A/N—I am hoping to expand this into a series of one-shots that fill in the gaps or follow up on various season two episodes. They might be out of order and vary in length, but I hope they are enjoyable.

First off, the aftermath of "The Truth About Evie"

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"I just have one question." Carly began. "Do the tails come in different colours?"

The blonde's face broke out into a wide smile and Evie quickly followed suit. As the two girls embraced, Zac let out a deep sigh, relieved that things had not been worse.

Despite their worries and uncertainties, it seemed like Carly was willing to keep their secret.

And while that was undoubtedly good, Zac realized that he was still quite uncomfortable with this entire situation. He was glad the Evie was happy, of course, but he found himself looking down at the table awkwardly in an attempt to avoid Carly's penetrating gaze.

He hadn't wanted her to know.

He didn't want anybody to know.

But, unfortunately, there was no turning back now.

When Carly had discovered them at the house earlier that day, she had been too shocked and angry to really ask questions.

"You have tails. You're merpeople." She had stuttered, wide eyed, before moving on to tend to her frozen boyfriend.

They had all nodded in conformation, and Evie and Carly had exchanged some tense words about betrayal and secrets. Once Cam was well enough to walk, she had whisked him away and none of them had been sure what she was really thinking or what she was planning to do.

It was a relief to see her smile now, and Zac instantly got the sense that she was happy to be let in on this "exciting" secret. Evie, clearly, was excited too—and he could understand why. It had been hard for her to keep this from her best friend.

But, while he was pleased for Evie's sake, he could not quash the feeling that it was not really her secret to tell. He had meant what he had said earlier that day—the fewer people that knew the better, and telling her meant putting them all at risk.

The fact that Evie didn't really seem to understand that, and was thrilled to tell her friend the truth, seemed to highlight a fundamental difference between them.

Evie was a land person who had fallen under a spell. It was a big enough secret to keep, but telling Carly wouldn't change the way her friend saw her—she was still Evie McLaren, a regular girl who had accidentally gained a tail and some cool powers. As much as he hated the thought of it, there was a good chance that she would change back one day and, for her, this was just an unexpected adventure.

Of course she wanted her friend to be a part of that.

He had felt the same way when he had told Cam.

But now, things were different for him. If he had known what he knew now, he probably wouldn't have told anyone about himself. What had once seemed like an exciting secret now made him feel nauseous and embarrassed and he had cringed when Carly had looked at him in his true form.

And that was the crux, really.

It was his true form.

He was a merman.

And Evie, despite the enchantment, was still human.

He had found himself agreeing vehemently with Mimmi, Ondina and Sirena when they had debated telling the girl about their secret and he had, initially, been surprised that Evie did not side with the rest of them. He realized now, however, that it made sense. It was their world that was at risk (his world), not hers.

He wasn't like her— he was one of them now.

And while Evie would never intentionally put any of them in danger, he knew that she did not understand what it felt like to be an actual merperson.

To be truly and fundamentally different.

To his left, he heard Evie giggle as Carly pulled a seat up to their table.

Still grinning, both girls leaned forward and he could tell that more secrets were about to be discussed.

Drawing a deep breath, he braced himself as best he could.

"There are only two tail colours, as far as I know." He heard Evie say, her voice lowering. "Redish bronze for mermaids, and blue for mermen."

Carly nodded eagerly and her eyes flickered towards Zac, as if expecting him to share their enthusiasm.

He did his best not to cringe again.

"Still, that's super cool!" She whispered, glancing over her shoulder to check for eavesdroppers. Thankfully, the café was nearly empty and David had disappeared into the back room. "So, how did it happen, then?" Carly began again, looking back towards Evie. "Cam told me a few things…something about a pool on Mako Island…? He said I should ask you guys for the details."

The brunette nodded as Zac clenched his fist under the table. He supposed it was fruitless to hold anything back now—after all, she was dating Cam and he knew everything. But Zac still hated the idea of telling anyone about Mako's secrets. He barely understood the place himself, and it didn't seem like something that land people needed to know about.

He had nothing against Carly personally—he liked her, and they got on well. But he could not stop himself from thinking that this was none of her business.

Evie, however, seemed to disagree.

"Yeah." She started, still smiling. "There is a place called the moon pool on the northern part of the island. If land people are in it during the full moon then they get powers, and a tail. I was there a few months ago and, well, I guess I'm a part-time mermaid for now."

Carly's eyes widened and Zac wondered if she was already contemplating a midnight trip of her own.

Most girls his age had been raised on a steady diet of Disney nonsense and he wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to live out some sort of childhood fantasy.

If only she knew what it was really like, he thought with a note of bitterness. The constant hiding, worry and fear. Always feeling like a freak. Not to mention crazy pod leaders and a war-torn culture that had kept mermaids and mermen apart for centuries.

"And that's what happened to you too, Zac?"

The question sent a jolt down his spine and the boy felt his heart rate increase.

He wished that he could walk away and ignore her questioning glance, but he knew that that would only make Evie upset. And Carly was going to find out the full truth sooner or later anyway. Evie or Cam would tell her.

There was no turning back now.

"No." He stated, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm the real deal."

Evie sent him a sympathetic look (at least she realized this was hard for him) and Carly's mouth fell open in shock.

"Wait, what?" She stuttered, blue eyes even wider than before. "What does that mean?"

