Chapter Text
Sam’s POV:
"How hard can it be?" Dean hummed, his eyes fixed on Sam, who slowly chewed his hamburger, staring back. Dean slid a newspaper across the table to Sam, featuring a story about Mermaids making headlines. This was new territory for them; they usually didn't deal with creatures that weren't land-bound. Sam, for his part, was skeptical, leaning towards the idea that Mermaids weren't real. He suspected it was a hoax designed to attract money to the town, given that the only evidence was hearsay. Sam took the paper, his eyes scanning the news story.
They had left their nine-to-five lives behind, and here they were in Massachusetts, by the ocean. They routinely traveled, saved lives, hunted monsters, and undertook various odd jobs for money. They were still figuring out how to live and have an income while saving people. They'd managed by selling off their belongings, giving them a small financial cushion until they could find more stable means, but they were now close to…running out.
"It's a hoax. Eat," Sam said, gesturing to half of his burger he'd bought for them to share. Dean grimaced at the saturated fats. "You can't be healthy on the road. Eat, it was the cheapest thing." Dean grumbled but took a seat.
He might not like it, but he'd been talking about a cleanse again, and Sam wasn't looking forward to Dean's resulting gas, especially with them sharing a car for hours on end. So, he was going to make Dean eat, with or without his consent.
“Nah. Nah.” Dean waved it off. “It’s real. They said they have one mermaid causing them problems. One. We can handle one.”
“How are you so sure?” Sam mumbled. “It could just be a hoax.”
“The people I talked to swear by it!” He stated, beaming. “All we have to do is capture it and bam! We got mermaids under our belt.” He then threw in an extra “bam!” for dramatic effect.
Ah, that’s where he ran off to.
To be swingled.
“Okay.” Sam waved him off. “Assuming I believe you about Mermaids being real and not a tourist trap.” He started. “They aren’t harming anyone. Why would we bother?”
“Because they are monsters, Sam,” Dean stated. “Besides, some people here have been waiting for hunters to help them handle their mermaid problem. They even said they would take us to it. It keeps crashing their ships and—”
“Wait, why do they know we are hunters?” Sam asked as Dean tensed and glanced away innocently. “Why do they know we are hunters?” He repeated with a hiss.
“It came up when I told them if anything odd was happening in this small town.” He mumbled. “Besides! You have been saying yourself, We need to kill something other than ghosts!”
“Yeah, I have, but we also got our asses handed to each other last hunt that was a ghost we supposedly excel at,” Sam hissed. “Now we've got to do it on a boat with a monster we haven’t hunted before with innocent people around? Why would they risk their lives?”
“Trust me.” Dean hummed. “I’m the former marketing manager. I know the art of the deal.” Sam frowned noticeably.
“Must you always bring that up?” Sam mumbled.
“Look, we gave up our lives for this,” Dean said. “And if I turned away a massive, and I mean massive, pay raise to be out here saving lives, we've got to be the best. Hell, who knows, we can make a living while doing it.”
“Are you still passing out those business cards again?” Sam frowned.
“...No,” Dean mumbled when Sam grabbed for him. He yelped when Sam grabbed some cards from his pocket, looking down at the business cards for Hunter Bros, professional boogeyman hunters, Dean Smith, and Sam Wessen.
“We’re not brothers.” Sam started before he sighed, annoyed. “And you didn’t even get my name right.”
“Details.” Dean chuckled, taking the cards back. “People eat family small businesses up, it’s marketing, Sam. It’s good for business.”
“And it’s Wesson, not Wessen.” He frowned. “Wes…son.”
“I’ll fix it in post.” Dean waved him off. Sam raised an eyebrow, knowing he printed a shit ton of those, and he had no intention of buying more. Sam shook his head when a milkshake was placed in front of him. He glanced up to see the cute waitress from earlier smiling down at him.
“Milkshakes for our local heroes.” She hummed.
“I don’t do carbs.” Dean laughed nicely. “You got a smoothie of some kind-?” Sam waved him off.
“We can’t afford to pay for this.” Sam pointed out.
“It’s on the house, sweetheart.” The waitress laughed. “Your friend volunteered you guys to get rid of our siren problem. Of course, we’d be grateful for that and pay your way.”
