The Call Of Thalassa

“History is written by the survivors.”

How could this be?

His heart hammered against his chest as his mind shattered into pieces. His breathing was labored and heavy as he tried to get enough air in his lungs. It wasn’t working –he couldn’t breathe! His hands wouldn’t stop shaking, not even when he clenched them so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

His legs felt weak. He didn’t notice when his knees buckled. He didn’t feel the wetness of the sand as he kneeled on the beach. His eyes were burning with unshed tears –were they from frustration or relief? He didn’t really know –he couldn’t make sense of his feelings any longer. He buried his face in his hands as he began to rock himself back and forth. He was baffled, shocked! This couldn’t be happening!

Had the pressure of the past days taken a toll on him? Perhaps, his soul couldn’t stand the truth any longer –the immense sadness and unspeakable grief had twisted his thoughts. His thread of sanity had finally snapped and he was falling in an abyss of madness.

That sounded logical –at least, it would explain what was happening. His mind was playing tricks on him, creating illusions and confusing his heart. The pain of knowing your loved ones are dead was painting images of them to taunt him –to torture him. To fill him with the despair of knowing that they had slipped through his fingers and he could do nothing to save them. Their blood had painted his hands and their screams had filled his ears. They were gone forever and there was nothing that could bring them back.

He was losing his fucking mind.

Why were the Goddesses torturing him so much? Were they laughing at his pain? Were they taking pleasure from his misery? Hadn’t he felt enough pain to last him a lifetime? He had lost his mother when he was a child and he had waited longer than anyone else for his mate. Aileen was in danger, imprisoned by her own bully. He had lost his family, his friends, his home. His people were slaughtered and his kingdom was destroyed. And he could only watch as everything he had ever known was crumbling around him, disappearing like sand grains when the waves kissed the shoreline.

Why did Thalassa hate him so much? Why did she torture him with illusions of his loved ones? Why did he have to dream about them when their image would turn into ash as soon as he opened his eyes? He was losing his mind, turning completely crazy. He couldn’t tell the difference between his delusions and reality anymore. They were so mixed together that he could no longer distinguish them.

“Have?”

His eyes snapped open at the sound of his name. The hoarse whisper filled with disbelief and shock was mixed with a sliver of hope. Goosebumps appeared on his skin as his gaze darted on his friend’s figure. His blue eyes found his yellow ones easily. They were glowing like precious gems, standing out in the blackness of the night.

Havelock stared at the figure lying in the shallow waters of the ocean. The familiar purple tail could be seen under the surface of the water. The young prince took a deep breath before opening his eyes. He blinked once. Twice.

He didn’t disappear.

Osmond cocked his head to the side in confusion and worry, his blonde locks falling against his chest. His eyes widened in utter shock when he took in Havelock’s legs. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to say. He was the same man he grew up with and yet, he had changed so much. What could he possibly say to him?

“How in Thalassa’s name did you get those legs?“, he frowned in confusion as he focused on his new limps.

Havelock remained still and utterly speechless, frozen by the sight of his dead friend.

“The last time I saw you, you had a tail!“, Osmond continued awkwardly.

He didn’t get an answer.

“A dark blue one”, the merman persisted, “With silver details...”

Havelock couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He just stared at him with tears falling from his tired orbs.

“Have, you know I love you”, Osmond smiled stiffly at him, “But you’re being really creepy right now.”

Havelock took a hesitant step towards him.

“You’re alive?“, he finally whispered in disbelief.

Osmond gave him a saddened smile.

“I know it is difficult to believe but I am”, the merman sighed to himself, “I have a lot of explaining to d-”

He didn’t manage to finish his sentence. His body fell back with force as someone fell upon him. Familiar arms were wrapped around him as a trembling figure embraced him. He hugged his brother back, feeling a weight being lifted from his shoulders and a sense of relief feeling his heart.

“You’re alive”, Havelock mumbled in disbelief.

He gripped his face, taking in every single detail of the familiar features. His blue eyes found his yellow ones before observing his whole form. His purple tail was splashing slightly in the salty waters. He didn’t have any wounds but he seemed tired and exhausted. His lips were pulled into a smile and his eyes were sparkling with tears.

He froze when his eyes fell on his chest. A humongous scar was decorating his once flawless complexion. Three similar lines shone dimly under the silver light of the moon, testifying to a deep wound which only a trident could inflict. The deep slashes were meant to kill, piercing through the heart and cutting his thread of life. And yet, they had failed their purpose.

“How is this possible?“, Havelock whispered at the sight of the scar.

“Thea”, Osmond smiled faintly, “I would be dead if it wasn’t for her.”

“I don’t understand..“, Havelock mumbled in confusion.

“Sethelious didn’t pierce through my heart, Have. A trident needs accuracy –it’s not a wide blade, but three pointed ends”, he explained to him.

“But I saw you, Osmond!“, he yelled at him, “I saw you bleeding in front of me! I saw you fall! I saw you dying!

“I said he didn’t pierce my heart, not that he didn’t scratch it”, the merman caressed his scar absentmindedly, “He went for the kill, Have. Even if he didn’t hit my heart, he did a lot of damage. I would have died anyway.”

