It has been a week since Seth saved Caleb. The merman gained an odd behavior, staying out of trouble and not missing rehearsals. Only a select few knew the true reason behind his new habits.
"Seth, you have been in there for like forty minutes!" Jordan complained as she and her siblings were in their joint bedrooms. Seth eventually swam out but he was humming to himself, much to the confusion of his siblings. The merman absentmindedly combed his hair before taking a sea flower. He swam off and twirling to himself as he did.
"What's up with him?" London questioned as Kayla braided her hair. "Girl, I wish I knew," Kayla replied.
"Usually, he's as open as clam showing off its pearl, but I can't even understand where this newfound joy came from," Brooklyn commented.
"It's quite obvious when you realize it," Gabbie said. "What?" The sisters asked.
"Swimming in circles, chasing his gills, that boy's got his head up in something..." Gabbie added. "Which is?" Reese urged.
"Ugh. You are so clueless," Gabbie muttered, "Seth is in love~."
"Say what?" Brooklyn said, not comprehending what Gabbie just said.
"With who?" Reese asked, wanting to know the gossip.
"How should I know?" Gabbie admitted, "I just pieced the clues together like two days ago."
"How could we not have noticed? The giddiness, humming, daydreaming. It makes sense!" London cried out.
Seth, still daydreaming, accidentally bumped into Poseidon who was swimming by.
"Oh! Morning Dad~" the prince said, placing the flower behind the Sea King's ear and taking off, twirling again.
"Yep, he's got it bad," Jordan commented to which Poseidon heard her. "What? What's wrong with him?" Poseidon asked.
"Seth's in love~" the sisters told their father all together.
Poseidon was gobsmacked. "Seth? In love?" He repeated. This made so much sense from his son's recent behavior. Seth was in love! He couldn't wait to find out who the lucky merfolk was that had stolen his son's heart!
Up on the surface, Caleb was pacing the shoreline. He was dressed in regular attire and turned to the sea. Ever since his rescue, the voice of his savior had entrapped his mind, wanting to know who saved. Alex said it was sheer nonsense, saying that it was just luck that he managed to be carried to shore, but Caleb didn't believe that folly. At the horizon, the prince stared.
"Where did they go?
Where can they be?
When will they come again
Calling to me... ?
Calling to me... ?
Calling to me... ?"
Whoever saved him it was like destiny. But the true name of his savior, alluded him. Part of Caleb wanted to find this person, whoever they were.
"Somewhere there's a person
Who's like the shimmer of the wind upon the water
Somewhere there's a person
Who's like the glimmer of the sunlight on the sea
Somewhere there's a person
Who's like a swell of endless music
Somewhere they are singing
And their song is meant for me"
If it is even possible, Caleb wanted to marry the person who had saved him. The person who saved him seemed to remind him of the ocean. Mysterious, calm, caring, Caleb could go on and on about it. He wanted someone that loved the sea like himself.
"And their voice
It's sweet as angels sighing
And their voice
It's warm as summer sky
And that sound
It haunts my dreams
And spins me around
Until it seems
I'm flying...
Their voice!"
Out of all the people Caleb had tried to date or court, no one compared to his savior. Most people had never shared the fascination of the ocean like him. No princess claimed they would never set sail or touch a ship given the chance. Those qualities didn't seem to appear on Caleb's mystery person. And he could tell from just from the voice.
"I can sense their laughter
In the ripple of the waves against the shoreline
I can see them smiling
In the moonlight as it settles on the sand
I can feel them waiting
Just beyond the pale horizon
Singing out a melody to lovely to withstand"
Caleb closed his eyes and dreamt of them. They were still out there, possibly beneath the waves. He could sense it. He pictured many images in his head: the way they laughed, the smile that made Caleb's heart fluttered, the feeling of their hands when they touched their face and how their song for him took his breath away.
"And their voice
It's there as dusk is falling
And their voice
It's there as dawn steals by
Pure and bright, it's always near
All day, all night
And still I hear it calling...
Their voice"
Caleb didn't care if took forever. He wanted to find them. He had to find them. To just see whoever saved him from a watery death, hold them, and be together with them.
"Strange as a dream...
Real as the sea
If you can hear me now
Come set me free
Come set me free!"
"Ah... ah... ah... ah..." Caleb began to search frantically upon hearing the tune. His savior was out there. The melody began to take a softer tone, like it was leaving. And Caleb didn't want it to. "Wait, please! Don't leave! I need to see you! I want to thank you!"
The prince began to ran towards where the voice originated from only to hear it submerge within the water. Caleb became disappointed but his spirit wasn't one to give up. They were out there. His efforts would one day pay off.
"If you're out there listening, hear this," Caleb promised, "I will find you. You don't need to be afraid. I'll wait for you." The prince waited for a response, only to receive none. He turned his attention back to his mansion, heading home for the day.
Josh paced back and forth, anxiously thinking of what to say.
It was the first week as Seth's caretaker and he was supposed to talk to Poseidon about his updates. Of course, the king had picked up on Seth's romantic behavior. Heck, the whole kingdom knew Seth was enamored by someone. The merman had been behaving himself for the most part. But him saving a human was information the crustacean did not want to share with someone who controls the sea.
"Okay, this is fine. Everything is going well. Poseidon doesn't know. But's he is getting suspicious. Maybe I'm overreacting. Or maybe I'm not overreacting enough!" Josh ranted to himself.
If only he had never said anything about Seth having a chaperone. Josh wouldn't be freaking out about his knowledge.
