Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:25:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: Andrew Bailey <feare909@yahoo.com>
Subject: Aquata Cove - Chapter 10

Aquata Cove
Chapter 10: At First Sight


"Ah... It shall soon be upon us..." Triton Kaiken said softly as he looked
onto the mass of merfolk.

Several pods of different Piscien merfolk conversed amongst each other,
their own respective species gathered together, excitedly chatting with one
another in anticipation of this mystical night.

"Father," Adra Savarna asked as she beamed around the new and unusual
merfolk, "Who ARE these merpeople? Why are they here?" Triton smiled as he
stroked his daughter.

"Tonight is a rare and special moon; when the shining Sea Mother Atargatis,
illuminates the moon itself with her heart."

"What does that mean, Father?" She asked. Noita Umiato smiled as she loomed
in front of the small mermaid.

"Once every few years, the Sea Mother Atargatis shines touches the moon
with her emotions, and so the moon turns red to symbolize her love for all
merfolk. And it is then, and now, that eligible merfolk gather together,
and find the love within each other."

"Does this mean I will find my true love???" Savarna asked, beaming even
more at this new prospect.

"Hahaha," Kaiken laughed softly, "Not yet, my Daughter. You are yet a young
meryin. When you grow up, however, you shall find love, no doubt." Savarna
smiled happily, and then looked around, turning her head over to her own
pod.

"... Where is Brother? I do not see him." Kaiken's smiled faded, if only a
little.

"He is... On the surface..."

"Why is he there, Father?"

"He is... A little fearful tonight..."

"Why not? He is going to find his love tonight!" Savarna stated with
excitement.

"If the Undines favor him, my Daughter..." He replied, rather hesitantly.

"Huh? I do not understand..." Savarna pondered. Umiato rubber the mermaid's
arm, and nudged her.  "Look there, Daughter..." She said, "There are other
meryin," Umiato then directed her to the other small, young children of the
Piscien merfolk; they have no part to play in this, "Why not go and play
with them?"

"Yes, Mother!" Savarna said as she hugged her mother, and swam swiftly to
the other young ones. Umiato giggled as she drifted over to Kaiken, holding
onto his thick, strong arm. She looked up at him, seeing a look of concern
on his face.

"You seem troubled, my love..." Umiato said, knowing the reason before it
has been said.

"It is my Son who is troubled..." Kaiken said as he gazed onto the swimming
mass of fish-like merfolk. "For a few years now, our Son has
been... Anxious... Do not deny that you sense this too..."

"He IS our Son, love," Umiato said as she brought her hand to his cheek,
and turned his head to look her, "Our Son is the Adra Triton of our pod. He
has a lot of responsibilities to uphold and live up to for the sake of our
pod."

"It is more than that though..." He turned his back towards the many
merfolk, "This night marks the 7th red moon of his life, and he is yet to
find his love. With each unsuccessful moon, I can surmise that his sense of
self-worth washes away..." He said with a sad sigh, "I am beginning to
think the Undines play him of trickery."

"Kaiken," Umiato said, "Speak no ill of the Undines, for they know no
mischief."

"Do they not?" Kaiken replied, "My Son is what every Adra Triton should
aspire to be; he is swift, skillful, intuitive," He looked to his mate, and
stroked her pearly cheek, "Kind and compassionate," Umiato smiled at him,
"And as far as appearances go, he is of fine make," Umiato giggled as she
held to her Triton, "I do not understand how he has not found his love
yet. After all," He then turned to her again, and delivered a soft kiss to
Umiato's mouth, "I found you on my first red moon." Umiato smiled and as
she kissed back.

"Yes you have... Love knows not time or convenience, my love," She
said. Kaiken sighed again, looking up to where his son may supposedly be.

"The Undines are what deliver the wonder of Mother Atargatis's love. So why
do they toy with my Son?"

"They toy with no one, love," Umiato said as she swam in front of Kaiken,
"He will find his love eventually." Kaiken then looked back onto the mass
of merfolk.

"... Do you think tonight will be the night?" Umiato smiled softly as she
kissed him again.

