The storm blew the sign on the tavern, causing it to clank steadily against the wooden walls. Normally the tables would be filled with singing patrons, and loud demands for more drink and food. Tonight most of the regulars were there, but there was no song. The men sat glumly as the tavern maids silently refilled mugs of a cheap strong ale, not bothering to keep track of tabs.

“We shouldn’t be drinking and crying like this,” one man declared, slamming his drink down, “we should load up a gunboat, head right for the cove, spread some chum and wait for that mermaid bitch to show her kelpy head!”

“In this storm?” another asked, “you’ll be turned over and she’ll be feeding on your corpse before you even see her.”

“It can’t go on,” the first man shouted, and this time a mumbled agreement went up from the bar’s patrons. “She sinks our ships, she eats our young men! Today she sends the Diamond to the depths, who’s next? A fishing skipper? One of the Emperor’s ships?”

The door blew open with the wind, slamming the wall loudly and startling and soaking those nearest to it. A hulking stranger lumbered through, wearing the familiar blue coat of a sailor. With a grunt he forced the door shut, sitting against it and sighing for a moment as the storm howled, as though angry it had missed him.

“Whew!” The man laughed, turning and taking them in, “The rain’s starting to freeze on the roads,” he said, “the Witch of November’s early I say! If I were you lot, I’d plan on staying here.” as if to accentuate what he’d said the ice in his beard and on his jacket began to melt in the warm firelight of the tavern, dripping on the wooden floors as he moved.

He had a rough build, common in the men who spent long days at sea, and his beard was shot through with grey. Taking off his cap he revealed a shining bald head, hefting a large bag behind him he walked towards the bar, a sword clattering lightly against a pistol hanging from a brace across his chest.

“You look like a man who’s seen some of the sea,” The first man said, nodding with a small smile, “What say you join us for a bit of a mermaid hunt?”

The newcomer frowned, “A mermaid hunt?” He looked around and seemed to notice the mournful attitude in the tavern for the first time, “Whatever for?”

“The mermaid out near Ripper Rock sank The Diamond,” the tavern wench said quietly, “the whole town’s in mourning.”

“The Diamond,” the man muttered, “yes… of course, I heard of ship with some manner of trouble.”

“Trouble?” The man spat, “the mermaid is stripping their flesh from their bones as we speak!”

“Now now,” The man chuckled, “Mermaids don’t strip flesh from your bones.” He winked, “they swallow a man whole.”

“Stranger,” another man whispered, his hand going for a knife, “Don’t mock the dead-“

“Oh, no mockery meant,” The stranger said hastily, sitting at the bar and causing the stool to creak under his girth, “A mermaid won’t really eat a man though, not the one out by Ripper Rock anyway.”

“If you speak in that thing’s defense again, I’ll spill your blood and throw your corpse to her tomorrow morning,” the first man said in a low voice, muttered agreement went up from the rest of the tavern, and even the tavern wenches were reaching for kitchen knives.

The stranger raised an eyebrow, “I don’t want to ruin my shore leave with a fight, but the truth of the matter is that half the men in here, hell this whole town, owe their lives to her.”

That caused some murmurs of confusion, and the stranger chuckled.

“Forgotten already? Well, it’s to be expected I suppose. It’s a hard life here, and a man must look forward.”

He reached into his bag, and the crowd tensed, expecting a weapon, but instead he drew out a rich brown bottle with a gilded label. Setting it on the counter with a *thunk* he reached for the cork and pulled it out in one smooth motion. A rich earthy scent immediately filled the tavern as the fumes of the drink filled the air.

“I-Is that-“ One man asked.

“Single malt whisky from the Elven Isle of Avalon,” the stranger said proudly, “supposedly aged in casks made from trimmings of the world tree itself, with a mash roasted with peat from a land of smoke and shadow.”

“That bottle’s worth more than half this town,” the tavern keeper said, her eyes wide.

He stretched and looked around, satisfied the crowd wasn’t about to attack him, “Well go on, everyone pour yourselves some! Don’t be bashful, but don’t be greedy neither, I’ve only one bottle of it on me, and it’s got to last us all until this storm passes.”

The men passed the bottle around, and many took seats closer. A drink so fine bought a man at least a few words, they decided. Seeing that he’d caught their interest the stranger took out a long pipe, lighting it with a flourish, the odor of the wispy white smoke complimenting the strong drink they were now sampling.

“It was forty years ago now,” The man began, raising his voice slightly as the wind howled outside, “around this time of year in fact…”

…

Erik pulled the damp rag from his younger brother’s head, scowling at how warm it was. They had the fever all right, half the town was down with it, and the churchyard cemetery was churned with new earth as the priest struggled to keep up with the demand for funerals.

“How is Roderick?” His mother asked quietly, her own face pale and sweating as she rocked in a chair in their home’s kitchen.

“Not well,” Erik said, “I’m going to go to the doctor, maybe he can-“

“There is no medicine,” his mother moaned, fighting down a cough, “we’ve nothing left…”

Erik scowled and left anyways, shivering against the cold wind blowing off the sea as he stepped outside. He couldn’t just sit and wait for his remaining family to die, his father had already had the church bell ring on his behalf long ago, and that grief had nearly killed them all.

He looked out into the bay and scowled, Captain Delacourt’s pirate vessel Arcadia sat in the bay like a plump jellyfish, strangling the life from the town. Nothing could come by sea, and with the roads impassable due to the mud and ice of early winter, nothing would come by land either… including medicine for the sick.

“Doctor Vanis?” he called, pushing the door to the town’s only physician open. He glanced around, seeing the disheveled state of the office. He sighed, seeing the doctor himself slumped asleep in his chair. With half the town sick he’d no doubt be overworked, Erik set a blanket upon the man and turned to leave, there would be no help here.

As he walked through the streets, he heard someone call his name, “Erik? Erik Montival?” he paused, seeing a man leaning against an alleyway and waving to him. He frowned, he didn’t recognize the man, who had plain blonde features and ice blue eyes. The man waved him over, and after a moment, he walked over warily.

