Dripping Wet

Dripping Wet 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I'm a fucking MERMAID!"

The voice fills my head. It isn't my voice, though. It sounds like clicks when it leaves Sebastian's mouth but by the time it comes to me I understand exactly what Sebastian is saying. We found out yesterday that we can communicate underwater using this sort of echolocation in the same way that dolphins did. And we have gills. We can breathe under the water just as easily as we can breathe in air.

"I think you mean merman," Yara corrects him.

Sebastian could care less what the term is. He seems like a very carefree person even though I don't know him. He's very talkative as well. He has sex appeal. He zips past us. He presses his chest down, his hips are moving up, and his tail flips through the water almost like a whip as he kicks his way downward. The water is dark but our scales illuminate the deepest and darkest waters and even if we couldn't see we all knew where we were going. Some went faster than others. Some of us looked nervous. Others of us looked excited. Some spun and did tricks in the water showing off what they can do with their new tails. Others swam straight strictly looking around at all the wildlife around us but too afraid to really interact.

The swim lasts for two days. With my tail, I've never been able to swim as fast. I stroke through the water faster than a submarine using my beautiful tail to guide me.

We are a school of fish making our way down, down and down into the deepest bluest waters. At times I swear it isn't going to end until it does.

We make it there...

"It's beautiful," Yara's voice fills my head.

The others are ahead of us. They stop swimming. Reign leads the group. Marina is right by his side. Reign seems to be the first one to notice it. His scales are a glimmering green. Marina's is a pale nude color. There is a light surrounding them but it isn't from their scales. This light is much better. I swim past them and see for myself what has caused everyone to stop swimming. We are at the very bottom of the ocean.

And there is a city tucked away in the darkness of the depths of water.

"It looks familiar," Sebastian says.

I don't respond but he's right. The city is a landscape of high towers and rolling plains. It is a city that seems trapped in time almost. It's submerged and illuminated with the most beautiful blue light. We look down at it like you would look down on a city from a plane. There is a peacefulness about the city. It's dazzling. The sea animals seem to be drawn to it. Jellyfish, moray eels, lionfish, jewel fish and lobster seem more plentiful in the area as though attracted to the submerged city. They swim around the bordered off city but they don't enter. The city is surrounded by something that barricades it somehow.

It seems like some sort of bubble.

Reign is being cautious, "We should circle around this place a few times. We should look out and see what is...hey! HEY! WAIT!"

The majority of the orphans start swimming towards the city. There is a mad rush as though they can't wait. Reign is calling back out to them but no one listens.

We move closer. The colonnades become clear. They are bright and beautiful.

Closer still.

I can see the city. I'm reaching out.

I feel a warmth that I don't feel before. The welcoming. I keep going closer and closer. Soon I see others being sucked into the bubble surrounding the city. They come out on the other side. When it is my turn my eyes flash with a bright light.

I struggle for a moment to maintain my composure but find myself nestled on a flatbed of grass! I'm so confused. What just happened?

"Are you OK?" Sebastian asks me.

He walks over to me. He is walking!. He isn't swimming anymore. I'm confused. I look around. I'm not the only one who seems lost. Yara is laying in a bed of grass beside me. There are few other orphans who are doing the same.

I look down at my tail. It is changing back into legs. It's almost as though my body knows that I'm dry now.

"It's dry," I realize.

Sebastian nods, "Weird isn't it?"

He helps me to my feet. The first thing that I notice is his naked body. Damn. Sebastian is packing. His dick is the same pale color as him. His pubic hair is still dripping wet along with his hair. He squeezes it out letting the water get out of his hair. I can't help but stare at him. His dick curves to the right ever so slightly. He is thin but I guess it's right what they say about skinny boys. They definitely have a lot going on down there.

He must notice me looking at him when he helps me up because he lets out a little snicker and bites on his lower lip.

"Sorry, got a little excited by everything," he tells me.

He looks down. He's referring to his dick which is getting semi-erect. I wonder at first what that means but I'm a little distracted when I see the city.

"We must be surrounded by some sort of barrier. It keeps the water out," Yara notices.

"How?" I ask.

"Magic, I suppose," Yara responds.

I look back at the bubble surrounding the city. Yara makes it seem so simple. She isn't even trying to understand it.

"Impossible. It has to be more than that. This is a dry city at the bottom of the ocean for godsakes," I state, "This has to be science. There is no such thing as magic."

"Says the boy who just changed back from a merman," she responds.

