"Elizabeth!" you gasped and were quick to get down to her, while Selene turned, though her heavily pregnant belly prevented her from bending down with any speed.
"She doesn't know about homosexuality?" Jake wondered.
"Sirens know about it," Selene answered, "though more by a bisexual nature... as we need to feed on male lust... or love if it's freely given... but since our societies are all female we're also attracted to members of our own gender..."
"But she doesn't know about men being attracted to each other?" Emily wondered.
"Florencia was always a rather conservative Head Sister," Selene answered with a frustrated sigh, "She doesn't think highly of humanity, and she disagreed with me over whether or not we could find a way to feed without killing... and that led to my exile from her sisterhood..."
You watched as Elizabeth's eyes began to flutter slightly and looked up to see Selene rubbing one hand over her womb.
"...but in the end, I think I've won the argument," Selene said proudly, "Not that that helped Elizabeth or those still in Florencia's sisterhood..."
"But homosexuality has ALWAYS been there," Jake commented, "it didn't just appear in the late twentieth century..."
"Don't put it past someone with prejudices to ignore that," Michael commented as he came around to help you help Elizabeth up. Selene nodded in agreement to your male self's comment.
"Michael's right there," Selene sighed, "She can be quite motherly and polite at times... but that covers the fact that she doesn't like humanity. Particularly after a mob killed the boy that had named us. She sees humanity as food or, if there is goodness that is sensed, as a means to create a new mermaid... nothing more... and since our pheromones can sexually arouse a homosexual male... sirens like Florencia have been able to sell a message that humans aren't worth much..."
By now, Elizabeth seemed to recover from her fainting spell, and you and Michael helped pull her back to her feet. She was a little unsteady at first and actually teetered between you and Michael. After a moment she looked to you, her eyes wide with what you couldn't tell if it was from fear or surprise and shock.
"She said that there were men not interested in women?" Elizabeth asked.
You nodded, "Yes. There are men who are attracted to men. Just as we attracted to men and to fellow sirens."
"Not JUST like us, Michelle," Selene chuckled.
"Why?" Elizabeth asked, "What about having children? How can two men have children together?"
"They can always adopt, or as was in my case..." Emily answered as she came forward, "they can go through scientific means doctors use to help women who have trouble getting pregnant naturally by mixing sperm with an egg in a "test tube" and then reintroducing the resulting developing baby back into the mother at a point where it will lead to a pregnancy. In my family's case... between two friends who both happened to be homosexual and friends with each other."
"And they love you?" Elizabeth asked.
"They raised me well... and I know both sets of parents," Emily gave a chuckle, "interestingly enough they live next to each other in the same town your... and I guess my head sister lives..."
"And when I've been able to visit, they've treated her well," Jake added as he put an arm around Emily's shoulder.
"I've never heard of anything like this before," Elizabeth said after a moment.
"Yes... Selene told us about how Florencia was controlling your old sisterhood," Emily assured her, "It's okay. Some humans don't fully get how my family works either."
You smiled as you saw Elizabeth gave the same friendly smile that you had seen plenty of times. It was a smile that had helped convince you that she could be a friend, even though at the time you wanted to go back to being Michael. Now, you wanted to remain Michelle, but could be assured that Selene would be okay and that your male self was there too. You could feel his brotherly love for you and an almost romantic-like love with regard to his understanding on how you still loved Selene as much as he did. It took a lot of the edge off of the siren hunger that you had felt growing again when you, Elizabeth, and Selene arrived at the Council of Sisterhoods. It lessened a bit when you'd met Jake and felt his academic love for mermaids and felt that would be enough until you could be turned back into Michael, but now that you were now separated from Michael, something in the back of your mind told you that Jake's academic love wouldn't feed you well enough to avoid feeding the siren way. Michael's brotherly love did even more Jake's academic love did, but you had the sense that eventually you'd need to feed again... though for the moment you didn't mention it. Even with that though, you were still glad to see Elizabeth smile.
"We'll need to indoctrinate them as Trusted, Selene," Elizabeth said to your wife.
"Trusted?" Emily asked.
"People who know about our existence but won't reveal us and will even help keep our secret," Selene explained, "And Elizabeth is right. Michael and I don't own a large enough home to have everyone live there full time... and while the town is coastal... the most secluded spot that is close enough to town is the cove that Florencia uses. There really aren't that many places where we can gather as a sisterhood and be a sisterhood in private. Our ability to shift between human and mer forms helps us meet with each other on land and be with our male loved ones... and we could travel to areas of beach that are safe for us to go in and swim without risking attention... but doing that will require trusted..."
"Not to mention that you won't be able to hide that you're a siren very well, Em," Jake commented, "you can't just NOT shower or take a bath... and someone could accidentally walk in."
"So... I should tell them that I'm... that I'm not human?" Emily asked, "What if they fear me?"
"We'll have to find that out," Selene told her, and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, "but if they love you... I wouldn't see them just tossing you out. And if they do... I'll do what I can..."
"What about Jake?" Emily asked, "His parents live here in this town..."
"We have a guest room," Michael commented, "We can set Jake up in there until you two finish college and are able to buy your own home."
"I'm not actually in college," Jake answered, "but I do have a job as a boat mechanic in the town Head Sister Selene says you live... I'm good with engines and it's let me work around the sea to a degree and indulge my own... "fantasies" if you will."
"I suppose that is a plus for me then," Emily gave a slight chuckle, "I'm now your greatest fantasy..."
"Second greatest... my first would actually be me being a merman... but everyone's been telling me that sirens are only female," Jake admitted.
"And how will you assure my parents and make them trusted?" Emily asked, "You won't use magic on them, will you?"
"No," Selene answered, "but it will involve us revealing ourselves as sirens to them with the warning that if they can't keep us a secret... we will have to transform them. If things go well, that shouldn't a problem. You will have to trust me, okay?"
"Okay," Emily accepted, and actually came forward and hugged your wife. You watched Selene smile as they hugged. After a moment Emily reported something more, "Your baby moved."
"Yes... she's been very active," Selene smiled and looked down to her womb, "probably excited to have her daddy back and possibly happy to be born into a sisterhood."
You felt a small tingle within you as you watched your wife talk with pride about her pregnancy. It reminded you of why you had just had blood drawn, though it wouldn't be until morning before you would learn as to whether or not you were pregnant. For the moment, you simply felt glad that your sisterhood was coming together.