Hello again! Sorry about yesterday, my internet connection died and I couldn't update this story, but everything is fine now and here's the chapter! I really hope you like it. Some of you have shared your concern about the Clave and their involvement in the last chapters of this story, but don't worry, okay? They are as useless as they are in canon (oops), so you have nothing to worry about. This story has many ups and downs, but it will have a happy ending, I promise.

Anyway, there's a sea song featured in this chapter, I didn't write it so the source for that is google (You can send me a PM if you want the link). Also there's a new character so yay!


Chapter 15

It took Magnus, Raphael and Ragnor almost two days to reach their destination. First, because the small bay where the mermaids usually gathered wasn't as easy to find as the Spiral; it was well hidden in the coasts of Ireland. And second, because the small boat they had borrowed from Catarina wasn't fast. In fact, it was the slowest boat in which Magnus had ever sailed—ever.

"So…we're here and I see no mermaids." Raphael said, stating what he assumed was the obvious.

"What were you expecting? For them to be out and about hanging out on the beach?" Magnus said. He knew Raphael and Ragnor had never seen a mermaid. In fact, very few people could say that they had seen one. Over the years, mermaids had been becoming more and more of a myth, even though they were as real as any other creature.

"No, but at least I was expecting something that made it clear that there are mermaids here. Like something that showed that they really gather here." Raphael said.

"Well, then you're not observing as you should, my friend." Magnus said. "Look at the water." He pointed out. The water looked different when there were mermaids nearby. The surface darkened and became calmer. As if their presence put some sort of spell on it.

Raphael and Ragnor tried to see what Magnus had pointed out, but it was clear that neither of them noticed any difference.

"So…" Ragnor said. He had his eyes fixed on the water, as if trying to spot a mermaid through the dark surface. "Let's assume they are in there, how do we make them come out of the water?"

"We have to sing." Magnus said simply.

"We, what!?" Ragnor and Raphael asked at the same time.

"We sing…mermaids only respond to the sailors' songs."

Raphael and Ragnor looked at each other, sharing some fearful glances.

"Come on!" Magnus exclaimed. "It's perfectly safe, you don't have to do anything but sing with me, and when they approach just don't look them straight in the eye and that's it."

"Why not?" Raphael asked curiously.

"Because you could lose yourself in their spell."

"Well, no problem with that." Raphael said. "I don't think I can ever feel something for a half-fish creature."

"Consciously not," Magnus said, "but they have special powers, some kind of charm that no one can resist, and by no one, I mean not even you, Raphael, so just be careful, okay?"

"Are there any sort of male equivalent to mermaids? Like mermen or something?" Ragnor asked, getting some hard eyes from Raphael. "What, my love? It's clear that I'm not immune to men, so I'm just checking."

"Yes, there are mermen," Magnus said, "but I've never seen one. As far as I know, they aren't very keen to come to the surface to have fun. They are wilder and have little interest in humans."

"Well, that's good to know." Ragnor said relieved.

Magnus took a deep breath. "Ready?"

Ragnor and Raphael shook their heads in what appeared to be a tentative nod, and Magnus started singing the first song that came to his mind. It was a bit old, so he hoped Ragnor and Raphael knew it too.

"Love is the traitor of a sailor's life, he cause the girls to lose their hearts' delight. He cause them to sigh, he cause them to mourn, all for my true love, never to return." Magnus sang. "Father, father, build me a boat, out on the ocean I will float. There I'll hail each ship as I pass by, there I'll enquire for my true sailor boy."

After the first lines Ragnor and Raphael joined, and Magnus smiled. It was a very popular song among sailors, so fortunately they had no trouble catching up.

"She went a-sailin' on down the main, she met three ships just out from Spain. There she hailed each ship as she passed by, there she enquired for her true sailor boy." They sang in unison.

Magnus knew it was working when he felt a sudden chill in the air. It was very late, no doubt way past midnight; the moon was high above their heads, illuminating everything with its luster.

"Captain, captain, tell me true. Do my sweet William sail with you?" A choir of voices sang from the water.

"Oh dear God." Ragnor whispered, pointing to the distance.

Magnus and Raphael looked over the water. There, approaching them en masse was a large shoal of mermaids that made every fiber of Magnus's body to shiver. The sight of the group had reminded him of that night when his former captain had sent him to capture one of these deadly creatures of divine beauty.

"Don't stop singing." Magnus whispered, raising his voice only to continue with the song. "Oh, no fair maid he don't sail here. He's drownded in the Gulf my dear."