Yara has a point. She's always been relatively smart. I think both Sebastian and I realize that. Maybe that's why we stick by her. I look at the others. More people are coming through the barrier and appearing in the field of green.

"Are you guys OK?" Reign asks.

He asks everyone but he is specifically looking at me. Reign's body is amazing. His tall lean structure is exceptional. He covers his dick with his hands but it's barely doing a good job. I am looking at him up and down.

We exchange glances. I know that if Reign is around then Marina isn't far behind. Before me or anyone else gets the chance to answer Marina is walking up to him.

"They are fine. Here. Put this on," Marina states.

She hands Reign a piece of cloth. It looks dry.

"Where'd you get those?" Sebastian asks.

"The structure over there," Marina responds, "There are tons of clothes over there."

Marina leads Reign and the others towards a stone structure that is in the distance of the field. I take a second and turn back towards the bubble. In the darkness, I swear I can feel someone watching me. I can feel eyes. I pierce beyond the barrier of the city on the darkness of the ocean. I'm tired from the long swim. Maybe I'm seeing things but I swear I see eyes...staring...

"Krill! You coming?" Sebastian calls out to me.

"Yeah!"

I turn to Sebastian to acknowledge him but turn back into the darkness. I don't feel the eyes watching me anymore. That was weird. I have to stop. I'm starving. It must be fatigue.

The structure looks like some sort of barn area. The barrier illuminates the city almost like a sun underneath the water. The city looks like it is in a constant state of this calm, soothing twilight. It keeps it bright enough to see but dim enough that this entire city looks magical.

"Here. Let me help you," Sebastian says.

Sebastian uses the linen to form a wrap around skirt around my waist. There is a rope that he ties around my waist as some sort of belt to keep the skirt secured around my waist. Feeling him touch my waist in the way he is doing is causing me to smile.

"What is this?" I ask him.

"Some sort of linen. It looks clean. I think you wrap them around your waist like they did in ancient times. They were just sitting here almost like they were waiting for us. Weird huh?"

"Not so weird. You're doing a good job at this. I can get used to you dressing me," I respond.

Sebastian raises his eyebrow. He's probably not used to another guy openly flirting with him like this but he hasn't met me before. He attempts to move his hand away from me but I grab it. I let it stroke across the linen feeling me up.

"I'm good with my hands. They are a little hard though, " Sebastian lets me guide his hand around my butt towards the front. He allowed me to guide his hand to my crotch area.

"How hard?"

"Rock hard. Thick as fuck. Real long."

Sebastian is whispering in my ear. His warm breath is up against my earlobe. He presses up against me. His dick is hard and getting harder by the second. He is pressing up against me so much I can feel every inch it grows.

"That's useful. Sometimes I get an itch. Real deep," I respond.

"You should let me scratch that itch for you sometimes. I'm a good scratcher. I get deep in the tissue. I play around in little circles."

"I don't want you to play when you scratch me. I don't take my itches as a joke."

"Oh don't worry. I can get serious with it. Especially when I go deep. You'll definitely be in pain. Sometimes I put my hand where it doesn't belong, but I promise you'll like it."

There are a few guys that swam down with us who seem uncomfortable as fuck. They see Sebastian feeling me up and I think Sebastian is going to stop but he doesn't. The guys walk away seeming a little turned off by the gay stuff. Sebastian laughs. He could care less.

He allowed me to guide his hand to my crotch area. There are a few guys that swam down with us who seem uncomfortable as fuck. They see Sebastian feeling me up and I think Sebastian is going to stop but he doesn't. The guys walk away seeming a little turned off by the gay stuff. Sebastian laughs.

"You should let me scratch that itch of yours right now," Sebastian says, "Right here..."

He could care less. about the others.

"Guys...come see this," Yara interrupts us.

I don't know what she's talking about but she interrupts Sebastian and I just when things are getting a little hot. Sebastian smiles at me but starts out towards Yara. Yara is eating something. She's eating some sort of fruit. I've never seen a fruit like this before. It is just growing out in the field. There are tons of them.

"What is that?" I ask.

"I have no idea, but it's amazing," she responds.

I look at the rows of the fruit. It could be poison for all we know but I don't think anyone cares. We are way too hungry. It is a red fruit that looks similar to a berry but it is huge. I grab one of them. I bite into the fruit. Yara is right. It's amazing.

"Someone planted these," I point out, "Recently."

I realize the rows of the fruit. Someone definitely has been working on these. It's almost as though all the fruit are perfectly ripe at this perfect moment. It's almost as though they were planted specifically for us.

