AN: I do not own either HP or Aquaman or anything related to DC Comics.

"Don't you want to go out and join the others?"

Harry turned around from where he was sitting, on a rocky beach in Maine, to look at the boy who had spoken. He looked to be maybe 14, same age as Harry, with dark curly hair that fell down to just below his ears. The boy was of darker skin than Harry was and he had beautiful golden eyes.

"I don't know how to swim," Harry answered, bringing his legs up to his chest and dropping his head down onto his knees. The Dursleys had brought him here to Maine for business reasons, something about Vernon's shipping company going through litigation. They had threatened to leave him in England with Marge but he had refused to stay with her. Had mentioned his godfather as a threat and that had taken care of that.

The boy sat down next to him, his eyes widening. "You don't know how to swim? I can teach you. Kids should learn how to swim. Why don't you know?"

Harry grinned a little, shaking his head. "My aunt and uncle… don't… care."

The boy's eyes narrowed as he frowned. Harry watched as the boy shrugged something off and then stood up, holding out a hand to him. "Well, come on. I'm Arthur."

"Harry."

"Nice to meet you."

Harry took Arthur's hand, feeling calluses on the boy's hand, and stood up to follow his new friend. He expected more questions, maybe about his implication that he didn't have a mom and dad, expected Arthur to stare at his scar for too long that it got awkward but nothing came. Arthur was also strong, a little inhumanly strong, as he pulled Harry up off the half sand and half pebble beach. Harry couldn't feel anything that might have been magic but then again, he was only 14 and about to be in his fourth year at Hogwarts.

Arthur led the boy towards the water and stopped to wade into the waves. "How long are you here? I haven't seen you before."

"My aunt and uncle are here for a business thing so maybe a week? Do you live here?" Harry toed off his shoes and tugged off his shirt and jeans while Arthur watched, having already been barefoot and shirtless. His green eyes seemed to glow in the sunlight and the scar on his forehead drew Arthur's attention briefly before answering Harry's question.

"I live over there," Arthur explained, gesturing over at his father's lighthouse. "Curry Lighthouse."

Harry nodded and stuck his feet into the water as the waves crept up onto the beach. The sun shone down on them, warming the air enough that it wasn't cold. It was just an hour after lunch, on a Saturday so Arthur didn't have to be at school. It had been a warm summer so far and Vulko had left last night to go back to Atlantis, after spending the night in their guest room.

"It looks nice," Harry said quietly, taking another step into the water. Arthur followed him, took a few more steps than Harry, walking in up to his waist. The water greeted him delightedly, curling around him and making his blood almost hum. "I just… My cousin Dudley pushed me into the pool once and sat on my back. It…"

Arthur stilled, his eyes widening and his heart skipping a beat. "Your cousin did that? What kind of cousin does that?"

Harry's lips twitched up, the grin not making it to Harry's eyes. "The kind that calls me a freak."

Arthur blinked, wondering if Harry was half-Atlantean too. But then… His father or Vulko would know if there were others and Harry's eyes weren't the same as Arthur's. Harry would probably know how to swim if he was half-Atlantean too and here he was, letting Arthur teach him.

The memory of the field trip to the aquarium flashed through his mind. The shark coming to his rescue and Arthur hearing its' thoughts. The other students that had witnessed it had called him weird, a freak for what had happened that day.

"Water itself is dangerous," Arthur whispered, letting his fingers trail over the waves as they hit him. "But I love being in the water."

"When did you learn how to swim?"

Arthur took another step into the deeper water but stopped when the water hit his stomach, looking Harry over to make sure they were of the same height. Harry was the same height as Arthur but he was definitely leaner, looking like one of the kids who ran cross-country and not like a football player.

"I started to learn when I was four," Arthur said, gesturing for Harry to come closer. As the other boy did, Arthur reached out to grab his right shoulder, steadying him when he swayed into a wave.

Harry caught his eyes, searching for something and finding whatever it was that he was looking for. "Okay. What now?"

"Take a deep breath and then lie down onto your stomach," Arthur said, hearing the greeting whistle of a far off dolphin before tuning out the rest of the sea life. "I'll hold you."

Harry nodded, breathed deeply and flipped down onto the surface of the water. Arthur followed his movements, bringing one of his arms to curl around Harry's shoulders as he lay on the surface. Arthur didn't particularly have to strain to hold Harry up as he talked him through kicking in the water, his Atlantean strength aiding him now.

