They had known of the risks. Travelling through known Siren territory and expecting not to be bothered by them was silly, and bothered was putting it lightly; they would be attacked, they would be inflicted with a deadly charm and forced to the bottom of the sea where they would perish.
It wasn't a pretty end, and it was one that Erwin was actively trying to avoid.
He kept his instructions simple. Keep your ears plugged up, don't look at them, keep your mind focused on the goal at hand.
Don't fuck up.
It only took one note for you to be instantly overwhelmed with a feeling of desire, an unexplainable drive instilled in you to walk to 'come here' only to be walking into the clutches of death. Erwin was lucky not to have witnessed it before, but it was bound to occur, especially with the amount of young curious sailors amongst his crew.
An hour went by before Erwin issued the warning. He plugged his ears with wax and turned to his second-in-command, nodding in his direction before taking his place at the side of ship, peering over the edge and awaiting the arrival of the Sirens.
Surely enough, they arrived. There were at least a dozen; all sickeningly beautiful, their smiles sending shivers down his spine leading him to tear his eyes away.
Don't look at them, he reminded himself, but he couldn't resist and he peered over once more.
Icy blue met grey, and he gasped. The Sirens swam alongside the ship, their mouths open as they sang hypnotic melodies, their faces growing increasingly more frustrated once they realised they were failed.
That was until a member of the crew unplugged his ears. He made for the side of the ship, his hands curling around the wooden frame as he leaned over, listening to the notes. His mouth open; eyes wide; throat exposed. He heaved himself over. Erwin pushed forward, his arm outstretched as he took hold of the boy, pulling him back on board by the collar of his shirt and throwing him onto the floor where he was met by other men, piling on top of him and forcing him to the ground.
He toppled. His backside caught on the wood and he felt himself falling backwards. His second-in-command was the first to realise what was happening, running from the opposite side of the ship to take hold of him, but he was too slow.
