---Orion's POV---

"So you're telling me that we can stretch our fins and at the same time, I can have my usual meals?" Elijah purred, making me sigh as I nodded once again. I had already explained it multiple times but restated my previous idea.

Waving towards Cain, who was observing us closely, and the ocean in the distance I repeated once more. "The pirates dealing in human merchandise will always be suspicious if a certain ship always attacks them and frees the slaves."

Elijah hummed, lifting his leg to place his ass on the desk behind him. "Go on..." He murmured, eyes gleeful yet intense.

"While Cain's hands are tied to avoid suspicion and thus, an almost guaranteed attempted assassination if the smugglers suspect something, we're not tied to the same dangers."

The merman smirked at that, baring unusually sharp teeth. "Are you suggesting that we should attack slave trader ships from the bottom up?"

I shrugged, motioning a hand between us and the village of slaves and pirates around us. "None of the humans would ever consider an attack from below. Yes, there are plenty of myths and stories about both of our kin, but most think they're just that; myths."

Elijah's eyes glowed, his movements jittery with excitement though he tried his best to tamper it down. Yet he couldn't suppress the massive grin on his face.

"You say both of our kin." Elijah suddenly stated with a scowl, taking a few steps forwards before poking me in the forehead with his finger. "Has it occurred to you that, if you make so much as a squeak out in the ocean, you might put a target on your back? Again."

It was a thought that had occurred to me before. If I were to help Elijah with these slave raids by stunning the slavers with my song, I would risk getting spotted by a different pod of merfolk.

But I also realized that, even if I never sang again and always kept quiet, all it took was a single of the merfolk to approach our boat.

They already had a habit of tracking down ships when they were hungry. All it took was a single curious individual with a keen set of ears. A single person to pop their head above water and spot me.

And as I relayed this to Elijah, it became clear that the merman already knew this.

"I'm not going to shut myself inside for all of eternity." I growled in annoyance. "I've spent my entire life in the ocean while avoiding hostile contacts. Hell, I've had my blood spilled on multiple occasions and never got spotted."

"Uh huh. And what do you call this." Elijah asked rhetorically, tapping his finger on his mark embedded in my skin. I flushed angrily at that, feeling frustrated at having that pointed out.

"Don't get me wrong princess, I'm happy that you avoided any contact with mers for this long." Elijah soothed, stepping back to reclaim his seat on the desk, much to Archer's amusement, as he sighed pointedly while eying the papers he had been writing on, now stuck under Elijah's ass.

The merman ignored it when Archer tugged at the paper, even went as far as to lean his weight further on the papers. "You do have to realize that your situation has gravely changed."

"You're on a vessel, something that will innately attract any hungry Merpeople to them." Elijah started, pointing up a finger per statement he made. "If you're going to swim, you're jumping off said vessel while being blind of what lurks beneath. The usual sailing routes will go straight through Merfolk territory instead of avoid it. And lastly, even if you were to never take a dip in the water, the second your water bucket gets disposed of, your scent is out in the ocean waiting to be discovered."

His statements hit home. They were a grim reminder of the life of a Siren. Always hiding, laying low to avoid being spotted.

"If I'm bound to be discovered anyways...I might as well live life the way I want it." I reaffirmed my statement, making Elijah's smirk widen as he nodded.

"Plus," the Merman added with a cocky tilt of his head. "This time you have me around. While an entire pod would be overwhelming, our songs combined can knock them out long enough for us to deal some real damage."

I understood the unspoken message. Merfolk still are predators at heart. They would charge into an attack they absolutely could win.

But if their prey fought back to the point where they encountered losses? Even the Merfolk would become cautious.

The Merpeople were many things but suicidal was not one of those.

Word would spread and soon enough Cain's vessel would be marked by the Merfolk. Not to attack and plunder, but to avoid at all cost.

Only the young and the foolish, those who had something to prove, would be willing to test the waters. And they would serve as a proper warning to others that may try the same.

"I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that we're seemingly agreeing that devouring humans is a good thing to do." Archer muttered before pinching Elijah's ass, causing the mer to lift his ass with a yelp.

Elijah grumbled, rubbing over the spot while Archer tugged the papers closer to him and went back to writing. "You see to forget that I am not human."

Archer hummed dismissively, dipping the quill back into the ink. "Do you need to eat human flesh in order to survive?" The quartermaster questioned, "Or is it more of a...supposed delicacy?"

"Is the idea of me eating others making you feel ill?" Elijah turned, observing Archer curiously.

"Well, I can't say it sounds attractive to say the least. Plus the idea of kissing you only to get a sample of your meal..." The man shuddered, making Elijah snicker out a sigh with a shake of his head.

Elijah pushed off the desk, rounding it before unashamedly plopping down in Archer's lap, facing the man. "It's true that I don't have to eat human flesh. Thanks to being a half-blood, I can actually survive without devouring any humans."

Archer tilted an eyebrow, trying to look unaffected as Elijah wiggled to get comfortable, tangling his fingers in the Quartermaster's hair.

"Merfolk eat humans partially for survival, but they can make due with other meals. But why eat something equal value of seaweed when a nice, juicy morsel presents itself?"

