'It's the full moon tonight," Evie said casually to Zac as they walked down the beach together.
Zac sighed. "Don't remind me."
"Is something wrong?' Evie asked him.
Zac shrugged. "It's just that Ondina is worried that - because Erik is returning - that the Merman Chamber will start calling to me again."
A long while ago, Zac had a special connection to the Merman Chamber on Mako. It was as if the Chamber could talk to him. Every full moon, the Chamber called out to Zac, and Zac would always be tempted to go. Thankfully, ever since they defeated Erik, Zac hadn't received any callings.
"I thought you stopped having those," Evie commented.
"I did, but Ondina is just being worried. I think she's still unhappy with her breakup with Erik."
"It's too bad," Evie sighed wistfully as they headed up the beach, off the golden sand and onto the pavement. "Ondina and Erik were a lovely couple."
Zac nodded, even though he didn't agree. He checked his watch. "The full moon rises in thirty minutes... I'll have to get home."
"Do you need me to come with you?" Evie asked.
Zac shook his head. "No, thanks... Aren't you going scuba diving with your Dad tomorrow? I don't want you to miss that."
"I'll cancel," Evie said to Zac immediately.
Zac gave smile and small laugh. "It's okay. Mimmi and Cameron are coming over to my bungalow tonight. We're just going to watch films."
Evie nodded. "Okay, text me?"
Zac nodded. "Of course."
*****
"Why is the full moon so important?" Chris asked Mimmi as they left the Marina together.
"Us mermaids can power our moon rings using the light and energy of the moon," Mimmi replied, holding out her hand, showing Chris her moon ring.
Chris nodded. "But, for Zac it isn't a good thing?"
Mimmi shrugged. "We don't know. The full moon used to affect him, but he hasn't been affected for a while. Ondina is just taking precautions."
"Well, is there anything I can do to help?" Chris asked.
Mimmi gave a sly smile. "Actually, yes. You could go watch Zac tonight with Cameron, if you like?"
"All night?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
Mimmi nodded. "I was going to, but if I'm not in the Moon Pool when the moon rises over Mako, my ring won't receive the maximum amount of energy it can. And I think I'll need all the power I can find for these upcoming days fighting against Erik."
Chris slowly nodded. "Okay... But what do I do if Zac starts going crazy?"
Mimmi shrugged. "Knock him out?"
Chris nodded, more eagerly this time. "I think I can manage that."
"If it comes to the worst, you can go get Rita," Mimmi told him.
"What do you mean, worse?" Chris asked Mimmi.
"Got to go now, bye!!" Mimmi cried hurriedly, and running down the path and jumping into the ocean.
Chris shook his head, laughing softly at his girlfriend.
*****
"I wish you didn't have to go," David said miserably as he and Sirena finished setting the last table. The whole Ocean Café was now covered in shining Fairy lights, and all the tables had table cloths and knives and forks laid out. "I wish you could stay here all night, and perform at the party."
Sirena smiled. "I wish I could stay too, but I have to go to Mako Island. If Erik does show up soon, I need to have as much magic in my moon ring as I possibly can."
David nodded. "I understand."
"I'll tell you what," Sirena said to David, smiling, "I'll come back here first thing in the morning. We can rehearse the new songs."
David smiled, and his grin shone like the sun. "I'd like that!"
Sirena smiled back. "I'll have to go now," she said after taking a look at the clock.
"Is there anything you want me to do to help tonight?" David asked.
Sirena shook her head. "No thank you. You need to be here for the party, Carly won't be able to perform and hands drinks out at the same time! Just enjoy yourself, and I'll be back here tomorrow."
*****
"I can't believe it," Carly sighed unhappily, attending outside the Ocean Café with Cameron. "You get to go to Zac's house, and I'm stuck here waitressing at a birthday party."
"Hey, being with Zac tonight isn't going to be all fun and games, you know," Cameron said in his defense. "He might start hallucinating, and having visions, and then swim off into the sea! I'm just glad that Mimmi's going to be there."
"Mimmi's going to be there?" Carly said, folding her arms and raising a well-drawn eyebrow.
"Yeah, as she's Zac's sister. We'll also need somebody with magic, too. Just in case Zac decided to go crazy on us." Cameron nodded.
Carly managed a smile. "Okay, tell me what happens tomorrow?"
Cameron grinned. "You betcha."
*****
"It's quite scary thinking that Erik is on his way to Mako as we speak," Weilan said to the mermaids in the Moon Pool.