Ragnor and Raphael joined again. "She ran her boat up against a rock though to all her soul she'd broke her heart. She wrang her hands and tore her hair, just like some lady in despair. She called for a chair to sit her down, pen and ink she wrote it down. Oh, the end of every line, she dropped a tear. End of every verse was, oh, my dear."

The mermaids approached the small boat and Magnus felt shivers all over his body again from his head to the tip of his toe. Now they were within reach, only inches away from them.

"Father, father, dig my grave, place a marble stone at my head. Upon my breast a turkle dove, to show to the world that I died for love." The group of mermaids finished the song.

Magnus took those seconds to scan their faces, looking for the one he had helped all those years ago, but his search was useless. Mermaids could change their appearances at will to resemble whoever they wanted; something that came in handy when they were trying to drown sailors. They just had to look inside people's heart and make their appearances match the person the sailor already loved or would find easy on the eye.

"Ragnor step back." Magnus said, when he noticed that his friend was leaning over the railing, trying to look closer at the creature that was currently floating in front of him. Raphael had very wisely, tied himself to the mast, so Magnus wasn't worried about him. He knew he was safe.

"Greetings, people of the sea." Magnus said in a polite way. "My name is Magnus, Magnus Bane and I'm looking for one of your own. Daughter of Triton, granddaughter of Poseidon. Her name is..." He said, blanking for a second.

Magnus tried to remember the mermaid's name, but it wasn't an easy task. First, because it had been many years since he had last seen her, and second because Triton had many daughters. There were the popular ones, Aquata, Adrena, Arista, Adena, Adella, Alana and Ariel, and then there were the others. The ones he couldn't remember their names. It was surprising how these gods seemed to not be able to keep it in their pants, or tails, or whatever.

"What was the name again? Rebecca, Francesca, Vanessa, Theresa...that's right!" Magnus exclaimed. "Theresa...Tessa!"

"Tessa?" The mermaid closer to him asked. "Why do you need her if you have me, huh?" She said, getting closer to him, humming a tune to which Magnus was feeling very drawn to. "I can give you what you want."

Magnus got lost in the melody for a second and closed his eyes, opening them again only to discover that the once blonde mermaid, had changed her appearance and now she looked like some sort of female version of Alec. The view was equally amazing and disturbing.

"Am I not what you're looking for?" The mermaid asked, and Magnus, still trapped in her spell, did nothing but nod. He was lost in the mermaid's eyes—those eyes that were like Alec's.

And suddenly, that was all he could see. Alec's eyes looking back at him. Alec's eyes calling him.

"Magnus…" He heard his name being called on the back of his head.

He had always loved the way Alec said his name. It rolled out of his tongue in such a seductive way that it was hard to resist. And this creature was calling him, but her voice didn't sound like Alec's and that was all it took for Magnus to snap out of the spell and step back, shaking his head frantically.

Mermaids and their stupid charm. He thought. He could still feel the dizziness caused by the illusion.

"Tessa." Magnus said, forcing himself to concentrate again. "I need to see Tessa. You're not her. She and I have an unfinished business."

"I can take you with her if you want, you just have to go with me." The mermaid insisted, but Magnus could now control himself. He just had to remember Alec's voice and that was it.

"She's here." Magnus said. "You don't have to take me anywhere. Tessa? Tessa? Where are you?" He asked, looking at all the beautiful faces gathered around them. "I need your help."

"Mermaids don't help humans, not even humans who have changed their nature to live forever." Another mermaid said, looking at Magnus with distaste. Mermaids were very proud people and this one looked so much like Camille that it was unnerving.

"Oh, but she'll have to help me...she owes me." Magnus said.

"I do not owe you anything." A mermaid said. She was in the back, hiding behind the last row of mermaids.

Magnus immediately turned around to see her. And there, transforming before his eyes, was the woman he had met so long ago—same long brown hair, gray-blue eyes, pale skin.

"There you are!" Magnus said with a smile. "Hello, Tessa. It's been some time...I need your help."

"My sister already told you that-"

"Aye, aye, I know...but you and I have a past together, darling." Magnus said.

He knew that Tessa was different from the other mermaids. They had spent a few days together many years ago and he had learned to know her. She was kind and noble, as well as fearless and protective. Her prideful attitude was just a facade to keep up appearances in front of her people.

"You lost it." Tessa said, approaching him.

"Yeah, Valentine took it from me."

"Not that…" She said, looking him straight in the eye, "the other half of your heart."

Magnus nodded a bit nervous. He had forgotten how unnerving it was when mermaids looked inside your heart. "That's hmmm, that's actually why I'm here. I-I...could you help me find him?"