"Our parents?" Sebastian asks.

I cross my arms, "Why didn't they come greet us if they are here? Look around. Do you see anyone?"

Sebastian looks around. The fields are clear. The others have moved on ahead leaving the three of us behind. People are wandering off on their own and exploring in groups. It probably isn't the smartest thing to do but curiosity is getting the best of all of us.

Who lived here? A better question was...where were they?

"Let's look around," Yara suggests.

We grab a bunch of the fruit and start making our way to join the others. Past the fields is the city. The roads lead towards the city. The roads seem to be built with broken stone and cement. The entrance to the main area past the farms is opened up by gigantic arches. The first thing we see are homes. They are different from any homes I've seen before. They are open villas each with grand open atriums and high columns to keep the square roofs on. Each house seems to be connected to each other. Some dont even have doors. Whoever lived here did not mind a lack of privacy at all.

Past the homes there are forums, triumphal arches, basilicas and these areas that look like theaters. One thing I notice are all the baths. The grand public baths were the most common structure in this city. We walk through huge bodies of water surrounded by grand columns and statues of water nymphs. It's almost like we stepped into ancient Greece.

"This place is cool. Feels like something out of my architecture class," Yara responds.

She is such a nerd. She's walking around giving strange facts that Sebastian and I completely ignore. She seems to compare this place to Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome. She's talking about the role of forums and how people took public baths in the Ancient times. She seems like she knows what she is talking about at first but I think we know the difference.

This place. This isn't Greece. This was someplace else. This place was more special than that.

We've been walking around for hours. The main part of the city isn't large. The city sits just inside several rings of fields. There is a road that cuts right through there with huge aqueducts that carry fresh water from the ground. The ground seems real. Somehow freshwater is getting in this city. I wonder if Yara would explain this by saying 'magic' too. The city itself does seem magical, though. It's relatively small but the structures are grand. After walking in circles for the third time it's clear that there isn't really anywhere else to go. The roads all lead back to the public forum that we are in now.

"This place looks deserted," I realize, "Abandoned almost."

I look over at Yara. I need answers. For the first time, she just seems completely lost and confused, though.

"HELLO!" Sebastian screams out at the top of his lungs.

"Save your breath. No one's here but us."

It's Reign and Marina who we find instead of our parents. Reign is standing leaning up against one of the collonades. Marina stands next to him. They must be tired from the swim because they've completely stopped looking around. In the distance we see a few more orphans going in and out of all the buildings trying to find clues for anything.

"Any idea what this place is?" Sebastian asks Reign.

"Anne says it's an ancient city," Marina says.

Reign nods his head, "There is no modern technology. There is a building back there. Some sort of Basilica or palace. There's no way in though. It says Atlantis on it."

"Atlantis? Like the ancient city?" Yara asks.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"Atlantis was a city that submerged back in the ancient times. Atlantis was the domain of Poseidon, god of the sea. For generations, the Atlanteans lived simple, virtuous lives. Poseidon's city became so beautiful that the other gods became jealous. The gods punished them and in one violent surge the island, and it's people were swallowed by the ocean."

It's creepy when Yara says it. We were hoping to find some magical blessing. This seemed more like some sort of curse. The four of us stare at Yara. She might as well be telling a horror story around some sort of camp fire or something. It's creeping us out.

"What are you some type of Encyclopedia?" Marina asks Yara.

"I read up a lot on things in my past," Yara explains.

"That's convenient," Marina responds.

"Marina stop," Reign stops his girlfriend, "Let's just assume...I'm sorry what's your name again?"

"Yara."

It's sad Reign doesn't remember Yara. She wasn't popular but she was around. I guess guys like Reign didn't need to remember weirdos like Yara. I wonder if I'd left if he would have forgotten me.

"Let's assume Yara is right. It's the only explanation that we have right now. This is Atlantis. This is the long lost city. We found the city. But where are the people?"

"Maybe they are all dead," I say.

"Don't say that," Reign replies sharply.

I don't expect him to reply like that. I just assumed that was common sense. I mean the fact is there was no one here but us. I look around. The only thing I can see are shadows of groups of orphans calling out into the darkness. They'll be walking around for hours looking for people. No one was here. The fucking city was abandoned.

"We wasted our time," I respond, "No one's here..."

"Someone called us here."

"Well, whoever they are is long dead. What's the point of being here?"

"Relax Krill," Sebastian jumps in surprisingly on Reign's side, "We just swam to the bottom of the ocean. Look around. We are in an ancient city. I am a merman, for godsakes. There has to be more to this story."