“I’m sorry sir,” he began, “have we met?”

“I’ve met most people around here,” the man laughed, “but I don’t think you and I got very well acquainted.”

“I see,” he said, cautiously eyeing the alley behind the man. The last thing he needed today was to be robbed.

“Listen,” the man said, as if sensing his reservations, “I couldn’t help but notice, your family is sick, yes?”

“How did you-“

“You were coming out of the doctor’s office,” the man said with a smile that was just a little too quick, “it’s a shame, that poor man works so hard, but he can’t help anyone.” The stranger sighed, “if only some brave soul in this town could find his way past that accursed ship…”

“Yes,” Erik said, uncertainly, “I’m sorry sir, but I must be back to tend to my family-“

“Your father was a smuggler, no?” the stranger asked, raising an eyebrow.

Erik froze, “My father is buried at the churchyard sir,” he said coldly, “if you wish to charge him with something, you’ll have to dig him up.”

“I was just thinking to myself,” the man mused, “a man who could slip past an imperial frigate could probably slip past a pirate vessel all the same, and they say they’ve got medicine for this fever just south of here, in Starport.” He gave a grin to Erik, “it’s too bad he’s passed on though, and his son is a right honest worker.”

“Indeed, he is,” Erik said, “I work on the docks.” With that he turned to leave, ignoring the laughter of the man as he walked away.

His father had been a fisherman most days, but the stranger was right. Erik Montival Sr. had certainly hated paying the dues on various imported goods, as had his customers. Was that who the man had been? An old business associate of his father’s? A buyer of contraband goods?

He stopped walking, standing in the silence of the city street. Did they really have medicine in Starport, he wondered? It wasn’t like news could come from there but… He glanced at the pirate vessel, now sailing out to sea as it usually did later in the day. He wasn’t his father, but surely a pirate crew would be easier to slip by than the Emperor’s finest? He’d never told anyone, not even his mother, but… his father HAD taken him out on a few of those runs as a boy, and he’d picked up some tricks.

He stopped by the door of his house, then kept walking.

…

“So a pirate vessel blockaded the town?” A man asked the stranger telling the story. “Where was the Emperor’s navy?”

The stranger shrugged, “I can’t say, I’m no historian, but maybe he had troubles elsewhere.”

“The emperor protects-“ one man started, but the stranger just laughed.

“Listen young fella,” the stranger said, “The Emperor protects, but some of them protects more than others, you understand?”

…

Erik had kept walking all the way out of town, following the cobbled road until it became muddy and rough a few miles out. The sun was going down as he broke from the path, walking towards the shore when he saw a scraggly dead tree that reminded him of a bison, the “horns” poking into the air against the moonlit sky.

It didn’t take him long to reach the shore, and he turned around and faced the land again and sighed. Taking exactly thirty paces to his left he turned, never opening his eyes, and walked inland. He blinked his eyes open after a few seconds, seeing an overgrown sand dune. Scratching the plants away he revealed a large stone door, heaving the rusting hinges he pried it open. The interior was a well crafted tunnel, with supports and mottled planks lining the floor. He grabbed a torch off the wall and snapped a flint attached by a small metal chain below it. The torch flickered to life and he continued down the secret tunnel.

He came at last to a small cove facing the sea, the hanging seaweed blowing gently in the wind and still obscuring the entrance as it had for his father years ago. The small sloop was still there, moored to a rudimentary dock by a frayed rope.

“I suppose you were right father,” he muttered as he undid the rope, “a man should know the far side of the law, even if he walks in the light…”

He grasped the aged wood of the paddles, gently rowing out to sea as the frayed dark dyed sail fluttered against a wind it hadn’t felt in years. The dinghy entered the water of the bay without issue, and as he caught the wind he steered it towards Ripper Rock, thinking that the pirates wouldn’t go near it.

“Hey sailor,” a woman’s voice called in a lyrical tone.

He froze, looking around, “Who’s there?” he shouted.

“Just me,” the voice called.

He gripped the side of his vessel as something rocked the wooden sides.

She rose from the water, towering over his small vessel in the dim light. He gawked in awe as a woman’s chiseled face appeared, the distance from her chin to her eyes alone taller than his body. As an elegant neck followed, and then a chest, his eyes went wide as a pair of naked breasts the size of his vessel itself threatened to overwhelm it. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more, the size, or the fact that they were bared proudly before him.

Water dripped from a pale green head of hair as the imperious gaze of this empress of the sea looked down at the human from a pair of dark blue eyes. A very fishlike tail splashed the sea waves behind her, causing his boat to bob slightly, when she’d first appeared he’d grabbed his father’s cutlass, holding it in front of him shakily, but now the only sound he produced was the thud of the blade against the wooden beams as he dropped it, too scared to move.

…

“Now our mermaid,” the stranger explained, passing the bottle to the crowd once more, “is an ancient and primordial thing. Privvy to secrets man isn’t, and doesn’t want, what they would have called a goddess in times past a goddess.”

“T-That’s heresy,” a man in the crowd muttered, “to call such a thing a goddess.”

The rest glared at him, and someone gestured for the man to continue, which he did with a chuckle, “Now don’t get me wrong, she’s no creator, nor would I call her such… more of what you might call a… custodian of the sea, that offend any sensibilities?”

The crowd was silent, so he went on, “For all her power, and all her lost wisdom though, there was something which mankind had which she, and other fey creatures, are not granted. Long had that mermaid watched the ships on the surface of her domain. She was dismissive of them at first, land creatures scuttling across her kingdom, but there would come days when she would follow them to docks, curious about what such creatures did in their own domains.”

The wind howled as the pitter patter of ice pellets rained down on the tavern, the man pausing his tale to take another sip of his whisky.

“And from the day when the mermaid saw men’s wives and children waiting for them on the dock, her gaze turned from curiosity to envy, and eventually to greed.” He smiled, “Why should one such as her not have love, companionship, and children if she desired them? Nothing else had been held back from her since the time of creation.”