"Do you want to go get ice cream?" Arthur asked, running up to where Harry was standing, outside of a motel room a block away from Arthur's junior high school. It had been three days since Harry had arrived in Amnesty Bay and they had met up each day. "I just got out of school and my dad isn't picking me up until he's out from work."

"Sure. I haven't had ice cream in ages, not since I snuck to the local parlor after school," Harry replied, racing to meet up with Arthur and not looking back at the motel room where Petunia and Dudley were. They had kicked him out after Hedwig had arrived and he looked up to see his owl friend up in one of the trees. She chirped down at him and he gestured towards Arthur, who blinked.

"I have… an owl," Harry explained, rocking back on the heels of his feet. He was pretty sure that Arthur wouldn't fuss about his owl. "Her name's Hedwig. Do you mind if she comes with us?"

"No, of course not. Can I meet her? She's beautiful."

Harry grinned and held out his arm, watched as Hedwig took flight from the tree and landed right on his shoulder. Hedwig nuzzled right into his neck, pecking him lightly on his hair like she was giving him a hello kiss. Arthur's eyes widened and he closed the distance between them, holding out his hand.

"Hedwig, this is Arthur Curry. Arthur, meet Hedwig."

Arthur grinned as Hedwig peered over at him, leaning towards him to get Arthur's scent. She hooted quietly and dipped her beak in a slight, human like nod and Arthur laughed.

"She likes you," Harry said, returning Arthur's grin. "Come on. Let's go get ice cream."

"Do you have a favorite flavor?"

"No. I haven't tried enough ice cream to have a favorite," Harry returned, shrugging as they walked off. Hedwig took off into the air and followed them from above. "Do you?"

"I like a few."

"I guess I'm leaving for England in the morning," Harry whispered, a few nights later under the moon. A full week had passed since they had met and they had fallen into easy friendship, something that Harry enjoyed and he thought that Arthur enjoyed his presence too. "My uncle finished his negotiations with the business."

It was a quiet night and the Dursleys had left him alone for the evening, forgetting about him for the day. In the morning, they would inevitably remember that he needed to stay the summer with them, even if in a few days he would be going to stay at the Weasleys. The trees around the beach swayed in the air and Harry looked to the water, smiling at the thought of finally knowing how to swim.

Arthur had been a great teacher and Harry had picked up on the basics of swimming after only two days of seeing the other boy every day.

"I'll miss you," Arthur murmured back, walking alongside him. Hedwig was sitting on Arthur's shoulder, hooting every once and awhile. It was doubly clear that the owl had become fond of Arthur Curry and Harry had too. "I like having you around. You don't pry or bully as much as the other kids."

"I like you too. Back home, my scar tends to draw uncomfortable looks and it's not pleasant. And… at school, it's twice as much attention."

Arthur looked at him in the moonlight, finding Harry's eyes with no trouble. Harry supposed that Arthur just had really good night vision or he supposed… had eaten a lot of carrots, maybe.

"You're not a freak, Harry," Arthur retorted.

"You're not a freak either," Harry said, shrugging. "We can be not freaks together."

Arthur laughed. "There is a reason… why people call me freak though."

"And there's a reason why my aunt and uncle and cousin call me freak too. That doesn't mean they're right."

"What's yours?" Arthur questioned, pulling Harry to a stop under a tree. Hedwig flew off and scouted ahead, calling out a warning to any other birds in the area.

"It's a secret."

"Mine's a secret too."

"Mine's a government secret," Harry said, grinning.

Arthur laughed again and returned Harry's smile, holding out his hand. "It's official then. Friends?"

"Friends." Harry reached out his own hand to clasp Arthur's. "Thanks for teaching me how to swim."

"You're welcome. Do you have a favorite flavor of ice cream now?"

Harry smiled wider. "Chocolate chip. I have a sweet tooth, I know."

Arthur snorted.

A month after Harry left, Vulko reappeared, diving out of the water and out onto the dock at the end of the day. Tom met him on the porch, nodding in greeting to the other man. Vulko once again looked tired, more deeply tired than usual, a frown on his face and bags underneath his eyes.

"Vulko?"

"It is nothing, Thomas. I would like to see Arthur."

"He's inside. Come in."

Vulko followed Tom inside, water dripping from his wetsuit, and dried off before stepping into his home.

"Arthur! Vulko's here!"

"Coming!"