"What's your name?" Marina asks.

"Sebastian."

"Well Sebastian you seem like a good guy. So I'll do you a favor. Let me tell you about Krill. He doesn't really believe in anything or cares about anyone. If you were smart you'd ditch him and come hang with us," Marina states.

Marina is doing this on purpose. She didn't know Sebastian. All she knew was that he was a handsome guy. She'd done it before. She was trying to isolate me. She was trying to make sure I had no friends.

"Krill is a cool guy," Sebastian surprisingly responds, "Besides I hang with who I want. Nothing wrong with a disagreement. We just need to figure out what is up with this place."

"Magic," Yara says.

The others nod in agreement. They are NODDING! What the fuck? I shake my head at that moment and start walking away. These people are being stupid as fuck and I can't take it.

"Where are you going?" Reign asks me.

"Back to my normal life. I got things I need to do back home," I respond.

Marina was right. Sebastian could do better than me as far as friends. Hell, Yara may not be allowed to be with Marina and Reign but she'd be fine finding her own friends as well. Maybe nerds with her. There was no point in being here. Nothing was here for me. Reign is following me through the stone forum! What is up with this guy? A couple of other orphans have gathered in the forum area as well. It seems like a place people usually go to speak in this city. There are seats. They aren't the most comfortable seats but they are seats nonetheless. I walk through the forums and shake my head. I'm pissed. I'm beyond pissed. I swam all this way for nothing. NOTHING!

Reign grabs my arm, "Slow down."

"Don't fucking touch me, Reign."

Marina is behind me as well, "Leave him alone Reign. Let him do his thing."

"No. We've let him do his thing for years and we know where that got him," Reign states.

I don't know what that is supposed to mean but I think he's taking a dig at me. The words he uses is the words you feel when you hear someone slip up and say something that they've been discussing behind your back while you weren't around. I used to be friends with Reign and Marina. I used to be friends with Blue. All that went down the drain, though. All that went to hell in one night. I'm sure they discussed me when I wasn't around.

"I'm none of your business..." I respond to Reign.

"Yes, you are," Reign states.

"Whoa OK. You two calm down. What's the problem?" Sebastian asks.

"There is history here..." Reign says, "No offense, Sebastian: was it? This is between me and my friend."

"I'm not your friend," I correct Reign.

Marina laughs, "Reign he has a point."

"Well look. History or not. How about you stop trying to touch him?" Sebastian says to Reign.

It's clear people are confused at what the arguing is about. Reign won't keep his fucking hands off of me that's what the argument about. Reign just wants everyone to be as happy as he is. I'm not a happy person. I'm not smiling. This isn't fucking magic to me. I was an idiot for thinking it was magic in the first place.

"Thank you," I respond to Sebastian, glad for once someone is finally taking my side.

"Don't thank me," Sebastian quickly states, "You need to calm down Krill. You are freaking people out. We need to be optimistic about this."

I look around. Sure enough, I'm getting eyes. The eyes are staring at me. The eyes are glaring at me. I feel tears filling up my eyes at that moment. They come so deep inside of me.

"I want to go home."

I'm breaking down in front of all of these people. They stop and stare at me. Sebastian looks confused as though something is really wrong with me. Reign isn't confused, though. He seems to understand a little better. He attempts to reach for me again. This time, Sebastian doesn't stop him. Maybe after the tears, Sebastian thinks I need it.

I shoo Reign off again. I take a few steps back quickly.

"This is your home," Reign responds, "You said so yourself."

"No. It's not," I respond, "This is a fucking graveyard. Look around. I came here to find my parents. I came here to find my past. There is nothing here but columns and abandoned buildings. This is a city that the world has forgotten. There is nothing..."

"How can you say that?" Reign asks, "Everything is here. I know it. I promise you. We came here for a reason Krill."

"Leave him alone," Marina says, "He wants to go home. Maybe he has a date or something. Maybe he has to go suck someone's dick or something. This isn't his world. That is his world."

Reign looks at me. He looks at Marina. For some reason Marina saying that seems to really pull me back out of this fantasy. Mermaids. Ancient cities. A new world. I'm pulled back away from all of that shit.

"Marina you aren't helping," Reign says.

"She's right," I state.

"Don't listen to her. She's being a bitch," Sebastian adds.

I back away from the others. Marina looks shocked that Sebastian just called her a bitch. She's even more shocked at the fact that Reign isn't defending her against Sebastian's attack. I don't blame her, though. Right now they were all living with these blinders on. They came to this ghost town expecting something that wasn't here.