“Now Erik was exactly what she wanted,” the man said, speaking up as the wind screamed outside again, “a young handsome man, hale and true, who had never loved a woman before.”

“Could she tell such things?” a man asked, “that he’d never…”

The stranger shrugged, “I think the whole female species can, mate.”

…

“I am Erinys, empress of the sea and all within it,” the mermaid boomed, looming over his rocking boat, “you humans trespass upon it at your peril, and give me claim upon you.” She smiled, revealing a set of pearl white teeth that shimmered not like a human’s but like the treasure of the sea itself, “You are mine now!” A giant hand reached down, and he crouched against the side of the boat, his arms out defensively in front of himself, but instead of grabbing him up, the fingers laid themselves over the railing like a ramp, inviting him into her palm.

“Come along!” she said, a hint of cheeriness in her voice.

He blinked, looking at the giant mermaid, “I refuse!” he sputtered.

She frowned, and rocked the boat slightly with her hand, “Why!?”

“B-Because you’re…” he gestured up and down at her, “y-you’re a monster!”

THAT was the wrong thing to say, and with a growl the mermaid’s hand slipped off the side of his dinghy, causing it to rock slightly. The gigantic breasts slipped into the water, and then that beautiful face, the sea-green hair floated around her form for a moment before it slipped back beneath the waves too.

He stood up shakily, wondering if he’d hallucinated the whole thing. The boat had been sitting in that cove for years… maybe it had one of those funguses that turned a man funny growing on it somewher-

His thoughts were interrupted as the boat jerked, knocking him off his feet. He shouted as against the wind, against the current, against the waves, his vessel skipped across the water. Fighting his way up to the railing he gasped as he saw the mermaid’s tail splashing behind him, her massive body distorted by the rushing of the waves as she gripped the hull and swam him ahead. It was all he could do not to fall overboard.

She quickly brought him out past Ripper Rock, and if the pirate vessel noticed the unusually fast sloop speeding by they gave no indication. There was a crashing sound, and he flew forward, skidding across the small wooden boat’s deck. With a groan he sat up and tried to take in his surroundings. He was stranded on a rocky sandbar, U-shaped and maybe half a mile long at most. He thought he recognized it, a navigational hazard that most sailors and fishermen avoided easily enough due to how far out of the way it was.

He stood up and saw the Mermaid lounging almost casually in the water, watching him with a smug grin. Hesitantly he climbed out of his boat, grimacing as he saw a rock had gouged a hole as long as his arm in it.

“The shore is so far away,” the mermaid mocked, “and the water so cold this time of year… humans can’t swim in this I don’t think…” she paddled closer to the shore, her massive torso sticking out of the water as she laid it upon the sandy shoreline, propping herself on her elbows. Her hair fell in waves over her shoulders as she spoke, “You have nowhere you can go now human, just come talk to me.”

He sighed and trudged along the wet sand to where she waited, though he made sure to stay out of easy reach.

“What’s your name, handsome?” she asked in a sultry tone.

“Erik,” he spat, “You’ve destroyed my boat, and I am at your mercy. What do you want?”

“We’re going to fall in love,” the mermaid explained, “like the men and women on the shore do.”

His mouth fell open, “L-Love?”

“Yes!” The mermaid said excitedly, “and you’re untouched by a woman, I can tell. Now just come a little closer and-“

“I’m not coming any closer,” he snapped, “you’ve marooned me, and you’ve doomed my town, my family, to die from the fever! Go back to the sea, away with you!” He stomped back to the boat, angrily swearing under his breath.

…

“So the mermaid DOES wreck ships you’re saying?” one man in the tavern asked.

The stranger telling the story scowled, “listen, will you!”

…

Erik woke the next day, his back on the wooden floor of his boat. From the way it was still, he could tell it was still grounded on the rocky sandbar. With a sigh, he forced himself upright and out of the boat. He would need to determine some way to signal for help, maybe a fire? He’d figured the mermaid would get bored and leave after he went to sleep, like a shark maybe, but she was still there, floating lazily in the bay of the U-shaped sandbar.

“You’re awake!” she said eagerly.

He heard the clinking of metal on metal, and staring down to where she was, his eyes went wide as he saw a pile of gold as tall as he was. A line of crabs was scuttling out of the water, each one adding a piece to the pile before returning to the surf. Some of the crabs were nearly as big as he was, carrying enormous rotted chests which burst open as the crustaceans threw them with the rest of the treasure.

“W-What’s this?” he gasped, walking in awe towards the gold, almost hypnotized.

“Gold!” She exclaimed, “so much of it gets lost at sea, and I know how much you humans love it!” She giggled, “You’re always fighting for little scraps.”

He edged closer, and the line of crabs dropped their remaining doubloons, gems, and coins before scuttling back into the water. It gave him pause, he realized that the massive pile of treasure was well within arm’s reach of the giant mermaid, and she had a smile that was just a little too sweet…

He stopped maybe a dozen paces from the gold, “It’s very nice,” he said, looking up and making eye contact with the giant, “but I’m not for sale.”

“It’s a gift!” she insisted, pushing the pile forward with her massive hand, causing some of the coins to roll down and scatter across the sand, “just come take some!”

He crossed his arms, “the only gift I want is for you to let me off this island.”

The mermaid bit her lip, her tail splashing the water behind her a moment, “I can’t,” she said finally, “I won’t, not until you’ll be my husband.”

“Husband?” he asked, “you can’t be serious.” He crossed his arms, “gather all the gold in the world, I’ll never agree to it!”

She stared at him, “Why not?” she demanded suddenly, “you’ve no lover waiting for you on shore, I’ve brought you gold, silver, all the treasures of the sea!” She stopped, and her lip quavered slightly, “Is it that you find me… ugly?”

