Chapter 21

Aiden was silent as he considered Aurelia's suggestion. She wanted him to come with her. To go into the sirens' home. Anthemoessa.

He had to admit that he was interested in what the kingdom of the sirens looked like. His thirst for adventure and exploration played a large role in that. When he first started off on his adventure, he would have jumped at the opportunity to see this underwater kingdom.

But now he could not help but consider the dangers of doing so. The sirens were dangerous and if he were to go straight down there to them it would be like he was giving himself to them on a silver platter. If a single one of them saw him, they could easily overpower them. The water was their element.

He would have Aurelia there to protect him, but there was only so much she could do. Against one siren he knew she could hold her own, but against multiple? His chances of survival would be slim. 

But he was not going to dismiss the idea just because it was dangerous. If it was true what she said, that it would be safer down there than above the surface, maybe it was the better option. She did know more about this type of thing than he did. 

"Are you sure it is safe?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I am positive that it is not." She said, "But I know that being by my side would be safer than staying up here alone." 

"What about the sirens down there? Wouldn't they immediately see me?"

"Most sirens do not stay in Anthemoessa. They are almost always out amongst the waters, waiting for sailors. The only ones who permanently stay within the kingdom are the Queen and her council." 

"So, they will be the ones we have to look out for." He said.

"Not if we are lucky. They reside inside the palace. As long as we avoid it, we will be less likely to run into them." 

"That doesn't sound as bad as I thought." 

"This is just my assumption. There may be more sirens down there. It is not likely they all will be gone. The safest place for you would be away from here." She said, "If you wish, I can guide you away from these waters. I do not want to see any harm come to you." 

"No way." He said. "I did not come all the way here for nothing. We are in this together." 

Her eyes shimmered as she smiled. "Thank you." She said. He smiled back, a warm heat spreading through his chest as he gazed into her eyes. 

Suddenly Gale pounced onto Aiden, ruining the moment and nearly knocking him over. "Down, Gale!" Aiden said, angling his head away as the dog kept trying to lick his face. 

"Before we go you should put your beast back below. He will be safe there." Aurelia said.

Aiden looked at Gale, not wanting to leave him alone. "Are you sure we will be safe?"

"He is an animal. The sirens will not go after him." She assured him. 

"Alright. Come, Gale." Aiden led him below deck and locked him down there. He felt bad about leaving him in the cramped space, but knew it was for the best. "I will be back soon." He said before heading back above deck. 

"Are you ready?" Aurelia asked?

"Wait, how am I supposed to breathe down there?" He asked as the concern suddenly came to mind.

"There is a type of magical seaweed that grows just outside of Anthemoessa. If you ingest it, it will grant you the ability to breathe underwater for a short while." She said. 

"I didn't know such a thing existed." He said in awe. 

"Before you did not think sirens existed either." She said.

"True." 

"Shall we go?" 

He thought about it. He was ready. Giving her a short nod, he dived into the water. It was murky and cold. He could barely see or feel his numbing limbs. 

The only thing he could see was the golden light that surrounded Aurelia. She swam closer to him, and the light got brighter, making it a little bit easier for him to see. With the light came a sweet warmth that fought off the cold and made him long to be closer to her. 

Giving him a smile, she grabbed his hand to lead him as they swam. The warmth surrounding her shot through her hand and down his arm. From there it quickly spread throughout his entire body, removing the numbing feeling in his limbs and filling his entire body with a comfortable warmth. 

Though the golden light made it easier to see through the murky water, Aiden still had a hard time making anything out. To him it was just a bunch of dark, featureless, murky water. But somehow Aurelia seemed to know exactly where she was going. Without her guiding him, he knew he would be lost. 

After a little over a minute, he felt the oxygen in his lungs begin to leave him. He squeezed Aurelia's hand signaling to her that he was running out of air. Understanding what he needed, she stopped swimming and placed her lips on his, breathing air into him.

The feeling of her soft lips against his made his heart jump. No matter how many times they kissed, he knew he would always have the same reaction. And he knew that he would always want more. 

When she parted, he was disappointed but was relieved by the feeling of air back in his lungs. They had to stop two more times so she could give him more air before they finally made it to the ocean floor. Aurelia turned to Aiden, giving him a reassuring smile, before letting go of his hand and disappearing in the murky water. 

The silence around him felt like it was being hammered violently into his ears. Never before had he ever heard a silence that was so loud. He never even thought it was possible, yet there he was. 

He could feel the cold water begin to bite at his limbs. It was like the ocean itself was trying to attack him. The chilling cold began to fill his body again, leaving him feeling empty and alone. 

Just as his air was about to run out, Arelia returned with a dark green plant in her grasp. She handed it to him, and he took a bite. His nose scrunched up as he cringed, entirely disgusted at the revolting taste. 

"You must consume the entire thing." Aurelia told him. Her voice was slightly distorted by the water, but he was still able to understand her. 

He brought the plant back up to his lips and hesitated. He could not get the wretched taste out of his mouth or his mind. But still, he had to eat it. 

Closing his eyes tightly, he mentally prepared himself for a second before putting the entire thing in his mouth and swallowing. His taste buds screamed at him as his stomach churned. It took everything in him to keep it down and to not regurgitate it. 

Aurelia laughed a little as she smiled at him. "Do you like the taste?" She asked.

"I never want to eat something that vile ever again." He said, surprising himself that he was able to talk underwater. "Wait, how am I talking?" 

"It was the seaweed." Aurelia said.  

It was not quite the answer he was looking for since he could have guessed that was what was responsible for this phenomenon, but he let it slide. What he wanted to know was how the seaweed did that, but he knew that even if she did explain it to him, he probably would not have been able to understand anyway. 

Besides, they did not have time for that. "So, where's Anthemoessa?" He asked as he glanced around their surroundings. He did not see anything that resembled a city or a palace or anything of that sort. All he could see was Aurelia's golden like, the murky water, and a glimpse of the dark sand dusting the ocean floor. 

"This way." She said, grabbing his hand and leading him as she swam. It was much easier now that he was able to breathe underwater- which he was still getting used to. It was the strangest feeling he had ever experienced. It was like he was breathing in air, except it was thicker and colder and felt more fluid. 

He was not sure how this worked or how it was even happening. By what Aurelia said earlier, the seaweed had some sort of magic in it. He never believed that magic existed, but like many other things, he had recently found out otherwise. 

Since Aurelia no longer had to stop to replenish his air supply, they were able to cover much more ground- well, water- faster. But Aiden could not help but feel disappointed. He loved the feeling of her lips against his. It gave him life, it gave him warmth, it made him feel like nothing else mattered. It was a feeling he missed. 

But he had to pull himself together. Now was not the time for such thoughts. He could not even believe that he was thinking such things at a time like this. He should have been alert and focused. Sirens could have been anywhere. He had to constantly be on the lookout and never let his guard down. 

"We are almost there." Aurelia said. She tried to sound strong and certain, but he could hear a hint of fear and reservation in her voice. He could feel that despite this place being where the sirens lived, it did not feel like home to her. 

He squeezed her hand slightly to reassure her. She looked briefly, giving him a small smile. "Here we are." She said. 

Looking ahead, he saw that the water had cleared. It was still dark but was no longer murky. Instead, it was a deep sapphire blue and shimmered like every single droplet of water contained a million diamonds. But the beauty of the water paled in comparison with the sight before him. He was now staring at the home of the sirens. 

Anthemoessa.