The Mer

Prologue

Banished to the Trench. That was what had become of his mother. That was why she couldn't come to him. Vulko had finally admitted it. Arthur had stormed away, down the beach, just trying to process it all. His mother was dead... because of him.

Finally, Arthur stopped next to a rock formation that stretched out into the water and sat back against it in the sand. The incoming tides lapped at his feet, but as usual, it didn't bother him. Staring out over the water, a mix of emotions overwhelmed him. Guilt was the most prevalent of course, but there was anger there too. How dare those people punish her for her love? And what about his little brother? Now he would be all alone...

In the midst of this mental turmoil, Arthur was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as an unusual movement appeared in the corner of his eye. It wasn't just the ocean sweeping in and out, of that much he was sure. Slowly, he stood, searching for the source of the movement.

Was that seaweed? Ah well, it was an honest mist- no, it wasn't seaweed, it was hair! A hand rested on a rock that jutted out from the water, a pair of eyes just barely visible behind it. Was that... a girl?

"Hello?"

When Arthur called out to her, her eyes widened, almost fearfully, and his sixteen-year-old brain immediately wondered if maybe she was embarrassed because he had stumbled upon her skinny dipping. Before he could try to speak to her again, she leapt halfway out of the water, turning over herself and diving into the ocean. That might not have been very peculiar in and of itself had it not been for the lower half of her body. As she disappeared into the rolling sea foam, a dark, navy blue tail followed where her legs should have been.

Arthur blinked and rubbed his eyes. He must have been imagining things. Vulko had described the Fishermen to him, and that girl looked far too much like a human or an Atlantean to be one of them. The "tail" was probably just an illusion of the water that had followed her dive. She must just be a curious Atlantean kid out on her own. That was all...

Or was it?