"If the Undines favor him, my love..."

"MOTHER! FATHER!" Exclaimed their young daughter. The young mermaid swam up
to them, looking upset.

"What ails you, Daughter?"

"Wh-What if Brother finds his love tonight? If he finds love, does that
mean he will leave us? Will he be start with his own Pod?!" She said,
looking like she is about to weep. The Triton and Noita smiled softly at
her.

"Hahaha, no, Daughter," Umiato said to the meryin, "He is far to young to
have a pod of his own. When he does find love, he and the mermaid forms the
bond to each other, and reunite when they come of age to either succeed our
pod, or start his own."

"Alright..." Savarna said, "... I hope he NEVER leaves..." Kaiken smiled as
he turned her around for her to play with the other meryin again.

"I'm sure he will not, Daughter," Savarna smiled happily before she swam
back to the other young ones.

~~~

The fifth white moon is almost past. Merrick sighed as he held onto the
rock, one hand on his arm, and the other holding his trident, looking at
the white orb radiating in the sky. Having been up on the surface for about
an hour or so, his upper body is completely dry, while his frilly blue tail
swerved and waved slowly in the water, stirring along the sleepy current of
the ocean.

The red moon is tonight. The night when mermen and mermaids all over the
world, gather, and find love. He sighed as he rested his chin down on his
arms as the wind played across his flawless complexion, ruffling his blonde
hair a bit.

Tonight is supposed to be an exciting and magical night, yet he's
distressed. He used to get this deep, sick feeling in the pit of his
stomach every time the red moon appears, but being older, he's gotten over
it. He already knows what the outcome of the night is going to be-

"Oh?" He felt a vibration on his chest. He looked to see the shell slice
glow and blur beneath him. Denizyr is calling the pod together. He looked
back up to the moon, and saw a sliver of glowing crimson peering on the
side of the bright whiteness. "Right... Lets get this over with..." He
muttered as he slipped himself from the rock, and into the water, where his
skin riddled with translucent scales, his fingers connected in webs, his
hair stiffened into sharp fins, and his ears flatten into gills.

He swam down into the water, following the many voices resonating in
through the sea; it's not just the Piscien merpeople who have gathered
tonight; somewhere else, any where else, out there in the entire ocean,
Piscien, Amnien, and Holsien merfolk are taking part in this sacred,
ancient ritual.


Looking to the side, he can see his mother hugging another mermaid, one
with more veil fins around her body than herself, along with a pod full of
pearly white merfolk with long, flowing fins.

Merrick had a harder time distinguishing his own pod among the field of
other signals and speeches, so had to find his pod by sight. Off the corner
of his eye, he spotted a purple flicker. A small smile found itself on his
face as swam to his pod. He undulated his tail up and down until he arrived
to the sand, about 20ft below the rest of the merfolk. He then took his
trident, and planted it right next to the mighty trident of his father,
along with a whole slew of spears and bows planted into the sand; weapons
are not needed during the red moon.

He then swam up and swirled his fishy tail to catch up to his pod. The Adra
Triton moved to align to his usual spot at the front of his pod, next to
his father, overlooking the mermaids and mermen of his own school. Kaiken
looked down onto his son, taking a deep breath, hoping that this 7th red
moon of Merrick's will be the last that fails the young Triton.

Umiato then loomed up next to her mate, with Savarna missing, but is
excused from her spot, as she is playing with other meryin.

Kaiken raised his arms up, and sang out to his pod in a long, deep call.

A large, manta ray Triton called out to his pod, in a long, echoic
exclamation. As did a Triton of a pod of seahorse merfolk. Along with a
Triton of a school of great white shark merfolk. Each and every Triton in
every Piscien pod that has arrived on this spot, all manner of weapon
planted down below then in peace, call out to their own kin.

"Tonight, my pod," Kaiken began. The meryin nearby stopped playing, and
looked in curiosity as their leaders spoke up at their respective pods,
with their own speeches prepared, "Is the night, where the Shining Sea
Mother, Atargatis, illuminates the night sky, and thus the ocean itself,
with her very heart!

"We, but a small gathering of the Piscien merfolk, are the remnants, the
very essence of memories of the great kingdom of Atlantis! In Her
benevolence, Sea Mother Atargatis gives us the very honor, the very chance,
to find our true, and only love!" As the Tritons spoke, there rang a few
traces of eerie, yet playful sounds that came from a glimpse of shimmering
violet here and there.

"Tonight, all eligible, young merfolk who hath no mate shall loom and dance