Thundering footsteps raced down the stairs and Arthur appeared a few seconds later in the hallway. A dull light entered Vulko's eyes, an expression that Tom had yet to see and it was there and gone in an instant as Arthur approached them. He hoped that Atlanna was okay, hoped that Atlanna's second son was alright. Atlanna's next child had been named Orm, if Tom recalled correctly.

"Vulko, are there other half-Atlanteans other than me?" Arthur asked, peering up at the older man and full Atlantean.

Vulko raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No. Not to my knowledge. Not many Atlanteans can breathe air in the first place, Arthur. Only highborns can."

"Oh. Alright."

"Why do you ask?" Vulko questioned, shaking off the last few droplets of water onto the mat in front of the door and stepped inside. Tom closed the door behind them and walked off to the kitchen, probably to go get dinner ready.

"I met someone," Arthur said, shrugging. "I don't think he was like me though. He couldn't see like I could and didn't know how to swim."

"You met someone? A friend?"

"A boy. He had an owl for a friend but he's gone back to England already."

Vulko blinked, peering down at Arthur. "An owl?"

"Yeah."

An owl would mean the boy might have been a wizard, a race of surface dwellers who had magic. Vulko pondered Arthur's words and replied vaguely, hoping to keep Arthur from digging into who the boy was. The wizards knew of Atlantis but their relationship was always… tense. "Your mother says hello."

Arthur lit up, smiling up at him. "I'm going to pass your test this week. I know it and then I can see her!"

"We have to start your training with a trident soon. You won't want to see her until you know how to fight with her weapon, do you?"

Arthur nodded eagerly. "Fighting with a trident shouldn't be too hard."

Vulko smiled a little, knowing the grin did not make it to his eyes. King Orvax's words would haunt him for a long time and seeing Atlanna's first boy had seemed a good idea but maybe… He hoped that Arthur wouldn't see his grief now. It was too early and Atlanna had said not to mention her fate too early. Atlanna had said that Arthur would become king, would unite the seven kingdoms of Atlantis. He had promised to protect Arthur and so he would.

Three years later, Harry sat down on the beach that Shell Cottage stood on, the grave for Dobby a few feet away. The sand underneath him was slightly warm from the little light that the sun was giving off, as it moved behind clouds every few minutes. He could see Bill and Fleur working in the kitchen of the cottage and Luna moving about the porch, staying within the wards.

Hermione and Ron were probably trying to get more information out of Griphook. The goblin had been just as tortured as Luna was and Harry knew that Hermione was still trying to recover from her own torture by Bellatrix.

Dobby had saved them all and had gotten killed because of it. Harry sighed, wiped his few tears off and stood up, looking out at the sea. The Weasley's cottage was on the southern coast of England and a safe house for the Order. Bill and Fleur had made for a happy sight for him, knowing that at least they were safe.

As he was about to turn in, head back towards the cottage, he caught sight of something on the horizon, above the waves. It wasn't a whale or dolphin but it was something. He walked down the sandy dunes and stepped out onto the beach, looking out over the sea. The sun was just starting to set and his stomach growled, making him realize he had been out since noon. He had dug Dobby's grave right after lunch, using a shovel and his arms and no magic.

Harry whispered a spell to give him enhanced eyesight, something he had picked up from Sirius, and looked out to where he had seen the thing or creature on the waves. His eyes widened when he realized that it was… a person, a young man that looked awfully familiar. His heart skipped a beat at the thought, began to race and he yelled out, running towards the sea and stopping at the edge of the waves.

"Arthur!"

Arthur froze where he was, about to enter the English Channel and at the tip of England, and swam up, looking around above the waves. He supposed he was near Cornwall, England, but he knew no one in the country except… He squinted and swam closer, grinning widely at the sight that met him. He dove back under the waves and raced towards the beach, towards where Harry was standing.

It was a chilly evening, the stars coming out under the cover of darkness and lighting up the beach. There was no other artificial light, no torch, no flashlight.

The guy had clearly been through hell since they had met three years ago, bags underneath his eyes and his hair had grown longer. Harry had slightly pushed some strands of hair over his scar and eagerly waded into the water to greet him. Arthur laughed out loud as Harry splashed him in his attempt and Arthur charged right into him, causing them both to fall backward into the water.

Arthur grinned as Harry spluttered, coughing, as they stood up and walked out of the water. "Harry, it's good to see you."