Ondina nodded. "Yeah... But we will defeat him, like we always do."
Just then Mimmi's had popped up from under the sea, and she swam into the gap between Lyla and Ondina.
"Mimmi, aren't your supposed to be with Zac?" Ondina asked.
Mimmi shook her head. "Chris has gone to stay with him."
"Chris?" Weilan repeated, unimpressed. "You do realise that Chris doesn't have magic, right?"
"And?" Mimmi asked.
"So if Zac ends up going crazy, Chris and Cameron aren't going to be able to help him, are they?"
"Zac won't have a problem tonight," Mimmi said certainly.
"How do you know?" Lyla asked.
"Because if Zac has any unusual visions or starts hallucinating, I'll see them too," Mimmi replied. "If he has a vision of the Merman Chamber, we can all go there straight away."
Ondina sighed, but nodded at her best friend. "Okay, let's just wait for Sirena and Nixie to arrive."
"Oh, Sirena is spending the full moon with Aquata, her sister," Lyla remembered.
"And Nixie?" Ondina asked.
Lyla shrugged. "She'll show up. Eventually..."
*****
Chris headed over to Zac's house; his small sports bag holding his phone, toothbrush, change of clothes and comb, in one hand; a shop bought pizza in the other; and his sleeping bag strapped to his back.
He had knocked on the door of Zac's house. Zac's (adopted) mother opened the door, and invited Chris in. She lead him out to the back garden, where there was a large stoned patio, a swimming pool, and a shed.
"Zac and Cameron are in there," Zac's mother explained, pointing to the shed.
Chris thanked her, and then went to the shed. He knocked on the door.
"Mimmi, you don't have to knock - " Zac began as he opened the door. Then he stopped, looking at Chris. "Oh, it's you, Chris. Hey!"
Chris smiled. "Yeah, Mimmi couldn't make it. She asked me to come instead."
Zac nodded. "Sure, come in."
"Now, hold on!" Cameron said, standing up as Chris entered the bungalow. "Chris hasn't known about the fish chicks and you for as long as the rest of us," Cameron told Zac. "How do we know we can trust him? How can he help us when he had little knowledge and understanding of - "
"I brought pizza," Chris said, holding up the squared cardboard box.
Cameron looked at the box and grinned. "Well, then let's get you sat down, my good friend," Cameron said, steering Chris towards the sofa.
Chris put the pizza on the table, and Cameron immediately took two slices. "So, what do we do now?" Chris asked Zac.
Zac shrugged slightly. "We just wait until the full moon goes down. Hopefully I'll be alright, but we've boarded up the windows with cardboard, just in case."
"Typical of you to show up when all the work has been done," Cameron said to Chris jokingly.
Chris gave a smile. "Sorry, I didn't realise that there was preparation to do."
"Don't worry about it," Zac waved his hand, taking a slice of pizza for himself. "We have drinks and more snacks... Shall we watch some films?"
"Fast and Furious!" Cameron cried. "Do you have Fast and Furious?"
"Which one?" Zac asked.
"All of them!!"
Zac laughed. "Yeah, I should do." He turned to face Chris. "Are you okay with watching that?"
Chris nodded. "Sure."
Cameron began to set up the film in the small TV.
"So, you and Mimmi..." Zac said to Chris.
"Yeah?"
"Do you really like her?" Zac asked.
Chris nodded. "Yes, I do. She's so pretty, and really intelligent. She always comes to work with a smile on her face, and she always puts other people before her."
Zac nodded. "I can see you really care for her. You have to understand, that as her brother, I want to protect her."
"I want to protect her too," Chris said immediately.
Zac nodded slowly. "That's good, Because, I'll need you to do something for me."
"What?" Chris asked Zac.
"Well, you've heard all about Erik, right?"
"Bits and pieces about him" Chris nodded.
"Well, when Erik comes back, I want to try defeat him once and for all," Zac said.
"You're going to kill him?" Chris asked.
Zac shook his head. "No. I'm not sure how yet, but we need to make sure he leaves Mako Island and never returns again. And I need to do it alone; merman to merman. And I don't want Mimmi to know I'm doing it alone. I feel like i gave to, but she'll come up with some excuse why I can't, or she'll try come with me. I need you to make sure that she stays away from Mako until Erik is gone."
Chris nodded. "I'll do that."
Zac nodded back. "Thank you."
"Film's ready!" Cameron cried happily, sitting down in between Zac and Chris, and opening a bad of potato chips. "Oh, this is going to be good," Cameron grinned.