He blanched, “Uh, no, not at all.” It was the truth, she was one of the most beautiful women he’d seen, half of her anyway. That statuesque face, large and imposing breasts, and taut stomach, would be more than enough to have him enamored with most women, but he couldn’t help but feel intimidated as he looked up at Erinys’ form silhouetted against the morning sun.

“You’re very beautiful,” he stammered, “I just don’t know how… marital relations might work.”

She smiled, “Oh, that’s right, you’ve never been with a woman!”

His face burned red, “T-That’s not what I meant!”

“Just come here and I’ll show you,” she purred, sinking her head into her hands again, “if the gold wasn’t enough to win you over, then maybe something more carnal will do the trick?” She grinned, “I must admit, I’m a stranger to a man’s touch as well, but I’ve spent a good amount of time spying on those men and women who frequent the docks late at night…” She licked her lips, “I’ve got some ideas we could try.”

“Now I’m definitely not coming any closer,” he chuckled nervously, taking a step back.

“I can reach you though,” she said in a husky voice, “right where you are Erik.”

He gulped, looking at her arms, then her bottom half, still submerged in the water of the atoll, “No,” he breathed, “you’re lying.” He fought the urge to run.

“I didn’t want to make you nervous,” she said smiling deviously, “but… well, yeah, if you were a tasty fish or a seagull I wanted to eat I’d already have you.”

He turned on his heel to sprint back towards his boat, but he was suddenly thrown to the sand with a loud *thwack* which knocked the wind out of him. He was pulled backwards, and he scrambled for purchase against the sand, his hands leaving troughs. In a panic he looked behind himself to see a massive pink tongue as thick around as his torso had launched out of the mermad’s mouth, almost like a frog’s, and had easily stuck to the back of his shirt.

He fought the buttons, hoping to take it off, but it was too late. He felt himself rise in the air, the length of the tongue looping around him and drawing his arms and legs together as the thick and slimy appendage brought him ever closer to the mermaid’s waiting mouth. He saw that waiting opening and those shining teeth, her eyes sparkling with delight. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

His journey stopped just before her lips, and a throaty chuckle came from the giantess who now loomed over him. The tongue seemed to slacken, and with a peeling sound the sticky tip of her froglike tongue tore away from him, letting him fall into her waiting cupped hands. There was a wet slurping sound as the length of her tongue slid back into her mouth, and she grinned smugly down at her captive, the heaving and terrified Erik.

“I told you,” she said sweetly. “You taste wonderful by the way.” She reached down and began to tug at his shirt, the fabric coming off him easily since he was too shocked to fight her. She giggled at his exposed chest, running a finger along it and enjoying his shiver at the sensation. “Now the rest, come on!” Her fingers easily twisted his boots off, flicking them casually to the sand where she’d discarded his shirt. His pants were all he had left, and as he finally realized what was happening, he grabbed for the waistband, pulling them in vain as the giant physically lifted him upside down, laughing as he lost his grip and his trousers before falling back into her cupped hand, naked.

“Wow,” Erinys breathed, staring down at the stripped young man in her palm. She’d seen the wonders and treasures of the seas, and she’d swam them when the world was young, but this… this was new.

“W-What are you going to do?” Erik breathed. He was finding it hard to hide his arousal now, naked and being examined by the mermaid, her face peering down over those magnificent breasts.

“To take you,” she breathed, “but…” she glanced at shore, “I-if you are too frightened to do this now, I can return you to your vessel-“

Erik looked at the mermaid and swallowed nervously, “I’m not frightened,” he lied, for a reason he couldn’t describe he wanted this, even after all that this insane mermaid had done to him. The careful way her fingers closed around him made him feel secure, safe even.

“Good,” she whispered, and that tongue, which had terrified him moments earlier, slathered over him gently, covering him in a warm saliva. He coughed and sputtered, and then gasped as the tongue snaked around him once more, squeezing and tasting his naked body like a serpent. He gritted his teeth in pleasure as it coiled around his manhood, squeezing and slithering past it, even as the rest of his body was held tight by the slimy muscle.

He couldn’t fight it, try as he might, the slithering tongue of the mermaid was a wall of rippling muscle which was now lifting him bodily out of her hand. He thrashed, or tried to, and groaned as the mermaid brought him to heights of pleasure he’d never known.

He spasmed as he reached completion, the wetness of her tongue sliding back and forth over him. He cried out as the giant mermaid regarded him gleefully, enjoying the taste of his seed even as she mercilessly brought him higher and higher, even as the sensation overwhelmed him. Finally, when he was hoarse and spent, the tongue once more uncoiled and dropped his limp form into the mermaid’s hand.

“Wow,” Erinys, giggled, “that looked intense, are you okay Erik?”

“Y-Yeah,” he gasped. His ears had popped, and his legs felt like jelly, but he was… yes, he was fine, more than fine in fact.

The mermaid floated on her back, gently placing him between her massive breasts. The two orbs almost seemed to close around him, holding him within their soft embrace as the waves gently lapped at the side of the creature. He felt his heartbeat almost seeming to slow as the mermaid’s finger came up and gently stroked the top of his head.

“You’ll live with me below the sea,” she said quietly, “Far from here, in the true depths. The worries of the land won’t bother you ever again.”

He started, “I…” he gulped, not sure how he could say this when he was literally within her grasp. “I can’t,” he said, “my family, my entire town, I need to help them.” He tried to sit up but was very firmly pushed back down between the breasts by a single one of her fingers.

“No,” she said firmly, “I’ll not let you return to the mainland, you are a treasure that belongs to the sea now.”

“I-“ he began again, but her finger came down and pressed upon him, forcing him deeper into her bountiful cleavage until her breasts surrounded him and he could be heard no more.

…

“Now toy with him and trap him though she would,” the stranger said, reaching for a loaf of stale bread, “that mermaid would not take him from that island without his agreement.” He took a bite and thought it over as he chewed, “You might say she couldn’t, not and get what she really wanted anyway.”