I shivered at that, knowing exactly what he meant. Merfolk were predatory, opportunistic and wouldn't skip a meal if it presented itself.

Precisely what happened to my family. We were in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Our own hunt had already drawn blood in the water and combine that with a Siren's scent, had us unintentionally signing off our own death warrant.

"I'd love to say that I'd keep my teeth to myself, but, these babies are my weapons." Elijah said, playfully snapping his teeth to reaffirm his words.

Archer snorted, shaking his head. "Well then you better fucking brush your teeth before going anywhere near me."

"Brush...your teeth?" Elijah leaned back, "You mean those lil' chewsticks you humans use?"

Cain interrupted at that, approaching our little group. "Nah, we traded with a Chinese merchant a few years back. They made a tiny brush for our teeth from hog's bristles, cleaning our teeth much better than a chewstick would."

Elijah and I shared a look, as neither of us had heard of this supposed toothbrush. Most if not all humans used a chew stick to clean the superficial grime from their teeth.

Archer grinned, baring his remarkably well-kept teeth, for a pirate. For any human really. He tapped against his teeth before explaining "Our Asian friend gives us a steady supply, along with a thick, abrasive paste that helps them stay clean."

I hummed thoughtfully, silently wondering why only a select few used this. Because I had seen sailors, fishmongers and housewives alike, all with their teeth in varying stages of decay.

When I stated my question out loud, Cain shrugged. "Superstition mostly, lack of resources or simply not knowing the option exists. Most likely the rich will have access to this toothbrush and paste but I wouldn't say the same about the commoners."

That actually made a lot of sense. Of course the rich would have first pick on anything that came through port. Anything they didn't deem worthy was then trickled down to the stores for the commoners to fight for.

"Which gives me another idea..." Elijah said after removing himself from his lip-lock with Archer. "This is the former slaves permanent settlement, isn't it?"

"Aye..."

The merman turned in Archer's lap, licking his lips on a sigh. "Wouldn't it benefit these people if we stir shit up around here? Let every sailor believe these waters are infested with our kin."

Both Archer and Cain looked thoughtful, quiet for several moments. "It could work, but that would also mean you'd need to let people see you. Dead men tell no tales."

"Eh, that's the least of our worries." Elijah waved his hand, hair tussling in the slight breeze that wafted through the room.

I eagerly inhaled the saline scent carried through the trees, calming myself while the others continued their discussion. While normally I wouldn't even think about attacking humans, there was a big difference with slavers.

My kin was instinctively driven to protect humans, especially near merfolk territory. To now plot to go after said humans, was nauseating.

Then again, could you really consider slavers people? When they acted more like demons in human skin, capturing innocent people left and right, taking them from their homes and selling them like cattle.

Valuing profit over a human life. Showing not a care in the world for their health, their sanity and safety.

If killing slavers meant that I could save hundreds of innocent lives, I would get over my distaste of murdering and kill them in a heartbeat.

But, like I stated to the others, they needed to be confirmed slavers. I was not about to help murder an entire crew, only find out they were smuggling alcohol or other harmless items.

Cain agreed, of course. But he did point out that some supposed slavers were actually rescuing slaves. They disguised themselves as fellow slavers, went to markets and bought up as many people as they could.

The second they left with their precious cargo, all slaves were freed. Brought back to rehabilitation and if possible, returned to their homelands.

"However, those are few and far in between." He sighed, brushing his brow clear from sweat as the heat was starting to swell to uncomfortable heights.

We all moved in unison, closing the blinds and doors to keep the worst out of the house. My bare feet padded over the wooden floor, grateful that it provided some relative cool.

"I'm assuming you at least have some contacts who fake being slavers." I asked, eyes easily adjusting to the slightly darker room.

"Aye, and we've already exchanged maps that slavers take, as well as a few shared slaver dens." Cain moved to the other side of the room, rummaging through books and piles of scrolls before holding one up.

Spreading it out and moving some weights on the corners, he tapped several points on the map. "There are coves similar like this island, where slavers gather their freshly caught cargo. Other islands are used as training centers." He sneered.

I could feel my own anger rising, realizing after a moment what Cain meant. His jaw clenched tighter, pulse twitching at his temples as he gritted out "Most of these training camps are highly secured and nigh impenetrable. Entire crews who stay on the island to help train those in their care."

Slaves don't need training in how to perform certain jobs, like cleaning, farming.

Which only meant these training grounds drilled obedience into their quarry. Using and abusing the women to become "willing" courtesans.

And literally whipping everyone into the shape the slavers desired them to be.

"Attacking those places is suicidal." Cain gritted and Archer agreed with a grunt.

Yet Elijah and I frowned, looking at the sketches provided by Cain's informant.

"These hideouts are in seaside caves." I pointed out, smirking as a plan formed. "We could infiltrate dee into their hideout through the underwater system."

Cain snorted, "Yeah, and then you two are going to be stuck in the middle of a heavily fortified and armored shelter with no way for anyone to help you. What are you going to do against an army of slavers?

At that, Elijah and I shared a look, understanding flaring into his eyes as I smirked and leaned back against the table.

"Sing."