Chapter 4

I am in my closet looking for something to dry off with. My hand is shaking. I grab the towel. As I hold onto the towel my hand is shaking so badly that I drop it.

Reign is the one who comes over and picks up the towel.

“I got it.”

“Reign. Please tell me I'm seeing things. Please tell me that isn't Wade.”

The both of us look back at the bed. Sure enough Wade is sitting in the middle of my bedroom. He is so wet there is a puddle underneath him.

“It's Wade alright. You're not seeing things,” Reign explains taking a deep breath.

Reign seems more bothered than perplexed. I don't know how I feel. Wade is staring at the ground. He's completely naked. He looks the same only older. He's so beautiful. His skin is that tan complexion similar to his brother. People always used to argue who was the more attractive brother. They both had that baby face yet still sexy thing going for them. People used to tease Wade and say that he looked like Taylor Lautner. Now that he was older he could pass for twins with the actor. It didn't help that he had a somewhat hairy chest. He has very few pubes. His dick flops down over a slim bed of pubic hair. They used to call Wade a wolf because Taylor Lautner played a werewolf in Twilight. Wade now had a beard though. He never had it before. It's a thick manly beard. It's makes his baby face look a little bit more mature. It makes him even sexier. I can't stop staring at him. He's still so fucking attractive that it kind of makes me sick to my stomach seeing him.

The thing that gets to me the most about Wade are his eyes. They are as black as night. They are so deep. They are sexy and innocent at the same time. He must notice me watching him because he looks back up.

“How is this possible?” I ask him.

“Let's go find out,” Reign replies with a blank suspicious stare.

Reign walks over to Wade. He hands him a towel. Reign and I both look away as Wade dries himself off. It's not everyday your childhood ex who you thought was dead shows up naked and a million times more attractive at your doorstep. It's so awkward but sooner or later he wraps his towel around his waist.

“Reign, how have you been man?” Wade asks.

Reign looks confused. The last time Wade had spoken to Reign he had said that he hated him and was attempting to kill him. If it wasn't for Blue stopping his brother a part of me thought that Wade actually would have done it. He would have killed Wade. Now he was being somewhat polite.

“I've been alive...” Reign says and then bluntly answers, “I can't say I thought the same thing about you to be honest.”

Wade laughs. Hearing his laugh is bringing tears to my eyes. This can't be happening. This can't be fucking happening.

“It's a long story,” Wade explains, “I've been through a lot.”

“Have you been in Atlantis? This whole time?” I ask.

Wade shakes his head.

“No. I've just arrived,” Wade says before turning to me and taking a step towards me, “It's a long story guys but honestly I came to see Krill...”

As he approaches me Reign blocks him off. I'm surprised when Reign does that. What the hell did he think Wade was going to do? Reign puts a hand on Wade's chest. Wade is muscular similar to Blue. They both had that body that made you think they spent all day in the gym. Reign may have been slim but he was taller and I knew how powerful Reign was first hand. Some skinny guys were stronger than they appeared.

“I understand it's a long story man, but we have the time,” Reign says.

“I tried to kill myself all those years ago. I was heartbroken by what happened. You two having sex was heartbreaking. I tied a brick around my waist and I jumped into the ocean. It didn't work. Clearly I think you'd all assume why it was that I couldn't drown.”

He was one of us. He was a merman.

“Where have you been?” I ask.

“I've just been living in the ocean. A few days ago I heard a song. I saw all these signs. I followed them.”

It must have taken him a little longer than the rest of us to get here. Reign and I exchange glances. I don't know whether to be shocked or happy. I choose happy. I start moving towards Wade. Reign blocks me again but I shake past him. I don't care right now. I'm so happy. I walk over to Wade and I hug him. I hug him tighter than I've hugged anyone else before.

“You kind of making me excited with this hug man,” Wade laughs.

Wade isn't joking. His dick is hardening in between us.

“Um...”

I don't know how to react to the fact that my dead ex boyfriend is hugging me and fully hard right now. I step back a little bit. A tent is underneath the towel. It's a pretty impressive tent too. Wade laughs again and rubs his head as though kind of embarrassed.