under the shine of the red moon, fly with the Undines, and find the one,
the only half that shall make up your own union!" As he spoke, the white
moon light filtering through surface began to gain a pink tint, "The waves
of fate decides whom you fall in love with! The Undines -- small, yet
joyful -- are the gleeful spawn of magic from the red moon, a gift! From
the Sea Mother Herself, to allow us to find our mate!

"Though you, or those who fall in love with you, may be too young to leave
your pod, know that the bond will never break, through time nor distance,
your love for one another shall NEVER die! That is the light of the
Undines! That is the gift of the heart of the Sea Mother. In time, when
either of you come of age, one or the other can leave their pod to join the
other for the rest of time!"

The fluttering pink light soon possessed a red hue. As the light danced
through the seawater, glimmers of purple swam about, mewing strange echoes
as they loomed and looped about. Small, violet-colored fish, their way
illuminated with glowing little lights at the top of their heads, glowing
with magenta lines along their pigmy bodies, flashing and glowing as they
zoomed around, with translucent blue fins on their backs. These creatures
are in the image of tiny mermaids. They swim through the water with their
wing-like fins.

"My pod... Go forth..." Kaiken announced, "And find your love!" The merfolk
then rose up, and swam into the open area. Each Piscien mermaid and merman
swam in random directions.

"Merrick," Came a familiar voice. The Adra turned to see his friend,
Brishen putting a hand onto his shoulder, "... Good luck, this time."
Brishen said. Merrick smiled and nodded. This would be Brishen's 5th red
moon, and like Merrick, has not found a mermaid to be his mate.

They both swam into the swirling mass of Piscien merfolk. Kaiken looked to
his mermaid, Umiato. She smiled as her dainty hand held onto his thick
hand. Together, they loomed and joined into the massive storm of rejoicing
merfolk.

Flashes of violet and red Undines skim playfully about. They fly around in
the dizzying fray of love-seeking merpeople -- that is only for the merfolk
who are single and eligible. Merfolk who already have found their mate
happily dance to the song of excitement, the cries of joy that emanate from
the tiny sea nymphs, the rapid stirring of the water.

A stout, lobster-like mermaid scuttled her way through the wild fray of
merfolk. Looking this way and left searching for someone. She swears, she's
already found him last time, he should be here- Then the lobster mermaid
felt herself get coiled around by a long, smooth tail, with a long-reaching
tailfin on the top and bottom of his elongated tail, ending at the tip of
his tail. The mermaid smiled happily as her eel-like merman wrapped himself
around her, embracing her lovingly. Reunited, the lobster and eel danced,
hand in claw, in the moment of love.

Merrick twirled himself as he swam through the mermaids around him, turning
his head, and looking in every direction as he spiraled. His vivid blue
tail with the white frilly membranes catches the eyes of a few mermaids as
they swim about, examining him for no more than seven seconds before
diverting their attention to other merman about. Once again, he dances and
flurries in the mass of eager, single merfolk.

An emerald green leafy sea dragon mermaid withered her way around,
slithering through the water. She looked with awe at the cyclone of Piscien
mermen and merfolk. She held still in one place, a little intimidated to
move too much.

A stingray merman floated up above, inspecting the swirling sea life,
before he glides down, and dove down. As he moved, he saw a sailfish
mermaid, with a very sharp nose, and swam in to get in a closer look.

A purple fish mermaid, one from Merrick's pod, swam, looking this way and
that for whatever merman will have her. She dove in a loop, when an Undine
appeared swimming right beside her. It looked at her with its bright,
yellow eyes, and giggled before is swerved away, disappearing in the
water. She huffed in a desperate look as she followed the direction of
which the Undine disappeared, but it has vanished. The mermaid turned
around, and looked, just as a golden sea horse merman moved up. His dark
blue, orb-like eyes looked into hers. The mermaid felt a twinge play across
her face. The scales on the mermaid's lavender scales shimmered in a
magenta glow that flashed along her tail, the scales along her chest and
face, and the fins on her arms as well as her finger-webs. A magenta light
refracted along the merman's skin pattern along his back, arms, and
spirally tail. Their hands touched together as a smile was shared between
them as they interlaced their fingers and began to swim, hand in hand.  And
just like that, it's that simple.

Kaiken and Umiato held each other's hands, swimming in a graceful
dance. Umiato let go, and spiraled around the large merman, his thick,
