Ocean Blue

Chapter 33

"Another riddle! Why did everybody have to be so cryptic?! Something about the key we seek, yada, yada, yada, in the deep, etc. etc."

"Hm."

Pidge made her way to the deck with her results, waving them around. "We've got another riddle, folks! Coran, get Lance up here."

Lance was dumped unceremoniously on the deck, and he sighed. "What ocean expertise do you need now?"

Pidge ignored his comment. "Alright, heads together. New riddle. This thing was in English and was translated into Latin, so we have to deal with cryptic rhymes, again. Hidden among the stars, this power of ours, found where blue fades to black, the key to attack, without this our key, you'll be far from the sea."

"This key is in the ocean," Lance said immediately.

Pidge sighed. "What is it with you and the ocean?! Why does everything have to be about the ocean with you?!"

"Because I know the place it's talking about!" Lance protested, "Look- the last lines, the key to attack, without this our key, you'll be far from the sea- that's all about the amulet. There's a key to this amulet, which holds the power of the sea and apparently the power of storms based on Allura's powers. But this place... it's a place in the ocean. We call it the Blue to Black Trench because of how fast the light fades and the blue of the ocean fades to black!"

Pidge frowned. "But mer-people can see in the dark. Our eyes glow."

"Okay, yeah, but... rrrrrrgh. I'm going to tell you about the different kinds of mermaids, okay? You know about the ocean blue mermaids, and the coral mermaids, and the kelp mermaids. But there are other kinds. Storm mermaids, that ride storm-waves all of the time and subsist on shipwrecks. Their tails are grey, like the oncoming storm."

"Like Taras," Pidge remembered.

"Right. They're built to skim the surface, and they're really durable when it comes to wind, lightning and rain. Not to be mistaken with them are the cavern mermaids who are found either in caverns like the one that this ship was in or in underwater caverns. Also typically grey, but sometimes brown and they aren't as sturdy."

Allura sighed. "I don't see the point of this."

"Hold on. I'm getting to it. There are also Sandbar mermaids. They have golden tails, and, duh, live in the sandbars. Then there are the Arctic mermaids, which live in the lands of glaciers, where their white tails will help them blend in with the ice; they can stand really cold temperatures. There are the Freshwater mermaids, which live in rivers and whatnot, and they tend to look a little more horse-like and have greenish-blue tails."

"Kelpies!" Keith yelped.

"Yeah, I think humans call them that. Anyway, there is a point to this, and it's the Abyss mermaids. They have dark black tails that are sometimes speckled with other colors. They are really, really sturdy. The Abysses or the Trenches are hard to breathe in for normal mer-people, like being really high up is for humans. It's also darker than the rest of the ocean, so Abyss mermaid's eyes shine brighter. Their bones are stronger to withstand the pressure, and most of them are pretty muscular."

"Get on with it," Keith snapped.

"Hold your hippocampus, I'm getting to it! I've seen a few Abyss mermaids, and they came from the Blue to Black Trench. And they... well... some of them talked about how they guarded the stars, and how it was their duty as- what did they call themselves- paladins."

"Hid in the stars," Pidge breathed, "You think that the key is in the black to blue trench?"

"I know so," Lance said confidently.