Levi's POV

I hear a loud splash as Pixis releases the mer people into the lagoon. The wall of the tank that opens should act as a water slide to get them over the barrier of rocks that will keep them from getting out. It took months to get the rock wall built, and if it doesn't work, Erwin is going to kill me. He's poured a lot of time, money, and effort into this operation, and he's expecting some good results.

Last night when I gave the mer people the last bucket of fish we had, I noticed that the merman that we have had for weeks is built differently than the two we caught yesterday. Their tails are shorter and fatter than his, they don't have any bioluminescent scales, their gills are on their necks instead of their tails, and their tail fins have a smaller surface area. The brat looks like he's built for speed and strength, while the two newbies look like they are built for strolling and relaxation.

Those aren't the only things I noticed. The newer merman stayed as far away from him as possible, keeping the unconscious mermaid in his arms, with a look on his face that clearly stated that he didn't trust Ocean Eyes. The newbies have a bend in their tails where their knees would be if they were human,  but the brat doesn't - his tail is more fluid and he could probably tie it in a knot if he wanted to, which is something I'm fairly certain the other two wouldn't be able to accomplish. His scales are smaller and fit more tightly together than the scales of the newbies', which is probably more streamlined. His upper body is more toned and muscular than the other merman's, and he looks like he could easily both out swim and out maneuver the most agile sea creature out there.

I'm glad that I asked Hanji to stay out of the tank room until we got to the lab. She would have probably been up all night testing the newbies, and I have a feeling that that wouldn't have been very healthy for the mermaid. She looked like she was eight months pregnant, and Hanji's tests would definitely be bad for her unborn child. I actually feel bad for her, having to raise her child while being constantly tested on by four eyes. I feel sorry for the kid, too, knowing that he or she is going to have to grow up in a lab, undergoing tests every single day of his or her life.

I hear another loud splash, which pulls me out of my thoughts. Ocean Eyes is jumping out of the water like a dolphin, appearing to have a lot of fun. I would put on a diving suit and join him, but I don't want to die today. I don't trust the mer people, especially the newbies, enough to jump into the lagoon with them. They would probably drag me down to the bottom and drown me before I could even blink.

I stand there watching him for a while, and I find myself admiring the way the sun reflects off of his scales. Each time he leaps into the air, a trail of mist follows behind him and I see a small rainbow. It's quite beautiful; majestic even. I wonder what makes me think such things, and I find myself without an answer. For the past week or two, I have found myself thinking things that I wouldn't usually be thinking, and I have not even the slightest idea why.

Eren's POV

The open water feels more amazing than ever before after being cooped up in a tank for six weeks. I feel so overjoyed at the feeling of the cold water that I can't help myself as I leap into the air like a dolphin, throwing small rainbows in the mist. I guess I missed large, open spaces more than I thought.

After several minutes of enjoying myself in the refreshing water of the lagoon, I let myself sink towards the bottom as I take a deep breath, and I sigh almost happily. I guess being in a cramped tank for weeks on end does that to you. Speaking of tanks, I realize that I haven't seen a single human since I was dumped out of the tank and into the lagoon. Well, I might have actually seen lots of humans, but I was too busy enjoying the water that I didn't notice any of them.

I look around and I see the mer people disappearing into an underwater cave, and I figure that I would be unwelcome if I try to follow them. I head up towards the surface to observe the humans if I can spot any, but the only one of my captors in sight is Levi. He appears to be searching for something in the water, and a hint of frustration appears in his eyes as he doesn't find what he's looking for.

Wondering if he's looking for me, I light up my bioluminescent scales to help him find me. I don't know why, but for some reason I want him to know where I am, and not long after I light up me scales, his cold grey eyes meet mine. His gaze softens and I see the faint ghost of a smile on his face. His cheeks redden a little and he looks away quickly, the ghost smile disappearing in an instant.

I let the light die from my scales, and I start slowly swimming closer to the shore line. A few yards to the left of Levi, I notice a small rowboat is floating in the water. I swim towards it hesitantly before grabbing it and towing it through the cold, green water towards Levi. The movement of the boat catches his attention and he watches as I pull it closer to him.

I put on the most hopeful and excited face I can before sticking my head out of the water. His eyes are immediately filled with suspicion and distrust. He takes a step back, not taking his eyes off me as he watches my every move. I don't know why, but it feels like he stabbed a knife in my chest, and I feel tears coming on.

I can feel hurt, heartbreak, and confusion written all over my face as I slowly sink back down into the water. I don't know why I feel so upset to learn that he doesn't trust me. I tried to drown him when my pack attacked his ship - of course he doesn't trust me. I'm a siren. He has no reason to trust me. But it still hurts worse than anything I have ever felt before.

I turn around and start swimming towards the center of the lagoon. I'm still close enough to the surface to be seen by any humans watching the water, so I stop swimming and let myself sink towards the rocks at the bottom. As I gradually grow closer to the floor of the lagoon, I try to keep my mind completely blank. I don't know why, but thinking hurts too much right now.

As I let gravity pull me down, I notice a small cave far below me. From here, it looks large enough to sleep in, so I decide that I'll check it out later, when I've stopped hurting on the inside for unexplained reasons. I cast my gaze towards the surface, watching the sunlight gradually dim until I feel rock and sand brush against my back. I sigh in sorrow as I roll over onto my stomach.

I let my tail drag along the bottom as I walk with my hands to the small cave I had spotted as I declined through the water. I collapse onto the floor of the cave and my face crashes into the ground. I sigh into the sand and I flip over onto my back. I stare at the ceiling of the cave, and I let my mind go completely blank.

"If you want, you can stay in the large cave with Sasha and I." Says a voice, breaking the silence and startling me. I'm surprised that Connie would even suggest that, considering how much mer people usually hate sirens.

Levi's POV

I almost feel bad for the brat. He looked really hurt when I immediately grew suspicious of him trying to get me into the boat. He hasn't come back up to the surface for a couple minutes, so I must have really hurt his feelings. So far, he hasn't done anything to suggest that he wants me dead. Maybe I should trust him a bit more than I do. There were plenty of times he could have killed me back on the ship, but he never did.

I stare down at the boat skeptically, wondering if the look on his face was just a ruse to get me into the boat so he can drown me. I don't think that he wanted to hurt me, but you can never be too careful. I sigh and walk towards the boat against my better judgement. I start pushing it away from the shoreline and I jump in. I sit down, grab the oars and I start rowing towards the middle of the lagoon.

Almost instantly, I regret the decision to go after the merman, because I hear the soft singing of a female voice coming from somewhere below me. I can feel myself falling under the mermaid's spell, and I look over the edge of the boat to see that the female is we caught slowly rising towards me. I try to block out her voice, but soon all I hear is singing, and I loose myself in the words. I can't help thinking that it's beautiful.

I find myself leaning over the edge of the boat, trying to get closer to her. Her hands break the surface or the water, and she reaches her long, slender hands towards me. She grabs my shirt and gently pulls me out of the boat and into the water with her. Taking me with her, she starts slowly swimming down towards the deepest part of the lagoon.

As we head deeper down, I start to feel a burning feeling in my chest. Snapping back to reality, I try to escape the mermaid's grasp. She stops singing and snarls at me, dragging me down even deeper. I realize that this is it. That this is how I am going to die. I see a flash of bright blue light and I find myself thinking how odd that is. I always heard that you saw a white light when you die. My last thought before everything fades to black is how I'll never be able to see that scaly brat's beautiful ocean colored eyes again.