muscular tail waving back and forth as Umiato's long, veil-like cloakings
draped around him in a beautiful, gleaming spiral around his firm form. Her
hands moved and rubbed daintily long his scaled torso, which does sport a
few old scars from times gone by.

The swarm of pseudo fish creatures stormed and jumbled about. Within an
hour, a lot of the merpeople are holding hands, a mermaid and a merman,
coiled together, having found each other. Merrick looped, and swam, sensing
the red moon dance is coming to an end. He sailed and loomed, turning
around to see the new and current couples. However, he's not alone in being
alone. There are almost just as many merpeople floating in mid-water, not
having found their mate this night. He looked to the side, and smirked in
content as he saw Brishen, holding an aqua-transparent mermaid, her lower
half veil-like, with a few long, stringy tentacles and three long,
lavender, leaf-like stingers -- her and Brishen's scales/skin glimmered
with a magenta light. Well, at least his best friend has found his love.

The Undines appeared less and less frequently, disappearing and blinking
out slowly, one by one. The filtered light from the surface, gone from
white, to blue, to pink, magenta, to red, and reverted back to white.

It's passed. The red moon has left. It's over for another few or so years.

As Merrick floated, he would feel a strong hand, place onto his back, as a
large figure swam next to him. He doesn't feel saddened, but he did look
disappointed, after yet the 7th red moon of his life failed to grant him a
mermaid.

"I am sorry, my Son..." Kaiken said, "Perhaps the next one..."

"I..." Merrick said, "I... I need a moment..." Without waiting for an
answer, Merrick drifted away, looking gloomy about the outcome as always.


---5 Years Ago---


"I am sorry, my Son," Triton Kaiken said, placing his large hand onto the
back of his young offspring.

Adra Merrick looked on, whimpering, near tears. Tonight is his 3rd red
moon. The dance is ending, and he still hasn't found his mermaid! He feels
so rejected and unwanted. Merrick swore he saw a few mermaids take a glance
at him, so why didn't they go to him? He tried! He really tried! For the
third time, no one was interested in him.

The young merman held his mouth with both hands as he tried to stifle his
weeping. Kaiken sighed as his son's emotions ran so close to the surface.

"I-I, I need to be alone... !" Merrick said as he then swam away, pushing
his tail forcefully so he would speed off, feeling humiliated by the very
idea of him, the Adra Triton of his own pod not finding a mermaid on the
3rd red moon of his life.


"Of course-" Kaiken said, looking sadly at his poor son. Kaiken felt those
pearly white arms drape around his chest. He looked down as he felt his
mate hold onto him, "I hope the next red moon..."

"Yes..." Noita Umiato said, "I too hope for our Son, my love..." It is very
hard for a merman that young to not meet a mate during a red moon,
especially for an Adra.


Having swam far away from the pods, Merrick curled up, weeping on a nearby
reef. He doesn't understand... He swam with the mermaids, flashing his tail
and swimming style, just like he was told to, but still, no one took an
interest. To be honest, he felt like he didn't belong swimming around,
trying to attract the mermaids. Strangely enough, more often than not, he
found himself glancing at the mermen more than the females. Come to think
of it, that's what he's mostly been doing on the other two times during a
red monn... Was that it? Is THAT the problem??? Was he swimming for the
mermen this time without knowing it? Oh no, if THAT'S true, he must've
looked so foolish!

"I'm... Argghh, I'm... I failed... I failed myself..." Merrick cringed and
whimpered as his swirl of thoughts made him more and more upset, "... What
AM I?? What is wrong with me???"

He HAS to be attracted to mermaids! He HAS to! A merman mating with another
merman?! That's utter nonsense! But at the same time, Merrick can't see
himself with a mermaid. For a moment, he pictured himself, twirling and
swimming with a merman. The very idea of it... It's strangely appealing
but... It's not supposed to happen!

Merrick gasped as he felt a sudden presence right next to him. He looked,
and saw one of those small fairies during the dance... An
Undine. But... It's over, isn't it? The ritual is over, these nymphs, these
Undines, shouldn't they be gone?

Merrick looked up to the surface. The light filtering from above still
retains a red-pink tint. He looked back at the little fairy. It stared at
him through its bright, golden eyes. On top of it's head fin, and its two,
black antennae, there are three, tiny specs of light, glowing above
itself. On either side of its head, there are small, spiky fins, similar to
gills. Its body is small, smooth with a three-pronged tail fin at the end,
and two long pectoral fins. On its back, there are thin, blue, fin-like
wings that flapped slowly, keeping it afloat in front of Merrick. All along
