Hi I'm not dead :>
TW: Trust Issues, Captivity, Slight Swearing?
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"Yeah, right." George rolled his eyes at the story Punz had just told him. "Dream is the prince. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I actually have a human boat to Atlantis to catch!"
Punz sighed. "George, I'm serious. For some reason the sirens think you'll be useful to them. So please, make this a little easier for both of us and just agree. Okay?"
George scoffed. "Yeah, right."
What in the world would provoke Punz to do something this stupid? Even if it was a lie, he was risking everything he had worked so hard for. Maybe there actually was some truth to his wierd story?
Then again, Dream would never ask him to betray his homecountry. All he wanted was peace. Right?
But hadn't he cursed him? Couldn't someone who would use a love potion on him also expect him to betray everyone he loved for him? Maybe that had been his plan all along. Maybe this was the missing piece in George's puzzle. Maybe "Dream" had made George fall in love with him to use hum afterwards.
But... thinking about their past, everything they had been through... it couldn't all have been faked. Or was the siren just a good actor?
But there was something else about that story that didn't fit. Nobody just carried a love potion along like "oh, maybe I'll get kidnapped by humans and meet a nice vulnerable merman I can manipulate".
"So?" Punz' voice threw George back into reality. "Look, I know it's a huge offer. But I need an answer. Now."
He couldn't. Could he? His home, his family, his people... and on the other side a mysterious siren who's intentions were unknown.
George hated himself for even considering it in the first place. There was too much to lose.
"No. I'm not gonna do it."
Punz' face hardened until it was nothing but an unreadable mask. "Okay. I'll let them know. Would you please follow me?" "Why?" "Well, I need to prove this was your answer and not mine. After all, you could've been a danger to me and my position." He smiled apologizingly over his shoulder, turned around and led George through the corridors of the building they were sleeping in for the night.
The cities the group was passing by had become bigger, they were getting closer to the capital city. This building had originally actually been a place for paid soldiers to sleep in, but they had left for war a bunch of sunrises ago.
George and Punz left through a backdoor. Two mermen were waiting on a small seaweed lawn for them.
George shivered. Punz had spoken the truth. How many traitors were there? Of all the people he had talked to ever since he had been taken away from his home, who had never been who they said they were? If he couldn't even trust the person gathering merfolk soldiers for war, was there even anyone he could still trust?
Did his father and Skeppy know about this?
"He said no", Punz announced. One of the mermen, a huge man with big muscels on his arms who looked like he smashed skulls for a living turned to George with a questioning look.
"Yes, it's true", Geore confirmed. "I don't want to be a part of your disgusting underground traitor organization."
The three mermen exchanged a look. "You know what the letter said", Punz mumbled. The huge merman nodded and suddenly, George found himself trapped between his muscular arms, unable to move.
"Hey, what the f-", he exclaimed, but he was cut off by Punz' hand covering his mouth. "Shh", the merman soothed, a sinister look on his face. He slowly took his hand away.
"What are you doing?", George hissed. Punz smiled.
“The letter said I should take you to the siren king. If you would accept the offer as an ally. If you refuse it..." he turned around and swam about a tail's length back to the building, stopping just before reaching it and smiling over his shoulder, "as a prisoner."