“...” Sam normally would be more suspicious of such a kind offer, but all he heard was…“Is this free? The whole thing?” He ushered to the whole table. “As in all of it?!”
“Yep.” She laughed.
“Oh my god, I could kiss you,” Sam stated, grabbing for Dean’s burger before he could take a bite, happily eating the second half of his burger.
“What about me?” Dean spoke.
“Order what you want, it’s free,” Sam mumbled. Sam ushered to the menu that was next to him. Dean eyed it for a moment before he smiled at her, ready to speak. “If you order anything that’s for your cleanse and it gives you gas, I will hog tie you to an anchor and toss you off the side of the boat.”
“...” Dean eyed Sam, assessing the threat before turning to the waitress. “...I’ll take a Double bacon cheeseburger with fries.” Sam nodded contentedly at his choice. Dean pulled the milkshake close and started to drink it down, as the waitress left to get him some food.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Dean’s POV:
“A room too?” Sam chuckled, slamming down into the bed, enjoying the free two-bed hotel room, instead of sleeping in the back of Dean’s hybrid. Dean’s eyes slid over Sam, who was stretching and happy with the room. “This town is so nice.”
“Well, they want their mermaid problem handled,” Dean mumbled, looking out at the ocean. “So they are trying to pay us back.”
“I’ll start looking up about mermaids.” Sam breathed, pulling out his laptop. “They better be right about there being one. I doubt we can take on more than that.”
“I’m going to take a run,” Dean mumbled. “Got to work off the burger.”
“Alright.” Sam waved when Dean went to change. He took his run; it was a beautiful town overlooking the ocean. Their older, cozier vibes really set the town out of the norm he was used to. He was always a city guy, but…something about this coziness was something he felt like he was lacking. This comfort. This easiness.
He panted, covered in sweat, as he moved to the small pier that overlooked a small bit of ocean. The sunset was so beautiful that the ocean seemed to mirror it. He couldn’t help but walk down the isolated pier, taking a seat on the edge, listening to the sound of the ocean, and taking a deep breath. Sometimes he wondered if he had made the right choice uprooting his life to go out on the road. His mother had been calling, but he had been avoiding her calls. He would send her a text to tell her he was fine, but he couldn’t talk to her right now when he was mentally all over the place.
He left everything he had ever known, and here he was playing a hero.
Was he playing a part?
His phone rang, making him glance down at the call.
It was his mom again.
He sighed, glancing at his phone, then rose to return to the hotel. Suddenly, a body collided with him, sending him off balance.
"Sebastian!" A panicked man yelled as Dean plunged backward into the water, his head striking the pier on the way down.
He was floating, he thinks, in the ocean. Sinking and flying could feel like the same thing. Lost to the world around him, his eyes fluttering every so often as he went in and out of consciousness. Dean thought he saw movement of something swimming towards him, but he couldn't make out what the blur was when he passed out again. Something grabbed for him, his hand reaching out to protect himself in a weak attempt, feeling a sharp pain when his arm landed on what felt like a shoulder. Something sharp, like a pinprick to his hand, made him yank his hand away. All he remembered thinking was, "That hurt," before he passed out.
When his eyes opened again, he was coughing and hacking, looking up at a beautiful man looking down at him in concern. The blinding light around him almost haloed him with a hue of almost pearlescences. Dean stood in awe of him for only a moment when the person cupped his face.
“A-Are you okay?” The man coughed as Dean sucked in a deep breath.
“Did I die?” he breathed in awe. “Are you an angel?” The man slowly laughed, realizing what Dean was saying.
“Nope. You’re still alive for now.” He smiled before slowly pulling back and getting up. He leaned down, holding out his hand. Dean took a moment before accepting the help to stand. Dean coughed again, eyeing the man who kept a hand on him to make sure he was steady.
“What happened?” Dean grumbled.
“I’m so sorry. My dog, Sebastian, sent you sailing,” The man laughed nervously. “I had him off-leash so he could jump off the pier, but we didn’t see you until he couldn’t stop in time and threw you both off. No one uses this pier, so I didn’t think to check before letting him off-leash.” Dean’s eyes fell to a red rhodesian ridgeback who snorted at the attention. They were all dripping wet and shivering from the cold. Dean offered his hand to the dog, who happily started to wag his tail, and dog gladly accepted the touch. “Careful…” The man paused, making Dean glance up. “He’s not normally a people person.”
