Levys breath fogged in front of her face as she carried the tray of warm mugs up to the deck. They had made it north and were in their fourth day of travel, their second in the frozen waters. She wore one of Gajeels large coats over her own but the wind was still sharp and chilled the bone. The Magnolia sailed close by, the glaciers on either side made the space tight but both helm masters were experts, and they seemed to move with each other. Levy couldn't help but giggle at the irony of Juvia being the Magnolias helm master. She handed her own a mug of warm cider which he accepted with a gloved hand. The cold didn't seem to bother him as much as the others, but his nose and cheeks were still red and his fingers trembled ever so slightly.
"Here boys," she said softly as she set the remains of the tray on a barrel that Lily, Gajeel, Natsu and Romeo sat at and they all accepted the warm drinks. She grabbed the last one, hot chocolate instead of cider, and carefully climbed the mast. She hopped into the nest where Happy had made a little hole of blankets and was wrapped comfortably in them. " You look cozy." She said with a giggle as the boy took the offered drink. " Wouldn't be so bad if the wind would stop." He said with a toothy grin. She returned the grin before heading back down the mast and taking a seat beside Gajeel.
" How much longer in this wasteland?" Gajeel grumbled as he tugged Levy closer, keeping her warm against his side. " We should be leaving it by morning." Levy said as she snuggled closer. She peered at the map beneath the tray of drinks, careful not to spill. " There's a cavern we have to go through before we hit open ocean again." She said as she tried to get her teeth to stop chattering. Gajeel unwound his black scarf from his neck, winding it again around hers. She smiled before going back to the map. " Captain!" Happy called at the same time the small girl, Charlie, called from the Magnolias nest.
" Cavern ahead!" He called as the ships rounded the glaciers coming to a large opening in the side of the frozen wall. The inside was dark as night, and the helm masters called for a hoist of sails to bring their ships to a stop. The Magnolia gently drifted to a stop beside the Iron Dragon and both captains walked to stand before the other. " We dont know what will be waiting for us inside." Erza stated, getting right to the point. " Aye. According to the map Mavis gave us it should only take an hour to get through here. In theory." Gajeel said as he glanced into the darkness. Something about the ominous cavern sent chills down even the raven haired captains spine. " We will go first, stick close." He said as he turned his attention back to Erza who nodded. Usually she would argue about a man giving her orders, but he was thinking safe. Their ship was larger than hers, and Natsu and Romeo were quick hands at the cannons gave them a better offense.
Gajeel turned to his helm master,"Take us in Grey, easy!" He called. Levy stood at the bottom of the mast and shouted up to the boy at the nest. "Happy come on down!" "Charle, you too!" A young woman on the Magnolia called to the white haired girl in the crows nest. She was slightly shorter than Levy though she was only fourteen and had long dark blue hair, her name was Wendy. The two look outs scrambled down from the nests, which were dangerously close to the roof of the cavern and helped light lanterns around the ships.
Grey carefully steered the ship into the cavern, carefully so the mast don't hit the icicles in the ceiling. Juvia follows with the Magnolia close behind, steering as if she was one with the water. Despite the fact that the cavern was cut off from the bone chilling wind it was somehow colder inside, and the ships glowed erily with their lantern light. All was quiet, only the sound of the water slapping the ships haul was heard. Levy sat near Gajeels cabin, Happy settled in her lap when she first heard it. A low hum, almost like a buzzing in her ear. She frowned a little and shook her head to clear it, figuring the dead quiet was playing with her head. Though, when she heard it the second time it was a bit louder and clearer. Happy whined slightly and rubbed his ears. " You hear it too?" She asked and he nodded.
She frowned, gasping slightly as the ship scrapped along the ice covered walls. " Grey, steady!" She called but he didn't right his course as the ship continued to scrape dangerously on the cavern walls. " Grey-sama?!" She could hear Juvia shout from the Magnolia as she made her way up to the helm. " What the hell Grey?!" She shouted as she walked up to him, but he didn't look at her. His face was slack and his eyes stared vacantly ahead. Levy waved her hand in front of his face, frowning more when he didn't respond. " Oi Gajeel!" She called, leaning over the railing to look down at him.
Gajeel didn't respond or even look in the faes direction, his gaze locked straight ahead. Levy looked around the ship to find her entire crew in the same state, theirs gazes locked ahead in the distance." What in the seven seas is going on?!" Erza shouted to her as she stood at the bow of her ship. " Erza I dont-" Levy froze as she heard it, her eyes wide. The low hum that had been spreading through the cavern was louder now and she could now tell with certainty it was a voice. Several, in fact, singing in a low hum that reverberated in the still air. Slowly their voices got louder, singing a haunted melody that chilled the bones of those who weren't captured in their spell. " Sirens!" Levy called, immediately covering her ears.
The darkness ahead slowly brightened, a soft glow lighting up the cavern as they drew closer. Levy plugged her ears with cotton from the top of her boots before shoving Grey out of the way and steering away from the wall and rounding a bend in the cavern. There, on an out crop of rocks sat five women, their skin pale and glowing like moonlight sheathed only in thin silk that clung to their skin. She could see from her place at the helm their clawed fingers and pointed teeth. One in particular caught her eye, her long hair a pale blonde and her eyes like the stormy seas. " Shagot." She muttered, staring horrified at the siren who looked like her adopted mother, but she knew in her heart it wasn't her. On the deck she could see Lily slowly moving forward, transfixed by the image of his lost love.
" Lily, it's not her!" Levy cried to him but he didn't hear her, the women's song already blocking everything out. The ship swayed as something knocked into it, and Levy turned her attention to the Magnolia that was now touching sides with the Iron Dragon. Mira jump over, quickly running to the deck to try and stop the men from jumping overboard to their death. Cana was next, helping pull the men below deck while Juvia manuvired their ship between Levys and the Sirens. Levy could see Lucy preparing the cannons, causing the Sirens to hiss, their song wavering erily in the dark cave.
Lucy quickly fired the first round of cannons, she and Wendy using the same patterns as Natsu and Romeo. The Sirens screeched and scattered, hiding amongst the ice surrounding them. Their unearthly glow being the only thing alerting them to their presence. Once Mira and Cana had all the men locked below the ran to Levy, trying to talk to her through the cotton. After several minutes of talking through hand gestures the women had a plan, and Cana went to relay to the other women. They would keep the Sirens at bay with the canons, knowing it was suicide to leave the ship to confront them. They were already half way through the cavern, and as long as they made it outside into the daylight, they would be safe. Now if only they could make it that far.