Anika heard the horn loud and clear. There was no mistake who blew it, and she probably also knew why. Her older brother Alekona had trusted her with the knowledge that he had spent some nights with a naiad woman. And when the rumors started about an unknown girl, she already suspected that it was her brother's child. She sighed and left her home together with her little girl on her hip. The toddler looked confused, but she was not scared or what ever. Anika walked the streets with so many other sirens, who wanted to see why the council was summoned. But she already knew why, her brother was going to claim his daughter. And most likely going against her grandmother's wishes. 

"Anika, what are you doing here?" That was her mother.

"I am here to support my brother." Anika replied. "Something you should be doing as well." But her mother shook her head.

"Your grandmother, forbade it. Alekona, knew what he was doing." Her mother replied and Anika sighed.

"What am I glad that grandmother is no longer the boss over me." Anika snapped at her mother. Her mother gasped. But she did not care, she was glad that the color of her scales changed into orange the day she got married. The color of a siren only change on the day of their marriage, but it is not sure who's. Sometimes the color of the groom change, that happened to her father. And sometimes that of the bride, like what happened to her.

"Anika, how could you say such a thing?" Her mother asked, Anika just shook her head and walked away. She was not going to have this argument with her mother. She needed to find her brother and husband, she needed to show them her support.

********

Marella slowly opened her eyes, but the light was hurting her eyes. Her head was hurting, the smell of the sea was so heavily that she was not able to breath.

"Ke ala neiò ia, she is waking up." Someone said. She blinked a few times with her eyes.

"Where am I?" She asked, her throat was dry, and her voice sounded like it was cut by small knives.

"You in Aupunimalalo." Another said, in her tongue. It was broken, but the man tried. She looked up and saw three men standing around a bed. One of them was her purple siren, the others were red sirens. The younger of the two pointed at himself. "I Alekona." Her eyes grew large, this was him. This was her father, finally she could look him in the eye. "And you?" He asked. 

"I am Marella." She said in perfect sirentongue. The words didn't feel strange to her, or sounded broken. Nor did she have an accent of some kind, it was as if she had spoken it from the moment she was born. Her father smiled, and it was indeed a reflection of her own smile.

"Nice to meet you, Marella. This man here..." He pointed to the older red. "Is my father, your grandfather." The man smiled and laughed.

"Welcome to the family Marella. It is not official yet, but it will be soon." He said, and she had no idea what that meant. But she did not care, she looked at her purple man. He smiled and sighed.

"I am Acale P'ula'ula. No I didn't rape you. We lost ourselves in our song, I will explain later what that means. But for now, we need to make you ready for the claiming." Acale said.

"Claiming?" She asked.

"Your father needs to claim you, as his child, otherwise you will die." A woman in the corner said. The woman was also covered in purple scales. "My son has brought you into our city, in fear of your life, and that of your baby. Thinking because you have siren blood in your veins that you will be spared. The council however has commanded you are to be killed hours after your baby is born. Unless your father claims you in front of the whole council." The woman smiled at her. "My name is Elana P'ula'ula, and I am sorry that I need to put you through this."

"You are not putting her through this, Lady P'ula'ula. My grandmother is." Her father said. "And to be frank I do not care what happens to me after I claimed her." Marella looked confused. What was happening here, she needed to be claimed otherwise she would die in a couple of months. Why was this a rule, she understood their language like a full blood siren. Her father sat beside her bed, saying that she was his daughter. Why was that not enough? The orange siren stepped into the room, and smiled at her. 

"Good, you are awake. I am Kalama Alani, apparently I am your uncle." He said. Uncle they were about the same age. "I married Alekona's baby sister." He quickly explained, he looked at Elana P'ula'ula. Funny their last names were the colors of their scales. Marella wondered how many other families there were. She wanted to learn everything about her father's kind, if she had the time to learn it. "The council is almost complete. Lady R'ula'ula is demanding entrance into this house." Elana nodded.

"She needs to wait like the others." Elana said. There was a knock on the window. 

"By the name of the sea." Kalama said. "Anika!" He walked tot the window and opened it. 

"Here." The strange woman in orange said, handing Kalama a toddler. "Give her to my brother, Alekona, hold her tight. Just in case grandmother is pulling something." The woman then climbed into the room. She looked around. "Hello everybody, I see that I am just in time."