“I’m not either.” Dean breathed, smiling when petting the dog. The man eyed him, intrigued, but didn’t comment more.
“How are you feeling?” The stranger continued.
“My head kind of hurts,” He admitted, touching the back of his head, which was still very tender. He reached out and touched it again, wincing from a sharp pain in his hand. He glanced down to see a large blackish-blue line across it. He eyed the long splinter in his hand that moved from the curve of his thumb to the start of his wrist. He stared at it for a moment, the sounds around him fading into an almost haunting melody before the man’s voice caught his attention.
“Ouch, looks like you fell on a sea urchin.” The man breathed tenderly, making Dean snap out of his gaze.
“D-Do I need a doctor or something?” Dean mumbled.
“Let me see.” The stranger touched the splinter, running his fingers over his skin, but the splinter was so deep he couldn’t feel it. He reassured tenderly. “No, that should break up all on its own.”
“A-Are you sure…?” He asked, his eyes moving to look into the man’s pale blue eyes, getting lost in them for a second. “...you…you have pretty eyes.” The man smiled tenderly, laughing. “I’m sorry, I-It’s the head injury.”
“I never got your name,” The stranger said, eyeing him with a tender smile on his face.
“Dean.” He raised a hand to shake. “Dean Smith. Professional Boogeyman hunter.” Castiel made a face at that, amused, and laughed.
“Bold way of introducing yourself.” The man laughed, taking it. “I’m Castiel.”
“Just Castiel?” Dean laughed.
“Just Castiel.” Castiel scrunched his nose. “So what monsters are you hunting in my small town that require a Professional Boogeyman hunter?”
“Heard you have a mermaid problem,” He explained. “We are going to end it.”
“Really?” Castiel laughed.
“Take my card.” Dean offered it to him, and Castiel glanced down at the soggy card. “Sorry…it’s a little..wet.”
“Can you be reached night and day?” Castiel asked when Dean moved to grab his phone, but realized he didn’t have it.
“...I-I would but…nemo stole my phone.” He cursed.
“I’m sorry.” The stranger breathed sadly. “It’s my fault.” Dean licked his lips in thought, turning to look back at the ocean. They couldn’t afford a new one; they were barely getting by. “How about this? I’ll meet you at the hotel tomorrow, and I’ll take you to buy a new one when the shops open. It’s the least I can do.”
“You will?” He smiled.
“Since Sebastian here can’t pay the bill, I will have to right his wrongs.” Castiel bowed his head slightly, placing his hand over his heart. “I hope that’s alright?”
“Yeah, that works great.” Dean shivered slightly. Castiel, noticing this, took off his long, tan winter coat, revealing a white button-up shirt and black slacks. He looked ready for a casual business meeting, so Dean assumed he’d just been walking his dog after work.
“Here, take this with you.” Castiel moved to slide it around Dean’s shoulders, making him breathe in the instant warmth he felt.
“B-But…” Dean hesitated. He was wet too, even though his coat was dry; he must have thrown it off before jumping after Dean.
“I insist.” He hummed. “It’s a bit of a walk back to your hotel, right? I live just around the corner. I’ll get it back from you tomorrow.” Castiel ushered Dean, who nodded accepting the words. He bowed his head in some sort of thanks, then slowly walked back toward his hotel room, heading up the hill. On his way back, he paused, slowly turning back to where Castiel was, but he could no longer see him.
“How did he know where I was staying?” Dean mumbled before shaking it off. “Must only be one hotel in this small town.” He turned and continued walking.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Castiel’s POV:
His smile faded to indifference as the human turned to ascend the hill. Castiel, feeling the water on his skin, blinked lazily. He had lost the opportunity for his meal by saving the human, but it was a necessary sacrifice. They had greater plans concerning the hunters in town, and he couldn't let the human die as a mere snack. The temptation had been strong when Sebastian had struck the human, sending him into the ocean. Castiel would have left him to fend for himself since he had no part to play in this play, but seeing him lifeless and sinking, he had no choice but to intervene.