"Good to see you too. It's been 3 long years," Harry remarked, as they stopped in the middle of the beach and turned to look at each other. "Ooh, nice tattoos."

Arthur glanced down to where he had gotten the first of many tattoos on his arms. "Thanks. Nice… uh…"

Harry snorted. "You don't have to say anything. I look like shit, don't I?"

"Yeah, you kinda do. You get up to some shit with your relatives?"

"No… It's a long story," Harry murmured, heaving a deep sigh. "There's a war going on."

Arthur blinked. "I wasn't underwater that long. I think I would have noticed something like that."

"I'm a wizard," Harry explained, shrugging. "And you're what… a mermaid?"

Arthur spluttered and shook his head. "I am not a mermaid and if I was, I would be a merman, thank you."

Harry snorted. "You're not freaking out about what I said?"

"My… teacher implied that there were wizards and witches in the world," Arthur offered, rolling his eyes as Harry's stomach growled. "He said that… they used owls for mail."

Harry's eyes dulled a little at the words. "Hedwig got killed. Who is this teacher? You know my secret but I don't know yours."

"You're a wizard. Surely there's been something in those history books. There wasn't much in surface history textbooks in my high school but in yours..."

"Hmm?"

"Atlantis is real."

Harry blinked and blinked again. "Atlantis? As in…"

"A race of technologically advanced people living in the ocean."

"You're Atlantean?" Harry questioned, looking Arthur over from head to toe. "You don't look…"

"Shut it. I'm half-Atlantean. My mother was a Queen of Atlantis." Arthur grimaced, his heart aching at the thought of his mother, his mother who had apparently been exiled and killed in the Trench. His fingers clenched into fists at the thought and the waves grew choppy for a brief minute, jumping around their feet as the water came in. "My father's human."

"I wasn't going to say fishy or like a merman. I like your father. Wow. So… you can swim underwater and all that?"

Arthur's lips twitched up into a small grin. "Something like that. I can swim miles in minutes and breathe and talk underwater."

Harry stared at him, his mouth opening and closing. "Wow. That sounds awesome!"

"I can also see underwater and communicate with fish and dolphins and whales."

"I thought you had just… eaten a lot of carrots."

Arthur stared at him and then let out a surprised huff of laughter. "I don't like carrots."

"Well then. That's… Atlantis, huh?"

"It's overrated."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You want to talk about it?"

"No."

"You want to come meet my friends?"

Arthur looked to where Harry gestured, towards the small cottage in the center of the dunes.

"I don't know if we'll stay long or about where you were going just now but…"

"Sure. I'll meet your wizard friends. Vulko said that relations between the Atlanteans and the wizards have been strained for the last 50 years though."

"Vulko?"

"My teacher. He grew up with my mother and is now the King's advisor. He taught me how to swim, truly swim."

"He a full Atlantean then?"

Arthur nodded and fell into step with Harry as they walked back towards the cottage. "He… I just came from a meeting with him. He's beginning to teach me how to fight with a trident."

"A trident?"

"That's the weapon that the royals of Atlantis use."

"Oh. Sounds… fun?"

"I learned how to fight with a spear first. And now…" Arthur trailed off, shrugging at Harry's worried expression. "Later."

"Alright. So… The wizarding world is at war right now with someone," Harry remarked, as they stopped on the porch of the cottage. "And I'm… the poster child for it or whatever."

Arthur looked at him, narrowing his eyes.

"Long story, okay? No adults can do it."

"Do you need any help?"

Harry tilted his head in confusion then shook his head. "No, thanks for the offer though. At least, I don't think we need help right now. Let's just hope that the guy that we're fighting doesn't suck the Atlanteans in to fight for him. That would… not be fun."

"The Atlanteans hate the surface world so they won't."

"That's good. Or I don't know if that's good in general but for us, it's good."

Harry nudged the door open and the smells that floated about in the hallway made even Arthur's stomach growl.

"Fleur's apparently a good cook," Harry remarked, grinning and leading him in. "Did your teacher say why wizards and Atlanteans have not been on good relations?"

"No. Didn't want to give your secret away."

"Thanks. Ron! Hermione!"

"Harry? What is it?"

"Harry, you have less wackspurts about your head now."

Arthur turned to face the hallway to their right, took in the young woman with blonde hair. She had a few bruises on her face, one black eye but she looked… or didn't look that crazy.