Tessa looked at him for long minutes, changing her appearance several times, trying to do what the other mermaid had tried, but just like before, it didn't work. Magnus couldn't be fooled—his heart couldn't be fooled anymore.

"You found it." She said, before going back to her familiar appearance. Magnus limited himself to nod. He knew that if there was someone who would understand what he felt for Alec that was Tessa. She had shared with Magnus some bits and pieces of the strong relationship that once she had lived with the two privateers who had discovered the Spiral.

"Your feelings are strong, that's true. You two share a connection." She concluded.

Magnus nodded again. "I-I don't want to lose him."

"You already did." Tessa said simply. "He left you."

"But I can get him back, right?" Magnus asked, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"Maybe, maybe not. It's not up to you. It will be his choice in the end."

Magnus exhaled relieved because it hadn't been a no. Mermaids could read souls and they were brutally honest, so a maybe was the best answer he could hope for after a yes.

"I don't mind if he doesn't stay with me." Magnus said. "I just don't want him to die."

"Then if that's all you want, you shall help him. There is more danger in these waters than what you think."

Magnus nodded.

Tessa looked at him. "The trip won't be easy. You've lived a long time, Magnus, but you haven't been tested. If you decide to go, this will be your test and death could be your only reward."

"I know, and I don't care as long as he's fine." Magnus said. He saw the mermaid meditating for a second.

"I do owe you my life," she said, "so I'll help you find the one you lost, but with this, my debt is paid. You won't be able to ask for my help anymore unless you're willing to pay the price."

"Aye." Magnus agreed.

Tessa turned around to look at the other mermaids and these disappeared in a matter of seconds, taking with them that odd feeling that seemed to have enchanted the atmosphere since they had first appeared.

"I hope you're up for a long trip because the place we are heading is not close. If you want to be there on time, we must leave. There's no time to waste."

Magnus nodded.

"And, how does this work? Do we follow you or what?" Raphael asked. He and Ragnor had been very quiet since the mermaids had approached, certainly very intimidated with their beauty to speak.

"Yes, I will guide your path." Tessa said with a smile.

"Then show us the way, ma'am." Ragnor added.

Tessa stopped swimming and stared at him. Magnus frowned in confusion.

"I know you." Tessa said, making them all to look at each other in puzzlement. "You are the one who used to save slaves in exchange for precious rocks."

"I-I…" Ragnor stuttered.

"My grandfather likes you," Tessa said, "you've done good for his seas. Bear your title with pride, Emerald Prince, you've earned it."

Ragnor smiled proud of himself.

"Couldn't you have kept that to yourself?" Magnus complained. "Now he's going to think he's some sort of hero."

"But he is." Tessa said.

"I am." Ragnor added, making Magnus to roll his eyes in exasperation. He knew he would hear about this little exchange of words for the rest of his life.

Mermaids and their damn honesty! He thought. "Lead the way, Tessa." He said aloud.

Tessa said no more and just smiled at them, swimming gracefully to the East.

"Ready?" Magnus asked Ragnor and Raphael.

The pirates nodded, helping him to put the small boat in motion.

"Mate?" Ragnor asked. "Are you sure about this? You heard what she said, you could-"

"I am."

"Okay then." Ragnor said, walking away to help Raphael with the sails.

Magnus took a deep breath and looked at the horizon. Wherever Alec was he knew he would find him. He had to find him, even if it was just to see him walk away from him for the second time.

o-o-o-o-o

Alec exhaled. The fact that a fleet from the Clave were sailing the same waters as them had not only delayed them in their quest to find the island, but it had represented a problem that Alec hadn't even considered in the equation. He had thought his father would do nothing to rescue his brother, but apparently he had been wrong. The Clave had vessels patrolling the Caribbean and thanks to that, Alec and his crew were late.

They would have arrived already if they hadn't had to circle around the thousands of islands to avoid being followed. Alec had figured—thanks to the number of vessels they had seen in the past two days—that the Clave had no idea where the island was and he found that strange. Many men behind the most important positions of the Clave had been part of Valentine's crew, but apparently the crazy captain had been smart enough to keep the location of the island to himself.

Something that now that Alec thought about it, he had been more than careless about. Any smart captain would know that the location of an unknown island was something that had to be kept under lock, but he had been a fool. He had shared the location with Elias without thinking about the consequences that such act could have.

Well, shit. He thought, not allowing himself to worry much about it.