Reign shakes his head.

“I guess you're not wasting any time huh?” Reign asks.

“Sorry, Krill. I just haven't been intimate in a real long time. I mean. I'm just happy to see you.”

The awkwardness between Reign, Wade and I is so heavy you can cut it with a knife. I'm happy to see Wade but I'm not happy to see Wade while I'm with Reign. I kind of wish Reign would just leave but he just stands there staring bullets at Wade the entire time.

“Blue is going to be so happy to see you,” I state, attempting to change the subject.

“My brother's here?” he asks.

Wade's eyes light up. My heart smiles knowing that Wade and Blue are going to be reunited. Blue had no one. No family was here. Wade was alive. Tears are rolling down my cheek. I feel like the softest person in the world. I can't help it though. The feelings that I have right now are so deep and strong.

“I should give you guys some time,” Reign finally says when he sees the tears.

He looks over at me. He starts taking a few steps towards the door. There is an awkwardness on his face as though he doesn't belong here. Reign and Wade were never really all that close. Looking back I never really knew why. We all hung in the same group. They were always cordial but never close. Blue and I were close to both of them so they hung around each other just to be around us. There was always this weird sort of tension between them. I never quite understood it. I just assumed they were competitive. Wade was a really good swimmer too. Him and Reign used to compete all the time with me. I'd actually met Wade when he taught me how to do a backstroke. I figured it was always that, but the way I see Reign look at Wade right now I kind of assume it might be something a little more. Sure we were all friends but they never really seemed to like each other.

I follow behind Reign to walk him out.

“Are you going to get Blue and the others?” I ask.

“It's late. People are drunk. One more day won't matter. I mean he did make us think he was dead for all these years anyway, right?” Reign says.

“Reign don't be like that.”

“Don't be like what? I just think it's funny how he shows after all these years. At the exact moment that you and I are...nevermind.”

Reign stops speaking because his whispering is really awkward. Wade isn't far away. I'm not really expecting this from Reign. Truth be told it comes of a little sharp. Knowing Reign I would think it was just my imagination though. Reign was never really rude to anyone...ever. It was like against his moral compass or something. The guy was this perfect fucking scout.

“We should at least get Blue...” I state at normal pitch making sure Wade heard it.

“It's OK,” Wade states, “Tomorrow is fine. I'm really tired from the long swim over here. Maybe I should get some rest.”

I nod, “OK.”

Reign looks over at me, “Have a good night Krill.”

He walks out of the room closing the door behind him. It is very clear that he didn't say the same thing to Wade. Reign shutting the door behind him like that is so weird to say the least. I'm sitting in the room looking at Wade when he does. Wade smiles at me. His teeth are so white and so perfect.

“He still thinks we are competing for you. Even after all these years,” Wade says.

“What?”

That was a weird thing to say.

Wade shrugs, “Never mind. Damn I missed you. Krill. Your hair is so much longer. What's up with the fancy room? The fancy bed?”

“I may or may not be the son of a god,” I admit with a smile.

“What? You?”

“You know about that?”

He shakes his head oddly but turns around, “Nah. It's just...nevermind. Come here. Lay with me.”

I hesitate. I'm not sure why. My ex boyfriend who I thought was dead for years just showed up out of no where. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react. I was still attracted to him. That wasn't the problem. We were kids back then. It was puppy love back then. None-the-less I get into bed with him. Wade puts his arm over me. It feels so...good. I exhale. All these memories are coming back. He holds me close for a minute.

“I can't believe you're here,” I state.

“I thought about coming back a million times.”

“Why didn't you?”

He pauses, “I don't know. I guess I was scared. I guess I couldn't. I thought you and Reign would have been together honestly.”

“Me and Reign?”

“Yeah. Is that so hard to believe? I didn't want a second heartbreak. I never stopped caring about you.”

“When you tried to drown yourself...you left a suicide note,” I remember out loud, “You blamed me for everything.”

