The Princess and The Piper

Chapter Seventeen

My eyes switched, staring into his-- right, left, then right again. His green irises shown with such radiance, his chin held high. His emotion seemed almost unreadable, as if he manifested some sort of shield to block them from showing. He leaned forward, his gaze trailing from my eyes to my lips once more as I stood tall on my toes. My eyelids voluntarily shut. Pan's palms still rested on the small of my back, his arms wrapped around my waist as I impatiently waited for the space to close between us. But it never did.

"Pan! Pan!" called a younger boy, long fiery bangs seeped over his translucent blue eyes. He must have been at least ten or eleven, still growing. His head reached my shoulder as he stopped in front of us, hopping anxiously. "We're going to the beach! Do you want to come?" His face was round and cheeks chubby, freckles peppering his nose.

Pan let go of me and smiled ever so slightly. "When are you leaving?" he asked, keeping up his leadership act.

"Right now! They said they're going to teach me how to fish!" The boy smiled wider, showing his crooked, yellow teeth as he skipped out of the hut to join the other lost boys.

I hadn't realized that a joyful grin had taken its place upon my lips. "Who's he?" I questioned. "He's absolutely adorable."

Pan continued to stare at the hut's entrance as if reminiscing about some miraculous memory. "His name's Tommy. Found him ravaging for food during the Renaissance in Italy. The kid has no parents; I offered him a place to live." I felt a warm rush of pleasure run through me at the sound of Pan's hospitality, but didn't respond. "Well, do you want to go to the beach?" he glanced toward me as if my decision was the only thing that mattered. His eyebrows were held high.

I smirked, not recognizing how long I'd been without a comfortable bath or dip in the cool, refreshing ocean. "Yes, please." I elaborated, grabbing his hand, "I would love to," and dragged him out of the tent, laughing as I raced through the wilderness, jumping over roots and ducking under branches.

"Oh, I don't think so," Pan yelled as he grabbed my waist and threw me over his strong shoulder. He ran faster, his legs becoming a blur as my head bobbed, my hair falling over my face from the force of gravity.

"What are you doing?" I laughed, slightly nipping at my tongue accidentally, making me laugh even harder. I kicked and squirmed in his grip, trying to break free. "Put me down!" I screamed, repeatedly punching his back, but he just kept moving. I went slack in his grasp, completely giving up-- he's too overpowering-- and resorted to waiting.

He came to a stop, lightly tossing me onto the smooth sand of the salty shore. He tugged his shirt off, grabbing the hems and lifting it over his head, displaying his perfectly sculpted abdomen from years of fending for himself.

"Come on, _____," Pan persuaded, walking along the shoreline, his golden curls flapping with the breeze. "And stop staring."

A blush crept onto my cheeks as I forced myself to look away. "I wasn't staring, I was-"

He chuckled, a real, genuine laugh. "You don't have to explain yourself, _____." He shook his head playfully. I knew he was making fun of me.

He lifted me off of the sand, grabbing my hand and allowing me to dust my shorts. He led me down the beach toward the frolicking lost boys, separated into three distinct groups-- those fishing, including the little redhead, Tommy, those splashing continuously in the water, and those sun tanning on the dry land.

I glanced up at Helios as he burned the sky to a crisp, a raw pink beginning to consume the atmosphere above. In the far corner, beyond the clouds, Luna was rising, taking her place among her brother.

"Hey, _____," some boys called. "Come in! The water's just fine!" They giggled mischievously as they decreased their splashing.

"Yeah," another agreed. "Join us!"

Before I could answer, Pan gripped my wrist, dragging me farther away from them, just like earlier, though the roles were reversed. "She will be doing no such thing," Pan demanded, hiding me protectively like bears around their cub.

The older lost boys laughed at us and each other, wading in the shallow sea. Then everything began to slow.

A dark-haired boy with bright blue eyes splashed in our direction. I could sense each and every water droplet as it flew through the air, heading for its target, hydrating its victim. I tried to move, but to no avail. It was as if I could predict what was definite to occur, but had no power to prevent it. I was stuck, silently waiting for the moisture to sink into my skin. And it did.

I gasped as my legs became soaked with the salty water of the ocean. "You idiot!" Pan shouted, increasing anger evident in his tone. His eyes were wide with rage, mine with shock. My heartbeat quickened. I was seconds from my transformation and in front of a dozen other boys. I quickly scanned my surroundings, hoping for some kind of scapegoat.

The forest? Bad idea.

The ocean? Not in front of everyone.

I turned toward Pan, a desperate plea represented by my eyes as I stared up at him, begging for help. "Help me," I mouthed, not knowing where to turn to, where to go. I was in the middle of a crowded beach with no blatant direction.

"Boys!" Pan used his strange mating call, his hands cupped over his mouth like a megaphone. "Mermaid in the water! You've got two seconds before you're all dead!" One by one, they all looked at each other, and one by one, each screamed bloody murder as they raced out of the ocean like their lives depended on it. Not one turned back to see the "mermaid".

I remembered how deadly mermaids were here. Each boy must be deathly afraid, but not all of us are to be frightened of.

Just as the last foot left the sandy shores of Neverland, a scorching sensation spread throughout my bottom half, stinging my kneecaps and ankles as my legs were replaced with a wide four foot long anatomy glistening with luminescent turquoise scales. My rear end hit the forums with a thud, and I sat there, dumbfounded, as I wished I never came here in the first place.

You can't go to the beach and not get wet, the little voice in the back of my head told me. It's inevitable and you're stupid if you think otherwise, I silently scolded myself, trying my hardest not to speak aloud.

Pan sat down beside me, hugging his knees to his chest as he gazed at the darkening sky. The once pink sky was now defeated by a deeper shade of blue, the stars almost perfectly aligned. I looked up and saw the stars my favorite constellation, Orion, shining brightly in the young night. Before the incident, my mother and father would tell me the story every night to help me fall asleep.

According to the legends of the palace, Orion was the son of Poseidon, god of the seas, and Euryale, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. He possessed the ability to walk on water, which he used to reach the island of Chios. However, after drinking too much, he made sexual advances to Merope, the daughter of the local king, who, after learning of this, had Orion blinded and removed from the island. Blind Orion reached the island of Lemnos, which was the place where Hephaestus, god of the forge, had thrived. Helped by Hephaestus and his servant Cedalion, Orion reached the East where Helios, god of the sun, restored his eyesight. He then went to Crete and hunted with the huntress goddess Artemis and her mother Leto. Orion was so enthusiastic that he declared he would kill every animal in the world. Gaea, the goddess of the Earth, grew angry from his declaration and sent a giant scorpion, which successfully killed Orion. Upon hearing the news, Artemis and Leto asked for Zeus to put their fellow hunter on the skies. Zeus agreed and turned Orion into a constellation, as well as the Scorpion that killed him.

That night, as I fell asleep on his shoulder, I faintly remember a distant 'good night' before I drifted off, completely succumbed by the darkness.