"Anika, what in the name of the sea are you doing here?" Their father said, Marella smiled at the woman as she rolled with her eyes.

"I am here to show my support. Grandmother can't do anything to me, and she is not going to hurt little guppy here." Anika said. "That is why Alekona needs to hold her tightly. "And if she is going to hurt her, well then she got the wrath of ever Alani. Then Anika turned towards Marella. "Hey I am Anika, your aunt. His baby sister, I was a later comer." She said. Then she slapped herself on the head. "You do not speak..."

"Hey Anika, nice to meet all of my father's family. I am Marella and is that little guppy my baby cousin?" Marella said, with a big grin on her face. Anika shook her head and smiled.

"We are family alright, I need to say, you look so much like my mother. Doesn't she dad?" Anika said. 

"She does. Speaking about her." Marella's father said.

"She is siding with grandmother." Anika said and sighed. "Not that is surprises me?" 

"Wait, my great-grandmother..." Marella started. But then a bang interrupted her. Kalama ran towards it. Marella's grandfather, followed her. 

"You have some nerve. Breaking in to another families house." He snapped, Anika looked at Elana.

"I told that boy of yours." Some woman said. "And now I'm enforcing my rule." Alekona cursed. 

"No you are not." Elana said. "This is my son's home, you broke entry. In the face of two council members." Marella moved towards her father. Acale was blocking the both of them.

"Do not interfere with my family, Lady P'ula'ula." The woman's voice echoed through the house. Marella shrunk a little. 

"Funny you are saying that because you are willing to interfere in mine." Elana replied. 

"That girl is not your family." The other woman's voice said. Marella looked at her father, and he sucked in some air. And then looked at her, he was afraid. What was that woman planning to do with him, well she was going to take him away. So that she couldn't be claimed. She opened her mouth to say something. But loud bangs were heard.

"This means war, Lady R'ula'ula." Elana said, her voice was muffled. It took only minutes before, Acale was pushed aside by some red men. Marella launched herself, and grabbed her father.

"Please do not take him." She said, tears were streaming down her face.

"Keep your hands off my baby!" Anika screamed. Marella felt arms wrapping around her. "Keep your hands off my niece, she is pregnant!" But that didn't stop those arms. She lost her grip and her father was pulled away.

"No! Daddy!" She screamed. The red let go off her, and she ran after them.

"Marella!" Her father screamed. Marella." She was caught be another red siren, she was now standing outside the house. Several sirens stared at the scene. "She is my daughter, she is my flesh and blood! The Gods are my witness when I tell you all of this!"

"Not all the council members are here, boy. So your claim means nothing." An older red woman said. "And because you didn't listen to your Matriarch, I will banish you from the city." Marella looked at the woman. She was her great-grandmother, she was willing to kill her. All because who she was. The woman now looked at her, a slight shock was shown on her face. Anika and her father already told her that she looked like her grandmother. "And you, you will die as soon your baby is born." 

"No, how could you do this. She is your own flesh and blood!" Her father started to scream.

"She is nothing to me." The woman said. And she walked away, Marella didn't care were she went. She had only eyes for her father who was still dragged away. Until he was out of her view. She had waited her whole life to meet him, and now she lost him all over again. She started sobbing, the arms around her let her go. But then she was surrounded by others, the arms how had embraced her once before. She buried her face into his bare chest, and let all her tears flow. Tears for her father, tears for her fate. And tears for her baby. Who will grow up without her. 

"I hope you all enjoyed the show." Elana said loudly. "I hope you all witnessed the lengths Lady R'ula'ula went through to rip a father out of his daughter's arms. A man who was about to do his duty, and claims his daughter. You all heard his claim, and yes I know not all the council was present. But I, for one, consider this girl claimed." 

"I consider it too. Lady R'ula'ula just attacked a house of the P'ula'ula family. She forced her way in, and attacked not only members of that family. But she also attacked members of mine, under which a guppy." A lady in orange said. She was clearly of the Alani family. "This means war, between our houses." Marella looked into Acale's silver eyes.

"Did I just start a war?" She asked softly, and he shook his head. 

"None of this is your fault." He said and he planted a kiss on her forhead. "But lets go back inside." He guided her back inside, and whipsers started to rise up. She could hear all of them, before the door closed behind her.