“I shouldn't have,” Wade responds, “I loved you so much and I was so heartbroken by you and Reign. I just wanted you to understand why I did it.”

“Are you still mad?”

Wade turns me around. He looks down at me. Damn the boy is sexy. I press my hand up against his chest. I let his chest hairs tickle my fingertips. He looks down at me through his squinty little dark eyes. His bites down on his pink lips.

“I forgive you.”

He kisses me at that moment. We kiss for what seems like forever. So many times in the past I lost a sense of time once we start kissing. I remember the millions of times we did it. Puppy love. We'd forget where we were. This warmth would cover us.

I don't expect Wade to turn me over but he does. He opens my ass up and starts to lick in my ass. I feel his tongue ripple through me. Almost immediately I feel the wetness. Wade licks every last inch of my fluids up. He fingers me as he eats me out letting his index finger and middle finger go deep in my ass. He twists it around creating a rhythmic motion as he does it.

I feel myself squirming, “Fuck yes.”

It feels so good. He goes deeper and deeper with his fingers but does the same with his tongue. I turn back to him and watch him lick his finger tips tasting every bit of me. I'm so horny at that moment. Wade removes the towel that he had around his waist. His dick is hard. It is fully hard at that moment. The thick dick curves upward almost like a hook. He hits it a few times with his fingertips. There are streams of precum that come out. It looks so fucking good.

“You don't know how much I've missed you man. I love you...” Wade says.

He starts to line up his dick to my asshole. I use my hand to stop him. I push him away from me right when he is about to enter me.

“No,” I stop him.

“What?”

“Listen. I'm a different person then when you met me,” I explain to him, “I lost myself when I thought you died. I used my body for anything and everything but love. I'm not the same boy that I used to be.”

“You're always the same to me.”

“No. No I'm not.”

I blamed myself for his death all these years and he wasn't even dead. I'd never been so vulnerable or felt so broken in my life as when I thought I caused Wade's death. Now that he was back I couldn't just allow myself to feel that vulnerability again. I couldn't just let him back in my life.

“Are you with him?” Wade asks me.

His tone changes. Some things don't change. Wade was a good guy but he did get jealous. I could always hear the tone in his voice when the jealousy took over. It took over him sometimes.

“What?”

“Reign. Are you and Reign together?” Wade asks me.

“No. Reign is still with Marina. Nothing's changed with him.”

“Really because I could have sworn I saw the two of you kissing when I fucking walked in here,” Wade says seeming confused.

There is an awkwardness at that moment. It's way too awkward. I feel stupid for a second. I was kissing Reign when Wade appeared. He'd caught us. A part of me wants to try to deny it so hard. I want to let Wade know that nothing is going on between me and Reign. But I wasn't even sure of that. I liked Reign. He was with Marina but that didn't mean I didn't like him. Truth is though, Wade was not my boyfriend. He was not my lover. I didn't owe him any explanation.

“You can sleep on the bed,” I tell Wade, “I'll sleep on the floor...”

~

The next day I gather all my friends in one of the public baths. Sebastian is the only one who actually takes it upon himself to bathe though. He doesn't seem to give a fuck about what's going on and he shouldn't. This had nothing to do with him. He winks at me clearly flirting with me every time I look his way. The guy was a flirt. The rest of us drift around in the waters. Yara does her usual thing sticking her tail in the water. Reign and Marina seem a little awkward with each other. A part of me wonders if they argued last night and if I had something to do with it. Reign did walk me home.

Blue is the last one to show up.

“Is there a reason I'm here?” Blue asks.

“I asked you to come,” I respond.

Blue looks over at me. He can't stand being around me even for a second. He crosses his arms.

“So what? Because you are descended from gods I'm supposed to just kiss your ass?” Blue asks me.

“Blue stop being like that,” Reign says.

“Being like what? This is nothing new. I've always felt this way towards Krill. I haven't changed. You guys are the ones changing. Marina can you be any more fake?”

Marina rolls her eyes, “People change. You weren't always like this towards Krill. There was a time when you weren't.”

