying to net the siren.
The siren seemed to have noticed his singing didn’t work on Lando, and had stopped. He growled, using his claws to scale the boat like a feline, hoisting himself over the railing.
Lando stumbled back, surprised. The siren shifted into his human form, tail replaced with strong legs, though his body was still littered with patches of scales.
Lando pulled out his harpoon, pointing it at the siren.
“What are you doing in my waters” The siren hissed, lunging at Lando.
He mumbled a curse and got out of the way, stabbing his harpoon at the creature. The siren grabbed the harpoon, the blade clashing against the hard scales on the sirens palm, sparking.
The siren snarled, grabbing a sword from a display on the ships wall, and getting into a fighting stance.
“You wanna play it that way huh fish?”
It just lunged at him, though Lando easily parried.
“Here fishy fishy~” Lando teased, as their weapons met again, and again.
“Why doesn’t my voice work on you” the siren hissed.
“Can force emotion on someone who doesn’t have any” Lando said, swinging low with his harpoon, raking against the sirens thighs. The creature growled in pain, swinging and at again unrelenting.
“What a pitiful life” it scoffed.
Lando just growled, swinging his harpoon again, only to feel a stabbing pain in his shoulder, the siren had torn off one of its own black scales and stabbed Lando with it.
It grinned like a madman, tackling Lando while he was off guard.
“I win.”
Lando cursed.
To his surprise the siren plucked the scale out of his shoulder and snapped it in half, spilling its contents onto the shoulder, and watching as it stitched itself back together.
“What..”
The siren got up, and offered Lando a hand.
“What are you doing”
“I am offering a hand, that’s a human custom isn’t it?”
Lando just murmured in disbelief, taking the creatures hand and pulling himself up.
“You healed me.”
“I did.”
“Why.”
“Because I want something from you”
“What do you want”
“I want you to let me on the ship, let me join the crew.”
“What- absolutely not” Lando said, startled by the request.
“Why not!”
“You’re a fish!”
“I am not! I can fish for you guys, and I can heal! I’ll be a good asset!” The siren whined.
“Absolutely not.”
“I could have killed you!”
“That doesn’t make me trust you!”
“Come on, please!”
“Begging isn’t going to work siren.”
“My named Oscar” it pouted. Actually pouted.
“God- don’t tell me your name, that’s way too personal” Lando groaned.
“Gotta be personal since I’m joining your crew!”
“No you’re not.”
“Please?”
“No.”
The siren gave him puppy eyes, begging.
“That doesn’t change anything!” Lando snapped.
“I’ll be a good boy!”
“Wha-! Don’t say it like that- just ugh.” Lando groaned. “Fine, you get one strike, you do anything wrong and I’m giving you to Yuki to make you into sushi.”
“Deal!”