Zac let out a deep breath and readied himself. This was the first time he had shared his secret since he had found out the truth about his origins, and this confession was proving even more difficult than it had when he had told Cam and Evie.

Everything was so much more real now—it wasn't just a game.

This was who he was.

And he already felt so vulnerable and exposed.

"I did fall into the moon pool." He clarified, trying to ignore the lump in his throat and the flip-flopping sensation in his stomach. "But that just broke the spell my biological mother put on me when I was a baby. I was born a merman. I am a merman."

He had never said it so bluntly before and, in truth, the words came easier than he had expected. He was still completely mortified, of course, but at least he had managed to say what needed to be said without breaking down or storming away.

It was progress, he supposed.

There was no way he could have managed this a month ago.

"So…wait." Carly began, clearly struggling to process this. "You're adopted? And you're actually a merman?" She paused. "There are actual merpeople out there?"

She looked back and forth between Evie and Zac, the shock evident on her face.

Zac looked down at the table, once again avoiding her gaze. He had already seen enough to know that she was looking at him differently now. Carly was giving him the same look everyone had given him when they had first found out.

A look that seemed to say 'wow, you're not who I thought you were and you truly are a freak.'

He had hated it then, and he hated it now.

"Yes." He said, hoping that clear answers would cause this exchange to end sooner rather than later. "I'm adopted, I'm 100% merman, and Mimmi, Sirena and Ondina are real merpeople too. So were Lyla and Nixie, for that matter."

"Mimmi is actually Zac's biological sister." Evie cut in before placing a gentle hand on top of his. He was glad, once again, that she seemed to recognize that this was hard for him to do.

But even Evie's support and understanding did not make this a more pleasant experience.

It had already been an extremely stressful day, and he feared that he was nearing his breaking point.

He didn't want to stick around for Carly's next barrage of questions.

"Yes, and speaking of Mimmi." He started, sensing that he had found a way out. "I told her I'd meet up with her by five, so I should probably head out. You guys can chat away about all of this without me."

Zac attempted to smile and appear nonchalant, but he had a feeling he failed miserably. Evie shot him a look of concern, and Carly continued to stare with an uncomfortable amount of awe.

"Alright then, see you later." Evie said hesitantly, before standing up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. He returned the gesture and nodded before offering Carly a quick wave and heading for the door.

As soon as he was out of sight, which was really only two feet away, he leaned back against the café's outer wall and attempted to steady his breath.

That had been stressful, and he needed a moment to calm down.

Before he could completely regain his composure, however, the sound of a whispered conversation on the other side of the door reached his ears.

"Oh my god, Evie, you're dating an actual merman!?" He heard Carly exclaim, her hushed voice laced with excitement. "That is totally cool. It's like a real life fairy tale!"

Zac rolled his eyes, not thrilled to be seen as a novelty. Thankfully, however, the sound of Evie's reply lightened his mood.

"I'd love Zac no matter what." She stated, repeating what she had said to him many times before. "But I'm not going to lie, it's pretty cool. Plus, he's super hot with a tail—it's like he's finally found his element."

He heard the sound of more giggles and, with a slight smirk on his face, he began to walk down the pier.

Though he was a bit curious to hear what else Evie had to say, he didn't want to betray her trust by listening in. And, while he was happy to hear that she found him attractive in every form, he did not want to hear her talk about his unique situation more than he had to.

He already knew that Evie thought it was "cool" that he came from a whole other world, and had a whole other family in the sea—but, despite appearances, he was still struggling to embrace it.

He had accepted Mimmi, and he knew that what he had discovered that night in the merman chamber had been the truth. But he wasn't ready to celebrate it or explain it cheerfully.

The grim reality was that his life had been a lie.

So much had changed during the past year and he had not even let Evie in on his darkest secrets. Like the fact that he constantly yearned for the sea now and had been unable to ignore it's call ever since the seventh moon cycle. Or that he only truly felt calm and balanced—only truly felt like himself— when he had a tail. Everything except seafood tasted disgustingly bland to him, and his powers seemed to be growing with each passing day.

He knew, now, that he didn't belong on land.

He never really had.

And in his view, there was nothing "cool" about that.

But, despite his struggles and inner fears, he did his best to keep things as "normal" as he could.

He wanted to stay in the place he had always known, and he wanted to be with his family and friends—no matter how uncomfortable he sometimes felt.

As much as it had all made him cringe, he did realize that telling Carly was not the worst thing that could happen and he was grateful that she was fascinated rather than appalled. She wasn't going to betray them and, despite the awkward stares he would probably have to endure for the next several weeks, things would probably go back to normal fairly soon.

Well, normal by his standards, anyway.

Zac stopped as he reached the edge of the pier and looked down towards the lapping waves. They seemed to be beckoning him. Calling him. And, after taking one final glimpse towards the café, he pushed off the ledge and ducked gracefully below the water.

As the transformation overtook him, he let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

For the first time that day, he felt calm and collected and he took off towards Rita's with a powerful kick of his tail. Mimmi would be waiting for him there and he would finally be free from prying human eyes. They could race through the open sea and dive deep into the blue depths, just as they had always been meant to.

He could finally be himself, without fear or embarrassment.

After such an eventful and mortifying afternoon, that was all he truly wanted.