Their original plan had been more refined. Separating the hunters from their phones was always the primary objective, but Castiel had envisioned a more graceful execution. He had planned for Anna to enact a love story like she has time and time again, lulling them into a false sense of security and acquiring their phones, which they would use to understand their victims and make them vanish into thin air. Once the humans were dead, they would send sirens to send texts down the coast till they were far away from the village and lose them deep in the ocean.
His plan was perfect. Who wouldn't be captivated by a redhead with large, pale blue siren eyes? They would live out their "Little Mermaid" fantasies until their inevitable, tragic betrayal by their very own Ariel.
However, Sebastian's impulsive torpedoing into one of the two humans in this small town forced Castiel to skip a crucial step of their plan. He was going to have to personally revive his plan.
“You’re bleeding.” A voice made Castiel look over his shoulder. Naomi, his mother, lay behind him on the ocean shore, eyeing the dark blue ink like blood bleeding onto his white shirt between his shoulders.
“My spine spike got embedded into the human while I saved him.” He explained simply.
“You know what venom in our spikes does to the human body,” Naomi warned.
“They will be dead before we have to worry about it.” He breathed.
“It can take as early as a week.” She clarified. “We can’t risk his death so soon-”
“They will be dead on our terms before the week's end. This is just routine.” Castiel glanced back at her. “I’ll send Anna to right my wrongs. Don’t worry. I won’t disappoint you as king. I know what I must do.”
“...” She nodded, bowing her head, and returned to the sea. He turned his head slightly to watch her go before he glanced at his dog. Castiel kneeled, ruffling his dog's hair, as the dog happily panted.
“Did you have fun ruining my plans, Sebastian?” Castiel hummed as the dog spun around. “You’re not so friendly with strangers normally. Did you like the human?” Sebastain started to pant, pleased with himself. “Well, he’s unfortunately not long for this world. Not only is he a hunter. He and his brother also have a greater purpose. So don’t get too attached.” He slowly let his hand fall before he nudged the dog towards his home. “Race, ya!” He took off laughing as the dog followed after him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dean’s POV:
Dean lay in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. His body was a battlefield, burning and shivering all at once. His thumb, raw from constant scratching, throbbed with an unbearable itch where the spike had pierced him. He felt trapped, restless, and utterly desperate, like he somehow just needed to survive till morning. He felt like his blood was boiling, but he was so cold.
Then, the whispers started. They were faint at first, a distant hum, but quickly grew louder, a jumble of voices. He covered his ears, but the sound cut through his fingers, drilling into his head as he dug his nails into his flesh. Flashes, like a camera, attacked his vision—images he couldn't quite grasp, yet found deeply unsettling. And then, a screech. An unearthly, guttural, monstrous scream that pierced his ears, making him squeeze his eyes shut, wanting it to stop. BEGGING for it to stop!
“Dean.” Sam's sharp voice jolted him upright. Dean gasped, panting like he couldn’t catch his breath as if he was being jolted around the ocean current readying to drown. Sam, his eyes wide with horror and concern, exclaimed, "Holy shit. Are you okay?" Dean covered his face, taking in the fact that he was okay. That it was just a dream.
“Yeah.” Dean panted, wiping some sweat off his face. “Just a bad dream.”
“Dude, this is why I told you to lay off the cleanse,” Sam mumbled. “You look like shit because you keep avoiding a real meal.” Dean closed his eyes again, just trying to ground himself. “Just promise me you’ll lay off that shit for a while.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Dean mumbled weakly when a knock on their door made Sam glance up. Sam walked over, opening the door to see a redhead standing there with the warmest smile.
“Hello.” The woman laughed with the sweetest smile. “I’m Anna, and I’m here to welcome you to our little town.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Anna’s POV:
“Hi Anna.” Sam breathed, obviously captivated by her. Men were so simple, she barely had to use her natural siren allure to grab them. They were boring. The women were funner to siren since it was usually harder. “Did-...Did you want to come in?”
“Shouldn’t you give me your name before inviting me in?” She smiled, eyeing him, holding out her hand.
“Sa-Sam.” He stuttered while taking it. “Sorry, I haven’t had coffee yet.”
So the tall one is Sam.
“It’s okay.” Anna laughed, brushing her hair behind her shoulder. “I wanted to show you the spots where we had the most recent siren sightings, and I figured you guys would like to know the hot spots in town for breakfast with a good cup of coffee.” Her eyes moved to the man behind him. He sat in the bed holding his head still out of it; he hadn’t even looked at her.
