The Water Goddess

Chapter 2, Part 3: Swimming with a goddess

He could breathe now in underwater but his problem right now is he doesn't know how to swim.

Felipe wiggled his arms and legs in the water but he was turning upside-down and tumbling up and down. Atalanta was giggling at him as she watched him.

"You look like a puffer fish who just got puffed." she spoke with her mind.

She took his arms and settled him upright.

"You don't wiggle your arms, you stroke them, like you are scooping water in front of you with your arms. And your feet? You paddle them." She instructed him and guided him.

He was trying what Atalanta said and he did it a few times but the last try was a success.

"Now come with me." She handed him her left hand and had the most serene look on her face.

He took it and they started to swim above the coral reefs. She effortlessly moved in the water like a mermaid but without the tail.

Felipe clumsily swam, but then again, it was his first time. It was like he was scuba-diving but without all the equipment, he was only using his body and the set of gills that Atalanta gave him.

Now he agrees with Beth, the sea is beautiful, especially underwater. All of his fears, he fought it in just one day. All of his anxiety that he was keeping for years, were gone in a matter of hours.

There were different types of corals that they passed by with every shade and color, fast or slow, crawling or swimming.

Atalanta looked at him and she had never seen someone so free. She had never swam with anyone before, then she suddenly wondered, does she look the same whenever she would swim too? Is he also like her? There was no doubt that she feels the same , but is it really the same?

After a while, she noticed him wince, he must be having cramps already, so she conjured a gentle wave to help him swim his way through.

She stared at the vast sea in front of them, they were getting near the beach, she could tell with the sand floor rising below them.

They swam upward and towards the dancing light. When they reached above the water, the bright sunset blinded Felipe.

"This way! Just forward!" she said. Felipe was losing the gills now that his head is sticking above the water, but she didn't removed the wave that is helping him swim.

Then, Felipe saw the resort, just a few meters away. He stroked harder and faster to reach the shore.

"We're here!" He exclaimed as he stuck his head high.

He continued swimming till he felt the sand was just below his feet. Then the water got shallower, and there he reached the shore.

"I'm home! We made it! I made it!" he joyfully shouted, there he fell on his back to the sand, and his breathing sounded ragged.

"I couldn't believe it..." He whispered.

He remembered Atalanta, and that made him sit up. Felipe saw her standing or floating in the water.

"Thank you, Atalanta!" He beamed at her.

"You are most welcome." She replied with a nod.

He looked around, there was no sign of the storm anymore and that confused him.

"Wait... The storm's gone? What happened?" He asked as he slowly stood up.

His eyes turned left and right and he couldn't find a speck of dark cloud in the horizon or the sky, only the bright sunset. It must've been dusk already, and he might have been gone for 3 hours.

"I saw the storm and it was terrible... Now it's gone?" he mused.

"Because I made it disappear." Atalanta spoke up.

Felipe turned to Atalanta, "What? What are you talking about?"

"Because I made the storm."

Felipe's smile wore out and he took a step forward, "Why? My Dad could've died in that storm, I could've died! I don't even know yet what happened to him, and you just conjured a storm, then made it disappear? Why?!" Felipe's voice got higher as he spoke.

Atalanta stepped forward, "You want to know why? To destroy you landwalkers who in turn destroy the sea! Ever since the dawn of time, people like you have destroyed the sea, plundering our oceans, catching all the sea creatures, slaughtering them to your heart's delight!

"They warned me of landwalkers, they are vile creatures, full of hate in their hearts, who preys on nature and destroy it!" she gnarled out.

Her voice echoed on the beach, but it was just the two of them. Felipe stepped further, feeling like he's walking on ice.

"Atalanta... Not all people are bad, there are still good people in this world. There are just those times that the bad people take advantage of the good people, but you don't have to lose faith!'

She didn't replied. What he just said was true, there are still many a handful of good people, just like him

"Prove it to me." She dared him.

"What?" Felipe hushedly replied.

"Prove to me that there are still good people and that they exist."

He was dumbfounded at first, but the question was how?. But he gulped and stood straight.

"I will prove it to you. And you will say how misled you have been."

Atalanta smirked, "Fine. And you shall prove it to me."

"You can count me on that." Felipe smiled.

"Go now, they must be looking all over for you." Atalanta urged.

But before he could go, he took a moment to look at her. The sun revealed her beauty, she was indeed a goddess.

"Will I ever see you again?" he sighed.

"Let's hope so." and there was a hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.

And she did finally flashed him a smile, but with that, she quickly jumped into the water and it made a great splash.

And just like that, she was gone.

"Woah." he heard himself say.

Felipe couldn't figure out if she was just a dream or is she real. If it was sorcery or something else. But whatever it was, his heart is enchanted more than ever.

After a while, he heard voices cry out from the distance and when he looked back, he saw some of the resort staff. They all ran to him and another called out for Armand and Concita.

They all offered him help but he insisted that he is all right. Then, he saw at the distance, his parents.

The both of them ran to him as soon as they saw him.

"Felipe!" Concita screamed out as she ran. He was immediately embraced by Concita but Armand engulfed them in a one big hug.

"My boy! Oh azuquito! Don't ever do that again, okay?" she was teary-eyed as she pinched his face.

"I promise, Mom." he gently spoke to her, then he turned to his Dad.

"Dad... How did you get out of the storm? It was like hell just hours ago!"

But Armand's brows furrowed, "Son, hours ago?"

"Yeah, why?" he breathed out.

Armand threw a confused look at Felipe, "There hadn't been a storm for three days, Felipe..."

"Days? I've been gone for hours!" he insisted.

He placed a hand on his shoulder, "Son, you've been gone for three days."

And his look darted towards the sea. What took 3 days here, was just a mere hours under the sea.