…

Erik awoke again on the beach. With a sigh he looked at the distant sun peeking through the clouds and wondered how long the mermaid would keep him here. Seagulls called overhead, and his stomach growled as he sat up and began his walk to the cove again.

She was waiting there with a smile, head propped up in her hands as her tail splashed in the water behind her.

“Good morning,” she called. “I’ve brought you something else!”

He chuckled as he saw a series of boxes, seemingly washed on the beach next to the impressive pile of gold from the previous day. The crates were smashed open, and he saw rolls of hardtack spilling into the sand. He grimaced as he picked one up, but he ate it anyway. The next box contained some dried beef, which went down a bit better, and the final box contained what looked like wine bottles, though the labels were washed away.

“Thank you,” he said, sitting down and watching the waves, “I don’t suppose you’ve decided to let me leave this place?”

“Not unless it’s with me,” The mermaid said sadly, “and I don’t understand why you won’t agree to it…” She sighed, turning and laying her massive head over, her hair drifting in and out of the surf like enormous strains of seaweed, “I’ve brought you gifts, you find me beautiful, what more is there? Tell me and if it’s anywhere in the seas I’ll bring it here!”

“That’s not it at all,” he said, becoming frustrated, “I have people on the shore that I care about, and every minute I’m here is a minute that might make it too late to save them.” He sighed, “You’re beautiful, and you’ve brought me treasures beyond anything I’ve ever seen, but if I go with you, even if we grew to love each other, every minute of pleasure, of happiness, would be poisoned by knowing what I left behind.”

She was quiet a moment, and he worried she might cry, “So be it,” she said softly.

The waves surged around her, coming almost to where he was sitting. A small bag was left in their wake as they receded, and he walked towards it cautiously. Lifting it out of the sand he undid the drawstring and saw a hammer and nails within, not a speck of rust on them.

“Will you require anything else?” Erinys asked.

“No,” he said, looking at the wooden crates she’d washed up for him earlier, “I think… I think this should be enough.”

“Go, and do what you must,” she said in a sad tone, “I’ll give you fair winds and strong currents.”

He turned to walk back to his boat, then paused, “I want to see you again,” he said.

“You say this,” she said bitterly, “but once you’re on the land, with your own kind again? Will you really long to return to me?” She sighed, “even if you did, your thoughts would always be with the land, and those things you left there.” She chuckled, “I think I may have been a fool, to think I could have what you humans have…”

“I’ll be here,” he said firmly, “tomorrow night. If you are not…” He looked at her giant face, those sparkling eyes, “Then I shall spend the rest of life dreaming of a face that the land could never match.”

She smiled, and a single tear ran down that massive cheek, “I will be here tomorrow then.” With that the mermaid pushed herself away from the sandbar, her gigantic tail splashing him with the surf as she swam out to sea.

…

The storm seemed to be growing worse outside, and the men in the tavern gazed longingly at the dying fire. The stranger, who had paused his story to light his pipe once more, glanced at it thoughtfully.

“A bitter cold night for so early in the fall,” he murmured, “and it seems one bottle couldn’t keep us all until this night passes.” He reached into his pocket and slammed several large gold coins on the table, causing the Barkeep’s eyes to go wide and the tavern girls to whisper. “Get us out something good, and either build that fire back up or bring down some blankets!”

The men around him murmured in agreement, some shivering as the cold seemed to invade even this enclave of warmth.

“Don’t worry lads,” the man said, waving his match as the smokey smell once more swelled through the tavern, “These storms always blow their hardest just before they break.”

“Well go on then,” one of the listeners said, “tell us what happened next?”

“What happened to what now?” The stranger asked, taking a puff on his pipe.

The men groaned, “The gods damned mermaid!” one of the bar wenches shouted.

“Oh yes,” the stranger said absently, “Now where was I?”

…

Erik was no carpenter, but he was able to patch his boat enough that it floated when he pushed it down to the waterline. As Erinys had promised the wind carried him farther and faster than he would have expected. The waves themselves seemed to buoy him towards Starport, the next nearest town along those cold shores.

Medicine was easy enough to obtain, once he’d arrived. There were questions of who he was, where he’d come from, but both his pockets were weighed low with gold which helped make the merchants and guards of that fair town less inquisitive. Erik was far from a greedy man, but there are few who would leave a pile of gold like the one Erinys had offered him untouched. He’d helped himself to enough that, when he’d demanded medicine for the fever, they’d filled his small boat near to sinking and he’d paid them without haggling.

The return trip took longer. Maybe it was that his hastily patched boat was now full of stacked crates, or maybe it was that whatever blessing Erinys had given him had faded, but by the time he was nearing his own home port the sun was going down. He saw the small atoll in the distance, far out of his way from the twinkling lights of his own home town…

Should he go to her first, he wondered? But what if she kept him again… Could he afford to risk it?

“Permission to come aboard?” Someone shouted.

He started, looking around. Suddenly the world went bright as dozens of men lit torches. Erik gasped in horror as he saw the double decks of the pirate vessel Arcadia, not one hundred paces from where he was. How could it have snuck up on him so quickly? How had he not noticed such a ship approaching?

He watched helplessly as the Arcadia was carried towards him, the men on the deck brandishing swords and calling out taunts. Ropes unfurled as the pirates rappelled down to his small ship, he tried to draw his own blade, but they were upon him and prying it out of his hand before he could swing it so much as once. The crates of medicine were roped and lifted onto the deck, and Erik himself was tied and carried with them.

He grunted as he was thrown to the deck, and he looked up in shock to see… a man he’d met before. It was the stranger from the town, the one who had known his father, or said he did, the one who had that strange look in his ice-blue eyes when he’d suggested someone should sneak by the pirate ship… Now the man was in a brilliant crimson coat, with a wide tricorner on his head and a brace of silver finished pistols across his chest. With a flick of his wrist his sword cut through Erik’s restraints, leaving him free before the pirate and his crew. For a moment Erik thought the sword would come down on him again, but there was only the sound of him sheathing the blade.

