Chapter 38

“Will you really do that?”A voice asked and entered the tent is none other than Blake
“So you're the brain behind all of these”, Oliver said and Blake smirked.
“If you want to save your beloved bitch, you'll have to find me”, Blake smiled. He grabbed Noella by the hand and he vanished.
“No!!!!”. Oliver turned around and faced O'Connor.
He unsheathed his bloody blade taking menacing steps toward O'Connor.

He twirled his blade, aiming to slash O'Connor but the latter dodged it. He bent down to avoid a blow and jabbed O'Connor's nose with his elbow. He dived low to evade the swipe of a claw and then stabbed his attacker in the stomach. He easily retrieved his blade as if removing a broom from its packs, and then kicked the man in the chest.
He yanked O'Connor up by the latter's collar and he asked angrily
“Where is he taking her?”.
He got no response.
“Trying to prove stubborn I see. You think I am playing with you?”He began to choke O'Connor, squeezing the life out of him. He electrocuted him with lightning and O'Connor yelled that he'll talk.
“Am listening”.
“He's taking her to Crimson Island. That's his hideout”, O'Connor declared.
Sebastian entered.
“What happened?”, He inquired.
“I'll explain on the way”, he replied. “Did you know the crimson island?” he implored.
“Yeah”, he nodded.
“Good, we need to get there now, asap”.
“What should we do with him?”, Sebastian asked, pointing his finger to O'Connor.
“Let him go”, Oliver replied.
O'Connor sprinted out of the tent.
“Let's go”.
****
The two of them were perched inside the small vessel, staring at the crimson island which was ahead of them. Sebastian was the only one rowing the two of them.

The force of the current made their boat oar further into the exterior decoration of the island. The axial thrust produced by the propeller against the water acts on the thrust bearings of the intermediate shaft, which then transmits the thrust against the boat structures to move and increase its speed.

Axial point and aft thrust force cause their boat to astern through the water corridor, avoid rocks, and fight against the waves. Even from afar, they could feel the dangerous aura of the surrounding island. The outside alone is enough to terrify them.
Each of them is in their world.

Their thoughts were disrupted by the beautiful sound of some unseen female beings. Oliver found it so sweet and melodious that he was tempted to jump out of the boat and take a look. His eyes wandered around, looking for where the voice was coming from.

"Don't," Sebastian warned them with a strong tone. "They are sirens."

Oliver exclaimed, "Sirens!" ." I thought they were myths," he said.

He faced Sebastian and asked, "Can you explain more to me about the Sirens and the damage they can cause?"

"They were half-birds, half beautiful maidens. They were singing enchantresses capable of luring passing sailors to their islands, and, subsequently, to their doom. They are daughters of the river god the Achelous and a Muse. They were fated to die if anyone survived their singing." Sebastian explained.

Oliver stands up, his eyes still lurking around for any sign of the Sirens. Nonetheless, he couldn't see them. He could only hear their voices, which seemed to be coming from a long distance.

He faced Sebastian and asked, "How do we bypass them without harm?"

“We'll have to cover our ears. Especially you, since your super hearing is very powerful”, Sebastian replied.

Oliver turned once more and asked. "Can you tell me everything about the Sirens?

"The Sirens symbolize temptation and desire, which can lead to destruction and risk. If a mortal stopped to listen to the lovely sounds of the Sirens, they wouldn't be able to control their desires and this would lead them to their death. As such, the Sirens are also said to represent sin." Sebastian illustrated.

"The Sirens were hybrid creatures with the bodies of birds and the heads of women, sometimes also with human arms. One tradition states their origin as companions of Persephone and, failing to prevent her from getting kidnapped by Hades, Leto punished them. They were transformed into sirens as punishment. They can also be killed by a bronze dagger and their victim's blood."

"How?" He asked.

"By stabbing a Siren with a bronze dagger dipped into the blood of someone it has infected. The death of a siren releases its victims from its hold. Their true faces can also be seen in a mirror." Sebastian explained.


"How do Sirens look?" He asked another question.
“You ask too many questions,” Sebastian said.
He elucidated, "Sirens can change their appearance at their will. However, it is assumed their default eye color is green due to the lack of pigment in their eyes. A human can also be changed into a siren if one transfers their blood to them."

"Sirens are a type of mermaid with the ability to hypnotize only men. Sirens have all of the same physical characteristics as mermaids, such as the tail. However, Venus is the only known siren. She uses her hypnotic abilities to manipulate men to get what she wants." Sebastian clarified and then paused to catch his breath

"Like all known members of Labyrinthodontia”, he continued .“Sirens are metamorphic and change forms in their lives. They are not their philanthropists: they do not shapeshift, but rather transform gradually and irreversibly,".

"There are different types of Sirens. Greater sirens are large, eel-like salamanders with two forelimbs, external gills, and a flattened tail. Although they can approach a full meter in length. Most adults are fifty to seventy centimeters in total length. Those Sirens could be found in a large body of water. That is because they can control water and can project it in the form of offensive water blasts. They are popularly known as Dark Sirens. They also have the power to manipulate fire and can blast it in the form of offensive fire blasts. These types of sirens possess the ability to leap into the air.

"That's awesome," Oliver said to Sebastian as soon as he finished his explanation. "I'd love to see one of them.

Instantly, the singing of the Sirens got louder, and their vocalists nearly penetrated their ears.

He heard a scream from the island. It was Noella's voice. Desperate to save her, he removed his hand from his head and started to row faster. Unfortunately, that was his greatest mistake, as it enabled the Siren's voice to get into his head.

He felt their voices going straight into the four layers of his brain and working inside the left hemisphere of his brain. He felt their voices getting a hold of his intellect and was trying to control it.

Emerging out of the water a few yards away from them are the Sirens. About a dozen in number. They increased their voices and started inching toward their boat. He felt himself getting lost in their voices.