---Orion's POV---

The temperature changes of the water warned me that I was heading deeper into dangerous territories. So far, I had been lucky enough to avoid contact with any of the merfolk, yet I felt the fear gnaw at my heart each time I caught a glimpse of movement in the ocean.

My behavior even made the human slightly wary, as he had been looking around as well. Though at times, I felt as if he was actually looking for something instead of looking out for us. Shaking my head slightly, I pumped my tail faster, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

Just because I didn't see any Mermen didn't mean that they weren't around. I've only heard of their hunting tactics, trying to lure their prey in a false sense of security while they darted closer. The only moment when you saw a Merman, was when you were within its striking distance.

Being close to Mer-territories made me nervous as hell and it showed in my scales. The normal flashing of colors was absent, instead my scales were a dull bluish green in an attempt to merge completely with the surroundings.

It was a pity that the human wasn't capable of doing the same. As it was, he stood out incredibly with his dark skin. Nonetheless, I kept a vigil eye on our surroundings while trying to stick close enough to the surface.

So far, there wasn't a single boat in sight but I trusted this human knew where his crew would go. An odd place to meet but then again, it made sense to pick a spot people feared. At least that meant that nobody would risk their lives trying to get close.

Carrying the man was straining my muscles slowly but surely. Usually I could take a break when I was swimming, even choose to go on land and stretch my legs but now was not the time.

"How well can you see underwater?"

I blinked, looking at the human before glancing back at our surroundings. "Pretty well, I guess? I don't really know how to compare it to human sight but...I'm assuming its better." I frowned, looking at the surface but so far no ship in sight.

"Are you sure they would head here?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off of my sore muscles and more towards our destination. As soon as I had dropped the human off, I could get out of here and rest up.

He hummed, seemingly deep in thought before nodding. "Yeah, it's our usual gathering point. I'm quite certain that they'll be there, especially with my absence." He looked around the ocean before glancing at the surface, shaking his head.

"To be honest, I'll be glad if I can touch solid ground once more, or at least the deck of my ship. Being able to breathe underwater is... unnerving." He admitted, narrowing his eyes at me as if daring me to laugh.

I didn't. There was nothing hilarious about his situation and I could understand how he felt. Trying to put him at ease, I smiled and spoke, "I can understand, I felt the same way the first time I went to the surface."

He turned to me then, eyes curious as their caramel depths seemed to suck me in. "You've been to the surface? As in actual land?"

Nodding, I slowed down a bit to preserve my energy. "Yes, I can walk on land just fine. It takes only a few moments to get used to it but walking comes just as natural as swimming." I shrugged, shaking my head. "It took a few times before I got the hang of it and didn't panic."

"Interesting." The man nodded, his lip curving slightly as if he was repressing a smile. I tilted my head curiously at him but he didn't explain his behavior and eventually I shrugged and ignored it. Squinting my eyes, I did my best to search the surface for any ships, hoping I'd find it soon.

"You're behaving very... skittish." Cain murmured as I paused to scan our surroundings. I sent him an apologetic smile as I kept my eyes on out surroundings.

"For good reason. I usually don't venture here as it is close to Mer territory." My smile turned grim at his demanding gaze and I sighed. "They enjoy the taste of Siren..."

A grimace pulled over Cain's face as it twisted in disgust. He seemed more wary of our surroundings now, keeping a sharp eye out before I sighed in relief when I spotted the belly of a ship in the distance.

"We're close." I murmured, making the human look up and smile as I slowly swam to the surface. "Good." He said, keeping his eyes on his ship before frowning slightly.

"Would it be too much to ask for a favor? I don't know if any of the traitors are still amongst my crew and..."

I thought about it for a moment before nodding. It would be a wasted effort to save the man from the shark, only to deposit him in the same treacherous hands that brought him there in the first place.

"I'll stay close but...I cannot be seen. You're the first human to have seen me like this." I murmured, trailing off as Cain turned to me with something glinting in his eye. " I'm your first ey. Good to know." He chuckled but before I could ask more, we were close enough to the surface for him to swim up.

Releasing him, I pointed to the hull of the ship. "I'll stay there out of sight and will try to help if anything goes wrong." Cain smirked, nodding his head before he swam up, breaking the surface and coughed up the water that was in his lungs.

I breached the surface too but stayed pressed against the ship, out of sight and waiting for any sign of trouble.

A lot of shouts could be heard as the men scrambled to throw a rope to their captain, hauling him out of the sea and wondering how he made it there and how he managed to survive the mutiny.

My ears were perked, eyes frowning as I listened to any signs that Cain wasn't feeling comfortable around his crew.

I could hear their footsteps moving around as Cain coughed some more, clearing his throat before reassuring his crew he was fine. They bombarded him with questions and I gulped as I heard a gargle before a body was sent flying into the sea.

"Master Briggs won't be joining our travels anymore, as he had been the leader of this mutiny. If I find out any of you had a part in this attempt on my life, you'll wish I ended it quickly."

My flitted back to the body that was drifting in the sea, weakly struggling against the current. I could tell the man was dying, most likely already luring in surrounding sharks with the way he was trashing and spilling blood into the ocean.

I didn't feel pressed to help him though. Pirates deserved their fate.

Turning my nose up at the man, I watched as a jagged fin appeared not too far away before he was suddenly yanked down with a drowned scream. I knew what was happening just below the churning surface before frowning as I realized the ship above had become quiet.

Looking up, my eyes widened before I dove in to the ocean, cursing as the net closed around my tail, the weights at the end wrapping around my fins.

"Heave!"

I squirmed and kicked, lifting myself on the nets as I used my teeth to chew through the net. Gasps and murmurs sounded as I was heaved above the surface, still struggling to get free from this trap.

Hissing venomously, I lifted my head to face the smirk on Cain's face before flitting my eyes over his crew. My nose curled in disgust, anger building as I let my gills flare in annoyance.

Bloody pirates... I had saved a Pirate from death.

The ropes dug into my tail, loosening several scales as I yanked at the weights while hissing ad the men did their best to pull the nets up on the ship. But hell would freeze over before I'd allow myself to be captured.

I let myself shift back to human, feeling disgusted as I saw Cain's eyes rake over my nudety before widening as he realized my legs were now slim enough to slip from the nets.

A shout rang in the air, a second net was cast but I was already in the water, shifting and diving down as fast as I could. The net closed above me and even in my exhausted state, I pushed myself to get home as fast as I could.

Damned pirates! This is what you get for trying to be helpful. My tail hurt quite a bit, the edge of my fluke torn because of the nettings. Pain webbed through my entire body but I couldn't rest. Not here, not now.

I shivered, frowning at the look in Cain's eyes. I did 't know what he wanted from me, all I could do was pray we'd never meet again.