She had a point. We were best friends once. Blue and I were inseparable. I think right now that time comes into Blue's head because he gets really quiet.

“That time has passed,” Blue says.

It's the same cold shoulder that he's given me a million times. And even after all of those times it still feels just as sharp. He starts walking away but he's stopped. He's stopped when his brother walks out of the shadows. His brother walks right in front of Blue and for this brief moment I'm sure Blue has no idea exactly what he's looking at. He falls over damn near falling on the ground in shock.

Blue isn't the only one reacting like this. The others are shocked too. Yara's mouth drops. Marina stands up and gasps so loud that it sounds like someone strangled her.

“Is there a reason everyone is acting weird?” Sebastian says swimming up to Yara, “Whose the Twilight looking guy?

“It's Blue's dead brother.”

“Don't look dead to me,” Sebastian says with a laugh.

“That's the point.”

Blue stares at his brother for a minute. Then all of a sudden without asking a single question or saying a single word he dives into him. He holds onto his brother hugging him. He hugs his little brother so tight that Wade starts to cough out a little bit. Seeing this brings tears to my eyes. God. I've been crying so much since I came to Atlantis.

Marina and Yara both walk over to Wade. They both smile at him. I descend in the background and let them talk. The entire time though I'm watching Blue. I'm watching his reaction. He doesn't show his emotion through tears like me but I see the way he looks at Wade. He doesn't want to let him out of his sight.

“So let me get this right? You tried to kill yourself by drowning only to find out you are a mermaid who can't drown. That forced a transformation somehow and you lived in the water alone this entire time?” Sebastian asks.

Wade has told us the story a million times by the time the afternoon really starts. Yara is sitting around quiet looking on. Blue for the first time since he came to Atlantis is smiling next to his brother. Seeing the two drop dead gorgeous brothers next to each other after all these year is amazing to tell the truth. They both turned into mesmerizing young mermen.

“That's about right,” Wade answers before pausing and taking a hard look at Sebastian, “Whose the pirate looking guy?”

“Sebastian. Nice to meet you and sorry to interrupt your extremely awkward reunion,” Sebastian says.

At first I'm not sure what Sebastian is talking about but then I turn and see Reign's face. Reign doesn't know how to react. It's awkward. Wade killed himself or at least tried to kill himself because of Reign and I. The fact that Reign and I are here right now together makes this even more awkward. It's bringing back all those bad feelings that we never resolved. Sebastian is just so blunt that he has to be the one to call it out.

“There are no bad feelings,” Wade says, “Everything's in the past. I'm just happy I'm here with you guys now. If anyone wants to continue feeling some type of way that's on them.”

“Oh everything's fine. Hopefully you don't try to kill yourself again. We'll be all good,” Reign responds.

Awkward silence.

“We should tell the Goddess Amphitrite that we have a new orphan that has returned,” Yara says, “Just to be on the safe side.”

“Safe side of what?” Blue asks.

“Well my parents told me about the monster, you know? The one that wants to kill Krill. Well she says that we have to keep Krill safe. She says that we are all heroes for hiding his identity. Didn't you hear the toast yesterday? The Goddess thanked us. She might want to thank him as well.”

“First off we were children. We weren't heroes. We didn't choose to hide his identity. We were ripped away from our parents in order to do it,” Blue answers.

So much for me thinking that now that Wade was alive things with Blue were a little bit calmer. I was wrong. Blue was still acting like a dickhead towards me.

“Blue stop,” Wade says.

“So much has happened because of him...”

Blue doesn't even have the nerve to look over at me.

Wade sighs a little bit, “We can't blame everything on Krill. We all make our own decisions. Everything worked out to lead us to where we are today. That's all that matters. I've forgiven Krill...”

I'm shocked when Wade says that in front of everyone. Blue seems surprised too. He looks over at me. He seems speechless as though he's not sure how he can hold onto all his hatred any longer but also not sure how he can let it go so abruptly. It just scares him into silence.

“So you don't mind if we tell the Goddess?” Yara states.

“What's up with you telling the Goddess?” I ask Yara.

