"You want to go…fishing." Nik repeated, bemused, voicing the confusion of all his siblings.
Kol grinned, quite proud to have thoroughly flummoxed his family. Why it even looked like poor 'Lijah spilt some of his bourbon. The horror. Kol's smile grew a bit wider.
"But tis not just any fishing, Nik. No, no! We're going deep sea fishing!"
"…Why."
Kol tsk-ed starting to grow bored with his brother's dull reaction. "Well what else are you planning to do? Sulk around New Orleans some more, Nik?" He barreled on, speaking over his brother's growing affront (that's more like it). "And really 'Lijah, I'm used to such brooding from our grumpy Hybrid brother, but you too? Leave the pouting to our petulant little sister." He also ignored Rebekah's resulting indignant "Hey!" and Elijah's scowl, the irritation only feeding his enthusiasm. "Come now, when's the last time we had a family outing? There's even our newfound big sis Freya to come along!" Kol went in for the kill. "Besides, you all owe me! Who was it that warned you about Silas, again? Who was it that got burnt to a crisp for his trouble? Hm?"
Kol reveled in the resulting awkward silence, their annoyance faded to unfamiliar guilt.
"Fine," Nik grimaced, gulping down the last of his own drink, "we'll go bloody fishing." He sneered a bit on the last word.
Kol's grin was manic.
And that was how the Original Family ended up on a boat in the Mediterranean.
Klaus scowled as he leaned against the railing of the yacht. If it weren't so obnoxious, he would almost be impressed with how well Kol wheedled them all until he got his way.
Well, at least Elijah is equally displeased.
Klaus let out an amused breath, eyeing his stuffy older brother from beneath his Ray-Bans. The man was disdainfully plucking at the collar of his polo shirt.
It had been some time since he had seen his brother out of his suits, but the absolute affront on his face at the idea of getting sea water on them had been priceless.
Meanwhile, Bekah had plopped down on the upper deck and refused to move. She turned her nose up at fishing, flouncing off as soon as she set foot on the boat. However, she was perfectly content to sunbathe and heckle the rest of them. Freya had done much the same, albeit with fewer snotty remarks.
Sisters.
So that left him and Kol to actually partake in the fishing part of their venture. Klaus' glower returned as he wondered how he ended up in this position.
Not that he would ever admit it, but Klaus was almost enjoying himself. There was something satisfying about hauling in the heftier fish that populated the waters of Sicily.
Tuna. Swordfish. Amberjack.
Kol slung his arm across his shoulders, an infringement Klaus allowed for a few seconds.
"Alright, Nik, you've been a surprisingly good sport about all this. So let's make it more interesting."
Klaus raised an eyebrow, a bit curious despite his better judgement.
He blurred away, returning an instant later balancing spears against his arm.
"Spearfishing, brother?" Kol asked with a cock of his head and a challenging glint in his eyes.
Klaus could feel the feral grin working its way across his face as he reached for a spear. Even Elijah shifted, interested in the prospect. It was a little known fact, one that would probably surprise most, but their elder brother had been the most frequent hunter among them once upon a time. So Kol simply cackled when the man joined them, snatching a spear of his own.
Almost simultaneously, the three tugged off their shirts and dove into the sea, rocketing through the water as each sought out the largest, most impressive prey to chase.
Klaus paused, floating tens of feet beneath the surface, his eyes glinting gold as his senses sharpened even further. There were several schools of fish a few miles away and on the fringes of his senses he could make out the swift movements of other predators. Yet another swordfish and what seemed to be a shark.
He smirked and set off to hunt the shark.
Klaus launched himself back onto the boat, triumphant, a great white slung over his shoulder. He parted his lips about to announce his clear win, only to be unexpectedly interrupted.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
Klaus pivoted, surprised by the feminine voice that came from neither of his sisters. He peered over the side of the boat and instantly spotted a glaring blonde, her hands on her hips, where she stood on her small speed boat.
He blinked wondering where she had come from and how he hadn't noticed her. He licked his lips, "Love-"
She scoffed. "Please, don't think your pet names are going to make me less angry. Quite the opposite!" She shook her head, her curls swishing angrily. "No, don't distract me! Are you aware that great whites are classified as a vulnerable species? Overzealous hunting like yours is what's put them at risk in the first place! And here you are, worsening the problem!"
His surprise was quickly turning to irritation, no matter that she looked rather glorious in her anger. He was the Original Hybrid! He didn't get scolded!
"Look, sweetheart-"
Kol was suddenly at his back, a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait, Nik."
Normally, Klaus wouldn't have paused, but Kol's tone was grim. He turned slightly to peer at his brother's expression, watched how he was eyeing the blonde with surprising scrutiny.
"Do you know her, Kol?" He drawled, suspicion coating his voice.
