The Call Of Thalassa

“Crossing the ocean is secondary,

planning how to pass the tides is the goal.”

- Arlin Sailesh Kapadia

“Is he alive?”

“For the millionth time, can’t you see his chest moving?”

“Well”, the voice snorted, “Why isn’t he awake yet?”

The voices felt like they were far away. As if the wind carried them from somewhere else and whispered them in his ears. His hearing was blurred –not all the words were audible to him. A strange ringing overpowered his mind as his senses started to return back slowly.

“His body needed time to heal and regain strength.”

“If he was a merman, shouldn’t he be fine by now? You said they heal faster than us.”

His hearing started to clear as he started to wake up. He became conscious of his body –it still hurt terribly but he felt considerably better. He could feel himself laying down on something soft, making his extremely tired body more comfortable than ever. A wet cloth was on top of his head, its coolness relieving him.

“My goodness, child! You drive me mad!”

“He is knocked out two days now!”

“Let’s throw you to the ocean and let you fight against an army! We’ll see if you are in a better condition than him!“, the voice whispered angrily.

A long pause followed. He couldn’t hear the voices any longer but he could feel the tension in the room. He tried to open his eyelids –to gaze at the two people in the room, yet his eyes wouldn’t obey him. He didn’t give up. He just continued his attempts.

“I am sorry, nana”, she sighed in regret, “It’s just...we don’t have much time! Five days are barely enough!”

“I know Aide”, the older woman sighed, “But frustration and panic won’t help us anywhere.”

“He needs to wake up...now!“, Aide ran a hand through her dark locks, “Aileen needs us –needs him! We have to do something! Sitting in the house and praying he wakes up won’t help us anywhere.”

At the sound of her name, his attempts became firmer. He had a feeling that something was terribly wrong –something had happened to her during his absence. His eyes finally opened but he was blinded by the brightness of the room. A hiss escaped him as the strong light shocked his senses, making him instantly turn his head to the side to avoid it.

“Oh, dear! Close the curtain”, the voice suddenly commanded.

The sound of hurried footsteps was heard before a short shuffling followed. The light instantly decreased, allowing him to open his eyes. His blue orbs blinked once, then twice –until they focused on his surroundings.

The room was filled with strange objects he couldn’t recognize, but it was obviously a chamber meant for sleeping. He was laying down in something extremely comfortable and soft, although it was evidently too small to accommodate his huge figure. A coral, he concluded –made from another material and meant for another person.

His gaze took in the strange metal hanging from above him. It had strange crystals falling around it and pieces of glass surrounding it. Would it fall on his head? Was it safe up there? How did they even put it there? Electricity had no place underwater and chandeliers weren’t needed. The sea Nymphs had provided them with another way to illuminate the darkness –majestic flames that aren’t affected by water and operate at will.

He let a hiss of surprise as he looked around –his body going rigid. As his gaze moved up he didn’t expect to see his figure staring right back at him. His people didn’t like mirrors across their beds –the feeling of being watched put the male mates on edge. Still, they were familiar with the object.

His eyes took in something on the floor. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the square white object laid out beneath the bed –carpets had no place underwater. And why was the whole place so small? Why did it have so many obstacles –so many chests? How was he supposed to swim through all of them? They were taking up the whole space!

Sitting up on the small “coral”, he took the whole place in. Panic and nervousness rose in his chest when he realized he had no idea where he was. He also didn’t know how he had found himself there in the first place. Grabbing the wet cloth from his forehead, he threw it away before standing up.

And, falling down.

“Well”, Alexandra smirked to herself amused, “That ought to be fun.”

Havelock stared at the fluffy white “foam” completely lost, not sure how he had found himself in this position. Looking up at the two figures staring at him, he couldn’t help but notice they barely contained their laughter. Embarrassment was all he felt, as he hurried to stand back up.

And, he fell down again.

“Oh my God! This is so good!“, Aide busted out laughing, not able to hold it anymore.

Havelock stared at her dazed and confused.

“You cannot just jump and move your legs side to side, dear”, nana chuckled in amusement shaking her head at the ridiculous sight.

Aide laughed so hard that tears started to fall from her eyes. Her belly hurt, but she couldn’t stop the loud giggles from escaping her. Honestly, the sight of the humongous man in front of her jumping and moving his legs quickly as soon as he was on air would bring anyone tears of laughter.

“You cannot do that anymore”, Aide said through her giggles, “Legs don’t work in the same way as a tail.”

His head snapped up quickly at her words. Has he heard her correctly? His eyes widened in surprise, before taking in the two women in front of him. By Poseidon’s name, how could he be so stupid? How hadn’t he noticed that they were both humans?

“What did you just say?“, he finally managed to say, too shocked and confused.

“Nana”, Aide whispered with blushed cheeks, “I don’t think he realized he no longer has a tail.”

He looked at himself, checking if everything was in place. He stopped breathing when his gaze reached the place his tail once was. His trembling fingers hesitantly touched the smooth skin that now had replaced his blue scales. He was speechless, baffled, stunned –how could he be not? His powerful tail was gone and a pair of human legs had appeared in its place.

His tail made him what he was –a merman. How was he supposed to be a merman without it? He felt violated –he didn’t know if he liked the change or not. He had woke up as a brand new person, one he couldn’t recognize anymore. He felt like he lost a part of him, something that made him unique. He felt strange –like he wasn’t himself anymore.