Yara was smart. She was too smart for her own good. When she said things people listened. She knew way too much history and right now I knew she was suspicious about something. I wasn't exactly sure what it was.

“I just want to know if he's OK with it,” Yara states shrugging, “That's all.”

“No...I'd rather not,” Wade says.

“I knew it,” Yara responds.

“What are you talking about?” Sebastian asks her.

“Ignore her. She's a nerd. When you try to understand nerds you just end up confusing yourself,” Marina responds tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Why is he trying to hide the fact that he's here?”

Yara sounds suspicious. Blue stands up at that moment. He is pissed off. He crosses his arms. A part of me thinks if Yara was a boy Blue would probably have socked her right in the face. He doesn't though and I know he wouldn't but none-the-less Reign is standing by Blue to keep him at bay. The look in Blue's eyes says it all. He's pissed at Yara for her suspicions.

“My brother is back and you are trying to start shit?” Blue asks, “Did Krill put you up to this?”

“Believe it or not everything isn't Krill's fault,” Reign says, “I'd like to hear what Yara is thinking as well. She seems like there is something on her mind. Maybe we should let her talk.”

I'm not surprised by Reign saying that. What I'm surprised by though is how Wade has gotten completely silent. He's like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Blue doesn't notice it but I do. It's weird. What's going on with him. I look over at Yara. She is still dangling her tail in the water. She looks more serious though. She is pondering. She is thinking. I can tell she has a lot on her mind.

“You guys said that he appeared in the palace last night right? There are guards at the palace. They would have stopped him. Right?”

We all nod.

“The guards stopped us last night,” Reign answers her.

“That means he snuck into the palace. Now why would he be sneaking around,” Yara asks, “It doesn't make sense. You know what else doesn't make sense. How could a teenager who lived on land his whole life survive in the ocean for years alone.”

I hadn't even thought of all that. Yara was clever as hell. We all look over at Wade. He is still looking down. The guilt is written all over his face.

Something is up with him.

“Wade. You OK little bro?” Blue asks finally seeing it too.

“You can't tell the Goddess I'm here,” he states, “I'm not supposed to be here.”

I'm confused.

“He's really freaking me out guys,” Sebastian states, “Is he always like that?”

Wade really was acting weird. He was kind of scaring me too. Sebastian as usual is saying what is on all of our minds. Maybe not Blue, of course. Blue loves his brother with a passion none of us can understand. The rest of us however are clearly suspicious. Marina squints her eyes at Wade. Reign circles to his left as though trying to block Wade if he made a run for it. Something is wrong here. Something is wrong with Wade.

“How did you survive all those years?” Reign says.

“I...”

“How'd you survive!” Reign says louder.

“Yo—Reign we are good friends but I'm going to need you to back the fuck off my brother,” Blue warns him pointing a finger at Reign in the most clear way.

“I just want answers,” Reign says, “Yara finds this weird and so do I.”

“We all do,” Marina adds in.

It's clear we are all looking over at Wade wondering what is going on with him. It's also clear that Blue is the only one attempting to protect Wade at this point. Wade is sweating. He's nervous. He takes a deep breath though.

“Listen. I was found,” he states.

“By who?”

“The Goddess calls them the monsters. They are the ones who want to kill Krill.”

I'm shocked at that moment. My grandmother had told me the stories. I'm sure everyone else's families had told them the stories as well about the monsters. The two sisters who were cursed to become monsters just so they could kill me.

“How did you escape?” I ask.

“It wasn't like that. At first they thought I was Krill. See they don't know Krill's name or even his gender. All they know is his age. They kept me around because they thought I was him. Sooner or later they realized I wasn't the son of Triton.”

Reign raises an eyebrow, “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying they raised me. They raised me like a son. They told me they were looking for Krill.”

“He's a spy for them,” Sebastian states.

Sebastian like usual says what the rest of us are thinking. Blue shoots Sebastian a look. Sebastian isn't a girl. Blue would definitely beat his ass for going after his brother. The thing is though that Sebastian isn't the only one right now. Everyone is giving Wade the same look even if we aren't as bold as to say it like Sebastian is.