But his brother just frowned, still not looking away from the fiery blonde, and shook his head slightly.
"No," he replied. "…I believe I have heard of her though."
Apparently tired of being ignored the blonde huffed, waving off his brother. "Hush," she shushed him as she turned her glare on him once more. "Okay look, I'll make this simple. Give me the shark and I'll be on my merry way."
Klaus narrowed his eyes, guarded, as he now sensed something off about this seemingly young woman.
"It's already dead," he reminded her even as he shifted its weight from his shoulder.
"I'm well aware," she snapped.
He made a split second decision and tossed the shark towards her.
The blonde sneered at him, but caught the giant fish with ease. She knelt down, lowering it into the water as she held its floating body. Her hands stroked over its skin as she crooned to it, something ancient and Greek spilling from her lips.
He watched as the shark twitched and writhed, seeming to shudder before suddenly turning upright.
"There you go, lovely," she murmured with a pat, removing her hands as the shark re-submerged itself. Its fin cut through the water as it circled her boat a few times and then swam off, disappearing rapidly.
She glanced at his brother, making another gesture with her hand.
"Thelxipea!" Kol near shouted out, his voice returned.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms. "I prefer Caroline, now actually."
Klaus frowned, absently noting her correction, as the name Kol spoke tugged at his memory.
Thelxipea. Thelxipea. Thelxipea.
No, Θελξιπεα. He realized, his mind subtly transforming the enunciation.
A siren.
Title means "Sing" in Greek.
3/15/2020 Mini-sequel additional content below.
Caroline tapped her foot, a fairly recent gesture that she had come to enjoy. It had certainly been satisfying to watch realization and caution wash across Arrogant McDimple's face, but now he and and his dark haired companion were just staring at her. Which was annoying. And rude.
They didn't even introduce themselves to her after she so politely informed them of her preferred name!
She shook her head, curls bouncing slightly as she scoffed. "Whatever, just keep your showboating out of my ocean!"
Completely done with this ridiculous farce, she was about to leave when she sensed yet another death song. Her head whipped to the side as its body approached with unnatural speed. Clearly, there were more of these irritants messing around in her waters.
Her eyes narrowed as a new figure launched himself onto the boat, appearing as a slightly older and less mischievous version of the one she had silenced, an Orca slung over his shoulders. Thankfully it was not a species that was endangered in the same way as the Great White, but it was still utterly Unacceptable.
Temper frayed, Caroline didn't bother to let this one defend himself. Instead she let out a shrill whistle that echoed for a few hundred feet, jumping up to snatch the poor animal as all three pests hunched over with a cry, shielding their ears.
The illusion of her boat faded like mist, leaving just angrily churning waters behind.
"All of you need a lesson in manners," she hissed before diving into the sea.
Her voice sang to the animal as she cut through the water, releasing it when she heard the death song fade. Even annoyed as she was it still brought a smile to her face when the animal nudged her in thanks before swimming off.
Though as soon as it was out of sight her happiness dissipated, leaving only her rebuilding anger behind. Caroline dove deeper, letting divine power leak from her form. Felt as legs shifted to a sleek blue-silver tail. As deceptively delicate fin-like wings sprouted from her back.
For all that she was Caroline she was also Θελξιπεα. Daughter of Ἀχελώїoς. Daughter of Μελπομένη. Above her the sea seethed, feeding off her ancient wrath.
Klaus glowered at his brother, wanting nothing more than to shove a dagger in his chest and actually pitch him into the sea. This whole mess was Kol's fault in the first place and yet it was him that had to clean up the mess.
Worse was that the argument was logical. The siren had silenced Kol and hadn't let Elijah even attempt to speak. And neither Rebekah nor Freya had caused quarrel with her. Which left just him unfortunately.
The Hybrid stalked toward the bow of the ship, having to actually brace against the railing as the ocean tossed them around. He bit back his pride as he cut his arm, letting some of his blood drip into the churning water.
"Θελξιπεα. We apologize for the slight we have dealt against you. Blood for blood, I ask that you accept this offering."
For a long moment it seemed that nothing would happen. The ocean continued to rage against their vessel, threatening to capsize it and pull them all into the depths.
But then Klaus saw a stretch of water become unnaturally still, even as the rest still roiled.
All at once she seemed to appear. Walking out and across the sea like the primordial force she was. This time there was no faux speed boats or modern clothes. This time there was an ancient creature making no secret of her power.
She came to a stop by the ship, her eyes like a storm as she locked gazes with him. Standing now maybe twelve feet tall, bare except for the glisten of water on her skin, there was no mistaking what she was and Klaus didn't dare look away.
He could sense the building tension of his siblings behind him, feel the floor of the boat still rocking against waves.
She smiled. Pleased. The scent of his blood on her breath.
"So, you do know how to apologize, Niklaus."