Author's Note: I can't begin to tell you how ecstatic I am at how much people seem to be enjoying this fiction! It warms my heart and gives me a happy fuzzy feeling inside. I promise to continue doing my best and try very hard not to let anyone down. Recently, I received a review stating that Sirens were half fish- half human. This is an incorrect, though entirely understandable, assumption. The Sirens were usually portrayed as sparrow-like birds with women's faces or like mermaids, but half bird. They later began to appear as the 'mermaids', but this was their original form. Some background in Greek mythology will be necessary to understanding upcoming chapters, but I will do my best to explain everything. Ya! Go long pointless rants! Now here's the Disclaimer!

Disclaimer: As is probably expected, I'm going to tell you that I own nothing. But hopefully I'll be able to surprise you some day. Now here's the chapter!

Chapter 7

Raven was frustrated. That was the true and simple fact, one of the most deeply honest statements she had ever made. Normally she had more tolerates for research, but normally she didn't spend more than a week researching one thing. She had combed and combed and re-combed through her library, skimming for some vaguer reference to yellowed eyed creatures with hypnotic voices. Nothing. There was absolutely no information on such an individual. Therefore, she still had no idea who or what was in Beast Boy's head or how it was manipulating him, or why it might be doing so. Most importantly, she still had no idea how to stop it. In short, she hadn't budged from square one. And that was the underlying reason for Raven's frustration.

"Friend Raven?" A knock came from outside her door, causing her to drop one or two of the books she was levitating about her. She had not expected company. "Friend Raven, may we do the 'talking' please," called a voice from outside, bolder than most, but still timid and abnormally quiet. Sighing, Raven closed the rest of her books and moved them all into a pile beside her bed. She could pick up after a short talk with Starfire.

"Come in," she called, slightly exasperated. The alien's face appeared in her room, blinking timidly as if to ask for permission to allow her body to follow. "Well," she snapped, clearing some books off her bed and shooting a sharp glance over her shoulder. "Do you want to talk or not?" Starfire looked hurt and began to back out.

"If this is a bad time…" she mumbled.

"No wait," Raven said, straightening and stepping towards the door. She had never yelled at Starfire before. She had wanted to, but never did. They were too close, and the girl was just too sensitive. Her harsh words could have sent Starfire into a depression if she didn't apologies. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound so cold. It's just," She wasn't sure what to say, so she just closed her mouth and sat down on her bed. Starfire moved in cautiously, the door closing behind her, allowing the darkness to return. She, like most of the Titans, was uncomfortable in Raven's room.

"May I sit?" Raven meant to nod, but instead her head just sort of wobbled on top of her sore neck. Starfire took this as a sign of approval and plopped down next to the dark teen, bouncing slightly. The girl next to her reached up to rub her cramping neck, trying to restore some of its strength. "Have you found anything new?"

"No," Raven breathed, letting her eyes close as she rubbed the tension out. Hours spent pouring over books hadn't usually bothered her, but then again, she had never spent hours staring at ten books placed unceremoniously around her. Perhaps she should have taken a break a bit earlier. "There's absolutely nothing about a creature like this in any of the Azrathian Texts or any of my other books."

"We just need to be patient," suggested Starfire, smiling reassuringly. "And we all have the greatest confidence in you and your knowledge."

"I hope that confidence isn't misplaced."

"What makes you say that? You have yet to fail any of us in a time of need."

"It's been a week Starfire." Raven opened her eyes, frowning slightly. "And I don't know any more than I did when I went into Beast Boy's mind." She paused, her frown deepening. "He must be more frustrated than I am right now." Her voice was far more pensive than she had intended. But what really surprised her was when Starfire laughed. "Mind letting me in on the joke," she said, the slightest edge of annoyance in her voice.

"It's just," the alien giggled. "He is the one who continually reassures us that you will 'fix him', as he likes to put it. I do not believe he has any doubts at all, least of all about you." There was a suggestive note in her voice that made Raven frown oh-so-slightly.

"He always was an idiot," she said dryly, opening her eyes and dropping her hands into her lap. "Though I'll admit it is ironic, that he would be the one to have so much faith in me. Normally he would be bobbing about my shoulders to distract me, or worse, offer me suggestions." Her voice was bitter, but that was barely audible beneath the monotone. "Either that, or he'd be around every few seconds to ask me if I was sure I knew what I was doing."

"He does spend quite a bit of time around you," agreed Starfire, nodding slightly.

"There are times it's like he's my self-appointed shadow! There to question my every action, every motive for those actions. It really is better that he's decided to just stay out of my hair on this one, or I might actually follow through on one of my threats." There it was, the barest bit of true emotion that always slipped through whenever she and Starfire "did the talking". Raven didn't like it, but it was just one of those things that couldn't be helped.

"You…desire his presence," Starfire tried gently. "You… miss him?"

"Are you joking?" Her voice was completely blank, asking the question like it was a fact. There was no humor in her voice.