He had already done it and there was nothing he could do, but expect that Elias were smart enough to never try to go back there again—if he made it out alive, of course. Elias was the Quartermaster, so it was his duty to be with his captain until the very end, so when Alec finally faced Valentine, the pirate was expected to be by his side, and that lowered his chances of survival consid-

"Captain?" Elias asked, snapping Alec out of his thoughts. He had been distracted thinking as he look at the stars. The night was beautiful and he had always loved stargazing.

"Yes?"

"We're here." Elias announced.

Alec looked up to try to spot something past the railing of the ship, but he couldn't. It was pitch black, so he pulled from his pocket Magnus's spy-glass, and after making a mental note to stop calling it like that 'Magnus's spy-glass,' he took a look.

Several miles away from them, Alec could make out what looked like a dark mass on the horizon, but he couldn't tell if it was the island or not. "Are you sure we're here?"

"Yes, captain. The man at the crow's nest saw the lights of what appears to be the Blue Danube, sir. Captain Morgenstern's ship."

"It's not his ship." Alec said absentmindedly.

"We're certain it was the Danube, captain."

"No, I mean, the Danube is not Valentine's ship." Alec explained. "He stole it, but that ship is not rightfully his." He said, walking toward the main mast and climbing to the crow's nest to try to see with his own eyes if they had, indeed, arrived to the island.

"Mind if I take a look?" Alec asked the man who was there.

"Be my guest, captain." The man said.

Alec adjusted the lens of the spy-glass and once again, took a look.

There, among the shadows and some rocks, Alec saw the silhouette of a ship, the silhouette of a ship with blue sails—the Blue Danube. It was true, they had finally arrived.

"Keep a close eye on them." He instructed the man. "We're going to approach the island from the opposite side to avoid them, but let me know if they make any move."

"Aye, aye captain."

Alec went down and shared his plan with the rest of the crew, instructing the men to extinguish all the candles to avoid being spotted. He knew that Valentine must have men watching the ship and the island in case of an attack. The winter solstice would happen in two more days so the crew was probably still aboard the ship.

"Assign some men to keep an eye all night. The Clave is nearby and Valentine can't see us, at least not until we have a plan. If we want to take him by surprise we must be very cautious." Alec told Elias. "Tomorrow we'll explore the island and see if we can find a way to approach the cave from behind."

"Aye, captain." Elias said, moving about to help the men with their tasks.

Alec took a deep breath. He was so close to his brother and yet still so far that it was even more frustrating than before. All he wanted was to go to the Danube and try to save him, but he knew he couldn't afford to do something so reckless. He would only have one chance to make this right and he had to have a well-structured plan for it to work. He just prayed that when that happened, it wouldn't be too late to save Jace.

o-o-o-o-o

Magnus was thinking about Alec as he had been doing ever since they had separated from each other. He was leaning on the railing of the boat, watching how the bow cut the water as it made its way across the ocean.

Ragnor had taken over the helm for some hours so that they all could rest, but Magnus had found it impossible to close his eyes, so he had stayed there to think. He was worried about Alec. He knew they would be arriving to the island just in time for the solstice, or at least that was what Tessa had told him, so he couldn't help thinking that maybe he was already too late to save the man he loved.

"He's protected." Tessa said out of nowhere.

She was swimming alongside the boat, showing them the path to follow.

"Who?"

"The boy," Tessa said, "he has Raziel's blood running through his veins. He's blessed."

Magnus chuckled. He didn't think that having Raziel's blood could be call a blessing, it was more like a curse. "I think he's more cursed than blessed, to be honest." He said, voicing his thoughts.

"That's because he's with a cursed man."

"Aye, a cursed man who won't hesitate to kill him, so he's not that protected. Valentine's crazy."

"We're all a bit crazy." Tessa admitted with a smile.

"Maybe...but that man lost his compass, Tessa."

Tessa didn't reply and just kept swimming. Magnus took a deep breath and resumed his reverie. He couldn't stop thinking about Alec and how, if things had been slightly different they could have had a very different story. If Jason hadn't captured him after helping Alec maybe they would have gone on a date that day to get to know each other, maybe they would have fallen in love without all the drama and the lies, maybe they would still be together, maybe what he felt inside wouldn't hurt that much.

"How do you do it?" Magnus wondered aloud. He knew Tessa was still swimming near him. "You sea people have many lovers...does it hurt this much every time you lose them?"

"I'm not like my people, you know that." Tessa admitted.

Magnus sighed. It was true. The mermaid had shared that with him a long time ago. "Have you forgotten about them? The privateers?"

"No. There's not a single day that I don't think about them. Mermaids aren't supposed to fall in love, you know? So when it happens it's forever."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's a connection like no other. Just like with humans, when the heart finds the right one, it's something that cannot be changed."