“Well”, nana shrugged her shoulders, “Now he knows.”

His blue eyes moved to the two female figures, observing them closely. It was clear that they were relatives –one was the youngest version of the other. Especially their eyes –not only did they have the same color, but they hid the same warmth and kindness in their depths. He didn’t feel threatened by them. But still, he didn’t know them.

“Who are you?“, he finally asked.

“Oh, dear! Where are our manners!“, nana shook her head before giving him a bright smile, “I am Alexandra and this impatient brat over here is-”

“Nana!“, Aide yelled with widened eyes.

“-is my granddaughter, Aide”, the elder ignored the young woman.

A wave of realization overpowered him as he grasped that he actually knew these people. Aileen had told him many stories about them, making him realize how much she loved and cared about them. About her best friend, Aide, who always had her back and the fiery nana who she saw as her own grandmother.

“So”, he raised a curious eyebrow, “You are the sassy nana I’ve heard so much about?”

“Watch your tone, boy! You may be a prince but I will not accept any disrespect under my roof”, Alexandra narrowed her eyes in warning, “Unless you want to become a sushi roll that’s it!”

“What, in Poseidon’s name, is a sushi roll?“, he asked curiously.

“Now is not the time for fish puns, nana!“, Aide yelled mortified.

Alexandra smirked as they both spoke together, watching her in bewilderment. Ah, didn’t she love when she made them frustrated? Aide was so embarrassed by her words that a scarlet color had decorated her cheeks. The young prince on the other side had absolutely no clue. Weren’t they just too easy to tease?

“Where am I?“, Havelock asked while looking around the room.

“You are in Seaworth”, Aide mumbled with flushed cheeks, “We are in nana’s house.”

He nodded in understanding. Laying his legs out on the fluffy foam, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“What happened?“, he let the burning question slip from his lips.

“That is something we would all like to know”, nana gazed at him with mixed emotions, “What do you remember?”

He dived into his memories, trying to put his thoughts in a logical sequence. He ran a trembling hand through his knotted locks in frustration.

“Sethelious found a way to get into the city”, he admitted in a hoarse voice, “We...we weren’t prepared for this. We fought but...it was a massacre.”

The two women exchanged a look but they didn’t speak. Silence filled the room as he tried to utter the words he wanted. They wouldn’t come out of his mouth –they created a knot in his neck. If they came out, they would become true -part of the reality. And he wasn’t ready to admit out loud that everyone he once knew was dead.

“Atlantis has fallen”, was all he could manage to whisper.

A long pause followed that no one dared to disturb. Aide opened her mouth to comfort him, but she didn’t know what to say. What do you say to a man who just lost his whole family? Whose friends were murdered in cold blood? Whose home was taken away from him? He didn’t need her pity –it would only make matters worse.

“We found you on the beach when the rain stopped”, nana said after a while, “You were unconscious, pale and seriously injured. You were barely alive, losing a lot of blood and suffering from hypothermia after staying in the icy water for so many hours.”

“We had to bring you home quickly and without anyone noticing”, Aide continued, “We managed to put you in a small boat and transfer you to the other side of the beach. From there it was easier to approach the shore in my car. We put you inside and brought you here.”

He looked at her in confusion.

“What is a-”

“A machine to move quickly from one place to another”, nana was quick to answer.

He nodded in understanding before asking something else.

“And the...”, nana raised an eyebrow at his pause, “...the legs?”

“We found you with them”, Aide smiled at him kindly.

“I see”, was all he could master to say.

His thoughts were a swirling mess in his mind. He couldn’t understand how he could possibly grow a pair of legs from one day to another. It just didn’t make any sense and he currently was in no position to try and figure everything out. He just wanted to hug his mate tightly and sleep.

“Where is Aileen?“, he asked tiredly.

Aide gave him a hesitant look before turning to her grandmother for help.

“Aide”, nana turned to her, “Why don’t you go prepare something for Havelock? I am sure he must be starving.”

The young woman nodded quickly, leaving the room immediately. She didn’t want to stay any longer –she didn’t know what to say to him. How was she supposed to explain to him that his mate was imprisoned and threatened to marry a freaking bastard who was under Sethelious control? A man who not only made her whole life a living hell but also tried to kill her?

Yes, Aileen had told her everything about it. And she wanted to punch him in the face until his useless brain couldn’t function anymore. But she was too scared –terrified that no one would believe her. The mayor’s son was more reliable than a girl with a troubled past –at least, in the eyes of the villagers. She had begged her to keep it a secret, not wanting anyone else finding out about it. And she did.

Until now.

But for how much longer?

“Where is my mate?“, he asked when he didn’t receive an answer, “What are you hiding from me?”

Anxiousness started to fill him up, making him grip the bed tightly and attempting yet again to stand up. His knees were wobbly –his legs unstable, but he didn’t give up. He tightened his muscles in his attempts not to fall down, his gaze pinned to the old lady sitting on the only armchair in the room.

“There is a reason Thalassa gifted you with a pair of legs”, nana sighed deeply, “And unfortunately, I wish it was under different circumstances.”

He took a step forward, his eyes darkened.

“Where is my mate?”, he demanded firmly.

“I shall tell you everything you want”, Alexandra let a heavy sigh escape her.

His knees buckled, sending him to the ground once again.

“After the walking lessons.”

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

End of chapter 34!!

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Until next time!!