"She's a seer," Harry whispered into his ear, making goosebumps roll up his arms. "Hey, Luna."

"Fleur's cooking. Who's your friend? Is he of the water dwelling people?"

"Only half," Arthur replied. "I'm Arthur."

"Just like King Arthur of Camelot. You have a lot of wackspurts around your head," Luna commented, grinning and then turning to go further into the house.

"M'not a king," Arthur muttered, shaking his head.

"Your mother was queen though, you said." Harry looked at him, his green eyes narrowed.

"She was. I have no interest in being king."

Harry shrugged and then led him further into the cottage, right to a room hall that held a set of stairs. From the outside, the cottage had only looked like it had one floor to it but he supposed it was magic. A young man and woman hurried down the stairs, the couple about the same age as Arthur and Harry, and clearly magical. The woman had bushy brown hair and blue eyes while the guy had red, curly hair and blue eyes.

"Ron, Hermione, meet Arthur Curry."

Arthur studied Harry's friends, having heard of them from Harry when they had first met.

"Harry?"

"He's a friend," Harry said. "Just staying for dinner."

"You have friends beside us? I am offended," Ron commented, grinning and then reaching out a hand. Harry snorted at the guy's words. "I'm Ron."

Arthur extended his own hand and introduced himself.

"Where are you from? Do you live around here?" Hermione questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I live in Maine."

Hermione and Ron both blinked.

"Wizard?"

"Not quite," Harry said, inhaling deeply and smiling. "Fleur's been experimenting again, hasn't she?"

"Hopefully with something that won't make- Ow!"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed before looking at Arthur. "It's good to see that Harry has other friends."

"I don't object to sharing a room," Arthur remarked, nudging the door open ahead of him and stepping in. There were a few windows in the room, all looking out to the ocean and the dark sky above them. It was a cloudless sky, allowing him to see the stars and the bright moon. "If all of the others are occupied…"

"If there were more people here, we would be able to create another room but…" Harry trailed off, following him in and closing the door behind them. "Go ahead and use the bathroom first. I can wait."

"Mind if I borrow some sweats? The ones I'm in are all salty."

Harry snorted and shook his head. "No. I don't mind. It must be nice to just take off swimming all throughout the ocean to escape."

Arthur headed into the bathroom, leaving the bathroom door slightly open. "Who says I'm running from something?"

"You had that look on your face."

Arthur stuck his head out of the bathroom to glare at Harry. "What look?"

"That one," Harry offered, a teasing glint to his eyes. "But if you don't want to talk about it… We don't have to."

Arthur quickly borrowed the toothbrush to brush his teeth and used the bathroom before leaving. "My mother got exiled to the Trench."

"The Trench?"

"Separate kingdom of Atlantis. Its citizens turned into monsters and whenever someone is disloyal or treasonous in Atlantis, they get exiled to it."

Harry stared at him, his green eyes going soft. "Then your mother is…"

"Dead. Yeah. All because of me."

"Arthur…"

"She was exiled because she had me!" Arthur exclaimed, walking over to the bed and sitting down next to Harry. "Atlantis exiled my mother to her death!"

His fingers turned into fists and his heart pounded within his chest. Harry stayed quiet, only reaching over to his left hand and entwining their fingers. Arthur let out a strangled groan and then sighed, letting his head fall onto Harry's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, squeezing his fingers. "But Arthur… That doesn't make it your fault."

"It is my fault. If my mother hadn't had me, she would have been fine! Her asshole of a husband in Atlantis exiled her himself when he found out!"

"Then that's her husband's fault. Did your mother love your father?"

"Of course she did. My father loved her."

"Then that is what she chose. She chose Tom. She chose you."

"Speaking from experience?"

"I lost my godfather two years ago," Harry murmured, leaning his head against Arthur's shoulder. "He ran into a chamber to save my life and then died because of it. My godfather's boyfriend said that it had been Sirius' choice and that it wasn't my fault."

"Sorry."

"Thanks."

Arthur woke up with his head pillowed on Harry's chest the next morning, with no shirt in between them. The sun was just now peeking through the windows and he glanced up, seeing Harry's open eyes. There was a hesitation in them and Arthur's own heart beat fast, his stomach upset in an entirely different way than it was last night.

He had kissed two girls and a boy since meeting Harry three years ago and now… He wanted to find out what Harry tasted like and it seemed like Harry had the same idea as he arched up to meet him halfway. Arthur groaned into the kiss and heard Harry do the same, as they tentatively nipped and licked into each other's mouths.