“I'm not a spy. I saw the signs like everyone else. I came here because I had a feeling that my friends would be here. I had a feeling my brother would be here. I had a feeling Krill would be here,” Wade says, “So I left them.”

“That's convenient,” Marina replies sarcastically.

“Well now that you're here I guess it wouldn't be a problem telling Krill's grandmother,” Sebastian states, “She would definitely want to know this information. Hell I might get some extra fish during the next communal dinner later tonight.”

Sebastian starts pulling himself out of the pool. He doesn't get far. Blue comes out of no where and pushes him back into the water. Blue pushes him so hard that Sebastian falls all the way to the bottom of the communal bath.

Blue looks at us and points his finger, “No one better not say shit to the Goddess.”

“Why are we hiding?” I ask, “My grandmother is a good person.”

“I've been with her enemies for so long. She would think I'm dangerous,” Wade states.

“Are you?” Yara asks.

“No,” Wade says.

Blue looks over at the rest of us, “There you have it. I'll keep Wade with me. I'll keep him hidden. Everyone just keep quiet and give us the chance to think.”

Blue leaves at that moment. He leaves with Wade. The rest of us don't talk when they leave but I think we are all thinking the same thing. Wade showing up like this is weird. Him not telling us immediately that he was basically taken care of by people who wanted to kill me was even weirder. The fact that he didn't want my grandmother to know he was in the city was just rubbing us the wrong way.

~

The communal dinner that night is being served in the forum. They are serving some beautiful exotic looking fish. The chef comes out and explains to us what kind of fish it was. I never heard of it but supposedly when you are this deep in the ocean there are bunch of species that we never heard of up on the surface.

I'm kind of getting used to the fact that everyone in Atlantis does everything together. I sit next to the my grandmother today. She allowed my friends to sit close today. The Goddess doesn't really put herself above other people. She talks to everyone. I notice Blue isn't eating his food. A part of me knows why. He's saving the food for Wade.

“Are your friends enjoying Atlantis so far,” my grandmother asks me.

I look over at my friends. The other tables have the other orphans but truthfully I don't know their names.

“The ones I know so far are. I haven't heard anyone complaining about being homesick.”

My grandmother smiles, “That's nonsense. You are home. Why don't you introduce me to your friends Krill?”

I go around the table.

“This is Sebastian, that's Yara. The one at the end is Reign and his girlfriend Marina. And then there is Blue.”

“Blue. Yes...I remember you, Blue. Varic and Attina's son,” my grandmother states, “You look just like your father. That's how I know. So handsome.”

There is an awkward silence. I don't understand why my grandmother all of a sudden has a interest in my friends. She's a sweet woman and quite attractive. She doesn't look like anyone's grandmother. She could probably just pass for my mother really. A part of me wonders if she is attracted to Blue or something. It would make sense. She probably lived for millions of years. Age probably didn't mean a damn thing to her and Blue was very attractive to say the least.

“Thank you, goddess,” Blue says nodding.

“I could have sworn Attina had another son. You guys were close in age too. He was one of the orphans that I sent away. Where could he be?”

Sebastian coughs at that moment. He's not the only one. Reign looks away. Marina stares at her fish as though it is the most interesting thing in the world. Yara has begun to fiddle with her hair nervously.

I don't think Blue believes it's a coincidence my grandmother is asking about his brother. He looks around the table. His eyes settle on me. Great. He was blaming me.

“You told,” he assumes.

“I didn't say a fucking thing...to anyone,” I swear at that moment.

My grandmother drops the subtleties, “Bring him out.”

Just at that moment her guards appear. They have someone in their arms. The other citizens of Atlantis notice the disruption. The guards are walking with Wade in their arms. It's clear that Wade has been arrested. I feel like shit when I look in the crowd and see them all staring at Wade. They are all looking at him as though he's some sort of criminal.

“So much for friendship, who the fuck told?” Blue asks getting up from the table.

He's pissed.

