Siren's Song

by AmySerenityRaye

For 17 centuries she had lured sailors to their deaths with her haunting songs. Her long black hair and violet eyes were the last sight of many men before they plunged into the thundering waves and the world of the dead.

Siren's Song 4

Siren's Song

By: AmySerenityRaye

DISCLAIMER: No, Sailor Moon does not belong to me, and trust me, you don't want it to.

The creaking ship and splashing waves were the only sounds as the ship sailed through the strait. Absolute silence reigned on deck, each nerve strained to the breaking point and every hair on end. Prayers were whispered to any god or goddess who might be listening, hoping and pleading that she wouldn't be there and that they would hear nothing but the sounds of the sea and their ship. The end of the strait became visible through the early morning fog and the men released the breaths they hadn't known they had been holding. The instant the thought that they were safe crossed their minds, the worst nightmare of every sailor came true as the first notes of her unearthly melody floated across the water to their condemned ears. They had almost made it. Almost avoided the horrible death of so many who had gone before them. Almost…

For nearly seventeen centuries, she had been luring sailors to their untimely deaths with her haunting songs. Her long, silky black hair and shimmering violet eyes were the last living sight of many a man before they plunged into the thundering waves and the world of the dead. As the daughter of Ares and Amphitrite, Poseidon's sea nymph wife, Raye had been gifted with not legs, but a long and elegant tail whose tiny, iridescent scales matched the color of her eyes, and a face that made even Aphrodite turn green with envy. Her flawless porcelain skin, small and straight nose, delicate eyebrows, long black lashes, red lips, and stubborn chin, all formed and placed with a gem cutter's precision, made this midnight-haired goddess the effigy of beauty.

While Raye was young, she was content to play with her pet manta ray, Pandora, under the supervision of her mother's palace guards, but as she grew up, she began to engage in more daring adventures. One of her favorites was harnessing Pandora to a Giant Clam shell and racing her sea nymph sisters and their favorite mounts over a course that led them through deep ocean trenches, by hot thermal vents, and across beds of jagged coral, where danger leaped out to strike them down at every turn. This young goddess was in no way fragile or delicate.

One day, while she was searching for giant pearls in the deep rifts of the ocean, her mother called for her to return to Poseidon's undersea palace. Raye, being the curious creature that she was, swam home as fast as her fins could take her.

Upon her arrival, Raye was escorted to the Great Throne Room by the captain of Poseidon's royal guard, a swordfish who had earned undying glory in the Shark Wars by slaying the greatest of the Great Whites.

Lord Poseidon and Amphitrite sat on their thrones at the head of the large rectangular room, another man standing beside them. The god of the sea was seven feet tall with green eyes, brown hair, a moustache, and a long beard, his whole being commanding the complete attention of all around him. His wife was a wispy being with golden hair, pale eyes, and a tail to match her eyes.

Raye had completed the entire formal greeting of the gods before she noticed just who the man standing next to her mother was; when she did, her face broke into a large grin and she rushed into the arms of her father. The god of war was a tall, handsome man with dark hair and eyes to match his daughter's dark tones.

"Raye," Poseidon began. "Tomorrow is the celebration of your eighteenth century of life. A choice is now put before you. If you wish to continue to live in the sea, you must complete a task which I will give you, without the use of your powers. If you succeed, you may return. But if you fail, you will go to live with your father and will never be permitted to return to the sea."

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Ares' notorious temper raged within his daughter at the thought of what Poseidon was forcing on her. The god of the sea had announced that Raye must leave her beloved home under the sea until she found the red pearl he had hidden somewhere on earth. And if she ventured into the waves before she found it, or used any of her powers at all, she would never be permitted to return. She was banished to life on land as a *mortal* until she found that blasted pearl. She couldn't even sing to ease her grief because her voice was her greatest power, and therefore, could not be used.

The young Siren glared in contempt at the potion she held in her hand. It would split her beautiful violet tail in two and turn it into the horrible legs that mortals used. She shuddered. The very thought was revolting.

She broke the surface of the clear, calm waves next to a small island in the Aegean Sea. With unsteady hands, Raye uncorked the bottle, tears of sorrow and anger running down her cheeks. As Selene sank into the ocean and Helios began his trek across the eastern sky, she raised the foul concoction to her lips and said goodbye to her friends, her family, and her home.

The Siren screamed and clutched at her throat, her eyes shut tight as the potion burned its way down to her stomach. Her normally rich and majestic voice was strained with her agonized cries, and it seemed as if there was an inferno blazing in her chest, the pain almost causing her to lose consciousness right then and there. She began gasping as she crawled up the beach, her fin flopping behind her, every nerve in her body burning, intensifying her horrible suffering. Mercifully, she passed out on the sand, unable to witness her lovely violet tail split and become two long legs.

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When Raye finally woke up, she was lying on a strange beach, wearing a simple white linen dress, and horror of horrors, there were two ugly skin-colored appendages where her beautiful tail should have been. Using a slender finger, Raye cautiously poked one of her new legs and shuddered. Knowing that the sooner she got used to them, the sooner she could begin her search and return home, she tried to move one of the hideous things. Nothing. Then, trying again, she got them to bend a little bit in the middle, like her tail would when she was swimming. After a while, she thought she had sufficient control of her new legs and climbed to her feet. Or tried to. Her first several attempts were failures, but she eventually succeeded in standing up. Teaching herself how to walk, however, was another story entirely.