"I'm leaving," I state, "There's nothing here for me."

Tears are running down my cheek.

Reign takes a step towards me, "I know you wanted your family. I understand. We all wanted some idea of who we are. That's why we all came down here. I'm asking you not to give up. There has to be an explanation for all of this. I'm asking you not to forget."

I'm so emotional. Once I start crying it doesn't stop. People don't know what to do. The only one who has any idea is Reign.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I ask Reign.

"Because we are all in this together."

"He's not in this with me. Blue should be here instead," Marina rolls her eyes, "He's a fucking murderer. He's a fucking slut. Blue will never forgive him and neither will I."

The words are strong. People look at me. They are standing next to a murderer and they had no idea this entire time.

The others look around confused.

"What did you just say?" Sebastian asks.

By now all of the others are there. They are all looking at me. I never opened up about the past before. Yara looks away. The awkwardness is filling the air. I have to open up now, though. I have to tell them about it.

"Tell them. Tell them what happened with Wade," Marina states.

Reign tries to stop her, "Marina stop it."

"You murdered someone?" Sebastian asks me.

It's Marina who decides to explain, "Wade was his boyfriend. Blue's brother. Everyone loved Wade. He was the sweetest person you could ever imagine. Handsome too. He looked just like his brother Blue. Well anyway. I was throwing a party for my boyfriend Reign. I had to invite our best friends Wade and Krill to the party. The five of us were inseparable. Me, Wade, Reign, Blue and Krill. Truth be told we were all jealous of your relationship with Wade. Weren't we Krill?"

She was telling the story. She was telling everyone what happened. I look over at Reign. Reliving the night is going in something I don't want to ever do.

"Stop it," Reign tells Marina.

Marina keeps going, "Wade and Krill were close, almost inseparable until the New Years party. Reign got really drunk and Krill offered to walk Reign home. That night we came home to find Krill having sex with Reign, taking advantage of him because he was drunk. Wade couldn't take it. He was always the most emotional of us. The next morning we woke up to a note. It was a suicide note. It specifically blamed Krill for everything. Krill is the reason that Wade took his life."

They all turn to me.

Reign knew the truth but hearing it again he doesn't have anything to add to it. Marina didn't say any lies. She blames me for everything that happened that night and she's glad all these people who don't know me realize the type of person I am right now. I am a slut. I am a murderer.

That's who I am.

Sebastian shakes his head, glaring at me, clearly bothered. He's no longer defending me. He's no longer interested in getting to know me. Once again Marina has gone out of her way to isolate me from everyone. Once again I'm alone. I can't take it anymore! I run. I'm crying.

I can't take it anymore! I run. I'm crying.

Wade died because of me. I'm tearing up thinking about it. I run as far as my feet can take me and when I get to the barrier I touch it. And all of a sudden I'm out there in the deep water. The water pressure effects my human form a lot worse. A part of me thinks about just letting myself drown in this water. I would if I could but my body takes over for me. It changes without me even wanting to.

I am back to being a merman.

I start swimming away from Atlantis. I'm swimming as fast as I can.

~

I swim for what seems like forever. I can't see Atlantis anymore. The ocean is dark and I just want to disappear in it's waters. But for some reason, I feel like I am not alone. My scales get dark. Several scary looking angler fish swim past me. The ocean doesn't seem nearly as peaceful here or as easy. The waves are getting choppy. Soon I realize that the angler fish are swimming backwards.

I stare at the angler fish confused. What the hell is going on?

That's when I feel it.

I feel suction. It's a current. It's sucking me in! In the darkness of the oceanm I'm not sure where I'm being sucked to but I just feel myself being sucked. I turn desperate to swim against the suction! It's an underwater whirlpool!

The gigantic whirlpool is sucking up fish all around me. The violent surges of the underwater whirlpool is grabbing me. I can't swim against it. No matter how much I try. I find myself using all my energy to stay in one place at one time.

That's when I feel a hand reach out for me.

It grabs me.

"Hold onto me."

The voice fills my head. It's a merman. I look up. I see the tail. The person who is saving is someone that I don't expect at all.

"Blue?" I ask.

It is him. Blue is there underwater. He has some sort of staff in his hand. He uses it to dig into some nearby coral. The current seems to be getting harder and harder, though. It's pulling at us. He looks back at me.

"Hold onto me..." Blue says.

"Why are you here?"

"Same reason as you..." he responds, "I'm looking for answers to who I am. Hold on tight. Grab around my waist, goddam it. Hold me. Close."