He makes a run for his brother. He doesn't get far though. The soldiers of Atlantis pin him down at that moment. They hold him on the ground. His face is in the dirt. I feel really bad for him to say the least. He looks up at me.

I look over at Yara.

“Yara what the fuck?”

“It wasn't me,” she responds.

Sebastian takes it upon himself to raise his hands, “Swear I didn't say anything either.”

“It was me,” Reign says, “I told the Goddess. I had to! He's a fucking threat! He lived with fucking monsters for years. And all of a sudden he just shows up when Krill shows up?”

We all turn to Reign. I think the person who is most shocked is Blue. Honestly thinking about it I'm not too surprised. By the expression on Wade's face he's not too surprised either. Reign and Wade were never too close.

“Why would you tell?” Blue asks.

“You know why. He wants to remove me from Krill's life. Let's be honest. We all know all those years ago Reign wasn't really drunk.”

My mouth drops open. I don't say anything though. It's Marina who walks forward, somehow crosses her arms and points at Wade, “You're lying.”

“He was drinking juice. I watched him the whole time. He had switched the alcohol for juice. He knew what he was doing when he had sex with my boyfriend.”

There is an awkward tension among everyone. Wade had just declared war against Reign. The tension was real. Wade basically outed me in front of my grandmother. I am sitting there hoping that merfolk weren't homophobic. My grandmother seems less concerned about the fact that I'm gay and more concerned with Wade though.

“Get rid of him,” she announces.

“Wait. Grandma. No,” I beg before the soldiers drag Wade off, “He's not a threat.”

“We can't risk it,” my grandmother says, “He knows your identity. He knows you are my grandson. If he tells the monsters...”

“Goddess!”

A sprite appears. It zooms past. It's not the only one. There are dozens of water sprites that fill the forum almost immediately. It's almost like they are attempting to warn us. My grandmother seems very aware of something.

“What's happening?” I ask.

She doesn't answer me, “Guards!”

I'm not sure what is going on but the guards line up at the front of the forum. Almost 100 guards of Atlantis barricade us in a large circle. I look over at Wade. He has this look in his eyes.

“They are coming,” Wade says and points.

That's when I see something. Over the barrier. Darkness surrounds the city. This large thing that seems to be bigger than any animal I've ever seen in my life covers the entire city. It's almost like a dark cloud but then I realize something else. It's alive. It has these large tentacles. It seems too large to break through the barrier but it surrounds the entire city with those big black tentacles. That's when I see the mouth of the thing. It presses up against the barrier of the city.

People are screaming. They are terrified!

They see what I see...

Teeth!

It's the thing that caused the whirlpool. I look over at Blue. Our eyes connect. The guard has let him up off the ground at that moment. The monster is the scariest thing that I've ever seen in my life. I've never been so frightened before.

“Stay behind me,” Reign says.

He stands in front of me. He's blocking me. Meanwhile his girlfriend is in the open. It's cute but awkward at the same time. I'm so confused. I look up at the darkness. The city has become so dark that it's hard to see right in front of us.

My grandmother comes to my side, “Take off your crown and don't say a word.”

“What's happening?”

She slaps the crown off my head and kicks it under the table. She wants to make sure that I look just like everyone else. Through the darkness in the distance there is a torch. A single source of light. The huge gasp comes across the crowd. They have seen this person before. They know who this person is and they are scared.

“The sisters are here. The monster circulating the city is one of them. The other is walking towards us right now. No matter what happens don't draw attention to yourself. They can't know who you are.”

“We have guards,” I state.

My grandmother shakes her head, “They wouldn't stand a chance.”

My grandmother was a Goddess. What was so terrifying that a Goddess was scared to death? What was walking towards us? I see the thing moving towards us. I see the figure. The crowd separates. The guards keep up their spears but they allow this thing holding this torch to keep walking. They don't stop the creature walking towards us.

What I see blows my mind when it approaches.

“Who are they?” I ask my grandmother.

She whispers to me before stepping away from me, “The sisters: Scylla and Charybdis.”

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