Seth, meanwhile, was busy on a rock above Josh, his right hand on his head as his left was idly picking a flower by its petals, playing "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not."
"He loves me," Seth cheerfully said on his third to last petal, "he loves me not," with a bitter tone, thinking it was ridiculous. He reached the final petal and became ecstatic, "He loves me! I knew it!" Seth became giddy, clutching the last petal to his chest as if it was Caleb's heart.
"Seth, you're talking crazy!" Josh shouted in frustration but it fell deaf to the merman's ears.
"Oh just think me and him!" Seth said as he began to create little water silhouettes with his Atlantean magic of him and Caleb spinning around with a heart.
"I have to see him again! Tonight!" Seth thought aloud. "Marcus knows where he lives.." the merman began to form a plan.
"Seth! Get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs!" Josh cried and held Seth's tail fins as the merman began to swim away. Seth ignored him still forming a plan, "Breanna could splash around, get his attention..."
"Down here is your home!" Josh interrupted and got in the prince's face. "Seth, listen to me. The human world, it's a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they've got up there."
Seth raised in eyebrow at the claim before sitting down on the same rock and waited to hear out Josh's explanation. The crustacean was pleased that the merman was willing to listen and went on his explain why the ocean is better than land.
"The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there,
But that is a big mistake
Just look at 'de world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?"
Josh sang, stating the sea was the best place for creatures like him to live in. It was a paradise with many wonders. Why couldn't Seth see that?
"Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter,
Take it from me!
Up on the shore they work all day,
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full-time to floatin',
Under the sea!"
Seth mused the song through his brain, slightly enjoying it. He admits the sea had its benefits but he just wanted to be experience the human world.
"Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl
But fish in the bowl is lucky
Both: They in for a worser fate
One day when the boss get hungry...
Guess who's gon' be on the plate?"
Seth partially cringed at the idea of a human skewering a fish. Life on land wasn't easy for any sea creature given their adaptations, but the sea wasn't as pleasant either.
"Uh-oh!
Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what 'de land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles,
Life is the bubbles!"
Seth laid himself on the rock, absentmindedly stroking a flower. The flower popped up and revealed a herd of small seahorses. The herd began to tickle Seth all round, which caused him to laugh. Josh smiled at the interaction and continued to sing about the wonders of the deep.
"Under the sea (Under the sea)
Under the sea (Under the sea)
Since life is sweet here,
We got the beat here
Naturally (Naturally-y-y-y)
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea!"
More sea creatures began to join in on the music, playing a few instruments.
"The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul (Yeah!)
The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
An' oh that blowfish blow!"
Haven and Breanna swam their way through the cacophony of sea creatures, searching for the merman. Breanna was briefly caught in a hip shaking fish that was too excited, but was pulled free by Haven. The two females eventually found their friend and whispered into his ear. Seth became elated and swam away with them, which went unnoticed by Josh, who was too busy dancing and singing.
"Yeah!
Under the sea (Under the sea)
Under the sea (Under the sea)
When the sardine
Begin the beguine,
It's music to me (Music is to me)
What do they got? A lot of sand
We got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
Know how to jam here
Under the sea!
Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea!
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water!
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea!"
All the sea creatures pointed to the rock where Seth is at, only to see the rock was empty. The sea creatures left one by one as Josh muttered, "One of these days, I'm going to nail that boy's fins to the floor."
"Joshua!"
The crustacean turned to where he was called and saw the seahorse from the concert. "Joshua, I've been looking all over for you. I have urgent message for you from King Poseidon!"
Josh slowly lost color in his carapace, "What is it?"
"He wants to see you right away. Something about Seth," the seahorse said.
Josh paled at the mention of Seth. 'Sweet Davy Jones! He knows!' the crustacean feared the truth was about to be out.
In Atlantis' throne room, a happy Poseidon smiled at the idea of Seth meeting someone. He knew he saw Haven and Breanna as friends so whoever stole his son's heart must be a great suitor.
"Hmmmm," the sea king hummed with the same flower Seth gave him earlier, "Who's the lucky merfolk?"
Josh entered the throne room, a nervous aura washed over him. 'I must remain calm.' "You wished to see me, your Majesty?" Josh announced, making his presence known.
Poseidon snapped out of his thoughts at the crab's arrival. "Ah, yes. Joshua, I did. Please, come closer." The invertebrate swam over to the armrest of the shell like throne. "I presume you know what this is about."
"Um," Josh lied, "about what?"
"Seth," Poseidon grinned, "Swimming about, humming to his pleasure, daydreaming," listed the sea king of Seth's jovial attitude.
"Oh... well, I... " Josh responded with shivering legs.
"Josh..." the sea king said. "Hmmm?" Josh replied, his carapace shivering now. "I know you have been keeping secrets from me," the sea king made known.
"Secrets? From you?" Josh tried to joke, but the pressure was beginning to take its toll.
"About Seth?" Poseidon mused.
"Seth?" the crustacean felt the pressure get harder on him.
"In love?" Poseidon asked, anxious to know who stole his son's heart. But this became the breaking point for the caretaker.
"I tried to stop him, sire!" Josh admitted, breaking down before coming clean about everything. "He wouldn't listen! I told him to stay awat from humans! They are bad news, they are nothing trouble, they ar-"
"HUMANS?!" the sea king interrupted and roared. "What about humans?!"
Josh gulped before realizing his mistake. He couldn't cover this up. And Seth was in deep trouble now.