While exploring the island on still-unsteady legs, she discovered a small boat on the opposite shore, left there by her mother. Upon further inspection, she found that it contained a few changes of clothing, two pairs of shoes, and a collection of coins from various realms.

After practicing the use of her legs for one more night and day, and getting in a little rest on the side, Raye finally got in her mother's boat and began her journey.

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Four days later, a small craft landed on a sandy beach just west of the Greek city-state of Corinth. Had any person been there to see, they would have beheld a wondrous site. Climbing out of that vessel was a tall, slender, absolutely breathtaking maiden with unbound hair that flowed on the wind, a cloud of silk black as the deepest ocean trenches.

Raye lifted her pack from the boat, then launched it back out to sea. She stood and watched until it disappeared over the horizon, a gloomy expression on her face. Then she turned around and began marching resolutely up the shore without even a backward glance.

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For the next three centuries, the daughter of Ares and Amphitrite wandered the earth, searching for the red pearl that would allow her to return to her home. She had been roaming the known world for so long, had talked to so many people, and had been to so many places that the humans had begun to worship her as a goddess of travelers.

Every time Raye walked into a new town or city, especially those with nearby trade routes or seaports, she would find temples dedicated to her with steady streams of mortals coming and going, offering sacrifices and asking for luck, good weather, and protection during their journeys. Marble and bronze statues of a young, beautiful girl in travel-worn clothes with a pack slung over her shoulder and a walking stick in her hand stood outside each temple, glittering in the sun. She was unimpressed by it all. The sheer grandeur of the sea and all its living creatures was far more beautiful than any temple or statue they could make.

But still…she had come to hold a grudging respect for the humans. It wasn't easy to live like they did. The uncertainty of the weather and the changing seasons made it difficult to find food and shelter more often than not, and combined with the constant need for new shoes and clothing, Raye didn't know how the mortals managed it. Throughout the years, many a kind soul had taken pity on her and allowed her to stay the night, share their food, and occasionally had provided her with an article of clothing, for which she was profoundly grateful. To these individuals and their families, Raye promised a blessing of good fortune for the remainder of their days.

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By the time Raye arrived at the Roman seaside resort of Herculaneum, the time allotted to her for her quest was nearly up and she had almost given up hope of ever finding Poseidon's horrible red pearl. As the young deity wandered the streets of the city, she was recognized by one of the priestesses of the Traveling Goddess and her coming was hailed as the greatest moment the city had ever seen. The emperor, who was there on vacation with his family, declared a national holiday and began preparing a large and glorious celebration in her honor.

At the feast a few days later, bards sang of far off lands and great heroes, tumblers awed the crowds with their daring feats of skill, epic plays were performed by the finest actors in the city, and all was well.

Raye would have enjoyed the celebrations had the red pearl not been a constant image in the back of her mind, keeping her from truly appreciating the entertainment and the company of new people.

The young prince had been smitten with the goddess from the moment she entered his father's summer villa a few days before. In an attempt to impress her, he planned to present her with the rare object he had found on the beach that morning, hoping she would like it enough to return to Rome with him and become his bride, or at least stay a while longer.

As soon as she saw the gift, Raye was overcome with joy. It was the red pearl! She leapt to her feet and whirled the prince around in a circle before accepting the magnificent gift, proclaiming glory to his name and promising him the best of good fortune for the remainder of his days. The young prince simply stood there and grinned, totally oblivious to the fact that he had just given the beautiful Siren her one-way ticket out of the mortal world forever.

Raye raced from the palace and through the streets of Herculaneum, her symbol of worthiness clasped tightly in her hand. The crowd following her grew larger with each step she took, until eventually the entire city was behind her. She ran until she found a ledge overlooking the ocean, then stopped and spun on her heel. The royal family stepped to the front of the crowd, questioning looks on their faces. She smiled and began the first haunting notes of her unearthly song, a melody that had not been heard in three hundred years.

Pausing in her aria, the young Siren grinned at the shocked looks that crossed the faces of every mortal in that crowd. She watched only long enough to see realization of who and what she was dawn in their eyes before she turned and plunged like an arrow toward the foaming waves far below, an elated smile crossing her stunning features as the salt spray caressed her face. The instant her body touched the water that was her home, two legs molded into one shining violet tail and the faithful manta ray, Pandora, appeared to carry her mistress home.

Ares and Amphitrite held a magnificent celebration under the sea in honor of their daughter's successful return. Gods and goddesses of every region and theology were in attendance in order to welcome the young Siren home, and such was the festivity that the likes of it cannot be imagined by mere mortals.

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Thanks to all you who have reviewed, and to all you who haven't, WHY NOT? Anyway, this story has been totally revamped and seriously improved in my opinion. Thanks Bill K for your excellent suggestions and eat your heart out with this new and improved Raye. I love you all and keep reading!

AmySerenityRaye