"Am I mistaken? I apologies, but you seemed to be stating that you wish Beast Boy was here." Starfire looked hopefully at Raven, but she just stared blankly back. "You sound almost as if you… I do not know the words; you are worried by his recent lack of persistency. Or perhaps it is simply strange to not have him around."

"It's a relief," Raven said flatly, not breaking eye contact. "I've rarely been closer to being happy or relaxed. Truthfully, I wish he could act like this more often."

"He would be hurt to hear you say that," whispered Starfire, her eyebrows raised into a puppy-dogish expression. "He cares about how you see him... a great deal."

"What do you mean," she asked skeptically, trying but failing to keep her face strait.

"You have truly not noticed?"

"Noticed what," Raven snapped, her temper close to the surface.

"I apologies, I did not mean any offence, it is merely surprising to me that you do not know what I speak of." Raven frowned. "Tameranians are a highly emotional people, as I believe you have commented before. We tend to be very sensitive to others emotions as well. Given the nature of your empathic abilities, I thought you were as well."

"I am," Raven mused, looking towards her bookcase. "I know what everyone in the Tower is feeling, I can sense the civilians fear when they are attacked, the euphoria of the villain as he commits his crime. Beast Boy I can sense from a mile away."

"And yet you are still unaware of how he feels about you."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean." She hadn't meant to sound so cruel, but this little 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' thing was getting on her nerves. Knowing things was her job after all, what she was best at. And if there was one thing that annoyed her beyond all reason, it was people dangling information in front of her, yet refusing to share. Beast Boy was particularly good at that. Starfire looked hurt by her tone, again. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"Just?"

"Beast Boy said something similar when I was in his mind. He said there were things, things that he didn't want me to see. He said they could hurt our relationship, but that I probably already knew about them."

"Do you?" Sometimes Starfire's innocence was just flat out annoying.

"Obviously not." The alien princess flushed. "Perhaps you could enlighten me?"

"Well, he continually tries to make you laugh, a trait I have noticed in many Earth couples," Starfire tried to explain, but she was cut off by a strange gagging noise coming from Raven's general vicinity. "And he is always by your side when we fight, to protect you I believe. And whenever you are actually feeling, how do you say it, down, he tries to cheer you up as best he can."

"What are you getting at?"

"He is in love with you." For once in her life, Raven didn't know what to say.

It was strange, he remembered taking a shower, having some kind of argument with Robin, and playing video games with Cyborg. Then everything went… away. There was no other way to describe it, just away. All his cares just floated up, all his worries, all his thoughts, till nothing mattered anymore. He had the most bizarre, yet comforting feeling, of falling away from the steering wheel and letting someone else take over after a long hard drive. Or collapsing into welcome arms after one of Robin's Slade obsessed, psychopathic, overly zealous training sessions. The arms had carried him away from such things, to a place where everything was all right. And now he was here, where ever here was, with no idea how he got there. Shouldn't that have bothered him? For some reason, it didn't, not at all. And why should it?

He felt warm and heavy, content and comfortable. But the joys of sleep seldom remain for long. Before it was welcome, wakefulness began to descend on him. There was something warm and sort of soft beneath his head, a silken blanket covering the rest of his body. Something was stroking his hair, rhythmic, soothing strokes, a fine, melodic voice humming gently from somewhere above him. The tune was simple yet complex at the same time, a single resonant voice, and a chorus of angels stroking chords as one strokes a purring cat. It vibrated around him, within him, moving through the air, twisting it to strings for the voice to caress and pluck. Had he been given the choice, he would have stayed there, in that state of semi-consciousness, with the music in his ears forever.

But there was something wrong. His pillow felt a lot like flesh, his blanket silken hair… or feathers, he couldn't tell. The thing that was stroking his head felt like a hand, but only in size. Its texture was almost scaly, like bird legs, and there were only three fingers. Every now and then, talons would graze his scalp, not hard enough to hurt, but in a way that was quite similar to nails raking across itchy skin. And this was not his bed, or his room, or the bathroom, or even the Tower. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking a few times in the new brightness. Yep, definitely not the Tower, or even California. Everything was shimmering in the light that filtered through the bubble like sphere, dancing like candlelight through the waves. White cloth formed a soft, cushy floor, and more decorated the… ceiling, if you could call it that, draping like streamers, their ends dangling to form translucent walls. Other than that, there wasn't much.

Slowly, he began to sit up, his head spinning. The singing faded into dry humming, the talons leaving his head. He had been playing with Cyborg, Robin had come in, escorted him to the bath room. He had definitely been taking a shower, had heard the singing, and now he was here. Where was here? Groaning, he rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to sharpen his vision, then began to look around. Someone was giggling behind him and the humming stopped. Beast Boy chanced a glance, nearly falling over when he made eye contact. There was a girl there, kneeling and grinning gently. She had long, long, dusty brown hair, peppered with the occasional feather of the same color, that cascaded down over her shoulders and body into thick pools all around her. It was also rather conveniently placed, causing a crimson flush to heat his cheeks. Her face was rather round, her features almost too small, with the exception of her wide, thin lips and large cheeks, both of which were completely bleached of color. And her eyes. Those were huge and owlish, their pupils thick black slits in a sea of rich, almost amber yellow. There was no white, causing them to contrast vividly with her pale skin. That held the look of something that had once held a dark, Mediterranean tan, but had been leached of such color by time spent far from the sun. But skin wasn't the only thing that covered her body; around her elbows bird-like scales began to blossom, extending down to her tallied three fingered hands. The same was true for her calves, except that her feet most definitely belonged to a giant sparrow.