The merman took a deep breath before gazing at his friend.

“Thea found me in the middle of the chaos. I was barely breathing but still alive. She knew that there was no chance of us winning the battle, so she did what she thought was best.”

Havelock watched as he tried to find the proper words.

“She took advantage of Sethelious’ distraction. He was fighting with you and then, your father appeared... his focus was on the King and his heir. He didn’t care about a dead general anymore”, he sighed deeply, “Thea gathered a group of warriors and managed to take us out of the city. She saved as many as she could before leaving –families, warriors...anyone.”

His head snapped up.

“There are survivors?“, his heart was filled with relief and happiness.

“A couple of hundreds, including many of our warriors. There are others who escaped alone and find their way to us as the days pass.“, he confirmed his words, “She did such a great job, Have! She saved us all!”

His chest swelled with pride for his sister. Thekla had managed to keep her calm and think logically, taking care of their people and guiding them to safety. She was heavily pregnant and her mate was almost dead, but she still managed to save them all. Their father would be proud of his girl. And he was too.

“Where are they now?“, Havelock asked feeling relieved, “Where are you staying?”

“We found refugee in the eastern caves, where the Sea Nymphs are residing. They have magic that we were desperate for; otherwise half of us would have been already dead. They are not fond of Sethelious as you remember –they were the ones that cast the spell that trapped him in his cave.”

“They are the ones that saved you”, Havelock mumbled in understanding.

Osmond nodded in an answer.

“And the ones that helped your sister give birth.”

Havelock’s smile widened in delight.

“I have a nephew?“, the prince’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“You’ll meet Murdoch soon enough, Have”, Osmond gave him a tearful laugh, “We have to regroup and find a way to take Atlantis back. Now that our King is alive, we can be rid of Sethelious once and for all.”

Havelock shook his head in denial –the words feeling like a knife in his heart.

“My father is dead. We have no King.”

“Neptune is dead”, Osmond agreed, “You are his heir and therefore, the King. You’ve been training for this your entire life. You might not feel ready for this role, but you have no choice. The facts do not take into consideration your feelings.”

Havelock sighed deeply before taking in his words. Osmond had always been the voice of logic –his words were truthful and to the point. He never liked to sugarcoat the events and make excuses for them. He was a general and therefore, he faced reality no matter how harsh it was.

“What do I have to do?“, the prince finally decided.

“You have to come back”, his friend answered honestly, “We’ve been looking for you –searching the depths and hoping you were still alive. We need our King to lead the attack and take back his throne.”

His blue orbs widened.

“You’ve been looking for me?”

“Of course we did, Have. We knew Neptune was dead –we saw him dying. But we didn’t know what had happened to you”, Osmond gazed at him intensely, “Why do you think I came to this beach? It is your safe haven –I was hoping you’d come here eventually.”

Havelock stared at him in astonishment.

“I don’t know what to say”, he mumbled.

“Nothing preferably”, Osmond shrugged his shoulders, “Just get in the water and let’s go back. Your people need you, Have.”

Then, his yellow orbs fell upon his legs, making him furrow his eyebrows in thought. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously before finding his friend’s blue ones.

“Please, tell me these are not permanent”, he pleaded, “I don’t know how you’ll rule Atlantis when you cannot even breathe underwater.”

The prince shook his head negatively, smirking when Osmond let a breath of relief. His general must have been horrified at the sight of his newfound limps. Only Selene knew what was going on through his mind.

“That’s not the problem. I can transform back whenever I want”, he stated firmly, making his childhood friend let a sigh of alleviation.

“Then hurry up, will you?“, the merman huffed, “It will take us about three hours to reach the caves.”

“I can’t”, Havelock said, “Not tonight.”

Osmond stared at him in disbelief –his smile dying on his lips. His heart clenched in his chest, unable to understand why their King wouldn’t follow them. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his gaze darkened.

“What do you mean? Have, we really need y-”

“Aileen is in trouble, Osmond”, the prince clenched his fists, “She’s been imprisoned.”

The merman was speechless.

“How?“, he managed to whisper.

“Sethelious’ cast a controlling spell over a human. He wants to hurt my mate in order to hurt me. I have to do something, I have to save her.”

Osmond nodded in agreement, understanding his refusal to leave. He would have lost his fucking mind if Thekla was in Aileen’s position. He wouldn’t rest until his mate was safe and unharmed in his embrace. Until he could breathe in her scent and feel her skin against his own.

“What can I do to help?“, he asked firmly.

“Your mate isn’t human and therefore, you cannot walk on land”, Havelock explained to him briefly, “I need you to go back and protect our people. I have a plan that will hopefully work. If everything works out, I’ll be able to return tomorrow night.”

Osmond grabbed his arm, giving him an encouraging squeeze.

“I’ll come back for you tomorrow”, he said.

Havelock nodded and watched as his friend disappeared in the darkness of the night. His eyes followed his movements until his figure was not visible any longer. Turning around, he gazed at the high staircase that was sculpted on the side of the cliff. It would take him some time to climb on the top.

His eyes widened.

Aide was going to kill him!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 38!!

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Until next time!!