“Captain Delacourt,” the man said, extending a hand, “Of the pirate vessel Arcadia.” When Erik didn’t take his offered hand he frowned, then rested it again on his sword pommel. “Well,” the captain said finally, a bit of amusement in his voice, “get on up lad, you’re not going to want to miss what comes next.”

Hesitantly he got up, and peered over the railing. His blood ran cold as he saw that the pirate vessel was headed full sail towards the atoll that Erinys had stranded him on. The mermaid herself was there, propped against the shore and waiting for him.

“FLEE!” he shouted, gripping the railing, “ERINYS!”

She saw the ship approaching, and tried to dive, but with a boom the cannons sent great spouts of water up around her. The ship was on her as quickly and easily as it had been upon Erik’s own, and like a wooden wall it floated between her and any way out of the small bay. The wind seemed to pick up, and the skies grew dark as a scowl crossed her face. She swam directly at the pirate ship this time, her massive form rising out of the water and towering over the mast. For a moment Erik thought she’d bring her titanic body down on the ship, splintering it in the way a rogue whale would, but she seemed to pause when she saw him.

There was a click, and Erik realized that the captain was holding a cocked pistol to his head, “That’s right,” the captain called, “you wouldn’t want to be doing that now, would you?”

She hesitated, and the men on the decks shouted and ropes and hooks lashed out at the giant mermaid. She screamed in pain as they raked her scales, and the men hoisted those thick ropes around the ship’s mast, drawing her closer even as she thrashed.

“You can say I’m a pirate by trade,” the captain said with a grin, “but I’m a fisherman at leisure…” he glanced at Erik, “I can catch just about anything, once I figure out what bait to use.” He watched as his men threw more ropes and hooks against the mermaid, until her injured and crying form was firmly lashed to the side of the ship.

Those sea blue eyes met his, and in spite of everything she managed a small smile, “you came,” she whispered, looking at him.

“Erinys,” he said, “I’m so sorry…”

“Of course he came!” The captain said jovially, throwing an arm around Erik as he approached his giant captive. “Erik here is of stout heart and spirit, that much we can be sure of!” He laughed, “Why, I’d hoped that by blockading that wretched port I’d scare some of the better men and boys into the water, you might say I hoped to lay out a buffet for you to choose from my dear Erinys.” He sighed, “but they were of less worth than I’d hoped, finally I took it upon myself to give this one,” he poked Erik harshly in the chest, “a little push.” He smiled broadly, the grin seeming to creep halfway up his ears ghoulishly, “And he was the perfect one!”

“Who are you?” Erik asked quietly, “you didn’t really know my father, did you?”

“I did,” the captain insisted, “and I find it offensive when you pretend I’m a stranger, you might say that you and this mermaid meeting was just me setting up a pair of old friends.”

“Liar,” Erik spat.

“Many things,” the captain mused, “but not that.”

“What are you going to do with her?” He asked quietly, his fists balling with rage.

“I haven’t decided,” the captain admitted, “truthfully, I get bored. I seek amusement, and this mermaid and this town have brought it in spades.” His expression took on that same strange tilt, almost as though he was struggling to make it and overdoing certain movements, “Had I a fireplace large enough, I might stuff her and mount her over it.”

He regarded Erik and the crates of medicine, and he seemed to straighten, again a charming man of handsome looks.

“What we really should ask, is what do I do with you?” He asked. He glanced at the medicine, “what would you think if I emptied all of that into the sea?”

“No!” Erik gasped, “Please, there isn’t time to get more and-“

“Peace boy,” the captain chuckled. “I was just thinking… the mermaid, she’s quite boring.” He reached out and stroked her giant cheek, causing her to shiver and shy away, “I could be convinced to let her go, and I’ll even toss those crates of yours on the docks.”

“In return for?” he asked quietly.

“Sign my articles,” the captain said, and at his gesturing a man appeared at his side, holding a sheaf of paper. “Join my crew, sail the world!”

“I don’t think I’m cut out for this bunch,” he said darkly, glancing around at them.

“You’re wrong!” the captain said with a grin, “I only take the best, men of noble hearts.” He chuckled, “every man’s path to this ship was paved with naught but the best of intentions.” He gestured towards the town, “think of it, you save everyone in your hometown,” he pointed back to the mermaid, “you save the one you love!”

“Love?” Erinys asked in a hushed voice, “Erik, is he-“

“Aye,” the captain said with a grin, cutting him off, “he does, it’s young yet, and weak, but it’s there, even for one such as you.”

Erinys thrashed suddenly against the ropes, drawing blood as she did everything she could to free herself, “Don’t do it!” she wailed, “Erik, he’s no mere man! If you join him, you’ll be losing something of yourself you can’t ever get back!”

“Indeed!” The captain sneered, “And perhaps if we’re going to spill each other’s secrets mermaid, you might tell the young man what you intended? What becomes of a mortal man who consummates a relationship with a so-called goddess of the sea?”

The entire ship was quiet as the captain looked from her, to Erik, then back. With a chuckle he leaned against the railing, seemingly content to wait until one of them spoke.

“What is he talking about Erinys?” Erik asked finally.

“One who loves a goddess,” she said slowly, “will love her for eternity…”

“I still don’t understand,” he said.

“She’s warning you against signing away your soul,” the captain explained, almost dancing as he walked between them, “because she’s got designs on it herself!” He laughed at the mermaid’s ashamed look, “if you consummate your love with her… there will be no fiddler’s green, no pearly gates, just her and her watery halls until the end of this world.”

Erik didn’t need to ask if it was true, from the way the mermaid refused to meet his eyes he knew it was. He sighed, wishing for someplace to sit, Instead he leaned against the railing of the ship.

“A harsh truth,” the captain said sidling up to him, “but you’re better for knowing it, aren’t ye?”

“I suppose,” he said darkly.

“If you’d prefer against letting her go now,” the captain said with a toothy smile, “I’d of course understand…”

“Those articles,” Erik said suddenly, “I think I’d like to sign them.”