“Yeah, that would be great.” Sam chuckled, his heart eyes so apparent she could choke on them. “Let me grab my shoes.” He turned to grab them beside his bed.
“What about you, sugar?” Anna hummed, giving her cutest laugh she could muster. “Would you like a tour?” He seemed out of it, still blinking the sleep from his eyes. She pressed more with her siren allure, thinking maybe he just needed a push, being so tired.
“Um.” The second one she assumed was Dean, breathed, sounding exhausted, rubbing his face. She smiled in relief when his eyes moved to her. “...No, thanks.” She faltered, watching him get up and move away.
What.
That…never happens.
“A-Are you sure?” She laughed in slight disbelief, trying to expel most of her allure, but he didn’t even glance back at her.
“She’s right, you should eat.” Sam agreed.
“Yeah, you’re hungry?” Anna tried again.
“I am.” Sam smiled, moving to her.
“I wasn’t talking to you, sugar.” She mumbled, touching his chest. “Coming, Dean?” Dean slightly paused at the bathroom door, glancing over his shoulder at them.
“...How did you know my name?” Dean asked, tiredly.
Shit.
“Sam said it.” She patted Sam’s chest tenderly; Dean either bought the lie or he simply didn’t care to continue. “Come on, get your shoes on. I’m sure you want to eat—”
“No thanks. I’m waiting for someone. He said he would be by later.” Dean mumbled, ignoring her like it didn’t phase him. “Have fun, you two.”
“But—” She tried before he roughly closed the door to the bathroom, ending the conversation.
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
She didn’t know what to do.
This had…never happened before.
He said someone was coming by?
Did he mean the king?
She was supposed to take over for Castiel. He was just the brains of the operation, like kings often are. This was the former prince's first big family hunt, his chance to show their pod he could lead. His plan was just like his dad's old tricks, but this time with a modern twist: Anna, being her charming self, would keep the hunters busy, make Dean forget all about needing a new phone, and quietly get rid of his companion's phone as well.
She simply needed to exploit the hunter's profound desire for a magical love story. The "Ariel angle" was always the most straightforward approach. It was a familiar tale that allowed her to use their familiarity against them to gain their trust. Everyone knew the story of The Little Mermaid, making it easy to corrupt the innocence of humans who all still held a childlike belief that wishing on a star could make their dreams come true.
This always worked.
She stood dumbfounded for a long time before she turned and pulled out her phone.
“Who are you texting?” Sam hummed playfully, and she turned to him, completely forgetting about him.
“Go wait in my car.” She sirened him, and he agreed with zero argument, closing the door behind him. She put her phone to her ear, listening to it ring, when the phone clicked with an answer. Castiel’s voice welcomed her.
“You don’t normally call me.” Castiel’s stern voice made her wince. “Is there a problem?”
“Unfortunately so.” She breathed, pacing slightly on the porch.
“Care to elaborate?” He spoke.
He was pissed.
She could tell.
“I can’t siren someone like him. It’s not working.” Anna explained. “I think it’s the worst-case scenario!”
“What is?” Castiel asked.
“H-He doesn’t have it!” She stuttered. “I-I can’t believe it, this is like a unicorn. I can even Siren women who swear they have never had an inkling about women but this Dean guy? No way! It didn’t work at all!”
“...What?” Castiel blinked, confused.
“A straight bone! He doesn’t have a straight bone in his ENTIRE body!” Anna choked. “I had my tits half out an everything! Nothing! He didn’t even peak!”
“What?” He deadpanned before fear slightly creap in his voice. “...Are you saying he’s Ace?” She winced, worried he was going to be pissed she failed him.
A Siren's one weakness.
The one kind of human that was born immune to them.
Asexuals.
The worst offenders?
Aroaces.
That was a horror story, something whispered at sleepovers to scare the water babies. They had luckily managed not to run into Asexuals or Aroaces. She attributed it to the fact that they avoided selling garlic bread since it attracted them like flies to honey.
The idea that you couldn’t manipulate a human was horrifying!
“No, my king, I….believe we have ourselves a mega gay,” Anna whispered.
“...What are you saying?” Castiel asked.
“Your date is expecting you?” Anna nervously laughed.
The silence was louder than she thought.