"I think Alec is that for me."

"I know," Tessa said, "remember that I can see inside your heart."

"Well, it's been a bit chaotic in there lately."

"True, but so is in the hearts of those who are in love."

Magnus smiled. It was curious how at the end of the day everything came back to love. Love was a curse and a blessing; love was the most powerful force in the world. Love could-

"Is it true?" Magnus asked. His train of thought had reminded him of something he wanted to know.

"What?"

"What is said about the curse. Jonathan's text isn't very specific about it. It just says that, 'that who steals and compels by greed, by greed would be consumed.' Rumor has it that it also includes losing everything you've ever loved, but no one knows for sure."

Tessa remained silent for a moment. "I don't know Raziel's exact word," she confessed, "but it's true that the curse kills them. It's said that consumes the one who has it. They lose everything they have loved and their lives, as long as these were going to be, are reduced by half. They stop feeling until within them, the only thing left is emptiness."

Magnus meditated the new information for some seconds. He couldn't begin to understand what that would feel like. The emptiness…He had lost Alec, but he still felt something inside him. In fact, what he felt was the reminder that once he had had love in his life. The moments he had shared with Alec were still there as vivid as if they had happened just a moment ago.

"So Valentine doesn't feel anything?"

"No, he doesn't."

Magnus meditated again. How was he going to defeat a man who felt no more? He had to find something, anything, that might help him save Alec.

"Can I ask you something else?" Magnus asked.

"Sure."

"Why does he need three boys to lift the curse? A Sea Witch told me it was because there were three forces, but that doesn't make any sense. Jonathan had no heirs and that was why he died, but even if he had had any, would he have had to have three in order to get rid of the curse?"

"Never trust a Sea Witch completely, Magnus. I thought you had learned your lesson." Tessa said. "And no, you read Jonathan's text. What you need to lift the curse is the blood of the firstborn of the person who took the treasure. 'If you're looking for forgiveness, let my blood to wash the sins. No matter if Eve or Adam, the blood is the same alike. Place it where it was hidden and return all what was lost, but remember that only the firstling will be gifted by the grace of God.' Jonathan wasn't blessed with heirs so he died, but Valentine was."

"So that means that Valentine wasn't the only one to grab the treasure that night."

"Exactly. When Valentine found the treasure he was so full of himself that in his arrogance he let his Quartermaster and Boatswain to take two of the three instruments for him."

"Robert Lightwood and Michael Wayland." Magnus said. He knew those two used to come as a package deal.

"If he had grabbed the three mortal instruments by himself, then he would have never needed the two other boys."

"So Valentine's firstborn was a boy, how many more does he have?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I need to know as much as I can about him to save my Alexander. If he has some sort of weakness besides his own greed, I need to know. I'm sure he won't miss the chance to get rid of the curse and Alexander's life is at risk. I need to find something to stop him."

"That's true." Tessa agreed. "Anyone in his place would drain the boys to death to make sure it works."

"So, how many?"

"He had two, the boy and a girl. He doesn't care about any of them, so don't even think about using them." Tessa said. "By the time they arrived to this world, he had no love left in his heart."

"So he has no weakness?"

"As you said his weakness is his own greed. And to defeat him you must use that, but be very careful." Tessa warned him. "You'll be facing a man who has nothing left in him. No love, no remorse, no conscience."

Magnus sighed. He already knew someone like that. "I have some sort of experience with people like him."

"I know that, but he's nothing compared to Valentine." Tessa said. "Unlike him, Valentine still has something to lose that he cares about."

"What?"

"His own life. He won't hesitate to send you with your-"

"I know." Magnus said, before she could complete that sentence.

The very idea of something like that ever happening gave him goosebumps, but he knew it was a huge possibility. He had started this quest to retrieve his ship and he was probably going to end it because of a man. It was amazing how different things were from a few months ago. He knew his old self would have handled things very differently. However, that person was dead, he had died the moment he had let Alec walk into his heart.

"That's not a bad thing." Tessa said.

For a moment Magnus had forgotten she was still somehow listening to the whirlwind of emotions that he had inside.

"I know." Magnus said, thinking about Alec.

Yeah, probably the picture in front of him was not ideal, but he knew that to ensure Alec's happiness, any risk was worth it—even death.


Thank you for reading. Just as a quick note, yes the other two boys are Jonathan Christopher (aka Sebastian) and Jonathan Wayland. For all of you who haven't read the books, Jace's last name isn't Wayland, so no, it's not him ;)

Anyway, see you all on Friday!