The captain’s eyes went wide, “Y-yes, of course,” he stammered excitedly. Evidently, he hadn’t expected it, or at least not that it would be so easy. The man’s sudden lack of composure made Erik confident, whatever this captain knew, whatever stolen secrets and hidden truths of a man or a mermaid’s heart he could discern… he didn’t know what a man was thinking in the moment.

A pair of crewmen carried a small table up from belowdecks, slamming it before Delacourt. With a flourish he laid the pirate articles upon it, producing a gilded inkpen from somewhere, the long feather dancing slightly in the wind.

“Erik,” the mermaid called sadly, “please…”

He looked her in the eyes with what he hoped was a steely gaze, “Quiet fish,” he said, and he felt an almost stabbing pain at the look of hurt. He forced himself to turn away without apologizing, he needed to sell this.

“A drink,” he demanded, “before I sign.”

The captain chuckled, “Bring this man some rum!” He gestured around, “Damnation, bring some for everyone! In honor of our new shipmate!” a cheer went up, and soon a barrel was tapped and a man handed both Erik and the captain a tin cup filled with the sweet-smelling drink. Erik glanced down at it and sighed; it was time to press his luck.

“My father said you can tell a quality rum, one that hasn’t been watered down, by lighting gunpowder in it.” He looked up at the captain and gave what he hoped was a cocky grin, “I know you wouldn’t give me the cheap stuff, right?”

The captain raised an eyebrow, “You’re going to make a fine pirate,” he chuckled, drawing one of his pistols. He tossed it to Erik, who caught it out of the air. It was silver plated, with fanciful engravings up the handle and barrel.

For a brief moment he contemplated simply shooting the captain, but from the man’s cocky grin and what he’d seen so far… no, he would need to press forward with his fool’s hope instead. He angled the barrel of the flintlock pistol over his drink, tapping it until some of the tamped black powder fell onto the surface. Angling the flint and striker over it to catch the sparks, he pulled the trigger. There was a boom as the gun went off, the shot fired over the side into the empty night air. As the spark hit the surface of the rum there was a hiss as the gunpowder ignited and a blue flame danced up.

The crew clapped and cheered, and he smiled as the burning liquor danced in the low light. This would be it, one chance. Time seemed to slow and he took in the jubilant faces of the pirate crew, the smug face of the captain, and the sorrowful and defeated face of the captured mermaid.

He tossed the burning mixture into the captain’s face with a snarl, causing the man to go from jubilant to horrified as his coat, and his own drink, caught fire. The collected coolness was gone, and a high shriek went up as flames consumed the other man.

As his crew ran to help Erik’s hand darted out, seizing one man’s sword and pulling it clean from the scabbard. Without thinking he was sprinting towards Erinys, hacking madly at the ropes that bound her. Her eyes lit up as she realized what he was doing, and the ship rocked as she struggled to free herself.

“STOP THEM!” The captain screamed, even as the flames roared over him.

A dozen arms grabbed him and pried him away from the mermaid, but it was too late. The ship shifted on it’s side as the cabling snapped and the mermaid floated free.

The sea went wild as she loomed over the ship, reaching out she snapped the mast like a toothpick, causing it to fall with a thud to the deck, sending men scrambling. The skies were roiling, and lightning began to dance as the mermaid slammed her hand down, crushing a pair of pirates with a sickening crunch. Their blood stained the deck as Erinys leaned in, her giant face crowding the deck.

“Throw him overboard,” she growled to the group holding him, “now!”

They didn’t need to be told twice, and with a shout Erik was tossed bodily into the churning ocean. He splashed and sputtered, looking to Erinys for help even as waterspouts began descending from the clouds behind her. She withdrew from the pirate ship, watching both him and it dispassionately as the waves grew ever higher.

Erik gasped for breath one final time before a shadow fell over him. He looked at the massive breaker coming towards him and the ship and closed his eyes. He was hit with a pulverizing force that sent him deep below the sea, he opened his eyes and could only make out the blurry flashes overhead as lightning struck the water. His lungs burned even as the forced of the wave carried him lower, in spite of all his paddling.

He released his breath and accepted his fate, when a glow enveloped him. He saw a pair of glowing green orbs the size of wagon wheels coming towards him in the briny murk, eyes he realized, eyes he knew well.

Erinys smiling face was coming towards him rapidly and, even as his lungs ached, he smiled back, until he realized she wasn’t reaching for him… her mouth was opening. In a panic he tried to swim again, but his strength was spent and he had no air left. Black spots appeared at the edge of his vision as her lips passed over him, her teeth clicking shut like a cage as her mouth sealed him in. As he was pushed to the back of her throat he gave no resistance as the muscles there coiled around him and pushed him down with a wet *gulp.*

…

He came to with a groan, unsure of where he was. It was dark, and wet, there was a small pool of water that he was… sitting in? He felt around, the walls were soft, and a strong fishy smell permeated the air. He panicked as he remembered his last few moments before passing out.

Had she…

Had she swallowed him!?

He felt a sudden surge of motion upward, and he was gripped by a spongy and powerful force on all sides.

…

*pfffth*

The mermaid spat the saliva covered human onto the beach, causing him to roll in the sand as he blinked at the daylight.

He took a few minutes to get his bearings, time the mermaid used to make herself comfortable with her tail sticking into the water lazily.

“Y-You ate me,” he stammered.

“There was air in my stomach,” she said with a sweet smile, “I’m told humans like air.”

He gaped at her a moment, then laughed. The sound echoed down the beach, and eventually she joined with him, the two of them sharing the joy and relief of having survived the ordeal.

His eyes went wide as he remembered something, “The medicine-“

“I took those crates from what was left of that ship once I sent it to the depths,” she explained, “the other humans were scared to take them from someone like me, but once they saw what was in them, they seemed very happy.” She smiled. “Any other questions?”

“The pirates,” he began, “Captain Delacourt, there’s no chance he could have… made it?” He gulped nervously, “He wasn’t a man, not like any man I’ve ever met anyway.”