I'm wrapped around Blue's waist. One of his hands holds onto the fisherman spear. The other hand is wrapped around me. Blue has a unique tail. It isn't like the other's tails. It has all these colors in it. Almost every color imaginable. It is fucking beautiful. My tail wraps around Blue's tail. We look at each other. I haven't been this close to him in years. Our chests are pressed up against one another. Blue is only inches away from my face. If lean into him I could kiss him.

The current gets stronger still attempting to suck us in. I'm not sure where this is coming from. I turn downstream.

That's when I see something that I can't describe.

There were teeth in the darkness. The big black darkness that was sucking us in had teeth!

"It's alive..."

"What?" Blue asks.

"That thing?" I say, "That thing sucking us in is alive..."

"What are you talking about?" he asks, "It's a whirlpool."

He attempts to look back and see what I'm talking about but the sucking is way too strong. He wraps his arms around me at that moment and holds me close. He holds me with all his strength and focus. Together we both close our eyes. It seems like forever. Every muscle in our body is strained but something causes the suction to stop. The darkness disappears and there is nothing but the beautiful ocean calm once more.

I open my eyes. It's him. Blue. My enemy. My hero.

"You saved my life," I state.

I look at Blue. I'm glad he decided to come find Atlantis. For some reason, we are still holding onto each other even after the threat is gone.

"I didn't stop the whirlpool..." he states.

This man hated me. He wanted me dead. I was the reason that his brother was dead. So why did he save me? We float in the ocean calm and we stare at one another. Our tails are still wrapped up in one another. He hasn't released me. I haven't released him. His arms are still wrapped up around me. What was happening? There was this emotion that I'm feeling. Could he be feeling it too? Is that the reason why he looks at me straight in my eyes like the way he does.

We float.

I forget about the darkness. I forget about the monster. I forget about Atlantis.

In the beautiful blue ocean, I wonder if I can find forgiveness from Blue. I wonder if I can find something even more than forgiveness. I lean into him. His lips are so full. They've always been the perfect lips. They fold just in the right places daring me to touch them. They are urging me to kiss them underwater.

My tongue enters Blue's mouth. Blue doesn't stop me. Between us there is a pressure but i push the water out of our mouths. Our tongues are locking together. Blue still isn't stopping me.

That's when I feel it. He kisses me back! Blue is fucking kissing me back!

Thats when we hear something. A trumpet.

Blue pulls away. He jerks away. He's fast. We look at each other for a moment. I don't think he realized what he was doing. He seems shocked he was just kissing me. His chest is beating hard underwater. His gills are working overtime to get oxygen out of this way. For a minute I think he is having one of Reign's attacks. I'm wrong though. He stops. He floats for a minute making sure there is room enough for me.

"I'm sorry...I..."

"We aren't alone," he says, interrupting me.

"The monster...did it come back?" I ask.

"No...someone else."

All around us we see the lights coming towards us. All these lights. Hundreds of lights. At first they seem like those fireflies that we saw on the shores. They aren't fireflies though. Fireflies don't swim. I was leaving Atlantis because I didn't believe in magic. Seeing all these lights at this moment I realize that magic is real.

In the water swimming towards us I realize those are the merfolk of Atlantis swimming towards us. The tiny light creatures lead the way for the merforlk. Chief among them is a woman. Her tail is a dazzling white. The merfolk swim beside her. It is an army. No. It is a nation of people. The woman leads the school of merfolk towards me. She's decked out in golden armor. There are trumpets I can hear underwater as she approaches being pulled on a triumphant chariot. The chariot is being pulled by these things that look horses. They have the head, neck and mane of a normal horse, webbed feet, and a long, two-lobed, whale-like tail. Her eyes connect with me as she descends towards me decked out in her armor.

"Who is that?" Blue asks me, "She is beautiful."

He's right. She's beautiful. She isn't beautiful in some sexual way. She's beautiful because you can't stop looking at her. Her hair is like a veil around her. Why does it seem so familiar to me? I remember something. It's a distant memory but it's a memory still. I use to get lost in that long hair of hers. It used to sweep the floor and I would chase it. I would chase it sometimes with legs and sometimes when I had a tail. The long flood of locks is what I remember the most.

"I know her."

"Krill..." I hear her saying.

Blue looks over at me. He seems concerned.

"Who is she?"

I don't know how I remember but I know exactly who she is.

"The Goddess of the oceans, the Empress Dowager Amphitrite," I realize, "My grandmother."

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