its body, there are elaborate, almost tribal markings glowing in a magenta
luminescence. At the middle of its chest, there is a heart shape, around a
heart-shaped design. Among the red symbols on its body, the heart-shape is
glowing brightest, and in a rhythm that resonated with the glowing current
of its body. It really does look like a tiny mermaid. A small, strange
entity that looks upon this young merman with utmost curiosity, and the
merman looking right back.

He... He wants to... Reason with it... If Undines are the love messengers
of the Sea Mother Atargatis, then maybe this nymph would be willing to
help. Merrick held his hand out, reaching it slowly to the mystical
being. The Undine tilted its head as Merrick reached for it.

The water fairy floated closer to him, very curious of this sad
merman. It's seen many merfolk at this time in few years, and they usually
look content if not brimming with joy, but this one looks... Saddened. The
Undine skimmered to him, right before Merrick's middle finger touched the
heart-shape of the Undine.

The fairy flashed itself and cringed, its pectoral fins wrapping around
itself. Merrick gasped and flinched, looking he caused the Undine pain.

But as he looked, the writhing water nymph seemed to be... Giggling... It
shook as it held itself, the three lights on its head flittering, its heart
blinking under its fins, its wings fluttering as it `laughed', its yellow
yes clenching as it tried to contain itself. Merrick then traced a finger
along its tail, making the Undine giggle more at him. Merrick felt himself
smile a little as he tickled the Undine, next petting its head with the tip
of his finger. The fairy laughed, and swam in loop-dee-loop with joy. The
little nymph then darted to Merrick's face, and skimmed at his cheek before
swimming off, its giggling becoming mystical echoes before it dissolved in
the water, vanishing like any other Undine would.

"W-Wait..." Merrick said, reaching out. Surely, an encounter with an Undine
like that has given him the opportunity for love, but... It's not really
clear. It seemed happy, it didn't feel like he did anything wrong. Are
merpeople even allowed to touch an Undine?

Merrick swam up from his spot, looking around, trying to spot the
Undine. Alas, it seems to have disappeared. He looked around, spun on the
spot, but he can't sense it. It just disappeared...

Then, the merman felt a weird sensation in his mind. Something's nearby.

"...... Callllliiiiinnnngg......" Merrick looked around, hearing an
unfamiliar voice. Listening carefully, he began to trace the voice... Above
him, "...... You heeaar the caaaaalliiiiinnnng......" The Adra ascended up,
listening for the new voice, swimming closer and closer to the
surface. "Calliiiiinnnnnngg...... You hear the caaalllliiiinnnngg......"
The voice spoke again, dragging on as Merrick swam.

The merman rose his head out of the water, closing his gills to allow him
to breathe the air.

"~~Let me go, gravity, what's on my shoouulllder~~" Came the voice. Merrick
whirled around, and swam to the rocks, holding onto them. He looked, and
spotted a human, "~~Little by little, I feel a bit bet-ter~~"

A human. A man? He seems to be chanting words. What sort of things is he
speaking of? He can't be singing, no male can sing. Only females can sign,
so it's got to be chanting, but what for? Is he praying to the human god or
something? "~~Let me know, Set me free, Feel a bit ol-der~~" This
man... This human... His chanting... It fascinates Merrick... The human
seems to be wrapped in some sails as cloth is hanging from his upper and
lower body.

"~~Just once more to the breach, Dear friend, Once more~~" On his head,
there is a short patch of blackness, similar to that of a whale's
baleen. His skin is tan-ish color. Where his gills ought to be, there are
strange, round appendages on either side of his head which held strange
objects attached to these thin, strong-like lines that lead to a fold in
the cloth, "~~Wake up! Leave your hesita-tion! Wake up! Time of US to
realize! Wake up! Show apprecia-tion!~~" Merrick carefully moved sideways,
following the chanting human. He can't feel the sadness that purged his
insides a few moments ago, but now filled with a very strange
fascination. He can't take his eyes away from him.

"~~Wake up, Time for us to reeeeaaalliiiiiiizzze~~" The human is moving in
a strange way as he moved. Upon observation, Merrick also sees the two
long, think appendages under the human. Those are called legs, he
believes. According to Denizyr, that's how humans move about, instead of
having tails, like merfolk.

Merrick crept along, keeping himself hidden from the line of sight from the
human, while still looking at him with estrange wonder. Protocol says that
when a merperson sees any human they are move away immediately, but that
thought is nowhere near his mind right now. This human... This man... How
can something so alien and dangerous be so... Enticing??