Only after a few moments of staring and thinking did it occur to him that there might be a reason why she had that particular grin on her face. "Oh My God!" His shrieks echoed around the bubble like chamber as he frantically reached for anything to cover himself up. It took him even longer to realize that he was, in fact, already wearing something, a strange type of improvised toga made from the white cloth that dominated the chamber to be exact. He had no idea how it had gotten there, but was grateful for it none the less.

"I apologies if I startled you, but you were rather informally dressed when you first arrived and I know how modest people here are." The girl's lips were moving, but the voice he heard could not have belonged to anything less than a Muse. It didn't even sound human, or anything like any kind of animal noise he had ever heard. Then she laughed, and he pinched himself to make sure that he was awake. "You're a strange people, you Americans, from a strange time. So much has changed." She seemed to float to her feet without ever moving, then approached him calmly. "But you are the strangest of all, Garfield."

"Woe, woe, hold the phone!" Beast Boy said loudly, jumping away from her as she reached out to adjust his sheet- toga.

"Is something wrong," she asked coyly, her wide mouth twisting into a smile.

"Who are you, what are you? How do you know me? How did I get here? What is going on? Where am I?!!!" He spat out the questions almost before they came to mind, managing to confuse himself more than anything.

"It's all right, Garfield," she soothed. "Don't be afraid. They called me Zinara, and you are in my prison. You came here because I asked you to."

"You're the one who's been singing?" Beast Boy paused to take in the information, suddenly feeling the distinct urge to sit down. Zinara waited patiently. "Have I- have I been here before? Is that how you know who I am?"

"It's a little more complicated, but essentially yes. You came her once before, but it had been so long, I couldn't remember… Others have answered my call before, one even made it to my cell, long ago, but they all drowned before they could help me. You were the first to survive the trip. I established a bond, a special bond between us, so we can help each other. That is how I know you so well, and somewhere deep within your mind, you know me too." This time, he didn't recoil as she reached out to him. She was so tiny, about Raven's height, but fine boned and thin as a rake. Her hair smelled of sea salt and olive oil, her heart beat pounding rapidly in his head. "What I am is not important," she continued. "But if you want to know, then I will tell you. I am a freak of nature, rather like you, and an abomination like your friend Raven."

"She's not an abomination," he said defensively, but he didn't pull back.

'Half-breeds are rarely considered anything else by the mortal world." Her beautiful voice held a sour note of bitterness, but that made it almost even more beautiful. "What is going on is not important now. I just wanted to see you again, and ask for your help." Zinara sat down again, humming softly. Beast Boy followed suit, just listening to the sound of her voice. It was so beautiful; he could have just listened forever.

"My help? What can I do?" True, he was a shape shifter, and could be very useful in a pinch, but there were plenty of people who were way better than him in every thing he did. Robin for example. No one had ever asked for his help before. They had asked the Titans, the Doom Patrol, or not asked at all and just threatened him with torture and death. But there had never been a person who had come up to him and said 'could you help me?'

"Far more than you probably realize. Especially now," Zinara answered, her voice maintaining that hypnotic quality. "We've bonded; you're the only one who can hear me now. The only one who can help me finish what I started all those years ago. The only one who can free me from this cage." A good ego stroking was not something he received often, and was far from unwelcome. "I need you Garfield." That did it.

"What do you need me to do?"

"They stole something from me, something very important," Zinara said, completely unsurprised by his response. She turned her head sharply, her eyes meeting his, her lips twisted into a gentile smile. "We must get it back, or I can never be freed." He frowned slightly, but she tilted his chin up and leaning close enough to feel his breath. "Don't worry, I'm with you now, Garfield, you won't have to be alone. I'll always be with you now."

"He what!" Raven hissed after about five minutes of ridged silence. Starfire winced and got up, moving discretely towards the door. "You can not possibly be serious! Starfire, you're not making another bad attempt at a practical joke?" The alien flushed slightly, though from embarrassment or anger, none could tell.

"This is your odyssey, Raven," she said cryptically, glancing back over her shoulder as the door opened. "I am quite certain that only you can find the answers." Then she left without another word, probably hoping that she had provoked Raven into some action or at least conversation with their green friend. Unfortunately, Raven's mind was over a thousand years away, and going at about a mile per hour.

"The Odyssey," she said under her breath, her eyes wide, her expression simply that of a child after hearing the answer to their first riddle. "Starfire, you're a genius."