Harry's arms went around his back, finding his shoulder blades and curling into his skin. "You taste like salt."

Arthur snorted. "Yeah? You taste like magic."

Harry raised an eyebrow, bemusement in his eyes and tone. "What… does magic taste like then?"

"Like… the ozone of an oncoming storm."

"Well, aren't you poetical."

Arthur rolled his eyes and slipped off of him, grabbing his dirty jeans and sliding them on again. "Vulko's been teaching me about the history of Atlantis and its culture. It seems very… medieval."

"He's probably a better history teacher than my history teacher," Harry remarked, slipping off the bed too and dressing. Arthur saw him reach for a stick of wood and figured that it was his wand, having gotten at least that much information from Vulko. "The Hogwarts history teacher is a ghost."

Arthur blinked. "A ghost? Would have thought a ghost would be a good history teacher."

"Not when he's so boring he sends at least more than half of the class to sleep."

Arthur reached over to kiss Harry again, pulling him in closer. Harry groaned again and slid his tongue out, teasing and nipping Arthur, who moaned into it. Sounds from downstairs floated up into the room and they slowly but reluctantly pulled apart.

"Harry! We need to start planning!"

"I should…"

"I should go too. Dad'll be looking for me."

Harry nodded. "You going to college?"

"Maybe."

"Join the Navy maybe?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Just because I can swim really, really well, does not mean I'll join the Navy or the military or work in the government."

"I probably won't see you again until this war is over with," Harry said, throwing a shirt on and pulling a brush through his hair. "It's too dangerous."

"Alright. You know where to find me then."

"I do."

The minute that the killing curse hit him, the second killing curse that Voldemort had cast at him, everything went black. Everyone disappeared from his view and he woke up in the train station, with everything ghostly white and no color whatsoever. Harry blinked and took in the surrounding station, seeing no reason why he was here.

Was he dead? Were his friends dead? His heart ached at the thought, at never seeing Ron, Hermione or Arthur again. Especially Arthur.

"Harry Potter."

The voice was deep and solemn, weary, but there was a good deal of intrigue in that voice. It sounded like a thousand waves, like the fury of the ocean. Harry stood up from the bench he had awoken on and walked around, trying to find the person who had spoken.

"You are the half-blood wizard who was destined to win the Hallows. The one who walks with King Atlan's descendent."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he continued to walk, finding no one around the station other than him. "Who are you? Where are you? Where am I?"

"You are in limbo, Death's territory. I can only talk to you here. I am Poseidon, god of the oceans and waters. God of storms and horses."

Harry froze, his eyes going wide. "Poseidon? As in Greek god?"

"Aye. I am long dead but I can talk to you here and only here. My powers are there as well, a gift from me. You walk with Arthur Curry and the world is about to become much more interesting. You will need to be able to dive with him and visit Atlantis when the time comes."

Harry's eyes widened even more as… Poseidon talked, seeing a big glowing circle come into being right before him. It hovered over the ghostly train tracks, the lights inside it changing color from blue to green to sea-green to teal, like the ocean. Thunderbolts rocked the sphere and it felt warm enough to him but there was fury also, the rough, tumble of waves.

"You mean for me to have… your powers? But I'm just… just Harry. Why me? And… you're dead? How can a god die? What happened?"

"It happened a long time ago and Ares has been killed since then. You may know of my niece, Diana, Princess of Themyscira. My brother, Zeus, had the forethought to create a child with an Amazon but the others of us did not. In lieu of having a child, I am granting my powers to you."

"You still didn't tell me why you picked me."

"You are a wizard, one of Hecate's people. You will know how to handle this power."

"You could have chosen literally any other wizard or witch then. I don't need more power."

"Atlanteans can endure the pressure of the deep sea, my waters. They can see underwater as clear as you can see above. If you intend to mend the bridge between Atlantis and your people, you need to be able to journey underwater."

Harry walked over to a bench and sat down, his eyes still on the glowing, slightly humming sphere of power. "Arthur said his mother was queen. Does that mean that Arthur could be…"

"King of Atlantis. Yes."

"I still don't know what happened between the two people, Atlanteans and wizards. Now I know it's why we can't travel underwater. They'd attack us."

"The fight happened long ago, such that the reasons have been lost to human history. If you know human nature, you can guess what happened."