~~~


Adam sang along with the music in his ears, enjoying the pop-music rhythm
in his head as he strolled along the sandy turf. He keeps looking at the
moon, taking a moment to admire the last of the red highlight on the side
"It's always weird how creepy and cool a Lunar Eclipse is..." The teenager
said with a smile.

He took a few steps forward, before he blinked. "Umm... Wha??" Suddenly, a
feeling came over him. He can feel himself... Blushing... His face feels
light and hot, like he just kissed a really hot guy for the first time, as
well as getting seduced. His chest starts pounding, and this feeling of
apprehension and good humor washes over him.

"What the... What's going on with me..." Then, Adam felt himself giggle,
out of... Nothing... Why does he feel so happy and so anxious at the same
time? "... Ahhh." He put a hand to his head, feeling a minor headache come
on. Unbeknownst to him, his brown eyes gleamed with a faint, magenta
shimmer, as well as a few ripples of magenta refractions along his black
hair, and the hairs around his body, along with a subtle, dull sheen off
his finger and toenails.

"This is so... Weird..." He mumbled, "Why am I feeling like... I can't
even..." Adam plucked the headphones out of his ears, needing a moment of
silence from this sudden rush of sensation. He took a few deep breaths,
before he saw something. In front of him is the sea. He looked around, just
realizing how far away he walked from his grandparent's beach house. Adam
looked back onto the water, and spotted half a face, hiding behind the
rock.

"Oh hey!" He said, stepping his sandaled-foot into the icy-cold shore as it
drove up the sand and over his feet, "Nice night, huh?" With the subtle
magenta sheen playing across his form, completely unnoticed, he approached
the rock, "It's a little late for swimming though, isn't it? Then again,
I'm not from around here. I'm from Washington state; are you a local or
something?" He said to the person. There came no response. "Oook?" He took
another step into the water, "My name's Adam, and you- AHH!" There came a
large splash from the sea. He jumbled and backed away, one barefoot
pressing into the sand, and realized that his right sandal has left his
foot. "Hey! Dang it!" He said, one sandal now lost, he just kicks off one,
and leaves it to the side.