“No,” she said firmly, “I think he might have been…” a distasteful look came over her face, “a cousin, of sorts… but his foul stink is gone from my waters, and it won’t return.”

“About what he said,” Erik began slowly, “about what would happen if you and I were… together.”

“True,” Erinys admitted, “all of it.” She sighed sadly, “humans typically go to their final reward, but if you choose me… I’m it.”

He stood up on the beach, nervously swallowing as he looked her in those giant eyes. He walked towards her, the spray of the sea hitting his face lightly in the morning sun.

“Forever then,” he said with a smile.

Her eyes went wide, and she snatched him up with both hands. As she had before she began eagerly tearing his clothing off, causing him to laugh at just how eager she was. His mind was a blur even as she did so, did he want to be this mermaid’s toy… forever? As she grinned down at him happily, he realized that the answer was yes.

Her giant fingers played with his growing erection, and that snakelike tongue traced out and lightly touched him even as he leaned back in her hand. He wondered if he’d be pleasured with her tongue again, but even as she tasted him and teased him it didn’t wrap around him as it had before.

He gasped as she rolled over onto her back, holding him above her so he could see the full length of her body. At the very base of her more human skin there was a waiting opening, her womanhood, ending just before her scaled tail began.

“When you’re mine in full, and can breathe in the water, we’ll do this deep in the sea,” she breathed excitedly, “but for now, I will take you here on the beach!”

She lowered him down to those wet and waiting lips, and he felt the slick pressure as his legs, then his torso, and then finally his entire body was swept inside them. The mermaid gasped as she was deflowered by his body, and he felt her muscles clench around him, pleasuring him even as she forced him deeper.

Every movement of his felt like it caused an avalanche, and the sweet smell of his lover flooded his senses as her most intimate place overpowered him. She cupped a hand over herself, holding him in and rubbing against herself, causing his world to shake even more as she played with herself.

The sticky wet slime that surrounded him had become a flood, and even as the spasms of the silky flesh around him drew him closer to his own finish, he wondered if he would last. He fought against her in a way that seemed to be bringing her pleasure, gasping for air every time there was the slightest opening.

Finally, he heard her squeal happily, and then sigh, and he grunted in pleasure himself as the rhythm worked against him, bringing both the giant mermaid and her tiny human captive to mutual orgasm.

The walls went still, and she drew him out with a slick noise, admiring his naked form. She giggled as she dangled his limp and panting form from one arm. His skin glistened with her juices against the morning sun, and her strong musk coated and covered him like a film. Slowly, she lowered him again between those massive breasts, letting him rest against the warm flesh as the two of them stared up into a clear sky.

“You belong to the sea now,” she said happily, “to me…”

…

“That’s quite a raunchy way to end the story,” the barkeep said, polishing one of the finished glasses, “not sure if I approve.”

The stranger shrugged, “’tis what happened.”

“I could’ve stood to hear a bit more,” one of the barmaids shouted, causing the men to laugh.

“What happened to them after that?” A man asked.

The stranger shrugged, “Erik wasn’t entirely done with the land at that time, he came back to bid farewell to his young brother, and his mother of course. The mermaid allowed that much, and she’d allow him to visit them on his birthday...” He shrugged, “but the world on land interested him less and less. The sea was open, full of adventures and treasures to discover, and his beloved waited there for him. On the land he was as he ever was, but in the sea? He carried as much or as little age as he wanted, and his beloved waited eagerly for him there every time he left it. His brother moved away inland with his own lovely wife, and after his mother passed… well, there didn’t seem to be much use in coming ashore.”

“So, you’re saying the mermaid not only killed that pirate,” one man asked, “but she brought the medicine that saved the town?”

“Sounds like a load of rotten chum to me!” another shouted, “no offense stranger, it was a good yarn, but my father said those crates of medicine washed up in a storm, and nobody knows what really happened to Captain Delacourt.”

The stranger scowled, “You all know what happened to Captain Delacourt, I just bloody told you!” He scoffed angrily as he regarded his empty mug, “the medicine just washed up,” he muttered in a mocking tone.

The door to the tavern slammed open, surprising them all. A haggard young man stumbled in, a goofy smile on his face. Outside the storm had passed, and the sleet was already melting away as the cold began to flee the first rays of the rising sun.

“The sailors from The Diamond!” he said excitedly, “They’re all alive!”

The tavern exploded in talk, the stranger simply sat at his chair, collecting his pipe and leaving a few more coins on the counter. The mood had quickly gone from the morosity of the evening, to joy.

“T-They say the mermaid fished them from the wreck after they were dashed on the rocks,” the boy said eagerly, “that she ferried them all to shore and kept them from the ice and cold!”

“Well, there you have it now,” The stranger said, speaking over the rest of the crowd and quieting them. “Anyone still want to talk of hunting mermaids?” he glanced around, a bit smug, at the now quieted crowd, “And by the way, stop sailing so close to Ripper Rock, it’s got the name for a reason!” he chuckled as he walked towards the door. His pistol shimmered in the early rays of the morning, and the patrons could make out the silver plating and scratched, though still visible, engravings on it.

“Where are you off to?” one of the men shouted happily, “good news requires another round, don’t you think? I’ll buy yours this time stranger, the story was a comfort through a hard night!” Others murmured in agreement.

The man paused, and glanced back into the tavern. Fishing another coin out he flipped it to the barkeep, “One more for my friends, who let an old salt prattle on, but I’ve got to be getting back home to my wife and my daughters.” He whistled a cheerful tune as he headed out the door.

“I never got your name sir,” the barkeep called, but the man just laughed and waved back at them dismissively. He began to sing a soft sea shanty as he walked off into the night, away from the tavern and away from the town’s houses and buildings.

“I didn’t think anyone lived off that way,” one man commented.

“No one does,” the barkeep said quietly, eyeing the coin in her hand. “There’s nothing that way but the shore.”