"Greed for power and money."

"Yes. You have no such greed in you."

Harry sighed and leaned back against the pillar behind him. "How do I know you actually are a god and not just my imagination? Though why I would imagine you… I don't know."

Within the sphere of power, a booming noise sounded and echoed throughout the station. A ghostly sight appeared before him of a tall, humanoid man, taller even than Hagrid and powerful. The man… The god stared down at him, his sea-blue eyes narrowed and his auburn hair short and wet. The god, Poseidon, took one step over towards him and knelt, to be at eye level with him.

"You are not imagining me, mortal."

Poseidon reached out with one hand and Harry reached out too, touching Poseidon's index finger with his own. A spark, watery in feel, passed through him and it was as if a storm raged from Poseidon's finger right into him. The sphere of power floated around the god and melted into Harry's skin, the smell of salt water flooding the air around them.

"My powers will take some time to get used to, Harry Potter. Mind yourself while they settle. I do not want harm to come to Death's Chosen."

Darkness entered his vision as he swayed with the power charging through him.

"Be aware. You will be able to shift into a guardian of the seas, one of my own ideas that the mortals used for their own game. A queer idea card games but it was a good one. It is my own avatar, guardian of the seas."

"Take care, mortal."

Harry stared down at Voldemort's body an hour later, his magic tightly controlled within him while Poseidon's power ran rampant through his body. His body trembled with it, almost hummed as people cheered around him. Voldemort was finally dead and gone for good.

He swayed on his feet, exhaustion rising up within him, and waved to Hermione and Ron and gestured up to where Gryffindor tower was. Ron nodded, smiling widely before turning to kiss Hermione. Harry grinned and used the last of his strength to climb up to his four poster bed and fell onto it.

Harry didn't wake up for two days, causing his friends to worry and for Kingsley to send a healer or two. After he had woken up, he had heard about Madam Pomfrey kicking out the healer from St Mungos and tending to him herself. He knew that she had found nothing wrong with him except extreme exhaustion.

Four days after Voldemort had died for the last time, Harry woke up and packed his bags. He loaded a magically enhanced trunk, shaped it to be a small apartment and loaded a few books, a small potions kit and all of his belongings. His Firebolt went in as well as his invisibility cloak, the resurrection stone, which had come to him a day ago, and the elder wand. Harry no longer needed either wand now.

"Harry, you said something about Atlantis in your sleep," Hermione said, as she watched him pack in the common room. He no longer cared about who lived in Grimmauld Place and he especially didn't want to live there himself.

"It's real," Harry replied, shrugging as he tucked his now miniaturized trunk in his pocket.

"Yes, I know. It was in one history book or another," Hermione explained. "Was Arthur… your friend… Is he an Atlantean?"

"Half."

Hermione blinked, her eyes widening a little. "Half? I thought Atlanteans hated all of us."

"Apparently not all of them."

Hermione nodded, frowning in thought. "Is this something to do with whatever kept you asleep for two days?"

"I…" Harry trailed off, turning to look out the windows in the common room and then back to his friend. "I met Poseidon."

Hermione gasped. "The god?"

"Yeah. He… gave me his powers because he's dead and… I don't know. He alluded to the world changing and becoming more interesting."

Hermione stared at him. "Do you think he meant another Dark Lord?"

Harry thought about that and then shook his head. "No. He said something… He was rather cryptic."

Hermione let out a little laugh. "Are you going to America then? Arthur said he lived in Maine."

"Yeah, that's what I'm planning on doing. I want to live in the muggle world for a while."

"I do understand that," Hermione muttered. "Well, Ron plans on becoming an auror and I think I'll join the ministry and work with Kingsley."

"Change it from the inside?"

"Something like that. You'll check in occasionally?"

"Of course I will. You two are my best friends, Hermione."

Arthur sat on the dock just outside of his father's lighthouse, his feet toeing the water, and watched the sun fall in the sky on June 1st. He had just turned 18 a month ago and was about to leave for college in another month. The waves were small and the tide was low. It was a cloudless sky and with only a slight breeze, it was a pleasant afternoon.

Vulko had come and gone the week before, giving him tips about using the trident and telling him a bit more about the history of Atlantis. Arthur sighed, hearing the whistle of a dolphin a mile or two out, and footsteps behind him. He figured it was his dad and didn't bother to turn around. When it was Harry who sat down beside him, kicking off his shoes and dipping his feet into the water, Arthur grinned and leaned into his friend.