Adam peered over, and he saw the tail of a rather large fish, followed by a
big, white fin flopping, and slipping into the water. "W-Whoa!" He said,
looking in awe of the large fish, its blue and white form darkening into
the sea, "That was HUGE!" He said, "Damn, I wish had my fishing rod-"

"ADAAAAAM!!!" Came an old female call, "Where ARE YOOUU??" The teenager
then turned around, and trotted up.

"I-I'M OVER AT THE BEACH, GRAMMA!!" He called back.

"WELL, COME BACK OVER! WE NEED TO DISCUSS SOMETHING WITH YOU!!"

"OK! I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!!" He yelled back. Adam looked over his
shoulder. He REALLY wants to check out the area for that fish, but he needs
to get back to his grandparents. "I wonder what they need to talk about? I
hope they'll let me stay with them until I can find a place live..." With
that, he turned around, and jogged away.


~~~


He SAW him! That human saw him! He found him, but he didn't try to kill
him! He looked right into his eyes! It's ok though, as long as he didn't
associate with the human, he should be fine!

Merrick clung to the reef as he kept under the water, his mind racing as he
thought about this very close encounter with the human. He SPOKE to him!
The human spoke to him! He wasn't carrying any weapons at all, is that
normal for a human???

After a few moments, Merrick started to notice something... That
human... The baleen on his head, and his eyes... They were shimmering with
the magenta tint...

Merrick looked down at his tail, and gasped as he saw a magenta sheen dance
along the scales and the frills of his tail and fin. He looked at his arms,
and saw the same run of magenta glow play along his scaled apparatus.

This glow... This magenta sheen... This is the light that appears when a
merperson has found their love. It's the blessed aura of Atargatis's
heart. The divine shine of the Sea Mother and the red moon. It's gleaming
on his body, and it was radiating from that human male as well...

Merrick's insides purged with terror, wonder, bewilderment, joy, confusion,
and yearning. He's... He's in love... It's his 3rd red moon, and he's
fallen in love!

... With... He's fallen in love with a human...

"But..." The magenta aura slowly faded away, with the intense emotions
still whirling inside of him. The merman looked up at the wavering image of
a large, white light in the sky with a sliver of red on it, before it
dissipated, reverting to its original silver light. "But... No... I CANNOT
fall for a human..." Merrick said, feeling both terrified and rejoice at
the same time, "Not just a human... That was male human- A-A man!" He
hushed himself, grabbing his mouth.

This isn't supposed to be right! This is wrong, this is all wrong!
Preferring mermen to mermaids is bad enough, but not a HUMAN! But...

Merrick turned around, looking back up at the washing shore, up at the
reef. He feels so anxious... He wants to see that human again. Oh, his
heart is pulling in his chest, commanding him to seek this human out. To
meet him, talk to him, touch him...

He... He needs to go back... The red moon is gone, and he needs his trident
back.

Merrick then turned around, and swam off, back towards the pods of Piscien
merfolk.


~~~


Adam then came up to his grandparents' house, "There you are Adam," The old
woman said. She looked him up and down, "What were you doing, boy? You're
soaking wet! And where are your thongs, boy?" She queried, noticing Adam's
bare, sand-covered feet.

"I was walking by the beach, and a wave got me. It must've pulled my
sandals right off." Adam replied.

"Well, go on, wash your feet off with the hose."

"Yes, gramma." He replied as his grandma went back into the house. He went
around, and rinsed off his legs with the cold water of the hose. He
recently made the decision of moving from Washington to Hawaii; he just
arrived on the plane a couple of hours ago, in fact.

When he was finished, Adam came around, where his grandmother was waiting
for a towel. He dried his chilled legs off, and stepped into the house.

"So Adam," The elderly woman said, "I understand you need a place to stay,
now that you've moved here?"

"Yeah. Is it ok if I stay here for a while until I can find an apartment?
Mom and Dad gave me some money to pay for rent until I get a job."

"Yes yes, of course you can stay, but we need to talk. You, me, and your
crusty urchin of a granddad-"

"I HEARD THAT!" Came an elderly man's voice. Adam laughed as he walked in
with his grandmother.

"So, what's this about?" He asked.

"Well, you know how granddad and I keep talking about retiring in
Germany... ?"