"You beat Voldemort?"

"Yeah."

The ocean seemed to glow around them, rising up to meet Harry's feet. The sun had just started to go down on the horizon, making the sky turn into beautiful reds and orange above them.

"You want to go with me to finish my tattoos?" Arthur questioned finally, after a few minutes of silence.

"Sure. What are you getting?" Harry asked as they both stood up and waved to Tom, who waved back. Arthur stood still as Harry put his shoes back on and then led the way to the car, hopping into the driver's seat. Harry jumped up into the passenger's seat and looked out over the coast as they drove into town.

"Same thing that I have on my arms except on my shoulders and upper arms. Scales."

"I might get one of my own," Harry remarked idly as they reached the little tattoo place that Arthur liked. "You alright?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm good, better than I've been in the last three years."

"Good. That's what I like to hear. You staying?"

"Yeah. Vacation from the wizarding world. I don't know if I want to go back."

"Stuck between two worlds. I know that."

"Yeah but the wizarding world isn't…" Harry trailed off, shrugging as they parked they car and got out. "There are a lot of assholes in the wizarding world, just like here. And it sounds like there are a lot of assholes in Atlantis too."

Arthur let out a surprised laugh and opened the door, letting Harry walk in first.

"There are magical tattoos in my world," Harry remarked, as Arthur spotted the guy that had done his first ink. "But I like the thought of getting a tattoo in muggle ink."

"What's the difference?"

"Magical tattoos move."

Arthur grinned and called over the guy.

"Last batch, Curry?"

"Yeah and anything for my friend too."

Arthur walked over to the first chair and watched as Harry flipped through the potential tattoo book.

"Lots of beautiful art here," Harry spoke, dipping his head towards the guys in the parlor.

"Thanks. If money's not an issue, we can do any custom art. The prices are on the first page in the book."

Harry hummed in response and watched as Arthur stripped his shirt off, his green eyes going wide. Arthur grinned, remembering their kisses of three years ago, and wanting more.

"What about a phoenix?" Harry asked, glancing up to the other tattoo artist in the parlor. The woman, who was tatted up herself, raised an eyebrow. "Here, let me draw something for example."

Arthur watched Harry dip his hand into a pocket, watched him mutter something under his breath. He could feel power move around his friend, some ancient, cold power that felt like the ocean, and then Harry came up with a piece of parchment in his hand.

The woman came over and looked at it, her eyes widening, before she nodded. "I can do that. Where would you like it?"

"On my back," Harry said, stripping off his shirt too and lying on the table, on his stomach. "With the wings going off my arms."

"Yeah, I can see that. Let me prepare."

The two tattoo artists began their work ten minutes later, the buzz of two tattoo needles filling the parlor. Neither Arthur nor Harry flinched at all as they were worked on throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.

As soon as Arthur was done, Harry was halfway done and had worked out a time to come back for another session. Harry had kept his shirt off and had cast a protective charm on his back, one that would keep it protected from water, dirt and soap. They walked throughout town, staying close enough to each other to occasionally hold hands until they reached a sightseeing point at the other end of the town.

They looked out over the water, their hands touching, as the sun finally touched down and the moon appearing.

"You have plans?" Arthur questioned, as Harry leaned into him more.

"Maybe college. I don't know if there's a wizarding university around here but I can check. You?"

"College. Vulko wants me to go and so does Dad. I got accepted into Amherst in Massachusetts."

Harry nodded idly. "Do you think I could meet Vulko sometime?"

Arthur turned to look at his friend and maybe boyfriend. "I think so. Why?"

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about Poseidon?"

Arthur blinked and stared at Harry, who grinned a little and reached over to pull him into a kiss. Heat exploded through his body and Arthur groaned, tugging Harry closer until there was no space between them.

"Shit's going to happen," Harry whispered, a minute or two later as Harry finally pulled apart. "The god of the oceans told me."

"Ah, well if he told you then that's going to happen."

Harry snorted and elbowed him, his green eyes lit with amusement. "We'll be together for it."

Arthur nodded and wrapped his arms around Harry, feeling the other man do the same.

"You think I could meet Norberta?" Arthur murmured, grinning when Harry let out a surprised laugh.

"I… Maybe? We'd have to go to Romania and that's a whole trip but sure. Yeah, I want to see the world with you."